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136. From "Behind the Mask," Infection Control Today's
Podcast: Why Cutting Off Health Communications Puts Us All at Risk
"The closure of communications has impacted all committees,
grant review boards, and publications,” Another ICTEAB member, Kevin
Kavanagh, MD, wrote. “The purpose appears to be for a reset,
hopefully for the assurance of accuracy and to make sure that the
government functions are aligned with the current administration's
priorities. As you well know, I have been critical of the CDC and
many of its biases in decision-making. In my opinion, some of the
appointments were political rather than based on scientific
capabilities. For example, the [Healthcare Infection Control
Practices Advisory Committee] not recommending respirators for all
respiratory pathogens and not allowing the voluntary use of N95
masks by health care workers makes little sense to me. In the world
of value-based purchasing, eliminating risk adjustment for
minorities may help uncover poor performance of facilities and
better allow remediation to take place.
Kavanagh continued, “Many will disagree with the administration's
priorities, but elections have consequences, and the last one has
our country headed in a different direction. However, these changes
must be done strategically, ensuring no unintended consequences. For
example, some communications relating to bacterial threats and the
impending H5N1 pandemic need to be unimpeded for the sake of public
safety. Many higher educational institutions are highly dependent on
the grant money approved by study sections. We must be careful that
the new course which will be taken is best for our nation.”
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/from-behind-mask-infection-control-today-s-podcast-why-cutting-off-health-communications-puts-us-all-at-risk
135. A win for healthcare workers and patients: The
CDC returns HICPAC’s draft recommendations on infection control.
Fiona Lowenstein: Kavanagh and Thomason believe a
lack of adequate protections for healthcare workers is contributing
to staffing shortages. Employers claim “that the nursing shortage is
preventing them from hiring,” ... Surveillance, tracking, data, and
transparency have been “chronic problems” for the CDC since long
before the pandemic, said Kevin Kavanagh, chairman of Health Watch
USA — a patient advocacy, health care, and research integrity
organization.
His group has previously urged action for other
infectious agents, including Candida auris, MRSA, C. diff, and CRE.
Critics of HICPAC’s draft guidance have pointed out that the
recommendations would increase the risk of infection for a wide
range of pathogens beyond SARS-CoV-2, including influenza, RSV,
measles, and Ebola. The (2023 draft HICPAC) recommendations would
also do little to prepare healthcare centers for future airborne
disease outbreaks.
Kavanagh believes the CDC’s failures to better track
and prevent the spread of these pathogens before 2020 contributed to
a lack of preparedness when SARS-CoV-2 first emerged. “The strategic
stockpile had dwindled,” he explained, referring to a shortage of
personal protective equipment (PPE). “At one point there was an
advisory that healthcare workers…could wear a bandana. That to me is
a lack of preparation beyond comprehension.”...
The CDC’s decision to return HICPAC’s draft reflects
the power of push-back from health advocacy and labor groups. It
also comes amidst an increase in some workplace protections around
the country. Los Angeles County, Illinois, Berkshire Health System
in Massachusetts, and New York City reinstated mask mandates for
healthcare facilities this winter, as did New York’s Fire
Department. Kavanagh called CDC’s decision to return HICPAC’s draft
“important and impactful,” but warned that “much work still needs to
be done.” Jan. 30, 2023. The Sick Times:
https://thesicktimes.org/2024/01/30/a-win-for-healthcare-workers-and-patients-the-cdc-returns-hicpacs-draft-recommendations-on-infection-control/
134. CDC Advisory Group Under Fire for Proposed
Infection Control Guidelines
— Nurse union, occupational health experts, patients say weaker
guidelines help only employers
"NNU and others say the proposed guidelines weaken existing
infection control standards, privileging employer and hospital
bottom lines over employee and patient safety. "The guidance that
they're updating applies to every infectious disease in healthcare
settings, from tuberculosis, to measles, to influenza, to MDROs
[multidrug-resistant organisms], to COVID. All of it," said
Thomason." ... A Murky Approval Process? "Kevin Kavanagh, MD, of
Health Watch USA, a patient advocacy and research organization, and
co-authors wrote in an article for Infection Control Today "the
process of recommendation formulation is flawed and lacks
transparency," citing HICPAC committee votes held before public
comment and meeting presentations not publicly posted." Med Page
Today. Aug. 25, 2023.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/infectioncontrol/106030
133. Health Watch USA's 17th Annual Conference: Exploring
Long COVID's Impact on Patients, Workers, and Society
"Health Watch USA’s 17th annual conference/webinar, on
November 1, 2023, 'Long COVID's Impact on Patients, Workers &
Society,' will encompass a comprehensive exploration of long COVID
across all age group Kevin Kavanagh, MD, MS, board chairman for
Health Watch USA:
'Our society largely believes that all is well if one is not at risk
for hospitalizations. Even policymakers are ignoring the ravages of
long COVID. This webinar will highlight the personal and economic
devastation produced by long COVID and the misinformation that is
minimizing its risks in the eyes of the public.... But, frankly, the
main message of the conference will be that we still must take this
virus very seriously.' " Infection Control Today. Sept. 7, 2023.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/health-watch-usa-s-17th-annual-conference-exploring-long-covid-s-impact-patients-workers-society
132 Biden taps former North Carolina health official Mandy
Cohen as new director of CDC
Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., the president and founder of the
patient advocacy organization, Health Watch USA and who has
sometimes been critical of the agency’s handling of the COVID-19
pandemic, said that the change in CDC leadership “represents an
opportunity for the CDC to head in a new direction. Currently a
number of very important policies are being formulated. For example:
At a minimum the use of N95 masks for all airborne pathogens needs
to be recommended for healthcare staff and enhanced barrier
precautions for nursing homes should only be undertaken in clinical
trials.” Kavanagh also called for a strengthening of nursing home
guidelines, and residents infected by a dangerous pathogen need to
be separated from the rest of the facilities’ residents. “Advisory
committees need to have greater transparency with public comments
occurring before not after votes and in addition all meetings should
be posted online for later viewing. Most importantly, frontline
workers, patients, industrial hygienists, occupational scientists,
aerosol scientists and worker unions need to have a voting seat at
the table with equal representation as industry voices have.” Fierce
Health Care. June 20, 2023
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/initial-response-bidens-appointment-mandy-cohen-new-cdc-director-positive
131. Long COVID described as a 'syndrome of syndromes'
in NIH funded research
Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., president and founder of the patient
advocacy organization Health Watch USA, told Fierce Healthcare in an
email that of the symptoms researchers focused on, exertional
malaise and brain fog would be the most debilitating. He added that
“of interest is that individuals in the ‘uninfected’ study arm were
found to be more likely to be vaccinated. The best defense against
long COVID is vaccination and not becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2
in the first place and if you do, seek immediate medical attention
to determine if you qualify for antiviral medications.” In the
study, more than 20% of individuals who’ve had COVID were deemed to
have long COVID because they exhibited these symptoms six months
after the first time that they tested positive for the condition.
However, a third of those individuals no longer suffered from long
COVID at nine months. Kavanagh said “there is growing evidence that
the symptoms are not necessarily the result of past viral damage but
ongoing damage from an abnormal immune system or viral reservoirs.”
Fierce Healthcare. May 30, 2023.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/long-covid-described-syndromes-syndromes-nih-funded-research
130. Government stats show number of uninsured declined in
2022, though experts question methodology, conclusion
Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., founder and president of the patient
advocacy organization Health Watch USA(sm), told Fierce Healthcare
in an email that “healthcare marketplace plans will end the
pandemic’s special enrollment period and will no longer maintain
coverage if premiums cannot be paid. Unfortunately, I expect the
rate of uninsured to increase in the United States as the PHE
provisions are lost and those disabled with long COVID lose their
employer’s private coverage but do not yet qualify for disability in
Medicare.” Hispanic adults were most likely to lack health insurance
coverage (27.6%) in 2022, followed by Black adults (13.3%),
according to the NCHS report. Asian adults and white adults had the
lowest percentage of uninsured, 7.1% and 7.4%, respectively. “Among
white adults aged 18–64, the percentage who were uninsured decreased
from 8.7% in 2021 to 7.4% in 2022,” the report states. “Among
Hispanic and Black adults aged 18–64, the observed decreases in the
percentage of uninsured from 2021 to 2022 were not significant.”
Kavanagh said that Hispanic and Black patients are “also the racial
groups which predominate in many of our frontline occupations and
are at high risk for COVID-19. The ending of the PHE does not mean
the ending of COVID. Adequate insurance coverage of minorities and
economically disadvantaged populations is of utmost importance.”
Fierce Healthcare. May 18, 2023.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/government-stats-show-number-uninsured-declined-though-experts-question-methodology
129. Horizon taps AI provider Solera Health in effort
to offer more customized care to members
Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., founder and president of the patient
advocacy organization Health Watch USA, said he worries about an AI
arms race.
“Payers will use AI to evaluate office notes to determine level of
payments and to make a coverage eligibility determination for
ordered tests and procedures,” Kavanagh told Fierce Healthcare in an
email. “On the provider end, Microsoft has announced Dragon Ambient
eXperience which will produce a draft clinical note within seconds
after a patient visit. The AI system will incorporate insights from
unstructured data such as conversations."
"It is not a huge step to envision, the AI written clinical note
will be optimized for reimbursement and that the AI will learn from
previous claim denial and payments what data to incorporate," he
added. Fierce Healthcare. May 4, 2023.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/horizon-healthcare-services-taps-ai-provider-solera-health-effort-offer-more-customized-care
128. CDC seeks new weapons against antimicrobial
resistance
"Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., founder and president of the patient
advocacy organization Health Watch USA, applauds the CDC for
investigating decolonization in more depth. “This new CDC strategy
could represent a paradigm shift in how we approach the prevention
of infectious diseases,” Kavanagh told Fierce Healthcare in an
email. “Identifying carriers along with isolation and decolonization
is key to the control of many pathogens. This includes MRSA, Candida
auris and even COVID-19. In actuality, we should determine all the
bacteria which are present in a patient’s microbiome, both on
admission to healthcare facilities and nursing homes but also as
part of a physical examination.” The identification of individuals
carrying dangerous pathogens would be a good first step, said
Kavanagh. “If decolonization fails, sequestering the patient or
nursing home resident with others with compatible microbiomes may be
an option,” Kavanagh said. “However, staff should continue contact
precautions, so they do not become colonized and spread the
pathogens to the community and their home.”" Fierce Healthcare.
Apr. 12, 2023.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/not-your-fathers-decolonization-approach-cdc-seeks-new-weapons-against-antimicrobial
127. Mpox Emergence: A Review of the 2022-2023
Outbreak
“The clinical and epidemiological presentation of mpox has
changed,” Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of the Infection Control
Today® Editorial Advisory Board, explains. “Although not typically
considered a sexual disease, there is evidence that the virus can be
present in semen early in the disease, possibly during an
asymptomatic period. Although spread by this route has not been
firmly established, epidemiological data and the clinical
presentation of lesions support the contention that this can be a
major route of spread. Initial outbreaks were associated with gay
and bisexual men. In general, these communities had experience with
the HIV epidemics and had high acceptance of public health measures,
including vaccines. Working together with public health officials,
the mpox pandemic was brought under control. Unfortunately, during
the COVID-19 pandemic, the adoption of public health measures was
not uniformly embraced throughout our society. The response and
results achieved by the gay and bisexual communities to mpox should
be emulated by others when dealing with COVID-19. Infection Control
Today Feb. 23, 2023.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/mpox-emergence-review-2022-2023-outbreak
126. Study: Protection from prior COVID infection
almost as good as vaccines
In addition, researchers equated a two-dose mRNA vaccine to
prior infection and didn’t consider a booster, said Kevin Kavanagh,
president and founder of patient advocacy group Health Watch USA, in
an interview with Fierce Healthcare.
“I feel the meaning of the results of the study has been largely
misinterpreted,” Kavanagh said. “Infection may give similar or
greater immunity than a two-dose vaccine, but both are inadequate at
this point,” he adds. Those results don't impress Kavanagh, he said.
“If at the beginning of the pandemic, back in 2020, we announced
that a vaccine would give protection for about 10 months, that it
was only 36.1% effective in preventing infections with the tested
BA.1 variant, and it would be expected to be less effective with the
current circulating variants, few would view this as good news,” he
said. Kavanagh said “preventing hospitalizations and deaths is
important, but we now know that long COVID is also a grave concern,
one which can occur in mild disease. Data from the CDC Household
Pulse Survey indicates it is even more common in young and
middle-aged adults than those above the age of 60. The results of
the article underscore the necessity for both vaccinated and
previously infected to receive a bivalent booster to optimize one’s
immunity.” Fierce Healthcare. Feb. 22, 2023.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/study-argues-protection-prior-covid-infection-almost-good-vaccines
125. Do masks really protect against COVID-19? Meta-analysis
authors want to see more evidence
Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., the president and founder of the
patient advocacy group Health Watch USA who’s been closely following
and analyzing the pandemic from the beginning, cited The
Conversation in his rebuttal of the Cochrane Library’s findings.
“Meta-analysis is a less than optimal methodology to apply to the
issue of masking,” Kavanagh told Fierce Healthcare. “Almost all
included studies varied widely in their methodology, since it is
very hard to ethically have a non-masking control group.”
Kavanagh noted that in some of the studies in the meta-analysis,
individuals wore masks only part of the time and COVID-19 spread
throughout a building.
“Masks worn by an asymptomatic carrier also protect others, but this
was not evaluated in most of the studies,” said Kavanagh. “Negative
findings are not surprising in a meta-analysis with suboptimal
research assumptions and which includes studies with widely varying
methodologies.”
Kavanagh said that “surgical masks will not reliably stop an
airborne pathogen.” (However,) Kavanagh said: “After all masking and
public health measures stopped SARS-1 in its tracks in Toronto, I
would view (the Cochrane meta-analysis' findings) with a large
degree of skepticism.” Fierce Healthcare. Feb. 9, 2023.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/do-masks-really-protect-against-covid-19-meta-analysis-authors-want-see-more-evidence
124. How COVID-19 may have enhanced the status of preprint
studies
Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., is the founder and president of the patient
advocacy organization Health Watch USA. He’s also been keeping a
close watch on COVID-19 throughout the pandemic, often using
information from preprint studies. He was one of the first experts
to sound the alarm about Delta’s lethality, and early on noted that
COVID-19 doesn’t just affect the respiratory system, but other
organs in the body as well.
Kavanagh argued that “by the time journal articles are formally
reviewed and printed often the information will be outdated or lives
lost in the delay.” However, Kavanagh echoes Krumholz in saying that
preprint studies need to be handled with care, and the reader should
be able to spot shoddy research.
