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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 2020)
8 Wednesday, March 25, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon RESILIENCE: Doctors urge residents to stay calm Continued from page 1 as contagious as seasonal flu. On average, a carrier of the flu infects 1.3 people; with COVID-19, the number is two to three. <If we do nothing, it peaks very quickly and we9re over- whelmed,= he said. A big spike in cases puts tremendous pressure on hos- pitals and health care work- ers 4 who must also still take care of patients with other serious ailments and injuries. If we <flatten the curve= of spread through self-isolation, <then our system can handle it,= he said. Complicating matters is the fact that COVID-19 can present similar symptoms to seasonal flu or a common cold 4 and people with no symp- toms at all can still spread it. Aggressive testing would help to sort out cases, but testing has not been readily available. <This looks like a lot of things,= Dr. Miller said. <A cough and a fever is similar to a lot of illnesses. I don9t have tests.= Dr. Miller believes that a combination of aggressive testing and self-isolation is the most effective approach to fighting a virus that has no treatment or vaccine at this time 4 though health profes- sionals are working feverishly on both. <The best outcomes I9ve read are the communities who do both (testing and self-iso- lation),= he said. While some jurisdic- tions 4 like Los Angeles, California 4 have essentially given up on testing as a means of heading off the disease, Dr. Miller believes that it is not too late for aggressive testing to have a beneficial impact. Dr. Eric Wattenburg of Sisters, who owns and oper- ates the Your Care clinic in Redmond, urges people in Sisters to stay calm in the face of rising concerns. <Get outside, maintain some level of normalcy,= he said. <Don9t be afraid to come to the doctor9s office if you9re sick.= He noted that his clinic has long had the means to sepa- rate patients from each other, and has a negative pressure room that circulates air out- side the building. He said that people being afraid to go to the doctor is problematic in and of itself. He said that coronavi- rus symptoms 4 including a fever of about 101, a deep, persistent lower-respiratory cough and shortness of breath 4 need to be addressed. <Don9t be afraid to go to your doctor9s office or the hospital,= he said. <They9re ready for it. These people should be seen. Don9t sit at home until you9re so bad it9s critical.= Dr. Wattenburg thinks that Central Oregonians are far better off than people crowded into major metropolitan areas and should be grateful for the built-in advantages of the environment. <Here in Central Oregon, we9re doing all the right things,= he said. Acknowledging the pro- found dislocation that dras- tic restrictions are having on the culture and economy of Sisters, Dr. Miller notes that it will remain important to keep them in place for some time. <It9s longer than the two weeks that we have,= he said. <This may take longer than that.= His own High Lakes Health Care Clinic is offering telemedicine services. Patients may call Sisters9 High Lakes Health Care clinic at 541-549-9609 to make a telehealth appointment. The appointment will then take place through video confer- encing. Patients need access to any type of video/audio device that can connect to the Internet via Safari or Chrome (smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer with a webcam). At the time of the appointment, the patient will receive a voice call from their provider and then a link to join the video chat. St. Charles Family Care is offering <E-visits= and phone visits for established patients so they can avoid com- ing into the clinic. E-visits allow established patients to enter information about their symptoms. The provider then reviews that information and can reply via MyChart with advice, a referral, or a pre- scription. E-visits are avail- able to established patients of St. Charles Family Care clin- ics and they are free. For more information visit www.stcharleshealthcare.org. Dr. Miller saluted those who are donating supplies and sewing protective masks for medical professionals and hospitals that are swiftly running out of supplies (see Letters to the Editor, page 2). <I think it9s great 4 peo- ple rising to the occasion,= he said. We’re doing this for our neighbors, for each other. And this community is good at that. — Dr. Kevin Miller He sees Sisters rising to the occasion as it has done in the face of terrible winters and wildfires 4 neighbors helping neighbors, support- ing each other economically, emotionally and spiritually. <We9re doing this for our neighbors, for each other,= he said. <And this community is good at that.= Dr. Thomas R. Rheuben General, Cosmetic, Implant and Family Dentistry ~ Your Dentist in Sisters Since 1993 ~ We are here to help you smile with confi dence! 541-549-0109 | 304 W. Adams Ave. | Sisters See NuggetNews.com or Facebook.com/NuggetNews for breaking news and COVID-19 updates