The new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, as we have learnt over these long months, is a highly infectious viral pathogen transmitted through droplets of saliva and via contaminated objects or surfaces. Until a vaccine is developed, the only thing we can do is protect ourselves from infection.
To face phase 2, the phase of reopening and gradually returning to normal, we have therefore decided to put in place strategies aimed at keeping COVID-19 as far away from our clinic as possible.
The goal we have set ourselves is maximum protection for everyone: first and foremost our patients, but of course our team as well. To this end we have planned a series of protective measures for patients, for our professionals and for the rooms of our clinic.
As regards the rooms of our clinic, we have introduced the following measures:
Waiting room
It will look barer: we have had to remove some furniture and, above all, every ornament, to reduce the surfaces that could become contaminated and make cleaning and disinfection easier. We have fitted a plexiglass barrier at the reception desk, increased the space between seats and installed a new air sanitisation system. Waiting times will be kept to a minimum.
Treatment rooms
To step up the sanitisation of our clinical areas, we will organise our work on a “chessboard” basis, using the rooms alternately so that each one can be thoroughly cleaned, disinfected and aired for at least 30 minutes after use. Since the COVID-19 emergency began, we have paid great attention to the air we breathe at COBE and taken several initiatives. For example, we have upgraded our mechanical ventilation system and added mobile units fitted with HEPA filters to remove any pathogen (viruses and bacteria) from the environment.
Patients
For our patients, we have developed a protocol to keep waiting and treatment times, and therefore the chances of infection, to a minimum. In more detail, during this phase appointments will be handled as follows:
Before your appointment we will email you the specific forms to read, fill in and send back to us by email or, if more convenient, hand in at reception on the day of your appointment. We will be happy to clarify anything about the documents, either by phone (to speed things up at the clinic) or at your appointment.
When you arrive at the clinic, we will ask our patients to put on the protective equipment we provide (shoe covers and a face mask) and to clean their hands; we will check that nothing stated in the forms has changed and take their temperature before showing them to the waiting room. We will ask you to leave coats and jackets in the area provided. To respect the necessary social distancing rules, strict punctuality will be required. For the same reasons, we ask our patients, where possible, not to bring anyone with them.
At the time of treatment, the patient will be taken to the treatment room and asked to put personal belongings (bags, electronic devices and so on) in a dedicated area to avoid any contamination. You will be asked to rinse twice with two different mouthwashes to disinfect the mouth before the treatment or examination.
Our team
For our doctors and dental assistants, the measures include the use of Personal Protective Equipment appropriate to the type of procedure being carried out.
Our whole team will carry out a self-assessment every day before coming to the clinic and will take the greatest care in every single procedure, to keep the virus out of the COBE clinic.
To guarantee maximum safety, we will have to significantly shorten the time we spend welcoming our patients and saying goodbye. This saddens us, because we have always believed and invested heavily in talking with our patients, but we are counting on everyone’s understanding and cooperation during this phase, which we hope will be temporary.
