Category: COVID-19 / coronavirus

Why this critical care doctor got the COVID-19 vaccine

December is typically busy in the ICU. Flu and respiratory viral pneumonia cases start trickling into the ICU, interspersed with cardiac arrests, strokes, pulmonary emboli, septic shock, and COPD exacerbations. The ICU census starts creeping up. Decemb…

As a busy primary care doctor, here is what I am facing

I’m really so grateful when people take the time to ask this. But when I respond, candidly, that it’s been tough and I’m definitely not doing great, I often hear, “But you haven’t had any patients who have died from COVID, have you? And you got the vac…

The consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are eternal

She was rather calm during her visit.  It was the first time we’d met, and she was establishing primary care with our office and me.  We were both delighted to learn she was from a small Georgia town not too far from where I previously practiced, and w…

Upholding the principles of informed consent in the fight against vaccine hesitancy

Experts have taken to social media to quell misinformation and address common concerns about Pfizer’s messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccine, performing an important public service in support of robust vaccine uptake. However, some scientific informatio…

Under the COVID testing tent

As a podiatrist, Dr. M usually focuses on feet. But years of military service and expertise in program implementation and measurement qualified him for another clinical job, setting up a COVID test site. Testing stations were available in the suburbs, …

An unexpected COVID-19 vaccine side effect

Introduction Today, I had my second shot of the Pfizer vaccine and suffered an unexpected and unreported side effect. That’s the problem with a new medical treatment; you never know what might happen. Transformation Just a few seconds after the needle …

It’s time to treat the COVID-19 vaccine campaign as if we are at war

The abysmal attempt at mass vaccination against COVID-19 in the United States is uninspiring—a prophecy seemingly set in stone by the testing debacles’ failures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Tuesday, that of 17 milli…

The COVID-19 vaccine: We got it. Let’s get it.

A few weeks ago, a small rural hospital in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, received its first shipment of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and quickly began vaccinating the hospital’s health care workers and skilled nursing facility staff and residents. After the B…

COVID malaise, and more COVID-19 coping tips from the trenches

I write this now as both a time capsule and a vision of hope at the bitter end of 2020. At this point, a COVID-19 vaccine (the vision of hope) has been developed by several companies but has not yet received widespread distribution. Realistically, I kn…

Why public schools need to open for the most vulnerable

Pandemic. COVID-19. Quarantine. The words will forever be etched in our memories. While for all the pandemic has been a challenge, it has also meant more time with family, time to learn a new hobby, and the flexibility of working from home.  Its memory…