Medical Monday: A weekly post of healthcare- and technology-related policy news, views and commentaries. Calling the shots: The COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are made with messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, which teaches cells how to make protein that triggers an immune response and produce antibodies without using or injecting the live virus. A drawback of these vaccines is that booster shots may be necessary. In contrast, Johnson &Johnson, China’s CanSino Biologics and AstraZeneca are “viral vector” vaccines: made with a harmless cold virus that acts like a Trojan horse to … Continue Reading →

Medical Monday: A weekly post of healthcare- and technology-related policy news, views and commentaries. One concern amid COVID-19 lockdowns, shutdowns, mandates, sheltering at home, isolation and telemedicine is the dangerous decline in routine vaccinations among children. As communities open up again, increasing socialization and interactions, many children – and the vulnerable adults around them – may be susceptible to childhood illnesses such as measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox, and there is an opportunity for dangerous outbreaks and rapid spread of such ailments. In a January article in the journal Pediatrics, … Continue Reading →

Medical Monday: A weekly post of healthcare- and technology-related policy news, views and commentaries. When I was young, a primary goal of mothers in my community back in South Africa was to ensure that we girls contracted German measles before we were of child-bearing age. If it got around that a young friend with German measles, we were encouraged to hang out with them so we could “get it out of the way.” And we had to stay away from pregnant women if there was any sign of infection. Why? … Continue Reading →

Medical Monday: A weekly post of healthcare- and technology-related policy news, views and commentaries. States have waiting for Georgia’s innovative Medicaid 1115 waiver to take effect and lead the exodus from ObamaCare. But there’s a new pharaoh in town, and he’s changed his mind about letting Georgia’s people go: Suddenly the thoughtful flexibility Gov. Brian Kemp believed was a done deal to give more low-income Georgians Medicaid coverage is no longer good enough. Yep. The waiver approved by the Trump administration’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in October … Continue Reading →

Medical Monday: A weekly post of healthcare- and technology-related policy news, views and commentaries. The holiday season is upon us. It’s true that “Seasonal Affective Disorder” – appropriately, SAD – may have been somewhat debunked, but the fact is that depression and sadness will be especially widespread over Christmas as COVID-19 surges anew. Nursing home residents and rehab center patients must endure the holidays without family visits, in most cases, as must many hospital patients. Stressed-out medical professionals will be overwhelmed by patients and, perhaps, short on patience, short on … Continue Reading →

Medical Monday: A weekly post of healthcare- and technology-related policy news, views and commentaries. COVID-19 has affected everything this year, including the election. To avoid the long lines and waits caused by pandemic precautions and a shortage of poll workers, many voters chose to vote absentee or early in-person. Georgia’s Secretary of State predicted the surge of early voting will ease lines on Tuesday. As of October 31, Georgia reported 3,902,961 voters had cast their ballots early in-person, while 1,215,438 absentee ballots had been returned. Georgia has 7.6 million registered … Continue Reading →

Checking Up On Health: October 26, 2020 Compiled by Benita M. Dodd A Medical Monday post of healthcare- and technology-related policy news, views and commentaries. Prevention vs. cure. As someone who lives with vitiligo and must avoid the sun, Vitamin D3 is an essential daily supplement for me. For all others, exposure to about 15 minutes a day of sunlight synthesizes D3 – “the sunshine vitamin” –  naturally. But there has been a growing deficiency, especially in the developed world, among those who are older, those spend most of their time … Continue Reading →

Checking Up On Health We’re back! After a three-year hiatus, “Checking Up On Health” is returning to the Foundation’s pages as part of Medical Monday. Look for our weekly healthcare- and technology-related policy news, views and commentaries. Looking back: President Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis, treatment and apparent speedy recovery have been in the spotlight, especially amid the heated upcoming presidential election. This president isn’t the first to have to deal with illness during his term. Today, everyone knows about FDR’s polio, but it wasn’t common knowledge among voters then. Did you … Continue Reading →