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'National Color Day'
Designated as the day for celebrating everything colorful in the United States, National Color Day offers the opportunity for anyone and everyone to think about, enjoy and appreciate the beauty that a rainbow of colors can bring to life.
Read more here. . . .
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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)
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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
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October 22, 2023
THE NEW COVID VACCINE IS AVAILABLE!!!!!!
IT IS A VERY GOOD MATCH FOR THE CURRENT VARIANTS IN CIRCULATION.
CONSIDER BOOSTING WITH THE NEW COVID VACCINE.
FLU SEASON HAS BEGUN. WE HAVE SEEN A FEW CASES…BUT NO INCREASE YET. GET YOUR FLU SHOT NOW AS IT TAKES 3 WEEKS TO BE FULLY EFFECTIVE.
WE CONTINUE TO SEE COVID PRIMARILY IN TRAVELERS, IN PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT HAVE COVID YET, AND IN PEOPLE WHO ARE SPENDING TIME IN CLOSE QUARTERS WITH LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE.
XBB1 IS THE COMMON SUBTYPE AND EG.5, IS THE MAJOR VARIANT. NUMBERS REMAIN UNCLEAR DUE TO LACK OF STANDARDIZED REPORTING, BUT BASED ON GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND OUR PATIENTS’ REPORTS, WE ARE AT A HIGH LEVEL. WORRY FACTOR IS LOW FOR TWO REASONS…. THE VIRUS IS ATTENUATED (MILDER) & THERE IS BROAD IMMUNITY IN THE COMMUNITY.
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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
October 19, 2023
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/episode-142-long-covid-intranasal-vaccines-booster-dose-timing
'Long COVID, Intranasal Vaccines, & Booster Dose Timing'
In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the latest national and international COVID trends, an intranasal COVID vaccine candidate, and some recent findings on long COVID. Dr. Osterholm also answers an ID Query about the timing of COVID booster doses and shares two historic public health moments in our new "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.
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CDC Is No Longer Distributing COVID-19 Vaccination Cards, Once a Staple Of The Pandemic | |
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Do you know where your Covid-19 vaccine card is? If not, you may want to track it down, because getting a new one could be tricky.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is no longer distributing the white cards that were given out with Covid-19 vaccines earlier in the pandemic, according to the agency’s website.
The CDC notes that it does not keep vaccination records and says recipients should contact their state health department’s immunization information system (IIS) if they want to keep track of their Covid-19 shots.
Read more here. . .
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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
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Flu And RSV Starting To Tick Up Nationwide | |
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Flu cases are low nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday, but there are early signs that the virus is beginning to spread.
"Even these low levels will probably increase in the next couple of weeks," said Alicia Budd, head of the CDC's domestic influenza surveillance team.
That is typical for flu seasons, which tend to ramp up by December and peak in February. Budd said that the agency is not detecting the unusually early rise in flu activity that occurred last year, when kids and teenagers were hit especially hard. Most of the flu cases reported so far this season are influenza type A, specifically the H1N1 strain.
A CDC report released Thursday found that children were "disproportionately impacted" by the flu last year. One of the study's authors, Danielle Iuliano, also a senior research epidemiologist at the CDC, said that the numbers of flu-related pediatric doctors' visits and hospitalizations were higher during the 2022-23 flu season than in previous years. Nearly all of those cases were flu type A, mostly H3N2. Just under 20% were classified as H1N1.
Read more here. . . .
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Pfizer To Price COVID Drug Paxlovid At
$1,390 Per Course. . . .
Beginning in 2024, Pfizer will sell Paxlovid directly to health insurers.
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Pfizer will price a five-day course of its Covid antiviral drug Paxlovid at $1,390 when the company starts to transition it to the commercial market later this year.
A company spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed the price, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. That list price, which is before rebates and other discounts to insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, is more than double the $529 the federal government paid for Paxlovid.
The government has purchased and distributed Paxlovid to the public for free since December 2021, when the FDA first authorized the treatment. But beginning in 2024, Pfizer will sell Paxlovid directly to health insurers, which comes as demand for Covid vaccines and treatments slumps nationwide.
Doctors, health experts and patient advocates have raised concerns that a higher price will curb access to the life-saving treatment, which has been shown to reduce the risk of severe disease and death from Covid among vulnerable patients, such as those with diabetes, heart conditions or a weakened immune system.
But health insurance plans will likely pay much less than the nearly $1,400 list price for Paxlovid, meaning patients will probably have small or no out-of-pocket costs. Pfizer also noted that it is working with payers to lower copays for patients.
Read more here. . . .
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Mask Policy in Our Office | |
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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.
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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.
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Dr. Lakin's Info For COVID-19 Kit &
Recommended Treatments
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'Why Great Movies use the 60-30-10 Percent Color Rule. . . . .' | |
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Stay Safe & Be Colorful Today!
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