Harris Fleming, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

More Clues Show Just How ‘Different’ Omicron Is—and They Might Change Your Approach

We found out shortly after its discovery that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is more transmissible but (for most patients) less severe than others. As research continues, however, even more disparities are becoming known—and a couple of the latest could affect how you approach to both testing and office hygiene. An article just published online by Reuters quotes multiple studies in the U.S. and abroad revealing the optimal method of testing for Omicron and how …

Already-Underserved Rural Areas Are Getting Pummeled by COVID-19. Can Urgent Care Step In?

Rural areas of the United States have generally been underserved when it comes to healthcare for a long time. Many patients have to travel for hours to get reasonable access to much-needed care. That inconvenience has been exacerbated—badly—by the latest surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, according to an article newly published by The Wall Street Journal. The story notes situations in which patients are turned away or told to “come back in a couple …

The Pandemic Rebound Is Real—Though the Extent Varies by Payer

We don’t need to tell you how badly patient volumes suffered for a good stretch of the pandemic. Patients stayed away not just from urgent care centers, but all ambulatory care settings. The advent of vaccines and wider availability of testing supplies started to right the ship, but concerns have remained that “normal” visits—those for complaints unrelated to COVID-19—might take a while to return to pre-pandemic levels. An article just published by the Journal of …

Let Parents Know: Risk for MIS-C in Adolescents May Diminish with Vaccination

One of the few serious threats to otherwise healthy children with COVID-19 is the risk for potentially deadly multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). While the numbers pale in comparison to the overall death toll from SARS-CoV-2, thousands of children have been hospitalized due to MIS-C, with scores dying in the United States alone. The hope that vaccination might offer some degree of protection is now coming to fruition, at least in adolescents. According to a Research …

Tattoo Who? How One Urgent Care Center Is Helping Community Members Get a Fresh Start

The term youthful indiscretion is sometimes used to give a pass on poor choices many of us make as we grow into responsible adults. Some of those choices are easier to move on from than others, however. Take tattoos, for example. Whether it’s the name of that first “forever” love that the new girlfriend doesn’t like looking at or something more consequential—like gang- or drug-related symbols and images—decisions that seemed sound at the time can …

Be Vigilant: One Common Childhood Malady Could Actually Be COVID-19

Parents are familiar with the sound—a barking cough emanating from their young child that they’re probably inclined to dismiss as “just croup.” Maybe they’ll call to see how soon the pediatrician can fit them in or even wait a day or two to see if it subsides. Now, though, there’s evidence that a croup-like cough could actually be a sign of COVID-19 infection in children under 5 years of age, according to an article just …

Update: The COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Many Businesses Is Off—Again

Just when you thought you had clarity on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s mandate to vaccinate workers at businesses that employ 100 or more people against COVID-19, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the measure is invalid except for medical facilities that accept payments from Medicare or Medicaid. The decision came down 3 days after the mandate took effect. The mandate had required employees at affected businesses to either get vaccinated or submit …

CDC: One Vaccine May Be Especially Effective in Lowering Risk for MIS-C

While still relatively rare, there have been 6,400 cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) related to COVID-19 in the United States—including 55 deaths—since the pandemic began, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With records for pediatric and adult infection continuing to be broken on a daily basis in some states and municipalities, it stands to reason that risk for MIS-C could also be increasing. The possibly good news …

As Omicron Continues to Fuel Increased Infection in Many States, Staff Burnout Looms

We don’t have to tell you that these are hard times to be working in an urgent care center. Staffing levels have been tight for years, and the increasing volume of patients flocking to every available outlet for testing or treatment while staff members may be going out for extended sick time due to their own infection is bringing the situation to a head. John Davidhizar, MD told KBTX TV news in Bryan, TX as …

Yes, Omicron Tends to Be Less Severe—but Patients Need to Understand the Exceptions

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been shown to produce less severe illness than previous varieties of the virus—for the most part. Much of the data assembled, to date, reflect lower risk for hospitalization and death in vaccinated patients. The unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated don’t necessarily run the same low risk. Perhaps more importantly, the World Health Organization just shared circumstances in which patients may be at high risk for severe disease even with …