'World Octopus Day!'

As the name suggests, World Octopus Day celebrates one of the most distinctive creatures living on the planet today: the octopus.

This eight-legged, mysterious creature from under the sea has always been one that brings with it a load of fascination for its intelligence, mobility, and beauty.

Read more here. . . .



October 8, 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.

COVID LEVELS ARE VERY HIGH IN ARIZONA AND NATIONALLY.  THIS IS DUE TO NEW VARIANTS + WANING IMMUNITY.   

XBB1 IS THE COMMON SUB-TYPE 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 VERY HIGH LEVEL. WORRY FACTOR IS LOW FOR TWO REASONS…. THE VIRUS IS ATTENUATED (MILDER) & THERE IS BROAD IMMUNITY IN THE COMMUNITY.

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.   

TIMING OF VACCINATIONS THIS FALL AND WINTER: 

•  FLU SHOT
• COVID SHOT
•  RSV SHOT

DO NOT GET ALL SHOTS AT THE SAME TIME.

IF YOU WISH, YOU CAN GET FLU AND COVID AT THE SAME TIME. THAT IS PROVEN SAFE AND EFFECTIVE.

IF YOU ARE GETTING MULTIPLE SHOTS, PLEASE GIVE 2 WEEKS BETWEEN SHOTS

FLU SHOT:   

WHO SHOULD GET IT: RECOMMEND IT FOR EVERYONE OVER 65 AND FOR ANYONE OF ANY AGE WHO DOES NOT WANT TO GET THE FLU.

TIMING: GET YOUR FLU SHOT NOW THROUGH MID NOVEMBER.

  FLU SEASON WAS EARLY LAST YEAR, BUT TYPICALLY BEGINS IN EARNEST AROUND THANKSGIVING IN ARIZONA. IT TAKES 2-3 WEEKS FOR THE FLU SHOT TO BE FULLY EFFECTIVE.

COVID SHOT: 

NEW COVID IS AVAILABLE NOW…. GET IT NOW!

(It is at the pharmacies…our office does not carry this vaccine.)

WHO SHOULD GET IT: 

IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID YET AND ARE OVER 65, I RECOMMEND YOU STAY CURRENT WITH THE LATEST VERSION OF THE VACCINE. GET THE LATEST VACCINE WHEN AVAILABLE.

IF YOU HAVE HAD COVID, YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL PROTECTION AGAINST FUTURE INFECTION, BUT IS NOT A GUARANTEE. 

I WOULD MAKE SURE YOU HAVE HAD A COVID SHOT DURING THE 2023 CALENDAR YEAR FOR THOSE OVER 65 WHO HAVE ADDITIONAL RISK DUE TO HEALTH ISSUES SUCH AS:  ACTIVELY TREATED HEART FAILURE, LUNG DISEASE, OR DIABETES.

WHEN TO GET THE COVID VACCINE: 

GET IT RIGHT NOW  

RSV VACCINE: 

THIS IS A NEW VACCINE THAT IS AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR.

(It is at the pharmacies… our office does not carry this vaccine.)

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 5, 2023

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/episode-141-one-huge-puzzle

'One Huge Puzzle'

In "One Huge Puzzle," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the state of the pandemic in the U.S. and around the world, the rollout of the updated mRNA vaccines, and two recently published studies on long COVID. Dr. Osterholm also shares his thoughts on the updated Novavax vaccine and answers an ID Query about COVID vaccine side effects.

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.

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. . .

The US government will relaunch a program to provide free Covid-19 home tests to Americans, US Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday.

“We will once again begin our program to provide Americans with an opportunity to request tests,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said during an event at a Washington CVS Pharmacy where he was vaccinated against Covid-19 and flu.

US households can order four free tests from Covidtests.gov starting September 25.

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

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.

The coronavirus isn’t the only pathogen that can cause symptoms that last months, or even years, after an initial infection is overcome, a new study published Friday in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine suggests. 

In an analysis of data from 10,171 U.K. adults, the researchers found evidence of a “long cold” syndrome that can follow infection with a variety of common respiratory viruses, including common cold viruses and influenza.

While some of the symptoms of long Covid and long colds overlapped, the study noted that people with long Covid were more likely to continue to experience lightheadedness, dizziness and problems with taste and smell; lingering long cold symptoms were more likely to include coughing, stomach pain and diarrhea. 

Experts said the new research could help shine a light on the types of long-lasting symptoms that come after recovery from an illness, including chronic fatigue syndrome.

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

'Octopus Garden'

'We would be so happy, you and me, no one there to tell us what to do, I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus's garden with you.'

"Octopus's Garden" is a song by the Beatles written by Ringo Starr (under his real name Richard Starkey) from their 1969 album Abbey Road.