Letlow...

 

Louisiana Republican Rep.-elect Luke Letlow, who was scheduled to be sworn in on Sunday, died Tuesday evening from complications related to COVID-19.

The incoming representative for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District, 41, was first admitted to a hospital on Dec. 19 and later transferred to LSU Health Shreveport in critical condition and "apparently suffered a cardiac event" on Tuesday that led to his death, Shreveport Dr. G.E. Ghali told NOLA.com.

Letlow's passing has inspired his friends, family and acquaintances to share sympathetic messages and fond memories of the young father of two on social media, highlighting Letlow's life and accomplishments before he was elected to serve his home state in Washington, D.C.

Not enough information in this case. Just a thought.

Compare...

 

A Boston doctor with a shellfish allergy had a serious reaction to Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine and has recovered after he was allowed to use his allergy autoinjector, health officials reported.

The man, who has a severe shellfish allergy, received the vaccine  and was then observed post-vaccination.

 He was taken to the Emergency Department, evaluated, treated, observed and discharged. He is doing well today," the statement said.

His allergic reaction is reported to be the first from the Moderna vaccine, according to The New York Times.

The Times reported that at least six people have developed anaphylaxis after they got the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The two vaccines have similar ingredients, according to The Times.

Peace...

 

Story...

 

Wild Fire

Covid-19

Covid-19 vaccines.

Mood...

 

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Although the mental health benefits associated with use of combined hormonal contraceptives (CHCs) outweigh the harms, CHCs might increase risk of dysphoric mood & interact w/ psychiatric meds.

This review & consensus statement based on CDC criteria for contraceptive use addresses the full range of contraceptive choices, including long-acting reversible implants (<1 pregnancy/100 women/year); progestin-only contraceptives or CHCs via injection, pill, patch, or ring; & barrier methods.

Authors discuss PO contraceptives’ variable impact on mood. Some studies of adolescents reported increase depression & suicidal behavior during the 1st few months of PO contraceptive use, but most studies reported little effect on mood or actual benefits, especially premenstrually. 

Among women w/ major depression, CHCs were associated with few ill effects, vs no use of hormone contraceptives. Adherence was problematic in some patients populations. 

Infrequent major drug interactions included higher levels of clozapine w/ CHCs & lower levels of lamotrigine & valproic acid w/ PO CHCs. 
Carbamazepine & oxcarbazepine can decrease contraceptives’ hormone levels & thus effectiveness, possibly leading to unintended pregnancy.

Immune...

If you're conscious of hitting recommended activity targets, walking definitely counts towards this.

There are lots of health benefits to walking, such as improved immune function and reduced risk of coronary heart disease.  

Keeping active over the course of the day and little bursts of movement can have huge benefits.

The most important thing to consider, however, is what you enjoy doing.

CD. See...

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday issued a new guidance.

The CDC explained that people with weakened immune systems due to other illnesses or medication may also receive a COVID-19 vaccine, but they should be aware that limited safety data is available on the effects of the vaccines on these individuals.   

The CDC also stated in its guidance that individuals with autoimmune conditions may take the vaccine, although there is no data currently available for the safety of the vaccine in this demographic.  

Those who have experienced Guillain-Barré syndrome - a condition in which the body begins to attack parts of its own nervous system - may also receive the vaccine doses. The guidance adds that following vaccination during clinical trials, there have been no instances of the syndrome.  

Those who have previously experienced Bell's palsy - a condition that causes muscle weakness in one side of the face - may also receive a vaccine. Some participants during clinical trials did develop Bell's palsy following vaccination, but it did not occur at a rate above that expected in the general population. 

Lonely...

 

Police released chilling details about the moments before the bomb detonated on Second Street about 6:30 a.m. on Friday, adding to an eerie portrait of a man in an RV who blared evacuation warnings before the explosion demolished a city block.

While acquaintances described Tony Warner as a self-employed computer guru — and a homebody who tended to his pets and kept to himself, police officers on the scene before the bomb exploded recalled a strange recording emanating from the RV.

In between a digitized female voice giving warnings to evacuate the area, there was music, the officers said.

Downtown," a wistful 1964 song by Petula Clark, echoed down Second Avenue just before the blast.

“When you're alone and life is making you lonely you can always go downtown,” blared Clark’s voice through the speakers. “When you've got worries, all the noise and the hurry seems to help, I know.”

Gibberish...

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo is sounding the alarm that the United States, via New York airports, could soon be grappling with the new variant of COVID-19 present in southern England believed to be 70% more infectious.

Highlighting the unfettered travel from the United Kingdom to New York, unlike other countries who have restricted airfare from Britain, Cuomo said Americans in the northeast are as vulnerable to this variant as they were leading up to the initial COVID-19 outbreak in March.

“Right now, this variant in the UK is getting on a plane and flying to JFK right now today,” Cuomo said.

According to Cuomo, the federal government needs to take begin requiring tests for travelers or bans on visitors traveling through the UK as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has little authority in this matter.

Can the Governor of New York State do... Something?  Just a thought.

Mia Culpa...

 

Jen O’Malley Dillon, President-elect Joe Biden’s campaign manager and incoming White House deputy chief of staff, walked back comments she made in a recent interview suggesting that congressional Republicans were “a bunch of f---ers.”

The mea culpa came in a virtual conversation Thursday with veteran Democratic operatives Stephanie Cutter and Teddy Goff, during which O’Malley Dillon acknowledged she “used some words that I probably could have chosen better” when speaking with author Glennon Doyle for a Glamour magazine interview published Tuesday.

Good Start.  Just a thought.