OFFICE UPDATES

Sex Tips During COVID-19

1. Know how COVID-19 spreads.

• You can get COVID-19 from a person who has it.

• The virus can spread to people who are within about 6 feet of a person with COVID-19 when that person coughs or sneezes.

• The virus can spread through direct contact with their saliva or mucus.

• We still have a lot to learn about COVID-19 and sex.

• COVID-19 has been found in feces of people who are infected with the virus.

• COVID-19 has not yet been found in semen or vaginal fluid.

• We know that other coronaviruses do not efficiently transmit through sex.

2. Have sex with people close to you.

• You are your safest sex partner. Masturbation will not spread COVID-19, especially if you wash your hands (and any sex toys) with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after sex.

• The next safest partner is someone you live with. Having close contact — including sex — with only a small circle of people helps prevent spreading COVID-19.

• You should avoid close contact — including sex — with anyone outside your household. If you do have sex with others, have as few partners as possible.

• If you usually meet your sex partners online or make a living by having sex, consider taking a break from in-person dates. Video dates, sexting or chat rooms may be options for you.

3. Take care during sex.

• Kissing can easily pass COVID-19. Avoid kissing anyone who is not part of your small circle of close contacts.

• Rimming (mouth on anus) might spread COVID-19. Virus in feces may enter your mouth.

• Condoms and dental dams can reduce contact with saliva or feces, especially during oral or anal sex.

• Washing up before and after sex is more important than ever.

o Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

o Wash sex toys with soap and warm water.

o Disinfect keyboards and touch screens that you share with others (for video chat, for watching pornography or for anything else).

4. Skip sex if you or your partner is not feeling well.

• If you or a partner may have COVID-19, avoid sex and especially kissing.

• If you start to feel unwell, you may be about to develop symptoms of COVID-19, which include fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath.

• If you or your partner has a medical condition that can lead to more severe COVID-19,

you may also want to skip sex.

o Medical conditions include lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, cancer or a weakened immune system (for example, having unsuppressed HIV and a low CD4 count).

5. Prevent HIV, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancy.

• HIV: Condoms, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and having an undetectable viral load all help prevent HIV. For more information, visit nyc.gov/health and search HIV.

• Other STIs: Condoms help prevent other STIs. Visit nyc.gov/health and search STIs.

• Pregnancy: Make sure you have an effective form of birth control for the coming weeks. Visit nyc.gov/health and search birth control.

COVID-19 RESPONSE

In light of the recent concerns about COVID-19, instruction from the federal WHO, state government, and local agencies regarding public safety, I am writing to offer alternatives and set expectations about attending therapy.

In an effort to meet your needs, keep illness cancellations to a minimum, and offer alternative ways to attend therapy I have:

1) Expanded available hours Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for either telehealth or in person meetings. Added Wednesdays 1-4pm for Telehealth only.

2) Offer the option to transfer ANY “in office” appointment to an online or phone session at the same scheduled time as initial appointment (with 24 hours notice)

3) Offer in person sessions Monday, Tuesday, Thursday for Vaccinated clients with cards. Masks required.

There are a few additional considerations to manage in order to smoothly transition to Telemental health appointments, but they only take 10-15 minutes to set up over the phone.

Please consider this VIABLE OPTION for therapy

Cleaning: Our cleaning crew has adopted new cleaning protocols for the public facilities in the building, as well as additional disinfectant protocols for daily office maintenance. I remain diligent about wiping down all work surfaces, shared equipment, and office space between clients to ensure germs are not spread inadvertently. And I offer all payments electronically through portal credit cards, to keep contact to a minimum.

Cancellation: I understand there may be occasion where you need to cancel or reschedule due to illness. I want to assure you NO FEES will be incurred in this case. If you or anyone in your household are suffering any symptoms OR have been diagnosed with flu, strep, coronavirus, or respiratory illness, PLEASE STAY HOME. If believe you have recently been exposed to someone with those illnesses, please follow public health safety protocols! I realize allergies are always at large in our area, so please use your best judgment about allergy symptoms if you plan to attend in-office sessions. If you wish to be seen remotely or need to cancel, please update the online client portal ASAP or text my cell: 502-417-9021. Be sure to include your name.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email: MStillwagon@pm.me