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A weekly column appearing in local newspapers and blogs. It deals with COIVD issues of interest to residents on the Coast as well as to a broader audience.
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COVID Pandemic on the Decline
While there are a few hot spots still in the world where death rates from COVID are climbing, the overall national picture is one for...

William Miller, MD
Feb 28, 20223 min read
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Dialing Back COVID Restrictions
On February 15th, the California wide mask mandate is expiring. This allows people whose vaccinations for COVID are current to be...

William Miller, MD
Feb 14, 20224 min read
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Masks in the Age of Omicron
Is a discussion of masks needed at this point in the pandemic? I think so for two reasons. First, unlike two years ago, there are now a...

William Miller, MD
Jan 31, 20224 min read
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Rethinking the Numbers
If prior respiratory, viral pandemics are any indication, we should expect this pandemic to begin to fade over the next year. The 1918...

William Miller, MD
Jan 24, 20224 min read
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Community Outbreak Continues in Mendocino
The number of new COVID cases continues to rapidly rise throughout the county. This has significantly affected many local businesses,...

William Miller, MD
Jan 17, 20224 min read
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North Coast Cases on the Rise
Active cases of COVID in Ft Bragg and the immediate surrounding communities have risen to about 100 from 52 active cases just ten days...

William Miller, MD
Jan 10, 20226 min read
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End of 2021- COVID Updates
As our second year of the pandemic draws to a close, a few updates on where things stand are in order. Omicron, the new variant, is...

William Miller, MD
Dec 27, 20214 min read
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Omicron Update
We are now just over a month since the new variant, Omicron, was identified in southern Africa. Since then, it has rapidly become the...

William Miller, MD
Dec 20, 20214 min read
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Lives versus Livelihood: The Cost of COVID
We can all feel the pinch. Favorite watering holes have gone out of business. We can’t comfortably travel like we used to. Supply...

William Miller, MD
Dec 6, 20213 min read
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The Omicron Variant
The news media has been buzzing with articles about a new COVD variant, B.1.1.529, which was first identified about two weeks ago in...

William Miller, MD
Nov 29, 20214 min read
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New COVID Treatments on Horizon
A new antiviral treatment that helps suppress replication of the SARS-2 virus is likely to receive Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by...

William Miller, MD
Nov 22, 20214 min read
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Local COVID Survivor Tells Her Story
Teresa Vaquera is a lovely, 78 year-old woman who lives in Ft. Bragg, California. She is a grandmother who has 13 grandchildren and 28...

William Miller, MD
Nov 15, 20214 min read
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COVID Vaccine for Children Ages 5-11
On October 29th, the FDA gave Emergency Use Authorization that expands the use of the Pfizer COVID vaccine to children ages 5 to 11. ...

William Miller, MD
Nov 1, 20214 min read
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US Nursing Home Crisis: A Perfect Storm
This is the first in a two-part series in which we will examine the national picture for US nursing homes and then next week turn our...

William Miller, MD
Oct 25, 20214 min read
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"Mix & Match" Booster Shots
Last week we discussed how the FDA is considering approving booster shots for both Moderna and J&J COVID vaccines. Booster shots for...

William Miller, MD
Oct 18, 20213 min read
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Booster Shot for Moderna, J&J Considered
Booster shots for COVID vaccines are again in the news. This time for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (J&J). Both companies provided the...

William Miller, MD
Oct 11, 20213 min read
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A Staffing Crisis in Healthcare
Even before COVID, the US was experiencing a shortage of healthcare workers, including nurses, pharmacists, and technicians. Rural...

William Miller, MD
Oct 4, 20215 min read
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FDA Approves Pfizer Booster Shot
On September 22nd, the FDA approved the use of a booster shot for the Pfizer COVID vaccine for certain select people who qualify (see...

William Miller, MD
Sep 25, 20213 min read
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Second COVID Outbreak at Local Nursing Home
Sherwood Oaks is a local, privately owned nursing home in Ft. Bragg. As the only skilled nursing facility here on the Mendocino Coast,...

William Miller, MD
Sep 20, 20214 min read
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We Are Living in Interesting Times
There is an old saying, “May you live in interesting times.” Some people consider this to be a curse, suggesting that life during...

William Miller, MD
Sep 14, 20214 min read
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