'Happy St Patrick's Day'

Erin Go Bragh!

Meaning ‘Ireland forever’, this phrase is often heard as part of the celebrations that take place surrounding St. Patrick’s Day. This day, near the end of the winter season, is a time to show appreciation for Irish culture – whether by those who are actually Irish or those who simply love all things Irish.

Of course, in addition, this is an important time to pay honor and respect for this man who sacrificed much to help other people. 

Now It’s time for St. Patrick’s Day!

Read more here. . . .



March 17, 2024

LOTS OF COVID REMAINS THIS WINTER AND INTO SPRING…..THERE IS A DECLINE, BUT STILL A LOT OF INFECTIONS EVERY WEEK…

ALL DOING WELL.  WITH MORE TOURISTS THERE WILL BE MORE COVID. BE PROACTIVE TO PREVENT NEED FOR HOSPITALIZATION.

• COVID REMAINS MODERATELY HIGH. DO NOT GO OUT WITH GROUPS OF PEOPLE IF YOU ARE SICK AND HAVE NOT TESTED FOR COVID…. YOU MAY HAVE COVID AND BE SPREADING IT!

• WEAR A MASK DURING TRAVEL IN THE AIRPORT AND ON THE AIRPLANE (UNTIL 10,000 FEET) …. AT THIS TIME DUE TO HIGH LEVELS OF COVID INFECTION. ONCE THE SURGE HAS DROPPED OFF, THIS IS NOT AS ESSENTIAL.

• GET BOOSTED IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO…PARTICULARLY OVER AGE 65.  

• IF YOU WERE BOOSTED IN SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER AND OVER AGE 65, ANOTHER BOOST IS WORTHWHILE THIS SPRING.  THAT SAID...IF YOU HAVE HAD COVID IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS YOU CAN HOLD ON BOOSTING.

• FLU IS WANING…BUT IS STILL AROUND. THE TIME FOR FLU SHOTS HAS PASSED. NO MORE FLU SHOTS THIS SEASON

• VERY LITTLE RSV IN THE VALLEY.

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 Podcast

March 7, 2024

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/episode-152-tough-conversation

(Same as last week's.... New podcast next week!)

'A Tough Conversation'

In "A Tough Conversation," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the new CDC COVID isolation guidelines, a measles outbreak in Florida, and the latest news on avian influenza. Dr. Osterholm also provides an update on influenza and RSV cases in the U.S. and shares the latest "This Week in Public Health History" segment.

According to Dr. Osterholm……

• GET YOUR 5th BOOSTER (7th SHOT) IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID OR IT’S BEEN LONGER THAN 4 MONTHS SINCE YOU HAD COVID YOURSELF
• A GOOD MASK, N95 OF KN95, DOES HELP REDUCE TRANSMISSION…. USE IT AT HIGH-RISK LOCATIONS
• GOOD VENTILATION IN ROOMS/HOME/BUSINESSES IS A GREAT WAY TO PREVENT TRANSMISSION
• 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 IT…BUT USE IT.

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:

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

Spring is nearly here, but the 2023-24 respiratory virus season isn’t over yet. Viral activity from flu, COVID-19 and RSV has fallen from the peak, but levels remain elevated.

Here’s the situation in four charts:

How active are the respiratory viruses?

The CDC gauges activity by tracking doctor visits that involve a patient showing flu-like symptoms. Last week, those made up 3.7% of all visits, or about 1 visit in every 27.

Where is activity highest?

Flu activity is highest in the central U.S. Across the nation, the activity level is very high for two states, and high for another 12.

Which virus is most prevalent?

The rate at which tests come back positive for each virus can suggest which ones are most responsible for general respiratory illness activity. Flu has the highest positivity rate, at 15.4%, an increase from the previous week. Positivity rates for COVID-19 and RSV continue to fall.

Hospital admissions

Hospitalizations can give an idea of the danger associated with each virus. COVID-19 is hospitalizing people at a rate of about 4 per 100,000, the highest rate among the three viruses.

Read more here. . . . . .

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 WILL CONTINUE ‘TELEHEALTH’ VISITS WITH FaceTime, WhatsApp or ZOOM WHEN NEEDED.

SUMMARY OF A COVID KIT & CHECK LIST:

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: MANY BRANDS ARE FINE…HERE IS ONE EXAMPLE:

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Thermometer-Reading-Waterproof-Indicator/dp/B087T3S4TR/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=THERMOMETER&qid=1597159324&sr=8-6

PULSE OXIMETER:  TO CHECK OXYGEN LEVELS. MANY BRANDS ARE FINE...HERE IS ONE EXAMPLE:

https://www.amazon.com/Innovo-Fingertip-Oximeter-Plethysmograph-Perfusion/dp/B07YVGZPRZ/ref=sr_1_20?dchild=1&keywords=PULSE+OXI&qid=1597159388&sr=8-20

OTHER ITEMS FROM THE HOME MEDICAL KIT:

·       TYLENOL, ADVIL, OR ALEVE

·       Sudafed 30mg tablets

·       Chlorpheniramine 4mg tablets

·       Robitussin DM syrup

·       Imodium AD

Erin Go Bragh!

. . . .Stay Safe!