I’ve just been to the vets. My dog needs dental surgery, but unless it’s an abscess, they don’t regard it as an emergency, and they’re only open for emergencies. They’re doing phone consultations, and prescribing meds, so I paid over the phone and went at a pre-booked time to collect. They had traffic cones blocking the surgery door, and I had to phone them to open the door. They left the meds on a bench for me.
My niece’s boyfriend is a dentist. He’s now doing 3 days a week (on full pay), emergencies only. He says he may get drafted into the Covid fight at some point, as he’s also a qualified pharmacist (he has fitted in a lot of career in his 26 years on the planet). He works for the UK NHS.
Some veterinarians are moving to a new protocol to minimize human contact. Something like this:
When you arrive at the clinic, call the vet. Tech in PPE comes out, gets animal from car and takes inside. Wash hands, wipe down carrier, etc. Vets/techs call client cell phone and takes history, examines/etc. on speakerphone while client remains in vehicle. Tech takes animal back to car. Pay via credit card number on phone.
SmartAlecCat: I’m curious. Do the vets wash the animal? My upstairs neighbors have a dog, and every time they take their dog outside, they wash her before taking her back into the building. I really do not know if this is over-reacting.
I have been on strong pain management drugs for many years. Several months ago my locality switched to all electronic. In fact it is now mandatory for all strong pain drug prescriptions. Now I don’t have to go pick up the hard copy of the RX as it is sent directly to the pharmacy where I am registered.
That came as a relief and just in time to comply with more and more social distancing needs.
I still have to see my doctor once every 3 - 4 months.
One of my cats was due for his 3-year rabies shot in March. I was having some health issues and put off taking him in; he’s strictly an indoor cat so I didn’t think it was that critical, but the rabies shot is required by the county so I knew it would have to be done eventually. By the time I felt up to dealing with in, the stay at home policies had been declared. I haven’t bothered to check with the vet to see if their walk-in rabies shot program was still in effect.
Dentist, wait in the parking lot until they call you to come in. Vet, wait in the parking lot and they’ll come out to bring in your friend. Opticians, not sure, but they aren’t closed around here. Don’t know if transmission through the eyes has been confirmed, but everyone wearing nose and mouth masks and the optician wearing a face shield as well should work pretty well.
I was surprised that a phone call was all I needed for my C1 drug prescription refill.
My Medical Marijuana Recertification was done telephonically. I gave the receptionist my credit card details and as soon as the money transferred, I was put on with my doctor. “Is Medical Marijuana working out for you?” “Oh yeah!” Boom, done. And yes, cannabis remains a Schedule One Drug.
I had two knee replacements in the past year and they have electronically ordered Oxycodone prescriptions for me. I know people who have been getting other Class II drugs that way for at least a year now.
No. I was trying to ask if vet, dentists and others of that sort were working in hospitals and clinics during the worst of this plague. I was surprised that we went in another direction. Still, I hope other people got something out of it. As I have mentioned, I fear my writing is getting worse. I was unclear.
Around here I believe dentists, and some others I’m forgetting, offered to help with giving vaccines. As it stands they have okayed some pharmacies/pharmacists. Since they were already doing seasonal flu shots, it wasn’t a big step. They are also deploying EMT’s to vaccinate shut ins. No one here in Ontario is getting it from their family Dr as yet, but that could happen in the future.
I think vets might be a step too for for a lot of people, but who knows?