As many viruses continue to make the rounds in our communities, it is paramount to monitor your symptoms and know when the right time is to seek medical care in person. Sarah Overton, the Chief Nursing Officer for OSF Medical Group, Home Care and Employee Health, stresses the importance of virtual care when your symptoms are mild.

“That way we’re not exposing you to anyone in the public and you’re not exposing the health care worker to illness,” Overton says. “Unfortunately, we are seeing an increase in health care worker illness where our nurses and doctors have to stay home because they are being exposed to illness.”

Hospitals across the OSF Ministry have been seeing a spike in COVID-19 patients. If you suspect you have COVID-19 but your symptoms are mild, take an at-home COVID-19 test. The federal government has another stockpile of at-home tests that are free to order on COVID.gov. Every household can receive four free rapid tests. Dr. Brian Curtis, Vice President of Clinical Specialty Services with OSF HealthCare, says taking tests at home will help free up space at medical facilities.

“Coming in just to get tested takes up spots for the people that are really sick or are high-risk,” Dr. Curtis says.

“The Emergency Room is reserved for those true emergencies,” Overton adds. “We have patients that have heart attacks and lung issues with their COPD. Additional patients overflowing the Emergency Room takes away precious time from assessing those patients who shouldn’t be exposed to those viruses while being in our waiting rooms.”

But COVID-19 isn’t the only virus making the rounds in our communities right now. Influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and others are being seen often as well. So how can we stop the spread of viruses?

·         Stay home when you aren’t feeling well.

·         Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer regularly.

·         Cough or sneeze into your elbow.

·         Wipe down high-touch surfaces with disinfectant wipes.

·         Don’t share glasses or silverware with others.

·         Receive the flu shot.

For treating mild symptoms at home, Dr. Curtis offers some guidance for using over-the-counter options.

“You can take Tylenol or Motrin for fevers and aches. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids and get plenty of rest,” Dr. Curtis says.

Overton says to make sure you read the labels on any over-the-counter medication you buy. If you have any questions, you can ask a retail pharmacist, or send a message through MyChart to your OSF care team.

When is the right time to be seen?

“If you have a super deep cough that’s hanging on for quite a while or have a fever that lasts for several days,” Overton says. “Or if you have high-risk factors and may benefit from some of our medications for COVID, like Paxlovid, which are readily available in our retail pharmacy locations. We also have COVID-19 boosters able to be administered in our primary care offices.”

“There is a medication for influenza, but if you have a mild case, you’ll have more side effects from the medication than you are having from influenza itself. As far as RSV goes, there’s really no treatment for it except for supportive care.”

If you are sick and plan to visit a medical facility, please cover your face with a mask to decrease exposure to the health care workers.

Colds and viruses tend to last one to two weeks. If your symptoms are more serious or linger on much longer than that, reach out to your primary care team and schedule an appointment. You can also consider an in-person or virtual visit to OSF OnCall Urgent Care. A virtual visit is available 24/7.

Sarah Overton interview clips

Dr. Brian Curtis interview clips

Becoming a new parent can be overwhelming. Adding on the potential of a winter cold or virus only adds more stress. 

OSF HealthCare doctors share reassuring tips to help treat symptoms this winter season. 

You've probably heard of Bronchitis, an illness that impacts the larger lung airways. This winter, here's another illness with “Bronch” in the title to know, especially if you have young kids: Bronchiolitis. 

Awad Alyami, MD, a pediatrician with OSF HealthCare, shares warning signs to look out for.

“You need to see a doctor if your baby has trouble breathing at any time. Or if your baby is younger than three months and they have a fever. Or if they are older than three months and they have a fever for more than three days. Or if the child has signs of dehydration, like if they are making fewer wet diapers than normal," Dr. Alyami says. 

Treatment involves staying comfortable until symptoms resolve. In serious cases, you may need to go to the hospital and get help to breathe easier. 

But when your symptoms are milder, staying at home is what you need to do to help hospitals and clinics not be overrun. 

Zinc tablets within 24 hours of cold symptoms can inhibit a virus and Vick's VapoRub can help ease breathing and sleeping. Staying hydrated is key, especially for kids. 

Kimberly Walker, MD, a family medicine physician with OSF HealthCare, has tips for treating babies who can't always be given medicine. 

“The biggest thing is going to be nasal irrigation with saline and making sure their airways are clear of mucus," Dr. Walker says. "Really suctioning and getting those airways clear is very important for them."

Dr. Walker says celery can help numb the throat and provide relief for sore throats. She adds that using antihistamines alongside a decongestant like Afrin is helpful, but says Afrin can only be used for three days.

Health Highlights With Chyrons

Health Highlights Without Chyrons

You’re a patient, and your health care provider has talked to you about taking part in a clinical trial – research to see how care can be delivered better. Trials can last weeks to years. You could do them at home or need to make regular trips to a clinic. The study could involve taking new medicine or simply giving feedback about how to manage the cost of your health care. It’s a lot to consider.

Pros and Cons

Leah Watson is clinical research coordinator at OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center in Alton, Illinois, which recently started clinical trials at Moeller Cancer Center. Watson says when thinking about participating in a clinical trial, you should first evaluate the pros and cons as they relate to you.

“Pros would be obviously, hopefully, curing [a patient’s ailment], or at least giving [the patient] a longer life or less progression of disease,” says Watson. “Some cons that we're seeing: our patients aren't willing to give personal data. A lot of times they don't want to share about their financial history or run a soft credit check. And some of those do require those different things for trials.”

