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May 26, 2020
The summer season is officially underway and whether you spent the holiday weekend at home – again! – or widening your world in some way, chances are you’ll be trying to socialize sometime soon. COVID-19 social distancing guidelines have kept us largely at home. As infection rates decline, many are…
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May 26, 2020
It’s easy to spot a mask that could put anyone who comes within 6 feet of the wearer at risk of COVID-19 exposure. Look for a little plastic valve. These are known as one-way valves, with the filter functional only in one direction. As you inhale, the incoming air is…
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May 22, 2020
COVID-19 spreads more person-to-person than surface-to-person or animal-to-person, according to the latest update guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The person-to-person spread surprises no one, but the CDC has downgraded the risk of touching a contaminated surface, then infecting yourself by touching your nose, eyes or mouth….
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May 18, 2020
It’s OK to dine out in Connecticut, effective May 20, as long as you dine outside. The outdoor-only mandate for the state’s restaurants is part of Gov. Ned Lamont’s Phase 1 plan to reopen the state’s economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some guidelines diners will notice: Restaurants can…
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May 15, 2020
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Hartford HealthCare has never closed. But to help contain the spread of the virus, it suspended nonessential services, procedures and testing. Gradually, those services are phasing in at Hartford HealthCare hospitals, surgery centers, primary care offices, health centers and other facilities (above, the Bone & Joint…
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May 14, 2020
Getting back into the real world of a reopened economy also means getting back into your car more frequently, sometimes with other people. Think of a vehicle as a tiny living space. OK, you’re already paranoid. So start by maintaining, as best as possible within that space, the practices shared…
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May 13, 2020
With hand sanitizer flying off the shelf, local distilleries and even some homespun scientists have developed and distributed their own versions of today’s hottest commodity. The Backus Hospital pharmacy team has similarly put its stamp on the hand sanitizer business. In late March, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidance…
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May 13, 2020
Gwen Rice is in the business of helping people. As an occupational therapist at the Backus Outpatient Care Center in Norwich, she works daily to improve the quality of life for her patients. When COVID-19 hit, Rice rallied her co-workers and her social media following to help patients affected by…
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May 12, 2020
Does anyone’s things-to-do list when Connecticut’s economy reopens not include a haircut? If barbershops and hair salons open June 1, as now scheduled, things will be different. Do not expect, or ask for, “the usual.” You won’t get it. Your experience is going to be much different, probably for a…
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May 11, 2020
The flu is seasonal, but experts say COVID-19 is not, so don’t expect it to take a break as the mercury rises this summer. The Canadian Medical Association Journal published a report May 8 in which University of Toronto researchers reported the virus and its spread is not fueled by…