3/11/2021 0 Comments COVID Vaccination UpdateCDC has issued new guidance for people who are fully vaccinated.
*2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine What's Changed? If you've been fully vaccinated: *You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask *You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household without masks (ie. visiting relatives who all live together), unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 *If you've been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms (unless you live in a congregate facility) What Hasn't Changed *Take steps to protect yourself in many situations: wear mask, stay 6 ft apart, avoid crowds and poorly vented places: while in public, gathering around unvaccinated people, around those who are at greater risk for severe illness or death from COVID-19, or who lives with someone at higher risk. *Avoid medium or large-sized gatherings *Delay domestic and international travel, and if you travel follow CDC recommendations and requirements *Monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you have been around someone who is sick; get tested and stay home and away from others *Follow guidance at your workplace COVID-19 vaccines are effective in protecting you from getting sick, and those fully vaccinated can start to do some things they had stopped doing because of the pandemic. Continue to take precautions for basic prevention. CDC will continue to update recommendations for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated 2/11/2021 0 Comments February is American Heart MonthWhy Do We Celebrate Heart Month in February?It's February – American Heart Month – a time when the nation spotlights heart disease, the No. 1 killer of Americans.
President Lyndon B. Johnson, issued the first proclamation in 1964 as one of the millions of people in the country who'd had a heart attack. Since then, U.S. presidents have annually declared February American Heart Month. Throughout February, the American Heart Association's "Heart to Heart: Why Losing One Woman Is Too Many" campaign is raising awareness about how 1 in 3 women are diagnosed with heart disease each year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, both men and women have delayed or avoided going to hospitals for heart attacks and strokes leading to poorer outcomes. This has prompted the AHA to create "Don't Die of Doubt," a national awareness campaign that reminds people that hospitals are the safest place to go when you have symptoms. Also during the COVID lockdowns, more people have engaged in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, such as eating poorly, drinking more alcohol and limiting physical activity, that can contribute to heart disease. Heart disease continues to be the greatest health threat to Americans and is still the leading cause of death worldwide. (AHA's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2021 Update) https://www.heart.org/en/around-the-aha/february-is-american-heart-month 2/5/2021 0 Comments COVID-19 CCSD updatesBased on guidance from Dr. Janet Memark's team at Cobb and Douglas Public Health, the Cobb County School District is updating its COVID quarantine restrictions effective February 1, 2021.
Previously, the District recommended a 14-day quarantine period for individuals exposed to the virus, but Public Health is relaxing that time-frame to ten days in certain circumstances. In short, they are allowing individuals with zero symptoms to return to work/school after ten days, rather than fourteen. Asymptomatic persons who have a known exposure to a person with COVID-19 can return to work, school: After 10 full days have passed since their most recent exposure if they are not tested for COVID-19 AND do not experience any COVID-19 symptoms during the quarantine period.To be clear, the CDC continues to recommend a 14-day quarantine to be safe. Still, Public Health is allowing the shortened 10-day quarantine strictly for asymptomatic individuals, which is clearly defined in the full statement. Please take time to read this important announcement in its entirety before it goes into effect on February 1, 2021. Close contact quarantine letters will continue to be sent out with the 14-day quarantine guideline return-to-school/return-to-work date. The school is reliant on you to determine your health status for return! 11/4/2020 0 Comments Face-to-Face Return: Let's Be Safe
10/6/2020 0 Comments Breast Cancer Awareness MonthBreast cancer has become the second leading cancer to cause death in women according to the American Cancer Society. In their lifetime, nearly 1 in 8 women will develop an invasive breast cancer. This type of cancer has a great 5 year survival rate but can also progress quickly. This makes early detection instrumental in the fight against breast cancer. The first step of early detection is being aware of the warning signs. Most often, when breast cancer is first detected, it is because of symptoms the woman discovers herself. Women need to have a strong knowledge of their own bodies prior to any noted symptoms or concerns. Having a basis for what is normal for your body and what is out of the ordinary is extremely important. "One of the most important tips to be able to accomplish this is to check your breasts the same time each month, especially in the few days following your period. At this time of the month, your hormones have leveled out and your breasts are at the most normal state – the perfect time for a breast exam!" Breast cancer can present in several ways. Symptoms can not only be a lump, but unusual swelling, dimpling, redness, scaliness or a lump in the armpit. Regular self-checks are important as well as regular screenings for early detection. The American Cancer Society recommends mammograms for women routinely after the age of 40. Good communication and recommendations from your physician are important in determining your best screening and detection plans. https://www.keepinspiring.me/breast-cancer-awareness-month/ 9/22/2020 0 Comments Decisions, Decisions!Are you well enough to go to school?Returning to campus is an exciting time for our Mustang Nation! Safety for students and staff are our top concern and essential. There are simple yet effective measures we can all put into practice every day to help make campus a healthy and effective learning environment.
student_covid_decision_tree__1_.pdf covidsymptomlist.docx
kmhs_meddropoff2020.docx Contact the clinic for any questions or concerns regarding health care issues, or ways we can better serve your student! 0 COMMENTS 9/21/2020 0 Comments Flu Season Around the CornerFlu Vaccination Why should people get vaccinated against flu? Influenza is a potentially serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently, but millions of people get flu every year, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized and thousands to tens of thousands of people die from flu-related causes every year. An annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to help protect against flu. Vaccination has been shown to have many benefits including reducing the risk of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and even the risk of flu-related death in children. How do flu vaccines work? Flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination. These antibodies provide protection against infection with the viruses that are used to make the vaccine. The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. Most flu vaccines in the United States protect against four different flu viruses (“quadrivalent”); an influenza A (H1N1) virus, an influenza A (H3N2) virus, and two influenza B viruses. There are also some flu vaccines that protect against three different flu viruses (“trivalent”); an influenza A (H1N1) virus, an influenza A (H3N2) virus, and one influenza B virus. Two of the trivalent vaccines are designed specifically for people 65 and older to create a stronger immune response. When should I get vaccinated? You should get a flu vaccine before flu viruses begin spreading in your community, since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against flu. Make plans to get vaccinated early in fall, before flu season begins. CDC recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October. However, getting vaccinated early (for example, in July or August) is likely to be associated with reduced protection against flu infection later in the flu season, particularly among older adults. Vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the flu season, even into January or later. Children who need two doses of vaccine to be protected should start the vaccination process sooner, because the two doses must be given at least four weeks apart. Vaccine Benefits What are the benefits of flu vaccination? There are many reasons to get an influenza (flu) vaccine each year. Below is a summary of the benefits of flu vaccination and selected scientific studies that support these benefits.
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AuthorLeslie Kitchen, RN BSN Archives
March 2021
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