Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/n1Y55Jk-mp0   With Omicron spreading faster than any previous CoVid version, it is proving to be the deadliest variant to date with a previous 7-day average of 2200 deaths.  This is far greater than the numbers recorded during the Delta variant’s heyday and the greatest number of cases since February, 2021 when CoVid vaccinations were just beginning.   The CDC reports that Omicron kills 9 persons per 1,000 cases compared with 13/1,000 for Delta and 16/1,000 during the pre-vaccine era.  With the current 7 day average of 555,252 cases per day and a reported 30% increase in deaths, Omicron could kill more than 4,997 persons a day or more than twice as many persons as previously reported.   One reason Omicron is killing so many is that far too many vaccinated persons are not boosted.  We know that 2 shots of the otherwise excellent mRNA vaccines just don’t vanquish Omicron well enough.   We all want the pandemic to be over, but that fact is that it’s not.  Cases are dropping, but it’s

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/8cJd70mUAOY   A 4th dose of Pfizer mRNA vaccine for those 60 years or older reduces the chances of a serious or severe Covid infection threefold and offers twofold protection against any CoVid Omicron infection.  Israel’s health ministry announces these preliminary results of their study comparing the fate of 400,000 Israeli’s who received 4 Pfizer doses with 600,000 who received the two vaccinating doses and one booster.  They have not published or released more in-depth data as yet.   The trial of a 4th Pfizer dose began in December of 2021 by inoculating 150 medical staffers, and the trial was subsequently expanded.  The researchers state that the second booster appears most useful for older persons and those with complicating medical conditions such as immunosuppression following transplantation or cancer chemotherapy.   Stay tuned for more updates on this.  Suffice it to say, the CDC is watching this and should be considering an optional second booster for older persons and t

