[Northwoods]

Dr. Lowenkron, MD, Chief Medical Officer at The Villages Health, sent another update to TVH patients. I wanted to share with everyone (interesting that "that other online new site" ... the one that trashes The Villages every opportunity they get... also published this letter. ). I love that TVH continues to inform and educate their patients.

An Important Message from Our Chief Medical Officer, Jeffrey Lowenkron, MD

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Advisory - October 1, 2020

Cases of COVID-19 are occurring in Florida and locally at a decreased rate compared to a month ago. As of October 1, there are 2,387 cases in Sumter County, with 187 occurring in the last week and of those 187,165 occurred in the last three days. In Lake County, there are 7,514 cases with 192 occurring in the last week and of those 192,108 occurred in the last three days. In Marion County, there are 9,788 cases with 232 occurring in the last week and of those 232, 104 occurred in the last three days. As of this morning there are eight patients in the UF The Villages Hospital and 17 in UF Leesburg Hospital. Four of these patients are in intensive care with none on ventilators. Hospitalization peaked on July 21 with a total of 81 patients at the two hospitals. Mortality from COVID-19 has slowed in the two hospitals over the last six weeks.

At The Villages Health, we care for almost 60,000 patients. As of October 1, we know of 154 cases with 28 hospitalizations and eight deaths. There are likely cases among our patients we have not heard about. We likely heard about all our patients who were hospitalized or died. Our employees are also not immune. As of October 1, we have tested 42 team members with 12 being positive and 30 negative. All 12 team members are back at work having completed the necessary quarantine period. Most health care workers, whether at hospitals, nursing homes or our care centers have their exposures outside of work.

When schools opened in Florida, there was an upward trend mostly in 15 to 24-year-olds and to a lesser degree 5 to 14-year-olds. Younger individuals are typically more able to tolerate and survive the infection, older individuals are at higher risk for more serious outcomes related to this infection. Their trend is still minimally higher than it had been with a slight increase recently in 65 to 84-year-olds.

As Florida moves into Phase 3, maintaining vigilance is important. Phase 3 does not mean the risk of contracting COVID-19 is gone. At one of the Harvard University hospitals five days ago, they found an internal outbreak of 42 employees and patients which serves as a reminder that we need to stay focused and maintain protections.

Communities where large populations of seniors live are advised to take proactive steps to reduce the risk of disease transmission. The Villages is the nation’s largest 55 and older active living community.

Seniors who have serious medical conditions, such as heart or lung disease, diabetes, or conditions reflective of weakened immunity, are at even higher risk. These individuals can make decisions that reduce their risk of getting COVID-19. They should consider postponing participation in large scale social events, particularly those events held indoors with multiple close contacts. Everyone can help reduce the risk of community spread until the magnitude and severity of this infection is more widely known and understood.

For mild or moderate disease, there is no current treatment that is proven to be effective; therefore, rest, fluids, quarantine, and time are often the recommended treatment. Many different treatments are being tested and have their advocates and detractors. The science is not there yet for recommendation. There is active ongoing work to develop a vaccine. Questions about development of herd immunity are still seeking answers. For those with severe disease, in intensive care and on ventilators, there are two medications that help with symptoms and survival: dexamethasone and remdesivir. There an is ongoing study of interleukin 6 inhibitors nationally. None of these are intended for prevention and should not be taken outside a hospital setting.

There has been remarkable progress made toward a usable vaccine. It is not clear when these will be available, but there is great focus on speeding this along. Some general information about vaccines and what to expect: Flu vaccines are crafted each year based on predicted strain. The effectiveness ranges from a low of about 15% to a high of about 60%. There are two vaccines to protect from pneumococcal infections: Prevnar 13 which protects against 13 strains of pneumococcus and Pneumovax which protects against 23 strains. These are typically 50% to 85% effective. The rapid pace of development of the COVID-19 vaccine means we will have to learn about effectiveness after use. If it is 50% effective it means that those who are exposed to COVID-19 reduce their risk of getting sick by half.

As we move into Phase 3 of reopening, the best way to continue progressing back to normal is maintain practices that reduce the likelihood of spread.

Everyone can help by taking the following actions:

People should not attend in-person events if they are sick
Social distancing of at least six feet is important
Consistent mask wearing is advised
Frequent handwashing, avoid shaking hands and minimize hand-to-face contact
Cover your nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing, then wash your hands
Avoid interactions that last 15 minutes and are within 6 feet of others, especially without masks
Flu vaccines are available and people should strongly consider vaccination
The Villages Health current actions to create a safer environment:

Temperature checks and questionnaire for all staff, patients and guests who enter a care center. TVH will be removing the travel questions as they lengthen the process without real benefit
Employees who are ill or exposed are being quarantined at home until safe for return to work
Social distancing practiced throughout the workplace
Required mask use for all in the care center (patients and guests are provided masks if they need them)
Telephone triage to help assess risk, need for testing and need for aggressive care like hospital visits
COVID-19 testing, if recommended, is performed in the parking lot to avoid potential infection of others
Patients will be called and offered a telehealth visit to provide needed care without risk of exposure in a care center
Two resources for more information:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...lications.html
Home | Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Outbreak
The Florida Department of Health has established a call center for general questions at 866-779-6121, which is manned from 8 AM –
5 PM. Specific questions related to guidance may be directed to the Sumter County Health Department at 352-569-3102.

The Villages Health is working hard to keep you safe, while also ensuring we take care of your health care needs. As we all work together, we will continue our path to becoming America’s Healthiest Hometown®.

Sincerely,


Jeffrey Lowenkron, MD
Chief Medical Officer
The Villages Health

[Altavia]

Thanks for posting!

[Hans53]

Just a quick note to praise the people at the Villages hospital Cath Lab who took very good care of my wife.A special thanks to Nurse Grace, and all.