Omicron, Delta, COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 are household names. As frequent as they appear in conversation, there is widely distributed misinformation regarding COVID-19 variants. Denver Health is committed to providing our community with accurate and timely information regarding COVID-19, its variants, how they compare and how you can protect yourself and those you love.

Antibiotic Safety Through Education and Awareness

Denver Health is joining with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to advise patients and their families to use antibiotics only when necessary to further reduce antibiotic resistance, the spread of superbugs and protect from side effects from antibiotics. During U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week and beyond, the CDC promotes "Be Antibiotics Aware," an educational effort to raise awareness about the importance of safe antibiotic use. In 2021, U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week is November 18 – 24.
 

For weeks now, a big topic of conversation surrounding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been the variants of the original virus that causes COVID-19 – specifically:

• What are variants?
• What do variants mean if we've been fully vaccinated?
• What do variants mean for wearing masks?

Here is everything that is important to know right now about variants.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month and a good time to talk about vaccines and why they are so important not just now but throughout history. Vaccines are something most of us don't think about regularly and often take for granted. Since Edward Jenner created the first vaccine in 1796 they have become of vital importance to our health care system. Widespread use of the smallpox vaccine helped wipe out the disease in 1980.  Other diseases, such as polio and diphtheria, have been eliminated in many parts of the world because of vaccinations.
 

Update 11/20/2020: Due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in Colorado and nationwide, Denver Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending that everyone avoid travel and Thanksgiving gatherings outside of your own home this year. The safest way to celebrate is at home with the people you live with.

Why These Heroes Still Love Their Jobs Through the COVID-19 Pandemic

Ask any of our amazing frontline workers at Denver Health – from the housekeepers and food service workers, to the doctors, nurses, techs and more – and they will tell you they know the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. While some members of the community are getting "fatigued" with the restrictions to stop its spread – such as mask-wearing, social distancing of six feet or more and limits on the number of people at gatherings – the heroic frontline workers know first-hand what it's like to deal with the virus.

Update: Based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration, Denver Health will resume administration of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine. Learn more here.

Is There Trick-or-Treating in 2020? Or Has COVID Canceled It?

Halloween is coming up on Saturday and as with most anything else this year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional Halloween activities are going to look a lot different than they have in years past. So far, COVID has not canceled trick-or-treating activities in Colorado, and according to our medical experts, it still can be done, as long as you are doing it safely and correctly in the COVID age.

With the number of COVID-19 cases on the rise in Denver for three consecutive weeks and new orders now in place to wear masks outside and limit gatherings to five people or less to help stop the spread of the virus, Denver Health is renewing its calls for everyone over the age of six months to get a flu shot.

Every year Denver Health recommends that our patients get a vaccine to protect against the flu (influenza) during the fall and winter seasons. But this year, it is especially important because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicts that both the influenza virus and COVID-19 will be spreading at the same time, creating the potential for extra strain of healthcare resources that may already be stretched thin.