Infection Preventionist for Memorial Medical Center Elizabeth López shares helpful information on prevention and vaccines for cold and flu season. Here is a transcript of her conversation with KC Counts:
KC Counts:
Can you just describe a little bit about what your daily work looks like as an infection
preventionist?
Elizabeth López:
Sure, so I keep track of the patient's infections, making sure that they don't leave our hospital with an infection that we gave them, keeping our patients safe, keeping our staff safe; as far as wearing the proper PPE when they enter a patient's room that has a known infection, keeping our patients safe by educating them on an infection they have or that may be going around, just kind of doing a whole lot of things with the hospital, in and around the hospital, making sure our staff and our patients are our number one goal of keeping them safe.
KC Counts:
Well, you mentioned infections going around, and it is, ‘tis the season for infections to be going around. So let's talk a little bit about what flu and RSV and COVID and other icky stuff looks like for this winter.
Elizabeth López:
Absolutely. So we are seeing a rise in it, and that usually tends to happen in the colder months when people are congregating indoors more, being closer to each other, whereas in the summer months, everyone's out and about and not usually in close quarters. So we are seeing, with the weather changes, usually that time starts around October and usually ends around April when we see a lot of these cold, flu, and RSV cases going around.
KC Counts:
So let's talk a little bit about, it's things we know, but it's always nice to be reminded because I fall out of the habits. For example, I stopped singing the happy birthday song while washing my hands quite some time ago.
Elizabeth López:
Right, so the one thing that you can do to protect yourself against all of these things going around is just like you said, washing your hands. Twenty seconds, at least, of washing your hands with soap and water, getting in between the fingers, the thumbs especially, getting the wrists, the top of the hands. So singing that happy birthday song, you know, usually it's about 20 seconds long. And yeah, just keeping your hands very clean and it should help prevent the spreading of it and also getting it yourself.
KC Counts:
Tell us a little bit about what you know in terms of vaccines, availability, I think there's a lot of confusion that's developed over the last few months in terms of what we should get, what we can get.
Elizabeth López:
Absolutely. So the flu vaccine is available and it's usually covered by insurances. It's offered at multiple locations here in town. You can come to the hospital, you can go to your local CVS or your Walgreens and it's available. That usually begins around October;and the Department of Health is usually who declares when the flu season is over and that's usually the following April.
KC Counts:
COVID vaccines may be a little bit of a different story.
Elizabeth López:
Yes, there have been some changes to the recommendations for the covid vaccine, and that has been for 65 and older and people with known underlying conditions. And that would be something that you would discuss with your doctor to see if it is appropriate.
KC Counts:
Is there a vaccine for RSV?
Elizabeth López:
There is a vaccine for RSV, and that, again, is discussed with your provider to see if it is appropriate for you. Usually, we see the RSV cases in the younger babies, but we do see it in immunocompromised patients and older adults as well.
KC Counts:
Yeah. Now, flu vaccine, covid vaccine, we know aren't 100% going to keep you from getting the virus, but why don't you talk a little bit about what the benefits are, even if it's 50% effective.
Elizabeth López:
Okay, so I kind of like to think of the vaccine as like wearing a seatbelt. It offers you an extra protection. It's not going to guarantee, like a seatbelt won't guarantee you not getting into a car accident, it's not going to guarantee that you won't get the flu, COVID, RSV, but it is an extra line of protection.
KC Counts:
And so we could talk about having maybe more mild symptoms. Is that something that's safe to say?
Elizabeth López:
Yes, and these vaccines help keep you out of our hospital. So yes, it does decrease the symptoms. It does decrease the severity of these symptoms and these symptoms that lead to bigger issues that would make you come into the hospital for treatment.
KC Counts:
Okay, so we covered our hand washing. We talked about vaccines. And you mentioned early in our conversation about how you kind of monitor folks with their PPE. So let's talk a little bit about masks for folks who want that added layer of protection.
Elizabeth López:
Right. So masks, I would recommend, arealways a good idea if you are feeling sick, if you are coughing, if you just generally don't feel well but need to be out and about. And good protection for not only yourself but those around you wearing a mask. If you are traveling and you are wanting to keep yourself from possibly catching something or give that extra protection to yourself, then definitely wearing a mask is always a good idea.
KC Counts:
What else do you think is important for people to know to stay as safe as possible?
Elizabeth López:
Staying home if you are not feeling well, kind of maybe bugging out of those events until you do feel well. If you are sneezing, there is a proper way to decrease the risk of infecting someone else with your sneeze, and that would be by sneezing into your elbow. So keeping a mask on if you are wanting to go out and you're still not feeling 100%, keeping yourself protected and keeping those around you protected. Those are always some great safeguards to help with that.
KC Counts:
All right, well thank you very much for the reminders and for that important information. We appreciate your time.
Elizabeth López:
Thank you so much. I appreciate you getting the word out. It's always wonderful.
