Dear Colleagues,
The number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases we are seeing in Alberta each day is concerning. Trends show an ongoing increase in weekly case counts with a new high of 919 cases on Saturday. Family Physicians are receiving some of the notifications in their office, but some high risk patients are going through COVID-19 alone, untested, and their physicians are not being notified. Some patients with presumed COVID are not being tested due to perceived stigma associated with being in contact with those diagnosed with COVID.
The role of the family physician and team is mapped out and linked in the Presumed/Confirmed COVID-19 Positive Primary Care Pathway. Please take a moment to refer to the pathway and watch and listen for patients in your community and practice that may be at risk, or who are reaching out to your front office for support. For a convenient review, Dr. Stephen Turner summarizes the Central Zone COVID-19 Primary Care Pathway in a 15-minute video.
All patients will require some support at home to get through COVID-19. Some will need to be encouraged to get to a hospital for care and your clinic staff are a critical point of contact.
There is a shared responsibility for AHS, PCNs, family physicians, primary care teams, patients, and families to ensure the safety and survival of everyone through this pandemic and all of its impacts.
Vishal Bhella, MD, CCFP
President
Alberta College of Family Physicians
