Experienced and trustworthy Healthcare professionals have been wise to tell us not to panic in reaction to COVID-19 and to this point the lack of community-based transmission in North America has proven them right. Today the US is investigating the origin of a case in Northern California with no travel history or exposure to known cases alerting us to the possibility that community-based transmission may be occurring in at least one instance. I applaud the efforts of our government, responsible agencies, and healthcare professionals to contain the virus to only a few people who were exposed overseas, however, it is time to consider the possibility community-based transmission may be inevitable in North America. The explosion of cases in the past 7 days in South Korea (104 cases to 1,261), Iran (2 to 95), and Italy (3 to 322) demonstrates how quickly the virus can escape containment. The linked video shows urgent care facilities in North America are making room in preparation for the possibility.

Seniors are particularly at risk with a fatality rate of 14.8% (according to the Chinese CCDC publication Chinese Journal of Epidemiology) significantly higher than the 2% rate across all populations. Care workers also make up a significant percentage of those who contract COVID-19 as is often the case in infectious disease outbreaks. In the event community-based transmission happens in North America it will be absolutely critical we reduce the risk of exposure to seniors and those who care for them, perhaps the most obvious way to do this is to keep them out of places where the virus is most likely to show up - specifically hospital and doctor's office waiting rooms. The problem is the first reaction of clinicians dealing with seniors exhibiting flu-like symptoms may be to get them to a doctor where they can be properly evaluated. If they aren't infected the risk of becoming infected just increased significantly.

How can Nursing and Assisted Living Homes build a virtual barrier around their patients and residents while still providing adequate care in an environment where healthcare workers and facilities are going to be taxed to absolute capacity? Give your residents and staff access to doctors for online consultations. Now is the time to choose a vendor (like EQ Care) and familiarize and train your staff and residents on how to connect and use diagnostic tools. Virtual Care has an extremely high user satisfaction rating, adoption is rising dramatically, and seniors see the benefit. In a recent Assisted Living Home where EQ Care demonstrated our service 81% of residents who viewed the demonstration said they saw the benefit and would like to have access. Please contact me today to learn more about how EQ Care can help you prudently prepare to keep your residents and staff free from exposure. (416) 788 - 6325

Neal Ferguson