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'Happy New Year's Eve!'
A time for people to come together and celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of a new one, New Year’s Eve is a holiday that is celebrated on December 31st, the last day of the year. Attending events, dancing, and watching fireworks are common New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Some people also make resolutions for the new year, which are promises to themselves to make more changes in their lives for the better. It’s a time of joy, hope, and reflection, and is often marked by traditions and customs that vary from culture to culture.
Read more here. . . .
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Your Weekly COVID-19 Updates
Paradise Valley Medical Clinic,
Douglas M. Lakin, M.D.
Kaitlin A. Kraemer, PA-C
9977 N 90th Street, Suite 180, Scottsdale, AZ 85258
480.614.5800 (phone), 480.614.6322 (Fax)
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Our office will be closed Monday & Tuesday, January 1st & 2nd, 2024,
for the New Year Holiday.
We are always available for your healthcare needs.
If you have an emergency, please call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or contact our office through our answering service, 480.614.5800.
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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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December 31, 2023
LOTS OF COVID IN THE VALLEY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. ALL DOING WELL BUT BE PROACTIVE TO PREVENT NEED FOR HOSPITALIZATION.
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COVID IS VERY HIGH RIGHT NOW. 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!
- DO NOT GO OUT TO PARTIES IF YOU HAVE COVID AND ARE WITHIN THE FIRST 5 DAYS OF INFECTION
- YOU MAY GO OUT WITH A MASK DAYS 6-10 OF COVID.
- FLU IS AT HIGH LEVELS…WE ARE IN THE HEART OF THE FLU SEASON…..GET YOUR FLU SHOT IF YOU’VE NOT ALREADY HAD IT
- VERY LITTLE RSV IN THE VALLEY
IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE A COLD OR RESPIRATORY INFECTION RIGHT NOW…. YOU MAY WELL HAVE COVID OR THE FLU. PLEASE DO A COVID TEST TO CHECK AT HOME. AVOID GOING TO HOLIDAY PARTIES IF YOU ARE SICK AND HAVE NOT CHECKED FOR COVID.
ALMOST ALL DOING WELL, BUT WE ARE SEEING A FEW PEOPLE NEED THE HOSPITAL TO RECOVER.
FLU TESTING CAN BE DONE IF YOU ARE FEELING PARTICULARLY SICK WITH YOUR UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTION.
THE NEW COVID VACCINE IS AVAILABLE.
IT IS A VERY GOOD MATCH FOR THE CURRENT VARIANTS IN CIRCULATION. THIS 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 THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.
TIMING OF VACCINATIONS THIS FALL AND WINTER:
- FLU SHOT
- COVID SHOT
- RSV SHOT
DO NOT GET ALL SHOTS AT THE SAME TIME. RSV SHOULD BE TAKEN ALONE.
IF YOU WISH, YOU CAN GET FLU AND COVID AT THE SAME TIME. THAT IS PROVEN SAFE AND EFFECTIVE.
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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
December 28, 2023
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/episode-147-jn1-hospital-capacity-vaccine-uptake
'JN.1, Hospital Capacity, & Vaccine Uptake'
In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the JN.1 variant, the rising levels of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, and the low uptake of the COVID-19, RSV, and influenza vaccines. Dr. Osterholm also shares his thoughts on hospital capacity issues 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.
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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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Four More Free COVID Tests Will Be Available To US Households
The federal government is offering a new batch of free Covid tests,
with orders to begin shipping the week of Nov. 27.
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Each U.S. household can now order four more free Covid tests, to be sent out by the federal government starting the week of Nov. 27.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced the new round of test shipments Monday as the holiday season begins — a time when public health experts typically expect cases of Covid, flu, colds and respiratory syncytial virus to surge.
As with the previous five rounds of government-issued Covid tests, orders can be placed online at Covid.gov. People who didn’t take advantage of the last offer in September can still order the four rapid antigen tests made available then, for a total of eight tests. The only information required is a name and a home address — no health insurance information needed.
The order page warns that although tests may arrive with expiration dates that have passed, the Food and Drug Administration has extended the dates for most approved tests. So users can check the true expiration dates of their Covid tests on the FDA’s regularly updated list.
Read more here. . . .
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COVID Mask Mandates Return to
Hospitals in Five States
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Hospitals across the U.S. are reinstating COVID-19 mask mandates as the JN.1 variant becomes the dominant strain spreading throughout the country.
Hospitals in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Washington D.C. have all brought back divisive rules meaning masks are mandatory for selected people in medical settings.
The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control has recorded a 10.4 percent increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations across America in the week leading up to December 16. There has been an increase of 3.4 percent in deaths related to coronavirus in the same period. Newsweek has contacted the CDC for comment via email.
Mask mandates have long been controversial since they were implemented during the coronavirus pandemic, which reached the U.S. in early 2020. Medical professionals and the CDC have consistently advocated for mask wearing, including outside of doctor's office or hospital. Currently, no state in the country has a mandatory mask policy for any indoor and outdoor setting.
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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New COVID-19 Variant JN.1 Now Makes Up 44% of U.S. Cases, CDC Says
A new, fast-spreading COVID-19 variant named JN.1 now makes up 44% of all cases nationwide, more than doubling its share from the week before, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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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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'New Year's Eve'
"New Year's Eve" celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, in the intertwining stories of couples and singles, told amidst the pulse and promise of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year.
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