Plum Health Blog
Coronavirus Update and Vaccine Side Effects with Dr. Jamie Qualls and Dr. Paul Thomas
Coronavirus Update for January 26th, 2021
Today, Dr. Paul Thomas and Dr. Jamie Qualls of Plum Health DPC discuss the Coronavirus pandemic and what’s happening in Detroit and Southeast Michigan with regard to the Coronavirus.
There have been 551,080 cases of Coronavirus in Michigan and there have been 14,326 deaths from coronavirus. In context, losing that many people to COVID 19 is like losing the entire population of Rochester with a population of 13,162, Wixom with a population of 13,902, or Harper Woods with a population of 13,895.
Age Groups Affected by the Coronavirus
The age group with the highest number of cases are those between 20 and 29 years. There have been about 103,956 cases in this age group and 54 deaths. The age group with the highest number of deaths are those 80 years old or older. In those 80 years of age or older, there have been 27,327 cases and 6,675 deaths.
The death rate among the elderly in Michigan is staggering. If you are 80 years of age or older and you are infected by the coronavirus, there’s about a 24% chance of dying from COVID (6,675 deaths among 27,327 cases).
That’s why it’s so important that the elderly (those 75 years of age and older) are prioritized for vaccine access.
Coronavirus Vaccines Administered (So Far)
So far, about 19 million first doses have been given out in the United States and about 3 million people in the US have received both doses of the COVID 19 vaccine. In Michigan, about 730,000 vaccines have been administered. You can dive into the nitty gritty at the Michigan Coronavirus vaccine dashboard.
Coronavirus Vaccine Side Effects
With the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, there is understandably much apprehension about its potential side effects. According to the CDC, some of the most common side effects reported are pain and swelling at the region of injection, as well as fevers, fatigue, chills, and muscle aches. (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/expect/after.html)
The CDC recommends taking an over the counter medication like ibuprofen or Tylenol to reduce the discomfort of these side effects. It’s also recommended to drink plenty of fluids and get adequate rest. Most of these side effects resolve on their own within a few days. These side effects are likely a result of your body responding to the vaccine and mounting an immune response, which is a sign that the vaccine is doing its job (https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2020/coronavirus-vaccine-side-effects/).
Side effects from the COVID vaccine may cause recipients to miss a day or two of work, but typically resolve without further intervention.
Cough, shortness of breath, rhinorrhea, sore throat and loss of taste or smell are not typical following vaccination. If you develop these symptoms, the CDC recommends staying home from work pending evaluation for possible causes including COVID-19.
There have been reports of people developing a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine. The CDC recommends seeking immediate medical attention in the event of an allergic reaction. It is important to keep in mind that these reactions, though serious, are relatively rare, seeing as tens of thousands of people have been vaccinated without severe reactions. (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7002e1.htm)
Finally, it’s important to recognize that side effects from all vaccines are common. The seasonal flu shot, for example, can cause fever, fatigue, and muscle aches, amongst other vaccines. The important thing is to weigh the temporary discomfort of such side effects to the long term benefits: a potentially high level of protection from a disease that has killed more than 1.6 million people globally.
Final Thoughts
As always, wear a mask, wash your hands, maintain a minimum of 6 feet of physical distance between yourself and others, and limit unnecessary travel, trips, and crowded areas.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week,
-Dr. Paul Thomas and Dr. Jamie Qualls of Plum Health DPC
Dr. Jamie Qualls is a Family Medicine Doctor in Farmington Hills, Michigan
Shout out to Dr. Jamie Qualls, family physician and frontline healthcare worker. 👩🏼⚕️
Dr. Jamie has been helping us serve patients at our Plum Health DPC office in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
She is diligent, caring, and an excellent physician - we're lucky to have her serving and healing patients in our broader community. 🏥
Thank you Dr. Qualls for all that you do, and in helping us deliver affordable and accessible care in Detroit and beyond. 💉 💊 🌱
Jamie Qualls, DO is a trusted family medicine doctor in Farmington Hills, Michigan. She operates Plum Health DPC - Farmington and is accepting new patients.
Jamie Qualls, DO, MPH is both a family medicine physician and a master of public health. She is able to take care of patients individually and the greater community with her additional training. She is passionate about forming strong relationships with her patients. Her clinical interests include community and public health, chronic disease prevention and reversal using a food as medicine approach, LGBTQ-friendly medicine, and osteopathic manipulative medicine for chronic musculoskeletal issues. She is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency training at Ascension Providence Hospital.