 Watson says she understands how patients may be wary of trying a new drug that may not help them.

 “Side effects can be a big thing, especially with something quote-unquote new that's never been done or used in a different way,” explains Watson. “You just never know what type of side effects may arise, and everybody's different. So one person may get some, and another person gets a whole different set or none at all. So it's just a luck of the draw type of wait and see situation.”

Who’s taking part?

Dr. Manpreet Sandhu, a medical oncologist and hematologist at OSF HealthCare, says clinical trials are not for everyone simply because each has eligibility criteria, like age or the progression of your disease. She says around 90% of cancer treatment is evidence-based, meaning providers are using something that’s been tested and approved.

“It’s only those less than 10% [of] patients – and in some institutions even less than that – that go on clinical trials because most of cancer treatment, we already know what the evidence is and what to do and how to treat such patients,” Dr. Sandhu says. “But in those cases where it's a unique situation, it's a rare disease, or if patients have run out of options, standard options, that's where clinical trials come [in]to play.”

Future of clinical trials

 Health care providers took a different spin on clinical trials during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people worked and got medical care at home. For some, work-from-home and telemedicine may be the new normal. So instead of multiple trips to a doctor’s office to check progress, a clinical trial could involve logging symptoms on a smartphone app, speaking information into your smart speaker, or even having sensors – known as ambient intelligence – track your behavior.

 Some health care professionals may be wary about the security and reliability of at-home data, but they seem primed to embrace the shift. A pair of surveys done before and during the pandemic found a big jump in pharma and contract-research organizations’ plans to take trials virtual.

And the change stands to benefit patients, too. Study results released by the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation found 70% of patients live more than two hours from a clinical trial site. These travel barriers often impact underserved populations, which means these groups are underrepresented in clinical trials.

“Things were available to us, but we never really used them prior to COVID. Same thing with telemedicine. We never really heard about telemedicine. We had computers. We had internet,” Dr. Sandhu says. “We started thinking more broadly in terms of how we can use technology to serve applicable areas where patients could have the convenience of not having to come in and fill a form or answer their questions. Or do their visit with the research nurse or the doctor over [an] internet source.”

The bottom line

The bottom line, according to Watson and Dr. Sandhu, is – like any other health care decision – to talk to your provider and your loved ones about whether a clinical trial is right for you. OSF HealthCare also has resources related to clinical research on its website.

Interview Clips - Leah Watson

Interview Clips - Dr. Manpreet Sandhu

The shock-like syndrome, dubbed "multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children" (MIS-C) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mimics a relatively rare inflammatory illness called Kawasaki disease. MIS-C comes with fever, red eyes, swelling of hands and feet, abdominal pain, and other symptoms.

“It looks a little bit like Kawasaki disease or sometimes like Staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome or Staph scalded skin syndrome. Some of these children tested positive for coronavirus or tested positive for antibodies to the virus, indicating previous exposure,” explained Dr. Barry Gray, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois.

MIS-C affects blood vessels and organs, and involves a “hyper response” of the child’s immune system to the virus. Though most patients eventually recover, the syndrome can be deadly. As of January 31, 2022, more than 6,800 U.S. cases of MIS-C have been reported to the CDC – including 59 deaths.

 While more research is needed, early data shows that vaccination status could also impact a child’s risk of MIS-C. A recent Epic Research study showed that 98% of MIS-C patients were unvaccinated. The CDC is working to learn more about why some children and adolescents develop MIS-C after having COVID-19 while others do not.

Lori Grooms is the director of Infection Prevention for OSF HealthCare. She says the seemingly ambiguous nature of the syndrome makes it difficult to determine who is at risk.

“We just haven't figured out exactly who's going to have extreme effects,” said Grooms. “The MIS-C that we've seen in kids, the multi-inflammatory syndrome complications that we've seen, we haven't figured out yet which child is going to get it, so we don't know which child to exactly protect.”

Despite the rarity of the disease, parents should remain aware of signs and symptoms, as early detection can prevent serious illness. Dr. Gray urges parents to call their pediatrician right away if their child shows symptoms including persistent fever, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

Additionally, if a child is showing any emergency warning signs including trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, bluish lips or face, severe abdominal pain, or other concerning signs, parents should seek emergency care right away.

“They may have skin rash, they may come in with shock and low blood pressure. It may affect their kidneys. The major effect is on the arteries, where there’s inflammation, and that’s one of the things that is in common with Kawasaki disease, which is an arteritis, but we don’t know the cause,” explained Dr. Gray.

Parents are encouraged to keep an eye out for these symptoms, however Dr. Gray assures that MIS-C is still rare, and parents shouldn’t panic.

“It is very rare, and we would be looking at those children who are much sicker than others,” said Dr. Gray. “The vast majority of kids don’t make it to the hospital, let alone to the intensive care unit. So we’re talking about a very small group of a very small group to begin with.”

Both Dr. Gray and Grooms agree - the best thing you can do for your family is to continue following public health recommendations about vaccinations, physical distancing, and hand washing, to avoid contracting COVID-19 in the first place.

Interview Clips - Dr. Barry Gray

Interview Clip - Lori Grooms

This week Pfizer-BioNTech requested an emergency use authorization (EUA) for its Covid-19 vaccine for children ages six months to five years. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been asked to review data covering the safety and effectiveness of two doses of the vaccine for the younger age group, given three weeks apart.

Currently children under five are the only group in the U.S. ineligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. OSF HealthCare pediatrician Dr. Michael Endris, who is also a father of three children under five years old, is optimistic a EUA approval would help bring an end to a disturbing trend.

