#Middlebury #Veterans #Covid #Masks
VETERANS POST
By Freddy Groves
You can ditch the mask now if you visit a Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility. Because, they say, the public health emergency is over.
While it appears you can walk into a VA medical facility without a mask, there are still high-risk places within the facilities where masks are required: chemo units, emergency and urgent care departments, open bay ICU units, transplant areas, dialysis and spinal cord injury/community living centers. And, of course, if you have Covid or any other respiratory infection, or even suspect you do, mask up.
Additionally, if you, the patient (or a caregiver or family member) request that medical personnel wear a mask, they’re required to do so. Stand up for yourself. If you want a medical provider to put on a mask, say so.
Yes, Covid is fading, but it’s not gone. A couple of stats: Across the U.S., only 17% of people have had the newest booster, and only 69% got the original vax. Approximately 4,000 people are in the hospital every day because of Covid. Several states have 2,000 to 5,000 new cases each week. In my state, Covid hospital admissions rose 250% in one recent week in two different counties, yet the state is listed as low level for Covid.
One important fact, and something that might be our undoing long-term when it comes to the Covid battle, is that it’s no longer required for insurance to cover the cost of the at-home tests. Veterans, however, can still get two free tests when at a VA medical appointment, if you ask and they’re still in stock. (Check the expiration date if you get those.) It’s better to have a couple on hand at home than to pay over $20 each at a civilian pharmacy.
Do yourself (and those around you) a big favor and keep washing your hands a full minute with antibacterial hand soap, not the 20 seconds that is generally recommended. Don’t become a statistic at this late date. There have been 870,000 veterans treated for Covid. Don’t let your guard down just yet.
© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.
