As the U.S. nears a national peak in the surge of the omicron variant, many states are already seeing a decline in COVID-19 cases. Mayo Clinic's Predictive Analytics Task Force has been tracking COVID-19 cases in the U.S. since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this peak, Mayo experts emphasize that the country is only halfway through the surge.

"I think it's important to recognize the omicron surge is not over. There are going to be thousands of infections and hospitalizations on the way back down, too," says Dr. Curtis Storlie, a Mayo Clinic data scientist who is on the task force. "So the messaging remains the same. Get boosted if you're eligible. People who've received booster doses of the current vaccine maintain a high level of protection against omicron, particularly against severe illness and hospitalization. Wear a mask in public areas, avoid crowded spaces, get tested if you have symptoms, follow quarantine guidance if you do become infected."

Watch: Mayo experts discuss COVID-19 peak.

Journalists: Broadcast-quality sound bites are in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network. Name supers/CG: Curtis Storlie, Ph.D./Predictive Analytics Task Force/Mayo Clinic; Conor Loftus, M.D./Chair, Outpatient Practice/Mayo Clinic.

Like many hospitals across the country, Mayo Clinic continues to operate at nearly full capacity. Many of its patients have COVID-19. This has strained staff and resources, and Mayo experts say now is not the time to relax and consider the surge to be over.

"If we take how busy our hospital is now in terms of hospitalized patients with COVID, we may be at or close to a peak. But we've got as many patients in the hospital this week as we did this time last week. So this is not the time for letting our guard down," says Dr. Conor Loftus, chair of Mayo Clinic's outpatient practice.

Both experts agree that the key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic is getting as many people as possible vaccinated.

"Don't wait. Get boosted now. Boosters of the current vaccine are highly effective against omicron. Get another booster this summer when the new more targeted vaccines are available. I can't stress this enough. We're in the driver's seat here as long as we want to drive. If a heavy majority of us take boosting seriously, we could make this the last substantial COVID surge," says Dr. Storlie.

Mayo Clinic modeling predicts a rapid drop in COVID-19 cases over the next month. The future after that is still uncertain because of the virus' ability to adapt and change.

"We're going to have a sharp decline. And then we're still expecting a calm period of relatively low cases for a few months. However, it's unlikely that it will stay that way. The virus will continue to evolve. For example, we're already seeing news of a new variant ― omicron BA.2 ― and our immunity is going to wane. We have to take boosting seriously if we want any chance of putting COVID behind us," says Dr. Storlie.

For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was either recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in a nonpatient care area where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding, along with guidelines and recommendations, may have changed since the original publication date. 

For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

Learn more about tracking COVID-19 and COVID-19 trends.

The post Mayo experts: Don’t let guard down as COVID-19 cases peak appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On January 26th, 2022, Curtis Storlie, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic data scientist, and Conor Loftus, M.D., chair, Mayo Clinic outpatient practice, provided updates on what Mayo Clinic’s predictive modeling is forecasting and what’s next as we look beyond the current peak of COVID-19 cases in the Midwest.

Journalists who have already registered on the News Network can log into their accounts to download a recording of the Zoom briefing found at the end of this post.

Journalists who would like to access the media briefing video can register with the News Network here.

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For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in an area not designated for patient care, where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding, along with guidelines and recommendations, may have changed since the original publication date. 

For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

Learn more about tracking COVID-19 and COVID-19 trends.

The post 1-26-2022 Media Only News Briefing: Midwest COVID-19 situation update/predictive modeling and what’s next? appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Jan. 21 is the two-year anniversary of the first travel-related COVID-19 case reported in the U.S. In that time, medical experts at Mayo Clinic say treatment and prevention of the disease have evolved and improved.

"We're in a very different position than we were two years ago. We have lots of capabilities and tools at our disposal to manage through this, primarily vaccines and boosters, of course. And we have to continue to encourage everybody within our communities to seek vaccination and to seek boosters because we know this is safe, we know this is effective. It's clearly the best way of preventing serious illness, hospitalization, ICU admissions and decompressing our hospitals," says Dr. Conor Loftus, chair of Mayo Clinic's outpatient practice.

Watch: Dr. Conor Loftus reflects on two years of COVID-19.

Journalists: Broadcast-quality sound bites are in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network. Name super/CG: Conor Loftus, M.D./Chair, Outpatient Practice/Mayo Clinic.

The recent surge of the omicron variant has pushed hospitals in the U.S., including Mayo Clinic, near their limits and has strained staff and resources.