“We will anxiously await the data here, hopefully in the next month or two regarding these early vaccines for these younger kids,” Dr. Endris said. “We have unfortunately seen more and more hospitalizations in this age range. But hopefully in the coming months, we'll see things improve.”

The FDA's advisory group is scheduled to meet on February 15 to give guidance on the EUA request, and a definitive answer could come by the end of the month.

Until then, many parents are looking for the safest way to go about daily life during a pandemic with young, unvaccinated children. Dr. Endris says to evaluate each opportunity and outing, but to allow children to participate in activities when deemed safe and appropriate.

“Have a conversation with your physician or your pediatrician if you have concerns,” he recommended. “Our youngest child actually has an immuno-compromising condition, so we kind of err a little bit more on the safe side, but we still let our kids participate in activities when appropriate. Ideally, it's easier if they're outdoors and able to do that, but in the winter, that's not the case. So we just kind of pick our couple of activities that we enjoy, and you know, mask up and go to the library for instance.”

When it comes to wearing masks, young children can often have a difficult time adjusting. Dr. Endris says practice will help. He suggests parents have kids practice wearing a mask at home for short periods of time to get used to the feeling of wearing one. He also reminds parents that modeling safe behavior can certainly make an impact on how kids react to changes like masking in public.

“We should always try to set a good example for our kids in every aspect of our life, especially with being safe during a pandemic. So, when we wear masks ourselves, our kids look at that and see a role model in our parents and hopefully learn to practice safe distancing and masking when appropriate.”

In the end, parenting during a pandemic is no easy task. From navigating changing guidelines and constant quarantines, to making tough decisions about participating in outings and gatherings, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Dr. Endris says just keep plugging along – we are all doing our best.

“It’s just kind of a learning process for all of us, and we're just hoping we're doing as best as we can and trying to raise resilient, independent kids,” he said.

Dr. Endris continued, “I would just say that this too shall pass; this isn't forever. And, you know, we do what we can to get by while being safe, and eventually we'll come out on the other side.”

If you are looking for a pediatrician for your child, visit osfhealthcare.org and click “Find a Doctor.”

Interview Clips

Elemeno Health, the developer of a proprietary cloud-based solution for frontline health care teams, and OSF HealthCare, one of the largest health systems in Illinois, today announced a partnership to initiate a pilot using a customizable, just-in-time best practices app for nurses.

The Peoria, Illinois-based integrated health system operates 15 hospitals in Illinois and Michigan with a robust innovation division. Cross-functional collaboration is an organizational priority and OSF Innovation regularly seeks to understand the pain points and experiences of our frontline care givers, including nurses who care deeply about quality patient outcomes and providing the best patient experience. By understanding the voice of our frontline caregivers and partnering with them, OSF Innovation is able to serve the Ministry through identification and implementation of solutions that support them in the work they do each day and create a better Mission Partner (employee) experience.

With emerging variants, vaccine approvals, and shifting guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that nurses busy caring for patients needed an easy way to ensure they had the latest information. OSF Innovation saw the potential in Elemeno as a tool to provide OSF nurses with point of care education that is easy to access, relevant and timely, and worked closely with nursing leadership to help define potential use cases and value. Elemeno’s mobile-friendly platform allows for real-time updates on changes in practice, implementation of new treatments, products, even specific notifications based on information learned during team huddles.

Elemeno will be piloted in several specific departments within the OSF HealthCare system, including at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center in Peoria, with a goal of full implementation within hospitals and clinics.

Wiegand added, "OSF Innovation and its performance improvement teams consistently help advance novel approaches to problems, including efforts to pilot leading-edge technology to provide the highest quality care possible to our patients.”

“Elemeno is designed to meet nurses where they are, so they have access to easy-to-digest content, including how-to videos and interactive decision guides, in a way that supports every type of learner,” said Jill Williamson, director of Education at OSF HealthCare. “Site-specific, data-informed details can be shared, along with evidence-based standards, policies and procedures.”

With many hospital systems, including OSF, having to hire travel nurses to supplement care during COVID-19 surges, the Elemeno platform helps streamline onboarding and training to drive system-wide consistency with workflows, policies and procedures. The easy-to-use platform can reinforce a safety-first mentality that is critically important as clinicians manage the heavy burden of caring for patients, many of whom require complex care if they are hospitalized with COVID-19.

“We need to make nurses’ lives simpler,” noted Arup Roy-Burman, CEO and co-founder of Elemeno Health. “As a playbook in your pocket, Elemeno equips frontline nursing staff with the bite-sized information they need to easily deliver consistent and safe care to every patient.”

Initial success will be measured through metrics around engagement and adoption, as well as feedback from users.

Hospitals are once again being pushed to capacity, as COVID-positive patients need additional support. While a vast majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are either unvaccinated or are due for an additional vaccine dose, many are also up-to-date on their vaccinations.

When a person who is fully vaccinated against a certain disease still becomes infected, it is called vaccine breakthrough. But why does it happen?

Douglas Kasper, M.D., is the section head of infectious disease at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, and a leader in the OSF HealthCare response to COVID-19. He defines vaccine breakthrough in this case as someone contracting COVID-19 and needing medical care, despite receiving the full course of the vaccine.

He says for a case to be considered vaccine breakthrough, however, timing between vaccination and infection is the key.

“What’s important to go over in that topic is that a sufficient amount of time has passed from when they received the vaccine,” explains Dr. Kasper. “So if somebody receives the vaccine on a Monday and contracts COVID the following day, that does not count as a vaccine breakthrough. There has not been sufficient time for the body to create the protective immune response that we know will occur as usually two to four weeks pass after vaccine.”

