“When the public was made aware of the risk of transmitting the virus and the far-reaching measures of social distancing, closing schools, and lock-down, most Americans willingly complied. After all, they became aware, for the first time, of the …
Category: COVID-19 / coronavirus
How to know which COVID test is right for you
I remember the time (about one year ago) when I could only provide one COVID test for patients walking into urgent care: the PCR or polymerase chain reaction. Back then, patients had no choice other than to get a nasal swab that was uncomfortable, irri…
How essential workers cope with COVID [PODCAST]
“I really shouldn’t complain. I haven’t lost my housing or job. I have plenty of food and toilet paper, and so far, no close friend or family have died from COVID. That said, this pandemic is hard. In fact, it is exhausting. During the spring and…
3 lessons I’ve learned as a doctor during the pandemic
COVID-19 has changed nearly every aspect of society as we know it, and doctors in hospitals across America are at the forefront of those changes. As a pediatric infectious diseases doctor who also writes curriculum to help the next generation of doctor…
Fear of vaccines grows with the need for medical ethics
We recently received the news that a patient had died during the night from mysterious clots related to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine (OAZv). This tragic news came shortly after the U.K. revised its vaccination policy to restrict the use of the OAZv i…
Doctors can’t cope with the anguish of COVID-19 casualties
In the “before times,” most Americans went about their lives relatively unpreoccupied with death. In fact, one CBS News poll found only 14 percent of Americans spent “a lot of time” thinking about their own mortality. What a difference a pandemic makes…
The missing link in the vaccine chain: caregivers
About half of America’s seniors are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and close to three-quarters have gotten at least one shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. This is good news. Seniors have suffered disproportionately from the coronavirus. They h…
A physician gives a dose of hope
During medical residency, one’s goal is two-fold: to provide compassionate and evidence-based care for patients and training and learning. But when a global pandemic emerges, we rise to serve, upholding our oath to care for the sick and our duty …
Missouri and Texas: a tale of 2 COVID cultures
The Major League Baseball season is in full swing, and nothing reflects the variable nature of our country’s response to COVID-19 better than how major cities are continuing to respect (or ignore) the virus and their baseball teams are handling fans. I…
Post-pandemic life: Back to the future
The door to our pre-pandemic world seemingly stands before us. Vaccines are becoming more accessible, and some COVID-19 restrictions have loosened. We simply have to open the door and return to our pre-pandemic life, right? Back to the future we know? …