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/1JIlWJO7lCA   Omicron lives on plastic for up to 10 days and on skin for as long as 28 hours.  For plastic that’s 3.5 times longer than for the original strain and for skin that’s 2.5 times longer.  Japanese infectious disease and molecular biology researchers now report these findings on biorxiv.org, the pre-publication website, after comparing the viability of CoVid’s principal variants on plastic and skin.   For plastic, Omicron lives for an average of 8 days compared with 4.8 days for Delta, 2.5 days for Gamma, 6.5 days for Omicron’s cousin Beta, and 2.3 days for the original CoVid.  On skin, compare Omicron’s 21 hour persistence with 16.8 hours for Delta, 11 hours for Gamma, 19 hours for Beta, and 8.6 hours for original CoVid.   The good news: alcohol disinfectants do kill Omicron, and the 70% isopropyl alcohol will knock it dead in less than 15 seconds.  That being the case, do use it on your hands, plastic items, and, frankly, any other potentially contaminated surfaces.  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/xbUJxNAf8Go   The FDA and Lily’s Sweets have recalled Lily’s Peppermint Baking Chips.  This product contains undisclosed soy lecithin.  Anyone with an allergy to soy should not consume this product.  The recall involves 18,855 cases of the 7 ounce package with various lot codes that were contaminated by the co-manufacturer when white disc-shaped pieces of candy were found in these baking chips. Do not use this product. To receive a refund, complete a contact form at lilys.com/pages/contact-us.  Alternatively or if you need more information, contact Lily’s by phone at 1-877-587-0557.   https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/lilys-sweets-voluntarily-recalls-lilys-peppermint-flavor-baking-chips-due-undeclared-presence-soy   #lilys #bakingchips #peppermint #soy #allergy #recall  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/cQ0GjJK2axk   The FDA and Amy’s Kitchen are recalling Amy’s Vegan Organic Rice Mac & Cheese.  This product contains undeclared milk in lot # 60J0421 with a best before of 10/1023.  Those with a milk allergy could develop a severe or life-threatening allergic reaction after ingesting this Mac and cheese product.  If you have this product in your freezer, do not consume it.  Return it to the point of purchase for a refund.  For more information, contact Amy’s Consumer Relations at 1-800-643-0570.   https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/amys-kitchen-voluntarily-issues-allergy-alert-undeclared-milk-single-lot-vegan-organic-rice-mac   #amys #macandcheese #milk #allergy #recall  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/sjjwXlyNVF8   The FDA and Frozen Food Development is recalling Lidl Frozen Chopped Spinach.  This product is contaminated with listeria monocytogenes that may cause serious and sometimes life-threatening infections in the very young, elders, and in those who are immunosuppressed.  The lots involved are R17742 and R17963 with a best buy date of 9/10/23.  If you purchased Lidl Frozen Chopped Spinach, return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.  For more information, contact Lidl Customer Care by phone at 1–844-747-5435.   https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/frozen-food-development-recalls-lidl-branded-chopped-spinach-because-possible-health-risk   #lidl #spinach #listeria #infection #recall  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/HyGKif1L8Mc   The FDA and BCS International Corporation are recalling Dr. Snack Goji Berry Food Snacks.  This product contains undisclosed sulfites.  Consuming them could trigger severe or life-threatening allergic reactions in those with sulfite allergies.  These treats were sold in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.  If you bought this product, return it to the place of purchase for a refund.  If you have additional questions, contact BCS International Corp. by phone at 1-718-392-3355.   https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/bcs-international-corp-issues-alert-undeclared-sulfites-dr-snack-goji-berry   #drsnack #gojiberries #sulfites #allergy #recall  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/LA79TFbm8_w   The CPSC and Mushie & Co. have recalled FRIGG Silicone Pacifiers.  The base of the silicone nipple has a manufacturing defect that may cause the nipple to detach from its plastic shield and create a choking hazard.  About 333,725 of these baby pacifiers were sold nationwide.  Immediately take these pacifiers away from your infants and toddlers.  To receive a refund, cut the silicone nipple from the base of the pacifier and send a photograph of both the detached nipple and the base of the pacifier to Mushie & Co at: mushie.com/pages/recalls.  Then dispose of both pieces the garbage.  For more information, contact Mushie & Co by phone at 1-877-687-4431 or via email at productsafety@mushie.com.   https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/Mushie-and-Co-Recalls-FRIGG-Silicone-Pacifiers-Due-to-Choking-Hazard   #pacifier #frigg #nipple #choking #recall  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/_AlveZVvo54   The CPSC and Childrensalon Ltd. announce the recall of Children’s Sleepwear Garments including Fabric Flavours, Mini Lunn, My Little Pie, Joha and Beau Kid.  This sleepwear fails to meet federal flammability standards and create risks of burn injuries to children that wear them.  Parents should immediately stop using the recalled children’s sleepwear garments and take them away from children. Contact Childrensalon by phone at 1-833 611-2580 or online at https://www.childrensalon.com/recall-information/ for instructions regarding the return of recalled sleepwear.   https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/Childrens-Sleepwear-Garments-Recalled-by-Childrensalon-Due-to-Violation-of-Federal-Flammability-Standards-and-Burn-Hazard   #childrenssleepwear #childrensalon #flammability #burns #recall  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/wuj8VZo_4Ac   Ramping up America’s current rather dismal CoVid booster vaccination rate could prevent more than half a million hospitalizations and save at least 70,000 lives.  The CDC reports that, as of last week, only 47% of booster-eligible Americans have received the shot that will offer significant Omicron protection.  The rate of booster vaccination nationwide is only 750,000 persons per day.  Adding the booster to a 2 dose Pfizer vaccination regimen more than doubles the protection against symptomatic Omicron infection and is 90% effective in preventing the need for hospitalization.    Public health specialists at Yale, Toronto’s York University, and the University of Maryland issue this challenge after creating computer models to project the impact of CoVid Omicron’s spread.  Using historical data, a mathematical model predicts that doubling the rate of booster administration to 1.5 million doses/day would prevent 401,897 CoVid hospitalizations and 48,358 deaths.  Triplin