He adds, each person is unique, and will respond to the virus and the vaccine in different ways.

“Any immune response is not uniform. How all of us interact with a virus will be different. So because of that, vaccines or natural immunity are not 100% protective. We strive for 100%, but what we understand is that some number of people, even when they receive the vaccine, may become ill with the virus. What we know is that people who receive the vaccine, even if they become ill, tend to become more mild cases of disease than those who have not received the vaccine,” he says.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is monitoring reported vaccine breakthrough cases, and according to data reported by state health departments, currently 49 states have reported at least one vaccine breakthrough infection.

Dr. Kasper maintains, however, that the existence of COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases is not a reason for anyone to avoid the vaccine. He says the opposite is true. Continuing research shows fully vaccinated people who are infected tend to have less severe symptoms than unvaccinated people, and are much less likely to be hospitalized or die.

In short, Dr. Kasper says, the benefits of the shot far outweigh the risk of infection.

“The take-home remains: vaccine effectiveness remains well above 90% in real world reporting about adverse effects, which allows us to continually safely deliver vaccine products to those within our community.”

Currently, anyone five and older is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and can now self-schedule a COVID-19 vaccination at osfhealthcare.org/vaccine.

Dr. Kasper and others urge everyone to continue following public health guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19  by getting vaccinated and boosted when eligible, practicing good hand hygiene, using good judgement on where and with whom you gather, and by wearing a mask in indoor public places - especially for those who live in an area with substantial or high transmission of COVID-19.

Interview Clips

B-Roll

In the summer of 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to be easing, and mask mandates were lifted in many parts of the country. Now, however, with a record number of positive cases as the omicron variant sweeps across the nation, people are once again being asked to mask up in public, no matter their vaccination status. 

This new wave of COVID cases and the highly contagious nature of the omicron variant has sparked concern about cloth masks, and whether they provide enough protection in public. 

Lori Grooms is the director of Infection Prevention for OSF HealthCare. She says a rated mask is best at filtering the air. Rated masks have been approved by American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Not only are they readily available, but they are also disposable, taking the burden of daily mask laundering off the table. 

“A rated mask is going to filter out more than a cloth mask. That's not rocket science,” said Grooms. “We did know that in the beginning with COVID. We didn't have the mass manufacturing of masks like we do now, so we have masks more readily available.” 

A cloth mask with multiple layers of fabric, however, is still effective at filtering droplets and particles. According to Grooms, a mask’s ability to protect all comes down to a proper fit. 

“It's more about the fit, making sure that it covers your nose, it comes under your chin, and it fits the sides of your cheeks to avoid those gaps,” she explained. “So if you have a well-fitted cloth mask, and you're comparing it to a looser-fitting disposable mask, that well-fitted cloth mask may be more protective.” 

Despite their reusable nature, cloth masks do have a shelf life. Continued handling, washing and wearing can break down a cloth mask’s fibers, allowing respiratory droplets either in or out. 

“It's been about two years. We've been wearing these same masks for two years. It's time to probably either pitch them and get new, or hold them up to the light and see how much light you can see coming through. As you wash things or launder them, it shrinks the fibers. It makes the fibers loose so they aren't going to capture things as readily. So that may be time to get rid of them and get new,” said Grooms. 

Recent headlines claim cloth masks alone won’t cut it against the omicron variant, and two masks should be worn. Grooms explains that double masking is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but mainly for when a disposable mask doesn’t properly fit. 

“If you have a well-fitting mask, it's not necessary,” she said. “The double masking really was to try to ensure that better fit. So the CDC has a recommendation that if you're wearing a disposable mask with gaps, you can put on a cloth mask that's going to give you that better fit.” 

When shopping for a mask Grooms says there are multiple things to keep in mind. If you are looking at a cloth mask, make sure it has multiple layers. And while most disposable masks meet the need for protection, Grooms recommends reading the manufacturer information to see if it is ASTM approved. The ASTM rating should be listed on the package.

Above all, Grooms says we can all help slow the spread of the COVID virus by wearing a mask in public, ever time. Whether it’s cloth or disposable, it provides an important level of protection. In addition to masking you can protect yourself and others by getting vaccinated, receiving boosters as recommended, as practicing frequent hand hygiene.

Interview Clips

Dr. Mike Cruz, MD, FACEP, chief operating officer for OSF HealthCare, noted a variety of options exist for people who seek to travel, return to work or otherwise need to be tested, including community testing sites, at-home kits and retail pharmacy locations. He stressed that emergency departments at hospitals should be reserved for true medical emergencies and not used as a means to achieve a COVID-19 test result by asymptomatic persons.

OSF Care Station, OSF PromptCare and OSF OnCall Urgent Care locations will continue to serve the needs of persons experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19. To learn more or schedule a test online, visit osfhealthcare.org/testing.

Dr. Cruz noted a variety of options exist for people who seek to travel, return to work or otherwise need to be tested, including community testing sites, at-home kits and retail pharmacy locations. He stressed that emergency departments at hospitals should be reserved for true medical emergencies and not used as a means to achieve a COVID-19 test result by asymptomatic persons.

OSF Care Station, OSF PromptCare and OSF OnCall Urgent Care locations will continue to serve the needs of persons experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19. To learn more or schedule a test online, visit osfhealthcare.org/testing.

The very next day, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker witnessed the first COVID-19 vaccinations in the state, as OSF HealthCare Mission Partners enthusiastically rolled up their sleeves in Peoria.

