Hi everyone,
As promised I am writing a quick follow up on... you guessed it, COVID-19!
I know you are inundated daily with conflicting reports, scary statistics, and even tougher news of family members and friends who tested positive or have been hospitalized. Lately I have spent countless hours on researching national and international data on trends, treatments, prevention and predictions. Here are a few tidbits I can summarize:
Trends: our area, Bergen County has been severely hit, and the towns closest to NYC have the largest number of COVID-19 cases. To date, in Bergen County there are 10,426 positive cases and 550 deaths here. In New Jersey, there are almost 70,000 positive cases and more than 2,800 deaths. However daily new cases are fewer now (about 500) than last week, showing the positive impact of social distancing. It is still impossible to predict when a leveling off will occur.
Prevention: there is a lot of circumstantial evidence on the benefits of vitamin C and Zinc, as well as aspirin when appropriate and elderberry extract. We developed a regimen to maximize your chances to stay healthy. The best prevention though remains to stay home and reduce contact with anyone other than the people living in your house, wear a mask, gloves, and wash your hands and face.
Symptoms: very confusing! Almost any organ can be involved and severity can range from mild to severe. Diarrhea, loss of taste, loss of smell, dizziness, fever, aches, chills, dry cough, chest pressure alone and in combination have all been reported. The key is to stay vigilant if you don’t feel well, and call us ASAP if your condition worsens. We now have access to refer you for testing with rapid results outside of the hospital, and can evaluate your situation virtually and excuse you from work if appropriate.
Office news: The office is open daily, and we are now doing all consults virtually. Please call for a consultation if you need your medications refilled, have been exposed to COVID-19, or not feeling well. The co-pays for office visits (now called telemedicine) have been suspended! That makes many services, such as dietician visits FREE!!! So if you have high cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. now is the time to take advantage of a virtual nutrition counseling session which you can use now and later.
Surviving: It is very difficult to be at home for so long, and all of us are irritable and somewhat bored. We spend a lot of our lives in social situations, and isolation creates anxiety and depression. Everyone eats too much, exercises too little and sleeps poorly. Please reach out to us if you feel anxious or depressed, we really can help!
Last but not least, have faith! Together we will conquer this disease and make the world a better place.
Best,
Dana Cernea, MD