'National Email Day, April 23, 2023!'

A day to recognize email is long overdue. Email has changed virtually every facet of society. To celebrate the beauty of this technology, we invite you to acknowledge Email Day every year.

National Email Day, on April 23, is an initiative of the leading email verification and validation tool, ZeroBounce. The company chose the date of April 23 as a salute to Ray Tomlinson, known as the inventor of email.

If you send mass emails, you invest a lot of time into perfecting every single message. The last thing you want is for these messages to end up in the Spam folder. ZeroBounce understands the importance of email communication and helps senders purge their mailing lists, clean up inactive and unverified email accounts, and boost metrics.

Read more here. . . .

Our New Extended Phone Hours

We have extended our office phone hours to better serve you. Our new phone hours are 7:15am - 11:30am, and 1pm - 4pm, Monday - Thursday.

Please contact us at 480.614.5800 or see our website for more information

April 23, 2023

THE 4TH COVID BOOSTER IS APPROVED FOR THOSE OVER 65 OR THOSE WHO ARE YOUNGER AND HAVE COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEMS.

CONSIDER GETTING AN ADDITIONAL BOOSTER IF:

YOU ARE OVER 65 AND HAVE NOT HAD COVID

YOU ARE AT HIGHER RISK DUE TO ILLNESS/MEDICATION (ANY AGE) AND HAVE NOT HAD COVID.

IF YOU HAVE HAD COVID OVER 4 MONTHS AGO AND WISH TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY.

YOU ARE TRAVELING EXTENSIVELY IN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS OR ARE GOING TO LARGE FAMILY EVENTS.

IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID AND NOT HAD 5 SHOTS…AND ARE OVER 65…THE DATA IS COMPELLING THAT ADDITIONAL SHOTS WILL KEEP YOU OUT OF THE HOSPITAL. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS.

THERE IS LESS VIRUS IN TOWN, BUT STILL WE ARE SEEING ABOUT 10 CASES A WEEK.……IT’S NOT FINISHED WITH US…. ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID YET.

 CONSIDER WEARING A GOOD MASK (KN95 OR N95) SELECTIVELY AT BUSY INDOOR LOCATIONS TO STAY HEALTHY. IF GOOD VENTILATION, OPEN SPACES…NO NEED TO MASK AS A GENERAL RULE.

LIVE YOUR LIFE AND GO OUT AND ABOUT AS YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE…… AND YOU SHOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING SO.

FLU IS VERY LOW.   RSV IS VERY LOW…

HOW TO MANAGE AT THIS TIME FOR GATHERINGS:  

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE COMFORTABLE GETTING TOGETHER AND THEY SHOULD GET TOGETHER.

TO REDUCE RISK....HERE ARE SOME IDEAS TO CONSIDER:

GET YOUR COVID BOOSTER

DO NOT ATTEND GATHERINGS IF YOU ARE NOT FEELING WELL. ASK OTHERS NOT TO ATTEND IF THEY ARE NOT FEELING WELL.

KEEP AIR MOVING IN GATHERING AREAS. VENTILATION...BY NATURAL MEANS OUTDOORS OR WITH FANS, CAN BE HELPFUL.

WEARING A HIGH-QUALITY MASK AT GATHERINGS IS GOOD IF YOU ARE TRAVELING AND WISH TO AVOID INFECTION FOR SUMMER TRAVEL.  IT IS IMPERATIVE FOR THOSE WITH TRULY REDUCED IMMUNITY...THOSE RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY, THOSE WITH SEVERE LUNG DISEASE, AND THOSE RECOVERING FROM RECENT HOSPITALIZATION.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS:

WEAR N-95 OR KN95 MASKS IN SITUATIONS THAT YOU FEEL ARE HIGHER EXPOSURE IF YOU WISH TO REDUCE YOUR RISK

WHEN GOING OUT TO ACTIVITIES…. SELECT OPTIONS THAT ALLOW FOR BETTER VENTILATION INSIDE, OR CHOOSE OUTSIDE OPTIONS

IF YOU GET SICK YOU NEED TO TEST FOR COVID. CONSIDER COMING INTO THE OFFICE PARKING LOT FOR FLU TESTING AS WELL

TREATMENT FOR COVID AND FOR FLU IS AVAILABLE AND WORTHWHILE IN MANY INSTANCES.

