How to resolve AdBlock issue? Ask Dr. Halverson: Do some people have pre-existing immune protection against coronavirus?
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- Published: Friday, 07 August 2020 09:20
By Dr. Jim Halverson
We’re now more than seven months into the pandemic that has affected the lives of most of Earth’s inhabitants. While it is true that the scientific community has learned many things about the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the disease that it causes, COVID-19, there are also many gaps in our understanding.
Ask Dr. Halverson: State coronavirus watch list: What is watched? How does VC get off of it?
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- Published: Friday, 31 July 2020 09:34
By Dr. Jim Halverson
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced July 17 that schools teaching grades K-12 will not be able to resume in-person learning until their respective counties are off of the state’s COVID-19 watch list for at least 14 consecutive days. This effectively closed all public and private schools in 31 of California’s 58 counties, leaving nearly 80% of all K-12 students in our state without an on-campus option when schools start again this fall. Here are the numbers (called metrics) that the state is monitoring on a daily basis. Failing one of the six can place a county on the list. In fact, on July 26, 36 counties are now on the list.
Ask Dr. Halverson: Kids, COVID-19 and K-12 education
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- Published: Friday, 24 July 2020 09:26
By Dr. Jim Halverson
The decision to reopen Ojai schools this fall is extremely complicated. Medical, educational, developmental, social and economic factors all must be taken into account. The focus of this article will be the medical factors involved. Many in Ojai are working very diligently on the other concerns and I admire their efforts and defer to their expertise in those areas.
Ask Dr. Halverson: COVID-19: When to consult your healthcare provider and what to expect
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- Published: Friday, 17 July 2020 09:14
With cases of COVID-19 significantly increasing in Ventura County, let’s review the steps you should take to be evaluated and what recommendations are likely to occur if you are tested.
STEP 1: Know the symptoms and exposure risk
Signs and symptoms of COVID-19 may appear two to 14 days after exposure. Reasons to consider testing are cough, shortness of breath or two of the following symptoms: fever (subjective or confirmed 100.4 or higher), chills, muscle pain, fatigue, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, nasal congestion, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea.
Ask Dr. Halverson: COVID-19. The latest information on treatment options
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- Published: Thursday, 09 July 2020 19:41
Dr. Jim Halverson
By Dr. Jim Halverson
More than 11 million people worldwide, including more than 3 million in the United States, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and that number is growing quickly. Our healthcare system is becoming increasingly strained and we are in desperate need of a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19. Hospitals and research labs all over the world are testing many different therapies on coronavirus positive patients in an effort to find a potential treatment. Here is what we know so far about emerging treatments for this highly contagious and potentially lethal virus.
Ask Dr. Halverson: COVID-19 vaccine progress, promises and reality
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- Published: Friday, 03 July 2020 08:06
By Dr. Jim Halverson
Bringing the COVID-19 pandemic to an end depends on the development, distribution and administration of a safe and effective vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes CoVID-19. This is an unprecedented challenge to scientists around the world as nearly 8 billion people are at risk from the virus and will need the opportunity to be vaccinated. Here is an update on the current status of the vaccine.
Ask Dr. Halverson: Increasing coronavirus cases — surge, second wave or increased testing?
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- Published: Friday, 26 June 2020 09:13
As our valley, state and country are reopening from the coronavirus lockdown, much attention is appropriately being focused on the increasing number of reported coronavirus cases. Several states are reporting record numbers of new cases. In Ventura County, 25% of the total cases (more than 400 of the reported 1,800) have been in the past 14 days. Is this the surge or second wave that health officials have been warning us about? Here are facts for you to remember to better understand the numbers in the coming months.
Ask Dr. Halverson: Quarantine fatigue: A common condition with healthy treatments
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- Published: Friday, 19 June 2020 10:23
By Dr. Jim Halverson
Have you noticed that you no longer wash your hands as often or for at least 20 seconds each time? Are you making more trips out of the Ojai Valley? Are you getting together more often with others and not attempting to stay 6 or more feet apart? Are you wearing a mask less often than you used to?
Ask Dr. Halverson: COVID-19: Facts, challenges, coping ideas
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- Published: Friday, 12 June 2020 09:56
By Dr. Jim Halverson
COVID-19 has had a profound impact. Not only has there been significant mortality due to the disease, but ongoing physical and psychological challenges can be very difficult. Consider the following.
Mortality
To date, more than 110,000 people in the United States (and more than 400,000 worldwide) have died with COVID-19. U.S. deaths continue to increase by nearly 1,000 per day. How does that number compare to all causes of death in the United States for this year? Here are the leading causes of death in the U.S. for 2018, the latest year that data is available. These top 10 have changed very little in recent years in ranking or in total numbers.
Ask Dr. Halverson: Stopping the spread of COVID-19: Lessons from successful countries
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- Published: Friday, 05 June 2020 09:44
By Dr. Jim Halverson
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 21,304 new cases and 1,265 deaths on May 29 from COVID-19 in the United States. That number was greater than any other country in the world on that day, except for Brazil. All told nearly 1.75 million people have been infected and more than 105,000 have died in the United States since the first case in early February in Washington. Contrast those tragic statistics to those of the following countries.
Hong Kong has averaged one new coronavirus case a day over the past month.
Taiwan has reported only one case in the past three weeks. The situation is similar in Vietnam.
Ask Dr. Halverson: Understanding people's different responses to the pandemic
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- Published: Friday, 29 May 2020 09:41
One of the biggest personal challenges I have had many times over the last several months has been trying to understand the extremely varied and often surprisingly angry responses by others to what I firmly believe is the greatest infectious disease threat our country has faced since polio in the 1940s and 1950s.