November Updates
Dear Member,
It has been a long 2020 so far. It looks like we are in for a long winter as well. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 cases have taken an uptick. New York State cases are still low but rising. New Jersey and Connecticut have already near record daily case numbers once again. We know you are fatigued from continuous planning and taking caution. However, now is the time to be as cautious as you were in March and April. Most cases are now being contracted from small house gatherings. For example, small house dinner parties where people are mixing and a few days later finding out a contact there was COVID positive. Thanksgiving is an important holiday, but we do recommend that you stay home and stay safe. We strongly urge you not to let down your guard at this time.
Flu vaccines: California recently confirmed the first US case of someone contracting both Influenza and COVID -19 at the same time. We highly recommend EVERYONE getting the flu vaccine this year to minimize what they are calling this “twindemic”. There are now multiple studies showing evidence that the flu vaccine helps give some protection against COVID-19. Flumist, a nasal flu vaccine, may have an added protection because it is a live vaccine. Flumist is only for those ages 2-49 with no underlying conditions. Scientists now are stating that all flu vaccines offer some benefit against COVID-19. We are hearing reports of some pharmacies running out of the “senior” high dose flu vaccine. Please make sure you protect yourself and your family from the flu by getting vaccinated. If you haven't already, call today to set up an appointment.
Rapid testing: After much starts and stalls, we have finally received both the machines and the test kits to perform rapid testing in our office. Rapid testing, if you are asymptomatic and positive, should always follow with a send out PCR test as there are a small percentage of false positives. If you are symptomatic and it comes back negative, we recommend you send out as well. The rapid tests have results within 15 minutes. We will be starting them as of Monday November 9, 2020.
Future treatments: There are several pharmaceutical companies doing studies on monoclonal antibodies. Eli Lily has shown in preliminary studies that their drug Ly-CoV555 given to patients with mild to moderate disease at home reduced their viral load substantially. They had much fewer hospitalizations as a result. Gilead has Regeneron in studies now that has also shown improvement in viral load in patients that took it. Both these trials were halted for severe infections but promising for mild to moderate ones. We are hopeful about these types of prospects.
Don’t delay in medical treatment: We understand your trepidation in seeing specialists and coming in for physicals. However, we strongly advise you not to put off regular medical care. There have been many reports about people who are not going to see their doctors or specialists out of fear of contracting COVID-19. We believe this will be the “new normal” until early 2022. Every specialist has protocols in place to assure your safety in your visit. We have not seen any reports showing COVID-19 infections occurring while visiting a physician. We can help facilitate your visits for follow ups, annual physicals, dermatological examinations and to specialists if needed. As of December 1, 2020, we will no longer be having a gynecologist on site, but we have a vetted and excellent short list of nearby referrals. Dr Mian is also available for in office and via telehealth for all dermatological needs. Our front desk staff can assist you with your scheduling needs. Our goal is to make your experience as low stress as possible.
Voting: We will be closing at noon on election day to allow our employees time to exercise their right to vote. We hope that all of you take the time to vote as well. It is important to have your voice heard.
Bringing telehealth to the next level: As the pandemic rages on, we have scoured the globe to find products to better your telehealth experience. We finally found a medical exam kit and app that allows us to perform a medical examination similar to the one that you would have if you were in the office with us. This involves a great capital investment on our part so we would like to know the level of interest before investing. Each kit would cost you $400 and can be shared in a household. If you would like to add your name to the list of those interested in purchasing one or if you have any questions, please email us this week at info@flatironfamily.com. We want to get this moving as quickly as possible so please reply today. We expect to have it completed in the next few months. Please click on the video below to see what we mean and then email us as soon as you're done if you're interested! Thank you and stay safe!