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January 1, 2023
FOR ONLY 4 MORE WEEKS WHILE COVID & FLU & RSV ARE HIGH……… CONSIDER WEARING A GOOD MASK (KN95 OR N95) SELECTIVELY AT BUSY LOCATIONS TO STAY HEALTHY FOR THE HOLIDAYS.
CONTINUE TO LIVE YOUR LIFE AND GO OUT AND ABOUT AS YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE…… AND YOU SHOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING SO.
FLU AND RSV ARE ON THE DECLINE AND LEAVING THE VALLEY. MASKING IS NEEDED LESS, BUT CONSIDER FOR THE NEXT 4 WEEKS.
THE CHINA OUTBREAK OF COVID IS MASSIVE. 250 MILLION CASES IN THE PAST MONTH…THAT IS EQUAL TO ALL CASES IN THE USA FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS!!!
THIS IS THE UNDERSTATED NEWS STORY OF THE WORLD.
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO GET ANOTHER COVID BOOSTER. WITH CHINA HAVING MASSIVE COVID, WE WILL BE SEEING SURGES AGAIN AND AGAIN. GET BOOSTED
FLU IS WANING. IT IS LATE FOR FLU SHOTS…..YOU CAN GET IF YOU WANT, BUT FLU SEASON IS RESOLVING.
COVID REMAINS FAIRLY COMMON..BUT IS LESS.…. OUR PATIENTS ARE DOING WELL.
FLU IS DROPPING. FLU IS RESOLVING. THE SEASON WAS A NORMAL FLU SEASON …JUST STARTED EARLY. THIS IS GOOD NEWS. FLU IS ON THE DECLINE.
RSV IS DECLINING IN ARIZONA…. WE HAVE SEEN A FAIR BIT OF UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTION THAT IS NOT FLU AND NOT COVID…
HOW TO MANAGE AT THIS TIME FOR HOLIDAY GATHERINGS:
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE COMFORTABLE GETTING TOGETHER AND THEY SHOULD GET TOGETHER.
TO REDUCE RISK....HERE ARE SOME IDEAS TO CONSIDER:
GET YOUR COVID BOOSTER …TOO LATE FOR THE FLU SHOT.
DO NOT ATTEND GATHERINGS IF YOU ARE NOT FEELING WELL. ASK OTHERS NOT TO ATTEND IF THEY ARE NOT FEELING WELL.
KEEP AIR MOVING IN GATHERING AREAS. VENTILATION...BY NATURAL MEANS OUTDOORS OR WITH FANS, CAN BE HELPFUL.
CONSIDER HAVING GUESTS DO COVID TESTING PRIOR TO GETTING TOGETHER. THIS IS NOT PERFECT, BUT IT CAN REDUCE RISK SOMEWHAT. IT’S WORTH CONSIDERING.
WEARING A HIGH-QUALITY MASK AT GATHERINGS IS GOOD IF YOU ARE TRAVELING AND WISH TO AVOID INFECTION FOR THE HOLIDAYS. IT IS IMPERATIVE FOR THOSE WITH TRULY REDUCED IMMUNITY...THOSE RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY, THOSE WITH SEVERE LUNG DISEASE, AND THOSE RECOVERING FROM RECENT HOSPITALIZATION.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS:
WEAR N-95 OR KN95 MASKS IN SITUATIONS THAT YOU FEEL ARE HIGHER EXPOSURE IF YOU WISH TO REDUCE YOUR RISK
WHEN GOING OUT TO ACTIVITIES…. SELECT OPTIONS THAT ALLOW FOR BETTER VENTILATION INSIDE, OR CHOOSE OUTSIDE OPTIONS
IF YOU GET SICK YOU NEED TO TEST FOR COVID. CONSIDER COMING INTO THE OFFICE PARKING LOT FOR FLU TESTING AS WELL
TREATMENT FOR COVID AND FOR FLU IS AVAILABLE AND WORTHWHILE IN MANY INSTANCES.
TREATMENT FOR RSV IS PURELY SYMPTOMATIC…. WE TREAT THE SYMPTOMS AS THERE IS NO ANTIVIRAL FOR RSV
COVID IS UNDER CONTROL ON A BROAD BASIS
RISKS OF COMPLICATIONS ARE LOW FOR THE MULTI-VAXXED
BOOSTER COVID VACCINATIONS:
THE NEW COVID VACCINE IS BIVALENT…. THIS MEANS IT CONTAINS THE ORIGINAL VACCINE COVERAGE…. PLUS, COVERAGE MORE SPECIFICALLY FOR BA5 FORMS OF COVID.
GIVEN THE SAFETY OF THE VACCINE, IT IS BEST FOR EVERY ADULT TO CONSIDER THIS BOOSTER…BUT….
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THE BOOSTER VACCINE IF:
YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID AND ARE OVER 70 YEARS OLD
YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID AND HAVE HEALTH ISSUES THAT MAKE YOU MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO COVID COMPLICATIONS SUCH AS…. EMPHYSEMA, SIGNIFICANT DIABETES, HEART FAILURE, OR ARE ON IMMUNE SUPPRESSING MEDICATION.
IF YOU HAVE HAD A COVID INFECTION FROM 2020 UNTIL NOVEMBER 2021, THEN YOU HAVE A 30+% PROTECTION FROM THE CURRENT BA-5 STRAIN.
IF YOU HAD COVID AT XMAS OR LATER, THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE AN 80% PROTECTION FROM THE CURRENT BA-5 STRAIN.
IF YOU HAD COVID YOU CAN STILL BENEFIT FROM ANOTHER BOOSTER, BUT IT IS NOT AS ESSENTIAL, AS YOUR PREVIOUS COVID INFECTION DOES HELP BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY THROUGH NATURAL MEANS.
IF YOU HAVE HAD 4 COVID VACCINES, THE 5TH VACCINE IS NOT AS ESSENTIAL, BUT IT WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PROTECTION AND IS WORTH STRONGLY CONSIDERING.
REMEMBER, IF YOU GET COVID WE CAN ALWAYS TREAT YOU WITH PAXLOVID PILLS, THEY ARE VERY EFFECTIVE.
IT IS PROVEN SAFE TO GET THE FLU SHOT AND THE COVID SHOT AT THE SAME TIME…… …BUT I RECOMMEND YOU SEPARATE THEM IF POSSIBLE SO YOU DON’T HAVE A STRONGER REACTION TO THE COMBINATION.
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