THE KROLL MEDICAL GROUP

• DEAR VALUED PATIENT,
  
  AS THE CORONA VIRUS CONTINUES TO SPREAD, THE KROLL MEDICAL GROUP IS COMMITTED TO YOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY. WE ARE CONSTANTLY MONITORING THE CDC AND WHO WEBSITES AND TAKING NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS.
  
  PLEASE NOTE: THE KROLL MEDICAL GROUP CAN PERFORM TESTING FOR COVID -19  CORONA VIRUS ON-SITE.  
  
  WE ALSO OFFER TESTING FOR A BROAD ARRAY OF OTHER RESPIRATORY PATHOGENS BY RAPID DNA ANALYSIS AND GET YOU RESULTS WITHIN A FEW HOURS.  THIS INCLUDES TESTING FOR OTHER KNOWN CORONA VIRUSES.  
  
  WHAT IS CORONAVIRUS?
  CORONA VIRUSES ARE A LARGE FAMILY OF VIRUSES THAT ARE COMMON IN PEOPLE AND MANY DIFFERENT SPECIES OF ANIMALS. COVID-19 NOVEL (MEANING “NEW”) CORONA VIRUS IS A VIRUS STRAIN THAT HAS ONLY SPREAD IN PEOPLE SINCE DECEMBER 2019. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF CONFIRMED CASES IN CHINA AND ADDITIONAL CASES BEING IDENTIFIED IN A GROWING NUMBER OF COUNTRIES INTERNATIONALLY, INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES.
  
  HOW DOES NOVEL CORONAVIRUS SPREAD?
  THE VIRUS THAT CAUSES COVID-19 PROBABLY EMERGED FROM AN ANIMAL SOURCE, BUT NOW IT SEEMS TO BE SPREADING FROM PERSON TO PERSON. SINCE THIS VIRUS IS VERY NEW, HEALTH AUTHORITIES CONTINUE TO CAREFULLY WATCH HOW THIS VIRUS SPREADS. OTHER CORONA VIRUSES SPREAD FROM AN INFECTED PERSON TO OTHERS THROUGH:
  THE AIR BY COUGHING AND SNEEZING CLOSE PERSONAL CONTACT, SUCH AS TOUCHING OR SHAKING HANDS TOUCHING AN OBJECT OR SURFACE WITH THE VIRUS ON IT, THEN TOUCHING YOUR MOUTH, NOSE, OR EYES . 
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  HOW CAN I PREVENT GETTING NOVEL CORONAVIRUS?
  CURRENTLY THERE ARE NO VACCINES AVAILABLE TO PREVENT NOVEL CORONAVIRUS INFECTIONS. STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO PREVENT SPREAD OF FLU AND THE COMMON COLD WILL ALSO HELP PREVENT CORONAVIRUS:
  
  WASH HANDS OFTEN WITH SOAP AND WATER FOR AT LEAST 20 SECONDS. IF NOT AVAILABLE, USE HAND SANITIZER THAT CONTAINS AT LEAST 60% ALCOHOL. AVOID TOUCHING YOUR EYES, NOSE, OR MOUTH WITH UNWASHED HANDS AVOID CLOSE CONTACT WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE SICK STAY HOME WHILE YOU ARE SICK AND AVOID CONTACT WITH OTHERS COVER YOUR MOUTH AND NOSE WITH A TISSUE OR SLEEVE WHEN COUGHING OR SNEEZING CLEAN AND DISINFECT FREQUENTLY TOUCHED OBJECTS AND SURFACES.  HAND WASHING HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE FAR SUPERIOR TO HAND SANITIZER FOR PREVENTING SPREAD.
  
  HOW SEVERE IS NOVEL CORONA VIRUS?
  PEOPLE INFECTED HAVE HAD ILLNESS THAT HAS RANGED FROM MILD (LIKE A COMMON COLD) TO SEVERE PNEUMONIA THAT REQUIRES MEDICAL CARE IN A HOSPITAL. SO FAR, DEATHS HAVE BEEN REPORTED MAINLY IN OLDER ADULTS WHO HAD OTHER HEALTH CONDITIONS.
  
  WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
  PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH NOVEL CORONA VIRUS HAVE SYMPTOMS THAT MAY APPEAR IN AS FEW AS TWO DAYS OR AS LONG AS 14 DAYS AFTER EXPOSURE TO THE VIRUS. SYMPTOMS MAY INCLUDE FEVER, COUGH, AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH.  THERE ARE ADDITIONAL SYMPTOMS SEEN LESS FREQUENTLY, INCLUDING GI SYMPTOMS (ABDOMINAL PAIN AND DIARRHEA), RASHES, DISCOLORATION OF TOES, BLOOD CLOTS, ETC.
  
  HOW IS NOVEL CORONAVIRUS TREATED?
  THERE IS NO SPECIFIC TREATMENT FOR CORONAVIRUS. MOST PEOPLE WITH MILD CORONAVIRUS ILLNESS WILL RECOVER ON THEIR OWN BY DRINKING PLENTY OF FLUIDS, RESTING, AND TAKING PAIN AND FEVER MEDICATIONS. HOWEVER, SOME PEOPLE DEVELOP PNEUMONIA AND NEED MEDICAL CARE OR TREATMENT IN A HOSPITAL.  THERE IS NO CONSENSUS OR RELIABLE DATA FOR TREATMENT WITH HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE FOR PREVENTION, EARLY SYMPTOMS.  IN CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS, HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE APPEARS TO HAVE A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT AND SHOULD NOT BE USED.
   
  FOR MORE INFORMATION:
  HTTPS://WWW.NJ.GOV/HEALTH/CD/TOPICS/NCOV.SHTML
  HTTPS://WWW.CDC.GOV/CORONAVIRUS/2019-NCOV/INDEX.HTML
  WWW.CDC.GOV/TRAVEL FOR THE LATEST TRAVEL GUIDANCE FROM THE CDC​