Update Fall 2022

As we head into the busy winter season, we want to reach out with some updates.

At Infinity Family Care, we are working hard to help our patients stay safe and healthy.

  • We encourage you to keep scheduled appointments for chronic conditions, these can often be done virtually if you are not feeling well, or are not comfortable coming into the office in person.
  • Please DO NOT come into the office with upper respiratory symptoms(cough, sore throat, fever, sinus congestion, headache/body aches etc.) without speaking with us first.
  • We are doing COVID testing in your car by appointment, both rapid antigen tests (results in 20 minutes) and PCR send out to Quest (1-3 day turnaround time right now). When volume is high, we prioritize testing for people with symptoms or a known direct exposure. It is a good idea to have some rapid antigen tests at home as a first line test if unclear symptoms or to check before visiting extended family. Many insurance plans are covering the cost of the home antigen test kits at the pharmacy, so check with your insurance and stock up.
  • You can use Spruce, Elation Passport or the main office phone to communicate with usPlease allow 48 hours for refills or other non-urgent matters during this busy time.If you need to speak with us more urgently, the best way is always the main phone, 508-339-2900 – you may get a voicemail box if Christine is on the other line, this voicemail is monitored very regularly throughout the day and urgent messages will be responded to as soon as possible.

COVID is still around in Massachusetts. Layered mitigation strategies continue to be important, with the goal to keep you, your family and friends out of the hospital. We recommend you:

  • Get a COVID vaccine (and booster) if eligible – check here to see current recommendations and vaccine availability: https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine
  • Get a flu vaccine
  • Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently and avoid touching your eyes/nose/mouth as much as possible
  • Consider wearing a mask if indoors with groups of people outside of your household when community transmission is high.
  • Stay home and get tested if you have any new upper respiratory symptoms. The current COVID variant can feel very much like a bad cold, sore throat or sinus infection for vaccinated people, so it is a good idea to test yourself if you have these symptoms to avoid spreading to others who may be more vulnerable. If you must be around others while symptomatic, please wear a well-fitting mask.
  • Be aware that COVID antigen tests can show false negative in the first few days of symptoms, so if your symptoms don’t go away in 2-3 days you should recheck.
  • If you are a direct contact of someone with COVID during their infectious period, watch for symptoms for 14 days after exposure and get tested right away if you develop symptoms.
  • If you test positive for COVID – please let us know so we can discuss specifics of available treatments, supportive care and recommendations for isolation time.
  • Get adequate sleep, eat some extra fruits and veggies, exercise and talk with us to be sure any chronic conditions that could put you at higher risk are well controlled
  • Get your COVID info from reliable, up to date sources, we recommend Dr. Katelyn Jetelina aka “Your Local Epidemiologist”who has a very useful blog and newsletter interpreting up to the minute science into language everyone can understand:  https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/subscribe