Take part in a MRN Clinical Trial to build the repository & earn some compensation (audio)

FM #1073 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1073 in the series. 

This shares my interview and discussion with MRN Diagnostics CEO Dr. Greg Chiklis. Our discussion was conducted on site at the MRN facility in the Forge Park Industrial Park.

• What is MRN’s mission? The role of the MRN’s Clinical Research Division 

• About the clinical research studies that are currently available (Ageros, Leidos)

• Studies are handled by an experienced team of clinical coordinators who follow stringent protocols to ensure the safety of our donors and the integrity of our studies

• Donors will receive compensation for each study that they participate in

• Create the Biorepository for future studies

• How we can get involved in one or more of these clinical collections

• For more information on how you can take part, please contact us at (508) 384-0033 or email collections@mrndx.com

The recording runs about 36 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Dr. Greg Chiklis. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1073-mrn-diagnostics-dr-greg-chiklis-10-05-23

--------------

Home page for MRD -> https://www.mrndx.com/ 

Clinical Collections Flyer -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PYwt2IFAnf6TYSQKQLyAWQZZDWPw87GL/view?usp=drive_link

How to donate to one of the collections -> https://www.mrndx.com/donor-home 

Clinical Compensation summary -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GBAv27U-0aGb7K5jAtnc2xchHBVHs8EU/view?usp=drive_link

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

 

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit franklin.news/ or Franklinmatters.org/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Updated COVID-19 vaccines for adults and children have just been authorized and recommended

"NEW: Updated COVID-19 vaccines for adults and children have just been authorized and recommended.

This means immunizations for all three major fall and winter respiratory viruses – COVID-19, flu, and RSV – are available.

Learn more at https://t.co/S2DQV6MlBv"

Shared from ->  https://t.co/Rc34cBzbq6

Updated COVID-19 vaccines for adults and children have just been authorized and recommended

Franklin Health Dept: National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day - Aug 21

August 21 is National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. Nearly 200 people die every day in the U.S. from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like illegally made fentanyl. 

To learn more browse the resources below:

Fentanyl Facts

Fentanyl Test Trips: A Harm Reduction Strategy

Lifesaving Naloxone

What You Should Know About Xylazine

Stop Overdose Website

Know The Signs and Get Help for Opioid Addiction 

 

Franklin Health Dept: National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day - Aug 21

Weekly Wellness Update - World No Tobacco Day

Today (May 31, 2023)  is "World No Tobacco Day"! The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year -tobacco kills up to half of its users! 

Find out tips and steps to quit smoking: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/ 

Weekly Wellness Update - World No Tobacco Day

 

CDC simplifies COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, allows older adults and immunocompromised adults to get second dose of the updated vaccine | CDC Online Newsroom | CDC

Based upon the FDA actions announced in this release, the CDC has updated their guidance as well.

"Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 bivalent mRNA vaccines to simplify the vaccination schedule for most individuals. This action includes authorizing the current bivalent vaccines (original and omicron BA.4/BA.5 strains) to be used for all doses administered to individuals 6 months of age and older, including for an additional dose or doses for certain populations. The monovalent Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the United States."

Continue reading for the FDA details ->

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-changes-simplify-use-bivalent-mrna-covid-19-vaccines

"Following FDA regulatory action, CDC has taken steps to simplify COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and allow more flexibility for people at higher risk who want the option of added protection from additional COVID-19 vaccine doses.

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met today to discuss these COVID-19 vaccine recommendation changes, and the associated implications and implementation. Although there was no vote at this meeting, ACIP members expressed their support for these recommendations."

Continue reading for the CDC details ->

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/s0419-covid-vaccines.html

CDC simplifies COVID-19 vaccine recommendations

Franklin Health Department: Children's Dental Health Month

"It's Children's Dental Health Month. More than 40% of children have tooth decay by Kindergarten.  

For information on dental prevention visit: www.cdc.gov/oralhealth"

Franklin Health Department: Children's Dental Health Month

 

 

Health Department - Weekly Wellness Update - May is skin cancer awareness month

"May is skin cancer awareness month. Having 5 or more sunburns doubles your risk for melanoma.  

