Winter Holidays Are Almost Here!

Considering Rapid COVID19 Testing Before the Holidays?

With Thanksgiving and other holidays on the horizon, you’re not the only one! Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. (Full Article Here)

Rapid tests, like the one you are considering, are antigen tests — the COVID-19 equivalents of home-pregnancy or rapid strep tests. As with all rapid tests, there’s a trade-off between speed and accuracy. In addition, these tests were never intended to reliably detect infection in asymptomatic individuals.

When used as authorized, as quick diagnostic tools for individuals with recent onset of COVID-19 symptoms, positive results on antigen tests are almost always accurate. This allows symptomatic people who test positive to be isolated quickly, before they can infect others. But even when someone has a viral load high enough to produce symptoms of the illness, antigen tests often have a false-negative rate of 10 percent or more. When this type of test is used on an asymptomatic individual, the likelihood of a false negative is even higher.

These are not the odds you want when your family’s safety is on the line. But even if your family members could arrive a few days earlier, giving them enough time to get a more accurate PCR test and hunker down for a few days to await the results, negative COVID-19 tests results do not guarantee a risk-free family holiday.

A COVID-19 test is simply a snapshot in time. Even with the more accurate PCR test, a negative result does not mean an individual is not infected. A negative result means only that, at that particular moment, the sample did not show viral levels high enough to be reliably measured. It doesn’t mean the virus isn’t there. It doesn’t mean that the individual wouldn’t test positive tomorrow — or even later tonight. And it most emphatically does not mean that it’s safe to crowd around the dining room table, remove your masks, and consume vast quantities of turkey, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie.

Viewing a negative test as a license to socialize freely ignores two important facts about the virus: The first is that people who have been exposed and infected typically do not test positive or show symptoms until at least five days have passed. The second is that infected individuals are at their most contagious in the two to three days before they are likely to test positive or exhibit symptoms. In other words, some of the very individuals who are central players in “superspreading events” — those who are both asymptomatic and highly infectious — are among those least likely to be identified by a COVID-19 screening test.

A recent report illustrates both the limitations of testing and the importance of other precautions. In this case, a 13-year-old girl who tested negative for the virus four days after a known exposure transmitted COVID-19 to her grandparents and nine other relatives sharing a vacation home. None of the individuals staying in the home wore facemasks or practiced physical distancing. Notably, however, an additional six relatives who visited for 10 hours on one day and three hours another day, when multiple overnight attendees would have been infectious, avoided contracting the virus by maintaining physical distance and staying outdoors at all times.

So, where does this leave your Thanksgiving plans?

If it were up to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all of your family members would stay home and celebrate the holiday in their own homes, spending time with distant relatives through a “virtual dinner.” The CDC classifies any gathering with people outside of your own household as a moderate- to high-risk activity, even if you follow the agency’s guidelines for hosting gatherings or cookouts. Outdoor gatherings carry the least risk, but the agency still recommends wearing masks whenever possible and arranging tables and chairs to keep groups of individuals from the same household at least six feet away from other family groups. Unfortunately, typical Thanksgiving Day weather in much of the country renders outdoor dining somewhere between uncomfortable and impossible.

If you are determined to celebrate any holiday with individuals outside of your household, you should think of it in terms of a temporary social bubble. This involves having all would-be attendees quarantine strictly for two weeks prior to the holiday and drive to the gathering in private vehicles without having contact with others along the way. Depending on where your family members live, this might be an option for you. If so, it will be important to make sure everyone agrees to the same guidelines for the quarantine period — for example, no seeing friends or going to the office or the gym during that time. And, unfortunately, if your grandchildren are attending in-person school, that’s a deal breaker.

After many months of separation, it’s incredibly tempting to let down your guard to see the people you love. Many of us are feeling real pressure to do something — anything — to make our lives feel “normal” again. But it’s important to balance temptation with precautions and ground rules. So, start communicating! Hop on the phone, or send an email, and make a plan. Whether you choose a bubble or Zoom, you and your family can be still be thankful — for your health, your safety, and hot turkey sandwiches for weeks.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE SICK OR EXPOSED:

GO TO YOUR DOCTOR for HIGH RISK SYMPTOMS:

Cough
Difficulty Breathing
Loss of Taste or Smell

FOLLOW THE SYMPTOM TREE ATTACHED for LOW RISK SYMPTOMS:

Fever
Congestion
Nausea/Vomiting
Headache
Sore Throat
Body Aches

We are testing Family and Friends with Same Day PCR RESULTS for

tests done before 11:30 am.

