HEALTH MATTERS: Dr. Arne Vainio shares his experience testing positive for COVID-19

Dr. Arne Vainio of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe is a family medicine physician practicing at the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa/Fond du Lac Human Services' Min No Aya Win (MNAW) Clinic. Dr. Vainio shares his experience testing positive for COVID-19.

“Health care workers are naturally at higher risk for infectious diseases. Hand washing and personal protective equipment are mandatory for everyone doing patient care during the pandemic. Our clinic does weekly COVID-19 surveillance testing of all employees to catch infections before they spread. In spite of all that, I tested positive for COVID-19. This is called a breakthrough infection. I didn’t have any symptoms, but with a documented infection had to isolate at home for 10 days. I potentially exposed some good friends, my wife’s grandparents and some of my family I hadn’t seen in a long time. Luckily, all were vaccinated and all of them tested negative for COVID-19,” Dr. Vainio shares.