Learn more at: www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin"

 Video link -> https://youtu.be/bKxG31XDbhA

COVID-19 weekly date updates (post vacation bump seen)

1 - 

The weekly Franklin Public Schools COVID-19 dashboard is now available to view here:  https://sites.google.com/franklinps.net/back-to-school-plan-21-22/weekly-covid-19-dashboard

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/FranklinPSNews/status/1522330046798745602

Franklin Public Schools COVID-19 dashboard

2 - 

"Most of MA is now in the high COVID “Community Level” zone, since we have hit the (lagging indicator) hospitalization threshold. CDC guidelines say to now wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public, including in schools. I expect no response or even acknowledgment. #DontLookUp"

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/jonlevyBU/status/1522382474583724032

Most of MA is now in the high COVID “Community Level” zone

3 - 

"Reported #Worcester #COVID19 daily new case rate (2 wk avg, per 100k people) continues to increase in step with #Massachusetts state-wide trends.

Explore data for your town/city here:

https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/4817758/"

While Nathan reported on Worcester, the Franklin data (shown below) tracks in similar manner albeit on a lesser level.   https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/4817758/

the Franklin data tracks in similar manner

Health Department: Wellness Update -> May is mental health awareness month

"May is mental health awareness month. 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 6 youth experience mental illness each year.  "

Learn more at: www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth

https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/

Health Department: Weekly Wellness Update shares resources on Stress and Coping

April is stress awareness month. Chronic stress can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and more.  

Learn more at: www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/stress-coping

Health Department: Weekly Wellness Update shares resources on Stress and Coping

"We need a CDC that prioritizes the health of the people, not the health of big business"

"A new omicron variant, referred to as BA 2, is taking hold in the US. Anthony Fauci and others have said they don’t expect a new surge in the US, but BA.2 is causing devastating surges elsewhere, and the policies and behaviors we might use to prevent a surge in the US have been widely abandoned, in part thanks to the CDC’s new system for measuring and conveying COVID risk.

In late February, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unveiled a new COVID-19 monitoring system based on what they call “Community Levels.” By downplaying the importance of Sars-CoV-2 transmission, the new system instantly turned what was a pandemic map still red from Omicron transmission to green – creating the false impression that the pandemic is over.

Released four days before the State of the Union, the new CDC measures and the narrative they created let President Biden claim victory over the virus via sleight of hand: a switch from standard reporting of community transmissions to measures of risk based largely on contentious hospital-based metrics. The previous guidelines called anything over 50 cases per 100,000 people “substantial or high.” Now, they say 200 cases per 100,000 is “low” as long as hospitalizations are also low.

The resulting shift from a red map to a green one reflected no real reduction in transmission risk. It was a resort to rhetoric: an effort to craft a success story that would explain away hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths and the continued threat the virus poses. "

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/apr/03/peoples-cdc-covid-guidelines 

"The People’s CDC is a collective of public health practitioners, scientists, healthcare workers, educators, advocates and people from all walks of life who care about reducing the harmful impacts of COVID-19. The People’s CDC is volunteer-run and independent of partisan political and corporate interests. 

A copy of the People’s CDC report on the change in the CDC’s COVID-19 guidelines can be found at peoplescdc.org."

"We need a CDC that prioritizes the health of the people, not the health of big business"

And the Boston Globe reports on a growing COVID case count
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/03/metro/amid-climbing-mass-covid-19-cases-health-experts-urge-booster-shots/

Health Department: Weekly Wellness Update - Chronic Kidney Disease

Another of March's Health Observances is Kidney Awareness.  

9 out of 10 people are unaware they have Chronic Kidney Disease.  

Learn more at: www.cdc.gov/kidneydisease

Health Department: Weekly Wellness Update - Chronic Kidney Disease

"COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are highly effective in preventing the most severe forms of COVID-19"

"The coronavirus vaccines most widely used in the United States remained highly effective at preventing the worst outcomes from infections even in the face of the highly transmissible omicron variant in January, a report released Friday by federal disease trackers shows.

While protection against mild illness waned over time, the mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech provided a robust shield against death and needing mechanical ventilation, the study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

The study bolsters confidence in the vaccines to prevent the most serious outcomes for covid-19 patients, even after the omicron variant fueled an increase in cases, hospitalizations and deaths this winter, said William Moss, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who did not participate in the study."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/03/18/coronavirus-vaccine-worked-against-omicron/

Original study report -> https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7112e1.htm

"COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are highly effective in preventing the most severe forms of COVID-19"

Gee, masks really work. Good to know in advance of when the next wave comes!

"School districts that required masks this fall saw significantly fewer coronavirus cases than those where masks were optional, according to a large study of Arkansas schools by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC looked at 233 school districts and found those with mask requirements saw a 23 percent lower incidence of coronavirus cases. Rates in districts with partial requirements — for instance, places that required them in hallways but not classrooms — were in between.

