COVID19 UPDATES
Self-Checker
03/25/20
Dear Health4life Patients,
The CDC has partnered with Microsoft Azure and create this SELF-CHECKER! You can walk through the questions and it will provide you more information on the likelihood of you having COVID19. Just a tool that was recently published.
https://covid19healthbot.cdc.gov/
Respectfully,
Dr. Thomas Alfreda
Testing Options
03/24/20
The UNLV School of Medicine’s clinical arm will be conducting curbside testing for COVID-119 beginning on Tuesday, March 24.
There are, however, restrictions for those seeking to get tested. First, the testing is by appointment only and will be only be given to those who meet the guidelines put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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To find out if you qualify to take a test as described by the CDC guidelines, call 702-583-4408 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Treatment Information
03/24/20
Dear Health4life Patients,
I have been inundated with questions regarding the COVID19 'possible' treatment, Hydroxychloroquine. I wanted to let you all know that I am staying up-to-date to the medical data as it becomes available. I will keep you all posted on the developments as I receive them.
At this time, there is NO specific treatment. Currently, there is also NO prophylactic treatment. The moment that this changes, we will let you know!
I have received many requests for Hydroxychloroquine or Plaquenil. Some have ‘heard’ this is the cure or will prevent them from ‘getting’ COVID10. Plaquenil has very serious and potentially dangerous side effects and interactions with other medications.
In addition, we are now in a shortage of these medications for the treatment of Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis for those patients who need these medications for their general well-being and survival. Pharmacological treatment is only administered for symptomatic management and only hospitalization is warranted for those who are in respiratory distress.
I was recently sent a YouTube video of a doctor who stated he had discovered the cure for COVID19. Through further examination, this study was completed on a very small patient population and there are still many uncertainties to its content. Also, these medications are being tested to treat ‘positive’ cases of COVID19. They are not being studying for prophylactic purposes. We will keep you posted on updates concerning these developments and we hope there are more positive developments being made towards the cure and prevention of COVID19! Article discussing YouTube Video: https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=229156
As of 3:00pm on March 23, 2020, there have been 2 deaths in the state of Nevada out of 245 confirmed positive cases, which is a 0.81% mortality rate. A total of 577 nationwide deaths and 43,224 positive cases. Still remarkably low. This virus is easily spread and I urge you all NOT to leave your home. The more we leave our homes, the longer we will be in a quarantine.
I am getting updates from the CDC and other medical sources and as I interpret these updates, I will pass on all relative information. As your healthcare provider, my ethical and medical role is to provide your healthcare by abiding by all local, state and federal laws as well as adhering to my medical oath as a doctor. The information that I pass on to you, will be facts that will be allowed and supported by these governmental agencies and medical board entities to ensure patient health and safety is always the priority.
I can assure you that your fear and anxiety are appreciated and understood, but the very vast majority of patients who contract this virus will recover.
For now, please just stay home and avoid others.
Respectfully,
Dr. Thomas Alfreda
03/17/20
Immunity Boosting Options
03/19/20
As we navigate through this unknown time period of COVID19, our focus is to keep you healthy! We also wanted to provide some recommendations that could provide potential immunity boosting properties. You DO NOT NEED these items, but these are simply a few options that could provide some additional immunity boosting properties. We have many questions about vitamins or supplements that our patient could take to help boost their immune system so we wanted to provide a few options.
Vitamin C
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Where: H4L Mails to You
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How it Helps: Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for healthy immune system response.
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How to take: Subcutaneous injection daily
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Prescription Required: Yes
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Cost: $180.00
(50+ day supply, includes shipping & supplies) -
How to Purchase/Order: Email us at info@health4lifenv.com
Multi Vitamin
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Where: H4L Mails to You
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How it Helps: Our multi vitamin contains various vitamins that will simply help your body remain as healthy as possible.
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How to take: Take one tablet daily
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Prescription Required: No
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Cost: $40.00
(90 day supply, FREE shipping) -
How to Purchase/Order:
Order online here: https://www.health4lifenv.com/product-page/40-superfood-nutrients
Thymosin Alpha
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Where: H4L Mails to You
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How it Helps: Natural killer (NK) cells are essential for defense against tumors and virus-infected cells. These cells are activated in by INF-Gamma. IFN-gamma is activated by IL-18 which TB4 upregulates. TB4 has been studied for many immune related diseases.
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How to take: Subcutaneous injection daily
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Prescription Required: Yes
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Cost: $300.00
(30 day supply, includes shipping & supplies) -
How to Purchase/Order: Email us at info@health4lifenv.com
LL-37
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Where: H4L Mails to You
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How it Helps: Cationic host defense peptides such as LL-37 are key components of innate defenses against infection, with both microbicidal and host defense modulatory functions.Has been shown to be highly effective in preventing viral attachment to cells. Used in several virus studies and has been anecdotally reported to work well with respiratory tract viruses.
