Clinical

Just last week we reported that the national influenza profile in the United States was worse than it’s been in a decade—and the situation has only deteriorated since then, with even more states reporting either “high” or “very high” flu activity. At the same time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says incidence of COVID-19 jumped 50% in a single week, from 300,000 cases confirmed at the end of November to 460,000 in the …

Some people who should be in the know say the pandemic is over, while other presumably knowledgeable sources say it’s merely diminished, with the threat of another surge being a constant concern. What’s indisputable is the fact that many habits patients developed during the lockdown phase are hard to shake. One is staying away from medical offices. New data reported by STAT show that visits to primary care practices are still down 10.3% compared with …

Every year, there are some parties decrying that flu season is going to be devastating; usually the dire predictions don’t come to fruition. This year that’s not the case, however, and the recent holiday weekend helped compound an already serious influenza season. As noted in an article published by Medpage Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says flu-related hospitalizations have nearly doubled since Thanksgiving, to the point that they’re higher than they’ve been …

We’ve told you about the very real threat of a tripledemic as the current influenza season progresses, new variants of COVID-19 continue to evolve, and record cases of respiratory syncytial virus occur in various states. Ohio is now wrestling with an additional—and surprising—viral entity. As of this writing, at least 46 cases of measles have been confirmed in children in the Columbus area, according to the city’s health department. There have been no fatalities, but …

In an average year, 35 states reporting “high” or “very high” levels of influenza would be concerning. In the 2022–23 flu season, with record levels of respiratory syncytial virus and new variants COVID-19 continuing to emerge, it’s downright alarming. That’s where we are, though, according to the latest Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The situation is so dire in the Pacific Northwest that KOIN News invoked the …

JUCM News reported nearly a month ago on a scarcity of oral presentations of amoxicillin and clavulanate. Now, as we enter the season of large gatherings in close quarters, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists reports that 29 products from Aurobindo, Hikma, Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals, Sandoz, and Teva are all continuing to report shortages for undisclosed reasons. Resupply dates vary by supplier, but across the board fulfilment could happen anywhere from late November to early …

As temperatures fall in much of the United States new hospitalizations for COVID-19 are expected to start climbing again, according to projections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And, as reported in Becker’s Hospital Review, a forecast from the Mayo Clinic says we can expect a steep but short-lived 51.5% increase in new cases between now and December 2. It seems likely, then, that urgent care centers will see an increase in patients …

Updated guidelines for opioid prescribing draw a sharper distinction between prescribing for acute, subacute, and chronic pain than previous iterations—but with prescription drugs accountable for more overdose deaths than any other substance, the question of which urgent care patients should or should not be candidates for opioid prescriptions remains as essential as ever. As noted in an article published by Medpage Today, the new guidance promotes a greater degree of individualized care. They’re partly informed …

Viewed by many as “the fifth vital sign,” pulse oximetry is an essential reading in any number of presentations to urgent care. Now new investigations are amplifying a question many have had for years, though: Does the pulse oximeter work equally well with patients of all skin tones? The Food and Drug Administration says it’s going to look more closely at the matter, but in the meantime, according to an article published by Medpage Today, …