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'Super Bowl Sunday 2024!'
The Super Bowl is an American football championship game held by the NFL (National Football League) in the United States. It is the culmination of the NFL season, and is played between the winners of the AFC (American Football Conference) and NFC (National Football Conference) playoffs.
The Super Bowl is one of the biggest events in American sports and is typically held on the first Sunday in February. It is also one of the most-watched television events in the United States, with millions of viewers tuning in to watch the game, the halftime show, and the commercials.
The winning team is awarded the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
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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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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February 11, 2024
LOTS OF COVID REMAINS THIS WINTER…
ALL DOING WELL. IT MAY BE AS ACTIVE AS WE’VE EVER SEEN IN THE VALLEY. BE PROACTIVE TO PREVENT NEED FOR HOSPITALIZATION.
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COVID REMAINS HIGH. 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!
- WEAR A MASK DURING TRAVEL IN THE AIRPORT AND ON THE AIRPLANE (UNTIL 10,000 FEET) …. AT THIS TIME DUE TO HIGH LEVELS OF COVID INFECTION. ONCE THE SURGE HAS DROPPED OFF, THIS IS NOT AS ESSENTIAL.
- GET BOOSTED IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO…PARTICULARLY OVER AGE 65.
- FLU IS WANING…THE TIME FOR FLU SHOTS HAS PASSED. NO MOR FLU SHOTS THIS SEASON
- VERY LITTLE RSV IN THE VALLEY…. BUT RISING.
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.
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. IT IS STILL AROUND.
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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
February 8, 2024
'A Family Discussion'
In "A Family Discussion," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the latest SARS-CoV-2 variant, consider the current and future challenges accessing Paxlovid, and explore new long COVID research. Dr. Osterholm also revisits last episode's discussion on changing public health guidelines and celebrates some canine heroes in the "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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Coronavirus FAQ: I'm immunocompromised. Will Pills, Gargles and Sprays Fend Off COVID?
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We regularly answer frequently asked questions about the coronavirus. If you have a question you'd like us to consider for a future post, email us at goatsandsoda@npr.org with the subject line: "Weekly Coronavirus Questions."
See an archive of our FAQs here.
My husband is immuno-compromised. He scours the internet for products that can protect him against COVID – from mouthwashes to supplements. Is there any evidence that any of these products work?
Four years into the COVID pandemic,many people are relaxing their precautions. But it's still tough to be immunocompromised, perhaps even tougher than a year or two ago.
Back then, an immunocompromised person who caught COVID could get monoclonal antibody treatments, which were effective at lessening the severity of the disease and could even help prevent infection if taken prophylactically. But those treatments are now all gone. The Food and Drug Administration pulled them from the market as the virus evolved, rendering them ineffective.
Yes, we still have vaccines and effective antiviral treatments like paxlovid. But for some immunocompromised folks, vaccines are often less effective as their weakened immune systems fail to mount a sufficient response,and paxlovid can interfere with many commonly prescribed medications. Well-fitted, high quality masks work well, but aren't foolproof, especially in crowded indoor spaces where no one else is wearing one.
Read more here. . .
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Free COVID-19 Tests Still Available | |
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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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New Report Raises Concerns About Long
Covid in Children
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A large analysis published Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics underscores the toll long Covid can take on children, in some cases leading to neurological, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and behavioral symptoms in the months after an acute infection.
“Long Covid in the U.S., in adults and in kids, is a serious problem,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at the V.A. St. Louis Health Care System and a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, who studies the condition but was not involved in the new report. He said that the paper, which drew on numerous studies of long Covid in children, is “important” and illustrates that the condition can affect multiple organ systems.
The new review suggested that 10 to 20 percent of children in the United States who had Covid developed long Covid. However, Dr. Suchitra Rao, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Children’s Hospital Colorado and co-author on the paper, acknowledged that there are “lots of caveats” with the prevalence estimates used to arrive at that number.
For example, some of the studies included looked only at the very small percentage of children who were hospitalized for Covid. Like adults, children who had more severe cases of Covid have a greater risk of lingering symptoms or new complications.
Read more here. . . .
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| Who is Your Super Bowl 2024 Pick.... SF 49ers or KC Chiefs? | | | |
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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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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'Super Bowl LVIII!'
Get ready for the ultimate showdown! Las Vegas is set to host the iconic Super Bowl in February 2024. Brace yourself for an electrifying extravaganza where football greatness meets the glitz and glamour of the Entertainment Capital of the World.
The city is pulsating with anticipation as Allegiant Stadium prepares to welcome football fanatics from around the globe.
Don’t miss your chance to witness history in the making as the best teams battle it out on the grandest stage of them all.
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NFL LIVE🔴 49ers vs. Chiefs | 2024 Super Bowl LVIII NFL Full Game - 11th February 2024 NFL 24
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Enjoy the Game And . . .
Stay Safe!
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