'GO FLY A KITE DAY, April 16, 2023!'

Go Fly a kite Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of April every year. This year it will take place on April 16. The phrase ‘Go Fly a Kite’ does not always literally mean you should go and fly a kite, it is also an idiom that is used when you want someone to go away or leave you alone.

This is because telling someone to go fly a kite requires them to do so. The phrase initially appeared in the 1940s and remained popular for several decades afterward.

This national festival is taken to indicate that individuals should go fly a kite instead of telling someone to leave.

Read more here. . . .

Our New Extended Phone Hours

We have extended our office phone hours to better serve you. Our new phone hours are 7:15am - 11:30am, and 1pm - 4pm, Monday - Thursday.

Please contact us at 480.614.5800 or see our website for more information

April 16, 2023

THE CROWDS ARE GONE…AND VERY FEW PEOPLE ARE MASKING, BUT THE VIRUS REMAINS AROUND……IT’S NOT FINISHED WITH US…ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID YET.

 CONSIDER WEARING A GOOD MASK (KN95 OR N95) SELECTIVELY AT BUSY INDOOR LOCATIONS TO STAY HEALTHY. IF GOOD VENTILATION, OPEN SPACES…NO NEED TO MASK AS A GENERAL RULE.

CONTINUE TO LIVE YOUR LIFE AND GO OUT AND ABOUT AS YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE…… AND YOU SHOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING SO.

AN ADDITIONAL COVID SHOT WILL BE APPROVED VERY SOON BY THE FDA. THIS WILL BE OPTIONAL FOR THOSE OVER 65 YEARS OLD.

CONSIDER GETTING AN ADDITIONAL BOOSTER IF:

YOU ARE OVER 65 AND HAVE NOT HAD COVID

YOU ARE AT HIGHER RISK DUE TO ILLNESS/MEDICATION (ANY AGE) AND HAVE NOT HAD COVID.

IF YOU HAVE HAD COVID OVER 4 MONTHS AGO AND WISH TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY.

YOU ARE TRAVELING EXTENSIVELY IN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS OR ARE GOING TO LARGE FAMILY EVENTS.

IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID AND NOT HAD 5 SHOTS…AND ARE OVER 65…THE DATA IS COMPELLING THAT ADDITIONAL SHOTS WILL KEEP YOU OUT OF THE HOSPITAL. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS.

FLU IS ON THE DECLINE AND LEAVING THE VALLEY.   RSV IS LOW…

COVID REMAINS STABLE IN ARIZONA AT MODERATE LEVELS.  WE ARE STILL SEEING 10 CASES OF COVID PER WEEK AMONG OUR PATIENTS AND MOSTLY AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE NOT YET HAD COVID.  

IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO GET ANOTHER COVID BOOSTER. DATA CONTINUES TO SUPPORT IT’S USE AND BENEFITS.

IF YOU ARE OVER 65 YOU SHOULD GET 5 SHOTS IN TOTAL…. THE DATA SUPPORTS THIS.

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

April 6, 2023

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/episode-128-light-end-tough-two-weeks

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

'A Light at the End of a Tough Two Weeks'

In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the state of the pandemic in the U.S. and around the world, the latest news on vaccines, and the current Marburg virus outbreaks in Africa. Dr. Osterholm also answers two COVID queries and shares a beautiful place from one of our listeners.



• Jane Ellen's beautiful place

According to Dr. Osterholm……

• 5 VACCINATIONS IS THE MAXIMUM AT THIS TIME.  I ANTICIPATE THEY WILL RECOMMEND EITHER ONCE A YEAR OR TWICE A YEAR VACCINATIONS BUT WE ARE WAITING TO HEAR.
• 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

Get the latest COVID-19 news from infectious diseases expert Mark Rupp, MD, including COVID-19 case rates, types of variants circulating and vaccine updates.

There are currently more than 19,508 cases reported in the United States per day, with test positivity of 6.7%. When test positivity is above 5%, transmission is considered uncontrolled. There are more than 255 deaths per day, a decrease of 36% over the past two weeks, and hospitalizations have declined by 14% over the last two weeks.

Since many are using home tests that are not reported through public health or are not testing at all, the official case counts underestimate the actual prevalence of COVID-19.

What COVID-19 variant are we on?

Currently, the dominant variant nationwide is XBB.1.5, with 87.9% of cases, followed by XBB.1.9.1, with 4.6% of cases. "The original omicron variant is gone now," says Dr. Rupp. "Currently subvariants of omicron are circulating, including XBB.1.5, BQ.1.1 and BQ.1."

Read more 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.

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

**CLICK HERE TO READ COMPLETE INFORMATION

A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969) -

Flying a Kite Scene

Flying a kite can be a challenge, especially for Charles Brown!

This is the first animated feature based on Charles Schulz's comic strip, "Peanuts."

Have Fun & Be Safe!