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Women who meet the clinic criteria can be seen up to six weeks post-partum. The clinic will not see babies, and the patients must enter the clinic alone.

Joni Warnock, who is 39 weeks pregnant, visited the clinic last week after returning from a trip to the U.S., and experiencing a dry cough. That combination meant her own doctor could not see Warnock, so she was referred to the new clinic. When she arrived at the doors, which are locked, she was met and asked to sanitize her hands and don a mask. The health-care workers wore personal protective equipment as they did Warnock’s routine maternal exam, and she was able to have blood work done on site.

“They were fantastic. If they were nervous about me being potentially COVID-19 positive, I didn’t get that feeling,” said Warnock, who eventually tested negative for the virus.

Pratt said women can see their regular physicians once they are symptom-free, out of isolation or test negative for the virus. Family practitioners will be kept in the loop on the patient’s treatment at the new clinic.

New protocols are also in place for women having babies in Edmonton hospitals. Only one support person is allowed in the delivery room, and only one healthy adult at a time can visit new mothers. No children are allowed to visit.

lfaulder@postmedia.com

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