McLaren Health Care

Despite testing negative after a COVID-19 illness, some patients still experience the lingering, debilitating symptoms of post-COVID syndrome The perception that a “recovered” COVID-19 patient’s health returns to how it was before their diagnosis is not the case for many. A recent study conducted in England (with similar findings resulting from a study at an American university) determined that approximately 10 percent of COVID-19 become “long haulers.” COVID-19 long haulers are those who tested positiv...

The CDC has reduced its 14-day quarantine guidelines it had recommended since the start of the pandemic. Since the beginning of the pandemic in the United States this past spring, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recommended that anyone exposed to the coronavirus and at-risk of developing COVID-19 quarantine themselves for 14 days. Meant to curb the spread of the virus, the practice of quarantining was vital in flattening the curve after the initial coronavirus spike in the spring. ...

Similar symptoms among the three illnesses can cause confusion Entering the colder months, the traditional common cold and flu seasons has been aggressively complicated by the on-going pandemic. With varying levels of symptom severity, confusion can result from the respiratory distress often associated with both a cold and the flu. Confusion is now further compounded with the respiratory symptoms caused by COVID-19. When trying to distinguish between the illnesses, adding to the complexity are the other...

Is the flu shot more important this year? Every year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with other leading medical experts, highly recommend every eligible person receive a flu shot. Has COVID-19 changed this? "...it’s crucial to protect against the flu in order to prevent co-infections of both illnesses, which could be devastating.” “This upcoming season, the flu shot carries more importance that perhaps ever before,” said Dr. Elfatih Abter, Director of Infectious Disease at McLa...

Numbers have shown that women are delaying their annual screening due to COVID concerns. Breast cancer continues to be the most common form of cancer among women, with one in every eight women diagnosed in their lifetime, while further affecting countless more family members, friends and loved ones who support the patient. The best chance for fighting the disease, beating it and graduating into survivorship comes with an early diagnosis. Early diagnosis are achieved, in great part, by keeping to regular...

With similar symptoms associated with both illnesses, how can you tell the difference? This flu season will be incredibly unique from previous years due to the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic began just as the 2019-2020 flu season was coming to a close. But even in that short overlap of time, many patients were concerned that their flu symptoms also mirrored those symptoms of COVID-19, leading to anxiety and confusion. Those classic COVID-19 symptoms also common with the flu include: Fever Body aches Fa...

Is the flu shot more important this year? Every year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with other leading medical experts, highly recommend every eligible person receive a flu shot. Has COVID-19 changed this? "...it’s crucial to protect against the flu in order to prevent co-infections of both illnesses, which could be devastating.” “This upcoming season, the flu shot carries more importance that perhaps ever before,” said Dr. Anthony Ognjan, an infectious disease specialist at M...

A vital practice in the aid to slow the spread of COVID-19, here’s an understanding of contact tracing. Contact tracing is an effective control strategy that involves identifying COVID-19 cases and their contacts, then working with them to interrupt disease transmission. This includes asking cases to isolate and contacts to quarantine at home voluntarily. Contact tracing is a key strategy to prevent the future spread of COVID-19. So the health department calls you, now what? If you were around someone w...

Researchers identify six symptom clusters associated with the coronavirus With some of the first research studies of the coronavirus starting to appear in clinical publications, more information on symptoms and their level of severity are becoming clear. Specifically, researchers from King’s College in London recently concluded and published their examination of COVID-19 patients and determined the coronavirus presents in six specific ‘symptom clusters.’ Symptom clusters are groups of symptoms (two or m...

Know more about your hand sanitizer The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still highly recommends regular hand washing (with plain soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds) as the most effective way to prevent the spread of infection and decrease the risk of getting sick. However, in this time of COVID-19 and heightened awareness of hand hygiene, a sink, running water and soap are not always readily available, making hand sanitizer the next best option, as recommended by the CDC. Will any...