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'National Gorgeous Grandma Day'
Maybe you call her Nana. Maybe you call her Granny. Maybe you call her when you’re in trouble because you know she’ll be there for you at the drop of a hat.
Whatever the case may be, today is her day. But it’s not just Grandma Day—oh no. This July 23, we celebrate National Gorgeous Grandma Day. Today’s the day to tell ol’ Granny just how stunning she really is.
She looks fly for an eighty year old, you have to admit. We bet all the grandpas are dying to get with her.
Read more here. . . .
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Your Weekly COVID-19 Updates
Paradise Valley Medical Clinic,
Douglas M. Lakin, M.D.
Kaitlin A. Kraemer, M.S., PA-C
9977 N 90th Street, Suite 180, Scottsdale, AZ 85258
480.614.5800 (phone), 480.614.6322 (Fax)
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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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July 23, 2023
WEST NILE SEASON IS HERE. THE FIRST CASE IN OUR PRACTICE WAS SEEN 10 WEEKS AGO. 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.
COVID LEVELS ARE LOW BUT PRESENT NATIONALLY. WE CONTINUE TO SEE COVID PRIMARILY IN TRAVELERS AND IN PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT HAVE COVID YET WHO ARE EXPOSED TO RECENT TRAVELERS. CONSIDER BOOSTING AND MASKING DURING TRAVEL.
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.
COVID:
THE 4TH COVID BOOSTER IS APPROVED FOR THOSE OVER 65 OR THOSE WHO ARE YOUNGER AND HAVE COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEMS. THIS IS A BIVALENT VACCINE WITH THE ORIGINAL COVID VIRUS & OMICRON VARIANT.
A NEW BOOSTER WILL BE APPROVED IN THE COMING WEEKS. IT WILL CONTAIN THE CURRENT VARIANT XBB.1.5, WHICH IS 99% OF THE COVID IN THE USA.
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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
July 13, 2023
(Same as last week's... New podcast next week!)
'More to Learn'
In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss recent studies on the neurologic effects of COVID-19, the newly approved RSV vaccine, and locally acquired malaria cases in Florida and Texas.
According to Dr. Osterholm……
- GET YOUR 4th BOOSTER (6th 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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COVID Symptoms Seem To Never Touch Certain People - and Researchers may Have Finally Figured Out Why | |
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A new study is giving us insight into "super dodgers," people who contract COVID-19 but never develop symptoms, and what sets them apart.
Published Wednesday in Nature, researchers say this group may have a genetic advantage, finding they're more than twice as likely as those who become symptomatic to carry a specific gene variation that helps them destroy the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Studies have shown about 20% of people infected with COVID avoid severe sickness, the researchers note. These "super dodgers" appear to have a mutation in the immune system-supporting human leukocyte antigen, allowing virus-killing cells to identify the coronavirus, according to the study. These virus-killing cells, called T cells, were able to find the coronavirus even if it was the first encounter due to a resemblance to already familiar seasonal cold viruses.
"If you have an army that's able to recognize the enemy early, that's a huge advantage," Dr. Jill Hollenbach, the study's lead researcher, a professor of neurology, epidemiology and biostatistics and a member of the Weill Institute for Neurosciences at UCSF, said in a news release. "It's like having soldiers that are prepared for battle and already know what to look for, and that these are the bad guys."
Read more here. . . .
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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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The CDC Is Preparing For a Winter With '3 Bugs Out There': COVID, Flu And RSV | |
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Even as the nation is faced with blistering heat waves this summer, Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is already thinking ahead to cold and flu season this winter.
“We’re going to have three bugs out there, three viruses: Covid, of course, flu and RSV,” Cohen said in an interview. “We need to make sure the American people understand all three and what they can do to protect themselves.”
Spread of all three respiratory viruses is currently low, but the CDC has begun to detect slight increases in positive Covid tests and Covid-related emergency department visits. And the decline in Covid hospitalizations has stalled.
Read more here. . . .
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Why MIS-C Cases Are Dropping Dramatically
Across The US: Expects
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During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most misunderstood complications children were experiencing was MIS-C.
MIS-C, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, is a condition in which different body parts can become inflamed -- such as the heart, lungs, brain and kidneys -- and is often seen in children after they are diagnosed with COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Over the course of the pandemic, there have been 9,499 reported cases of MIS-C and 79 deaths, CDC data shows. Cases especially skyrocketed during the first year of the pandemic.
Since then, however, MIS-C cases have dropped dramatically and have almost disappeared entirely. Experts told ABC News they are not sure why this is but there are probably multiple reasons, including more children being immune to COVID-19, as well as newer variants causing less severe complications.
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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Dr. Lakin's Info For COVID-19 Kit &
Recommended Treatments
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"80 For Brady"
Four best friends go on an unforgettable journey to see Tom Brady play in Super Bowl LI.
Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field star in this hilarious true story of friendship, fun, and living life to the fullest, no matter your age.
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