Anyone Who is Eligible for Another Dose of COVID Vaccine Should Make Plans to Get it as Soon as Possible. This Includes:

• Anyone 16+ who received their last Moderna or Pfizer shot at least 6 months ago, or
• Anyone 16+ who received J&J/Jannsen shot at least 2 months ago.

Baskin Clinic Announcements

1. Please do not come to the clinic with cold symptoms of any kind. Even things that feel like seasonal allergies can be easily misinterpreted, and we’re working hard to keep everyone safe.
2. If you are sick or have had a high-risk exposure, we can arrange a parking garage visit for COVID testing or other urgent needs that must be seen in person.
3. Masks covering the nose and mouth must be worn at all times when visiting our office. If you happen to arrive at our suite without one, please phone us from the hallway and we’ll get you a mask before you enter.
4. Starting in January, we will be doing our pre-and-post-visit interviews on Spruce. We’ll only come into the room for the physical exam or procedure. Thank you for being flexible as we seek to minimize exposure risks.

Threat Level Omicron

All evidence indicates there is going to be a major COVID wave in the coming weeks due to the Omicron variant. Omicron is far more transmissible than Delta (the variant that caused the largest wave to date). Case in point: Omicron took less than three weeks from first detection to become the dominant strain in this country. By comparison, it took Delta more than three months (from March to June of this year) to achieve the same result. Omicron also appears to be adept at evading the immune responses from past injections and infections, which is why boosters are so urgent now.

You may have heard that Omicron looks to be less severe on average than Delta and other COVID variants. Though the data on this are not yet conclusive, there are good reasons to believe this on the individual level. However, the expected magnitude of the coming wave is likely to produce so many cases that it will cause havoc in our already strained healthcare system. If we do not change our current behavior, the latest OHSU model predicts a surge in infections that could result in as many as 3,000 hospitalizations. For comparison, our September wave capped out at about 1,200 hospitalizations. 

Delta is still circulating widely in our area. While it appears that Omicron is able to evade some immunity from Delta infections, we don’t yet know whether immunity acquired from Omicron might provide protection from Delta or other variants. It is possible that both Omicron and Delta could be with us moving forward. 

Recent studies prove that booster doses work, including against Omicron. Aggressively administering booster doses of vaccine to eligible people may cut the expected number of hospitalizations by 20 percent. That’s 20 percent more beds available for cancer treatments, car accidents, heart attacks and all the other health needs that continue to exist in our fair city. If you are eligible (see the top of this newsletter for eligibility), please make a plan to get a booster as soon as possible.
Pro tip: check out the supermarket (Albertson’s, Safeway)  and hospital pharmacies first. The more popular providers (Rite Aid, CVS, Walgreens) are quite busy right now.

 

Making Decisions

If we wait until hospitals are overwhelmed to make wise choices, that’s too late. So…

1. 1. Stay home if you are sick. And follow CDC guidelines for isolation and quarantine.
   2. Maintain physical distance, especially in public. And avoid situations where this isn’t possible.
   3. Wear quality face masks in public, even after being vaccinated. N95 or KN95s are best, and are widely available at retailers and hardware stores.
   4. Large indoor gatherings (office holiday parties, concerts, sports games, etc) are not a great idea right now.
   5. If you insist on a social gathering, make it as safe as possible:
      • Be outside, or open windows if inside
      • Have everyone do a rapid test within a few hours of the gathering. Omicron moves fast, and test results from a day or two before can lead to false security. And testing by itself can lead to false security; it really needs to be paired with additional measures
      • Wear masks unless you are actively eating/drinking

Treatment Updates

The FDA just announced approval for a new Pfizer pill to treat COVID. It appears to be highly effective at reducing severe disease and death from COVID. This treatment will be extremely limited in supply and high in demand. We expect the Oregon Health Authority to provide guidance as to the administration of the pill.

Given that the majority of monoclonal antibody treatments have reduced effectiveness against Omicron, this pill comes at an ideal time.

Rest assured, your Baskin Clinic doctors are following the situation carefully, and are ready to help guide your treatment with the best available science.

 

Give the Gift of Life this Holiday Season

The PNW is experiencing a severe blood shortage. Please consider making an appointment to donate blood before the end of the year. Saving lives is a surefire way to put a smile on your face and someone else’s.

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As always, we try to sweeten these newsletters with a little something to help the medicine go down. Like this story!
This New Years, we hope you’ll be squeezing your honey tight and dreaming of a 2022 with a little less sting.

Take care,
Baskin Clinic