'Wife Appreciation Day'

No matter whether you have been married for one year, ten years, or 50 years, you need to appreciate your wife. You need to show her how much she means to you. Of course, for some men, this can come naturally.

For others, it can be difficult. It’s not because of a character flaw or an error on your behalf. It’s simply because some men don’t like to show their feelings or they find it difficult to communicate with them.

We feel you, but on Wife Appreciation Day, you have the perfect excuse to make sure that your wife knows how much she is appreciated.

Telehealth Visits

Dr. Lakin is using ZOOM,

FACETIME and WHATSAPP to connect with you

for a 'Telehealth' visit if needed.

You can connect using your iPad, iPhone, Android phone, a laptop, or a PC with a camera.

September 15, 2024

*NEW COVID VACCINE IS AVAILABLE IN PHARMACIES. IT IS A GOOD MATCH FOR THE CURRENT COVID VIRUS IN ARIZONA AND USA!

SEASONAL FLU SHOT IS AVAILABLE IN PHARMACIES AND IN OUR OFFICE.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FALL/WINTER 2024 IMMUNIZATIONS:

DATA CONTINUES TO SUPPORT BENEFIT FROM COVID VACCINATION. BENEFITS OF THE SHOT INCREASE WITH AGE AND WITH CONDITIONS THAT PREDISPOSE TO COMPLICATIONS (EMPHYSEMA/COPD, HEART FAILURE, DIABETES, IMMUNE SUPPRESSION)

IF YOU ARE GETTING COVID VACCINE, YOU SHOULD GET IT AS SOON AS FEASIBLE.  YOU CAN GET IT ALONE OR WITH YOUR FLU SHOT (IT IS SAFE AND PROVEN TO HAVE NO EXTRA SIDE EFFECTS WHEN TAKEN TOGETHER)

IF YOU ARE GETTING THE FLU VACCINE FOR THIS SEASON…GET THAT IN THE END OF SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, OR EARLY NOVEMBER IDEALLY.

CURRENT COVID STATUS:

THE CURRENT COVID STRAINS ARE VERY CONTAGIOUS AND PRESENT THROUGHOUT ARIZONA… WE ARE SEEING SEVERAL EACH WEEK, MOST DUE TO TRAVEL OR LARGE EVENT ATTENDANCE.

ALL DOING WELL.  BE PROACTIVE TO PREVENT NEED FOR HOSPITALIZATION. PROTECTION IS UP TO YOU AND NOW IS A PERSONAL DECISION. DO WHAT MAKES YOU COMFORTABLE.

DATA 100% SHOWS THAT GOOD MASKS MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THEY ARE NOT PERFECT, BUT THEY DO REDUCE RISK OF EXPOSURE AND INFECTION.

• I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH… IF YOU DON’T WANT COVID FROM TRAVEL… WEAR A MASK IN THE AIRPORT CROWDS AND ON THE AIRPLANE (UNTIL 10,000 FEET)… THIS IS NOT AS ESSENTIAL AS IT WAS WHEN COVID WAS MORE SEVERE… BUT IF YOU WANT TO AVOID INFECTIONS IN GENERAL DURING TRAVEL... IT’S A RECOMMENDATION.

• EVEN SELECTIVE MASK USE WORKS WELL… SUCH AS ONLY IN CROWDED SPACES IN THE AIRPORT, AND DURING TRAVEL ‘TO’ YOUR DESTINATION, SO THAT YOU ARE NOT ILL DURING YOU VACATION/TRAVEL TIME.  LESS IMPORTANT WHEN YOU RETURN FROM VACATION.

• GET BOOSTED IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO…PARTICULARLY OVER AGE 65 WITH HEALTH ISSUES OR OVER 75 WITHOUT HEALTH ISSUES.  EVERY 6 MONTHS IS THE RECOMMENDATION FOR THIS GROUP. 

• IF YOU WERE BOOSTED IN MARCH/APRIL… MAXIMUM PROTECTION IS TO GET ANOTHER SHOT IN SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER WHEN THE NEWEST/UPDATED VERSION IS AVAILABLE

• FLU SEASON IS BEGINNING… FLU SHOTS IN SEPTEMBER FOR OUR NEXT, UPCOMING FLU SEASON

• VERY LITTLE RSV IN THE VALLEY. IF YOU HAVE HAD AN RSV VACCINE, CURRENT RECOMMENDATION IS THAT YOU DON’T NEED ANOTHER FOR TWO YEARS.

IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE A COLD OR RESPIRATORY INFECTION RIGHT NOW…. YOU MAY WELL HAVE COVID. PLEASE DO A COVID TEST TO CHECK AT HOME.  

ALMOST ALL DOING WELL, BUT WE ARE SEEING A FEW PEOPLE NEED THE HOSPITAL TO RECOVER. 

THE CURRENT COVID VACCINE IS AVAILABLE.

