Citizens Memorial Hospital | Vitality | Fall 2020

HOW TO AVOID INFECTION According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the best way to prevent COVID-19 is to avoid being exposed to the virus. To do that:  Clean your hands often. Use soap and water whenever possible. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before drying.  Avoid other people as much as you can. Choose to stay at home whenever possible. If you must go out, stay at least 6 feet away from others.  Wear a cloth face mask in public. Your mask should cover your mouth and nose. This helps protect other people in case you are sick and don’t know it yet. Remember that a face mask is not a replacement for social distancing.  Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.  Regularly clean and disinfect high-touch areas in your home. These include doorknobs, kitchen counters, phones and light switches.  Avoid being around sick people.  Ask others in your household to follow these same guidelines. It’s important for them to understand that their actions affect your health and well-being.  Many states have begun lifting stay-at-home protection orders. If yours has, continue acting as though the rules are still in place. Remember: It’s important to limit contact with others outside your household to avoid infection. COVID-19 and cancer WHAT TO DO IF YOU THINK YOU’RE SICK If you’re being treated for cancer and develop respiratory symptoms and a fever, call your doctor. They will let you know what to do. Be sure to let them know if you’re getting chemotherapy. Some symptoms are severe and could be a medical emergency. Call 911 if you have: » Trouble breathing. » Persistent pain or pressure in your chest. » New confusion. » Inability to wake or stay awake. » Bluish lips. If you test positive for the coronavirus, talk with your oncologist about how this might affect any cancer treatment. It’s possible your treatment could be delayed until you’re well again. There are several things that can put you at high risk for a severe illness with COVID-19. One of them is a history of cancer. If you have cancer now or had it in the past, you may need to take special steps to prevent exposure to the coronavirus. This is especially true if you’re being treated with chemotherapy. That’s because chemotherapy can weaken your immune system. And that puts you at higher risk for infection. It also makes an infection more severe. OTHER WAYS YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF Be sure you have a month’s worth of the medications you need at home in case you do get sick. This would include any prescription medicines you take, as well as over-the-counter drugs for fever. If you’re scheduled for cancer treatments during this outbreak, talk with your oncologist about the risks of having or delaying treatment. And if you have medical appointments scheduled, see if you can visit via telemedicine instead of in person. Telemedicine is a medical visit through video chat or a phone call. This can help reduce your potential exposure to the virus. CANCER What you should know citizensmemorial.com 5