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Post by Gem Girl on Feb 4, 2022 21:22:13 GMT
If your doctor's office were unable to see you the day that you called & told you to go to Urgent Care (like a Patient First or similar 24-hour walk-in medical office), would you be comfortable doing that with today's Covid numbers where you are?
Thanks for your thoughts.
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Post by busy on Feb 4, 2022 21:24:29 GMT
I would. We have a mask mandate here. Healthcare offices generally have more strict guidelines as well. We've had to go to urgent care twice since covid and they triaged us on the phone and we waited in the car until it was our turn. I wouldn't hesitate to go to urgent care now if needed.
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Post by myshelly on Feb 4, 2022 21:24:41 GMT
I would consider a dr’s office and an urgent care to be the same level of risk.
You are just as likely to encounter Covid in the waiting room of one as the other. I just don’t see a difference.
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Post by Merge on Feb 4, 2022 21:25:27 GMT
Yes. I’ve had to go several times for Covid tests. Keep your mask on and keep your distance. You’ll be fine.
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama
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Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Feb 4, 2022 21:26:08 GMT
For me, it’s not enough of a risk to not get care but I’m fortunate enough to not be high risk. Different people have different circumstances to consider.
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Post by Gem Girl on Feb 4, 2022 21:40:54 GMT
I would consider a dr’s office and an urgent care to be the same level of risk. You are just as likely to encounter Covid in the waiting room of one as the other. I just don’t see a difference. Urgent Care here has a communal waiting room until you're being seen. My doctor's office takes individuals to their private treatment rooms to wait to be seen. Forgive my not having made that clear. |
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Post by kiera on Feb 4, 2022 21:44:04 GMT
I haven't needed to go in a while, but last year I had to go to an urgent care clinic and they had everyone wait in their cars until they were called in. They sent you a text to let you know they were ready for you. As someone who uses public transit, I was waiting out in the cold for 40 minutes so that part wasn't great, but there was a place to sit down.
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Post by melanell on Feb 4, 2022 21:45:43 GMT
Yes, in fact we just brought our 11 year old to one last weekend.
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Deleted
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May 17, 2024 21:30:45 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2022 21:46:13 GMT
I wouldn't have a problem with it. Depending on how busy they are, I would probably stay in my car until called assuming they would let me do that. I know some are still doing that and others are not.
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pilcas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,920 
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Post by pilcas on Feb 4, 2022 21:49:11 GMT
Most of my drs offices have communal waiting rooms. They have the seats spread out now. They put you in one of the smaller rooms as soon as they can, the local Urgent care does that as well.
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milocat
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Location: 55 degrees north in Alberta, Canada
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Post by milocat on Feb 4, 2022 21:50:49 GMT
I would consider a dr’s office and an urgent care to be the same level of risk. You are just as likely to encounter Covid in the waiting room of one as the other. I just don’t see a difference. Urgent Care here has a communal waiting room until you're being seen. My doctor's office takes individuals to their private treatment rooms to wait to be seen. Forgive my not having made that clear. Wow, I have never been to any kind of medical appointment where you don't wait in the communal waiting room first. Your doctor's office must run really well if they only have you in the back room. My answer was in agreement with myshelly but I guess that would change if there is no communal room and depending on what your covid numbers are and how you feel about it. Here I'd be fine with it because we have mask mandates and are numbers are very low. |
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Post by Gem Girl on Feb 4, 2022 21:59:10 GMT
Urgent Care here has a communal waiting room until you're being seen. My doctor's office takes individuals to their private treatment rooms to wait to be seen. Forgive my not having made that clear. Wow, I have never been to any kind of medical appointment where you don't wait in the communal waiting room first. Your doctor's office must run really well if they only have you in the back room. My answer was in agreement with myshelly but I guess that would change if there is no communal room and depending on what your covid numbers are and how you feel about it. Here I'd be fine with it because we have mask mandates and are numbers are very low. I'm lucky to have a wonderful doctor who's in a well-run practice. Of course, that puts him in high demand, so getting an appointment can take a while. |
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SabrinaP
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Post by SabrinaP on Feb 4, 2022 22:02:18 GMT
They are not allowing people in the waiting room at our urgent care center. You check in and then go wait in your car. I waited almost 2 hours when I had Covid in September.
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Post by voltagain on Feb 4, 2022 22:05:47 GMT
I would consider a dr’s office and an urgent care to be the same level of risk. You are just as likely to encounter Covid in the waiting room of one as the other. I just don’t see a difference. Urgent Care here has a communal waiting room until you're being seen. My doctor's office takes individuals to their private treatment rooms to wait to be seen. Forgive my not having made that clear. Have you called to see what their waiting protocol is? If I needed to be seen soon I would take the risk. Most places seem to have people wait in their car until an exam room is open so you aren't sitting in a crowded waiting room. |
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Post by voltagain on Feb 4, 2022 22:08:18 GMT
Urgent Care here has a communal waiting room until you're being seen. My doctor's office takes individuals to their private treatment rooms to wait to be seen. Forgive my not having made that clear. Wow, I have never been to any kind of medical appointment where you don't wait in the communal waiting room first. Your doctor's office must run really well if they only have you in the back room. My answer was in agreement with myshelly but I guess that would change if there is no communal room and depending on what your covid numbers are and how you feel about it. Here I'd be fine with it because we have mask mandates and are numbers are very low. Ever since March 2020 my primary care doctor and my rheum both have all patients call when I arrive in the parking lot, then they call me in when they have an exam room almost ready. I don't stay in the communal waiting room more than a few minutes and only a few times has there been other patient also waiting so we were able to stay well away from each other. |
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Post by bc2ca on Feb 4, 2022 22:08:29 GMT
If your doctor's office were unable to see you the day that you called & told you to go to Urgent Care (like a Patient First or similar 24-hour walk-in medical office), would you be comfortable doing that with today's Covid numbers where you are? If the doctor's office felt I should be seen that day and told me to got to UC, I would absolutely go. |
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Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Feb 4, 2022 22:09:09 GMT
Mine is part of the larger clinic. They have screeners at the door. If you have any covid symptoms, they send you around to the back side of the building.
