Dr Niti

Who should not get the mRNA vaccine? Anyone that has a history of severe reaction to any vaccine, or anyone allergic to any of the components of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines listed below:

Women, if you have had a COVID vaccine it is recommended you not get a mammogram for at least 4 weeks after the second shot. https://www.sbi-online.org//SBI-recommendations-for-managi

Teachers finally!

Actual data on how well masking works published in JAMA today: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2776536 (Highlighted portions courtesy of Dr Eric Topol)

If you live in Ventura County and are age 65 and up you can now make an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine: https://www.venturacountyrecovers.org//port/registration/

One of the best summaries and Q&A about COVID-19 and vaccines to date: https://www.health.harvard.edu//coronavirus-resource-center

Johnson & Johnson has submitted a request to the FDA for approval of their 1-dose COVID vaccine today! If this is authorized in the US, it will be the first non-mRNA vaccine against COVID-19. It works instead by using a common cold virus, adenovirus, as the carrier for the coronavirus spike protein, which then stimulates the body's immune system to make antibodies to coronavirus. https://www.wsj.com//johnson-johnson-seeks-emergency-use-v

New COVID-19 testing site in Ventura, open M-F 9-6, no appointment necessary.

While all focus is still on COVID, some good news for women on a different topic: American Cancer Society now recommends an HPV test only in women age 25-65 every 5 years instead of a pap smear to screen for cervical cancer. HPV is checked by swab of cervix during a pelvic exam. http://pressroom.cancer.org/CervicalGuideline2020

Sad statistics today in California, cases surpassing 409,000. We can do better than this. Please wear a mask! https://ktla.com//californias-coronavirus-cases-top-4090/ Deaths in the US still the highest in over age 55 and males, but significantly more in females over 85. ... Data from: National Center for Health Statistics & CDC See more

City of Oxnard is offering free COVID antibody blood tests. Register online for your appointment: https://www.oxnard.org/antibodytesting/

Ventura County free COVID testing sites

Ventura county is moving to stage 2 of re-opening some businesses today, such as bookstores, clothing and sporting goods stores, and florists. New VC order: https://s30623.pcdn.co//VC-Public-Health-Officer-Order-May More on stages of re-opening planned in California: https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap/

If you’re going stir crazy at home, this is just a reminder that balance is everything! COVID-19 antibody test is now available. So only if you’ve had symptoms in the past month and would like to be tested, call the office to set up an appointment. I am prioritizing healthcare and other essential workers at this time. Actual swabs for COVID-19 infection is also available through a drive thru in Thousand Oaks, or I can swab in my office. Please call for an appointment if you... have symptoms. https://www.vcemergency.com/ http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov//Corona/locations.htm Continue to stay home and stay safe!

A week’s statistics, we’ve never seen anything like this! Source: Washington Post

Until a vaccine is available plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients shows some promise, with one of the first ones right here in our backyard! read:https://www.vcstar.com//ventrura-county-first-/5124752002/ Latest California cases data: https://public.tableau.com//COVID-19Public/Covid-19Public

Fascinating study out of Italy outlining the characteristics of patients admitted into the ICU there. Notably, it affected more over the age of 60, males than females and those with high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2764365

COVID updates for TO/WLV: 1. In California our peak is expected in 8-14 more days, but there does seem to be a flattening of the curve, mainly attributable to physical distancing measures and early stay-at-home orders. The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has one of the best models to predict bed/ventilator shortages across the US, and can be searched by state: https://covid19.healthdata.org/projections 2. More local labs are now running the COVID PCR tests, ...including TOPA, Pacific Diagnostics, and Biotex. There are still very high false negative results with our currently available tests, and many people test positive later in the disease. So if suspicion is high but your test is negative, doctors are still advising quarantining for 2 weeks to stop the spread. 3. The game changer we are waiting for is the antibody test for COVID-19, which can help determine who has already had the virus and now has antibodies for it. It can take up to 12 days for your body to create an immune response, so if used correctly, this test will help essential workers and others get back to their vital duties. Mayo clinic has just launched their first batch of tests, being done by Cellex Lab. https://cellexcovid.com/ For physicians: https://www.fda.gov/media/136625/download 4. Let's keep lowering that curve even more, please stay home! I'll continue to keep you updated.

Took a field trip to Oxnard today and VCPH provided me with a month’s supply of PPE for my office! This is our local government agency hard at work during this crisis. Thank you Ventura County Public Health for giving me the tools to continue to take care of my patients safely!

COVID Updates for WLV/TO area: Currently we have 109 positive cases in Ventura county, with the majority over the age of 45 (which seems to be the trend nationwide). Based on current data we are expecting a surge in cases in our area in 3-6 weeks from now. https://www.vcemergency.com/ Testing is still limited to patients with symptoms only, but has improved and results are now generally back in 24 hours. Local hospitals are awaiting the newly approved rapid tests by Cepheid a...nd Biofire that gives results in 45 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s4KxC4M8Gw Smoking, vaping, and obesity seem to be the key risk factors for people that develop severe infection from COVID-19. We believe this is due to their restricted lung capacity, allowing the virus to take a stronger hold. It may also explain why so many young and relatively healthy people deteriorate so quickly. There is no better time to lose weight and stop smoking and vaping!