Fall 2021 Newsletter
Pandemic's 4th Wave
We will not be scheduling for our Infusion Clinic from September 30th to October 11th.
Please schedule your upcoming Infusions soon. Keeping in mind there will be limited appointment times available to maintain social distancing.
US MAP OF COVID19 PREVALENCE
*DARKER SHADES INDICATE HIGHER COVID RATES
US MAP OF VACCINATION RATES
*DARK GREEN 60% OR HIGHER- LIGHTEST GREEN 30% OR LOWER
Colorado is seeing its fourth wave of COVID19. It is driven by the delta variant in unvaccinated Coloradans. Nationally, this is seen quite easily in the states with the lowest vaccination rates where there are the most COVID19 cases. (see the two-nation maps above) Delta variant is hunting down the unvaccinated and spreading to the vaccinated in places where there are fewer vaccinated. Conversely, the vaccinated are helping to protect the unvaccinated in areas where there are high rates of vaccination.
United States Covid19 Cases
Colorado Covid19 Cases
Five Facts to Help You
1. Unvaccinated people are 5 times more likely to contract COVID than those vaccinated.
2. The unvaccinated are 27 times more likely to be hospitalized compared to those vaccinated.
3. Delta variant on average spreads to 7 people for each person it infects. With previous variants, this number was only 2 people.
4. The frequency of long Covid syndrome (6 months or more of symptoms following acute COVID) is estimated to be 50-60% regardless of severity. This is a biggie. You may have a mild COVID19 case only to struggle with your health for months or years afterward. A very recent study showed that long COVID patients have a frightening number of autoimmune antibodies, many of which attack the nervous system.
5. Vaccinated people are less likely to contract the delta variant than those who developed natural immunity from an earlier variant infection. In other words, if you had COVID19 earlier in the pandemic you are STILL at risk and STILL benefit from vaccination.
These five facts create a strong rationale for getting vaccinated against COVID19. The Delta variant is going to be with us for a long time and will eventually infect nearly all who are not vaccinated. We are seeing creeping increases in COVID19 infections in Boulder county for several reasons.
We are ALL pandemic weary and a lot of people are forgetting to use the precautionary steps that keep us safe- masking, distancing ourselves, and avoiding crowded places. Therefore, Boulder County has reinstated the mask mandate for ALL public indoor spaces.
We are not taking temperatures or oxygen levels upon arrival. People who contract delta spread many more virus particles BEFORE developing symptoms. This leads to very rapid spread in communities. We continue to ask that if you're not feeling well prior to your visit, please call ahead of time to change to a phone or video appointment.
There has not been effective communication on just how well these vaccines work. No vaccine is perfect and the delta variant seems to break through vaccination more often than previous variants.
PLEASE, if you are on the fence about getting vaccinated then NOW is the time to get vaccinated. Don’t put yourself and those closest to you at risk for hospitalization and the disabling symptoms of long COVID.
Preparing for Fall
BOOSTER SHOTS FOR COVID19
If FDA authorizes and ACIP recommends a booster dose, the goal is for the first people eligible for a booster dose to be those who were the first to receive a COVID-19 vaccination (those who are most at risk). This includes healthcare providers, residents of long-term care facilities, and other older adults. This means if you received early vaccination and it's been 8 months or more since you received your first dose and you belong to the above groups then get a third shot. (ACIP: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices)
GET THE FLU SHOT!
Influenza immunization protects you from the flu and the immunological boost helps to prevent other viruses for kids and adults. We are now offering preservative-free flu shots. Call to schedule yours soon.
For ages 3-64 the regular dose cost is $40. For ages 65 and older, the high dose cost is $90.
Testing:
We are offering a contactless test for three common viruses in one swab- COVID19, influenza, and RSV. The turnaround time for this triple virus test is 3-4 days. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a winter virus, however, it is rampantly spreading this summer and we are expecting it to continue this fall.
CHINESE MEDICINE AND TREATMENT OF COVID LONG-HAUL SYNDROME
-a note from Helios’s Dr. Hampton
What’s wonderful about a medical system that has been used for over 2,000 years is that there is nothing new under the sun. The symptoms of COVID long-haul patients that I have been treating thus far are understandable in a diagnostic sense and therefore treatable. In other words, there is hope and there are solutions available!
Chinese herbal remedies can be customized to the individual to treat symptoms as they present and as they change during the course of the treatments. We have very specific herbs to treat damages to the circulatory system, the immune system, nervous system, as well as the digestive tract.
The use of acupuncture can expedite healing by giving the body resources in injured areas to heal. Points chosen over (or related to) injured areas provide increased circulation to nourish organs and tissues. In many cases, the nervous system is in overdrive as the body has been through a prolonged battle with this complex virus. Acupuncture has an immediate effect on down-regulating the nervous system allowing the body to enter into its parasympathetic “healing” mode.
I am so excited and honored to offer an effective solution to those that have been suffering. I am confident the Helios team can help see people through the woods on their healing journey.
到了你的身体! (To your health!)