Printable: COVID-19 FAQ #6: What precautions should myeloma patients take when getting their groceries?

COVID-19 FAQ #6: What precautions should myeloma patients take when getting their groceries? (https://www.myeloma.org/videos/covid-19-faq-6-precautions-should-myeloma-patients-take-when-getting-their-groceries)

The sixth episode of his ten episode COVID-19 FAQ series, Dr. Brian G.M. Durie discusses which the precautions myeloma patients should take when procuring groceries and other essentials.

BOTTOM LINE:
It is recommended to have all essentials delivered to your home. If delivery is not an option, limit the amount of times you go to the store by stocking up on essentials.

Videos in the COVID-19 Series

Transcript:

This “Ask Dr. Durie” is a frequently asked question related to the COVID-19 infection. This is frequently asked question number six. This is an important question, as we are all trying to stay safe at home and avoid physical contacts. So, the question is “well, how do we get our groceries?”

Well, increasingly, it is possible to have your groceries and other things that you may need, such as medications, delivered at home. And so, this is the number one choice, try to get things that you need delivered. If they are delivered, there are special procedures on how to accept them at home. You should have whoever is bringing them lay them down by your door, you do not want to have contact with the delivery individual, and then you need to be careful about introducing the groceries into your home.

If you're not able to get the groceries delivered, what you can do is go to the store but with careful precautions. Most stores these days have special times particularly for individuals over the age of sixty-five, where you can go during a special time, first thing in the morning when the store opens, so that you would have less contact with individuals.

I recommend where you would use wipes to wipe the handle of your basket, that you would avoid people in the store and just be very, very limited in your contact with the various goods that you want to purchase. Put them in your cart, and then take them to the checkout counter. Most of the stores these days have either masks for the checkout people, or some have even plastic barriers between you and the checkout clerk these days. And then, once you get the groceries loaded up into your bag, you can take them on home.

There are some wonderful videos, one recently posted is by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, where he has an excellent video of how to unload the groceries when they are home. And this is true for those that may have been delivered, and those that you may have brought home yourself. And this is something to follow, where you carefully have a transition from the dirty area, where you take the groceries out and put them over on to the clean side of your house, having wiped them down. And then, for this process, it is recommended that you do wear gloves, and in the video, you can see the careful and the best way to remove your gloves once you have unloaded the groceries ready to put them in the cupboard or to prepare them for use.

And so, BOTTOM LINE, you do need to get your groceries regularly. It’s a good idea if you’re going out, in particular, to load up for maybe a week or so right now. If you're getting them delivered, that is excellent, and you can do that obviously more frequently. But, do pay attention with any of these goods which are coming into your home from the outside, and avoid contact with individuals who are delivering, or who are roaming around in the grocery stores, if you happen to go out there. So, do pay attention. The key thing, is to avoid exposure to avoid contact with the COVID-19.

Author

Dr. Brian GM Durie (https://www.myeloma.org/Brian-Durie-md)

Square Image Media

FAQ6 SQ

Video

Series

Ask Dr. Durie (https://www.myeloma.org/taxonomy/term/19)

Old Id

2716

Old references

2692,2739

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Please note that Ask Dr. Durie has been discontinued, and it was designed to address myeloma questions of the broadest possible audience interest. If you have a question of a personal nature, please contact our InfoLine Coordinators at 800.452.2873 or [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) (Please do not send email attachments or lab reports.).

Image of Dr. Brian G.M. Durie Dr. Brian G.M. Durie (1942-2025) was the co-founder of the IMF. He was a Professor of Medicine, Hematologist/Oncologist, and Honoree MD at the University of Brussels.