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Iowa Legislature Ivermectin Bill A Game of “Captain, May I?”
I’ve been comparing the Iowa legislature bills on allowing ivermectin to be available over-the-counter in pharmacies. There were two of them and then there was one. In the first bill, HF 2056, the language in it seemed to strongly direct pharmacists to make ivermectin available by using the word “shall”: Notwithstanding any provision of law…
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FDA VRBPAC Meeting to Discuss Covid-19 Vaccines
The FDA VRBPAC meeting to discuss Covid–19 vaccines is scheduled for May 22, 2025, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET. The committee will meet in open session to discuss and make recommendations on the selection of the 2025-2026 Formula for COVID-19 vaccines for use in the United States. The meeting presentations will be heard, viewed,…
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Procrastinate on Getting the Covid Vaccine?
This post is sort of my thinking out loud about whether or not I should get the Covid vaccine ahead of this summer that was approved last year as being appropriate to get twice a year by the CDC—once in the fall along with the flu shot and once to protect against the Covid summer…
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CDC Meeting Results in Recommending a 2nd Covid-19 Vaccine Dose for Those 65yr and Older and for the Immunocompromised
I missed the October CDC meeting which resulted in a decision to recommend a 2nd dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for those 65 years and older and for the immunocompromised. The Evidence to Recommendations (EtR) slides by Roper indicated Covid-19 circulates year round, peaking in late summer and winter. The recommendation that those in the…
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New Large Covid-19 Vaccine Study Shows Association with Rare Side Effects Which Other Smaller Studies Have Found
I’ve seen a couple of news stories about the CDC supported large study across many countries which essentially shows that Covid-19 vaccines can be associated with rare side effects. The stories might tend to raise anxiety about the vaccines’ overall safety, which has been repeatedly proven in other studies. The study is published in the…
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CDC Weekly Snapshot Shows Respiratory Virus Activity High
As of January 5, 2024, CDC is reporting that respiratory illness is increasing across the country. The levels are generally high in almost all regions. “Activity Levels Update:
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Get Free At-Home Covid-19 Tests
As of September 25, 2023, 4 free at-home Covid-19 tests are available. See this link for more information.
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New Dominant Covid-19 Variant EG.5
There is a new dominant Covid-19 variant called EG.5. It’s also called Eris. It’s descended from the XBB strains. It’s in the Omicron family and there is no indication it causes more severe disease and would be susceptible to current vaccines.
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Selected Highlights of CDC ACIP Meeting on Covid-19 Vaccines
Today I’m highlighting a few items of interest to older adults from the summary slide set on Covid-19 vaccines presented on June 23, 2023 at the CDC ACIP meeting last week. Information for other age groups are included in the slide set. Covid-19 continues to be a major health threat for the population, especially older…
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Covid-19 Variants in the News
Sena alerted me to a CBS news item with the headline “CDC tracking new Covid variant EU.1.1.” The story seemed a bit misleading because the FDA just announced approval of vaccines for XBB.1.5. beginning in the fall. I checked the CDC Data Tracker for variants and noticed XBB.1.5 is still the most common Covid-19 subvariant…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 