“Both the history of the authors and institution is very important
and of course you have to read the whole article, plus any comments
which are posted on the preprint’s webpage,” Kavanagh told Fierce
Healthcare. “Some journals have an open review process where anyone
can make and post comments during the formal review process of the
article. These steps should also be performed for articles that have
been formally published, since peer review is largely a volunteer
process and not an ironclad guarantee of quality.” Fierce
Healthcare. Jan. 27, 2023.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/how-covid-19-may-have-enhanced-status-preprint-studies
123. Providers jostle to lead way if FDA makes COVID vaccination
a yearly jab
So why are children still getting the original monovalent version of
the COVID-19 vaccine? That's a question Kevin Kavanagh, M.D.,
president and founder of patient advocacy organization Health Watch
USA, told Fierce Healthcare he wants to see answered.
Kavanagh said he worries about imprinting, where exposure to the
virus, whether it’s from a vaccine or infection, will determine the
type of immune response to all future exposures. This creates a
concern that those exposed only to the original variant, for
instance through the monovalent vaccine, will not produce as strong
a response and immune memory to new variants. “And this may also
limit then the immune system’s learning about how to respond to the
new infections when they’ve been imprinted with the original
variant,” said Kavanagh. “The advantage of imprinting to the body is
that it provides for a very rapid immunological response, but a
response that may not perfectly match the virus that individuals are
exposed to.” He expressed those concerns in a letter to VRBPAC ahead
of the Thursday meeting. Fierce Healthcare. Jan. 26, 2023.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/and-then-there-were-1-fda-weights-battling-covid-similar-battling-flu-1-yearly-jab
122. 268K people who died from COVID-19 in first 2
years of pandemic not included in official tally: study
Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., president and founder of patient advocacy
organization Health Watch USA, told Fierce Healthcare that “the
importance of having accurate data and the impact of COVID-19 for
our country’s workforce and our healthcare system cannot be
overstated.”
Kavanagh adds that “our healthcare system may not
be able to withstand the continued stresses of the pandemic,
transforming it into a dysfunctional system not able to take care of
heart attack or cancer patients during high rates of COVID-19. We
thus should not choose to understate the actual numbers and mitigate
the impact of the pandemic; this results in a lack of resources and
inhibits our ability to effectively confront the pandemic.”
Kavanagh said the “authors’ data and conclusions
further build on a mountain of evidence of the dangers of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Death certificate death numbers will greatly
underestimate actual COVID-19 deaths. Many COVID-19 deaths are going
uncounted and unnoticed since the public and policymakers seem
fixated on just those resulting from acute respiratory disease.”
“(Delayed deaths from Long COVID) would almost double the
total number of COVID-19 deaths,” said Kavanagh. “The vast majority
of these additional deaths are in COVID-19 negative patients and are
stealth deaths not reported to COVID fatality registries.” Fierce
Healthcare. Jan. 24, 2023.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/268176-people-who-died-covid-19-first-2-years-pandemic-not-included-official-tally-study
121. XBB COVID variant presents a unique threat: study
Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., is the president and founder of the
patient advocacy organization Health Watch USA and has kept a close
eye on COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. Kavanagh told Fierce
Healthcare that “the most disturbing finding in the study is that
this virus is a recombinant virus where two different genomes or
genetic materials from viruses were recombined, as opposed to a
chance mutation.” Kavanagh pointed out that the U.S. healthcare
system currently deals with the tripledemic of influenza,
respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19. Kavanagh said how,
in the summer, Texas Children’s Hospital had to deal with about 25
cases where children had been infected by RSV and COVID-19 at the
same time. “If viruses can start swapping genetic material, then the
sky is the limit on the number of variants and the various
characteristics which may be produced,” says Kavanagh. Kavanagh
stressed that a virus created through recombination “can make huge
leaps and bounds in changes in its characteristics in a very short
period of time. The fact that this has been observed is even more
concerning than this virus itself.” Fierce Healthcare. Dec. 28,
2022.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/xbb-covid-variant-presents-unique-threat-study
Recombination between viral species is rare but can occur as
outlined in a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
article entitled "Evidence that a plant virus switched hosts to
infect a vertebrate and then recombined with a vertebrate-infecting
virus."
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.96.14.8022
The rampant spread of three different viruses at the same time with
co-infections is very problematic. With viruses, rare events only
have to happen once to have a profound impact on society.
120. CDC tallies deaths from long COVID with new code
"The implementation of ICD–10 code U09.9 for cause-of-death
coding and standardized guidance for certification of these deaths
would facilitate more rapid ongoing surveillance of long COVID
deaths”.... "Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., founder and president of the
patient advocacy organization Health Watch USA, told Fierce
Healthcare that “death certificates vastly underestimate the
incidence of deaths. Unless there’s a checkbox or something on the
certificate for the disease, it is unlikely that it’s going to pick
up the underlying cause.” Kavanagh cites a study published in Nature
in April 2021 in which deaths from long COVID among patients in
Veterans Health Administration hospitals came to 0.839%, more than
twice as many as what NCHS researchers found.Kavanagh adds that
other studies have shown COVID affects almost every organ of the
body. Some common diseases that individuals die from include heart
disease, Alzheimer’s disease, lower respiratory disease, stroke and
diabetes. “All of which are known effects of the virus,” says
Kavanagh. “This virus affects the central nervous system, it causes
brain fog, cognitive problems. It causes hypercoagulation of the
blood, which can cause heart attacks. It’s well documented to
increase the chances of having diabetes.”" Fierce HealthCare. Dec.
14, 2022.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/cdc-touts-code-long-covid-death-certificates
119. Experts urge polio vaccination to ward off any
major resurgence
Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., president and founder of the patient
advocacy organization Health Watch USA, agrees with Vasan,
especially about the need for the healthcare system and society in
general to champion polio vaccination. Vasan stresses the importance
of a good public health system in the face of a polio outbreak.
Kavanagh agrees with that as well, but with a caveat.
“The thing that is very hard about public health is when they’re
successful, you don’t have disease,” Kavanagh told Fierce
Healthcare. “And so many people believe, ‘Well, it wasn’t needed. We
don’t need to get the vaccine.’ Unless people believe that public
health is vital and it’s something that they need to incorporate
into how they live their life plans (we will not be successful in
mitigating outbreaks).”
Kavanagh said, “unfortunately there are too many loopholes or
opt-outs for either religious beliefs or other reasons that allow
too many people to go unvaccinated. When that occurs in a large
community, then you’d have a number of individuals that are at high
risk of getting polio because you no longer have herd immunity.”
Kavanagh points out that over 85% of the population needs to be
vaccinated against polio before such herd immunity can take place.
“Unfortunately, 70% of infections can be asymptomatic and those not
vaccinated tend to have similar cultural views and encounter each
other socially. Another 25% of polio infections are mild. Only one
in 200 infections result in paralysis and of those 5% to 10% will
die.”
Most patients who contract the polio virus do well, and most do not
know they are infected. However, those who develop paralytic polio
face a devastating life-altering disease.
“The polio vaccine is safe and highly effective, which is why
everyone should become vaccinated,” said Kavanagh.
Fiercehealthcare Nov. 9, 2022.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/experts-urge-polio-vaccination-ward-any-major-resurgence
118. CDC advisory panel recommends adding COVID
vaccine to kids' routine immunization schedule
Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., founder and president of the patient
advocacy group Health Watch USA, told Fierce Healthcare that “this
is a step in the right direction. Children can still get sick from
this disease, and they commonly serve as a vector of transmission to
both teachers and parents. In addition, this virus poses significant
risks to children for long COVID, which we are just now starting to
learn about.” Fierce Healthcare. Oct. 20, 2022.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/cdc-advisory-panel-recommends-covid-vaccine-become-part-childs-vaccination-schedule
117. Highly evasive BQ.1.1 appears on CDC's COVID-19
variants charts for first time
Kavanagh said BQ.1.1 “appears to be doubling every week.
Data from CDC appears delayed in being posted on this variant. Once
it became apparent in the last few weeks that the variant is having
a significant impact, the data were separated.”
As far as his patient advocacy concerns, Kavanagh added that “this
underscores the importance of obtaining the bivalent BA.5 booster.
For most individuals, the benefits of the booster far outweigh
risks.” The take-up of the latest bivalent vaccine has been
lackluster, with fewer than 5% of eligible Americans getting
inoculated, according to the CDC. Kavanagh suggested that it might
be time to reconfigure variant grouping methods. “With different
lineages developing similar mutations and the myriad of concerning
mutations which are having an impact on viral infectivity and
severity, one may need to consider a different method of
classification, such as using levels of variant mutations,” he said.
“A Level 4 Variant would have 4 mutations of concern and a Level 6,
six mutations. This may produce a more rapid flagging of variants of
concern rather than waiting for data regarding the impact of
specific lineages.” Fierce Healthcare Oct. 17, 2022.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/highly-evasive-bq11-appears-cdcs-covid-19-variants-charts-first-time
116. Health insurers can run, but they can’t hide:
Tough long COVID coverage decisions on the horizon
Meanwhile, 14.9% of people 18 to 29 years old have
experienced long COVID, and 16% of those 30 to 39 years old have had
it, a point that’s too often overlooked, said Kevin Kavanagh, M.D.,
the president and founder of the patient advocacy organization
Health Watch USA. “This underscores the reason why using deaths and
hospitalizations to judge risks to the young is inappropriate
because a major risk is long COVID,” Kavanagh tells Fierce
Healthcare. “This also may well be true of younger children in
school.” Long COVID puts health insurers in a tough spot because
while there isn’t a test for individual patients “there are several
biomarkers along with changes on MRI scans on patient populations
which show that this is a true disease,” Kavanagh said. “One of the
main effects of COVID-19 are the biological and anatomical changes
it produces. They are associated with changes in memory and
concentration, as well as somebody’s personality and their
psychological well-being.” Fierce Healthcare. Oct. 10, 2022.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/health-insurers-can-run-they-cant-hide-tough-long-covid-coverage-decisions-way
115. MRSA resurgence reflects how COVID diminished quality
of care, says study
Kavanagh told Fierce Healthcare that the significance of
the study’s findings “is that it indicates that we need to motivate
facilities to support and maintain experienced healthcare staff and
create safe working environments rather than normalizing bad
outcomes through risk adjustment.” He added that “what the study
shows is that the increase in MRSA may not be directly related to
COVID-19 but to the delivered care which was hobbled in facilities
by the COVID-19 pandemic.” The inevitable rejoinder that some
experts and policymakers might make is: How are we going to pay for
this? To which Kavanagh responds: “We can’t afford not to because
the cost to society, patients and healthcare workers is too great.
And unless facilities create a safe workplace, they’re not going to
be able to overcome their staffing shortages which will impact their
bottom line. They’ll be less profitable, and patients and staff will
be injured.” Fierce Healthcare. Sept 30, 2021.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/mrsa-resurgence-reflects-how-covid-diminished-quality-care-says-study
114. New COVID-19 variant's spread draws concern from
CDC
Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., the president and founder of the
patient advocacy organization Health Watch USA, has been closely
following the pandemic since it first emerged. “This variant is
obviously outcompeting our current major variants, but it is too
soon to say whether it will have a significant impact on the United
States,” he told Fierce Healthcare. “Currently, regions of our
country have different rates of vaccination and a different history
of exposure to past variants. Thus, the impact seen in one region
does not translate to another, and it is anyone’s guess if BF.7
rapid growth will continue.” Kavanagh says that the emergence of new
COVID-19 variants “is continuing evidence that herd immunity is not
possible. With the high mutation and infection rates of SARS-CoV-2
we will continue to see viral evolution designed to avoid both
natural and vaccine immunity. As we adapt, so does the virus. We
must keep our immunity as high as possible and do everything we can
to avoid reinfections with the concomitant risk Long COVID that can
occur even in the young with mild disease.” Fierce Healthcare. Sept
21, 2022.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/new-covid-19-variant-causes-concern
113. Biden declares the COVID-19 pandemic over as
experts keep wary eye on potential fall surge. By Frank Diamond
Deborah Birx, M.D., who served in the Trump administration as the
White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, last Thursday
addressed a conference hosted by the consumer advocacy organization
Health Watch USA. She warned of COVID-19 surges coming in the fall
(which officially arrives this Thursday). “This was just last week,”
she said of a slide showing where COVID seems to be surging. “I call
your attention to Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Northern
Alabama, and Mississippi, and Northern Louisiana. You can see the
surges. There’s a high potential for community spread. And this is
just after schools have started.” Nonetheless, Birx said,
there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about the battle against
COVID. “We have 21st century tools and knowledge to keep every
American safe from hospitalization and death,” Birx said.
Those include vaccination and testing, although she cautioned that
that’s not enough to protect vulnerable family members. Other
measures include proactive testing through surges and immediate
administration of Paxlovid if the individual is at-risk for
significant disease. She also urged the use of N95 masks for at-risk
individuals and maintaining proper airflow in buildings.
Fierce Health Care. Sep 19, 2022
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/biden-declares-covid-19-pandemic-over
112. Immunity Lessons From COVID-19: Natural Infection
vs Vaccination
Several of those studies focusing heavily on natural and
vaccination immunity were conducted by Laith Jamal Abu-Raddad, PhD.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Infection Control Today®
(ICT®), Ab-Raddad discussed some of these studies about immunity,
vaccination hesitancy, and his presentation titled, "Immune
protection of COVID -19 vaccination and natural infection," at the
"Frontline Worker Safety in the Age of COVID-19: A Global
Perspective” a Health Watch USA Webinar on September 14, 2022.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/immunity-lessons-covid-19-natural-infection-vs-vaccination
111. Health plans will soon be footing the bill for
COVID-19 shots, tests
“The loss of [governmental] financial support for
vaccinations and testing can only be expected to fuel the pandemic,”
Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., founder and president of the patient advocacy
group Health Watch USA, said in an interview. “At this point, it is
unclear to what extent this shortfall will be picked up by employers
or private health insurance coverage. The final cost of the vaccine
is also unknown, especially in view of the recent suit filed by
Moderna over alleged patent infringement by Pfizer and BioNTech.
However, for insurance companies, it is in their best interest to
have patients vaccinated and avoid the costs associated with
hospitalizations and long COVID. The same is true for private
businesses whose workforce is placed at risk by this disease.”
Fierce Healthcare. Aug. 29, 2022.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/health-plans-prepare-cover-covid-19-vaccine-tests
110. Monkeypox: Birx Says We Are Not Ready for a New
Pandemic
Ambassador Deborah Birx, MD, told Infection Control Today®
exclusively, “Every mistake that we made with COVID-19 in January
and February of 2020, repeated in real time with monkeypox.”
