Happy National Grandparents Day!

Our grandparents play a huge role in our lives. They are at the top of our family trees. They provide us with guidance and wisdom, and a lot of us have fond memories of bedtime stories and family occasions with our grandparents.

Grandparent’s Day provides us with the perfect opportunity to honor our grandmothers and grandfathers.

Read on to discover everything you need to know.

Read more here. . . .

September 10, 2023

COVID LEVELS ARE RISING NATIONALLY.  WE ARE SEEING A DEFINITE INCREASE. THIS IS DUE TO NEW VARIANTS + WANING IMMUNITY…MOST LIKELY.   

XXB1 IS THE COMMON SUBTYPE AND EG.5, IS A RISING VARIANT.    NUMBERS REMAIN LOW COMPARED TO PREVIOUS PEAKS IN THE PAST.  THIS IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE A SURGE LIKE PREVIOUSLY SEEN.  WORRY FACTOR IS LOW FOR TWO REASONS….THE VIRUS IS ATTENUATED (MILDER) & THERE IS BROAD IMMUNITY IN THE COMMUNITY.

WE CONTINUE TO SEE COVID PRIMARILY IN TRAVELERS, IN PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT HAVE COVID YET, AND IN PEOPLE WHO ARE SPENDING TIME IN CLOSE QUARTERS WITH LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE.   

CONSIDER BOOSTING WITH THE NEW COVID VACCINE THAT WILL BECOME AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.   

TIMING OF VACCINATIONS THIS FALL AND WINTER:  

• FLU SHOT
• COVID SHOT
• RSV SHOT

DO NOT GET ALL SHOTS AT THE SAME TIME.

IF YOU WISH, YOU CAN GET FLU AND COVID AT THE SAME TIME. THAT IS PROVEN SAFE AND EFFECTIVE.

IF YOU ARE GETTING MULTIPLE SHOTS, PLEASE GIVE 2 WEEKS BETWEEN SHOTS

FLU SHOT:  

WHO SHOULD GET IT: RECOMMEND IT FOR EVERYONE OVER 65 AND FOR ANYONE OF ANY AGE WHO DOES NOT WANT TO GET THE FLU.

TIMING: ANYTIME FROM MID-SEPTEMBER ONWARD IS BEST.  FLU SEASON WAS EARLY LAST YEAR, BUT TYPICALLY BEGINS IN EARNEST AROUND THANKSGIVING IN ARIZONA. IT TAKES 2-3 WEEKS FOR THE FLU SHOT TO BE FULLY EFFECTIVE.

COVID SHOT:

UPCOMING AND CURRENT COVID SHOT VERSION:  

THE NEW COVID VACCINE FOR XBB1, THE DOMINANT VARIANT WILL BE OUT VERY SOON.

WHO SHOULD GET IT:  

IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID YET AND ARE OVER 65, I RECOMMEND YOU STAY CURRENT WITH THE LATEST VERSION OF THE VACCINE. GET THE LATEST VACCINE WHEN AVAILABLE.

IF YOU HAVE HAD COVID, YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL PROTECTION AGAINST FUTURE INFECTION, BUT IS NOT A GUARANTEE. 

I WOULD MAKE SURE YOU HAVE HAD A COVID SHOT DURING THE 2023 CALENDAR YEAR FOR THOSE OVER 65 WHO HAVE ADDITIONAL RISK DUE TO HEALTH ISSUES SUCH AS:  ACTIVELY TREATED HEART FAILURE, LUNG DISEASE, OR DIABETES.

WHEN TO GET THE COVID VACCINE:

I RECOMMEND WAITING UNTIL THE NEW VERSION IS AVAILABLE.  

(EXCEPTIONS ARE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT HAD COVID INFECTION YET AND WHO WERE NOT VACCINATED ANYTIME THIS YEAR…..AND  WHO ARE TRAVELING EXTENSIVELY. YOU CAN GET THE CURRENT VERSION.

RSV VACCINE: 

THIS IS A NEW VACCINE THAT IS AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR.

THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS, BOTH SIMILAR, AND THERE IS NO SPECIFIC REASON TO CHOOSE ONE OVER THE OTHER (ONE IS GSK..MAKERS OF SHINGRIX, THE OTHER IF PFIZER…MAKERS OF THE COVID VACCINE)

GETTING THE VACCINE THIS YEAR IS ELECTIVE.  I AM NOT BROADLY RECOMMENDING IT.  SEE BELOW FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT FOR EVERYONE DURING THIS FIRST CALENDAR YEAR OF AVAILABILITY.

I DO THINK PEOPLE AT HIGHER RISK SHOULD CONSIDER GETTING THE RSV VACCINE THIS YEAR IF THEY ARE INCLINED…BUT DON’T FEEL OBLIGATED.   

FOR THOSE OVER 65 WHO HAVE ADDITIONAL RISK FOR SERIOUS ILLNESS AS A RESULT OF HEALTH ISSUES SUCH AS:  ACTIVELY TREATED HEART FAILURE, CANCER, LUNG DISEASE, OR DIABETES.

WHEN TO GET RSV VACCINE:  

GET IT ANYTIME…STARTING NOW…

THROUGH THE FEBRUARY.

WEST NILE SEASON IS STILL HERE.   USE PROTECTION. IF WE HEAR OF NEW CASES…WILL REPORT TO YOU. NOT CURRENTLY HIGH LEVEL IN TOWN, BUT NOW IS THE TIME.  BY THE TIME WE SEE THE INCREASE WE WILL BE RUNNING BEHIND…. SO BEGIN NOW.

PLEASE USE MOSQUITO REPELLENT DAILY UNTIL THE END OF SEPTEMBER, OR AT LEAST 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

September 7, 2023

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/episode-139-time-mindset-change

'Time for a Mindset Change'

In "Time for a Mindset Change," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the rise in COVID activity in the U.S. and around the world, a recent study on COVID in white-tailed deer, and a survey on vaccine hesitancy in pet owners. Dr. Osterholm also provides an update on avian and human influenza and shares a moment of joy from one of our listeners.

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.

The U.S. is still weeks away from getting new Covid booster shots, even as more people are not only becoming infected with Covid, but getting sick enough to be hospitalized.

The most recent week-to-week data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a 21.6% increase in hospital stays related to Covid. The increase is far below what the nation has previously endured, however. The current level of Covid hospitalizations is a third of what it was a year ago.

There are a few new virus variants that scientists are paying attention to because they appear to be changing in ways that might make the virus more contagious. It's not known whether the boosters will be as effective against those variants.

Despite the uptick in Covid, there is no talk of reinstating mask mandates this fall, the CDC told NBC News.

The updated Covid vaccine booster is expected to be cleared by the FDA ahead of a CDC vaccine advisory panel, which is scheduled to meet on Sept. 12 to vote on whether to recommend the updated vaccines.

Some doctors want the boosters faster.

Read more here. . . .

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

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.

As Covid cases surge again in the U.S., Americans are digging out unused at-home tests that they stashed earlier in the pandemic. 

Many of those tests may have passed their expiration dates, but don’t throw them away just yet. 

The Food and Drug Administration has extended the expiration dates of many popular at-home test products, which means some of your old kits may still be safe to use. You can check by visiting a page on the FDA’s website that lists expiration information for each test brand.

“That’s the first thing I would do before using an expired test or throwing it away,” Andrew Pekosz, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told CNBC.

If the date has not changed, the FDA advises against using expired tests. Doing so increases the chance of an inaccurate test result, which could put your or another person’s health at risk.

Read more here. . . .

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.

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

The Movie 'Up'

From Disney•Pixar comes UP, a comedy adventure in which 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen fulfills his dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America, only to discover that he has brought with him his biggest nightmare, a 9-year-old Wilderness Explorer stowaway.

Basically, the real message of the film is that the real adventure of life is the relationship we have with other people, and it's so easy to lose sight of the things we have and the people that are around us until they are gone.