What to do to protect yourself

#1.          Go to work in street clothes and shoes.  Change into your scrubs and work shoes.  After work clean badge & put away.  Strip scrubs and shoes. Place in 2 separate plastic bags.   Wash hands & forearms then dress in street clothes.  Keep shoes in car and dump clothes directly into washer at home, or laundry hamper for cleaning later.

#2.          If hair is longer wear pulled up.  If wearing a mask is hurting your ears, I saw a post of someone putting buttons on a thick hair band and attaching elastic there. 

#3.          Refresh yourself on droplet precautions by reading on-line article about how it spreads.  Remember that COVID-19 is a droplet virus and not airborne like TB, and the number 1 means of transferring droplet viruses from person to person is by touching your face and eyes with contaminated hands.

#4           Remember to wash things like door handles, computer on wheels, name badge, and any other items that may have been exposed to droplet contact.  An N-95 respirator is only 1 piece of protection, but not the most important part of the overall picture.

#5.          According to an article that I read in Forbes, 40% of people who have COVID-19 present with GI symptoms first such as nausea, stomach pain (with or without diarrhea), body aches and chills.  If you have any of these symptoms, you should call your physician right away and if your patient has these symptoms, use droplet precautions while treating them. 

#6.          Take care of yourself.  Try to do something every day that relaxes your mind, body and soul.  This has been shown to help boost your immune system, while stress has the opposite effect.

In closing I want to thank every single one of you for doing your best during this challenging time.  I never thought I would live to see something like this current situation. 

In solidarity,

Deb Arnet