25 June 2021

COVID 19 Update: Greater Sydney Lockdown

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Written by

IVF Australia

Dear Patients,

As I am sure you are aware, the NSW government has now expanded the stay-at-home order to Greater Sydney for the next two weeks. 

We write to reassure you that your fertility treatment is considered essential medical care and will continue during this time with safety precautions in place. All IVFAustralia clinics, diagnostic and hospital services are continuing to operate as essential medical services and there is no change in the ability to start or undertake any planned fertility treatments or procedures. 

To operate safely we continue to have the following safety precautions in place. 

Particularly, we would ask that you speak to our team and follow NSW Health directives if you or anyone in your household: 

  • Are a close or casual contact of a known case
  • Have been to an exposure site as listed 
  • Have been directed to isolate as per NSW Health 
  • Awaiting a COVID-19 test 
  • Are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19

We encourage all of our patients to keep reviewing whether you have been to any of the locations listed by the NSW Health.  

If you think you may be developing possible symptoms, please contact your nurses for advice before you come to the clinic.  We can help you to organise rapid COVID-19 testing and can advise you on an individual basis.

Safety measures in place:

  • Screening on entry: we will continue to require strict temperature and symptom checking upon entry to all of our clinics.
  • QR code scan on entry: we require all visitors to our clinics and hospitals to complete the NSW QR code check in. 
  • Masks continue to be worn on entry and while all visitors are onsite at any of our clinics.  If you do not have a mask of your own, we will be happy to provide you with a mask as you come into the clinic.  
  • COVID safety kits: we are continuing to provide all our starting patients with a COVID safety kit which will include a reusable mask, some hand sanitiser and additional information.
  • Social distancing: we will continue to maintain our social distancing procedures in waiting rooms.
  • Telehealth consultations: we are encouraging that specialist consultations are conducted via telehealth where possible. In person consultations are still an option of course, should you prefer to meet your specialist in person. 
  • Cleaning and disinfection procedures: we continue to have strict cleaning and disinfection procedures in place.
  • Personal Protective Equipment: our staff continue to wear a safe level of personal protective equipment. 
  • Appointments: we ask that the number of people accompanying our patients be kept to a minimum.  Where possible, we ask that you attend on your own for routine visits and blood tests.  Partners are welcome for embryo transfers and medical visits but, for all other visits, will be asked to wait outside the clinic. This may differ in some sites due to space restrictions so please talk with your care team to understand these further. Other friends and relatives will also be asked to wait outside the clinic unless their assistance is specifically needed for any procedures.
  • Minimising traffic: to avoid overcrowding, we will also again be limiting clinic visits to essential procedures.  Many of our patients are tracking their cycle on either a natural cycle or using oral fertility drugs.  From Monday, 28 June we will need to ask that the routine blood tests for tracking in this situation be carried out at your local pathology provider.  We will provide you with the referral forms and will still provide you with personalised support by telephone and ultrasounds, but we will need to insist that the blood collections are done elsewhere. Where you are using injectable fertility drugs, we will continue to carry out all the monitoring in our clinic. 

All this is in place to ensure that your IVFAustralia clinic can continue to be a safe place where we can assist you in having your family.  

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us and talk to our team on 1800 111 483.

Kind regards, 

Philippa Charlesworth 
Operations Manager 

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