MASKNE: (ˈMasknē/ ˈmæskni) Mask acne

For all of us who are masking at work and school, we have new friends growing on our chin and cheeks. Here are some tips to prevent these guys from overtaking our face.

First- stop touching both your face and the inside of your mask!! Remind your children of this. We have oils and bacteria on our hands that readily clog micro-sized skin glands. Kids at school are putting masks on over their dirty and/or greasy post-lunch chins. Remind them to wash their chin and cheeks after lunch with mild soap and water. If they cannot access a sink, send a fragrance-free wet wipe (packed in a ziplock) to wipe away residual food and oils. Better yet, have them eat fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains to avoid the grease.

Second.....(Click here for more tips on how to protect your face!)

Meet Physical Therapist Lindy Johnson. She is the owner of Make Well Physical Therapy and a wonderful new addition to our Newport Beach office. Lindy brings years of outpatient orthopedic experience to her clients, and offers one-on-one, quality, private care. She treats a diverse group of patients starting at 8 years of age. Beyond treating back, hip, and knee pain, Lindy is passionate about easing pregnancy and postpartum pain. Learn more at

www.makewellptwellness.com

What have we learned thus far from Pediatric

COVID19 cases?

Click here to listen to the experts present on local cases.

Read These Prevention Pearls

from local pediatricians

Are you interested in getting the Sars-CoV-2 vaccine?

Yes

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Yes but not for my children

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I want to know what Dr. Vivi has to say about it

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We now have enough preservative free Flu vaccine for parents. Please let us know if you want to get your vaccine with us!

Who is at risk for complications of Influenza?

-Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old.

-Adults 65 years of age and older.

-Pregnant women (and women up to two weeks postpartum).

The pediatric flu death count per year in OC ranges from several children to over a dozen. Flu is more of a risk to your child than COVID19.

The flu shot, is approved for over 6 months and contains an inactivated virus or components of the virus.

The nasal spray is approved for people ages 2 to 49, and contains live, attenuated flu viruses (doesn't cause disease) like measles.

Per a recent NPR article, there's a chance the nasal spray could offer some protection against COVID-19 itself. Scientists believe the inherent advantage rests in how the vaccine primes different parts of the immune system.

We have both the flu shot and the nasal spray. Parents can get vaccinated at our office. Please call us to reserve flu for your family and schedule.

Hey OC- Go get tested if you are sick!

Free COVID19 Testing Sites and INFO on home tests

PATIENT SPOTLIGHT:

Meet sweet Ava Kelly! One would never know that she spent the first year and a half of her life in and out of the hospital. Following a diagnosis of Neuroblastoma, Ava spent her toddler life receiving monthly chemotherapy, as well as having a surgical tumor resection followed by more procedures. In spite of all she has been through, Ava continues to thrive and make the world around her laugh. She is a spunky, sweet and chatty two year old who loves to sing, dance and play with her brother as much as possible. She continues to surprise her family, therapists and doctors with the progress she makes.

The Kelly Family's tip to persevere during the Pandemic:

"Go enjoy the outdoors!"

They have a love for camping; it brings them renewed energy for the daily hurdles once back at home.

While always monitoring for recurrence, they find reasons to smile. The Kelly's are a true inspiration to other families who

are fighting cancer. Parents Jen and Justin, as well as her older brother James, are so thankful to spend these holidays together at home safe and healthy.

OCHCA Reported Numbers

RESOURCES FOR PARENT HOME SCHOOL BURNOUT

Tutoring Club - See their special promotion if you mention my name.

Huntington Leraning Center - Offers great bimonthly webinars. Click here to save on their ADHD program.

Fusion School is offering a $5000 scholarship for select patients. Please let me know if you are interested and I can connect you with their admissions office.