Thanks for reading,
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
Dr. Jamie Qualls is Changing the Game for Primary Care in Farmington Hills
Dr. Jamie Qualls is a family medicine doctor taking care of patients in Farmington Hills, Michigan. She started practicing with Plum Health DPC in July 2020 and she has already created some excellent health care experiences for her patients.
She uses a membership model for health care, also known as the direct primary care model, to make health care affordable and accessible for her patients. This allows her to spend more time with each of her patients and it allows her to use that time to come up with the best possible treatment plans for her patients.
Dr. Jamie Qualls often takes a wholistic approach to patient care, incorporating dietary recommendations to help her patients achieve their desired health goals. You can meet with Dr. Jamie Qualls and learn more about her approach by scheduling a consultation, here:
Dr. Qualls focuses on delivering not only excellent health care, but also an excellent health care experience. Here’s what one of Dr. Jamie Qualls patients had to say about their experience at Plum Health DPC in Farmington Hills, MI:
Dr. Jamie Qualls is a family medicine doctor in Farmington Hills Michigan. She uses a membership model for health care, also known as the direct primary care model, to make health care affordable and accessible for her patients.
Plum Health DPC Featured in the Farmington Voice
Dr. Jamie Qualls of Plum Health DPC in Farmington Hills, Michigan was featured by the Farmington Voice this week. The Farmington Voice is a local paper that covers local news in the Farmington and Farmington Hills communities and Dr. Jamie Qualls and the arrival of her new primary care office therein received some nice coverage:
For a monthly membership fee, Plum Health Direct Primary Care (DPC) offers wholesale prices on medication and deeply discounted fees for x-rays and other tests. In addition, Dr. Jamie Qualls is available to patients anytime by text, email, or phone .
Having completed her residency in June, Qualls said this is the kind of medicine she has always wanted to practice. She chose the office in Civic Center Office Plaza, 25882 Orchard Lake Road, because of the central location and easy access to the freeway.
Here’s a link to the full article.
Dr. Jamie Qualls at her family medicine office in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Dr. Jamie Qualls is a family medicine doctor, using the direct primary care model, and is accepting new patients.
Dr. Jamie Qualls to Start a Plant-Based Blog
Dr. Jamie Qualls is a family doctor in Farmington Hills Michigan and she focuses on a food-as-medicine approach. She will be writing about her approach on a monthly blog and we post her insights and wisdom here. If you want to follow Dr. Jamie Qualls on Instagram, she’s at @jamie_plumhealthdpc.
vegmichigan
We at VegMichigan are so excited to be partnering with Dr. Jamie (@jamie_plumhealthdpc) for this new, monthly feature to our blog!
Dr. Jamie is going to be sharing years and years of knowledge through her blog and we are so lucky to have her share her wisdom!
Subscribe to our newsletter (link in bio) to find out each Health Corner topic of the month 👍
#herbivore #eatplants #plantbased #nomeat #meatfree #plantbasedhealth #vegmichigan #veganmichigan #govegan #plantbased #plantstrong #vegandetroit #plantbaseddoctors #michiganeats #michiganfood #veganeducation #veganfoodshare #veganforbeginners #howtovegan #poweredbyplants #healthylifestyle #michiganmade #michiganvegan #michiganvegans #michiganhealth #detroitfoodie #michiganeats #whatveganseat
Dr. Jamie Qualls is a Family Medicine Doctor Accepting New Patients in Farmington Hills
Dr. Jamie Qualls is a Family Medicine Doctor Accepting New Patients in Farmington Hills, Michigan
Dr. Jamie Qualls has joined the team at Plum Health DPC. She is accepting new patients at our new location in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Dr. Jamie Qualls is trained in Family Medicine and she takes care of patients of all ages and stages, from birth to children, from adolescence to adulthood, from older adults to the elderly. She focuses on using plant-based nutrition to help her patients heal themselves by using food as medicine.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day,
-Dr. Paul Thomas MD
Plum Health grows with a second location in Farmington Hills, hires a third physician
Plum Health grows with a second location in Farmington Hills, hires a third physician
Detroit, Michigan, June 23, 2020 - Plum Health DPC is pleased to announce that they have expanded access to primary care resources in Metro Detroit by creating a second clinic location in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Plum Health DPC currently operates a thriving location in Corktown Detroit with Doctors Paul Thomas, MD and Raquel Orlich, DO. Plum Health has selected Farmington Hills for its second location because of the increasing demand for Plum Health’s innovative services and the desire to be more easily accessible to patients throughout Metro Detroit.
