'Plastic Free July!'

Recycling is emphasized everywhere, but there’s not enough holiday to indeed enforce the idea of how easy it is to recycle. When it comes to plastic, plastic has become the number one product people use each day, despite how damaging it is to the environment.

Plastic Free July is a holiday dedicated to teaching people about the dangers of plastic and challenges people to avoid plastic for a month. Read more to learn about its history and see how you can get started.

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.

July 21, 2024

COVID STEADY AND PRESENT IN ARIZONA…..WE ARE SEEING SEVERAL EACH WEEK, MOST DUE TO TRAVEL OR LARGE EVENT ATTENDANCE.

IF YOU GET SICK AFTER TRAVEL OR ATTENDING A BIG GATHERING…DO A COVID TEST.

ALL DOING WELL.  BE PROACTIVE TO PREVENT NEED FOR HOSPITALIZATION.

• 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 PREVALENT…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 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER AND OVER AGE 65, ANOTHER BOOST IS WORTHWHILE THIS SPRING.  THAT SAID...IF YOU HAVE HAD COVID IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS YOU CAN HOLD ON BOOSTING FOR 6 MONTHS.

• FLU SEASON IS OVER… NO MORE FLU SHOTS THIS SEASON

• VERY LITTLE RSV IN THE VALLEY.

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

WEST NILE SEASON:

NO SIGNIFICANT WEST NILE REPORTED IN THE VALLEY AT THIS TIME BUT PREPARE TO USE PROTECTION.

IF WE HEAR OF NEW CASES…WILL REPORT TO YOU.

NO WEST NILE REPORTED…. BUT PREPARE NOW BY GETTING YOUR MOSQUITO REPELLENT.

PLEASE USE MOSQUITO REPELLENT

WHEN IN HIGH EXPOSURE SITUATIONS.

ARIZONA IS THE PRIME USA LOCATION FOR WEST NILE DUE TO HIGH WEST NILE VIRUS LEVELS IN RAPTOR BIRDS WHO ARE IMMUNE TO WEST NILE ILLNESS, BUT NOT IMMUNE TO CARRYING THE VIRUS. THIS CAN RESULT IN ARIZONA MOSQUITOS WITH PARTICULARLY HIGH VIRUS LEVELS WHEN THEY BITE.

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

July 11, 2024

'What's Going On and Why Does It Matter?'

In "What's Going On and Why Does it Matter?," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance data, the H5N1 influenza outbreak in dairy cattle, and a CDC Health Alert on dengue virus.

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.

The heat is not the only thing rising this summer. COVID-19 is on an upswing as well.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that COVID-19 levels have increased in most states based on wastewater sample data. More than 70% of the illnesses stem from the highly contagious JN.1 strain, which grew more prevalent over the winter. These COVID-19 variants are known as FLiRT variants.

Wastewater testing acts as an early warning system for public health professionals and can help in slowing or preventing outbreaks.

Even in communities where residents are not showing symptoms, it is possible to test wastewater, or sewage, for the presence of infectious diseases. In turn, the CDC can determine the levels of illnesses in your region.

According to the CDC, the wastewater viral activity level for COVID-19 is "high" and "very high" in 26 states.

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

Since 2020, the condition known as long COVID-19 has become a widespread disability affecting the health and quality of life of millions of people across the globe and costing economies billions of dollars in reduced productivity of employees and an overall drop in the work force.

The intense scientific effort that long COVID sparked has resulted in more than 24,000 scientific publications, making it the most researched health condition in any four years of recorded human history.

Long COVID is a term that describes the constellation of long-term health effects caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These range from persistent respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath, to debilitating fatigue or brain fog that limits people's ability to work, and conditions such as heart failure and diabetes, which are known to last a lifetime.

A new human case of H5 highly pathogenic avian flu has been identified in Colorado, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said Sunday that five human cases of bird flu had been detected in poultry workers believed to have caught the bird flu virus through direct work with infected birds. The latest case is from an additional worker from this cohort.

The workers had been involved in culling birds, a process used to control the spread of disease by selectively removing or killing infected animals. The six infected workers have experienced mild symptoms, including pink eye and respiratory issues, and all exposed workers have been offered antiviral medication, according to the CDC.

Genetic sequencing of a sample from one of the Colorado cases shows that it’s closely related to the first human case of bird flu discovered in Michigan, a sign that the virus has not experienced any changes due to antiviral resistance, according to the agency. These findings are “reassuring,” it said Friday.

A CDC field team, including epidemiologists, veterinarians, clinicians and an industrial hygienist, is assisting with Colorado’s outbreak investigation.

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.

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

Plastic Free July - It's as easy as this!

Let's Have a Plastic Free July & Stay Safe!