Friends of TVD: VACCINE UPDATE. Please read carefully.
As you can read in more detail below, The Village Doctor team has been working daily on preparing for, and keeping us all up to date on, the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. This rollout, as you have been reading, has not gone smoothly, but we are finally able to report some good news. First, through efforts of the State and our local larger institutions (Stanford, Sutter Health, Kaiser, PAMF), “Phase 1A” candidates, including front line health care workers, have been aggressively vaccinated over the past two weeks.
The other good news is that once the “Phase 1A” is complete, these same institutions will be given direction from the State and the County to start to coordinate with “Phase 1B” candidates, and this might mean you. Note that Phase 1B is itself divided into subcategories, or “tiers”. As you may have read in the news on Wednesday, California (but not yet our local counties) just expanded the first tier of Phase 1B to include PEOPLE 65 AND OLDER, along with workers in education, food and agricultural workers.
Phase B, Tier TWO will now include anyone, workers in transportation and logistics, critical manufacturing, and those incarcerated and homeless. You can read more here and below (see Dr. Prerana Sangani’s excellent FAQ on this topic).
So all to say that many of you will become eligible for COVID-19 vaccine during the next week or two.
It will likely be longer than that before The Village Doctor (and any of the other local, smaller, medical practices) receives its allocation of vaccine from the State. So most of you who fall under Phase 1A, and Phase 1B, will likely get your vaccine from a local larger institution (Stanford, Sutter Health, Kaiser, PAMF).
If you have a relationship with any of these institutions, or maybe even more than one, be certain that your “MyHealth” or other applicable online “Portal” usernames, passwords, and email addresses are current! We believe it is through these Portals that candidate patients such as yourself will be notified by these institutions that they may now be immunized. Several of our patients have been able to log in and schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments in just the past 24 hours.
Let me stress that all of the above institutions are paying very careful attention to the State and County language regarding these vaccine rollout “phases” and “tiers”. I have spoken directly with Stanford leadership who have stressed their desire to be in full compliance with these guidelines. There will be no “cutting in line”, and no number of phone calls to these institutions (or us) will change the timing of your vaccine availability. It is thus very important to keep an eye on these pages, and on the email addresses you have provided to your local health care institutions.
NOTE: In addition, once we have learnt that any institution has begun reaching out to their patients, The Village Doctor will additionally send you a direct and personal email alerting you to the same.
We will also be keeping Dr. Sangani’s, and the other relevant “Frequently Asked Questions” (on our website here) up to date. Please keep an eye out for our weekly newsletter and please be encouraged to share them with your friends and family.
Eric Weiss, MD, January 14, 2021
NOTE: CV🦠News is a labor of love. If you enjoy reading this, please share widely! Was this forwarded to you by a friend? Please subscribe here.
On Friday, January 8th, we participated in a statewide conference call update on the California COVID-19 Vaccination Program (now called CalVax).
Data so far as of 1/12/2021 in California:
- 2,862,350 doses distributed –544,050 of these have been diverted to long term care institutions
- 889,042 doses have been administered so far
Distribution of the COVID 19 vaccine is being managed by California State health officials and then the local county health departments. All California residents are assigned eligibility to receive the vaccine based on these tiers. The first tier is health care workers and residents of long term care facilities.
Here is California’s updated tier designation as of January 13, 2021.
Please note the important change is now tier 1b includes individuals over the age of 65, previously this was 75.
The Village Doctor has been APPROVED by California COVID-19 Vaccination program to administer the vaccine. What this means is as that the state moves through their tiers we will begin to receive shipments to vaccinate our patients…Read more
Prerana Sangani, MD, January 11, 2020
**We recommend the options starred below for their combination of relative convenience and reliability. We are actively monitoring testing options and are continuously adding to this list. If you are using the test as a screening test before travel, please make sure that you will have results back within the acceptable time frame and that the airline or location you’ll be traveling to accepts the form of testing you choose.
**Evera Home Testing – PCR nasal swab obtained from you at your home by an Evera representative. On demand appointments, flexible weekend hours and 24-48 hour turnaround. $150.
How: Visit the website and call 415-964-2676.
Where: In the comfort of your own home
Who: Adults and children age 5+. Asymptomatic or symptomatic.
Jennifer Abrams, MD, January 12, 2020
A growing number of home-testing options are now available. All of the following are molecular diagnostic tests, which detect the presence of viral genetic material, indicating infection with the COVID-19. There are only two options for children older than 4 years old, Vault Health and Picture by Fulgent Genetics. Only one, Pixel by LabCorp, will bill your insurance with no upfront payment, or the government for uninsured patients. The rest require payment, between $109 and $155, and leave you to go about reimbursement from your insurance company. They all prioritize testing for those experiencing symptoms, who may have been exposed, or are in a high risk population. Most provide instructions for easy self collection, a few require collection during video observation and coaching. Most require the sample collection to be done on the same day as return shipping, and exclude Saturday returns. Results are generally provided via online Portal, with counseling available from a healthcare provider for positive results. All claim 98% or higher sensitivity and specificity. The last 3 tests are listed for the sake of inclusion… Read more
Sky Pittson, MD, January 15, 2021
HOPE AND GRACE
If you have made it this far, time for a reward, something to lighten your day, and acknowledge the human spirit. Find some escape, or perhaps even inspiration, in this ever-growing collection of works and perspectives gathered from around the world. Please contact me directly if you have come across something that has lifted your heart today. Dr. Eric Weiss
Seeing the world in colour
It’s easy to take things for granted. Especially the simple things like being able to see your surroundings in colour. McKinley “Mac” Erves is colour-blind and for his 22nd birthday his friends showed him a new world when they gifted him special glasses.
The video of his reaction to the glasses immediately went viral online.
“I was at a loss for words,” Erves told TODAY. “For them to actually go out of their way and remember and do something for me like that when I never expressed how badly I wanted the glasses, it made me feel really good.
Bike coast-to-coast across 12 States
Exciting news. A new bike trial spanning 3,700 miles, from Washington DC to the Pacific Ocean, is said to be “America’s Main Street”.
Titled ‘The Great American Rail-Trail, the route will connect over 145 existing paths and aims to offer an unparalleled experience of the US.
Nearly 2,000 miles – that’s 53% of the trail – has already been completed.
Family is everything
Tearjerker video incoming… wow this a powerful and strong video that showcases a brave family battling their mum’s cancer diagnosis.
The video captures the brave mum shaving her head to prepare for her cancer treatment… but little does she know her daughter is going to get hers shaved too.
Again, CV🦠News is a labor of love. If you enjoy reading this, please share widely! Was this forwarded to you by a friend? Please subscribe here.
*****
Yours, in health and resilience,
Eric and the TVD MD team…
