Dr. Ordon On Going For Routine Checkups Or Elective Surgery: 'Everything Is In Place To Make Sure You Stay Safe And Healthy'

(CBS) - The Doctors is back for its landmark 14th season today on CBS. From episode one to season 14 Dr. Ordon has been around since the very beginning and is ready to kick off a brand new season with brand new challenges.

CBS' Matt Weiss spoke with Dr. Ordon about the show's latest milestone, return to school and elective surgery safety.

MW: Hello Dr. Ordon! Congrats on kicking off season 14 today. What does 14 seasons mean to you?

Dr. O: It means a lot. I was one of the original fab four as it were. The seasons have evolved. It's always been the The Doctors; plural. We've had different hosts; we like to mix it up and emphasize certain areas of medicine. I've made the journey 14 years.

I'm now sort of in the driver's seat but I've got great co-hosts with me. I am blessed. I go out and whether it be here in the US, the show is in 144 countries; I travel, and people come up to me and they tell me, your show has made a difference, I love watching it, great information, I learn, but I have fun at the same time. That to me, that feedback is priceless.

MW: The theme of this season is health and empowerment. How can people at home help themselves in those two departments?

Dr. O: A lot of us are still at home. It's a different world. It's troubling, uncertain times. We're not quite out of COVID yet. A lot of people are still not getting back to their doctors, I want them to, but they come to us as a source for medical information.

We're going to cover all of our basis how to empower you to be your best health advocate. Health on a budget, dispelling medical myths, sifting through all of this medical misinformation that we're seeing on the internet. It's sort of an epidemic within the pandemic, this sort of mistrust mainstream medicine doctors.

Why? I don't know. I think it's influenced by social media and the internet. We're going to put our best foot forward and give people the right information based on science and medical information to keep them safe and well.

MW: Glad you said that. It leads into my next question, over the last two years a lot of people put off routine care or elective surgeries. Can you speak to how safe these things are now?

Dr. O: A lot of people did put off things. The whole way we practice medicine has changed. As a plastic surgeon, a lot of things we put in place in the office to make it safer. Everybody has to fill out a questionnaire. Everybody has to wear a mask. Anyone undergoing surgery has to be COVID tested.

For the majority of people, we want them vaccinated. It is safe to go ahead, see your doctor, get those yearly checkups. If you've been putting off elective surgery, you can do it safely because the hospital, surgery center, doctors' offices, they're in tune with what's going on now. Everything is in place to make sure you stay safe and healthy.

MW: We're also heading into the fall, then the winter shortly after that. We're getting into flu season. A lot of people want to know, should I get the flu vaccine with the COVID vaccine?

Dr. O: Matt, I'm so glad you brought this up. That's right fall. What is fall? It's flu and cold season. Guess what, the symptoms of the common cold and flu mimic some of the symptoms of COVID, so we're going to have a lot fear, uncertainty. Anybody who gets a cold is going to think they have COVID. We're going to see a lot more testing going on this time of year.

But to your point about flu, so important. We've been saying it for 14 years, every year, make sure you get that flu shot. It does make a difference. On top of that, we have to be particularly vigilant because we're in flu and cold season, wearing a mask, washing our hands, social distancing when you sneeze. A-choo, do it in your sleeve. Something we've been preaching for 14 years. All of those things work.

MW: Pull a cape over your face, right?

Dr. O: If you have a cape sure, pull it over your face [laughs]

MW: Fall is also back to school, a lot of kids are concerned, a lot of parents are concerned. What advice do you give for staying safe and healthy in school?

Dr. O: We are concerned for our kids, but at the same time. It's time for our kids to go back to school, but we have to do it safely. Unfortunately, kids younger than 12, they don't qualify for a vaccine, yet. But that's coming up the pipe. The CDC is looking at the Pfizer trials in kids, we're going to see that soon. In the meantime, kids, they're in jeopardy.

In fact, this week we're taping the show, one teacher infected basically an entire elementary school in Florida. It's happening. We don't want that to happen to our kids so we have to practice everything we know we should do. That's if anybody has symptoms at home, don't send your child to school.

I'm sorry, masking is better in school. We do have to social distance; I know the kids are excited to be back with their friends, but we have to be smart about it. Kids have to wash their hands, social distancing. I know we're tired of it and it's tough with kids to get them to do all of these things, but it's particularly important. We want them to be safe and back in school.

MW: Thank you for all the insight and the time Dr. Ordon!

Dr. O: Thank you!

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