Hello everyone! At this time of Thanksgiving, I wanted to reach out in support of you on your health journey and express gratitude for the opportunity to work with you.

This has been a unique year for sure and a reminder of how quickly things can change. This year has also reminded us how important it is to prioritize our health & underlying health conditions as we can to lower the threshold of underlying inflammation. (please see internal PPE blog)

It is important to prioritize self care and take care of YOU- mind, body & spirit. This can be extra challenging when there are quarantines, closures, and so much uncertainty. Keeping a POSITIVE attitude of gratitude is essential. Viktor Frankl, an Austrian Holocaust survivor said that the only thing we truly can control is our attitude towards our circumstances. This holiday season may look different for many of us, but we encourage you to take time to take care of YOU and practice prioritizing positivity and gratitude.

I also want to challenge us to think positive in another way, in that we need to assume that we and others can be POSITIVE for COVID even if there is a negative test in order to protect our loved ones and our communities.

Here’s a summary of a study that initially showed up in the Annals of Internal Medicine back in May of this year. The probability of a FALSE NEGATIVE PCR Test is impacted by the days since exposure. If you test on the day of exposure the test will be a FALSE NEGATIVE 100% of the time! (so think POSITIVE!) By the 5th day since exposure the PCR test is only accurately positive 62% of the time. (see chart). When we combine that with the rapid antigen test, which is even less accurate, you can see how we can be falsely reassured- especially if we are doing a test in order to travel to see loved ones.

Testing inaccuracy happens sometimes from the mechanism of the tests but also due to the immunology of the clinical course. Here is the clinical course we have been seeing with COVID:

Exposure Day 0
Viral Shedding Days 2-12
Symptom Onset Days 2-7 (mostly day 5)
Mild Symptoms Days 5-12
Recovery or Hospitalization Day 12 and beyond (cytokine storm)

Wishing you and your loved ones a safe and healthy Thanksgiving! As we continue to LIVE IT though COVID19 we encourage you to stay curious, stay informed and continue to LIVEIT: LEARN, INCORPORATE, VITALIZE, EXERCISE, IMAGINE AND THANK.

Additional helpful resources:
COVID Risks of Various Holiday Activities
Holiday Activity Risk Levels
COVID 19 Risk Based Guidelines