When it comes to Coronavirus the only two things that continue to be consistently the greatest factors in decreasing your chances of contracting it and spreading it are… Time and Distance
The CDC states clearly that they believe it takes being within 6 feet for over 15 minutes with an infected person to likely contract Coronavirus. This does not include if someone is coughing or sneezing, that would increase the equation due to the quantity and projection of a person’s exhalation.
The mask mandates are designed for the scenario where 6 feet, measured mouth to mouth, cannot be maintained. Facial coverings come in all shapes and forms and that it is a big deal when gauging your level of reliance on one. Certainly, wear one in the appropriate settings but my advice is to act like it does little to nothing. A KN95 mask is the only type mask available to the public that provides any proven level of projection to the wearer. This is the only kind I have used at the office, for your protection and mine. You are not able to contract or share Coronavirus through the bottom of your shoes so being within 6 feet of your feet is irrelevant. This is why we only speak to you from beyond your feet. When we are beyond your feet, that is not only 6 feet to your head, but you are also laying face down, creating a greater distance. This is why we require patients in the adjusting suite to be lying face down while waiting. It also helps your muscles relax so you get a better adjustment, but it works well as another layer of safety.
We experimented at the beginning of Coronavirus with wearing masks constantly. This resulted in lightheadedness, because KN95’s do block air, as well as patients not hearing us so increased talking with greater projection, all ending in longer appointments and I believe that lightheaded doctors do not think as well. This is when we created the protocol of wearing a mask when it is shown to matter. Within 6 feet, mouth to mouth, as well as the closed exam rooms. This policy was confirmed with the Fairfax Co. Health Dept as well as the Virginia Dept of Health for all the reasons stated. It has been asked how MD’s and nurses do it. The answer is that they do not. They take them on and off constantly. We are doing the same thing.
Our office was designed long ago to provide great care in an efficient manner. The average treatment takes 2-3 minutes. The average total time you spend in our office is targeted at 15 minutes or less, which we achieve over 90% of the time. We consider it good customer service to not have you wait for more than a couple of minutes, receive great care, and get on with your day. What this also does is create a great system during Coronavirus. It takes care of the 15 minute part of the risk equation.
We also have the benefit of screening all our patients to gauge the likelihood of infection. Our office is a very controlled environment. That is a great benefit relative to a store, restaurant, or any other place where strangers gather. You may be strangers to each other, but not to us.
Our full protocol, including when masks are worn by staff and doctors, was fully reviewed with the Virginia Department of Health on 12/3/20. They stated that our policies actually “exceed their requirements” based on the latest science from CDC. They also stated that there is a great deal of confusion mixed with emotion amongst the public and they appreciate us setting a good example and educating our patients.
In that effort, I would like to share my personal experience with Coronavirus, which I have been dealing with the past couple of weeks. There have understandably been questions so I will answer what appear to be the most frequently asked.
“Could I have gotten it from Dr. Perron?”
The CDC states that you are considered contagious for the 48 hours prior to symptom onset. I had seen patients Friday morning, and all were notified Saturday morning of the possibility of my infection and then eventually the confirmation of the positive finding of my tests. It has now been over 14 days and no one has gotten sick, thankfully.
We have protocols for a reason.
“I thought he already had it. He got it two times?”
Many of you know that my daughter got Coronavirus back in March. Knowing I would be home with her to quarantine and care for her I tried my best to get it too. I assumed it was inevitable so why not speed up the process. I had her lick my dinner fork and interacted with her daily for the entirety of her illness, 2 weeks. Based on that I expected/assumed that my body had the opportunity to deal with Coronavirus and I just handled it better than she did. Unfortunately, at that time the only people who were being tested were those who were being admitted to a hospital, so there was no way of knowing definitively.
Well, I was wrong. I came down with symptoms late Friday night, 11/27, the day after Thanksgiving.
“Where did Dr. Perron get it?”
This I do not know. My life is work, home and Whole Foods. Dr. Azizi, Carrie and Diana were all tested following my onset and all of them were thankfully clear. No patients we are aware of were infected and definitely no one coughing and sneezing. Also, based on our protocols I am with you while your face is down for a short period of time and if not then I have on a KN95 mask. Thanksgiving was spent with my wife and two kids. I cooked all day with my daughter and wife. I then spent the afternoon on Friday with them as well. All three of them tested negative, twice. I had been to the DMV, Walmart, Target, WholeFoods, and the gas station during that week. One of those places is my guess.
The bottomline is that I do not know. I know I did not get it at home and I strongly believe that I did not get it at the office either. So somewhere just out and about. I wear a mask in every store as mandated, just like everyone else.
“Is Dr. Perron okay?”
Thank you to those who have asked. Yes, I am going to be fine.
I will share that the first 9 days were the sickest I have ever been. I do not have a lot of comparison, thankfully, but it got my attention. Fever, chills, sweats, total exhaustion, dizziness, and breathing difficulty were the worst. All were gone by Saturday, 12/5, except the breathing difficulty and the issues that come with that. It was also my birthday! I decided to go to the ER to make sure there was not more to my issues than time. They confirmed that my symptoms and pneumonia were all classic for Coronavirus and that there is no cure, and it will just take time. They repeatedly told me how fortunate I am to be so healthy. This made we wonder how bad it must be for those not as healthy. It was very humbling to be wheeled to my truck at 1:00am by a 9-month pregnant nurse. Women are tough.
This is why the message that I have been trying to convey since March is do healthy things. Be healthy. Being healthy does not mean that there will never be a challenge. Being healthy is about what kind of shape are we in to deal with a challenge.
I will admit that the month leading to my infection, there had been more wine and less exercise than either should have been. I was also under a great deal of stress the week leading up to this. That is not a good combination for being at my best. I won’t pretend to know what things would have been like if those factors did not exist, but I believe they lowered my defenses to some extent. At the least they were factors within my control.
I was clear to be in public, according to the CDC, last Monday, 12/7, but I stayed quarantined in my room through Sunday, 12/13. I am not physically capable of seeing patients just yet due to fatigue, but I am thankful that Dr. Azizi, Carrie and Diana are all there to care for you all. I will be getting adjusted this week to help with my recovery.
Enjoy the holidays safely!
Know who you are around and who they have been around. This is the reason for the governor’s new mandate. It is social settings they are concerned with where time and distance are an issue.
Be grateful for what you have and more importantly who you have.
We are grateful for the opportunity to care for you and your family!
As always, please feel free to ask any questions. My email is [email protected]