  IT IS KEEPING PEOPLE FROM HAVING A MORE DIFFICULT TIME WITH INFECTION AND KEEPING PEOPLE OUT OF THE HOSPITAL.

I RECOMMEND THE COVID BOOSTER GENERALLY FOR THOSE OVER 65. BUT…

• I HIGHLY RECOMMEND A BOOSTER FOR THOSE 80 & OLDER.

• I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE BOOSTER FOR THOSE OVER 65 WITH HEART FAILURE, SIGNIFICANT LUNG CONDITIONS, AND DIABETES.

CONSIDER BOOSTING WITH THE NEW COVID VACCINE TO REDUCE RISK OF COVID AND TO REDUCE COVID SYMPTOM SEVERITY. NEW COVID VACCINE AVAILABLE IN SEPTEMBER

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

September 5, 2024

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

'Frustrating Times: H5N1, Mpox, & Vectorborne Disease'

In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss H5N1 in cattle, mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the risk of different vectorborne diseases in the United States. Dr. Osterholm also discusses the newly available 2024-2025 COVID vaccines and shares the latest "This Week In Public Health History" segment.

According to Dr. Osterholm……

•  GET YOUR LATEST AVAILABLE BOOSTER 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

• 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.

Recent CDC data from wastewater shows that nearly half of the United States reported "very high" levels of COVID-19 activity.

 As flu season approaches and COVID-19 cases continue across parts of United States, health experts are worried that many Americans are hesitant to get vaccinated.

According to a new survey from Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, less than half of Americans are planning to get their COVID or flu shots this season.

Dr. Nora Colburn, an infectious disease doctor with Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told CBS News these findings are "very concerning."

"We really need a large majority of our population to get vaccinated, to protect our entire community," she said.

The national poll of more than 1,000 people found more than a third — 37% — have gotten vaccines in the past but do not plan to this year.

Colburn says getting vaccines is critical in protecting yourself and others. Updated COVID-19 shots and this year's flu shots are currently being rolled out.

"It also protects you from complications of both infections," she said. "We know that people who get influenza and COVID can have increased risk of bacterial infections, as well as cardiovascular events, like heart attacks and strokes."

The survey found adults 65 and older are the most likely to get the recommended vaccines.

"They're the most risk of getting severe disease. And we see that the vaccine really protects them from severe disease, hospitalization and even death," Colburn said.

Ordering free COVID tests via this website has currently closed.

The COVIDtests.gov program distributed over 900 million tests directly to American households. The U.S. government continues to make COVID-19 tests available to uninsured individuals and underserved communities through existing outreach programs.

Please contact a HRSA-funded health center or ICATT location near you to learn how to access low- or nocost COVID-19 tests provided by the federal government.

CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 this fall and winter whether or not they have ever previously been vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine.

Data continue to show the importance of vaccination to protect against severe outcomes of COVID-19 and flu, including hospitalization and death.

To learn more about the current vaccines, visit the CDC's COVID-19 webpage.

After you received your COVID or any other vaccination outside our office, please let us know!

We would like to document this information into your chart.



What we need:

1. Your name
2. Name & date of vaccination received
3. Brand name
4. Lot number if available
5. Which dose you have received

What's In Store For

2024/2025 Flu Season. . . .

Seasonal influenza (flu) vaccines are designed to protect against the four main groups of flu Type A and B viruses that research indicates are most likely to spread and cause illness among people during the upcoming flu season. All current U.S. flu vaccines protect against a flu A(H1) virus, a flu A(H3) virus, a flu B/Yamagata lineage virus and a flu B/Victoria lineage virus. Each of these four vaccine virus components are selected based on the following:

• which flu viruses are making people sick prior to the upcoming flu season,
• the extent to which those viruses are spreading prior to the upcoming flu season,
• how well the previous season’s vaccines may protect against those flu viruses, and
• the ability of vaccine viruses to provide cross-protection against a range of related flu viruses of the same type or subtype/lineage.

There are currently 144 national influenza centers in over 114 countries that conduct year-round surveillance for flu viruses as part of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS). This involves receiving and testing thousands of flu virus samples from patients. For human seasonal flu surveillance, the laboratories send representative viruses to five* of the seven WHO Collaborating Centers for Influenza, which are located in the following places:

We Are Here to Take Care of Your Healthcare Needs.

We Are Here to Serve!

Our office is using techniques to reduce exposure to a minimum during your visit. These include: 

• 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.

Dr. Lakin's Info For COVID-19 Kit &

Recommended Treatments

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:

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

OTHER ITEMS FROM THE HOME MEDICAL KIT:

• TYLENOL, ADVIL, OR ALEVE
• Sudafed 30mg tablets
• Chlorpheniramine 4mg tablets
• Robitussin DM syrup
• Imodium AD

'The Wife'

In "The Wife," both film and novel, Joan Castleman accompanies her famous writer husband, Joe, as he prepares to accept a major literary prize. The story takes us through decades of their marriage and into some surprising behind-the-scenes secrets to his success.

“Stay Safe!