Practice Update 3rd Quarter 2022

 We are over 2 months into the third quarter of this momentous year! We also mark 2 1/2 years into the global experience of  COVID-19 a.k.a. SARS-COV2 a.k.a. coronavirus.  The summer surge finally peaked in August, and now there are finally fewer than 100,000 new cases reported per day; though the death toll remains high.  Over 400 people are dying of COVID every day in the United States!  At this pace, COVID would take the lives of approximately 150,000 Americans in a year.  In other words, it's not over yet.  Even so, we see COVID-19 transitioning to a more benign virus for the vaccinated. Though fully vaccinated people have still come down with COVID, being vaccinated has dramatically reduced the risk of terrible outcomes like hospitalization and death. 

We are incredibly grateful for the profound effectiveness of vaccines, including both the new mRNA vaccines. Moderna and Pfizer have also now produced what I'm calling "the Omicron-and-beyond COVID vaccines"  These vaccines received emergency use authorization (EUA) on August 31st and have been endorsed by the CDC.  We will be receiving our first shipment of 300 doses to the practice late next week and will begin administering MODERNA bivalent COVID vaccines the week of September 11th.  Who should get this booster?  Anyone who is currently due for a first or second booster or who received a previous booster more than two months ago or who had COVID illness more than 3 months ago.  A waiting period of three months after COVID illness has been recommended for this vaccine.

We will be giving MODERNA vaccines on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in September and October and may add more vaccine days depending upon demand. We heartily recommend receiving the booster, whether MODERNA or Pfizer before the winter surge hits.  It is also vital to get your flu shot as well, whether the same day or on a different day. 

A more classically manufactured protein-based vaccine called Novavax has also been shown to be effective against Omicron. Thus, if you or a loved one are still unvaccinated because you worried about mRNA vaccines, Novavax would be a great vaccine for you!  

We also now have very effective oral medications to treat COVID!  Even as many of the monoclonal antibodies have become obsolete as new strains of COVID evolve, both paxlovid and molnupiravir remain effective oral medications for those testing positive who are at high risk for progression.  If you test positive and are not sure what to do, please set up a TeleVisit with us as soon as possible!  

It is still best not to catch COVID at all; so if you are traveling, wear a high quality mask like KN95 on any bus, train or airplane and while waiting in a crowded public space.  At the practice, we require everyone to wear masks.  We also recommend masks in closed spaces like theaters and indoor restaurants.  As it 2020, there has never been a more opportune time to enjoy the outdoors.

The outdoors should be enjoyed with some limitation in very hot weather, however.  I have created the "80/80/80 Rule."  If you are older than 80, and it's 80 degrees Fahrenheit out and 80% humid or more, then please do not spend a lot of time outdoors!  I am not 80 yet, and so I follow my own 80/80 rule since I've always been extra sensitive to the extremely hot and humid weather which comes our way in Baltimore in summer.  Hopefully the summer heat wave is letting up, now that it is September!

This quarter came the news of yet another viral pandemic: monkeypox.  Though we have received many concerned calls, monkeypox is currently most common among men having sex with men.  The guidelines for diagnosing, treating and vaccinating against monkeypox are in evolution.  Here is the current information about vaccination. For prevention, public health officials recommend limiting sexual partners for now. Out of an abundance of caution, it is also wise to avoid skin-to-skin contact with strangers.  If you have had a known exposure to someone with monkeypox, please set up a TeleVisit with us to assist you in getting vaccinated.

Staff News

Meanwhile, at the practice, the work goes on! We continue to offer high level internal medicine consultation and care to our patients. We are grateful for our ability to grow, even despite the difficult times we are living through.  We have been in hiring mode, working to identify a nurse care manager and a part-to-full time physician to join the practice.  Since the departure of PA Shapiro a year ago, I have been the only provider at the practice.  Though this has been a challenging season, it has been pure joy to serve our diverse group of patients and our team.  I am grateful that Dr. Idongesit Usoroh joined us in May to serve alongside co-leading in the areas of operations and care management.  Though Don is not yet trained in internal medicine and so cannot practice medicine, he does have both a medical degree and a business background and wisdom beyond his years.  He will be with us the next few years until the time for him to move on to residency training.

You may notice someone new answering the phone.  Kyle came to join our staff late in the Spring. As a recent graduate, Kyle aspires to become a physician one day.  He is bright, conscientious, reliable, and a good team player.  We have really enjoyed having pre-med grads on our team in recent years, building upon a long history of mentoring, hosting  and employing young people at various points along their medical career paths. Shannon continues to serve as elder care coordinator, with Ebony as our population care coordinator. Both are certified medical assistants and have shown great care in this important work.  Ashley remains our steady help, constant and consistent in all of her work.  

TeleVisits and Communications

TeleVisits are hopefully here to stay! We also offer Telephone Consultation to Medicare patients.  We are able to turn around web messages within 1 to 3 business days, so for more urgent matters, do call the practice.  We do hope you take advantage of Healow (the cell phone portal app) or the Patient Portal to communicate more easily with us and to access notes we send out.  I have also been writing a quarterly practice update like this one throughout the pandemic.  For additional interesting articles and more real-time practice updates, check out Green Spring Internal Medicine on Facebook.  

Have a wonderful rest of the summer!  Get protected with the COVID booster and flu vaccine this fall. As always, our team looks forward to serving and caring for you.