If you are waiting for “a vaccine” so you can go back to normal living, what does the pause in testing the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine mean to you? If you own stock in AstraZeneca, the value of your shares dropped 8 percent on the news that one of the test subjects became paralyzed, while the […]
Sherif Z. Zaafran, M.D., President, Texas Medical Board Dear Dr. Zaafran, Thank you for clarifying that “the Texas Medical Board has never prohibited the use of hydroxychloroquine [HCQ] alone, or in conjunction with other drugs, for the treatment of COVID-19.” It is important for physicians to have confidence that they can treat patients—during a pandemic […]
There is much discussion about the CDC’s count, grouped by ICD-10 code, of “Conditions Contributing to Deaths where COVID-19 was listed on the death certificate.” What does it mean that only a fraction listed COVID-19 as the only condition contributing to death? It is true that most death certificates have additional conditions listed. Also, there […]
Update – September 1, 2020: Assembly Bill 890, expanding scope of practice for non-physicians, was adopted by the the California Legislature on August 31 and is now on the way to Governor Newsom’s desk for a signature. A veto is now the last chance to stop the bill from being enacted. If the profession stands together a veto […]
By Sheila Page, DO Following the initial 15 days to “flatten the curve”, as COVID 19 was progressively sweeping the nation, the restrictions on most of the American public were not lifted as expected. People desperately wanted to be able to save their businesses from ruin, allow their children to play sports again, and walk […]
Many are afraid to take hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for COVID as they have been told it could kill them because of its effect on the heart. Are you worried about this? It is a fact that HCQ, azithromycin (Z-Pak™), and other drugs can prolong the QT interval on the electrocardiogram (ECG)—see image below. This could make […]
If you are old enough, you remember Grandma telling you to play outside and get fresh air and sunshine. Fresh air dilutes and dries out germs, and the ultraviolet light in sunshine kills them. We now see this advice in technical jargon in the respected American Journal of Medicine: “reduce self-reinoculation.” Authors write: “It is […]
Dear AAPS Virginia Members and Friends, Delegate Dave A. LaRock has introduced a good resolution, HJ 5002, that will be heard in the Virginia House of Delegates Rules Committee on Thursday morning, August 27, 2020, at 9am (agenda). The resolution contains the following provisions: RESOLVED, That the General Assembly encourage that hydroxychloroquine should be made […]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) requested by Mayo Clinic for use of plasma from patients who recovered from COVID-19 to treat hospitalized patients. “The tipping point for the agency appeared to be that ‘optimal’ patients who were treated with ‘convalescent plasma at the highest [antibody] titers’ showed […]
August 9, 2020 Dear Commissioner Rettig and Deputy Commissioner Lough, Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the proposed IRS rules titled “Certain Medical Care Arrangements,” REG-109755-19. AAPS is a membership organization of physicians and surgeons who are mostly in small, independent practices. Founded in 1943 (and celebrating our 77th year), AAPS defends and […]