SIDBURY -- "Over the last few days it's probably gone up by about 300%. Today alone for example we have booked 80 virtual visits for later this afternoon and tomorrow. We're trying to get everyone to stay at home and still access their medical team," said Dr. Reena Dhatt.
Even though the office is open, physicians are urging patients to stay home if at all possible, especially if they are individuals who are at high risk.
"I just spent my morning calling some of my patients over the age of 65 letting them know, because a lot of them aren't connected on social media, so we are saying stay home, don't come in, if you absolutely have to, call first and we will try our best to deal with it over the phone, if we're not able to then absolutely we will bring you in for an assessment," said Dr. Lindsay Mccoll.
The team at this clinic is composed of eight doctors who say they are doing all that they can to stay on top of this virus.
"We are dealing with this kind of on a three-fold front, we have our social media page where we are doing a lot of education, and what doctors are doing to promote social distancing," said Dr. Sophie Gervais.
Staff are quick to point out the very first step to prevent the spread is screening, which is being done outside the entrance.
"We want to know their symptoms, we want to know whether or not there are any risk factors in terms of travel, whether they've been in contact with someone who may have had COVID-19 disease and then it allows us to understand what their needs are," said Dr. Dhatt.
Dr. Dhatt was one of the many people in Sudbury who was tested for COVID-19 after returning from a trip to the United States. She self-isolated and was relieved to see her test results come back negative.
She says it's vital for everyone to practice social distancing at this time.