"The hospital overall is very busy. The majority of patients that are hospitalized with serious illness related to COVID, unfortunately, are unvaccinated," says Dr. Loftus. "So, coming back to safety and the tools we have at hand — vaccination and boosters are key. And, of course, the basic measures of masking, avoiding crowds where feasible, social distancing, washing hands, the basic things we've learned from the start are very important to emphasize again."

"Having staff to look after the patients, given staff absences, has been a major factor here. With that said, the flexibility, dedication and resilience of the staff in just being flexible, has allowed us to continue to provide the care to the patients that need our care. The care has not been compromised in any way, shape or form — inpatient or outpatient. We're able to care for the patients that need us, despite being extremely busy in the hospital and in the outpatient setting."

The nation isn't out of the COVID-19 pandemic yet, but Dr. Loftus sees light at the end of the tunnel.

"As we all do our best to enhance safety in our community ― and for patients, our employees, our families and everybody ― continuing to promote vaccination, continuing to promote booster administration and continuing with the simple measures is very important. And that's what will help see us through this pandemic and out the other side," he says.

For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was either recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in a nonpatient care area where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding, along with guidelines and recommendations, may have changed since the original publication date. 

For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

Learn more about tracking COVID-19 and COVID-19 trends.

The post Mayo doctor reflects on 2 years of COVID-19 appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On Wednesday, Jan. 19, Curtis Storlie, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic data scientist, and Conor Loftus, M.D., chair, Mayo Clinic outpatient practice, addressed questions related to the predictive modeling of COVID-19 and how it’s used at Mayo Clinic.

Shortly after COVID-19 began appearing in the U.S., Mayo Clinic's Predictive Analytics Task Force began tracking it. The team of experts consists of members from Mayo Clinic Quality and the Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery. These experts have been involved in building and maintaining predictive modeling for COVID-19 that allows clinic leaders to make informed decisions about hospital operations.

Journalists who have already registered on the News Network can log into their accounts to download a recording of the Zoom briefing found at the end of this post.

Journalists who would like to access the media briefing video can register with the News Network here.

For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was either recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in a nonpatient care area where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding, along with guidelines and recommendations, may have changed since the original publication date. 

For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

Learn more about tracking COVID-19 and COVID-19 trends.

The post 1-19-2022 Media Only News Briefing: Predictive Modeling appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

The Mayo Clinic Radio program shares the latest information on the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. On the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast,  Dr. Conor Loftus, chair of outpatient practice at Mayo Clinic, explains how Mayo Clinic is protecting patients and staff by using enhanced screening, testing, cleaning and masking protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then in an encore presentation of Mayo Clinic Radio, Dr. Jamie Van Gompel, a Mayo Clinic neurologic surgeon, and Dr. Garret Choby, a Mayo Clinic otolaryngologist — head and neck surgeon, explain minimally invasive surgery for skull base tumors. And Dr. Reade Quinton, a Mayo Clinic pathologist, discusses the shortage of pathologists and his forensic work in anatomic pathology.

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding along with guidelines and recommendations may have changed since the original publication date. 

Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for additional updates on COVID-19. For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: 5/16/20 appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and clinics were forced to postpone nonessential appointments and surgeries in March and April. Thanks to social distancing and executive stay-at-home orders which helped flatten the curve of the COVID-19 outbreak, Mayo Clinic is prepared now, not only to meet the projected needs of COVID-19 patients, but safely treat patients whose care was delayed, and to welcome new patients as well.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Conor Loftus, chair of outpatient practice at Mayo Clinic, explains how Mayo Clinic is protecting patients and staff by using enhanced screening, testing, cleaning and masking protocols.

Click the player below:

Mayo Clinic Q&A is available on podcast platforms including Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and iHeart. 

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding along with guidelines and recommendations may have changed since the original publication date. 

Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for additional updates on COVID-19. For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

The post Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Mayo Clinic expands in-person care appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Here's the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

The post Adolescent Eating Disorders: Mayo Clinic Radio appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Listen to the program on Saturday, Aug. 27, at 9:05 a.m. CDT, and follow #MayoClinicRadio.

Access archived shows.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Adolescent Eating Disorders appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Listen to the program on Saturday, Aug. 27, at 9:05 a.m. CDT.

Miss the show?  Here's the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Follow #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

Access archived shows.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Eating Disorders / Colon Cancer Screening / Babies and Germs appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.