I was referred to Dr. Edwards, but when I called to make my first appointment, I learned that masks are now optional for patients in the office. Since COVID is airborne and masks act as source control, other patients having the option to not wear masks increases the potential amount of airborne viral particles in the office to which everyone is exposed. Moreover, viral particles can stay airborne for hours, which means that risk is even shared between patients who are not in the office at the same time together.
As a high-risk person who has been instructed by my doctors to avoid COVID infection as much as possible, this means that care at this office is not accessible for me. I urge the office to reconsider this policy so that care is accessible for patients with health conditions that elevate our risks for COVID. Moreover, while some of us know we are high-risk, COVID infections can be harmful or deadly for healthy people, too. We all benefit from polices like universal masking in healthcare settings. read more