'National Sock Day'

Most don’t pay a whole lot of attention to them, but these little pieces of fabric we wear on our feet are an important part of being cool and comfortable all day long!

National Sock Day is here to celebrate and show appreciation for these accessories that are not only effective at their job, but they look great too!

Read more here. . . .

TOP PODCAST DONE WEEKLY

BY DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM

(UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA)  

He is a world-renowned epidemiologist who was credited with first elucidating TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME in the 1980’s.

He provides comprehensive and understandable/actionable ideas related to COVID.

Dr. Osterholm Update: COVID-19

December 1, 2022

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/podcasts-webinars/episode-119

'COVID in the Driver's Seat'

In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the challenges that China is facing with its COVID response, analyze a study that was recently published on surgical masks, and take a closer look at who is currently dying of COVID in the US.

According to Dr. Osterholm……

• BA5 IS AND THE SUBVARIANTS OF BA5 ARE INCREASING WORLDWIDE
• USE MASKS IN SETTINGS OF CONCERN. YOUR MASK MUST BE KN95 OR N95
• GOOD VENTILATION IN ROOMS/HOME/BUSINESSES IS A GREAT WAY TO PREVENT TRANSMISSION
• CHINA WILL BE EXPERIENCING MAJOR COVID OUTBREAKS AS TIME GOES ON.  COVID OMICRON SUBVARIATNS ARE LIKE THE WIND…YOU CAN’T STOP IT, BUT YOU CAN TRY TO CONTROL IT.  THE ZERO COVID POLICY OF CHINA IS UNSUSTAINABLE.
• VACCINE, VACCINE, VACCINE…THIS IS OUR PROTECTION.  ALL VACCINES ARE EFFECTIVE AND WITH TIME WE ARE SEEING THAT THE J&J VACCINE IS PICKING UP STEAM AND GIVES SOLID LONG-TERM PROTECTION.
• BOOST, BOOST, BOOST…THIS WILL BE NECESSARY TO PREVENT RECURRING SURGE AND TO RAISE ANTIBODY LEVELS IN THOSE ALREADY SET WITH THE PRIMARY COVID VACCINE SERIES.
• ANTIGEN TESTING IS USEFUL, BUT OF LIMITED VALUE. DON’T DEPEND ON THIS TEST IF YOU HAVE CLASSIC COVID SYMPTOMS.
• MASKS OF THE KN95 AND N95 VARIETY CAN BE HELPFUL. CLOTH MASKS AND SURGICAL MASKS ARE CURRENTLY NOT AS EFFECTIVE WITH DELTA VARIANT 
• THE THREE/FOUR VACCINE REGIMEN IS PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE AGAINST SERIOUS ILLNESS AND HOSPITALIZATION. DEATHS AMONG THE VACCINATED ARE MASSIVELY REDUCED.
• GET YOUR BOOSTERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. 

Know that unvaccinated remain a source of potential infection.  Avoiding unvaccinated persons will reduce your risk of COVID.

No more monoclonal antibody treatments for Covid are available in the U.S.: The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday rescinded its authorization of bebtelovimab, a drug previously given to patients who faced a high risk of severe disease.

Over the last two years, the FDA authorized six monoclonal antibody treatments for Covid, but omicron’s many subvariants rendered the drugs less effective so the FDA gradually revoked each of those authorizations. Bebtelovimab, made by Eli Lilly, was the last one standing.

According to the FDA's announcement, the drug was "not expected to neutralize Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1.," which together now account for the majority of new infections recorded in the U.S. — around 62%, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.

"The big problem is that monoclonal antibodies bind to a very small piece of the virus. As the virus changes, we are now in a position in which we lost them all because they don’t bind to the virus anymore," said Dr. Arturo Casadevall, a professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Paxlovid has become the go-to treatment for most people at high risk of severe Covid, given that it continues to be effective in the face of new variants and is easy to administer (it's a series of three pills taken twice daily for five days). Bebtelovimab, by contrast, was an IV infusion that took about an hour.



But doctors often recommended the monoclonal antibody for people taking certain immunosuppressive medications, such as cancer patients or transplant recipients, since Paxlovid can interact negatively with several of those drugs.

Read more here. . . .

Covid, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are together driving a national wave of respiratory illnesses.

Around 76% of U.S. hospital inpatient beds are full, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. Pediatric beds are at a similar level, though six states have 90% or more of their pediatric beds full, according to an NBC News analysis of HHS data.

Covid, flu and RSV can be difficult to distinguish, since they share many common symptoms. But it's useful to know which virus you have, since that determines the treatments you should receive and how long you should isolate.

Certain hallmarks — either symptoms or how the illness progresses — can help differentiate each virus. Here are five factors to consider.

Some symptoms are unique to particular viruses

A runny nose, cough, congestion or sore throat can arise because of any of the three viruses or a common cold. But a loss of taste and smell is more commonly associated with Covid than with flu or RSV. And wheezing is often a tell-tale sign of a serious RSV infection, usually found in kids or older adults.

The only way to know for certain, though, is to get tested.

Average daily Covid cases have risen 11% in the last two weeks, according to NBC News’ tally. The country is recording around 39,000 new cases per day, on average, though many cases detected via at-home rapid tests aren't included in that tally. Covid deaths are down 9%, but around 280 people are still dying of Covid every day.

Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about masking, testing and isolation haven't changed much since the CDC last updated its recommendations in August.

But as the virus continues to spread, here's what the agency recommends in regards to masking, testing and isolation.

Read more here. . . . .

The third holiday season since the pandemic started is nearly here.

At what was likely his final White House briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Tuesday that people shouldn’t underestimate the value of testing.

“When we’re gathering at a family gathering for Thanksgiving or for Christmas or for any other holiday as we get into the winter, it makes sense that you might want to get a test that day,” said Fauci, who directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases but is leaving that role next month.

But finding low-cost tests and interpreting the results aren't always simple.

Here's the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, as well as expert advice, about how to get tests without paying out of pocket, check when an at-home test expires and interpret a negative result if you have symptoms or known exposure.

Private insurance and Medicare cover eight at-home tests a month

Since January, the Biden administration has required private insurers and Medicare to cover up to eight at-home tests per month. People with private insurance can order the tests at in-network pharmacies or submit claims to be reimbursed for tests they buy at other stores or out-of-network pharmacies. People with Medicare can search online for a list of providers that offer free tests.

Read more here. . . .

After you received your COVID vaccinations, please let us know!

We would like to document this information into your chart.



BUT FIRST.......

PLEASE COMPLETE THE INFORMATION ON THE CARD BEFORE YOU SEND IT TO US!

What we need:

1. Your name
2. Date vaccination received
3. Brand name
4. Lot number if available
5. Which dose you have received

**Email your COVID vaccine completed info HERE

For More information.....CLICK HERE

At our office, we are continuing to follow CDC guidelines and will strive for ways to keep our patients and staff safe.



We recommend that all unvaccinated and vaccinated patients and visitors entering our office cover their nose and mouth at all times.

To prevent further spread of the Delta & Omicron variants, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its mask guidance on March 21, 2022, to recommend that fully vaccinated people wear masks when in areas with “substantial” and “high” transmission of Covid-19.

We have a limited supply of paper masks and will make these available to patients while they last, however, we encourage you to bring your own facial covering.

'Risky Business'

While this particular pair of socks is not that remarkable, when the movie was shot in the early 80s, Tom Cruise was just making his debut.

And perhaps the fact that he was also in his tighty-whitie underwear is why the socks get a little bit forgotten.

Never the less. . . .Enjoy!

Happy Holidays &

Be Safe Out There!