“Masks remain an important part of a multicomponent approach to preventing Covid-19 in K-12 settings, especially in communities with high Covid-19 community levels,” concluded the study, which published Tuesday."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/03/08/school-mask-cdc-covid-transmission/

CDC study referenced -> https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7110e1.htm?s_cid=mm7110e1_w
 

Many school districts across the country are dropping mask requirements in classrooms. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The Washington Post)

You know this is why people don't trust us (CDC) right? (video satire)

Tyler Black, MD (@tylerblack32) tweeted  on Mon, Feb 28, 2022:

"This is perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

No notes.

Precisely satirizes the problem."

https://twitter.com/tylerblack32/status/1498430546854117376

Time for some new CDC guidelines pic.twitter.com/0Pmq4EUqnb

— Dr. Glaucomflecken (@DGlaucomflecken) February 28, 2022

Oh my! omicron continues driving new record, how high will we go?

Franklin, MA COVID-19 case counts continue to be driven by the omicron variant. Two weeks ago the positivity was 8%, last week we were at 17.06%. This week the positivity rate is at 22.83%.

This week positivity rate is at 22.83%

chart for week of 1/13/22 - note scale for Y axis same as for last week

Reminhttps://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/01/medicaregov-3-things-you-can-do-to.htmlder via Medicare.gov -> "3 things you can do to protect yourself from Omicron (vax, boost, mask!)" https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/01/medicaregov-3-things-you-can-do-to.html

Make your own data visualization from this
https://app.flourish.studio/visualisation/4817758/

Boston Globe community coverage

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/15/nation/massachusetts-confirmed-coronavirus-cases-by-city/

Mass.gov COVID-19 page -> https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting

The CDC page for COVID-19 tracking  -> https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home

Be careful this holiday season, the COVID-19 cases are climbing, and that is not good

Via Nathan Ahlgren, the updated State and Franklin numbers in Flourish

Be careful this holiday season, the COVID-19 cases are climbing, and that is not good

Customize your own view of the data -> https://app.flourish.studio/visualisation/4817758/ 

THE MA DPH numbers as of Thursday, Dec 23, 2021 show Franklin with a 5.49 positivity rate. up about 1 each of the last 2 weeks. Not the way to go Franklin

COvid-19 cases 12/23/21 https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/15/nation/massachusetts-confirmed-coronavirus-cases-by-city/

The Omicron variant spreads more easily than the original virus that causes #COVID19. Help stop Omicron by using all the tools to protect yourself and others.

Learn more: https://t.co/wbu65L0mgM.

Help stop Omicron by using all the tools to protect yourself and others

 

Boston Globe: "Behind the state’s school masking policy: a collision of science and politics"

"Opponents of school mask mandates have often been louder and more insistent than supporters — even though polls suggest they’re in the minority. Parent groups opposed to making students wear masks in school have filed at least six lawsuits across Massachusetts to stop the policy.

Now, internal state e-mails suggest that anti-masking activists are having a significant impact on the Baker administration, which has resisted full compliance with federal guidance that students should wear masks at school even if they’ve been vaccinated. Current policy will soon allow schools with high vaccination rates to drop mask requirements for vaccinated students and staff.

The determination to follow this middle path may be in part political. When a Massachusetts General Hospital doctor asked in an e-mail why the state was not following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, a top state health official was blunt: pressure."

Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/02/metro/behind-states-school-masking-policy-collision-science-politics/

Boston Globe: "Behind the state’s school masking policy: a collision of science and politics"

The COVID-19 pandemic ends when?

"It’s basically over already. It will end this October. Or maybe it won’t be over till next spring, or late next year, or two or three years down the road.

From the most respected epidemiologists to public health experts who have navigated past disease panics, from polemicists to political partisans, there are no definitive answers to the central question in American life: As a Drudge Report headline put it recently, “is it ever going to end?”

With children returning to classrooms, in many cases for the first time in 18 months, and as the highly contagious delta variant and spotty vaccination uptake send case numbers and deaths shooting upward, many Americans wonder what exactly has to happen before life can return to something that looks and feels like 2019."

Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required) 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/covid-how-will-it-end/2021/09/04/44bdd69a-fed7-11eb-a664-4f6de3e17ff0_story.html 

What we know and don't know does change, the CDC has the record of the current status  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

The COVID-19 pandemic ends when?

COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine updates, including Franklin's vaccine stats - a quick recap

1 - Maura George (@maurageorgemd) tweeted Fri, Aug 27, 2021:

As a mom of 3 little boys, I am desperate to get my kids' childhood back to normal. As a doctor, I want data to know that what we're doing is actually effective. I was floored when I graphed these numbers from ATL schools this week. #maskmandate https://t.co/7prNuI7XAQ

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/maurageorgemd/status/1431368291948302347?s=03

Georgia Dept. of Public Health data -> https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report

COVID-19 cases in Atlanta students, mask mandate

2. "Children’s hospitals around the country are seeing a surge in Covid-19 patients"

"As the Delta variant grips the country, children who are not yet eligible for vaccination are at higher risk of being infected — especially in places where the virus is surging. A New Orleans children’s hospital had so many Covid-19 patients that a federal “surge team” was called in to bolster an exhausted staff.

Children under 12 may have to wait until the end of the year to get vaccinated. Half of the adolescents in the U.S. have now received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, the White House said on Friday."

Via the New York Times Friday highlights->    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/27/briefing/kabul-evictions-candyman.html

The full article and heart rendering photos can be found ->

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/27/us/children-covid-delta.html

3 -  "Why Provincetown’s Response to Its COVID Outbreak Was So Effective"

"Source investigation complements standard contact tracing; it’s not a substitute. When outbreaks are detected, people need to be informed immediately, so they can get tested and ensure they are not unknowingly spreading the virus. Once a cluster is detected, venues should re-evaluate their COVID mitigation measures and ensure that staff are vaccinated and ventilation systems refresh indoor air at least four to six times per hour. High-risk venues should keep lists of patrons, and outreach to customers through social media can be very effective. Mandating that customers are vaccinated, as New York, San Francisco and New Orleans have done, may not suffice to prevent outbreaks. Some European countries are requiring evidence of a negative coronavirus test for unvaccinated people entering indoor entertainment venues.

The Provincetown outbreak occurred as thousands of people arrived to celebrate the Fourth of July, believing their vaccinations would protect them against infection. When infected people began feeling ill, some didn’t immediately attribute their symptoms to COVID-19 because of the widespread belief that breakthrough infections were almost impossible. After the cases emerged, the local health department’s investigation was undoubtedly helped by strong word-of-mouth communication, as many infections affected members of the gay community, a group that for decades has witnessed the effects of the AIDS pandemic. Since then, many local businesses have reassessed their COVID mitigation measures, the town reinstituted an indoor mask mandate and new cases have leveled off."

Also from the New York Times, where the full article can be found ->  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/27/opinion/provincetown-covid-contact-tracing.html

4 -CNN’s Leana Wen: ‘Public health is now under attack in a way that it has not been before’

An excerpt from the full interview (which is definitely worth reading to get the full context:

"Yeah. It’s the height of American exceptionalism that we are where we are. I have family in other parts of the world where health-care workers and vulnerable elderly people are begging to get the vaccine. And here, we’re sitting on stockpiles and begging people to take the vaccine.

I think how we got here is complicated, right? I agree with the surgeon general in issuing the advisory about misinformation and disinformation — certainly that plays a big role here. There are individuals out there who are knowingly spreading misinformation. There are others who are clicking and then, unfortunately, sharing misinformation that’s leading to question that and the efficacy of vaccines. That misinformation is taking away people’s freedom to make decisions for themselves and their families.

And I think the Biden administration needs to take some responsibility here, also, for their miscalculation and misjudgment in being so uneasy about vaccine verification and relying on the honor code. Come on. Did they really think that the honor system was going to work during a pandemic when many people behaved so dishonorably? The honor system did not work. And, of course, the unvaccinated are now running around living their lives as if they are vaccinated. And that’s led to the surge that we are now seeing. We lost the powerful incentive to increase vaccines in that really important window."

Read the full interview on the Washington Post page (subscription maybe required)  
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/cnns-leana-wen-public-health-is-now-under-attack-in-a-way-that-it-has-not-been-before/2021/08/19/42c76184-ef0b-11eb-a452-4da5fe48582d_story.html

5 - Via the MA.gov DPH weekly updates, here is the vaccine statistics by age group for Franklin, Not that the population up to 11 years old is excluded as the vaccine is not yet authorized for them.

Boston Globe article with their coverage on this week's data

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/15/nation/massachusetts-confirmed-coronavirus-cases-by-city/

My downloaded copy filtered for Franklin data (as of 8/26/21)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YTnqmKTprkfFDGkBEoM678QlxqbvNgP9/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101938843903614700481&rtpof=true&sd=true

The full data file can be found on the MA Gov page

https://www.mass.gov/doc/weekly-covid-19-municipality-vaccination-report-august-26-2021/download

Franklin's vaccine stats as of 8/26/21