Infection Control Today. Aug. 18, 2022.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/monkeypox-birx-says-we-are-not-ready-new-pandemic
109. Birx: Every New Infection, Loss Should be
Considered a Failure of US Medical Infrastructure
Ambassador Deborah Birx said in an exclusive interview with
ICT® that there are “extraordinary structural barriers in the US to
access” medical care. Individuals may have insurance, but they
cannot access care. Ambassador Deborah Birx, MD, will be presenting
about this topic, titled, “COVID-19 USA - Lessons and new tools to
improve workplace safety “at the Frontline Worker Safety in the Age
of COVID-19: A Global Perspective” a Health Watch USAs Webinar on
September 14, 2022. Birx is a world-renowned medical expert and
leader whose long career has focused on clinical and basic
immunology, infectious disease, pandemic preparedness, vaccine
research, and global health. Birx also served as a US Army Colonel
and later, running some of the most high-profile and influential
programs at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
and US Department of State. Infection Control Today.
Aug. 17, 2022.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/birx-every-new-infection-loss-should-be-considered-failure-us-medical-infrastructure
108. The 16th annual conference will highlight
speakers from around the globe, offer continuing education credits,
and will be held as a webinar on September 14, 2022.
“We are very pleased to have a number of world renown
speakers ranging from Professor Lidia Morawska, one of Time
Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world, regarding her
work on the aerosolization of SARS-CoV-2; and Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly who
had published a string of groundbreaking articles in Nature
regarding the long-term effects of long COVID,” Kevin Kavanaugh, MD,
MS, and the Board Chairman for Health Watch USA told Infection
Control Today®. “The conference also will not be without examining
the impact of lessons learned and a critical look at the United
States' response by Dr. Deborah Birx and Sweden’s response by Dr.
Nele Brusselaers. Other topics will include an examination of
personnel protective equipment, including masks, surface
disinfection, vaccines, and natural immunity. The event will
conclude with presentations regarding the increasing incidence of
workplace violence and a panel discussion on the inertia and
barriers encountered in our health care system to correct many of
the problems." Infection Control Today. Aug. 4, 2022.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/the-2022-health-watch-usa-conference-will-examine-frontline-work-safety-during-covid-19
107. J.D. Power: Mail-order pharmacies a growing
threat to brick-and-mortar retailers
Kevin Kavanagh, M.D., founder of the patient advocacy group
Health Watch USA, sees the benefit of more care being provided at
pharmacies, noting that the COVID-fighting oral antiviral pill
Paxlovid “can produce life-threatening drug interactions with a
number of commonly prescribed medications, including cholesterol
medications and anticoagulants. A pharmacist is the key healthcare
professional to advise on the needed medication adjustments.”
Kavanagh notes that not too many years ago, the only health service
that a pharmacy might provide would be blood pressure readings. He
predicts that “in the future, we will see treatments and testing for
other common diseases spill over to the pharmacy and allied
healthcare providers. A1C monitoring for diabetes and home testing
for MRSA carriers are examples.” And while Amazon’s home delivery
network represents a threat to any industry, even pharmacy, Kavanagh
believes that many patients “will not want to wait for up to a day
for their COVID-19 test and medication, and having a local
healthcare provider who can readily consult with your physician when
needed is a distinct advantage.”
Fierce Healthcare. Aug. 2, 2022.
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/retail/jd-power-mail-order-pharmacies-growing-threat-brick-and-mortar-retailers
106. Free At-Home COVID Tests on Way for Medicare
Beneficiaries
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control Today®’s
Editorial Advisory Board, said that while he’s happy about CMS’
plan, he also added that “when the problem was detected, most had a
hard time believing it even existed. Why would Medicare not pay for
home tests when private insurance did, and the elderly were the
highest risk for COVID? This rule change will help with future
variants, but the Omicron surge will likely have subsided before a
Medicare recipient can obtain a free home test kit at a pharmacy.”
In the meantime, Medicare beneficiaries can order 4 free at-home
tests by going to covidtests.gov. Infection Control Today. Feb. 3,
2022.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/free-at-home-covid-tests-on-way-for-medicare-beneficiaries
105. ‘Stealth Omicron’ Starting to Get Noticed,
Setting Off Some Alarms
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control Today®’s
Editorial Advisory Board, agrees. “With the large number of new
mutations, I feel BA.2 should be viewed as a new variant,” says
Kavanagh. “The variant appears to outcompete Omicron.” Even if
individuals infected with stealth Omicron turns out to have only
“mild COVID-19”—a term Kavanagh has argued is a misnomer—if it
nonetheless also turns out to be more infectious than original
Omicron, that will cause even more disruptions to medical supply
chains and add more burden to already overstressed health care
systems. “I feel we can all agree that the speed with which
these new variants are developing is causing unsustainable stress on
our society,” says Kavanagh. “We need to all implement public health
strategies to slow down spread, which will also slow down the
emergence of additional variants.” Infection Control Today.
Jan. 24, 2022.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/-stealth-omicron-starting-to-get-noticed-setting-off-some-alarms
104. COVID-19 Infecting White Tail Deer To Create
Transmission Danger
This could be particularly problematic when it comes to
trying to control COVID-19 spread and mutations, a point made by
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, in a Q&A with Infection Control Today® (ICT®)
last November. Talking about a study done by the US Department of
Agriculture (DOA) on white-tail deer, Kavanagh—a member of ICT®’s
Editorial Advisory Board—said that “the deer apparently live with
COVID-19 quite well, but, yet rapidly spread it amongst the herds.
And that’s actually very problematic, because if it finds a host
that it doesn’t make sick, but yet it can mutate and change and then
reinfect other animals and plus mankind, that is one of the
worrisome scenarios that could take place.” Infection Control Today.
Jan. 17, 2022.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/covid-19-finds-home-in-deer-where-it-can-mutate-into-a-new-variant
103. U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Health Care Worker
COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, another ICT® EAB member, has long
called for vaccine mandates for health care workers. In a Viewpoint
in April 2021, Kavanagh wrote: “If you work in a health care
facility, you need to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. If you
choose not to become vaccinated, then you should choose not to be
working in a health care setting.” Infection Control Today.
Jan. 14, 2022.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/top-court-upholds-health-care-worker-covid-19-vaccine-mandate
102. What Infection Preventionists Must Do in
Current Omicron Crisis
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, another ICT® EAB member, says that “it
is even more imperative for us to up our mask protection with the
highly infectious Omicron variant. A high-quality mask which fits
well is required."
The best option is the N95, says Kavanagh.
"Even if not formally fit tested its performance can still be high,
if worn properly. One study by MacIntyre CR, et al. even observed in
a randomized controlled trial (published in Influenza and Other
Respiratory Viruses) that ‘there was no significant difference in
outcomes between the N95 arms with and without fit testing’ and
‘non‐fit‐tested N95 respirators were significantly more protective
than medical masks against CRI (chronic respiratory illnesses).’”
Kavanagh says that all frontline workers and the public need to “be
careful to make sure there is a good fit even if the mask is not
formally fit tested. A mask placed over an N95 may hold the mask
tighter to the face and assure an even tighter fit. This is
important if the N95 is used repeatedly, and the elastic bands are
beginning to stretch. Surgical masks will also offer some
protection, but they are much harder to fit and require a second
mask to hold them against the face.” Infection Control Today. Jan.
13, 2022.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/what-infection-preventionists-must-do-in-current-omicron-crisis
101. Cloth Masks Are Useless Against COVID-19 (Redux):
Omicron Version
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of ICT®’s Editorial Advisory
Board, said at the time (April 2020) that while cloth masks might
not keep someone from catching COVID-19, they may help prevent them
from spreading it. In an article in May 2020 in ICT®, Kavanagh wrote
that “when one exhales, coughs or sneezes, the particles are fairly
directional and directed into the mask. One study estimated that
cloth masks can stop up to 90% of droplets…. And over 100 countries
now recommend the wearing of cloth masks by the public.” But what a
difference a new COVID-19 variant can make. Kavanagh’s advice in
2020 had been tailored to the original variants of COVID-19, Alpha
and Beta. When Delta appeared, Kavanagh altered his advice to fit
the new reality. In a Q&A with ICT® in July 2021, Kavanagh said that
“we need to be wearing respirators or N95s. Cloth masks, surgical
masks with holes on the sides—those will not work.” Kavanagh has
been ahead of the curve when it comes to predicting what the
unpredictable SARS-CoV-2 might hit us with next. Infection
Control Today. Jan. 12, 2022.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/cloth-masks-are-useless-against-covid-19-redux-omicron-version
100. Delta, Omicron Coinfection Could Create a
Super-Variant
Delta and Omicron coinfection is one of several concerns
voiced by Paul Burton, MD, the chief medical officer at Moderna, to
a panel of lawmakers in the United Kingdom.
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control Today®’s Editorial
Advisory Board, wrote recently that “those who are not vaccinated or
immunosuppressed are at risk for severe disease. Just these
additional patients alone could easily collapse our overrun health
care system. A transitory collapse has already happened in many
regions of our nation during this pandemic which resulted in needed
and sometimes urgent non-COVID-19 care to be delayed and sometimes
unavailable.” Infection Control Today. Jan. 10, 2022.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/delta-omicron-coinfection-could-create-a-super-variant
99. With few masks, will 2022 Kentucky legislative
session be a COVID-19 super-spreader event?
Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset physician, who
follows COVID-19, called holding a legislative session without masks
and regular testing "ill-advised." "Unfortunately, they are setting
an example for their constituents," said Kavanagh, chairman of the
patient advocacy group Health Watch USA. "I think we need to try to
have everybody trying to follow public health advice and not
spreading the virus." Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset
physician, who follows COVID-19, called holding a legislative
session without masks and regular testing "ill-advised."
"Unfortunately, they are setting an example for their constituents,"
said Kavanagh, chairman of the patient advocacy group Health Watch
USA. "I think we need to try to have everybody trying to follow
public health advice and not spreading the virus." Courier Journal.
Jan. 7, 2022.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/ky-general-assembly/2022/01/07/2022-kentucky-legislative-session-potential-covid-19-super-spreader/9103795002/
98. ‘Omicron the Pandemic Killer’ Idea Ignores Dangers
of Long COVID
As noted by Kevin Kavanagh, MD, another member of ICT®’s
EAB, a core difficulty in society’s attempt to guide COVID-19 from
pandemic to endemic is that COVID is not just a respiratory virus.
Kavanagh wrote in October that SARS-CoV-2 is similar to HIV because
it can “silently spread throughout the host’s body and attack almost
every organ.”
Kavanagh writes that “much of the abandonment of public
health measures has been spurred by a massive disinformation
campaign which has successfully convinced a relatively large portion
of our population that as long as one lives through COVID-19 all
will be well. The young and healthy have especially embraced this
narrative.” It is a false narrative, Kavanagh warns, because “the
premise that mild infections do not carry significant risks is
false. In part this belief is driven by those who have not died from
COVID-19 being counted as ‘recovered’ as opposed to ‘survived’.
SARS-CoV-2 causes a system infection and is commonly detected in the
heart and brain, exemplified by the loss of smell from brain tissue
destruction and loss of cardiac function from myocarditis. Even
those who develop ‘mild’ COVID-19 can develop long COVID-19 which in
many cases lasts for a year or longer.” Infection Control
Today. Jan. 4, 2022.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/-omicron-the-pandemic-killer-idea-ignores-dangers-of-long-covid
97. President Biden Vows Help for COVID-Swamped
Hospitals
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control Today®’s
Editorial Advisory Board calls Biden’s planned response to Omicron a
“good start,” but says that the U.S. needs to be doing so much more
than expanding hospital capacity, and testing. “It is
essential that we stress preventing infections,” says Kavanagh.
“This includes ample N95 masks available for the public, social
distancing, upgrading indoor ventilation and stressing the use of
home delivery and curbside pickup.” Kavanagh also cited an
issue he’s focused on before: what he calls confused messaging about
boosters. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been
inching its way toward saying that an individual will need 3 doses
of a vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated, but hasn’t made that
leap yet. “It needs to be clearly stated that with waning of
immunity, if you need a booster it is paramount you obtain one to
give you protection against severe disease,” says Kavanagh.
“Currently, if you become infected by Omicron there is a scarcity of
effective monoclonal antibodies. We must develop the ability to
rapidly produce and deploy monoclonal antibodies which are optimized
for variants…. Remember approximately 3 percent of our population is
immunocompromised and very susceptible to SARS-CoV-2.”
Infection Control Today. Dec. 21, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/president-biden-vows-help-for-covid-swamped-hospitals
96. COVID-19 spread on heels of tornadoes stirs fears
of looming crisis
Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset physician who
follows COVID-19 infection, said testing is important to track the
spread of COVID-19 in the area. But he said prevention is most
important, especially in the area affected by tornadoes. "I think
they need to concentrate on keeping them from being infected," said
Kavanagh, chairman of the patient advocacy group Health Watch USA.
"The virus is heartless, it is absolutely heartless. It does not
care that these are stricken, frail individuals." Courier Journal.
Dec. 21, 2021.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2021/12/21/covid-spread-in-tornado-ravaged-kentucky-stirs-fears-looming-crisis/8969520002/
95. They’re Back: In Face of Omicron, Hand Hygiene,
Social Distancing, Masking Needed
ICT® EAB member Kevin Kavanagh, MD, this week wrote just
what that could mean in the US. “The US has a low rate of
vaccination and obtaining boosters, and a relatively large segment
of our population is elderly or immunocompromised,” Kavanagh wrote.
“A 2-dose mRNA vaccine's immunity appears to rapidly wane and unlike
South Africa, many in the US were fully vaccinated very early in the
pandemic.” Kavanagh early on in the pandemic predicted that COVID-19
would become endemic for a lot of reasons, including the fact that
it can infect animals and can jump from humans to animals and back
to humans again in a different form. That seems to be the case with
Omicron.
“Omicron did not mutate from Delta, it arose from a completely
different evolutionary path,” Kavanagh wrote. “There is concern that
Omicron arose in rodents, which were initially infected by humans,
and then the virus jumped back into the human population. This
etiology is supported by the plethora of different mutations, seven
of which are associated with transmission between rodents.”
Infection Control Today. Dec. 16, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/they-re-back-in-face-of-omicron-hand-hygiene-social-distancing-masking-needed
94. Prior COVID Infection Less Likely to Stop Omicron,
Says Study
Omicron is three times more likely to reinfect people than
Delta, according to a study out of South Africa where the latest
iteration of COVID-19 first surfaced on November 25.
Citing a study by Alexis R. Demonbreun, et al., Kevin Kavanagh, MD,
a member of Infection Control Today®’s Editorial Advisory Board,
wrote last week that “as an initial goal in coping with COVID-19, we
must prevent our health care system from being overrun. If the
infectivity, lethality, and immune avoidance of the Omicron variant
is confirmed, it will be of utmost importance that all who can,
become vaccinated, including those who have had past COVID-19.”
Infection Control Today. Dec. 5, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/prior-covid-infection-less-likely-to-stop-omicron-says-study
93. ‘You Dirty Rat’: Experts Posit That Omicron
Hatched in Rodents
The number of mutations to the spike protein in Omicron
suggest a very different evolutionary trail than had been seen in
other iterations of COVID-19, say some experts. STAT talks to Robert
Garry, PhD, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Tulane
Medical School, who says that 7 SARS-CoV-2 mutations allow it infect
mice and rats, and all 7 can be found in Omicron.
