Saratoga, Midway, Stalingrad — choose your metaphor

We’re winning. The good news is that yes, the pandemic is slowing — “in retreat” as the New York Times calls it. Yes, there will be a surge of cases and deaths from Super Bowl parties in a few weeks, but if we’re smart this time we can be patient and keep the momentum.

Beta blockers and glaucoma

Just so you know, while hypertension doesn’t seem to lead to glaucoma, a new study found that systemic beta blockers seems to be associated with a slightly higher risk.

To be precise, patients who take a beta-blocker while having low [mean arterial pressure] (less than 93) have approximately a 4% increase in the odds of having glaucoma.

Casting stones

The diabetes drug semaglutide is being called (wait for it) a game-changer for weight loss. Also a “new era” and “significant advance.”

A major international trial — we’re talking 2,000 people in 16 countries— found that patients who took it for 68 weeks lost an average of 15 percent of their body weight. That’s 15kg (33 pounds in Freedom Units, or 2.4 stone if you’re British).

And for almost a third of people, it was better: They lost an average of 20-bleepin’-percent. No other meds come close; bariatric surgery is the only option that gets results like that.

The downsides? It’s a weekly injection. Also, it suppresses appetite by mimicking the GLP1 hormone, so when you stop taking it, your appetite returns.

Covid vaccine notes

No quarantine necessary: The CDC says that fully vaccinated people don’t need to quarantine if exposed to Covid-19. But they still need to wear a mask to avoid spreading the virus to others.

Just you wait: The latest data suggests that delaying the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine could provide more protection. “The protective effect of the first dose doesn’t appear to wane during these 12 weeks, and leaving a longer gap between doses ultimately seems to make the second more protective.”

Wait even longer: AstraZeneca says the updated version of its vaccine should be available this fall.

Here, have something to worry about

All these Covid-19 precautions have helped keep the flu from being a thing this year, but there’s good news for those of you who need something to fret about. It’s possible that lack of exposure this year will mean a worse season next year. Yay!

Per the Atlantic, the world’s most depressing magazine:

[T]he flu’s absence is also unsettling. Without flu cases to study, researchers have been starved of data crucial for developing vaccines and forecasting the next outbreak. Flu viruses haven’t gone extinct. They’re temporarily in hiding. And no one’s quite sure when, or how, they will return.

Timing your flu shot

In case you were wondering, the effectiveness of the flu vaccine seems to decline about 10 percent per month. That means that earlier isn’t necessarily better. You want to time your shot so you’re not losing protection just as the season is going full-tilt.

“[I]t’s important to consider whether early vaccination — for example, in July or August — may result in reduced immune protection against flu before the end of the season between March and May, especially among older adults.”

Shocking news from Texas

Texas A&M researchers have discovered that drinking a mix of sugar, caffeine, and more caffeine is probably bad for your heart.

Just in case

If you have someone ask and you’re not sure what to say, “Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss the Use of Gorilla Glue as Hair Spray, Its Dangers”.