Also, if it's something bad enough that you called your doctor for an appt today, and doc told you to head to UC, you should probably head to UC.
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Post by librarylady on Feb 4, 2022 22:13:12 GMT
FWIW--Our ophthalmologist had all the spacing in the initial waiting room. Chairs blocked, spacing emphasized etc. (masks required) However, after DH's eyes were dilated he was put into a second waiting room with no spacing, all patients elbow to elbow. That was on a Thursday and on Saturday PM DH had a fever and tested positive for covid. I have an appointment in March--and I will NOT wait in the second room. I will insist on going out in the hall rather than sit near someone with no spacing.
There is no way to prove that is where he contracted covid, but it was the only place he had been to get the exposure.
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Post by katlady on Feb 4, 2022 22:16:22 GMT
SO went to urgent care last year for a bad cut, before vaccines were widely available. He didn’t feel uncomfortable. And this was around March, I don’t remember how the Covid numbers were then. There was a mask mandate, but he didn’t have to wait in the car to be seen. There were people he said in the waiting room but they were all spread out. If you need to see a doctor right away, I would not hesitate to go to Urgent care.
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Post by lisae on Feb 4, 2022 22:20:26 GMT
Only in the case of emergency because it would probably cost me a small fortune. My doctor's office after my insurance discount is reasonable but I pay everything out of pocket up to my high deductible. So for me it is about money rather than Covid though avoiding both Urgent Care and the ER is desirable.
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Post by christine58 on Feb 4, 2022 22:20:46 GMT
I went to one when Covid was out-of-control. I would have no problem going to want it’s just like a doctors office. You have to wear a mask, while at least here in New York State you do, and their medical professionals and I would expect that they would be following Covid protocols. It would be a no brainer for me
if you’re uncomfortable waiting in the communal area, ask them if you can wait in your car and have them send you a text when it’s your turn. I would also assume that in that communal area people are 6 feet apart.
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Post by Zee on Feb 4, 2022 22:24:18 GMT
Yes, I've been twice in the last two years for COVID swabs. Of course, it's no greater risk to me than going to work, so you may want to ignore my opinion. My dr's office I think will call you as you wait out in your car if you request it, but the waiting room is open and I just wait there.
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Post by MichyM on Feb 4, 2022 22:25:37 GMT
I haven’t been to an urgent care for probably 35 years, but yes, if it was something I thought couldn’t wait until next week, I wouldn’t hesitate to go in. We have mask and other Covid mitigation mandates in place, and for all intents and purposes, everyone around here follows them. Good luck!
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Post by Scrapper100 on Feb 4, 2022 22:35:18 GMT
I had to go in 2020 there weren’t a lot of people luckily snd they did their best to distance people. Sometimes you just have to go.
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Post by myboysnme on Feb 4, 2022 22:40:15 GMT
If I need to see a doctor then I need to see a doctor. I wear a mask, and I have my vaccines. I had to go to an ER and sat there for 5 hours before I was seen and admitted. Lots of people but I was too sick to care.
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Post by peano on Feb 4, 2022 22:47:30 GMT
I waited 2 hours in an urgent care office for a Covid test. Most people here are mask-compliant, and medical offices require them.
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RosieKat
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Post by RosieKat on Feb 4, 2022 22:51:03 GMT
If it was something that needed to be seen that day (or before Monday, which I assume would be the next available time at the regular doctor), I would go. I wouldn't be thrilled, but I have also avoided most unnecessary outings in general. And I'd plan on coming home and showering, which is my general plan when I go to urgent or after hours care anyway, since I assume a large number of patients have some kind of potentially contagious illness (not just Covid).
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sassyangel
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Post by sassyangel on Feb 4, 2022 23:26:57 GMT
It really depends on your risk, I guess.
But if it was something you shouldn’t wait for, I’d definitely go. I went to urgent care last September on a Saturday, and felt perfectly safe, communal waiting room and all.
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Gennifer
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Post by Gennifer on Feb 4, 2022 23:29:01 GMT
I would assume that any medical facility would have a mask requirement for their waiting room and follow COVID protocols, so I would definitely consider it safer than walking through my neighborhood grocery store where I’m the only one masked.
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momto4kiddos
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Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Feb 5, 2022 1:05:50 GMT
I would consider a dr’s office and an urgent care to be the same level of risk. You are just as likely to encounter Covid in the waiting room of one as the other. I just don’t see a difference. I feel the same, i'd consider them the same risk. Heck we've had two trip to the ER during covid. Was I thrilled about it, nope, but you have to do what you have to do. |
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