This is the first blog for my website and I was hoping to begin with an interesting post about Chinese medicine and health. However, circumstances have intervened, so the subject of my first post is Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
As I write this post, the current number of confirmed cases in the UK is 35 and I think we would all agree that fear (spread by alarmist headlines and irresponsible posts on social media) is a contagion that we need to avoid spreading as much as the virus itself. However, we need to take sensible precautions and I want to do all that I can to minimise risk to my patients.
When to cancel your appointment
I have read the latest advice from the Government website on Coronavirus and am asking all patients with the following symptoms to cancel their appointments with me.
- Flu-like symptoms
- Cough
- Fever
- Shortness of Breath
[Updated 11 March] In addition, please cancel your appointment with me, stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if you’ve travelled to the UK from the following area, even if you do not have symptoms:
- anywhere in Italy on or after 9 March
- specific areas in northern Italy in the last 14 days
- Iran in the last 14 days
- Hubei province in China in the last 14 days
- Daegu, Cheongdo or Gyeongsan in South Korea in the last 14 days
Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if you’ve travelled to the UK from the following places in the last 14 days and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath, even if your symptoms are mild:
- Italy (outside specific areas in northern Italy) before 9 March
- mainland China outside of Hubei province
- South Korea outside of Daegu, Cheongdo and Gyeongsan
- Cambodia
- Hong Kong
- Japan
- Laos
- Macau
- Malaysia
- Myanmar
- Singapore
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Vietnam
Use the online 111 coronavirus service to find out what to do next. Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Please remember that you don’t necessarily have to have symptoms to be infected and the incubation period is 14 days.
Precautions in the treatment room
You are probably also wondering what precautions I will be taking.
- I already wash my hands several times during the course of a treatment and at least once between patients
- I will not be using towels to cover patients, but will be using disposal couch roll instead
- I will continue to clean frequently touched surfaces in my treatment room between treatments.
- I am also asking all patients to use hand sanitiser (available in my treatment room) before the treatment starts.
The development of the virus in the UK is obviously an evolving situation. I will continue to update this advice as necessary.
Useful Links
Latest Government updates on Coronavirus https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public#risk-level
NHS 111 online Coronavirus advice service https://111.nhs.uk/service/covid-19
Common questions about the Coronavirus https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/common-questions/