5th October 2021, Dr Chee L Khoo
The media is abuzz with this wonder oral drug for treatment of Covid-19 infection by Merck, Sharp & Dohme (MSD). We are talking about Molnupiravir, the broad spectrum anti-viral agent which inhibits replication of not just Covid-19 but many other viruses in cell culture. What is Molnupiravir? Who amongst the patients with Covid-19 infections will benefit from the drug?…
7th August 2021, Dr Chee L Khoo
It is always difficult for pregnant women to decide whether to have the Covid-19 vaccine during pregnancy. Understandably, they are concerned about the safety of the vaccine administered during pregnancy. When the pandemic started last year, there were some studies which suggest that Covid-19 during pregnancy is associated with “significantly” poor maternal and offspring outcomes.…
Dear Colleague
NSW Health would like to thank you for your continued work in the response to COVID-19. In order to continue to identify any undetected cases and break chains of transmission, we need to remain vigilant. The key to achieving this is to test people with even the very mildest symptoms of COVID-19. While testing rates have been relatively high in recent weeks, we need to continue to encourage testing and remain on high alert. …
12th January 2021, Dr Chee L Khoo
So, here we are. It’s almost 12 months since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. A number of vaccines will become available within weeks. GPs can’t be the sole provider of the vaccines but we will a major part of the vaccination roll out program. We haven’t heard much from NSW Health on how the program will be rolled out, which will be the first subgroups we will be vaccinating nor will the vaccine ordering system be better than last year’s influenza vaccination program.…
27th November 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo
Coronaviruses compose a family within the Nidovirales order and replicate by use of a nested set of mRNAs. Four seasonal human coronaviruses (229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1) have been identified as causing up to a third of community-acquired upper respiratory tract infections. Yet our knowledge about the immune response against this family of viruses is very limited.…
14th November 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo
It’s been at least 12 weeks since we started to wear facemasks at the practice full time with all face to face consultations. I must admit that during the first week, I did feel a bit suffocating with the mask on. I remember having to stop mid-sentence to catch my breath. I could sympathise with many patients, particularly patients who has COPD, asthma or heart failure.…
25th October 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo
Although our numbers of new Covid-19 infections and community transmission is pretty good in comparison with most other countries in the world, it isn’t zero. This is as good as it gets for at least the next 12 months. One of the scariest things is transmission of the virus to the newborn if the pregnant mother has the Covid-19 infection.…
24th September 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo
Since Covid-19 pandemic started 6-7 months ago, there have been a deluge of reports coming out in the medical and lay press and sometimes it is hard to keep track of what is real and what is just logical. Because Covid-19 is primarily a respiratory pathogen, infection begins in the nasal and nasopharyngeal mucosa with high viral load especially at the beginning of the infection.…
14th September 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo
We have many patients who have borderline high fasting glucose in their routine check-up. In non-pregnant adults, we have been able to use HbA1c as a generic screening test for type 2 diabetes (T2D) for some time. Unfortunately, neither non-diabetic fasting glucose readings nor HbA1c totally exclude the presence of diabetes. I am sure you have come across patients with non-diabetic fasting glucose and HbA1c but yet fail their oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).…
13th June 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo
We are not talking about whether front line workers should wear a mask or not. We are talking about masks for the general public. Even as medical practitioners, we are confused. How does the average member of the public decide whether to wear masks or not? There are so many different opinions from numerous different quarters.…
13th May 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo
Covid-19 have exposed the numerous risks patients with type 2 diabetes (t2D) face when the two pandemics meet head on. We have seen that patients with diabetes are over-represented in patients hospitalised with Covid-19 in Wuhan. Patients with diabetes are also affected more severely if they contracted Covid-19 especially if glycaemic control is suboptimal.…
11th May 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo
Most of you would have run out of flu vaccines by now. The bad news is that we don’t know when new stocks will arrive. So much for the assurance from the government in mid-March that “there is enough vaccines for all who needs them” but “go to your GP now anyway”.…