Key Questions:
Are you suffering from a Fever (Temperature) of 38 Degrees Celsius or higher?
And / or
Are you suffering from a Cough?
And / or
Are you suffering from Shortness of Breath (Difficulty breathing)?
If you have any of these symptoms then you may have Covid-19. As well as fever & cough, other symptoms of Covid-19 can be fatigue, headaches, sore throat, aches and pains. For most people who have these symptoms now, it is more likely to be an infection that is not Covid-19.
As of 13th March 2020, new guidelines have recommended that testing be completed on all patients with a cough or fever or shortness of breath or any combination of those symptoms.
It is the case, at this time, that resources for testing by the HSE are limited and confined to the hospital setting for those patients who require admission or via the ambulance services by those referred by their GP. Community-based testing or designated Covid-19 clinic testing may be available in the future and we are pushing for that to start as soon as possible. However, at this time, one cannot get tested in the community (not in General Practice and not in Nowdoc).
We at Inishowen Medical Ardaravan and Clonmany, will collate a daily list of our patients (Names, DOBs and Phone Numbers) with symptoms and inform the HSE on a daily-working basis by e-mail of those that require testing when it becomes available. The HSE will get to every symptomatic patient in due course – that is the only option we have presently.
In the interim – while the patient with symptoms awaits testing, the patient should self-isolate with immediate effect to avoid the possibility of spreading Covid-19. The advice on self-isolation can be found here: https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/
In order to help us triage information and collect names for testing we propose the following two scenarios…
Scenario A: I think I have Covid-19 as per the above criteria and I am unwell / very unwell
OR
Scenario B: I think I might have Covid-19 and I am NOT unwell. I am managing okay at home and I don’t feel I need to see the doctor.
Scenario A: I think I have Covid-19 as per the above criteria and I am unwell / very unwell.
I am unwell (Fever, or Cough or Shortness of Breath). Please contact the practice today, we will take your details, and return your call. You should self-isolate as per the HSE website (link below). Numbers to contact us are: 0749361800 or 0749376173 to speak to a member of our staff.
Scenario B: I think I might have Covid-19 and I am NOT unwell. I am managing okay at home and I don’t feel I need to see the doctor.
I meet the criteria of Fever but have mild symptoms otherwise (such as mild cough, aches and pains, sore throat, headache). I do not feel I need to see the doctor at this time. You will still be tested but can chose the option of e-mailing the practice your details and we can inform the HSE that you meet the testing criteria. inishowenmedical@gmail.com This e-mail will accept e-mails only and will not reply to any clinical query. You should self-isolate as per the HSE website (link below). However, if you feel you need to speak to a doctor about your symptoms, please call the practice as per Scenario A. Also, if you have e-mailed the practice but your clinical situation worsens before / after testing occurs then please phone the practice to inform us without delay as per Scenario A.
Inishowen Medical (Clonmany Clinic & Ardaravan Clinic)
E-mail Address: inishowenmedical@gmail.com .
Please only include the following data in this e-mail. By e-mailing the practice, you are consenting to share this personal data through the G-Mail platform. If you are unhappy about this, please phone the practice instead to give us that information. However, we are facing an unprecedented amount of phone calls at this time and your patience will be appreciated.
‘Scenario B’ e-mail to include:
Name:
Date of Birth:
Address:
Phone Number Primary:
Phone Number Backup:
Eircode (if available)
Symptoms: (Fever / Cough / Shortness of breath)
Duration of Symptoms:
We at Inishowen Medical hope that by introducing these two information pathways for our practice we can streamline those patients who may have the virus and require testing but have mild symptoms AND….. those patients who are unwell / very unwell and need to speak to the doctor about their clinical presentation today.
The information on our practice website and our facebook page will continue to be updated. This situation is rapidly changing and we are doing our best to support our community by adapting as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience during the challenging times ahead.
Further Information Links / Websites
https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/coronavirus.html
https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/