Dr. Stephen Hippler is the chief clinical officer for OSF HealthCare. He says he looks back on that day and remembers feelings of hope, as well as gratitude for the work that had been done by the scientific community to get us to that point.

“I liken it to the landing on the moon many, many years ago when the entire scientific community was focused on one goal. And when all those brilliant minds around the world, not just the United States, are focused on a single problem, really wonderful and great things can happen,” remarked Dr. Hippler. “I think the fact that we got a COVID vaccine so quickly, it went into mass production and distribution, and now over 487 million doses have been given in the United States is really a testament to the dedication and focus of our scientists and all the folks who support them logistically to get it done and get it into the arms of people.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 197 million Americans are fully vaccinated, which is about 60% of the eligible population.

Despite this, the United States just hit a grim milestone – 800,000 lives lost to the virus in less than two years. The number is astounding, and according to Dr. Hippler, his advice today remains what it was 365 days ago: get vaccinated.

“This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” he said. “Yes, those who have had two doses sometimes get hospitalized, but they're typically not as sick. They don't need a ventilator and they have a much lower likelihood of dying. So it honestly is a little frustrating that this pandemic continues amongst the unvaccinated when there is a really good vaccine available to knock this down. As we enter the third winter of COVID, I don't think we want to go into a third summer and then start looking at a fourth winter of COVID.”

The CDC is reporting overall cases in the U.S. have grown nearly 50% over the past two weeks as America is experiencing the early stages of another COVID surge. The new omicron variant is also causing concern.

As Dr. Hippler looks to the future, however, he still has hope. He says while it may be dimmed, the light at the end of the tunnel has not been extinguished.

“A year from now my hope is that more people are vaccinated, and that we'll have a couple oral pills available to treat early COVID,” he said. “I think this will honestly become something that is always there; it'll never go away. But it's something we can easily recognize, test for, treat early with medication and have vaccine for that hopefully more people will avail themselves of. And with that, I think the incidence will go down.”

To schedule a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, or to see if you are eligible, visit osfhealthcare.org/vaccine.

Interview clips - Dr. Stephen Hippler

B-Roll - OSF HealthCare Mission Partners Getting Vaccinated 12/15/21

B-Roll - Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker's visit on 12/15/21

Across the country the COVID-19 infection rate continues its up-and-down track. Currently, Illinois is experiencing an uptick in new cases, after several weeks of seeing a decrease. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported the seven-day statewide positivity rate from November 1 - November 7 was 2.6%, which is the highest seen since October 14. Michigan is also seeing an increase in cases.

According to Lori Grooms, the director of Infection Prevention and Control for OSF HealthCare, seasonal upticks like this are anticipated, but she doesn’t envision a surge like we experienced in the fall of 2020, when the statewide average in Illinois exceeded 13% in mid-November.

“We have seen spikes. We've seen a couple of waves, really about three major waves with coronavirus. And we'll see fewer and fewer of those, and we won't see the large numbers that we were experiencing,” Grooms said.

Grooms pins this prediction directly on the availability of COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. If the current trends continue, the next phase we can expect, she says, is downgrading the COVID-19 pandemic to endemic status with occasional scattered epidemics. But what does that mean, exactly?

“Endemic means that it is normally circulating and something you would expect to see in that area or that population,” she explained. “Epidemic is when it is at a higher than normal (range), or it is increasing and it generally is tied to one area or a smaller group of areas. A pandemic is an epidemic at the highest proportions, meaning that it's traveling the globe.”

A disease is considered endemic when it is manageable, or not causing an extreme burden on the health care system. An endemic disease allows a community to go back to normal activities, however it is unlikely to be eliminated and will exist within the population. Grooms compares our COVID-19 present to a pandemic of the past;

“The easiest way to explain it is to look at the flu of 1918,” she said. “That really took about two years before it became a normal circulating strain, and we’re coming up on two years. We are still seeing some new strains coming out, and that has to do with how fast the virus can change and replicate; how fast it can reproduce. So it will be about two years to two and a half years, and then we'll see it kind of calm down and become normal after enough people have been exposed.”

That exposure can come either through infection, also known as natural immunity, or can be achieved through vaccination. One is proving more effective than the other.

In fact, a recent study of COVID-19 infections among people who were previously infected with the virus shows that unvaccinated individuals are more than twice as likely to be reinfected with COVID-19 than those who were fully vaccinated after their first COVID infection. Grooms agrees with the findings, and says vaccination is the best way forward to slow down the spread through immunity and to reach an endemic stage of COVID-19.

“The more people we can have vaccinated, the faster we get that immunity in place. Also, vaccination tends to be a more a more effective immunity. It's five times stronger than natural immunity. Natural immunity tends to wane faster and is geared more towards the strain that the person was exposed to, whereas our vaccination is kind of a broader overall immunity looking for the spikes that are on the coronavirus,” said Grooms.

OSF HealthCare believes vaccination against COVID-19 is our greatest tool to help end the pandemic. For information about vaccination clinics for the 5-11 age group, or to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, visit osfhealthcare.org/vaccine.

Interview Clips

Throughout the pandemic, people have jokingly said they gained the “COVID 19” when talking about weight gain over the last year and a half. In fact, the American Psychology Association (APA) found 61% of American adults experienced undesired weight changes during the pandemic.

Recently, however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found the issue of pandemic weight gain isn’t just an adult problem. A CDC study of 432,302 American kids aged 2-19 found significant increases in body mass index (BMI) rates have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the data, younger school-aged children experienced the largest increases.

