Happy National Avocado Day!
Avocados, especially when sliced and placed on toast, may have seemed like a fad in the early 2000s. But, happily, they are here to stay.
And to make sure they are paid the attention they deserve, they have their own day – National Avocado Day!
|
|
Your Weekly COVID-19 Updates
Paradise Valley Medical Clinic,
Douglas M. Lakin, M.D.
Kaitlin A. Kraemer, M.S., PA-C
9977 N 90th Street, Suite 180, Scottsdale, AZ 85258
480.614.5800 (phone), 480.614.6322 (Fax)
|
|
ATTN PATIENTS:
for a 'Telehealth' visit. You can connect using your iPad, iPhone, Android phone, a laptop, or a PC with a camera.
Please watch these videos so you can be prepared and know how to connect with Dr. Lakin for a 'Telehealth' visit.
CLICK ON THE PICTURES
|
|
|
JULY 31, 2022
COVID IS WIDESPREAD AT THIS TIME…BUT IT IS DECLINING SLIGHTLY THIS WEEK. WE CONTINUE TO SEE HIGH CASE LEVELS.
IF YOU HAVE RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS AND A NEGATIVE HOME COVID TEST…. YOU STILL MOST LIKELY HAVE COVID. ISOLATE AND CONTINUE TO RETEST.
MANY WHO HAVE AVOIDED COVID ARE NOW GETTING INFECTED DESPITE ALL OF THEIR EFFORTS.
THE NEW BA-5 VARIANT IS MORE CONTAGIOUS.
IT IS NOT MORE SERIOUS. ALL OF OUR PATIENTS ARE DOING WELL. SOME NEED TREATMENT WITH PAXLOVID…. MOST DO NOT.
WE STILL HAVE ZERO HOSPITALIZATIONS AMONG HUNDREDS OF OUR PATIENTS WHO HAVE RECENTLY HAD BREAKTHROUGH COVID.
PAXLOVID ANTI-VIRAL PILLS ARE WIDELY AVAILABLE…. BUT MOST PEOPLE DO NOT REQUIRE MEDICATION TO TREAT THEIR CASE OF COVID.
IF SYMPTOMS ARE MILD, THERE IS NO NEED TO TAKE THE PAXLOVID. A GOOD NATURAL IMMUNE RESPONSE IS A STRONG PROTECTOR AND PROVIDES IMPROVED FUTURE PROTECTION FROM INFECTION AS WELL.
PLEASE LIVE LIFE, BEING CAREFUL IN WAYS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL MOST COMFORTABLE, BUT DO NOT RESTRICT YOUR ACTIVITIES.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION, BUT AT THIS TIME, IN THE USA FOR THE MULTI-VACCINATED, WE HAVE REACHED OUR ENDPOINT.
BA.5 VARIANTS ARE OVER 75+% 0F ISOLATES CURRENTLY IN ARIZONA.
FOR THE UNVACCINATED…. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD…. COVID CONTINUES TO BE AN ISSUE.
THE CURRENT VARIANT IS MUCH MILDER, BUT THERE ARE CONCERNS FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT VACCINATED. WE ARE TREATING NEARLY ALL THE UNVACCINATED THAT GET COVID.
IF YOU HAVE SIGNIFICANT RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS, PRESUME THIS IS COVID AND PROTECT OTHERS!!!
GET TESTED AND IF PERSISTING SYMPTOMS AND NEGATIVE HOME TEST…. RETEST.
FLU IS ALSO POSSIBLE IF FEELING ILL AND COVID NEGATIVE. CALL TO COME IN FOR FLU TESTING IF NEEDED.
COVID VERY HIGH IN THE PHOENIX COMMUNITY BROADLY. IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID NOW IS A TIME WHEN YOU MAY CONTRACT IT.
DO NOT WORRY BUT TAKE STEPS IF YOU WANT TO AVOID INFECTION.
BREAKTHROUGH CASES IN ALL TRIPLE & QUADRUPLE VAXXED ARE DOING WELL.
BREAKTHROUGH CASES IN ALL THOSE PREVIOUSLY INFECTED ARE ALSO DOING WELL.
PAXLOVID PILLS AVAILABLE FOR ALL BUT ARE ONLY NECESSARY FOR THOSE WITH CHALLENGING SYMPTOMS IN THE FIRST 5 DAYS OR THOSE AT HIGH RISK FOR COMPLICATIONS FROM BREAKTHROUGH COVID.
|
|
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
July 21, 2022
(Same as last week's.... New podcast next week!)
