Dr Vitrector Comments on Protection During the Pandemic

April 19th, 2020

Prevention of respiratory droplet spread is the key to prevention of COVID-19 spread. Simply wearing a mask accomplishes this. Social distancing is not effective.

Letter sent multiple senators known personally to Dr Vitrector:

Abdhish Bhavsar <bhavs001@umn.edu>

(This was a letter sent via email to multiple state senators known to me personally at the beginning of the pandemic)

Sun, Apr 19, 2020, 4:20 PM

Dear Senators xxxxx,xxxxx,xxxxx,

I am writing to you since I know you all personally and have met you in the past.

I realize you have many advisors including the MDH at this time.

I wanted to give you my personal medical viewpoint as an active retina surgeon, President of the Retina Center of Minnesota, past Chair of the Phillips Eye Institute and past President of the Minnesota Academy of Ophthalmology.
We have done relatively well in Minnesota with curbing the transmission of COVID-19.

However, by most models we have not reached the peak of infections in Minnesota yet.

The single most important method of reducing transmission of COVID-19 is the reduction of contact spread.
The most important method of reducing contact spread is to practice full contact precautions by everyone in the state.
That means everyone should be wearing a mask after leaving their home and entering any public space, whether that is indoors or outdoors. If there is any chance that someone could come anywhere close to 6 feet from another person, they should be wearing a mask.
Everyone should be wearing gloves as well.

The COVID-19 virus is extremely infectious and it is nothing like the flu.

Even young, healthy health care providers, nurses and doctors are dying from this since it is very infectious and this includes those of us wearing N95 masks when the viral load of exposure is high.

Unfortunately, there are many misinformed individuals in our government and society who clearly do not understand this.

Those people not wearing masks in public are putting everyone else at risk around them.

I would ask that you please inform the governor of my thoughts as well as your fellow senators and representatives.

My staff, fellow physicians and I are risking our own lives and the lives of our family members every day seeing and doing urgent and emergency surgery and treatments to help prevent vision loss and blindness in Minnesotans every day. As retina surgeons we are working in close proximity to the nose, face and mouth of every patient we see and treat.
Even though we instituted full contact precautions more than a month ago in our practice, including masks and gloves for all patients, staff and family members, this is not enough.

We need to reduce the possibility of spread of COVID-19 in all Minnesotans even when they are at the gas station and the grocery store.

Thank you.

Sincerely

Abdhish R. Bhavsar, MD

(aka Dr Vitrector)