OSF HealthCare pediatrician Dr. Ben Mikeworth says these findings are consistent with what he sees at his Pontiac, IL practice. Dr. Mikeworth says when the world shut down, so did activity levels for lots of kids. He also points to food insecurity issues as a reason for the shift, which became a stumbling block for many families as the pandemic shuttered businesses and jobs were lost.

“Food insecurity is a huge part of this. Not only did the pandemic affect cost of income from parents and ability to buy nutritious food, which obviously is more expensive than buying fast food or highly processed food, but it also increased the sedentary lifestyle of these kids, and so that has really drastically increased the rate of obesity during this pandemic,” says Dr. Mikeworth.

According to researchers, 22.4% of American kids are now considered obese. This is up from the pre-pandemic rate of 19.3%. Dr. Mikeworth says the more than 3% jump is alarming, because it adds to what was already a concerning problem.

“Well, we've had a pandemic, or epidemic of pediatric obesity prior to the COVID pandemic, and obviously increasing rates of obesity in children can increase rates of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease and lifelong conditions that can really drastically affect health,” he warns. “We found that there are cholesterol plaques laid down in the aorta as early as two or three or four. And you know, the lifelong increased rate of that definitely increases our risk for cardiovascular disease long term.”

Dr. Mikeworth says the effort to battle childhood obesity starts at home. He says children often mirror the eating habits and activity levels of their parents, so the entire family should get involved in a wellness journey.

He suggests setting family goals like not eating after a certain time or night, or making sure snacks are nutritious, instead of high calorie or calorie dense foods.

“When I talk to parents about it, it's always the family has to change not just the kid. Because if they're sitting down eating cheeseburgers and the kid has a salad that's not necessarily fair,” explains Dr. Mikeworth. “And so, most the time that the kid needs to change, the whole family actually needs to change to make them healthy as well.”

Parents should also know they aren’t alone. A child’s pediatrician is there to help evaluate the situation and make a healthy plan if one is needed, helping with healthy eating habits, portion control, meal planning and healthy levels of activity and exercise.

According to Dr. Mikeworth, through early identification, education and healthy lifestyle changes, children and their families can improve their overall health and wellness, which is much more than a number on a scale.

“For pediatric obesity, it's not necessarily losing weight. That's not what we want, because obviously if you get an eight year old, we don't want them not to gain weight, ever, you know? Slowing down the rate of weight gain – that's really what's important.”

And, he adds, one of the most important things kids can do to start living a healthy lifestyle is quite simple.

“Get out from behind the screen go out, play with friends, get outside, because you can enjoy that right now instead of that unhealthy habit of being inactive, it'll carry through adulthood.”

To find a pediatrician for your child, or for more information about obesity prevention in children, teens and adults visit osfhealthcare.org.

Interview Clips

COVID-19 has become the most deadly pandemic in American history, with deaths at more than 650,000, surpassing the estimated deaths from the 1918 Spanish flu. But a lead infectious disease doctor for Peoria, Illinois-based OSF HealthCare says over the course of the pandemic, medical providers have found ways to save lives with improved and more standardized care.

Doug Kasper, M.D., a leader in the OSF HealthCare response to COVID-19, says unlike the early days in the pandemic, all providers now know the best protocols for treatment and how to make sure those infected are getting the proper care.

He says medical providers have progressed to a systematic understanding of the best way to treat COVID-19 that includes intervening earlier, before the virus can continue to replicate within the body.

“We’re better at lab-based monitoring to assess ongoing infection and damage, and we’re better at recognizing those individuals that require hospitalizations for specialized care. That has come a tremendously long way since earlier on in the pandemic, where it was more of a case-by-case basis. We’ve now progressed to having a systemic understanding of COVID-19 treatment.”

One improvement has been the early use of monoclonal antibodies for people who are at high risk of serious complications. The drugs are designed to mimic the body’s natural immune response by targeting certain coronavirus proteins and preventing them from entering cells. OSF switched from using a single monoclonal antibody to a more effective cocktail, based on evolving research. Dr. Kasper says the infusions are a preventive measure.

“We give it outside of the hospital to prevent admission to the hospital. It can be used in individuals who are vaccinated or unvaccinated. It is being used across the country widely at this time.”

Convalescent plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients was used early on but Dr. Kasper says it is no longer a preferred therapy, based on research from a large clinical trial in which OSF HealthCare participated.

“Clinical trial data did not support its effective use and the emergence of monoclonal antibody and vaccination replaced it as much more successful strategies for COVID-19 infection.”

Other COVID-19 therapies include the steroid Dexamethasone and anti-inflammatory drug Baricitinib, along with oxygen therapy and anticoagulants such as Lovenox to prevent blood clots. 

Remdesivir is the only approved anti-viral drug to treat COVID-19. Dr. Kasper says it’s been used narrowly, early in the infection, for a specific group of hospitalized patients. Research about the drug and its potential uses will continue to be reviewed. For example, newly released results of an international study of 536 patients suggests Remdesivir cut high-risk COVID-19 hospitalizations by 87% when given over three days to patients within a week of experiencing symptoms.

Proning proves a powerful intervention

OSF HealthCare found increasing evidence supporting the effectiveness of proning – putting individuals with COVID-19 on their stomachs as a way to increase the amount of oxygen to the lungs. The approach has been used previously on patients with other lung and heart conditions and now it is being used, in many cases, to keep patients off of a ventilator.

“The idea is that proning is not harmful to the individual in any way and is potentially helpful for oxygenation reasons,” says Dr. Kasper.

