Just last week, JUCM News noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had classified monkeypox as a Level 2 threat, with a risk of transmission sufficient to warrant wearing a mask while traveling. Now the CDC has backed off a bit, removing the masking recommendation for travelers but maintaining that “people infected with monkeypox [should] wear a mask if they must be around others in their homes if close, face-to-face contact is likely.” …
Read MoreIn the Midst of Another COVID Surge, Some Patients Are Still Struggling After the Last One
As the latest Omicron variants continue to spread throughout various sections of the United States, leading to a new surge in COVID-19 cases, it’s important to keep in mind that many patients are still dealing with becoming infected months ago. A special panel convened by the American College of Physicians has issued a guidance specifically on the care of long COVID patients, with the caveat that a proper definition of “long COVID” continues to be …
Read MoreNew Omicron Variants Have Landed in the U.S.—and They’re Moving Fast
As the constant waxing and waning of COVID-19 rates in the United States continues, a pair of relatively newly identified subvariants of Omicron are suddenly being blamed for a growing proportion of new cases. BA.4 and BA.5 accounted for 5.4% and 7.4% of new cases, respectively, in the most recently weekly recap from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After first being identified in South Africa, the pair have been gaining ground in the …
Read MoreBoosters Don’t Assure Immunity to COVID-19, but They Do Keep Patients Out of the Hospital
As kids are wrapping up the school year and Americans are making plans for summer getaways and attending festivals and other large gatherings, rates of COVID-19 infection are once again creeping up in various parts of the country. In fact, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seem to indicate that the rate of infection may be almost twice as high in boosted individuals than in those who have been vaccinated but not …
Read MoreThe U.S. Is in Another Wave of COVID-19—the Sixth One, if You’ve Somehow Lost Track
After a few weeks of feeling like we’re moving in the right direction in winning the fight against COVID-19, it appears that the United States is instead sinking back into familiar, if unfortunate, territory. As noted by experts from Johns Hopkins, Duke, and Harvard universities quoted in a report from USA Today, however, indications are that we will fare far better than in summers past. For one thing, hospitalizations are lower than in previous waves, …
Read MoreIt’s Time to Get More Cautious About Spreading Virus (and We Don’t Mean COVID This Time)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just increased the alert level for monkeypox to 2, indicating that the risk of infection is high enough to warrant wearing a mask while traveling. The virus has been confirmed in this country after previously being reported in Europe, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. While it has been reported that infection has occurred more frequently among men who have sex with men compared with other groups, spread …
Read MoreAn ‘Incidental’ Finding May Be Far More Threatening Than the Presenting Complaint
Patients are unlikely to seek ongoing care for high blood pressure at their closest urgent care center. That doesn’t mean it won’t be first identified there, though. And depending on the patient’s age and life expectancy, your ability to flag which patient’s hypertension needs attention and who wouldn’t benefit from treatment could mean a significant difference in the outcome. According to an article just published by JAMA Internal Medicine, intensive treatment for hypertension “may be …
Read MoreAntibiotics Are No Help with Viruses. So Why Did Nearly a Third of COVID Visits End with a Prescription?
Recognizing that SARS-CoV-2 is a virus, there’s no way well-informed physicians would write prescriptions for antibiotics to help patients fight COVID-19—right? Wrong. According to a Research Letter published by JAMA Network, between April 2020 and April 2021, nearly 30% of COVID-19 outpatient visits in a Medicare population resulted in a prescription for an antibiotic agent. Prescriptions were highest in the emergency room (33.9%) followed by telehealth (28.4%), urgent care (25.8%), and traditional office practices (23.9%). …
Read MoreNew Data Continue to Debunk COVID Vaccine Mis- and Disinformation
One of the more persistent baseless “warnings” about vaccination against the COVID-19 virus has been that getting the shot increases risk for (or even causes) myocarditis and other cardiological issues. JUCM Readers know that while early studies tended to contradict each other, ultimately the myocarditis myth has been busted. Now a new paper published by Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report reveals that patients are more likely to develop cardiac complications in general after SARS-CoV-2 than …
Read MorePatients May Be Nervous, but the Monkeypox Hype Is Overblown (at Least for Now)
As the world continues cautious steps toward normalcy and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, a new virus is capturing its attention. In this country, national newspapers and television news programs have breathlessly relayed mounting cases of monkeypox, likely eliciting concerns that may be out of proportion to actual danger among patients—at least for now. What’s known is that new cases have been reported in 16 countries, including the United States. In response, the Centers for …
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