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In this unprecedented period of heightened anxiety surrounding the COVID 19 pandemic, everyone has questions and concerns about their personal safety and that of their friends, family and community.
As the virus begins to affect our province, our excellent public health system has kicked into high gear to keep us safe and informed. The information, recommendations and statistics are changing daily and we at our medical office are keeping up to date and complying with all recommendations as we are able.
I would like to provide you with information about currently available health services on Bowen and recommend reliable resources which can help keep you up to date.
Our office in Artisan Square continues to see our patients for all regular primary care services. We will see others who are not our patients for urgent matters as time and space permits. As always, if you have an emergency, you should call 911. We do have viral swab tests in our office. The use of these is restricted to people in need of diagnosis. However, even with the help of Artisan Express our ability to submit tests to the lab is currently limited by the availability of courier services. We have reached out to Lifelabs for help in improving this situation.
From the BCCDC website:
Testing may be available for those with symptoms (e.g. fever, cough, or difficulty breathing) AND history of travel OR for those who have had close physical and prolonged contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19.
Rather than calling our office for advice, to find all the up to date information you need to know about the current situation in BC and to answer frequently asked questions, I request you consult the following resources:
BCCDC COVID-19 for the Public
BCCDC COVID-19 for Health Care Professionals
HealthLink BC 8-1-1
Please join our healthcare team in keeping our community as safe from this illness as possible. Do you your part to help “flatten the curve”, keep an eye on your fellow islanders in need and know we are all in this together.
––Susannne Schloegl M.D.