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control Today®’s (ICT®’s)
Editorial Advisory Board, has sounded the alarm for months about the
dangers posed by the fact that COVID-19 can jump from humans, to
animals, and them back again (or vice versa), and pick up more
mutations along the way. Kavanagh most recently noted this
possibility in a Q&A with ICT® on November 22. In that interview,
Kavanagh said that “deer apparently live with COVID-19 quite well,
but, yet rapidly spread it amongst the herds. And that’s actually
very problematic, because if it finds a host that it doesn’t make
sick, but yet it can mutate and change and then reinfect other
animals and plus mankind, that is one of the worrisome scenarios
that could take place.” Kavanagh has thought that the idea is
plausible for some time. Back in January 2021, Kavanagh noted that
the reason we’ll need to learn to deal with endemic COVID-19, and
not something that can be completely eradicated with a vaccine—such
as smallpox—is that SARS-CoV-2 can jump from humans to animals and
back again. “The problem is, if you have animal hosts, if your
immunity drops––and it will over a couple of years––they’ll just
reinfect you,” Kavanagh said in a Q&A with ICT®. “The idea of going
out getting infected and the virus will go away, that’s not going to
happen. It’ll get better, infections will drop dramatically, [and]
we can return to a more normal life. But I think right now, it’s
going to be pretty much endemic either in animals or in ourselves.”
Kavanagh again cited the danger posed by animal hosts in an article
that he wrote for ICT® in August, when concern arose over that the
more lethal Lambda variant, which displayed earmarks of potentially
evading antibodies produced by vaccines or prior infections, and
might be able to shove aside the dominant Delta variant. (That
didn’t happen.) In that article, among other things, Kavanagh cited
a study by the United States Department of Agriculture that showed
that 40% of 385 samples taken from white tail deer were positive for
SARS-CoV-2. Kavanagh noted that white tail deer are abundant near
urban settings and that “this is very problematic; control may
involve special handling and precautions when around deer, or even
possible culling.” Infection Control Today. Dec. 3, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/-you-dirty-rat-experts-posit-that-omicron-hatched-in-rodents
82. As Omicron Spreads, CDC Says Adults 18 and Older Should
Get a Booster
Still, the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath—an aftermath
that might extend for decades, if fears about long COVID pan
out—raises a host of ethical questions, as Kevin Kavanagh, MD, and
another member of ICT®’s EAB, put it in a recent interview. Kavanagh
said that “one person with COVID-19 can spend months in the ICU,
which would prevent 10 or 20, non-COVID-19 cases from going to the
ICU, whether it’s for a coronary bypass, or just angioplasty, or
getting a cancer procedure. You have 10 or 20 times the number of
patients that can’t get care for other serious illnesses.”
Infection Control Today. Dec. 1, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/as-omicron-spreads-cdc-says-adults-18-and-older-should-get-a-booster
91. Vaccines That Target Omicron Reportedly in the
Works
The current vaccine will not be effective enough against
Omicron. “I think it’s going to be a material drop,” Stéphane Bancel
(CEO of Moderna) tells the Financial Times. “I just don’t know how
much because we need to wait for the data. But all the scientists
I’ve talked to . . . are like, ‘This is not going to be good.’”
As Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control Today®’s
Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) wrote yesterday, some 30 mutations in
Omicron are on the spike protein. Vaccines strengthen that protein
to enable the body to fight off the virus. Making the formula for a
new vaccine is a relatively easy and speedy process thanks to mRNA
technology. No more long periods of culturing in petri dishes in
laboratories; a computer can print out the new formula.
“I’ve been told they can design a new vaccine in three days,”
Kavanagh told ICT® in a Q&A on July 27. “And that’s great news, but
you can’t make 300 million doses and get them in arms that quickly,
especially when you have half of the country being anti-vaxxers and
not wanting to take the vaccine.” Full vaccine development & testing
may take approximately 3 months.
As Kavanagh, Linda Spaulding, RN-BC, CIC, CHEC, CHOP, and another
member of ICT®’s EAB, and other experts have expressed to ICT®, the
speed with which COVID-19 attacks continues to catch the health care
system off guard. Infection Control Today. Nov. 30,
2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/vaccines-that-target-omicron-reportedly-in-the-works
90. Enter Omicrom: New COVID-19 Variant Spreads Alarm
Although not much has been disclosed about Omicrom so far,
its appearance made the WHO label it a variant of concern and caused
a cascade of travel restrictions around the world.
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control Today®’s Editorial
Advisory Board, says that “although there is scant data being shared
with the public to draw definitive conclusions, the swift actions
taken by governments throughout the world indicate an extremely high
level of concern.”
Kavanagh says that while scientists strive to find out more about
Omicrom, “initial reports are that it is more transmissible,
possibly more lethal and is highly mutated having a plethora of
different immunity escape mechanisms.”
Kavanagh also points to the reaction to the variant by the WHO, the
US, and other nations.
“It is evident by actions, that world governments have grave
concerns,” says Kavanagh. “The World Health Organization has just
classified this variant as a ‘variant of concern’, only the fifth
time it has done so….
What made the Delta variant so deadly was its infectiousness.
Omicrom, says Kavanagh, “appears to be spreading fast and has been
already found in Hong Kong, Belgium and Israel. Travel restrictions
have been imposed by the United Kingdom, European Union along with
Japan and Singapore have ordered travel bans on travelers from
southern Africa,” says Kavanagh. Infection Control Today. Nov. 26,
2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/enter-omicrom-new-covid-19-variant-spreads-alarm
89. FDA Could Approve COVID-19 Boosters for All Adults
Today
For some experts—such as Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of
Infection Control Today®’s Editorial Advisory Board—the approval of
booster shots seems like a no-brainer. On October 25, in an ICT®
article headlined “COVID-19 Boosters Need to Be Encouraged,”
Kavanagh wrote that “the disagreement over who should get a booster
is not one of interpreting science, but one over the goals of giving
boosters. As with most other infectious diseases, many feel the goal
should be the prevention of disease and spread of disease, not just
hospitalizations and deaths. The term ‘mild COVID-19’ is an
oxymoron. The devastating long-term effects of long COVID, along
with future emergence of cardiovascular disease in those with
minimal initial symptoms, reminds us that all SARS-CoV-2 infections
may pose grave dangers to those who contract the virus.”
The question for Kavanagh and other experts isn’t whether the FDA
and CDC will approve booster shots for all adults, but whether that
goes far enough. Kavanagh, too, has been looking at “what other
countries are doing.” In an ICT® article headlined “Confused
Messaging About Boosters Might Cause 5th Wave of COVID,” that was
posted on the ICT® website on Monday, he notes that “because of
waning immunity Israel started offering boosters to those over 60
years of age on July 30, 2021, and then extending this to all adults
over 50 a few weeks later. By August 28, 2021 children as young as
12 were being encouraged to obtain boosters.”
As Kavanagh notes, in terms of vaccination rates, this puts the US
“behind 50 other countries, including Cuba, Sri Lanka, Curacao,
Fiji, Mongolia, Bhutan, and Cambodia, let alone the European
Nations. This is very concerning with the looming AY.4.2 variant and
the high rates of infections this variant is causing in the United
Kingdom.”
Infection Control Today. Nov. 18, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/fda-could-approve-covid-19-boosters-for-all-adults-today
88. Gov. Andy Beshear authorizes COVID-19 booster shots for
all Kentucky adults
Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset physician who
monitors and writes about COVID-19, said expanding access to booster
shots is important with studies showing waning immunity and
increasing breakthrough infections among vaccinated individuals. "I
think that's a very wise idea," said Kavanagh, chairman of the
patient advocacy group Health Watch USA. "Right now, immunity is
waning. Everyone who's vaccinated needs to get a booster." Also,
Kavanagh said everyone not vaccinated should get vaccinated
immediately, even if they've already had COVID-19. Simply having had
COVID-19 doesn't ensure immunity and having the infection carries
the risks of what's known as "long COVID" — debilitating, lasting
effects from the virus including fatigue, headaches, memory loss and
other health problems. "Even those mildly affected can develop
lasting symptoms of COVID," Kavanagh said. Without broader
vaccination against COVID-19, including booster shots, Kentucky and
other states are at risk of yet another outbreak of infection
similar the one that struck in July, as the delta variant continues
to circulate, he said. "Unless the rate of people who get boosters
increases, I think we'll be in for another surge in cases," Kavanagh
said. Courier Journal. Nov. 17, 2021.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2021/11/17/beshear-authorizes-covid-vaccine-booster-shots-all-kentucky-adults/8653861002/
87. ‘Son’ of Delta Variant on Scientists’ Radar
The UK Health Security Agency says that as of September 27,
about 6% of sequencing tests in the UK tested positive for the Delta
descendant—AY.4.2—which some scientists estimate may be 10% more
infectious than original Delta.
AY.4.2 certainly concerns Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection
Control Today®’s Editorial Advisory Board. “There is no doubt that
while we celebrate and throw caution to the wind, with Delta
infections rapidly decreasing in many areas of the United States,
quietly and unseen SARS-CoV-2 is desperately trying to mutate in
order to wreak further havoc,” says Kavanagh. “It is like watching a
science fiction horror movie. I cannot tell you how it is going to
end.” Infection Control Today. Oct. 20, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/-son-of-delta-variant-on-scientists-radar
86. As COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and
mortality rates head downward, pediatric SARS-CoV-2 rates rise, and
nursing homes can again become disaster zones. And remember: Winter
is coming.
COVID-19 will be with us always, as more and more medical
experts conclude that it’s endemic, a point that Kevin Kavanagh, MD,
a member of Infection Control Today®’s (ICT®’s) Editorial Advisory
Board (EAB), has been making for well over a year. And herd immunity
doesn’t seem likely either, what with a constantly mutating virus,
something that Kavanagh asserted back in April 2020. Kavanagh said
told ICT® in January that “one of the things that’s really
frustrated me with this epidemic and pandemic is that people are
totally focused on dying…. But in actuality, the disabilities are
much, much more concerning because that is even affecting the young
people.” Infection Control Today. Oct. 13, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/the-young-the-old-and-covid-19
85. More Data Assert Vaccination Reduces COVID-19
Spread
University of Oxford investigators used contact tracing to
conclude that vaccinated individuals are less likely to spread
COVID-19 even if they become reinfected. Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a
member of Infection Control Today® ‘s (ICT®’s) Editorial Advisory
Board says that the study shows that boosters need to be offered to
offset the waning effectiveness of vaccines. “Stopping the spread of
disease is a high priority not only to prevent severe acute illness
and long COVID but also to prevent viral mutations,” says Kavanagh.
“Vaccines appear to be a vital strategy in lowering the R0 of
SARS-CoV-2 below 1.0 and should be used in combination with surgical
or N95 masks, social distancing, testing, contact tracing and
improvements in building ventilation.” Infection Control Today. Oct.
5, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/more-data-assert-vaccination-reduces-covid-19-spread
84. Study Boosts Importance of COVID-19 Booster Shots
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control Today® ‘s
(ICT®’s) Editorial Advisory Board says that the Pfizer/BioNtech
Lancet study “confirms the need to administer boosters to all with
waning immunity. Stopping the spread of disease is a high priority
not only to prevent severe acute illness and long COVID but also to
prevent viral mutations. Vaccines appear to be a vital strategy in
lowering the R0 of SARS-CoV-2 below 1.0 and should be used in
combination with surgical or N95 masks, social distancing, testing,
contact tracing and improvements in building ventilation.” Intection
Control Today. Oct. 5, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/how-infection-preventionists-can-battle-misinformation
83. Long COVID-19 Spreads Wide Toxic Net That Includes
Kids
One of those experts is Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of
Infection Control Today®’s (ICT®’s) Editorial Advisory Board who, in
a Viewpoint published Monday, forcefully described the differences
between COVID-19 and the flu. “Unlike influenza, SARS-CoV-2 uses
ACE2 receptors to infiltrate cells,” Kavanagh wrote. “Similar to
HIV, SARS-CoV-2 can silently spread throughout the host’s body and
attack almost every organ.”
Kavanagh warned that COVID-19 “is affecting kids and kids can be
affected long term. The idea of focusing on deaths is absolutely
ludicrous. I know patient after patient and my friends also have
been affected. They are developing long COVID. And I’m talking about
arrhythmias, chronic coughs. One has her hair falling out two to
three months after the infection. It is not good. This is causing
heart disease, myocarditis, vasculitis in a number of patients.”
He added: “I need to ask you this. Do you really want to have our
children as the guinea pigs to find out what the Delta variant’s
going to do? Because let’s face it, we are confronted with a more
contagious, a more lethal virus that’s more apt to affect the
young.” Infection Control Today. Sept. 30., 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/long-covid-19-spreads-wide-toxic-net-that-includes-kids
82. Beginning of the End? Some Experts Predict
COVID-19 Will Recede
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control Today®’s
Editorial Advisory Board, says that “many were talking” about the
chart above, but not everybody had the same interpretation. “The
graph appears to be an old model which was entirely not correct,”
Kavanagh tells ICT®. “It predicted that COVID-19 would be gone by
this August. This did not happen. Instead, we got Delta. Predicting
the future of COVID-19 is like predicting the stock market.
Unfortunately you have two unknowns; one is future human behavior
and the other is viral mutations. The wide range of future
projections from IHME illustrates this dilemma.”
Kavanagh also warns about comparing COVID-19’s behavior to that of
the flu. He told ICT® in a Q&A in early August that “this is not the
flu. You see countries that have had mass graves. I mean, how many
times have you seen mass graves from the flu? You just don’t see
it.” Kavanagh has also argued that vaccinations must be seen as just
one layer to the type of mitigation that will help the world return
to pre-COVID-19 normal. He says social distancing, isolation
precautions, lockdowns, hand hygiene and, especially, masking must
be included. Infection Control Today. Sept. 23, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/beginning-of-the-end-some-experts-predict-covid-19-will-recede
81. Kentucky lawmakers offer conspiracy theories, debunked
claims during COVID special session
Kavanagh noted few lawmakers are wearing masks during the current
legislative session even though public health guidelines recommend
them for indoor spaces. "This is a very dangerous message to send
during this surge," he said. Kavanagh said Tate's reliance on VAERS
is misplaced.
"Just in Kentucky, we've had almost 8,000 deaths from COVID-19," he
said. "I know of many people who have lost loved ones. I don't know
anybody who died from the vaccine." Courier Journal. Sept. 9, 2021.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/ky-legislature/2021/09/09/kentucky-lawmakers-covid-special-session-spout-conspiracy-theories/5768699001/
80. COVID-19 Is a Disease of Unvaccinated: What Does That Mean
for Schools?
