Dear Baltimore-Washington Facial Plastic Surgery Patients,
At BWFPS, your health and safety are our top priorities. We closely monitor all major public health concerns and risks. The most recent is the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, which was declared a national emergency on March 13 and is most harmful to seniors ages 65 and up with pre-existing health conditions. We want to inform you of the constant vigilance and efforts that our private healthcare office undertakes to ensure your safety and that of the community as we continue to serve your needs.
As surgical/medical providers, we have always followed sterile technique and aseptic protocols for disinfection and disease prevention, and our protocols extend above standard of care to even nonsurgical contact situations. We continue to disinfect/sterilize our treatment rooms, equipment and instruments between patients. Additionally, we disinfect shared surfaces such as doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, and front desk throughout the day. Soap/water and alcohol-based hand sanitizer are available to our patients and staff. Our staff are trained to avoid unnecessary contact with others and to recognize signs of sickness in our patients and in themselves.
Our practice is in a highly private setting, seeing one pre-screened patient at a time by appointment only, with no mass gathering. For the time being, each patient is limited to one (1) accompanying adult at the visit. Each patient and accompanying adult will be pre-screened by telephone prior to the visit. We also ask all patients to practice social distancing in their lives (>6 feet from others at work and in public) and to be judicious regarding their contacts.
For our beloved patients, listen to your body. If you are feeling well and have no symptoms, please visit us with the comfort of knowing our office has always met the highest standard in safety. If you’re not feeling well (click for symptoms), please stay home and seek medical attention and testing, if needed, and notify our office. Follow CDC recommendations of frequent hand washing with soap/water or hand sanitizer, especially when touching your face, eyes, nose, mouth and public surfaces, and when coming into contact with senior citizens. Practice good cough/sneeze etiquette. Hand hygiene habits have been the tenets of respiratory and contact infectious-disease control for two centuries but still not practiced enough by much of the public.
According to CDC, coronavirus is more contagious than influenza but less contagious than measles, and asymptomatic carriers can transmit the virus. Hence, the CDC recommends social distancing (>6 ft) and the widespread use of facemasks in all individuals, regardless of Covid status, to reduce spread to others. The numbers of U.S. infections and deaths related to coronavirus rose quickly in the last 2 months but has plateaued due to social distancing efforts. Most deaths from Covid-19 are in the elderly and those with comorbidiites, the most vulnerable to the virus. U.S. health officials feel that, over time, much if not most of America will likely contract the virus. Ultimately, until a vaccine for the virus is developed, they hope to suppress the doubling rate, protect vulnerable groups, and pace hospital resources by restricting travel from outside countries, prohibiting large gatherings, and enforcing social distancing.
Preventing the spread of Covid-19 is similar to that of the 2019 H1N1 Swine Flu in that sick individuals should self-quarantine and seek appropriate care and testing. Meanwhile, healthy individuals can resume everyday activities while practicing good hand hygiene habits, avoiding close contact to sick individuals, and practicing social distancing (>6 feet) in public areas or high-risk communities. To help you put Covid-19 in perspective, listed below are links to informative articles to help separate fact from fiction:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/share-facts.html
https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-age-sex-demographics/
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2002032?query=recirc_mostViewed_railB_article
https://www.healthline.com/health/coronavirus-transmission
https://www.livescience.com/new-coronavirus-compare-with-flu.html
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/flu-pandemic-study-supports-social-distancing
https://wbng.com/2020/03/13/flu-vs-coronavirus-health-department-separates-fact-from-fiction/
Thank you in advance!
Baltimore-Washington Facial Plastic Surgery