The pointier side of Sears

Sears — the poster child for hedge fund management — may see some new life even as it teeters on being a footnote in the history books. Well, sort of. Its abandoned stores, including some in Georgia, are becoming Covid-19 vaccination sites.

Next in line for the Covid-19 vaccine in Georgia

Starting March 8: Teachers (pre-K to 12), school staff (public or private, including preschool), adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their caregivers, parents of children with complex medical conditions.

The crossroads

So here we are, with the virus in retreat and normalcy on the summer horizon. In the name of all that’s holy, say the folks who know better, don’t let down your guard.

In one scenario, lots of people get vaccinated while the folks waiting keep their masks on and their distance social. We get to enjoy a mostly normal summer.

But in the other, too many people skip the vaccine and too many others stop masking up — and that gives the Covid-19 variants a chance to take hold, giving us a fourth wave and another lockdown… and, of course, people shocked that it could happen.

Too much, too long

Got a patient with a UTI? Maybe pay a little extra attention to her scripts. Because, found Washington University School of Medicine, almost half of them — at least those with uncomplicated UTIs — were prescribed the “wrong” antibiotics and, especially in rural areas, for longer than necessary.

What’s the “wrong” antibiotic? According to the study, too many patients were giving broad-acting drugs rather than the more-appropriate narrow-spectrum antibiotics.

Vaccine: The Movie

So let’s say you’re interested in how Pfizer and BioNTech developed their Covid-19 vaccine so quickly, but you really don’t feel like reading or listening about it. You’re in luck: National Geographic’s got a new movie that follows that very story. “Mission: Possible” premieres March 11, the one-year anniversary of WHO’s official pandemic declaration, on the National Geographic channel.

Caveat: This is “branded content,” so don’t expect an objective look. The halos you see on the scientists are CGI.

Another potential opioid replacement

Chlortetracycline, demeclocycline, and minocycline walk into a bar. The bartender* says, “Hey, together you guys can treat chronic pain by binding to and inactivating the EphB1 protein!”

* University of Texas researchers — the bartending is a side gig

Bless you

Time to put the Claritin on the endcaps: Here comes the pollen. (“Thursday’s pollen count from Atlanta Allergy & Asthma jumped to 682, the highest reading since last April.”)