Jamie Qualls, DO, MPH will start with Plum Health DPC at their new office location in Farmington Hills, Michigan on July 1st, 2020.
The Farmington Hills location opens on July 1st, 2020 and will be led by Jamie Qualls, DO, MPH who is passionate about forming strong relationships with her patients. Her clinical interests include community health, chronic disease prevention and reversal using food as medicine, LGBTQ-friendly medicine, and osteopathic manual medicine for chronic musculoskeletal issues.
Dr. Qualls is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency training at Ascension Providence Hospital. Further, she is excited about expanding access to primary care in Metro Detroit.
“Direct Primary Care gives me enough time to work with my patients to address the root cause of chronic illness. In short, I have enough time in the DPC model to be comprehensive in my care,” noted Dr. Qualls when asked why she chose to join a direct primary care practice over a traditional fee-for-service model.
"We believe that healthcare should be affordable and accessible for everyone, that’s why we’re growing into this second location – to expand access to care," says Dr. Paul Thomas, who for the last three-and-a-half years, has been serving residents in Detroit and beyond from Plum Health's Corktown office.
There are currently 750 members in the practice who are cared for by Drs. Paul Thomas and Raquel Orlich. Dr. Qualls' arrival will allow Plum Health to care for an additional 500 patients.
Direct Primary Care (DPC) physicians do not bill or use insurance, which means they can provide their patients with steeply discounted medications, labs, imaging services, and procedures. This practice model allows patients to have a direct relationship with their primary care physician by enrolling in an affordable subscription-based service.
A Plum Health subscription is between $10 and $89 per month. Further, DPC doctors like Dr. Qualls make themselves available by phone, text message, or video call. This connectivity makes getting care even more convenient for their patients.
The new office is located at 25882 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 200B, Farmington Hills, MI 48336.
Media Contact
Dr. Paul Thomas, MD
Founder & Physician
Plum Health DPC
(313) 444 - 5630
More about Plum Health DPC
At Plum Health, we believe that health care should be affordable and accessible for everyone. Members of the practice can call, text, or email the doctor anytime they need health care services. We guarantee same-day/next-day appointments. Additionally, patients have access to wholesale medications, at-cost imaging services, and at-cost lab work. Plum Health began in November 2016 with 8 patients, and now has 750 active patients, spanning in age from 4 months to 101 years of age. Our vision is to provide the best healthcare experience in Detroit and beyond.
More about Paul Thomas, MD and Jamie Qualls, DO, MPH
Dr. Paul Thomas is a board-certified family medicine physician practicing in Southwest Detroit. His practice is Plum Health DPC, a Direct Primary Care service that is the first of its kind in Detroit and Wayne County. His mission is to deliver affordable, accessible health care services in Detroit and beyond. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He served as Chief Resident at Oakwood Family Medicine Residency Program. He has been featured on WDIV-TV Channel 4, WXYZ Channel 7, Crain's Detroit Business and CBS Radio. He has been a speaker at TEDxDetroit and is an author of the book Direct Primary Care: The Cure for Our Broken Healthcare System.
Dr. Jamie Qualls, MD, MPH is both a family medicine physician and a master of public health. She is able to take care of patients individually and the greater community with her additional training. She is passionate about forming strong relationships with her patients. Her clinical interests include community and public health, chronic disease prevention and reversal using a food as medicine approach, LGBTQ-friendly medicine, and osteopathic manual medicine for chronic musculoskeletal issues. She is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency training at Ascension Providence Hospital.
More about Direct Primary Care
The direct primary care (DPC) model gives family physicians a meaningful alternative to fee-for-service insurance billing, typically by charging patients a monthly, quarterly, or annual fee (i.e., a retainer) that covers all or most primary care services including clinical, laboratory, and consultative services, and care coordination and comprehensive care management. Because some services are not covered by a retainer, DPC practices often suggest that patients acquire a high-deductible wraparound policy to cover emergencies.
Direct primary care benefits patients by providing substantial savings and a greater degree of access to, and time with, physicians.
Taken from the American Academy of Family Physicians website.