Similarly, COVID-19 patients in the hospital are usually given a cocktail of vitamins which includes thiamine, vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc and melatonin. Dr. Kasper says there are no long-term studies to support the approach, but vitamin supplements are given in doses that won’t be harmful and could help patients whose nutrient deficiencies can increase their susceptibility to infection.

Dr. Kasper says the delta variant has made it more difficult to predict outcomes for patients who are admitted to the hospital. That’s particularly true for unvaccinated individuals because there are two phases of infection. During the first phase, usually a week to 10 days, the virus is replicating before the immune system has a chance to respond. The second phase, Dr. Kasper explains, involves the immune system response. Sometimes the response is so extreme, it increases disease severity and risk of death, so tempering the body’s inflammatory response is an important component of COVID-19 management.

The individual’s own immune response while trying to clear the infection can lead to tissue damage.

This is where we start to see people that have trouble with respiratory symptoms. The ongoing cycle of infection and inflammation in the lungs leads to viral pneumonia, which in some individuals can be quite severe, leading to respiratory failure.”

Dr. Kasper says it appears antibody response can have an impact on other body functions that can lead to some of the long COVID symptoms such as fatigue, mental fog or reduced endurance. He says there are longer-range studies underway that will follow patients four to five years. OSF HealthCare plans to collaborate with others to put together a patient registry while consulting with specialists to handle the most serious issues facing people with long COVID.

The pandemic has also led to the expansion of support for nursing facilities and group homes, and expanding at-home monitoring and care.

“There are whole new types of care, a lot of which has been developed around telemedicine, e-Medicine, that are trying to provide outreach to all impacts of the pandemic, not only in Peoria, not only in our bigger cities, but into our rural patient populations as well.”

No matter how far treatment has come since the start of the pandemic, Dr. Kasper says the best approach moving forward is the prevention that comes with being fully vaccinated against the virus.

Video Clips with Dr. Doug Kasper, infectious disease physician, leader of OSF HealthCare COVID-19 response

COVID-19 Treatment B-roll

As the pandemic rages on, so does misinformation about the virus, the vaccines and mitigation measures. We sat down with  Jared Meeker, DO, an OSF HealthCare pulmonary critical care physician, and Douglas Kasper, MD, an OSF HealthCare infectious disease physician, to address some often misunderstood or misrepresented topics.

The CDC has been changing guidelines often. Why should we trust what they say?

How can cloth masks stop a microscopic virus?

Why is it important for those unable/ineligible for the vaccine to mask? What about the people masking around them?

There are more and more reports of breakthrough infections in vaccinated people. Why?

Is the vaccinated population protected from delta and other variants?

Does vaccination work to combat a respiratory illness, even one with animal reservoirs?

How does the vaccine stack up against natural immunity?

How can the vaccine provide protection if this virus keeps mutating?

Can vaccinated people spread the virus?

What is your advice for someone who is hesitant to get the vaccine?

For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine, including general vaccine information, answers to frequently asked questions, and even online vaccination appointments for anyone 12 and older, visit osfhealthcare.org/vaccine.

New cases of the coronavirus continue to surge across the U.S., spurred by the fast-spreading and extremely contagious Delta variant that now makes up the majority of COVID infections in the country. Meanwhile, the push continues by health professionals, scientists and lawmakers for everyone eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.

The three COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the U.S. have been proven very effective at preventing severe COVID-19 illness and death. In fact, as of August 18, nearly 94% of people in the ICU with COVID in OSF HealthCare facilities were unvaccinated - a disparity being reported in hospitals across the county.

Despite this, millions of people are still hesitant to get vaccinated for many reasons, from personal or political views and fears, to problems getting to vaccine sites. Mario Cruz-Cortez was one of those people. The 33-year-old Taylorville man said he was aware of the recommendations, but didn’t take action.

“I ignored it,” he recalled. “I ignored it because it’s so much stuff you hear on the TV, your friends say, my friends say, there’s just so much political noise – this is not real. This is the government trying to control people.”

This was a view Cruz-Cortez would soon regret. In late July he was infected with COVID-19. Cruz-Cortez tried to ride out the illness at home, but it soon became apparent that he needed medical attention.

“I knew I was really sick, I was not sure I was going to make it – I was so sick,” said Cruz-Cortez. “It changed overnight, because I remember the night before I went to bed, I was feeling a little sick. It started with muscle pain, not a lot of energy to move, but I was still breathing fine. I still did not have a cough. I wake up, and oh my god I cannot stop coughing. Cough and cough and cough. I started moving more and I started to notice my breath – I can’t breathe anymore. I was so short of breath.”

Cruz-Cortez drove himself to the emergency department in his hometown of Taylorville, where his condition continued to deteriorate. On July 30 Cruz-Cortez was intubated and transferred to OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana, Illinois, where he remained on a ventilator for nine days.

“I shouldn’t have ignored it,” Cruz-Cortez reflected. “I should have went to get a test and get proper medication. I ignored it for a week and a half and by the time it was almost two weeks is when I could not breathe anymore.”

Off of the vent and in recovery, Cruz-Cortez said from his hospital room that he wished he could go back in time to give himself some sage vaccination advice.

“I would tell myself to get the vaccine. It doesn’t matter. Get the vaccine,” he said. “I’m going to get it as soon as I can, because COVID is for real and I don’t want to go through again. I don’t want any of my family members to go through what I went through, because that was so scary.”