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, another member of ICT®’s EAB, recently asked if
the US should adopt an elimination strategy for COVID-19. “In
Beijing the total cases in an outbreak were reported to be less than
10. China used over 100 million tests to eradicate what would be
classified as a very small outbreak by US standards,” Kavanagh
wrote. He added that the US “may need to pivot as a nation to an
elimination strategy and break the cycle of repeated waves of deaths
and disabilities caused by emerging variants.”
An article written by Kavanagh posted to ICT®’s website yesterday
looks at the same MMWR study that Popescu looked at. Kavanagh notes
that the COVID-19 virus infected two of the four children in the row
at the very back of the classroom. The virus is aerosolized and that
stopping the spread would have required a social distancing of more
than 6 feet, never mind the 3 feet that schools now maintain between
students.
“There were also another 8 cases identified in parents and siblings
demonstrating that children at school can be significant vectors for
spreading COVID-19,” Kavanagh wrote. “The students also wore masks,
illustrating that masking as a sole intervention is inadequate.
Masks need to be upgraded to well-fitted medical grade, KN95 or N95
masks, along with testing of all students and staff twice weekly,
and better school ventilation. Even with these strategies the virus
may still be expected to cause outbreaks, necessitating the need for
smaller class sizes, podding, hybrid classes and teleschooling.”
Kavanagh circles back to elimination strategy.
“After the Delta surge subsides, another surge is expected, possibly
from the mu variant,” Kavanagh wrote. “If mu completely escapes
immunity from vaccines and past infections, we must resort to
stringent public health strategies. Eventually, the United States
may need to adopt an elimination strategy, sacrificing short-term
for long-term societal benefits. But whatever strategy is adopted,
all Americans must embrace public health measures, or we will not be
successful in viral mutations and the pandemic.” Infection Control
Today. Sept. 7, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/ovid-19-is-a-disease-of-unvaccinated-what-does-that-mean-for-schools-
79. Gain-of-Disfunction? Research Method Comes Under Fire
“Gain-of-function research on viral pathogens is one
of the most dangerous academic endeavors which can be undertaken by
mankind,” says Kavanagh. “Just the gain-of-function research on
avian influenza has the potential of wiping out large percentages of
the world’s population. It is hard to imagine a benefit which
justifies the risk, but when one is identified such research should
only be undertaken with an assumption that a lab accident may occur.
There must be a viable plan which has a very high probability of
success for containment of any escaped pathogen and the
identification and quarantining of exposed personnel, without a risk
of spreading to the general population.”
Such a “viable plan” that Kavanagh refers to seems to have been in
place when investigators with Osaka University in Japan recently
created the pseudo-virus Delta 4+ in making the case that future
mutations in the Delta variant could help it to evade antibodies in
COVID-19 vaccines. Kavanagh says that the Osaka University research
“is an example of gain-of-function research using a pseudo-virus
which is extremely beneficial.”
In this example, gain-of-function research may have helped sound the
alarm, Kavanagh adds. “The research reported that the Delta virus is
one mutation away from fully escaping the vaccine.” Infection
Control Today. Aug. 30, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/gain-of-disfunction-research-method-comes-under-fire
78. Can Kentucky medical professionals lose their licenses if
they spread disputed COVID claims?
"At a minimum, I feel that the medical licensure board
should make a public statement on standards they think physicians
should follow," said Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset
physician and author of a
Courier Journal opinion piece calling some of Paul's vaccine
claims "reprehensible." Courier Journal. Aug. 30, 2021.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2021/08/30/what-happens-kentucky-doctors-who-make-disputed-covid-19-claims/5572479001/
77. Future Delta Variant Mutations Seem to Elude Vaccine
Antibodies
Although the data are preliminary, Kevin Kavanagh, MD,
a member of Infection Control Today®’s Editorial Advisory Board,
says that the findings warrant attention. “This report is an example
of gain of function research using a pseudo-virus which is extremely
beneficial,” Kavanagh tells ICT®. “The research reported that the
Delta virus is one mutation away from fully escaping the vaccine. It
is possible that those infected with the Delta variant may have a
degree of immunity, but those vaccinated or who had COVID-19 with a
previous variant will be at high risk for a significant
reinfection.” Infection Control Today. Aug. 27, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/delta-variant-mutations-seem-to-elude-vaccine-antibodies
76. Vaccines Not as Effective Against Delta Variant, say CDC
Data
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control
Today®s (ICT®)’s Editorial Advisory Board, made the same argument on
July 27 in ICT® in a Q&A headlined “Everybody Needs to be Vaccinated
and Wear a Mask.” Kavanagh said that “I am convinced this virus is
about one or two iterations away from completely avoiding the
vaccine. And remember, we have the lambda variant and the kappa
variant which are sitting out there in the wings, waiting for
immunity to drop and possibly cause another wave.” Infection
Control Today. Aug. 25, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/vaccines-not-as-effective-against-delta-variant-says-cdc-data
75. Why Wait 8 Months for a COVID-19 Booster Shot?
As ICT® reported, Israel—which launched its booster
shot program in the beginning of August—is offering booster shots to
people 60 and older who’d had their second dose of vaccine 5 months
prior.
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of ICT®’s Editorial Advisory Board
analyzed and translated the data by the Ministry of Health Israel
and about 3 weeks before the US announced its booster shot plan
wrote that the US should begin a similar program immediately.
Kavanagh said in an email to ICT® that “with the Israel data email
ICT® published showing that individuals greater than 60 years old
and 5 months out from full vaccination plus the recent New York
Times data showing that between 12% to 25% of hospitalizations are
breakthrough infections, one must ask the question: Why wait 8
months for boosters? This underscores the importance of using the
vaccine as a layer of armor and not a panacea. Those vaccinated at
the same time need to wear N95 masks and avoid indoor settings.”
Infection Control Today. Aug. 20, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/why-wait-8-months-for-a-covid-19-booster-shot-
74. COVID-19 Boosters Shots for US Adults Coming in September
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of ICT®’s Editorial
Advisory Board writes in an email to ICT® that the move “comes as a
surprise to many since just a few weeks ago people were being
assured that breakthrough infections are ‘extremely rare’, less than
1% in all reporting states. Why the 180-degree pivot? The answer is
delta and data provided from the Ministry of Health Israel (MHI).
The MHI reported that there was only a 16% Pfizer vaccine
effectiveness in preventing symptomatic infections after 5 months
post vaccination. And in the group of patients who are over age 60
and more than 5 months since vaccination, a breakthrough infection
is associated with a 8.6% incidence of hospitalization and a 2%
incidence of death.” Infection Control Today. Aug.
18, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/covid-19-boosters-shots-for-us-adults-in-the-works
73. COVID-19 Booster Shots Alone Might Not Stop Delta and
Other Variants
Booster shots alone won't turn away the pandemic. The
way back to our normal lives involves a multi-pronged approach to
infection prevention.
But that won’t be enough, Kavanagh argues in an article scheduled to
be printed in an upcoming issue of ICT®.
“SARS-CoV-2 has continued to evolve,” Kavanagh writes. “It has now
become evident that with each emerging variant, the virus has
appeared to progressively become more infective. Variants which
increase viral load may also increase transmissibility and the
opportunity to mutate, along with overwhelming a host’s immune
system and becoming more virulent.” And there seems to be wave after
wave of variants.
Kavanagh adds that “to make matters worse, SARS-CoV-2 is infecting a
number of animals, including cats, large cats, dogs and gorillas.
Most recently, concern has been raised that it may have found an
animal host in white tail deer, with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies
identified in 40% of surveyed animals.”
Kavanagh has always said that COVID-19 vaccines alone are not a
panacea in stopping the pandemic. And although booster shots are
crucially important, one should also not rely on booster shots
alone, either.
There must be a multi-pronged approach to COVID-19 if we have any
hope of returning to our pre-COVID normal lives, Kavanagh writes in
his article. That includes:
1) Upgrade recommendations for mask usage and to use N95 or
KN95 masks whenever possible.
2) Everyone who can needs to become vaccinated. Similar to
Israel, we should fast track approval for mRNA boosters to those who
are at higher risk, including those who are immunosuppressed and
over the age of 60 and 5 months out from vaccination.
3) Upgrade building ventilation systems to increase air
exchanges and air sanitization.
4) Expand testing capabilities to be able to test frontline
workers and school children at least twice a week, and other workers
at least once a week.
5) Limiting sizes of gatherings, including podding in schools
and plans for permanent hybrid instruction to limit class sizes.
6) Businesses, including restaurants, need to offer online
ordering along with curbside pickup and when possible, home
delivery.
Everyone needs to be vaccinated. Mandatory vaccines should be
required in many settings, including health care. Vaccine passports
or green cards are being implemented in Israel and France and need
to be implemented in the United States. Infection Control
Today. Aug. 17, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/covid-19-booster-shots-alone-might-not-stop-delta-and-other-variants
72. 2-Dose COVID-19 Vaccines Work Against Delta Variant, Says
Study
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control
Today®’s Editorial Advisory Board, notes that “the data from the
United Kingdom which reports that the Pfizer mRNA vaccine is 88%
effective against symptomatic infections appears to be in stark
contrast to the 41% effectiveness reported by the Ministry of Health
in Israel. The difference can be explained by waning of immunity
over time and the vaccine dosage schedule in the two countries.”
Israel was one of the first countries to administer vaccines to
their population and has a dosage schedule similar to the US. The
UK, on the other hand, spaced the 2 doses apart by up to 3 months,
says Kavanagh.
“Thus, most in Israel completed their vaccination schedule far ahead
of those in the United Kingdom,” says Kavanagh. “Israel is currently
administering boosters to those above the age of 60 and more than 5
months since vaccination. The United Kingdom is planning to start
booster shots in September.” Infection Control Today.
Aug. 12, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/-dose-covid-19-vaccines-work-against-delta-variant-says-study
71. Put COVID-19 to the Test
ICT® EAB member Kevin Kavanagh, MD, asserts that “as
we are learning more about the Delta variant and how it can evade
immunity, causing breakthrough infections, we realize that expanding
our testing activities is imperative. In Germany, everyone in
schools and industry are tested twice weekly.”
Kavanagh also points out that in the United Kingdom, people who live
where the Delta variant is spreading are encouraged to get tested
twice a week, and China tests every citizen in Wuhan.
“We need to do much more testing, and we also need to monitor the
accuracy of our tests on each of the new variants,” says Kavanagh.
Infection Control Today. Aug. 10, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/put-covid-19-to-the-test
70. CDC study of Kentuckians disputes Rand Paul, Thomas Massie
claims about COVID-19 immunity
"Paul, a Bowling Green physician, has been especially
outspoken on the subject. In a May opinion piece in The Courier
Journal, he blasted "petty tyrants in government" for pushing
vaccines and arguing there are no studies showing "any benefit at
all" to vaccination for those who have had COVID-19.
.... But retired Somerset physican Kevin Kavanagh, who sharply
criticized some of Paul's claims about the vaccine as
"reprehensible" in a Courier-Journal opinion article, said in an
email Monday that vaccines are even more essential amid the spread
of the delta variant. "With the emergence of new variants,
reinfections can and are occurring," said Kavanagh, chairman of the
patient advocacy group Health Watch USA. "No one wants to become
repeatedly infected with a deadly virus." " Courier Journal.
Aug. 9, 2021.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2021/08/09/cdc-study-disputes-rand-paul-thomas-massie-covid-immunity-claims/5536638001/
69. Some Experts See a Peak, Steep Decline of Delta Variant
Coming
As experts have been telling ICT® for months now, we control
our destiny. Kevin Kavanagh, MD, another member of ICT®’s EAB
member, puts it this way: “I am convinced this virus is about one or
two iterations away from completely avoiding the vaccine. And
remember, we have the lambda variant and the kappa variant which are
sitting out there in the wings, waiting for immunity to drop and
possibly cause another wave.” Other experts echo Kavanagh’s “we the
people” approach to getting back to some semblance of our
pre-pandemic lives. Infection Control Today. Aug. 6, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/some-experts-see-a-peak-steep-decline-of-delta-variant-coming
68. As US Reaches Vaccine Milestone, Question of COVID Booster
Shots Persist
Israel announced last week that it will be the first country to
offer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to citizens 60 and older, and
that effort officially began last Sunday. As Infection Control
Today® (ICT®) reported Monday, booster shots for older Americans
might be something the United States will soon undertake.
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of ICT®’s Editorial Advisory Board,
said this morning that “Israel was one of the first countries to
vaccinate a majority of its citizens. They used a dosage schedule
similar to the United States. Recent data from the Ministry of
Health in Israel has shown that immunity is waning in those over 60
years of age who have received their second dose of the vaccine 5
months ago.”
Regarding booster shots, Kavanagh says that “in the United States
our most vulnerable, along with nursing home residents, were given
vaccinations early on in the pandemic. They are at risk of breakthrough
infections with significant morbidity and mortality. Similar to the
policy in other countries, I feel that the United States needs to
administer boosters to our most vulnerable, before we see a repeat
of last year's devastation in nursing homes caused by the Delta
variant.” Infection Control Today. Aug. 4, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/s-us-reaches-vaccine-milestone-question-of-covid-booster-shots-persist
67. CDC: 74% of COVID-19 Cases in Cluster Happened Among
Vaccinated
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control Today®’s
Editorial Advisory Board urged early this week in a Q&A with ICT®
that, as the headline to the article put it: “Everybody Needs to be
Vaccinated and Wear a Mask.”
About the MMWR study, Kavanagh said that “this outbreak makes the
Israeli data which we reported on Wednesday look overly optimistic.
In the Cape Cod outbreak, the vaccine appears to have had little
efficacy in the prevention of infections or symptomatic disease. The
data that we have today indicates the vaccines are highly effective
in preventing hospitalization, severe disease and death. But it
needs to be remembered that even those with mild infections can
develop long COVID. A small study out of Israel which studied health
care workers who had a vaccine breakthrough infection found 19% had
symptoms greater than 6 weeks.”
Five people were hospitalized, and 4 of them had been fully
vaccinated. Kavanagh pointed out that “the Delta variant is much
more infectious, producing 1000 times more virions than the wild
type of virus. And the viral load of individuals with breakthrough
infections was the same as those who are not vaccinated. This
outbreak occurred in a highly vaccinated area. We all need,
regardless of where you live, you need to wear medical grade masks
(preferably N95s) and become vaccinated.” Infection Control
Today. July 30. 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/cdc-74-of-covid-19-cases-in-cluster-happened-among-vaccinated
66. Centers for Disease Control releases new mask guidance.
Here's what it means for Kentucky
Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset physician and chairman
of Health Watch USA, a non-profit patient advocacy organization,
said the CDC should have acted sooner to try to mitigate the spread
of the Delta variant by recommending masks in most indoor settings.
"They're leading from behind," he said. "I think our state of
Kentucky needs to get its own policy. We need to do what is required
to protect our citizens."
Kavanagh said masks should be worn in indoor settings where people
are exposed to others outside their households. While vaccinated
individuals are less likely to experience symptoms or serious
illness, they could still spread it to others, he said.
