COVID

AUGUST 31, 2022

We review and update this bulletin regularly. Please check back for updates.

With your health and safety in mind, we at North Shore Associates in Gynecology & Obstetrics (NSAGO) have compiled the following information regarding the COVID ? 19 virus.

We hope to answer questions regarding your health care and offer recommendations about your future visits and upcoming care at our offices and hospital system.

Office Visits:

Due to an increase in COVID ? 19 cases in our community and health system we are updating our office policy as follows:

Office visits for obstetric care, newly pregnant visits, post-partum visits should continue on schedule. If you feel well and wish to put your visit off for a week or two please call our office to let us know.
Only problem or urgent gynecology visits will be seen. For annual physical exams or routine pap smears, we are asking patients to call after April 15 and schedule.
Only the patient will be allowed in the office. Please plan to come alone. If you need to drive in with a partner or family members, kindly ask them to wait in the car. If you feel you need an advocate or chaperone during your visit, please postpone the visit or ask the staff member in the office to fill that role.
Finally, do not come to the office if you:
- have symptoms (Cough, Fever, Shortness-of-Breath)
- have been exposed to a suspected or infected person or
- have recently traveled

The COVID ? 19 situation has changed daily life for us all. We appreciate your patience and understanding with this unpredictable event. Please also check our website periodically for further updates.

Pregnancy:

Currently available data on COVID-19 does not indicate that pregnant women are at increased risk. However, pregnant women are known to be at greater risk of complications from other respiratory infections such as influenza and SARS-CoV. As such, pregnant women should be considered an at-risk population for COVID-19. Preterm labor has been linked to Coronavirus infection but this information is based on limited data and it is not clear that these outcomes were related to maternal infection. Currently it is unclear if COVID-19 can cross through the transplacental route to the fetus. In limited recent case series of infants born to mothers infected with COVID-19 published in the peer-reviewed literature, none of the infants have tested positive for COVID-19 (1).

For laboring patients, the hospital has implemented limits on visitors: only one family member or partner is allowed. Doulas are not allowed for the time being.

Breastfeeding:

Currently, the primary concern is not whether the virus can be transmitted through breastmilk, but rather whether an infected mother can transmit the virus through respiratory droplets during the period of breastfeeding. A mother with confirmed COVID-19 or who is asymptomatic should take all possible precautions to avoid spreading the virus to her infant, including washing her hands before touching the infant and wearing a face mask, if possible, while breastfeeding. If expressing breast milk with a manual or electric breast pump, the mother should wash her hands before touching any pump or bottle parts and follow recommendations for proper pump cleaning after each use. If possible, consider having someone who is well feed the expressed breast milk to the infant.

Surgery

Per the American College of Surgeons and our Hospital policy no elective surgeries will be scheduled until further notice.

Hospital Policy is as follows:

All emergent and urgent surgeries and interventional procedures that impact the health of patients will continue as planned.
- Urgent surgical and interventional procedures in this context are defined as surgical and interventional procedures that need to be performed in the next 90 days to prevent loss of life, limb, or critical function.

All elective surgeries and procedures will be postponed until further notice.
- Elective surgeries and interventional procedures in this context are defined as surgeries and interventional procedures that if delayed greater than 90 days are unlikely to cause loss of life, limb, or critical function.

Be assured that we will continue to commit to high safety standards. All rooms will be cleaned before and after each patient visit. Surface and instrument precautions are exercised to a higher degree as this is essential for the safely of our patients and staff.

Toys that are handled by multiple children and patients will be put away for the time being. We ask you to please continue to be vigilant and follow all precautions, including avoidance of travel to high-risk areas, social distancing, hand-washing and use of alcohol-based sanitizers and wipes.

We hope this information has been helpful. please stay tuned and call if you have any concerns or questions.

Additional Resources