What’s Going Around?
“Is something going around?”, is a question that I am often asked. “Yes”, is invariably the answer. We have been seeing colds, flu, RSV and Covid 19. They vary from day to day. It’s hard to come up with a…
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Covid and Flu Update
Flu. Covid19. Flu. Covid 19. It seems like the cases alternate, but they are daily. Lots of Flu A circulating. Being vaccinated reduces the risk but doesn’t eliminate it.  Same thing with Covid 19. A recent article suggests that…
Covid Rebound: The Latest
Some people who have infectious illnesses have a rebound of symptoms following clinical improvement. There has been some debate as to whether taking Paxlovid increases the risk of rebound in Covid 19 patients who are treated with it. This is…
Vaccine Hesitancy
I estimate that 90% of the flu cases that I have seen this year have been in people who didn’t get a flu vaccine. When asked, they often sheepishly admit that they just didn’t get around to it. Others are…
Covid 19: More Monkey Business
One of my longstanding rules of travel is that I must read all of my journals on the plane before I can read anything for pleasure. Journals have a way of piling up and this is a good method of…
The Christmas Crud Part 2
As you may have noticed, there are still a lot of people getting sick out there. RSV is supposed to be declining, but Covid 19 and flu are not. Fortunately, things are not as scary as they were two years…
The Christmas Crud
Christmas may be over, but the aftermath is not. It happens every year. Respiratory infections ramp up during the holiday season. It started around Thanksgiving as families gathered together and shared more than just food. It has been worse this…
Update on the Concurrent Use of RSV and Flu Vaccine
With the new RSV vaccines, there have been a couple of concerns. Earlier studies suggested that there might be a higher risk of side effects when they are given together. A new study suggests that is not a problem. The…
Covid 19 Update
I haven’t posted much lately. There is plenty of Covid 19 still out there, but vaccine rates continue to be low. People are tired of vaccines, apparently. Still, it’s a good way to avoid getting sick or severely sick. Unlike…
Do Pandemics Ever End?
As we head into our fourth year with Covid 19, this is a reasonable question to pose. This is an interesting editorial from this week’s New England Journal of Medicine on the subject. Perspective Do Pandemics Ever End? List of…