And the longer the virus circulates, the more likely it is to mutate
into even more dangerous forms that could evade the vaccine.
"We're in grave danger," he said. "This virus is out to win."
Courier Journal. July 27, 2021.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2021/07/27/amid-covid-delta-variant-surge-cdc-issues-new-masking-advice/5386431001/
65. CDC Expected to Tighten Masking Rules for Fully Vaccinated
One of the experts who challenged the CDC’s guidelines is Kevin
Kavanagh, MD, a member of the ICT®’s Editorial Advisory Board who
just last week in an opinion piece implored the agency to take a
different approach to COVID-19.
“We need to have a paradigm shift in the way we view this virus,
planning and implementing strategies to allow us to live with an
endemic pathogen,” Kavanagh wrote. And in a Q&A posted to ICT®’s
website this morning with a headline—“Everybody Needs to be
Vaccinated and Wear a Mask”—that may prove to be prescient, Kavanagh
said that he’s “convinced this virus is about one or two iterations
away from completely avoiding the vaccine. And remember, we have the
lambda variant and the kappa variant which are sitting out there in
the wings, waiting for immunity to drop and possibly cause another
wave.”
But, as Kavanagh said, it’s the Delta variant that’s really changed
the nature of the battle against COVID-19. The CDC relaxed masking
guidelines for the fully vaccinated based on data taken from
previous iterations of the coronavirus. Kavanagh said that his
biggest concern is that “everybody’s in the mindset that this
pandemic is over with. We don’t need to do anything else. And if
you’re vaccinated, you have a get-out-of-jail card, and you can go
on with your life as if it was normal. And with this Delta variant,
nothing could be further from the truth. I feel it is imperative
that everyone, even those vaccinated, start wearing masks and start
following public health strategies, which were followed over the
surge of the winter holidays. I can’t stress that more.” Infectin
control Today. July 27, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/cdc-expected-to-tighten-masking-rules-for-fully-vaccinated
55. Can Providers be Blamed for Losing Patience with
Vaccine Hesitant?
EAB member Kevin Kavanagh, MD, has written extensively for ICT®
about that dangers posed by COVID-19. Kavanagh points out that
compassion fatigue can always pounce because poor decisions made by
patients necessitates much of health care treatment.
“Vaccination rates are not only low with the public but also with
health care workers,” Kavanagh points out. “All need to realize that
the public looks up to health care workers for guidance and many
have cited the example of unvaccinated workers as influencing their
decision.”
Kavanagh adds that people need to keep in mind that many health care
workers are suffering from post-traumatic stress, as ICT® reported
in its May cover story.Kavanagh adds that people need to keep in
mind that many health care workers are suffering from post-traumatic
stress, as ICT® reported in its May cover story.
“Ideally, counseling and time off of work is desperately needed,”
says Kavanagh. “Unfortunately, this is not possible and we will be
soon facing a health care worker shortage. The solution is for
everyone who can, to become vaccinated and we all need to adopt
strict public health strategies. And for all to support, however
possible, our frontline workers.”
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/can-providers-be-blamed-for-losing-patience-with-vaccine-hesitant-
54 . Lambda Variant of COVID-19 Might Be Resistant
to Vaccines
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of ICT®’s Editorial
Advisory Board, argues that the emergence of the lambda variant
underscores the need to consider vaccines just 1 layer of protection
against COVID-19 infection, and that they should be combined with
masks and goggles.
“It needs to be remembered that a high-quality mask or respirator
can decrease viral exposure up to sixfold, making them an important
adjunct to vaccines with reduced efficacy,” Kavanagh tells ICT®.
“Our goal needs to be to prevent both death and long-term
disability.”
Slow the spread and the mutations of COVID-19, Kavanagh urges. And
though there may be very few cases of the lambda variant in the
U.S., it still “underscores
the need for travel restrictions, including quarantining of
returning [travelers], regardless of vaccination status,” says
Kavanagh. “We also need to pivot away from our current two-tiered
advisories regarding vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. With
the lambda and Delta variants we all should become vaccinated plus
follow public health advice.”
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/lambda-variant-of-covid-19-might-be-resistant-to-vaccines
53. COVID-19 Isn’t Done with Us Yet, Medical Experts
Warn
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control
Today®’s (ICT®) Editorial Advisory Board, worries that the
unvaccinated put others at risk, if not of death from COVID-19, but
from long COVID. Kavanagh worries that far from being a return to
pre-COVID normal, when the pandemic finally recedes it will leave a
destructive overload of disabilities behind.
“We need to have as much diligence in preventing chronic disability
in the young as we do in preventing deaths in the elderly,” Kavanagh
tells ICT®. Kavanagh’s concern dovetails with those of the author of
a study in Circulation in April with the ominous title: “Avoiding
the Coming Tsunami of Common, Chronic Disease: What the Lessons of
the COVID-19 Pandemic Can Teach Us.” Infection Control Today.
July 20, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/covid-19-isn-t-done-with-us-yet-medical-experts-warn
52. COVID-19 Case Counts Surge in 46 States
Medical experts have been warning for weeks that this
could happen. Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control
Today®’s (ICT®) Editorial Advisory Board, pointed out just yesterday
that the stage has been set for another COVID-19 surge. “Beating
back infection is a numbers game: viruses against antibodies,”
Kavanagh wrote. “If the virus changes its armor so the antibodies
cannot attach, it develops an advantage. However, it can also
produce viruses which are more efficient at attaching to and
invading cells, or simply just produce a lot more viruses,
overwhelming the system.”
Kavanagh has also mentioned the dangers posed by long COVID-19, and
how the young are not immune to that problem. “One of the things
that’s really frustrated me with this epidemic and pandemic is that
people are totally focused on dying…. But in actuality, the
disabilities are much, much more concerning because that is even
affecting the young people.” Infection Control Today.
July 14, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/covid-19-case-counts-surge-in-46-states
51. Infectious Disease Organizations: Health Care
Workers Must be Vaccinated
Back in April, Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of
Infection Control Today®’s Editorial Advisory Board, wrote in an
opinion piece in ICT® that health care workers who refuse to get the
COVID-19 vaccine put vulnerable patients at risk, an act Kavanagh
described as “reprehensible.” Kavanagh wrote that “if you work
in a health care facility, you need to be vaccinated against
SARS-CoV-2. If you choose not to become vaccinated, then you should
choose not to be working in a health care setting.” Infection
Control Today. July 13, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/infectious-disease-organizations-health-care-workers-must-be-vaccinated
50. It’s Not Over: As Delta Variant Preys on the
Unvaccinated, Long COVID Settles In
Then there’s the risk posed by long COVID. Kevin
Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control Today®’s Editorial
Advisory Board, told ICT® in a Q&A in January that “one of the
things that’s really frustrated me with this epidemic and pandemic
is that people are totally focused on dying…. But in actuality, the
disabilities are much, much more concerning because that is even
affecting the young people.” Other health care experts have begun to
echo Kavanagh’s concerns. Infection Control Today. June
25, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/it-s-not-over-as-delta-variant-preys-on-the-unvaccinated-long-covid-settles-in
49. Kentucky COVID-19 restrictions end Friday,
signaling hope and a return to normalcy for many
Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset physician and
chairman of Health Watch USA, a non-profit patient advocacy
organization.
Kavanagh is particularly concerned about the spread of variants, or
mutations, of COVID-19, that tend to spread among unvaccinated
populations and are more contagious and possibly, more dangerous.
A variant from the explosion of cases in India, known as the Delta
variant, has surfaced in the United States in increasing numbers,
but because of limited testing and analysis, it's not clear how
widespread it is, he said.
"We don’t know where the Indian variant is or isn’t," he said. "We
are flying blind and if you're flying blind, I tend not to want to
get on the plane."
Kavanagh thinks officials should go more slowly in easing
requirements such as mask-wearing until a greater percentage of the
population is vaccinated.
"They are exceedingly safe vaccines that are highly effective," he
said. Courier journal. June 11, 2021.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2021/06/11/kentucky-mask-mandate-expected-to-end-signaling-hope/7604229002/
48. As Delta Variant Rises, Hospital Suspends 178
Employees for Not Getting Vaccinated Against COVID-19
Contacted this morning by ICT®, Kavanagh expressed
concern with how the CDC’s going about informing the public about
the COVID-19 variants. “The CDC's government webpage on variants
still lags behind the CDC/NIH funded Scripps research site of
outbreak.info,” Kavanagh said. “Even today the Delta Variant was not
included in the CDC Website Table Listing Variants of Concern and
state specific data on this variant is absent. The latest data which
you can obtain by a mouse over on the bar graph lists the prevalence
of the Delta Variant as 2.5%. This is much less than the data in the
NPR story of over 6% and less than the outbreak.info listing of 19%”
There’s little doubt as to which side of the Houston Methodist
Hospital debate Kavanagh comes down on. The headline for an article
published on the ICT® website on April 22 sums it up: “Viewpoint:
Health Care Professionals—Get Vaccinated or Get Out.” In it,
Kavanagh wrote that “if you work in a health care facility, you need
to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. If you choose not to become
vaccinated, then you should choose not to be working in a health
care setting.” Infection Control Today. June 9, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/as-delta-variant-rises-hospital-suspends-178-employees-for-not-getting-covid-vaccinated
47. Memorial Day Musings in the Shadow of COVID-19
As Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control
Today®’s (ICT®) Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) put it, we still
don’t know the actual number of health care workers who’ve died from
COVID-19 because “no one is truly counting. The reporting of their
deaths is voluntary.”
As Kavanagh has pointed out, surviving COVID-19 should not be the
sole benchmark. Of the health care workers who’ve gotten mild to
moderate COVID-19, between 10% and 30% can be expected to have
long-term symptoms. “In addition, the reported deaths would mainly
represent those who died in the acute phase of the illness,”
Kavanagh says. “It has recently been reported that 8 deaths per 1000
of non-hospitalized cases of COVID-19 can occur between 30 to 180
days after diagnosis. These cases died from detrimental effects on
multiple organs and may not have been counted as COVID-19 deaths.
All of these frontline workers have given their lives and livelihood
for our safety and need to be remembered during this Memorial Day.”
Infection Control Today. May 31, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/memorial-day-musings-in-the-shadow-of-covid-19
46. CDC Study Might Nudge Vaccine Hesitant Health
Care Workers
As Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of ICT®’s Editorial
Advisory Board (EAB) put it recently: “It’s hard to convince a
patient to become vaccinated when they were just escorted to the
room with a nurse who did not have the vaccine.” Infection
Control Today. May 18, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/cdc-study-might-nudge-vaccine-hesitant-health-care-workers
45. Wuhan Lab Leak Called Viable Possibility for COVID-19
Pandemic
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control Today®’s
Editorial Advisory Board, says that “the assertion that the virus
was purposefully released is probably not valid since the epicenter
of the epidemic was in a highly populated portion of China and the
country did not have a workable vaccine.”
“There appears to be little doubt that, like the rest of the world,
the Wuhan lab was experimenting on coronaviruses,” says Kavanagh.
“On May 11 of this year
Senator Rand Paul questioned the White House
regarding 'gain of function' research, research which would be
expected to make the viruses more dangerous and more transmissible.
This research was also mentioned in a
Presidential Fact Sheet:
Activity at the Wuhan Institute of Virology from the Trump
Administration which apparently has not yet been refuted by the
Biden Administration.”
Kavanagh says that “this subject of research in the Wuhan Lab has
been almost taboo in the mainstream media. However, the construction
of man-made (pseudo) virus is presently an exact science, with
single amino acid substitutions possible. Similar to vaccine
production, you just need to be able to input the genetic code you
desire and a vaccine or pseudo-virus can be made.”
What Kavanagh refers to what he describes as a “chilling article” by
authors affiliated with China's National Institutes for Food and
Drug Control (NIFDC) and WHO Collaborating Center for
Standardization and Evaluation of Biologicals. “This article
describes a plethora of single amino acid substitutions in the spike
protein from 106 pseudo-virus which resulted in ‘ten mutations such
as N234Q, L452R, A475V, and V483A was markedly resistant to some
mAbs’ and that ‘the dominant D614G itself and combined with other
mutations are more infectious.’” The D614G variant was the dominant
variant in the United States in 2020. Infection Control Today. May
18 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/lab-leak-called-viable-possibility-for-covid-19-pandemic
44. Seemingly Mixed Messages About Indian COVID-19
Variant Given br />
As Infection Control Today® has been reporting, the
CDC has been criticized for doling out information during the
COVID-19 pandemic that has often been contradictory, when it’s not
been out and out wrong. Last October in a Q&A, Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a
member of ICT®’s Editorial Advisory Board, said that “there have
been a number of statements from the CDC or at least with the CDC
label on it, which have been disturbing.” Infection Control Today.
May 12, 2021
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/seemingly-mixed-messages-about-indian-covid-19-variant-given
43. CDC Relaxes Mask-Wearing Guidelines for Fully Vaccinated
Individuals
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control
Today®’s Editorial Advisory Board, recently wrote that the wearing
of masks should continue until herd immunity is reached.
When contacted about the CDC announcement, Kavanagh told ICT® in an
email exchange that people should approach the changed guidance with
caution.
“We still have over half of our population not fully vaccinated and
one cannot tell who is and who is not vaccinated,” Kavanagh said.
“And because of aerosolization of the virus, how close you are to
someone will not gauge indoor safety. Airflow and sanitization is of
utmost importance.” Infection Control Today. May 13, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/cdc-relaxing-mask-wearing-guidelines-ap-reports
42. Kentucky nursing home with deadly COVID-19
variant outbreak identified as Rowan facility
Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset physician and
chairman of Health Watch USA, a non-profit patient advocacy
organization, said the impact of the virus could worsen for those
who are vaccinated as more variants of COVID-19 develop and spread.
Genome sequencing identified the strain as an "R.1" variant, or
mutation, of COVID-19 that bore some similarities to variants
identified in other countries but was not identical. The report said
the mutation had not been previously identified in Kentucky.
