Patient went to GP while waiting for corona response

Four out of five employees in the GP’s office had to be quarantined for 10 days.

– I yelled at him a bit, but I couldn’t get very angry, because no one had thought that the test would be positive, says GP Tone Lilleskare Sanyang.

Last week, a patient came to the Tårnplass doctors with completely different questions than possible crowns. He still carried the dreaded virus with him.

According to Sanyang, the patient had not said that she had a runny nose and a sore throat.

– He came for something completely different.

The patient had recently had a negative coronal test, but had tested himself again, because the employer required two negative tests.

That same night, the GP discovered that the patient had tested positive on this occasion. The test results are sent to the GPs.

I had to pollute

The next day, the doctor’s office was closed and the facility became infected. Four out of five employees were quarantined for 10 days.

– Everyone who had touched the patient or had been in close contact had to be quarantined, says Sanyang.

– Does this mean, of course, that many patients had their doctor’s appointment canceled?

– One of the doctors came out of quarantine. It is very effective, but of course it has not been able to take away all the inquiries.

At the respiratory clinic

Like all other GP offices in Bergen, Tårnplass doctors are affiliated with a respiratory clinic.

All patients with respiratory symptoms are referred there. There, the staff work with a full infection control team and are therefore protected against the virus.

– Have you previously experienced patients coming to the office with respiratory symptoms when they shouldn’t?

– At first we all call ahead and ask about symptoms. We have returned to that, because we think that everyone is familiar with this now. Also, there is a note on the door with a clear message, says Sanyang.

It turned out that none of the office employees were infected.

– I have gotten away with a lot of paperwork these days, says the GP who will receive patients again on Friday.

– Most patients are good

The National Institute of Public Health writes that those waiting for a test result should stay home until the test result is available.

This does not apply to asymptomatic patients who have not been exposed to the infection, but who nevertheless undergo testing. Travelers may be tested on their way into the country, for example. They do not need to be at home waiting for test results.

– Most patients are good with infection control and report respiratory symptoms, says Knut-Arne Wensaas, who is a union steward for GPs in Bergen.

He adds that this is demanding to control.

– What can happen is that patients who do not present symptoms, in retrospect, test positive in the corona test. Then activate the quarantine rules.

At the Kalfaret medical center, where Wensaas works, they have not had to close as a result.