Coronavirus (Covid19) Update
Updated 4/1/2020
Dear patients,
We are closely monitoring the Coronavirus (Covid19) via updates from the CDC, WHO and Georgia Department of Health. As the virus spreads through our community, social distancing remains one of the centerpieces of prevention. Therefore, we are looking to minimize the amount of time patients may have to spend outside the home and are instituting the following:
1) If you are ill with fever, cough, and shortness of breath, have any possible COVID-19 exposures, or have traveled (domestic or international) in the past 2 weeks, please do not come to the office. If you suspect you need testing, please check with the following resources:
- Center for Disease Control/Coronavirus main website
- What to Do if You Get Sick - CDC
- For High-Risk People - CDC
- For Travelers - CDC
- Coronavirus - Georgia Department of Health
2) Patients currently on allergy shots may continue to receive their injections. However, if you have been building up once weekly, you may start coming every 10 days for your buildup phase. If you are on monthly maintenance shots you may space to every 6 weeks. In the spirit of social distancing, if you have flexibility, please try to avoid any peak times to minimize the number of people in the waiting room. If you are uncomfortable coming into the office, you may skip injections during this period of social distancing.
3) If you are on biologic injections (ex. Xolair, Nucala, Fasensra), you should keep your appointment as long as you are not acutely ill with any type of infection.
4) We ask that you please try and limit the number of family members attending any in office visits.
5) We have been using the HIPAA compliant Zoom platform for telemedicine visits since Monday, March 23, 2020, and this has been working very well for patients. As you know, we are offering our patients telemedicine visits in the interest of public safety to decrease the spread of COVID-19 in our community while continuing to provide essential medical care. If you are scheduled for any upcoming office visits, other than for biologic medication administration, our staff will continue to contact you a few days before your appointment to give you the option of a telemedicine visit or to reschedule. The telemedicine visit enables established patients to keep their originally scheduled visits to discuss medical problems, treatment plans, allergy shots, and prescription medications while following the “stay at home” rules. These visits will be increasingly important for patients and families as the spring pollen season ramps up. Call 678-615-7878 to schedule your telemedicine visit to help you during this allergy season.
6) Due to the current crisis, we will be temporarily closing our offices on Fridays. Allergy shot hours are Monday through Thursday 8AM – 4:30PM. Please ensure that you are calling the office between Monday and Thursday for any scheduling, billing, or nursing needs. We appreciate your understanding and hope to return to regular office hours soon.
7) We have always worked hard to keep our office clean throughout the day, but we are increasing the frequency of sterilizing high touch surfaces such as doorknobs, counters, and chairs. We wash our hands regularly and have hand sanitizer and hand soap in every exam room which we use before, after, and frequently during visits.
We as a practice will continue to follow the precautionary measures recommended by the CDC and our professional societies to keep our office as safe as possible for our patients, families, and staff. Thank you for your understanding and continuing to partner with us to improve health outcomes. Working together in our local community and as a nation, we will overcome this crisis.
Stay safe and healthy,
Dr. Lakshmi Reddy and the staff of Allergy and Asthma Institute, LLC.