Kavanagh said the vaccine should be mandatory for staff who work at
nursing homes. "No one has the right to inflict a devastating
disease on a frail, elderly person who has entrusted their life to
them," he said. Courier Journal. May. 4, 2021.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2021/05/04/kentucky-nursing-home-deadly-covid-19-variant-outbreak-morehead-site/4935105001/
41. Louisville health officials worried about
post-Kentucky Derby spike in COVID-19 cases
Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset physician and
chairman of Health Watch USA, a non-profit patient advocacy
organization, said he is concerned about the potential for the Derby
and related events, such as parties or crowds at bars, to increase
the spread of COVID-19. He said he was particularly concerned about
images from the weekend of people crowded together both inside and
outdoors. “It’s just a set-up for a super-spreader event,” Kavanagh
said. “If you get close to someone with COVID-19, even outdoors, you
have a risk of getting infected.” Moreover, the continuing spread of
variants, or mutations of the virus — largely among unvaccinated
people — increases the risk of catching a new, more contagious and
possibly more dangerous form of COVID-19. “I know that’s doom and
gloom,” he said. “We’ll just have to wait a couple of weeks and see
what happens.” Courier Journal. May 4, 2021.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2021/05/04/louisville-health-officials-worry-over-possible-post-kentucky-derby-covid-19-spike/7003404002/
41. CDC cites COVID-19 outbreak at Kentucky
nursing home in urging more staff to be vaccinated
"Still, Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset
physician and and chairman of Health Watch USA, a non-profit patient
advocacy organization, said it may be a luxury society can't afford
as variants of COVID-19 spread that are considered more contagious
and may be more deadly. "You shouldn't be allowed to advocate for
your civil rights at the expense of elderly patients," he said. And
as variants spread among largely unvaccinated people, so does the
threat of another surge of COVID-19, he said. "I think we're going
to be in for a huge rebound of the virus if people don't get
vaccinated," he said." Courier Journal. Apr. 22, 2021.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2021/04/22/cdc-cites-kentucky-nursing-home-covid-19-outbreak-vaccination-push/7332528002/
40. Ky. pauses use of one-dose coronavirus vaccine
over rare side effects; Beshear worries federal advice will have
negative impact
"Dr. Kevin Kavanaugh, an infection-control activist
who leads the Somerset-based watchdog group Health Watch USA, said
we need "to be very careful that the enemy of the good is not
better."
Kavanaugh first noted that these severe episodes have occurred in
less than one in a million people and then said to his knowledge the
J&J vaccine was the only one so far that had been field tested in
people with the South African variant and found to be effective. "So
all things combined, personally I would still be willing to take the
Johnson and Johnson vaccine," he said." Kentucky Health News.
Apr. 13, 2021.
https://kyhealthnews.blogspot.com/2021/04/ky-pauses-use-of-one-dose-coronavirus.html
39. The Kentucky Derby 2021 and COVID-19: Is it
safe to attend? Health experts weigh in
"I think we should be focusing on following good
public health advice instead of opening up more," said Dr. Kevin
Kavanagh, a retired Somerset physician and chairman of Health Watch
USA, a non-profit patient advocacy organization.
Kevin Kavanagh is a retired physician from Somerset, Kentucky, and
chairman of Health Watch USA.
"We're almost there, almost there to the end," Kavanagh said. "What
we don't want to have happen is to spread the virus and have a
mutation that can evade the vaccines totally. Then we're in big
trouble." Courier Jounral. Apr. 6, 2021.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/events/kentucky-derby/2021/04/01/kentucky-derby-2021-safety-amid-covid-19/7004531002/
38. 'No unknown soldiers': How Kentucky missed
over 600 deaths from COVID-19
"A disease like COVID affects every organ of the
body," said Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired physician from Somerset
and chairman of Health Watch USA. "A lot of COVID patients die from
heart attacks."
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2021/03/25/covid-19-deaths-audit-finds-662-more-kentucky-cases/6973083002/
37. Ungar L. For Spring Season, Young Athletes Get
Back in the Game Despite Covid Risk
Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, an infection control expert in
Kentucky who runs the national patient safety group Health Watch
USA, said contact sports are “very problematic,” especially those
played indoors. He said heavy breathing during exertion could raise
the risk of covid even if students wear cloth masks. Ideally, he
said, indoor contact sports should not be played until after the
pandemic. “These are not professional athletes,”
Kavanagh said. “They’re children.” Ungar L. Kaiser Health News. Mar.
16, 2021.
https://khn.org/news/article/young-athletes-return-to-team-sports-despite-covid-risk-spring-season/
36. Diamond F. Possible New COVID Variant Causes
Outbreak in Highly Vaccinated Nursing Home.
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control
Today®’s Editorial Advisory Board, wrote in a viewpoint that CMS’
relaxing of the restrictions on visiting was a mistake. Kavangh
wrote that “this recommendation appears to assume that herd immunity
is reached at 70%. This figure appears to be even a low community
estimate for obtaining herd immunity. And certainly, will not be
true for spread which occurs in an indoor setting with poor
ventilation and high resident contact; let alone that which is
needed for to achieve herd immunity with the new variants.”
Infection Control Today. Mar. 16, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/covid-variant-spreads-among-kentucky-nursing-home-residents
35. Medicare-Certified Long-Term Care Visitation
Update: New Guidance
Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset physician who
heads Health Watch USA, which focuses on infection control, objected
to the new government guidelines.
He told Kentucky Health News that he had many concerns,
including rules that allow visitation to continue as soon as one
round of testing is completed and reveals no cases after a new case
is identified. "That doesn't work," he said. "You've got a long
incubation period and we saw that in the Rose Garden" event Sept. 26
for new Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, which led to
several Covid-19 cases.
Kavanagh also objected to the part of the federal
guidance that will allow visitation in certain units of a home that
have tested negative for the virus, while closing other units that
still have active cases. Because the virus is aerosolized, he said,
it can spread through the home's ventilation system to other units.
"That's kind of like smoking in the back of an
airplane," he said. "This thing's aerosolized. That doesn't work."
He added, "These are our highest risk individuals. . .
. This virus is relentless, it does not care. And we cannot set up
the elderly in an unsafe situation, especially when vaccines are
available. If people want to visit the elderly, they should get
vaccinated."
He expanded on his concerns in an op-ed for Infection
Control Today titled, "Nursing Home Guidance Endangers Elderly."
Kentucky Health News. Mar. 11, 2021.
https://kyhealthnews.blogspot.com/2021/03/medicare-certified-nursing-homes-will.html
34. People Vaccinated Against COVID-19 Can Mingle
Maskless Again
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, said: “Relaxation of adivsements
will come as a welcome relief. All are weary of living under public
health restrictions. Obtaining both doses for the Pfizer/BioNTech
and Moderna vaccines is essential, since this is what will give
protection to the variants. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is single
dosage and even with this, its clinical trials demonstrate excellent
protection against severe disease caused by the South African
variant. The duration of vaccine induced immunity is a concern,
especially for effectiveness against the South African and Brazilian
variants. Thus, even if you become fully vaccinated, a booster may
still be advised in the future.” Infection Control
Today. Mar. 8, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/people-vaccinated-against-covid-19-can-mingle-maskless-again
33. Montana health director nominee once faced
criticism over Kentucky's hepatitis A outbreak
Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Kentucky physician who
runs the national watchdog group Health Watch USA, is among those
who said Meier and his team needed to do more early on to curb the
hepatitis outbreak as it made its way into Appalachia. Kavanagh said
Meier’s handling of the outbreak provides a window into how he might
handle the COVID crisis in Montana.
“But it could be a learning opportunity if failed strategies are
corrected,” Kavanagh said. “The biggest question is: What did he
learn in Kentucky?” Courier Journal. Feb. 27, 2012.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2021/02/27/montana-health-director-nominee-adam-meier-led-during-kentucky-hepatitis-outbreak/6850713002/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/03/01/looking-kentuckys-past-understand-montana-health-nominees-future/6873126002/
32. Leaked video more comical than incendiary, but
coach's conduct raises coronavirus concerns
“When you have two individuals indoors without cloth
masks, that is a set up for transmission, which can be a disaster
for the individuals in close contact,” said Dr. Kevin Kavanagh,
board chairman of Health Watch USA. “When they are public figures,
it sets a bad example and may encourage other Kentuckians to do the
same.” “I don’t know what that means,” Kavanagh said. “Testing
is not a for-sure guarantee that you won’t get transmission. Even
vaccination is not for sure, especially with the new variants.
“One needs to do both masking and social distancing and when you’re
indoors there’s a possibility neither will be effective because this
virus can aerosolize.” Americans grow increasingly susceptible
to COVID-19 fatigue, tempted to cut corners and resume life as we
once knew it. As vaccines are distributed and immunity increases,
Kavanagh says, “I’m very worried that as a society we’re declaring
victory and letting our guard down.” Courier Journal.
Feb. 21, 2021.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/louisville/
2021/02/21/sullivan-macks-conduct-after-
louisville-win-raises-covid-19-concerns/4533748001/
31. Legislators tell Beshear they’ll talk with him after votes
to override vetoes; he says ‘See you in court,’ warns of fourth
surge in cases
"In an opinion piece for the Courier Journal, Dr.
Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset physician and the chairman of
Health Watch USA, walks through the dangers of the coronavirus
variant that originated in the United Kingdom, noting that it may be
70% more infectious, 30% more lethal and more likely to infect
children. He adds that the Brazil and the South Africa variants “are
even more concerning.” That said, he said there is hope in President
Biden’s seven-point plan that aims to create a standardized pandemic
approach. He also writes that “For many, the virus is becoming a
litmus test for reliable news sources,” noting that “unreliable
sources rarely if ever correct reporting errors, which have led to
the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans.”" Kentucky
Health News. Feb. 2, 2021.
http://ci.uky.edu/kentuckyhealthnews/2021/02/02/
legislators-tell-beshear-theyll-talk-with-him-after-votes-to-override-vetoes-he-says-see-you-in-court-warns-of-fourth-surge-in-cases/
30. Goodbye to January 2021, COVID-19’s Worst
Month (So Far)
There’s a strain of COVID that emerged in South
Africa—E484K—that has experts even more concerned, because it seems
as if the vaccines are less effective against that strain. Modern
technology allows us to create a new vaccine or booster shot in a
matter of weeks, if that’s in fact what’s needed. We don’t have to
culture them anymore. But as Kevin Kavanagh, MD, and a member of
Infection Control Today®’s Editorial Advisory Board, tells ICT®, the
main goal at this point is to stop the spread of the new variants
because if they take hold there’s this problem: You have to, in
Kavanagh’s words, revaccinate the entire world. “And if we keep
having these variants coming about every six months, because we’re
spreading this virus like wildfire, it’s going to be very
problematic. Infection Control Today. Feb. 1,
2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/goodbye-to-january-2021-covid-19-s-worst-month-so-far-
29. B.1.1.7 Cornavirus Strain Now Said to Be More
Deadly and Contagious
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control
Today®'s Editorial Advisory Board said that "initial reports that
the UK Variant is not more lethal than our current strain and that
its increase in transmissibility was possibly due to an increase in
viral production by the patient did not make sense. Since, increased
viral load should produce a more severe disease in the patient. I
was thus hoping for another mechanism, but it now looks like this
strain may be more lethal after all and to make matters worse, it
may have an increased propensity to infect children and young adults."
Kavanagh argues that now is the time for the CDC to be proactive in
its outreach to other countries. "The new emerging coronavirus
strains underscore the necessity of not only having increased
vigilance on our shores and the need to expand our genomic
surveillance in the United States, but also to reactivate and expand
the CDC's foreign support services and personnel. Similar to Ebola
we need to stop these new biological threats in the countries they
emerge in, rather than let them spread around the globe and into the
United States." Infection Control Today. Jan. 22, 2021.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/p-1-1-7-now-said-to-be-more-deadly-and-contagious
28. Pfizer COVID Vaccine Days Away From Approval
"Kevin Kavanagh, MD, points out in an article on
ICT®’s website that “the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is in short supply.
The lion’s share of the doses are not expected to be delivered to
the United States until late June or July, 2021. Moderna appears to
have more available vaccines but the exact delivery dates are
unknown.” " Infection Control Today. Dec. 11, 2020.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/fda-panel-meets-today-on-covid-19-vaccine-approval
27. COVID Unleashes the ‘Lurking Scourge’ Candida
Auris
"Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control
Today®’s Editorial Advisory Board, says that drug resistant C. Auris
is a dangerous pathogen, it first came to attention back in 2015.
“Presently, it is known to be highly infectious and can cause
dangerous co-infections,” says Kavanagh.”C. Auris co-infections do
occur in COVID-19 patients and if present the case-fatality-rate is
60%"
Infection Control Today. Nov. 11, 2020.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/covid-unleashes-the-lurking-scourge-candida-auris
26. Experts say COVID-19 vaccine will come with challenges and
cautions after distribution
"Even after a vaccine is approved for the novel
coronavirus and is widely distributed, it will still be important to
follow public-health recommendations to thwart the spread of the
virus, including basic hand hygiene, social distancing and wearing a
mask.
All that said, Kavanagh said if you are at high risk for COVID-19 or
a frontline worker, it may be in your best interests to get the
vaccine, after weighing the risks and benefits. As for the rest of
the population, the months-long wait for universal distribution will
give time for more research, he said: “By that time, there’ll be a
lot more safety data, and data on the vaccine’s effectiveness.”
" Ky Forward. Nov. 3, 2020.
https://www.kyforward.com/experts-say-covid-19-vaccine-will-come-with-challenges-and-cautions-after-distribution/
25. CDC Launches $180M Anti-infection Program for
Healthcare Workers
Kevin Kavanagh, MD, another member of ICT®’s Editorial
Advisory Board, says that “this efficient and highly accessible
training is desperately needed as many states are making final plans
for the opening of satellite hospitals and potentially assigning
desperately needed staff with minimal experience in infectious
disease. In addition, tracking and mandatory reporting of healthcare
worker acquisitions and infections with dangerous pathogens such as
COVID-19 is of utmost importance. Infection Control Today.
Oct. 28, 2020.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/cdc-launches-180m-anti-infection-program-for-healthcare-workers
24. To 'celebrate' or not to celebrate Halloween;
that is the question
Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset physician who
heads Health Watch USA, which focuses on infection control, reminded
Kentuckians on the Jack Pattie Show on Lexington's WVLK that just
because an activity is outdoors doesn't mean it's safe. He noted
that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared
traditional trick-or-treating, in which treats are handed to
children who go door to door, a high-risk activity.
Don't think that wearing a Halloween mask, is going to protect you
from the coronavirus, Kavanagh said. "If screaming will likely
occur, greater distancing is advised," he said. "The greater the
distance, the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus.”
The CDC also advises against wearing both a regular mask and a
costume mask: "Do not wear a costume mask over a cloth mask because
it can be dangerous if the costume mask makes it hard to breathe.
Instead, consider using a Halloween-themed cloth mask."
Kentucky Health News. Oct. 26, 2020.
http://kyhealthnews.blogspot.com/2020/10/to-celebrate-or-not-to-celebrate.html
23. Healthcare-Acquired Infections Not Reported
Enough
"One of the problems with controlling HAIs has to do
with the growth of antibiotic resistant pathogens. Kevin
Kavanagh, MD, a member of the Infection Control Today®'s Editorial
Advisory Board, noted in an article that 500 people in the United
States die each day from antibiotic resistant organisms. As
mentioned, the data collected for the ID Week study are pre-COVID.
