Clinical

Every time this year, public health departments in areas where ticks flourish seasonally sound the alarm for residents to check themselves, their children, and their pets for ticks. Often, especially on the East Coast, concern centers on Lyme disease. According to an article published in The Washington Post, however, a seldom-discussed tick-borne illness called babesiosis that carries a death rate of up to 20% in immunocompromised patients could be of greater concern. The piece recounts …

Amid the good news that the COVID-19 vaccines currently being administered in the U.S. cover known variants and that social distancing and mask mandates are being phased out, there’s potentially grim news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the problem is so rare that it’s unlikely to dissuade health officials and legislators, there were at least 10,262 confirmed breakthrough cases of COVID-19 between January 1 and April 30 of this year according …

It’s been more than 5 months since the first COVID-19 vaccine received an Emergency Use Authorization. Early supply chain challenges have been worked out, for the most part, so most adults have ready access to the vaccine, which costs nothing to receive. And yet, as of May 20, less than half the U.S. population ages 18 years and older is fully vaccinated. As you undoubtedly know, many of those who have declined so far either …

As JUCM News readers know, national COVID-19 vaccination rates are hovering just below 50%—progress, to be sure, but a figure indicating that we have a long way to go. It’s essential to bear in mind, however, as we head toward summer vacation season, that a national “average” encompasses states with the highest vaccination rates and those where too many people remain unvaccinated. The Associated Press just published an article noting that the percentage of vaccinated …

As states start softening or dropping restrictions on the number of people who can gather inside and out, and even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking at where and when masks should be considered “essential,” a disturbing trend threatens to blow up all the progress that’s been made in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past month, there’s been a steady decline in the number of people making visits strictly to get …

Urgent care professionals as a group are among the most trusted healthcare workers. How else can you explain the public’s willingness to trust their healthcare to a stranger in ever-growing numbers? It’s especially important, then, to ensure that your team is educating patients and making recommendations for vaccination against the COVID-19 vaccine from a place of experience and credibility. Unfortunately, that can’t be said in some quarters—and the consequences are starting to become evident. Cleveland …

COVID-19 vaccinations are being administered at a good clip in most states—with many governors reacting by easing restrictions on social gatherings. Unfortunately, those events coincide with more than half the country seeing record rates of infection. One new development that could be cause for optimism (for the health of the country and the future of urgent care) is the realization that monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) seem to mitigate the effects of SARS-CoV-2. In fact, the Department …

Widespread vaccination is being credited for helping Israel reduce its rate of COVID-19 infection, with the crowning achievement being a day free of deaths attributed to the virus for the first time since last June. That same day, only 0.04% of tests administered turned up positive. Just days before, the country passed the 5 million mark in vaccinations, meaning nearly 54% of the population—and 80% of those over age 16—had gotten at least one COVID-19 …

Cases of influenza for the 2021–21 season were roughly 1% of what we’ve seen in the U.S. over the past few years (just 2,000 cases between September 2020 and April 2021, vs the typical 200,000-plus), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Much of the credit is being given to precautions taken because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While wearing masks, ratcheting up our attention to everyday hygiene, and social distancing helped us ward …

It’s a vast overstatement to say that the COVID-19 crisis has passed, but at this point enough study has been done for the National Institutes of Health to look more deeply into outpatient management, rather than to view every case as imminently life-threatening. The latest update even includes a section entitled Outpatient Management of Acute COVID-19. Read it and you will find recommendations for screening, triage, and therapeutic management of patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who …