(Snippets from the frontline)
COVID-19: Leaving scruffy at home
Initially when the pandemic started, I wore the same clothes daily to nursing homes and housecalls. Upon coming home, I’d toss them into the washer, and they’d be dried by the morning. It took a toll especially on my pants and shirts, as I started to look scruffy.
Coming to rescue me about a month into the pandemic were two good samaritans, Dr. Peter Kim and his wife Esther, who provided me with well-needed durable “scrubs.” With the weather getting warmer, the lightweight scrubs were more comfortable in our semi-desert environment.
I still wear a shower cap, gloves, and mask, and even now have a shield available on nursing home visits. Plus, when I leave these facilities, I make sure I get “sprayed off” with disinfectant going out into the public.
Just to be sure I don’t contaminate housecall patients, I go to nursing homes on separate days.
Now that I wear scrubs and look like a healthcare professional in public, I get “thumbs up” and “thank you” all the time. Occasionally, someone will point at their skin and ask me how to treat their rash!
It’s good to not look scruffy anymore, thanks to kindhearted friends.
Gene Uzawa Dorio, M.D.
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