'Rejecting the Status Quo'
In "Rejecting the Status Quo," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the BA.5 surge in cases in the U.S. and around the world, assess the risk of reinfection with BA.5, and answer a COVID query about isolation guidelines.
According to Dr. Osterholm……
- ALL IS GOING WELL WITH THE PANDEMIC AT THIS TIME. HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE AT THE LOWEST WE HAVE SEEN DURING THE PANDEMIC
- THERE IS A LOT OF COVID ACROSS THE USA. PEOPLE ARE DOING MUCH BETTER, IT IS MUCH LESS SEVERE.
- BA 4 AND BA5 ARE RISING AND MAY CAUSE INCREASE HOSPITALIZATIONS SLIGHTLY COMPARED TO MORE RECENT VARIANTS.
- CHINA WILL BE EXPERIENCING MAJOR COVID OUTBREAKS AS TIME GOES ON. OMICRON IS LIKE THE WIND…YOU CAN’T STOP IT, BUT YOU CAN TRY TO CONTROL IT. THE ZERO COVID POLICY OF CHINA IS UNSUSTAINABLE.
- COVID IS SHOWING MINOR SURGES IN THE NORTHEAST.
- 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.
|
|
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:
- Your name
- Date vaccination received
- Brand name
- Lot number if available
- Which dose you have received
**Email your COVID vaccine completed info HERE
|
|
As More People Report Covid Rebounds After Paxlovid, Experts Insist Cases Are Rare
The White House Covid response coordinator estimated that 5% of people have Covid symptoms rebound or test positive again after they stop the treatment.
|
|
When Dr. Anthony Fauci got Covid in June, he took Paxlovid, an antiviral drug for people with mild to moderate symptoms whose ages or immune statuses put them at high risk for severe disease. The treatment consists of three pills taken twice daily for five days.
Fauci finished the treatment and tested negative for Covid. But about three days later, a test came back positive again. His symptoms — runny nose, sore throat and fever — resurfaced, too.
A small minority of people who take Paxlovid see a similar rebound effect.
"When you look at the studies, it generally does not occur very often," Fauci, who directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and is President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, said Tuesday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." But he noted that there have been "anecdotal cases" that suggest rebounds are more common now than they were in clinical trials.
Around 1% to 2% of people taking Paxlovid in Pfizer's clinical trial tested positive for the coronavirus after having tested negative. Rebound rates are around 5% among the tens of thousands of people who've taken the drug in real-life settings, the White House Covid response coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha, said at a news conference last week.
|
|
COVID Self-Test Kits Available At
Maricopa County Libraries
|
|
Maricopa County Library District and Maricopa County Department of Public Health are partnering to offer free at-home COVID-19 test kits at all 18 MCLD libraries.
The tests are self-administered nasal swab tests to detect an active COVID-19 infection. About At-Home COVID-19 Tests:
- These are antigen tests that only detect active infection
- The test provides rapid results in 15 minutes
- Each kit includes a self-administered nasal swab test
|
|
Third Round Of Free Covid-19 Tests Now Available
The websites for HHS and the U.S. Postal Service directed people Monday to apply for a third round of at-home tests.
|
|
The federal government started taking orders Monday for a third round of Covid-19 test kits to be mailed to any U.S. household.
A Department of Health and Human Services website said Monday that all U.S. households were eligible to order a third round of tests. Each order now contains eight rapid antigen tests, the U.S. Postal Service website says. Previously, four tests were sent out at a time.
According to U.S. Postal Service (USPS), Americans can start placing their orders for the second round of free at-home COVID-19 tests now.
If you need help ordering your tests, you can call 1-800-232-0233 (1-888-720-7489 for TTY).
|
|
Covid Is Still Causing Havoc Around The World |
|
The number of new Covid-19 cases is rising once again and while the virus isn't killing nearly as many people as it used to -- thanks to vaccinations -- it is still causing havoc around the world.
With labor shortages already paralyzing airports and wrecking the hospitality sector, a wave of worker absences due to sickness is the last thing the economy needs.
The latest wave of infections is driven by the most infectious and transmissible variant identified so far -- BA.5.
Based on the sequencing data reported to the World Health Organization (WHO), about half of all coronavirus cases globally are now caused by this variant. In the US, BA.5 accounts for about 80% of new cases, according to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
|
|
Reformulated COVID vaccine Boosters May Be Available Earlier Than Expected |
|
The Biden administration may scrap plans to let more younger adults get second COVID-19 boosters this summer. Instead, officials are trying to speed up availability of the next generation of boosters in the fall, NPR has learned.
