COVID INFORMATION
FOR OUR OB PATIENTS

Dear Patient of FOWH,

Omicron is spreading quickly and we are getting phone calls daily from our patients, especially our pregnant ones.

We will do our best to respond individually to your concerns, but please also review the advice below. Thank you.

If you are sick with COVID-19, think you might have COVID-19, or test positive:
  1. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends isolating for 10 days after you test positive.
  2. Stay home and take care of yourself. Get rest and stay hydrated. Take over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen, to help you feel better. Use steam or humidifiers to aid in breathing. Walking outdoors and getting fresh air can be helpful and is safe.
  3. Call us before you come to the office for any scheduled appt.
  4. OB patients 20 weeks or later can go to Labor and Delivery for urgent obstetric issues. They will do an antigen test upon arrival. CALL US FIRST.
  5. Call us or go to the Hospital for emergency warning signs such as:
  • Trouble breathing
  • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
  • New confusion
  • Inability to wake or stay awake
  • Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone

If you are exposed to someone with COVID or a positive COVID test (and you are fully vaccinated), per the CDC:
  1. You do NOT need to quarantine after contact with someone who had COVID-19 unless you have symptoms.
  2. Fully vaccinated people should get tested 5-7 days after their exposure, even if they don’t have symptoms.
  3. Wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until your test result is negative.
  4. In areas using options to reduce quarantine times, people who are asymptomatic can use a negative test result collected on day five (5) after exposure to exit quarantine on day seven (7), with additional self-monitoring. The day of exposure is considered day zero (0).
  5. Even if you do not need to quarantine, you are required to monitor your health for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days from your last contact with the infected person and to follow instructions for fully vaccinated or recently recovered close contacts.

Additionally:
  1. The antigen test is a better test for people with symptoms (home test kits are available).
  2. The PCR test (also called NAAT) is more sensitive, takes longer to become negative and is better for those without symptoms who must confirm a negative result.
  3. Return to work criteria (or end of isolation criteria) can be used to determine when it is safe to come to the office for routine care:
  • "For most adults with symptomatic COVID-19 infection, isolation and precautions can be discontinued 10 days after symptom onset and after resolution of fever for at least 24 hours and improvement of other symptoms."