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How to take: Subcutaneous injection daily
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Prescription Required: Yes
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Cost: $210.00
(50 day supply, includes shipping & supplies) -
How to Purchase/Order: Email us at info@health4lifenv.com
Please email us at info@health4lifenv.com if you are interested in ordering these products. Dr. Alfreda will review each patient 'individually' as these are not recommend for everyone. This will vary case by case.
Gov. Announcement
03/17/20
As of March 17, 2020 at 7:43 pm, Gov. Steve Sisolak significantly ramped up Nevada’s response to COVID-19 by announcing a statewide closure of all casinos, restaurants, bars and other nonessential businesses for 30 days, and he urged Nevadans to stay inside to reduce their chance of becoming infected and spreading the virus. The businesses that will be allowed to stay open include grocery stores, gas stations, medical offices, banks and other financial services, Sisolak said. Restaurants that can provide delivery, drive-through, pick-up or curbside service will also be allowed to stay open, but no sit-down dining will be allowed. Only essential businesses should remain open, such as pharmacies grocery stores, drug and convenience stores, banks and financial institutions, hardware stores and gas stations.
Health4life will CONTINUE to remain OPEN as we are included in ‘Essential Businesses’. We are doing everything we can to keep our team and patients healthy. As we previously mentioned, we are limiting in-person visits to help keep people home and healthy. The only patients who we will be seen in the office are those who are sick and need our help and other cases as they present. AGAIN, we are here for you through phone calls, texts, emails and in-person visits as needed! Please communicate with us so we can provide any guidance you may need.
Message from Dr. Alfreda
03/17/20
Dear Health4life Family,
I have had a lot of questions come through the office and thought it would be best if I reached out to ease some of your fears and concerns.
As of March 16, 2020, at 2pm, we have had one death in the state of Nevada and approximately 60 positive results.
This is an unprecedented health state we are currently facing. The majority of individuals who test positive should recover fully. In an effort to contain the spread of the virus, I recommend self-isolation for at least the next two weeks. As local, state, and federal health officials keep track of the very fluid situation, we will be here for all of your health needs but are limiting in-person office visits to those who are ill and need evaluation.
One of the most frustrating situations with this virus is the lack of testing kits for the office and local labs. We have yet to receive any testing kits and can only order testing through our lab partners who are also running at a deficit. We have ordered these kits and are simply waiting for the labs to receive supplies to disperse to us and other health professionals. We will keep you posted about this as well.
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I wish you all the best health. Please hope and pray this resolves quickly. Please call or text the clinic so our team can help in anyway you may need!
Respectfully,
Thomas A. Alfreda, Jr., D.O.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is at risk?
Older individuals and immune compromised patients appear to be at the highest risk but even young and healthy individuals can be vulnerable.
Who should be tested?
If you have come in contact with a known COVID19 infected person and are symptomatic.
We have other testing kits that will test all other viruses and bacteria and we are recommending our patients complete this test first. (These tests are covered by most insurances.) If nothing comes back positive and they still have symptoms, this will provide us information that there is a high probability that they do have COVID19. As soon as the COVID19 kits become available, we will test this population of patients.
What are the symptoms?
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Fever over 100.4
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Cough
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Shortness of breath
These are the most common symptoms as defined by the CDC. However, this is not a complete list but are the most severe of the symptoms to monitor.
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Common cold and flu symptoms are also very rampant this time of year so this creates even more confusion and concern. Stuffy nose, runny nose, sore throat, etc. I recommend over the counter cold and flu, allergy meds, and pushing hydration for these symptoms. When in doubt, please notify our office and we can guide you on next steps!
What is the treatment?
Unfortunately, only symptomatic treatment exists. There is NO vaccine at the moment.
What medication or supplements can I take to prevent me from getting this?
Zinc and Vitamin C are good to boost immune system. Hydration and proper sleep are best as well.
You may have heard about 'Hydroxychloroquine' and 'Chloroquine Phosphate'. These are very serious malarial medications with very serious, potential, side effects. If you have questions about this, email me directly at info@health4lifenv.com.
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What can we all do to prevent the spread?
Whether you are sick or not, have symptoms or not, we ALL need to:
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Wash hands with soap and water for 20-30 seconds
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Avoiding sick individuals
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Stay home for the next two weeks
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Limit social gatherings to less than 10
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Clean environment with disinfectant(s)
Will Health4life remain open?
Yes.
As healthcare professionals, it is our responsibility to care for you, our patients. Even though we are limiting in-person visits, we are still here to help in any way we can. Sometimes, in-person visits will be required and recommended so please continue to contact us when you need anything at all.
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Both offices will remain open Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm. You can text or call during office hours and we will continue to have someone on call via text after hours.
We are continuously disinfecting our offices and our team members are taking extreme precautions to keep the office clean and themselves healthy so we can continue to provide the highest quality healthcare to our patients.
Links to Reference
Self-Checker = https://covid19healthbot.cdc.gov/
Local Testing Centers = https://news3lv.com/news/coronavirus/unlv-medicine-to-offer-curbside-coronavirus-testing-by-appointment-only
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https://www.nvpsychology.org/public/disaster-response/
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-risk-assesment-hcp.html