Providing COVID-Safe Care
Keeping Our Patients Safe
Keeping you safe when you are here is our highest priority, especially while we all work to eliminate COVID-19. The staff at Shorepoint Medical Group is taking extraordinary measures to provide COVID-safe care for the protection of our patients, our caregivers and the community.
What is COVID-safe care?
When you need medical care, we want you to know that we are taking numerous precautions to keep you safe and to prevent the spread of COVID.
Based on CDC guidance, we may require everyone in the facility, including providers, patients and visitors, to wear facemasks if local COVID transmission rates are high. Our caregivers continue to use other appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment) along with hand washing before and after each patient.
Our entry points may be limited, and all who enter our facilities are asked to verify that they do not have COVID symptoms or recent exposure to the virus. This includes patients, visitors, and employees.
Facemasks are still required and our caregivers continue to use other appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment) along with hand washing before and after each patient.
Our normal deep cleaning processes are already intense and designed to protect people in our hospital. We are cleaning with increased frequency and taking extra measures whenever necessary.
Efforts also have been made to enable social distancing, by rearranging furniture, reducing time in waiting rooms, and limiting the number of people in certain areas.
Strict safety standards are always a top priority so that you can come to us confidently – knowing we are here for you, a safe place, and ready to provide the care you need.
COVID-19 Vaccines
Vaccines are an effective way to protect your health and to stop the spread of certain infectious diseases, including COVID-19. So far, two vaccines have received emergency use authorization to protect against COVID-19 and more vaccines are in clinical trials. We are currently providing vaccines to our frontline healthcare workers and employees. As more vaccine becomes available, it will be offered to additional people, based on certain qualifications like age and health conditions, with the ultimate goal of providing the opportunity for vaccination to every American. The best source of information about vaccine availability in our community is the local health department.
Frequently asked questions about COVID-19 vaccines
Why should I get the COVID-19 vaccine?
COVID-19 vaccines have been tested and found to be safe and very effective at preventing you from getting the virus. No vaccine is 100% effective, but the COVID-19 vaccines available today are considered to be 90% to 95% effective. Experts also believe that after you are vaccinated, if you do get COVID-19 at a later time, you are less likely to become seriously ill. It is important to know that the COVID-19 vaccines do not contain the live virus so you cannot get COVID-19 from the vaccine.
Why will I need two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine?
Both versions of the vaccine, one produced by Pfizer and the other by Moderna, require two doses to achieve the high level of effectiveness. The Pfizer vaccines are administered 21 days apart and the Moderna vaccines are administered 28 days apart. It is extremely important to receive the second dose of the vaccine after getting the first shot.
Is the vaccine safe?
The U.S. vaccine safety system ensures that all vaccines are as safe as possible, including COVID-19 vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna, the companies that manufacture the vaccines currently available, have conducted rigorous clinical trials to review and document safety of the vaccine. Data from those trials was then reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before the FDA granted emergency use authorization for the vaccines.
Are there possible side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine?
Vaccines may cause soreness at the injection site and some people may develop headache, fatigue, fever or muscle aches after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Side effects appear to be more common after the second does. Although extremely uncommon, there have been some allergic reactions documented after the COVID-19 vaccine. To help ensure safety, recipients of the vaccine are monitored for a short time after they receive the shot. If you are concerned about a potential allergic reaction, discuss the vaccine with your healthcare provider before you get it.
Don’t Delay Healthcare, Especially in an Emergency
Delaying care during a medical emergency can put your life at risk. Our Emergency Department safety protocols are designed to ensure you can seek emergency treatment confidently. In the event any patients come to our associated hospital ER with COVID-19 symptoms, they are separated from other patients immediately. Our caregivers and all patients wear facemasks and we are taking extraordinary measures to keep our Emergency Department safe and clean.
When every minute counts.
Never delay emergency care for sudden symptoms that may indicate a medical emergency, including:
- Chest pain, shortness of breath and other heart attack warning signs
- Stroke symptoms including facial drooping, arm weakness or difficulties with speech
- Accidents resulting in injuries, burns, or possible broken bones
- Sudden or severe headaches
- Abdominal pain that comes on suddenly or is severe or persistent
- Significant bleeding
- Coughing up or vomiting blood
In a major medical emergency, call 911 and get help as fast as possible. This list of emergency symptoms does not include all emergency conditions.
Stay up-to-date on all of your routine healthcare needs.
Maintaining good health has never been more important. During the pandemic, it’s important to keep scheduling routine appointments, including visits to the doctor’s office when you are sick, annual check-ups, immunizations for children, and screenings such as colonoscopies, mammograms and other diagnostic procedures that can ensure timely treatment for serious conditions, if necessary.
Providers affiliated with Shorepoint Medical Group offer in-office appointments and may offer telehealth appointments to keep your health on track.
Protect Yourself and Others From COVID-19
The best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 is to limit close proximity to other people and to follow infection prevention recommendations.
- Wear a facemask to cover your nose and mouth when you are in public places or come into contact with people who do not live in your home, including extended family and friends.
- Keep your distance and be sure you keep at least six feet between yourself and other people. Avoid crowded and poorly ventilated places as much as possible.
- Frequently wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water or use hand sanitizer containing 60% or more alcohol.
- Avoid touching your face, especially your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a bent elbow or tissue and immediately dispose of the tissue.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.
If You Get Sick
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that mildly ill patients contact their healthcare provider by phone for guidance about COVID-19 testing and how to recover at home.
Patients who have severe symptoms, such as trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, bluish lips or face should seek emergency care immediately.
Older patients and individuals who have underlying medical conditions or are immunocompromised should contact their physician at the onset of any COVID-19 symptoms, even for mild illness.
Symptoms of COVID-19
People with COVID-19 have reported a wide range of symptoms. Symptoms typically appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Common symptoms include:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Other symptoms have been reported. If you think you may have symptoms related to COVID-19, you should contact your physician for more information about testing for the virus and getting the care you need while sick.
More Information
More information and facts about COVID-19 is available at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.