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/w1SujdrJgxk   Those with depression are are twice as likely to believe lies about CoVid.  Psychiatric investigators at Harvard’s Mass. General Hospital report these conclusions after analyzing responses from 2,809 adults completing two consecutive surveys two months apart.   Those with moderate or more severe major depression were more than twice as likely (2.2) to believe CoVid vaccine misinformation, were nearly 3 times more likely (2.7) to be vaccine deniers, and half as likely to have been vaccinated against CoVid.     Their depressive illness preceded exposure to social media so that CoVid  was not triggering the depression.  In addition, levels of depression in the general population are 3 or more times higher now than they were prior to the CoVid pandemic.   The Harvard scientists conclude that depression makes persons more vulnerable to unsubstantiated claims about CoVid and CoVid vaccines.  Aggressively treating this mental illness not only prevents self-destructive behav

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/mg_dpDydTFc   More than 75% of patients expect to be contacted with abnormal test results within 24 hours.  Only 9% of clinicians agreed.  This disturbing non-connect is now reported by surgical investigators at the University of Colorado after surveying 57 patients and 69 clinicians.   Some 89.7% of patients and 80.6% of clinicians agree with the premise that patients should be provided access to their health information as guaranteed by the 2016 federal 21st Century Cures Act. One of the law’s provisions that only took effect in 2021 mandating immediate patient access to health information is more controversial.  A 62.7% majority of clinicians feel that releasing the information immediately to patients would be too confusing while 84.2% of patients disagree and want their information NOW.   This study shows that patients want and need to know test results as soon as possible, good or bad.  Clinicians need to cut through the growing medical bureaucracy and step up to the plate to

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/5p8RfY3bZmg   There turns out to be good and bad news according to Boston University epidemiologists who looked at the relationship between CoVid and the ability of men and women to create offspring.  First the good headline: vaccination against CoVid does not reduce fertility.  Now the bad headline: an actual CoVid infection reduces the ability of men to father children at least temporarily.   The BU Pregnancy Study Online known by the acronym PRESTO studied 21,126 women and their male partners from December 2020 through November 2021.  The analyses indicated that CoVid vaccination with at least one dose of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine did not have any statistical impact good or bad on fertility for either women or men.   Men who tested positive appeared to suffer a fertility reduction of 18% during a 60 day period after infection.  Other studies have demonstrated that CoVid infection is associated with a reduction in sperm count

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/q5jIboTP-qM   We all know that regular exercise is the best thing you can do for your body.  If you’ve had a case of CoVid, when can you safely return to exercising.  British and Scottish sports medicine specialists weigh in with some guidelines to follow.   The first consideration is how severe a case of CoVid you experienced.  If it was a mild case with very few symptoms that have stopped and you feel ready to resume exercising, it is likely safe to do so.  Keeping mind, though, that the time you spent convalescing has led to some deconditioning so gradually return to your pre-illness level of exercise intensity.   Anyone who had a moderate case with lingering respiratory symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath should also see a personal physician.  Blood oxygen levels will likely be determined and an electrocardiogram and pulmonary function testing may be completed.     If you had CoVid accompanied by symptoms of cardiac involvement such as chest pain, shortness of breat

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/bJtF6l7KcFs   More than two-thirds of those infected with CoVid continue to suffer some olfactory problems in some form at least 18 months later.  Neuroscientists at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute report this and other related finding following their longitudinal studies of 100 CoVid-infected individuals.  A group of 44 non-infected persons served as controls.   The 18 month’s post-infection analysis revealed that 4% of the previously-infected couldn’t smell at all and 33% had a significantly reduced sense of smell.  An additional 30% of those infected had a distorted sense of smell, bringing the total to 67%.  The infected experienced significantly more nasal discomfort than the uninfected.  On the brighter side, only 3% of the infected continued to experience taste disorders.   The take home point: you don’t want to catch CoVid.  Get vaccinated and boosted, mask up with an N95 or KN95 mask more often than not when away from home, and stay as far away from possibly infected person