Kavanagh wrote that preliminary data revealed that "patients with
COVID-19 were more likely to contract healthcare-acquired infections
(HAIs), possibly due to longer hospital stays. The most common MDRO
infecting patients with COVID-19 was methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), followed closely by extended spectrum
beta-lactamases (ESBL)-producing organisms. MRSA caused just under
half of the COVID-19 hospital-acquired antibiotic resistant
infections." " Infection Control Today. Oct. 23, 2020.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/healthcare-acquired-infections-not-reported-enough
22. Measuring Effects of Flu, COVID Co-Infections
"Kevin Kavanagh, MD, another member of ICT®'s
Editorial Advisory Board, said in a Q&A back in August that those
methods used against COVID seem to be particularly effective against
the flu. The rates of flu in the Southern Hemisphere and in even
back in March in the United States "just plummeted."
"It's a very steep slope,” Kavanagh said in August. “And so one
would ask, ‘Why did that happen?’ Well, it happened because of the
use of masks, hand hygiene, and social distancing. These same public
health initiatives and strategies which are very effective on
COVID-19 are even more effective with the flu." " Infection
Control Today. Oct. 21, 2020.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/measuring-effects-of-flu-covid-co-infections
21. AHRQ Process Cuts Down on Antibiotic Overprescribing
"In the November issue of Infection Control Today®, Kevin
Kavanagh, MD, writes about how COVID-19 has complicated the tracking
of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Patients afflicted with COVID-19
have an increased susceptibility to antibiotic resistant infections
both from prolonged hospitalizations and the use of
immunocompromising agents such as dexamethasone,” writes Kavanagh,
who is a member of ICT®'s Editorial Advisory Board. Kavanagh points
out that patients with COVID-19 have longer hospital stays than
patients with flu-like symptoms who have not been infected by the
coronavirus. He also writes that COVID patients are much more likely
to be hit by a healthcare-acquired infection, than non-COVID
patients.
Kavanagh writes that preliminary data by the US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention "found that during the pandemic, total
hospitalizations in the United States decreased by approximately
25%. However, inpatient antibiotic usage did not markedly change.
The most common types of antibiotics prescribed were ceftriaxone for
presumptive community acquired pneumonia, which increased by 22% in
April and then fell during the summer, and azithromycin, possibly
used in conjunction with hydroxychloroquine, the rate of which
increased by 55% in April and then also fell. It was evident to me
that in both cases the usage pattern represents changes in both
diagnostic ability and treatment recommendations." " Infection
Control Today. Oct. 21, 2020.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/ahrq-process-cuts-down-on-antibiotic-overprescribing
20. Experts Forcefully Push Back on Barrington Declaration
"Kavanagh, MD, a member of Infection Control Today®'s
Editorial Advisory Board in his rebuttal to the Declaration.
Kavanagh wrote that “for infection preventionists and frontline
healthcare workers, the Great Barrington Declaration places their
lives and livelihood at risk." " Infection Control Today. Oct. 20,
2020.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/experts-forcefully-push-back-on-barrington-declaration
19. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: How COVID Spreads
Indoors
"While reiterating that SARS-CoV-2 most commonly
spreads through close contact (less than 6 feet, and for about 15
minutes) with a symptomatic or asymptomatic carrier, the CDC now
suggests that the coronavirus is even more contagious than
previously thought."
Well, yesterday the CDC again put the guidance on its website,
acknowledging that aerosolized particles of the coronavirus can
spread further than six feet and linger for a long time,
particularly in poorly ventilated areas.
This might not come as a surprise to many experts who’ve been
closely monitoring COVID-19. Certainly not to Kevin Kavanagh, MD, a
member of Infection Control Today®’s Editorial Advisory Board and a
frequent contributor to ICT®. Kavanagh recently pointed out that the
CDC in fact has already acknowledged that the coronavirus can be
aerosolized when it released recommendations on how people should
approach the upcoming holidays. Infection Control Today.
Oct. 6, 2020.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/smoke-gets-in-your-eyes-how-covid-spreads-indoors
18. President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump Test
Positive for COVID
"Kevin Kavanagh, MD, is a member of Infection Control
Today®’s Editorial Advisory Board. Kavanagh tells ICT®: “This is a
testament to how easily this virus can spread. President Trump was
in a testing bubble and relied at his rallies on social distancing.
However, these rallies would be defined as a high-risk activity,
since even outdoors—and not all were—loud vocalizations can
aerosolized the virus. In an aerosolized form, the virus can travel
much farther than 6 feet, live for up to 16 hours and defeat the
protections afforded by a cotton mask. If one does not wear a mask,
then the activity is at an even higher risk.” Infection Control
Today. Oct. 3, 2020.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/president-trump-first-lady-melania-trump-have-covid-19
17. Somerset-area legislators decry Beshear's
restrictions at Chamber meeting with little use of masks or social
distancing
The lawmakers from the Somerset area spoke to "a
packed house" that included "a whole host of the community’s
business and political leaders," reported Chris Harris of the
Somerset Commonwealth Journal. The newspaper's editor, Jeff Neal,
told Kentucky Health News that "There wasn’t a whole lot of social
distancing, and since they were eating, there were not a lot of
masks being used."
The event concerned Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset physician
who heads Health Watch USA, which focuses on infection control in
health care.
"Events like this are very problematic," Kavanagh told Kentucky
Health News. "They usually have many cases or none. With the number
of individuals present and the prevalence of the virus in Pulaski
County, the odds are nothing will happen, but if the virus was
present at the event it can be catastrophic. . . . "
http://kyhealthnews.blogspot.com/2020/08/somerset-area-legislators-decry.html
16. Kentucky Derby 2020: Why health experts say
they agree with Churchill Down's decision
“Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired Somerset physician who
also had warned against allowing fans at the event, praised Friday's
decision.
"It sends a very strong message to the community and Kentucky about
how serious this pandemic really is," said Kavanagh, chairman of the
patient advocacy group Health Watch USA.
Kavanagh said earlier this week that holding the event largely
outdoors would have helped. But it still wouldn't account for people
entering the racetrack through the building, passing through
hallways, placing bets, buying food and drink, using restrooms or
otherwise moving about, Kavanagh said.
And any cheering or shouting tends to "aerosolize" the virus and
increase chances of spread, he said.
Though most people who contract the virus don't experience the
severe and sometimes fatal symptoms associated with it, that doesn't
mean it's not a risk to mingle in a crowd, he said. Even people who
appear to have recovered from a less serious case of COVID-19 may be
at risk for lasting heart, lung or kidney damage.
“This is one dangerous virus that we don’t know much about,"
Kavanagh said. "This lackadaisical attitude that you can go out and
get infected and everything will be fine if you’re at low risk is
just plain magical thinking.”” Yetter D. Courier Jounal.
Aug. 22, 2020.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2020/08/21/health-experts-say-cancelling-fans-good-call-for-kentucky-derby/3400329001/
15. Beshear says Kentucky Derby can safely host
fans despite COVID-19. Not everyone agrees
"Any large gathering of people carries risks," said
Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired physician from Somerset, Kentucky, and
chairman of the patient advocacy group Health Watch USA. "That risk
is lessened outdoors with social distancing and by the wearing
masks."
However, Kavanagh said in an email that shouting, which often
happens during the Derby, can cause the virus to "aerosolize" and
"defeat the safety of a cloth mask" while causing droplets to
"travel much further than 6 feet." "In addition, getting into and
out of the stands and use of restrooms is problematic," Kavanagh
said. Yetter D. Courier Jounal. Aug. 12,
2020.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/events/kentucky-derby/2020/08/12/kentucky-derby-2020-beshear-says-race-safe-amid-covid-19/3353837001/
14. As COVID-19 spread, the feds relaxed rules,
and hospitals tried to contain the outbreak. Other infections may
have risen
"Patients need to be repositioned every two hours to
prevent ulcers on the skin, said physician Kevin
Kavanagh, founder of patient advocacy group Health
Watch USA. Doing so will show staff when patients have soiled their
beds, he said.
Daily bathing is necessary to prevent hospital infections, given
"the dangerous pathogens and compromised patients," Kavanagh said,
but bathing takes so many workers that short-staffed facilities too
often don't do it."
Odonell J. USA
Today. Aug. 5, 2020.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2020/08/05/some-hospital-infections-up-feds-waived-safety-oversight-reporting/5537817002/
13. Once seemingly insulated, Kentucky's
Appalachian counties scramble to stop COVID-19 outbreak
Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a retired physician and
infectious-control advocate in Somerset who runs a patient-safety
group called Health Watch USA, said tracing remains a crucial
measure, though it gets less effective as cases grow and lab results
in some areas take more than a week. Courier Journal.
July 31, 2020.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2020/07/31/covid-19-appalachia-tiny-health-departments-struggle-outbreak/5526869002/
12. Hospitals must treat infection control as a
priority, not a profit center.
"We have gone far too long with not making the proper
investments,” warned Kevin Kavanagh, the physician founder of Health
Watch USA, in a recent commentary in Infection Control Today. “I
fear that, as a society, we may well have to pay the price for this
neglect." STAT. July 1, 2020.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/07/01/hospitals-must-treat-infection-control-as-a-priority-not-a-profit-center/
11. 26,000 COVID-19 Deaths in Nursing Homes Might
Spur Federal-State Blame Game
“Infection control in nursing homes has been
almost non-existent for years along with effective regulations to
serve as guidance,” Kavanagh said. “We are also concerned with a
reactionary program of inspections based on non-specific
regulations.” Kavanagh would like to see a sustained program
of oversight using detailed metrics designed to drive a high-quality
outcome. Infection Control Today.
June 2, 2020.
https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/covid-19/26000-covid-19-deaths-nursing-homes-might-spur-federal-state-blame-game
10. As obesity's link to COVID-19 grows, one
family that lost 24-year-old daughter diets together
"Along with making mechanical ventilation harder,
being severely overweight can make it harder to breath, reducing the
patient's own ventilation, said Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a Kentucky
physician and founder of the patient advocacy group Health Watch
USA." USA Today. May 23, 2020.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/
2020/05/23/obesity-makes-covid-19-risk-larger-hospitals-challenges-much-harder/5221600002/
9. Mask or no mask? Why Kentucky's new requirement
to battle COVID-19 is causing such a fuss
Getting people to wear them is "absolutely key," in
part because modeling suggests that getting most of the public to
wear masks is what makes them effective, said Dr. Kevin Kavanagh,
head of the patient safety group Health Watch USA.
It's also critical to making consumers, especially older
Kentuckians, feel safe to return to stores and help revive the
economy, he said. Courier Journal. May 15, 2020.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2020/05/15/coronavirus-masks-how-kentuckys-first-week-went-requiring-masks/5192238002/
8. Rich hospitals, poor safety plans leading up to
coronavirus: Should rules change for them now?
"As many hospitals cut staff and more than 9,200
health care workers have been diagnosed with COVID-19, Dr. Kevin
Kavanagh, founder of the patient safety group Health Watch USA, said
the government shouldn't bail them out after they “put us all at
risk.” He calls it "a step in the right direction" that rural
hospitals and those with the most COVID-19 patients were getting
money Friday, but said "non-profit facilities with net assets in the
billions should have to first leverage these assets before receiving
public funds." " USA TOday. May 10, 2020.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health
/2020/05/10/coronavirus-should-rich-hospitals-bankroll-better-pandemic-plans/3048437001/
7. Nelson D. Blood-pressure drugs are in the crosshairs
of COVID-19 research. Reuters News Service. April 23,
2020.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-conoravirus-blood-pressure-ins-idUKKCN2251GQ
New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/04/23/us
/23reuters-health-conoravirus-blood-pressure-insight.html
"Dr Kevin Kavanagh, founder of Health Watch USA, a patient advocacy
organization, questioned whether scientists who are funded by the
drug industry should be advising clinicians, given the high stakes.
"You need to consider stepping back, and let others without a
conflict of interest try to make a call," Kavanagh said." His
organization recommends that doctors temporarily avoid putting new
patients on the drugs and warn those currently on them to take
extreme precautions to avoid virus exposure.
6. Morgan-Besecker T. Patient advocate: State needs more
aggressive action to confront COVID-19 deaths. The Citizens'
Voice. April 22, 2020.
https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/patient-advocate-state-needs-more-aggressive-action-to-confront-covid-19-deaths-1.2620809
"Kevin Kavanagh, director of Health Watch USA, a patient advocacy
group, said efforts to halt the virus from entering facilities fell
short with catastrophic outcomes. "You try to wall off
the home from the outside. Once COVID-19 gets into the nursing home
environment ... it tends to ravage residents and it does not stop,"
Kavanagh said. Many homes tried to halt the spread by
isolating residents to a specific floor. Kavanagh said the
government must consider taking it a step further and designate one
facility to house infected patients."
5. Sullivan T: Louisville area preacher defies ban on mass
gatherings, plans to hold Sunday service. Courier Journal.
April 4, 2020.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2020/04/04/preaching-gospel-defying-government/2943503001/
"Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, the Somerset-based
founder of Health Watch USA, argues that church services pose
specific and inordinate dangers during a pandemic. "One of
the cruelest characteristics of the coronavirus epidemic is that it
strikes fear in the hearts and minds of many causing them to ask for
comfort and protection from the God they believe in," Kavanagh wrote
in an essay published Friday in
Infection Control Today.“And at the
same time this virus has made a church service one of the most
deadliest places to be in. The combination of singing in close
quarters and decreased ventilation is nothing short of a petri dish
(or cell plate) for viral growth.""
4. Jacobes A. Fink S. How Prepared Is the U.S. for a Coronavirus
Outbreak? New York Times. Feb. 29, 2020.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/29/health/coronavirus-preparation-united-states.html
"Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, who has studied infection control practices in
health care settings, said such facilities might eventually have to
limit visitors, or even keep residents under quarantine as a
preventive measure. "Nursing homes will be extremely vulnerable to
this epidemic, and it will be difficult to implement hygiene
practices to prevent the spread," he said."
3. Kenning C. Why the coronavirus couldn't have come at a
worse time for reeling Appalachian Kentucky. Courier Journal. March
21. 2020.
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2020/03/21/coronavirus-comes-terrible-time-reeling-appalachian-kentucky/2878214001/
2. Terrie Morgan-Besecker. NEPA grocery store begins taking
customers' temps. The Citizens' Voice. Mar. 24, 2020.
https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/nepa-grocery-store-begins-taking-customers-temps-1.2610547
1. Healy J, Richtel M, Baker M. Nursing Homes Becoming Islands of
Isolation Amid 'Shocking' Mortality Rate. New York Times. March 10,
2020.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/us/coronavirus-nursing-homes-washington-seattle.html
"Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, an expert in infection control who has
been critical of lax practices at nursing homes, lauded the new
guidance that restricts social visits. This extreme level of
quarantine is sometimes known as "reverse isolation” and was used to
effect during the Spanish Flu epidemic, Dr. Kavanagh said. 'As
evidenced by the Life Care Center in Kirkland, once the virus starts
to spread in the facility it ravages its residents,” he said. He
said that “the importance is in delay.""
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always consult your healthcare provider and the
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