TREATMENT FOR RSV IS PURELY SYMPTOMATIC…. WE TREAT THE SYMPTOMS AS THERE IS NO ANTIVIRAL FOR RSV

COVID IS UNDER CONTROL ON A BROAD BASIS  

RISKS OF COMPLICATIONS ARE LOW FOR THE MULTI-VAXXED

BOOSTER COVID VACCINATIONS:

THE NEW COVID VACCINE IS BIVALENT…. THIS MEANS IT CONTAINS THE ORIGINAL VACCINE COVERAGE…. PLUS, COVERAGE MORE SPECIFICALLY FOR BA5 FORMS OF COVID.

GIVEN THE SAFETY OF THE VACCINE, IT IS BEST FOR EVERY ADULT TO CONSIDER THIS BOOSTER…BUT….

I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THE BOOSTER VACCINE IF:

YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID AND ARE OVER 65 YEARS OLD

YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID AND HAVE HEALTH ISSUES THAT MAKE YOU MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO COVID COMPLICATIONS SUCH AS…. EMPHYSEMA, SIGNIFICANT DIABETES, HEART FAILURE, OR ARE ON IMMUNE SUPPRESSING MEDICATION.

IF YOU HAD COVID YOU CAN STILL BENEFIT FROM ANOTHER BOOSTER, BUT IT IS NOT AS ESSENTIAL, AS YOUR PREVIOUS COVID INFECTION DOES HELP BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY THROUGH NATURAL MEANS.

IF YOU HAVE HAD 5 COVID VACCINES, THE 6TH VACCINE IS NOT AS ESSENTIAL, BUT IT WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PROTECTION AND IS WORTH STRONGLY CONSIDERING. 

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

April 20, 2023

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/episode-129-not-out-woods-yet

'Not Out of the Woods Yet'

In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the state of the pandemic in the U.S. and around the world, the end of the Public Health Emergency in the U.S., and the recent FDA approval of an additional bivalent booster dose.

According to Dr. Osterholm……

• IF OVER 65, RECOMMEND THE NEW 4TH BOOSTER.
• 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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday backed a second dose of the updated Covid boosters for older adults and people with weakened immune systems. The recommendation is in line with the stance of the Food and Drug Administration, which authorized the additional dose Tuesday.

Those 65 and older can get second doses of the updated versions of Pfizer-BioNTech’s and Moderna’s Covid boosters at least four months after their last doses, the FDA said in a statement. Most people who are immunocompromised can get additional doses at least two months after their last doses, according to the agency.

The CDC's advisory panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, met earlier Wednesday to discuss the changes authorized by the FDA. The CDC signoff means shots could begin immediately.

Following the FDA's decision, the CDC also recommended using the bivalent formula in all Covid vaccines moving forward, and it is doing away with the multidose primary series for people who haven’t yet been vaccinated.

That means people who haven’t been vaccinated yet would need to get only single doses of the updated vaccines for the primary series.

Read more here. . . .

Over three years have passed since the start of the COVID-19 public health emergency in January of 2020. We have come a long way from the time of businesses being closed and mandatory quarantine periods.

While we faced one of the most challenging times for our country, we also were able to show our resilience by working together to respond to – and overcome – these trying times. We’ve opened our businesses back up and brought employees back to the office. We’ve worked together to control the spread of COVID-19 by making testing and vaccines widely available.

It is clear that this hard work has paid off as we look towards the end of the public health emergency. While we’ve accomplished a lot, there is still more to do. It is imperative that we continue to work together to ensure a safe and informed transition out of the public health emergency.

And while we are unwinding some of the policies that were in place during the public health emergency, it is important to make sure that this unwinding is done in a manner that protects the individuals in your health plan.

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.

• Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) will cover these tests if you have Part B. (Medicare won’t cover OTC COVID-19 tests if you only have Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) coverage, but you may be able to get free tests through other programs or insurance coverage you may have.)
• If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you'll get this benefit through Original Medicare, not your plan. Check with your plan to find out if it covers additional OTC COVID-19 tests. 
• You might need to show your red, white, and blue Medicare card to get your free OTC COVID-19 tests (even if you have another card for a Medicare Advantage Plan or Medicare Part D plan).

Read more here. . .

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

**CLICK HERE TO READ COMPLETE INFORMATION

'You Got Mail'

Nora Ephron directs Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan who discover love at first byte in this on-line romantic comedy.Strangers Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly live and work near each other on New York's Upper West Side.

Though involved in seemingly satisfying relationships, Joe and Kathleen meet anonymously in an Internet chat room and find themselves confiding their innermost secrets--everything except their identities.

But back in the real world, the opening of Joe's new Fox Books superstore a few blocks away from Kathleen's little family-owned bookstore threatens their burgeoning romance.​

Stay Safe!