Pumpkin Spice and Everything...Viral

Author

Dr. Katie Beaudoin
September 19, 2023

Credit: GIPHY

Happy Tuesday! Hot topics this week have gone viral. Literally.

In Today’s Edition:

  • Pumpkin Spice and Contagions: Wait What?! A Diagnostic Refresher

  • Back to school, back to COVID, RSV, and Influenza

  • Data surveillance your jam? Track away with the CDC’s COVID tracker!

  • Newly approve COVID vaccines are backed by science, and some controversy…

  • Airfinity, new tracking agency, predicts an easier year

  • While CDC statements beg the question…just how reliable is forecasting?

  • Ultimate school application timeline resources

🩺 APP Trending News

Credit: GIPHY and CBS

Pumpkin Spice and Contagions: Wait What?! A Diagnostic Refresher

The pandemic has led to vaccine hesitancy; well played microbes, well played. It’s the perfect time of year to refresh on all the common school related illnesses. Check out this awesome summary written by one of our own, Mark P Brady, PA-C.

⚙️ The More You Know

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Back to school, back to COVID, RSV, and Influenza

Regardless of your feelings on masking or vaccines, viral illness it here to stay and vulnerable populations remain, well, vulnerable. As healthcare workers we are (generally) exposed to an unusual amount of large respiratory droplets full of virulent microbes not limited to hepatitis, RSV, Strep, COVID, TB… you name it! So while it’s the writer’s opinion that we be vigilant with hand washing, vaccinations, PPE (at work) etc… It’s also important to keep up with trends and scientific evidence. We are just sharing a few resources this week folks! 👀

Data surveillance your jam? Track away with the CDC’s COVID tracker!

CDC’s home for COVID-19 data. Visualizations, graphs, and data in one easy-to-use website.

COVID is on the rise. Not surprising given our back to school, back to germs status. Let's recall some common sense precautions to ensure our vulnerable populations remain safe. (Think grandparents, newborns, or anyone with chronic illness like diabetes, cancer, kidney/liver/autoimmune disease, etc…). DO the little things that WORK to reduce germ spread. Perform basic hand washing, cough/sneeze into your arm, and hey, stay at home (including kiddos) if you are sick! (HR agrees right?)

Newly approved COVID vaccines are backed by science, and some controversy…

Controversy worth a read…

Former Florida surgeon general rebukes DeSantis administration’s claims on COVID vaccines

Florida's former surgeon general is speaking out against the DeSantis administration advising against updated COVID shots for people under 65.

So is science…

New COVID vaccines get FDA approval

The agency says the vaccines can protect people, as hospitalizations tick up.

Lab data suggests new COVID booster will protect

Preliminary laboratory studies find antibodies from previous infections and vaccinations can neutralize the BA.2.86 variant.

Airfinity, a new tracking agency, predicts an easier year

Now here is some refreshing forecasting! At the very least, it’s an intriguing source boasting predictive health intelligence as a disease forecasting company…we will certainly be tracking their predictive value! 👣

‘Tripledemic’ peak in US and UK hospitalizations to be smaller than last year as new COVID waves start in both countries | Airfinity

Airfinity supports decision making across the entire life science ecosystem to track, analyse, simulate and predict disease outcomes.

Credit: GIPHY

According to the CDC’s forecasting data, updated September 11, 2023, “the state- and territory-level ensemble forecasts predict that over the next four weeks, trends in numbers of future hospitalizations are uncertain or predicted to remain stable in all states and territories.” The next paragraph goes on to say “they should not be relied upon for making decisions about the possibility or timing of rapid changes in trends.” Yet, the headline linked below echos a faint C&C lyric: “things that make you go hmmmmmmm…” 🤔

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

CDC provides credible COVID-19 health information to the U.S. Updated September 11, 2023.

💡Inspiration for Aspirations

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❝

The idea of stopping is not unmeaningful to me. I think there might be a time when, in theory at least, you'd say, 'Well I've mostly done what I want to do.' But how could you ever prevent a few years down the line some germ of an idea getting at you and you've got to do it again?

Graham Swift

📈Future APPs

Applying for PA school? Check out the ultimate timeline template from the PA Life!

The Ultimate PA School Application Timeline | The Physician Assistant Life

Here is the ultimate Physician Assistant Program Admissions Timeline for applying to PA school. When you should apply (start early) along with a monthly PA School application to-do list for guaranteed CASPA application success…

Applying for NP school? ThriveAP has the timeline answers!

Timeline for Applying to Nurse Practitioner School | ThriveAP

When I was applying for nurse practitioner school I remember thinking I had plenty of time…

🔎ICYMI

  • Value-Based Healthcare? What does that mean?

  • Move over Metformin. addressing bbesity and type 2 diabetes

  • GLP- 1 RA’s: Everyone wants a piece of the sweetest drugs on the market - can it cure Alzheimer’s?

  • Not so sweet: U.S. life expectancy is on the decline

  • Getting ahead…consider a fellowship!

  • Sharing sweet resources, featuring The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast

You don’t want to be the only interesting APP at the coffee station. Please share, subscribe, and let us know what you would like to see in upcoming editions! Aspire to add content contributions to your CV or your accomplishments? Please share your knowledge. We would love to hear from you!