Morning Medical Update: Fewer Than 10% of Patients Screened for Food Insecurity During Pandemic; Global warming causing earlier, more intense allergy seasons; Retail Health Clinic Access Increased by 51% During Pandemic

Fewer Than 10% of Patients Screened for Food Insecurity During Pandemic

Only 7% of providers screened patients for food insecurity during the pandemic, according to a study. If it was a telehealth visit, only 3% of providers inquired. This comes at a time when joblessness was at an all-time high, which lead to millions worrying about food access. Experts think it was partly due to emergency aspect of COVID-19. When patients had access to vaccines, the number of patients asked rose to 10%.

Global warming causing earlier, more intense allergy seasons

Warmer climates are causing more plants to grow and bloom earlier, which leads to earlier and worse allergies. Increased CO2 emissions also play a role by letting plants grow larger and produce more pollen. This pollen also travels hundreds of miles, so it doesn’t matter if the trees nearby haven’t flowered – they’ve bloomed somewhere. Experts advise to check daily pollen counts and to stay inside when they are high.

Retail Health Clinic Access Increased by 51% During Pandemic

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, retail health clinic access increased by 51%. The reason? Ease of access. “People certainly do not want to wait 20 days for an appointment,” Natalie Schibell, a VP and research director for Forrester Research, said in a news release.“ They don't want to have to call somebody up on the phone. They want it to be seamless.”