McLaren Health Care

Breakthrough cases are rare but expected with mass vaccination programs. As of mid-July, more than 159 million people in the United States are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Among the vaccinated, there are more than 10,000 reported “breakthrough” cases, which is defined as testing positive for COVID-19 once fully vaccinated (two or more weeks after receiving the second vaccine dose). Medical professionals and public health experts expect these cases with mass vaccination programs. No vaccine is 100 ...

Experts say this variant will soon become the dominant strain in the United States. Although the coronavirus has been mutating into different variants since it was first discovered, it wasn’t until recently that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began referring to these variants with Greek alphabet designations. For example, one variant that was once referred to as COVID-19 B.1.1.7 is now call the Alpha variant. This is how the latest variant — and the most concerning to date — became kn...

Take preventive action now to avoid potential illness later. Call it a physical, check-up or annual exam, but a regular appointment with a primary care provider can have endless and potentially untold benefits. It’s understandable that many people only make doctor appointments when they’re sick—get an exam, a prescription and feel better in a few days. An annual appointment, though, is the appointment when patients can check in with their doctor about their overall health’s outlook. “Over the past recen...

How big of a risk are COVID-19 breakthrough cases? People getting a COVID-19 vaccine have an expectation of being protected. But with reports of breakthrough cases, experts urge everyone to understand what to expect from the vaccines’ protection. Breakthrough cases of COVID-19, though rare, are patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus two or more weeks after their vaccination — once plenty of time has passed for the body’s immune system to build an antibody defense. This situation was one p...

Vaccines are the safest way to reaching herd immunity. When it’s your turn, be ready. Months into the deadly pandemic, the medical community had a genuine cause for celebration with the authorization of multiple safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. Health care professionals and public health experts now have a way to defend and fight back against the coronavirus. It will take patience, but with the nationwide vaccine program currently underway, it’s vital everyone be ready when his or her turn arrives....

What does it mean that multiple coronavirus variants have been discovered. Mutation is a natural process for all viruses. The resulting virus from these mutations are called variants. In terms of the pandemic and the coronavirus, doctors, researchers and public health experts credit the sharp spike in COVID-19 cases over the winter months to these variants. How do these variants factor into the ongoing pandemic? Viral spread Variants of the coronavirus were discovered early in the pandemic. In the natur...

A year into the pandemic, more and more kids are feeling the mental health strain. In 2020, in the middle of March, it felt like everything changed. Seemingly overnight, safety protocols aimed to slow the explosive and deadly spread of COVID-19 shut down businesses, closed schools and sent everyone to shelter at home. Many adults possessed the skills and ability to adapt to the extraordinary, rapidly changing times. Teens and younger kids, however, were found to have a much more difficult time. “Big and...

Vaccinated people have tested positive for COVID-19. Experts say this does not indicate an issue with the vaccine. With the COVID-19 vaccination program rolled out nationwide, more and more people are beginning to get the lifesaving inoculations every day. And while many people expected to get some form of minor reaction (headache, mild fever, etc.), that small risk was worth their ultimate goal: to be protected against COVID-19. However, recent headlines have grabbed people’s attention — vaccinated ind...

Meeting the needs of cancer patients and their loved ones. It was thanks to a deal between two of the leading healthcare organizations in Michigan that brought the expert treatment of the Karmanos Cancer Institute to McLaren Oakland and the residents of Oakland County. But that commitment didn’t end there. The Pontiac hospital once again met that pledge when it planned, built and enthusiastically cut the ribbon to open its Inpatient Oncology Unit. The 21-bed, sixth floor unit is a $14 million commitment...

The vaccines are here, but many falsehoods are circulating about the lifesaving inoculations. For months any and all updates on a COVID-19 vaccine were eagerly awaited and absorbed. Now that they’re here with FDA approval and the program is ramping up, many still question and doubt the vaccine — from its safety and efficacy to its underlying technology. Several misconceptions are circulating around the web or being whispered about in social circles to fuel that doubt. Yet those misconceptions’ underlyin...