The new strategy is aimed at trying to balance protecting people this summer with keeping people safe next winter, when the country will probably get hit by yet another surge.
But the possible shift is being met with mixed reactions. The Food and Drug Administration could make a final decision by the end of the week.
The dilemma facing the FDA is that the immunity many people have gotten from getting vaccinated or infected has been wearing off. At the same time, the most contagious version of the virus to emerge yet — the omicron subvariant BA.5 — is making people even more vulnerable.
|
|
Mask Policy in Our Office |
|
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 February 25, 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.
|
|
Millions Still Without Sense Of Smell Or
Taste After Covid-19
|
|
Still struggling with your sense of smell after a bout with Covid-19? You’re far from alone. About 5% of patients with confirmed cases of Covid-19 — some 27 million people worldwide — are estimated to have suffered a long-lasting loss of smell or taste, a new analysis suggests.
In the analysis published Wednesday in The BMJ (the peer-reviewed medical journal of the British Medical Association), researchers evaluated 18 previous studies of smell and taste loss across several continents and in varying demographic groups. About three quarters of those affected by loss of taste or smell regained those senses within 30 days.
Rates of recovery improved over time, but about 5% of people reported “persistent dysfunction” six months after their infection with Covid-19.
|
|
|
|
Here are 5 facts about Amelia Earhart. . . . . Which one is NOT true?*
|
Amelia Earhart's childhood nickname was 'Meelie.'
Amelia Earhart built her own roller coaster.
Amelia Earhart was the sixteenth woman to get her pilot's license.
Amelia Earhart was the first woman to travel across the Atlantic by plane.
*Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1851. (correct answer is July 24, 1897)
|
|
How To Tell If Your Avocado Has Gone Bad |
|
There are several different methods you can use to tell if your avocado has gone bad. But, unsurprisingly, they note that touch and sight play a key role in helping you make this determination.
Using the palm of your hand — but not your fingers — to gently press and squeeze the avocado to evaluate its firmness or lack thereof. An unripe avocado will be firm and you won't be able feel any give. If it is ripe, you might cause a minor indent when you squeeze it.
If there is no resistance to your squeeze, chances are your avocado is either so soft you might want to use it for a dish that requires mashed avocado or it is so soft there will be large visible dents to the dark skin.
This sadly means it's probably time to toss your avocado and head over to the grocery store to purchase a fresh one if you have an immediate need.
|
|
We Are Here to Take Care of Your Healthcare Needs.
We Are Here to Serve!
Our office is using all techniques to reduce exposure to a minimum during your visit. These include:
· Temperature checks of all patients and staff.
· Masks for all people in the office.
· Cleansing of hands and surfaces repeatedly.
· Multiple Super-HEPA filters to filter out potential virus and particles in the office.
· High Level UV light air cleansing in the office to eliminate bacteria and viruses in the air.
OUR OFFICE SCHEDULE
DOORS OPEN
7AM - 4PM Monday through Thursday
7AM - 11AM Friday
IN OFFICE
APPOINTMENTS: MONDAY – THURSDAY
7AM – 11:15AM & 1PM – 3:30PM
APPOINTMENTS: FRIDAY
7AM – 10:30 AM
|
|
Dr. Lakin's Info For COVID-19 Kit &
Recommended Treatments
|
|
SUMMARY OF A COVID KIT:
This is what you should have at home to prepare for possible COVID, to monitor yourself if you were to get infected:
- DIGITAL ORAL THERMOMETER
- PULSE OXIMETER
OTHER ITEMS FROM THE HOME MEDICAL KIT:
TYLENOL, ADVIL, OR ALEVE
Sudafed 30mg tablets
Chlorpheniramine 4mg tablets
Robitussin DM syrup
Imodium AD
|
|
'Crazy Ways to Sneak Food into the Movies. . . The Avocado Couple!'
Today Ava and Cado will try to sneak food into the movies and other public places.
What bad luck! Ava and Cado just want to spend time together (with lots of snacks, of course). But one nasty Banana messes up all their plans. He prevents Ava and Cado to sneak food into the movies, plane, restaurant…
He prevents to sneak snacks anywhere Ava and
Cado go! Is it some kind of curse, or what?!
But Ava and Cado never give up! So get ready for the funniest episode about weird ways to sneak food full of crazy DIY tips and genius food hacks.
Let’s get started…
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
