Waiting rooms have become menacing places since the Covid-19 Pandemic began. It is estimated that there are 883.7 million ambulatory care visits a year in the U.S., with 54.5% of these visits going to primary care physicians. In the waiting room, there is ample time for the mingling of patients who have an acute infectious disease and those who do not. Studies have shown that airborne infections pose a particular threat to susceptible individuals whenever they are placed together with an infected individual in confined spaces like a healthcare facility waiting area.
According to the CDC, Covid-19 is spread mainly between people who are in close contact with one another (within about six feet) through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. A person can contract COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. These patterns of transmission raise the concern that healthcare facility waiting areas are environments in which there is risk of transmission of Covid-19 to high-risk uninfected patients.
It is also recommended that, where possible, the waiting room chairs are arranged in a manner that is conducive to patients maintaining at least six feet of distance from other patients. There have been some recommendations regarding the use of HEPA filters. Unfortunately, since the Covid-19 virus is very small (0.1 of a micron), it is likely not filtered by most commercially available HEPA filters, which are only able to filter particles as small as 0.3 microns.
Five precautions include,
- Make hand sanitizer accessible in high-traffic areas
- Offer an antiviral face mask to patients and healthcare workers
- Use germ-killing wipes on high-contact surfaces
- Review containment plans and keep patients with flu-like symptoms away from others
- Follow hand hygiene compliance standards.
Anyone in Orange County, including within the city limits of Orlando, will be required to wear a face mask beginning this Saturday while out in public, under a new mandate by Mayor Jerry Demings. Under his order, “every person working, living, visiting or doing business in Orange County,” will be required to wear face coverings consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, while in any public space.