Letter from Elizabeth Malavet Previous Letter Was ‘Ill-Informed’ In response to Steve Broe’s letter in the February 16, 2023 edition of “The Freeman’s Journal” concerning COVID policies: I find the letter both condescending and ill-informed. There are many people who have preexisting conditions that have nothing to do with slim waistlines and fruit consumption. I had Lyme disease 25 years ago—it left me with fibromyalgia, chronic migraines and some brain fogginess. I had to have both knees replaced this past…
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Life in the time of COVID Current Concepts and Constant Change Things in the world of COVID are rapidly and constantly changing. This week’s column is a brief compendium of some of these changes. The alphabet soup of COVID variants and subvariants grows daily. Four weeks ago, we were talking about the new Omicron variant XBB. Now we are reading about the subvariant daily. A month ago, we were starting to discuss the properties of the original XBB. Now XBB.1.5…
Treatments of Long COVID Explored By Richard Sternberg, M.D. As we continue into the third year of the COVID pandemic, increasing interest and concern is becoming evident by the set of symptoms called Long COVID. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition, on their website, says that Long COVID (also known by other names) is the experiencing of symptoms following infection with the virus that causes COVID, SARS-CoV-2. Their definition does not list a specific point in time of…
Column by Richard Sternberg, M. D. Diligence Called for, Now More Than Ever Again, just when it seemed we reached the point where we can go out with people and decrease our use of masks, COVID strikes back and possibly with more virulence than previous strains. The number of new strains to consider is large. New strains include BA.5.2.6, BA.4.1.9, BE.1.2, BA.4.7, BF.13 and XBB, among others. Already BA.5 and BA.4 strains have high penetrance in the U.S. The new…
Weekly Medical Briefs October 13, 2022 Weighted Blankets Promote SleepA weighted blanket of approximately 12 percent body weight used at bedtime prompted the release of higher concentrations of melatonin, as measured in the saliva, compared with a lighter blanket of only about 2.4% of body weight. This suggests that weighted blankets may help promote sleep in patients suffering from insomnia, according to the results from the small, in-laboratory crossover study. Sore Throat Common in COVIDHaving a sore throat is becoming…
COVID and kids Disparate strategies point to need for vaccine By Richard Sternberg M.D. The amount of information regarding COVID in children and the risks and benefits of vaccination is overwhelming and as reported even varies from country to country. There is no clear-cut consensus on anything in the younger age groups other than that the risk of developing a case requiring treatment, hospitalization, or leading to death is lower if the patient is younger. Still, the risks of vaccine…
Opinion by Richard Sternberg, M.D. Life/COVID 67.0 Evolution On the one hand the media is reporting the number of cases of COVID-19 is receding in the United States. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Delta variant wave of the pandemic has passed its peak. On the other hand, it states that that the approaching winter season and holidays present another opportunity for cases to increase. I read a report on October 28 that “Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie see virus deaths.”…
Opinion by Richard Sternberg Long COVID The concept of Long COVID has become a hot topic, especially since people are finally becoming aware that having COVID–19 is not just an acute respiratory syndrome that may or may not lead up to death but a very complicated potentially lifelong debilitating disease process. While there is a general agreement on what Long COVID is, there is no uniform definition internationally and it is not clear that some long-term post COVID complications such…