Taste of Ins Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/1x29IW1HDWk   The FDA and Poppies International, Inc are now extending their recall of their Delizza cream puffs to those branded as Taste of Inspirations.  This new recall is again due to small metal fragments in the product.  Ingesting these cream puffs could lead to injuries in the mouth, throat, and other parts of the digestive tract.  These cream puffs were sold at Hannaford stores in New York State.  If you bought these cream puffs, return them to the point of purchase for a refund.  For more information, call Poppies International at 1-252-428-7118.   https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/poppies-international-expands-voluntary-recall-chocolate-enrobed-and-cream-puff-products-due   #creampuffs #tasteofinspiration #foreignbodies #laceration #recall Creampuffs, tasteofinspirations, foreignbodies, laceration, recall

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/_wNSUXKYiHM   The CPSC and Textron Specialized Vehicles are recalling 2022 E-Z-GO Freedom RXV ELiTE, Freedom RXV Gas, and Freedom RXV 48V vehicles with a rear-facing seat.  The rear seat support infrastructure is subject to failures leading to the rear seat unexpectedly tilting creating injury hazards for passengers.  About 280 of these vehicles have been sold nationwide at E-Z-GO dealerships nationwide and online via E-Z-GO’s Dealer to Driveway program.  If you bought one of these vehicles, immediately discontinue using the rear facing seat and contact Textron by phone at 1-888-525-6040 or via email at jcook03@textron.com to arrange for a free repair.   https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/Textron-Specialized-Vehicles-Recalls-Personal-Transportation-Vehicles-PTV-Due-to-Fall-and-Injury-Hazards-Recall-Alert   #ezgo textron #vehicles #seat #injury #recall  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/pR3WgyfNzAU   The CPSC and Giant Bicycles and Giant Retailers are recalling 2021 Giant and Liv Adult Bicycles.  The recall involves model year 2021 Giant Cypress DX, Giant Escape 3 Comfort, Liv Flourish FS 1 and Liv Alight 3 Comfort bicycles.  The adjustable handlebar stem on these bicycles may become loose and create fall and injury hazards.  About 20,800 bicycles were sold nationwide online at giant-bicycles.com/us or at liv-cycling.com/us.  Immediately stop using these bicycles and contact Giant Bicycle by phone at 1-866-458-2555 or via email at Recall@GiantBicycle.com to schedule a free inspection and repair.     https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/Giant-Bicycle-Recalls-Bicycles-Due-to-Fall-and-Injury-Hazards   #giant #bicycle #handlebars #steering #crashes #injuries #recall  

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ZSsIcC6kvnw   The CPSC and EGL Motor Inc. have recalled EGL and ACE Branded Youth All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs).  These vehicles fail to comply with federal mandatory ATV safety standards in that children can operate them above the maximum allowable speeds creating risks for crashes and injuries.  In addition the handlebars cause a laceration risk should a child rider fall against them, and the parking brake fails to stop vehicle movement on a steep incline.  X About 2900 of these ATVs were sold.  If you have this ATV, immediately stop using it and do not permit your child to ride it either.  Contact EGL Motors by phone at 1-866-496-9919 or via email at service@eglmotor.us to arrange for a free repair.   https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/EGL-Motor-Recalls-Youth-All-Terrain-Vehicles-ATVs-Due-to-Injury-Hazard-and-Violation-of-Federal-ATV-Safety-Standard   #ATV #safety #throttle #brakes #handlebars #injuries #recall  

  https://youtu.be/lY2zSNyxIGo   The CPSC and HulovoX are recalling HulovoX Children’s Robes.  These unicorn robes fail to meet federal flammability standards for children;’s sleepwear. They were sold online by amazon.com from January through May 2021. Immediately stop your children from wearing these robes.  You may wait for Amazon to send you a prepaid mailer in order to return the robe for a refund.  Alternatively, or you may contact either Amazon or HulovoX to obtain the mailer in order to initiate the refund process.  Contact HulovboX at 1-800-316-0241 or via email at hulovox-recall@outlook.com.  You can contact Amazon via its website.     https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/Childrens-Robes-Recalled-by-HulovoX-Due-to-Violation-of-Federal-Flammability-Standards-and-Burn-Hazard   #robes #childrens #unicorn #flammability #burns #recall