Brittons Cross Road
St.Michael, Barbados
(246) 228-0243
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(246) 251-9300
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Keeping our patients safe from COVID-19
Your Health and Safety is our Priority...
As lockdown restrictions are being lifted and countries re-open, you may be concerned about the risk of you and your loved ones contracting COVID-19 infection. We want you to know that at Quality Care Medical Centre we are practicing measures to protect the health and safety of our staff, patients and their families.
- Persons are screened before entry into the clinic.
- Patients and anyone accompanying them must complete a pre-screening questionnaire form and temperature checks are done before entering reception.
- If we identify a potential case or if symptoms are present, that person will be immediately isolated and infectious disease protocol to prevent spread will be instituted.
- All patients MUST wear masks, sanitize hands immediately on entry and observe physical distancing. Help us stop the spread!
- We clean and sanitize after every patient.
However, kindly note that you must play your part in stopping spread. Please call the office for advise if you have the following symptoms: fever, cough & cold, sore throat, shortness of breath, body aches, fever and rash, vomiting & diarrhea & belly pains (like gastroenteritis), loss of taste or smell. DO NOT VISIT UNEXPECTEDLY. We will speak with you via phone.
Do you have a chronic disease or ongoing illness?
If you have chronic diseases like Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Kidney Disease, Cancer and other ongoing disease conditions, you should seek follow-up care to ensure that your health status remains optimal. We encourage you to call ahead and book an appointment as we aim to limit the number of persons and reduce wait times especially for our vulnerable group of patients. In some cases we can arrange a telemedicine consultation.
It is understandable to feel uncertain or anxious or low mood during a crisis. We are facing a Public Health Crisis right now and persons may feel isolated, afraid or stressed. We do not know when this will end, so we have to develop coping strategies. Embrace a hobby. We are social creatures, though physically distant, you can still keep in touch with family and friends virtually. Practice good sleep hygiene, healthy eating and keep physically active.
Important Note: If your symptoms and stress levels become overwhelming, please call the office to set up an appointment or walk in. You can also call the COVID-19 Hotline at (246) 536-4500 for guidance on mental health support.
Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent or treatment to cure COVID-19 infection, so you must reduce your risk at becoming exposed to the virus. Behavioural strategies make a difference. Limit visits to public places, practice frequent hand washing, sanitize hands as a temporary measure until soap and water for hand washing is accessible, always wear a mask in settings where there are other persons, stay at home when sick with flu-like symptoms and maintain physical distancing of at least 6 feet for persons that are not part of your household.
The Virus needs a human host to remain alive and spread to others. If you become symptomatic or sick, immediately isolate yourself from others. Call your doctor or the COVID-19 Hotline. In the event you may be infected unknowingly, you can avoid being a “super-spreader” if you observe and practice the Public Health Recommendations: wear masks, maintain social distancing, frequent hand washing and sanitizing, stay at home if you do not need to be out. Stay away from others when possible, since people can spread the virus even before they know they are sick.
Help stop the spread with responsible and proactive actions!
For local updates visit: https://gisbarbados.gov.bb/covid-19/
For regional information visit: https://carpha.org/What-We-Do/Public-Health/Novel-Coronavirus
Other sources of information include: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Questions You May Have
COVID-19 Vaccination FAQs
The vaccines do not contain a live virus, so they can’t cause covid-19.
The vaccines have been shown to reduce the chance of becoming severely ill, hospitalized or dying with covid-19 if you become exposed to the virus, but so far it has not been proven to prevent you from getting infected or transmitting the virus to others. So, it is important to continue to wear a mask, wash hands and physically distance even after getting the vaccine.
Some persons have very little side effects like pain at the injection site. Others may experience headaches, fatigue, muscle ache or body ache, fever or nausea. These effects indicate that your body is mounting an immune response and is responding to the vaccine. The response varies among individuals.
If you have concerns about the physical symptoms you experience after receiving the vaccine, contact your doctor.
The vaccine is highly recommended for persons with chronic diseases like Diabetes. Discuss with your doctor how to optimize your blood sugar control. This will improve your immune response.
Chronic non-communicable diseases or NCDs are disease conditions that are generally life-long and are non-infectious, hence the term “non-communicable”. These include but are not limited to Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Chronic Kidney Disease, Heart Disease, Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary (lung) disease (COPD) and other chronic lung conditions, cancer, auto-immune conditions like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis. Discuss with your doctor about the risks and benefits of being vaccinated.
The covid-19 vaccine studies did not include pregnant or breastfeeding women. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of being vaccinated.
Various vaccines work in different ways to offer protection. The current vaccines that are being used carries viral genetic material, which instructs your cell to make spike proteins similar to that of the coronavirus. Your immune cells recognize these as foreign to the body and make antibodies to fight it. These antibodies remain in circulation in the body. The body also builds more immune cells that will remember and recognize the protein or produce more antibodies. In the event of exposure to the Covid-19, your body recognizes the spike protein on the Coronavirus and quickly attacks and destroys the virus. This will keep you from getting sick.
Once your body uses the genetic material, it is broken down and removed from your system. Some vaccines such as the Oxford-AstraZenica vaccine use a vector adenovirus. This is also destroyed and not incorporated into the body’s DNA.
We do not yet have the answer. Studies are still ongoing. However it appears that persons may need to be vaccinated periodically, similar to that of the Flu vaccine but that has not yet been proven.
The Oxford-AstraZenica vaccine that is presently being used in Barbados (also the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that are being used elsewhere) requires 2 doses. The first dose can be referred to as a “primer” and the second dose a “booster” which will boost your immune response to the coronavirus spike protein and make it more efficient in attacking and destroying the virus should you become exposed.
It is recommended that the same type of vaccine should be used for both doses.
Vaccines are important as they protect us from and help prevent illnesses. A vaccine helps your body to become immune to a particular disease, so you are protected and do not become sick. Historically, vaccines have helped to eradicate diseases like polio and smallpox. The “Spanish Flu” pandemic led to the discovery of the “flu vaccine” which we now use annually to protect us from severe complications of influenza infection. Today, we are now faced with a similar situation, only this time it is with SARS-COV2 (Covid-19).
For more reading on vaccines in general go to https://familydoctor.org/vaccine-myths/
So let's all join in the war against COVID-19:
- #Stay Safe
- #Protect Self and Others
- #Be Responsible and Proactive
- #Get Masked Up
- #Maintain Physical Distancing
- #Stop the Virus Spread