Cruz-Cortez was discharged from OSF Heart of Mary on August 11. The father of two said the first thing he was going to do is hug his children. He says he will also advocate for his friends and family to get vaccinated as soon as possible, using his ordeal as a cautionary tale.

“Don’t wait until someone you love gets so sick to get the vaccine. Get your vaccine. You might be thinking it’s scary, but it’s more scary when you see someone you love lying in bed with oxygen, don’t even know if they are going to make it or not. Get the vaccine and you will feel better about yourself and you protect other people.”

For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine, including general vaccine information, answers to frequently asked questions, and even online vaccination appointments for anyone 12 and older, visit osfhealthcare.org/vaccine.

Interview Clips

Suicide and addiction were the two biggest factors bringing down the average life expectancy in the U.S. before the pandemic and it’s only gotten worse with the need for physical distancing and closures of public places. COVID-19 mitigation efforts have made it hard for people with substance use disorders to seek help, keep up their treatment, or access social supports.

A study by the National Emergency Medical Services Information system (NEMSIS), a large registry of more than 10,000 EMS agencies in 47 states, showed a 50% increase in overdose-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Sam Sears, MD, director of physician services for OSF Behavioral Health pointed out many healthy activities are limited but liquor stores are still open and street drugs are readily available.

“So people are still having access to their vices with free times on their hands so with people who are at risk that’s an increased opportunity for things to go badly rather than opportunities for help and treatment,” according to Sears.

Sears said some people who are years into their sobriety are doing ok but others, not so much.

“People who were less solid in their recovery though, I have a lot of worry about them and then folks that were thinking about getting into recovery but haven’t started, the odds that they’re getting any help or movement toward recovery are very low over this time period which means it’s going to be a much harder journey for them then if they had been able to get started months ago.”

Alcohol remains the number one most abused substance followed by methamphetamine. In parts of Illinois and Michigan, heroin is more commonly used because it’s cheaper and more available than other opioids. Sears said incredibly dangerous synthetic fentanyl-laced opioids have infected much of the street supply and it can have deadly consequences.

“That same effect that just got them a little bit high before is now putting them into respiratory failure or outright killing them. This has taken the lives of many individuals and put many more individuals into intensive care units or emergency rooms across the country and even here in our own communities,” according to Sears.

Sears warned anyone already taking medication for depression or anxiety should avoid alcohol because drinking can cancel out the positive impact of the medication. Plus, alcohol is a depressant so it is really counter-productive for someone who opts to drink to deal with their mental health struggles.

Research has shown COVID-19 could hit people with alcohol and other substance use disorders particularly hard. Because those who have addiction issues often have other underlying conditions, they are more susceptible to the highly contagious virus.

People with COVID-19 who have few to mild symptoms and want in-patient treatment for their addiction could face challenges.

“Until last week or two, they really were having people housed on medical units until they were able to test negative for COVID before they could be transferred to mental health or substance abuse treatment programming,” he shared following a recent radio forum in Monmouth, Illinois.

Even if in-patient beds are available for COVID-free patients seeking help, the domino effects of unemployment during the pandemic could also mean fewer people can afford inpatient services. However, with new telehealth options and revised regulations for at-home medication assistance, substance abuse treatment experts stress just reach out because there is help. In-patient treatment centers are open and they have taken precautions to keep patients safe from COVID-19.

Dr. Sears urged anyone with a concern to call an OSF Behavioral Health navigator at (309) 308-8150.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has a website, Rethinking Drinking, that’s great resource current patients or for anyone with concerns about alcohol addiction. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Helpline is a national resource available 24/7 by calling (800) 622-4357.

Video Clips with Dr. Sam Sears

Addiction B-roll

Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly recommend parents get their children vaccinated against influenza.

This year both organizations agree the flu shot is more important than ever, because there is a real possibility of kids getting both the flu and COVID-19. Despite this, alarming data released by the National Poll on Children's Health  indicates one-third of American parents will not get their children vaccinated for the flu this year. Dr. Samina Yousuf is an OSF HealthCare pediatrician in Bloomington, Illinois. She hopes these parents will reconsider.

“It is definitely possible that you could get both of these viruses and you could be co-infected, and you could be much sicker than you would if you just had one of them,” warned Dr. Yousuf.

COVID-19 and the flu are both contagious respiratory illnesses. While they are caused by different viruses, they do share many of the same symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, sore throat, body aches and runny nose. Children may also develop gastrointestinal issues like vomiting and diarrhea.

Because of these similarities, Dr. Yousuf says if a child does get sick, knowing he or she has been immunized for the flu could help determine a treatment plan, while lessening the burden on the health care system.

“If we can immunize as many children as we can, we can hopefully lower the incidence of flu that we see in children,” she said. “And by doing that we can cut out the resources that would be used if a sick child presents to us and we do not know if this is COVID or if this is flu.”

Even without the threat of COVID, the flu is dangerous for children. A CDC study published in the journal Pediatrics shows the majority of children who died from the flu in recent years were not vaccinated.

“Talking about the flu we must remember that this is actually an illness that can cause death in children. Last year there were 188 children who died because of influenza,” said Dr. Yousuf. She continued, “57% of those were absolutely healthy children. The median age of the children that died was six years old, and it ranges anywhere from two months to 17 years.”

It's recommended that everyone six months and older get an annual flu vaccine. According to the CDC, the flu season can begin as early as October and continue through April or May, and the prime time for kids to receive the flu shot is in September or October so they can have full protection by the height of the season.

Dr. Yousuf urges parents to get their children vaccinated for the flu as soon as possible, and to speak with their child's physician if they have any questions or concerns.

Interview Clips