the good doctor on: COVID Screening

Blog #23: Screening

Here we go again. Have you ever been asked: Have you been exposed to anyone with Covid in the past two weeks? Do you have a fever, runny nose, conjunctivitis? and my favourite: Have you been out of the country in past two weeks? Sound familiar? Every medical facility, whether an optometrist office or a long-term care facility will ask you these questions, and also often take your temperature. Standard practice in these covidic times.

Now, as of September 26th, all Ontario employers by law must screen every employee, contractor, visitor to their business premises every day. Now that the second wave is upon us, these extra measures have been put in place to provide another level of security. The government has had their hands full with this situation and is doing its best to prevent spread while allowing business to go on as much as possible, at least that is the plan. Not so easy to actually make happen in real life. These new measures, if followed, will help stop the spread.

But I don’t even know anyone who has had covid. Most people do not get seriously sick. What is all this for? The problem with successful public health plans is that the threat ends up seeming non-existent. Think about how much more we know about covid now than we did in March. Your prospects of survival if hospitalized are much better now than six months ago because we understand the virus better. We need time. We need to keep the health care system from being overrun as has happened in some places with sad consequences. This seems unlikely right now but spread is exponential…

Time to get on my soapbox, you can make all the best rules and laws in the world but if people disregard them or do not take them seriously, then they are not worth the paper they are written on. We each have to do our part, go through the multiple screenings, wash or sanitize our hands, and mask up. Thankfully our intensive care beds have not been overflowing with intubated covid victims; we need to make sure that it stays that way. If you have symptoms, isolate, get tested if necessary, and keep to your social bubble just that- a bubble, not a blimp.

Til next week,

The Good Doctor, Dr. Mark Germain, Burlington Optometrist