Category: COVID-19 / coronavirus

A heartfelt thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine trial volunteers

We officially now have the vaccine and have begun to immunize the frontline workers at our hospital with the COVID-19 vaccine. And since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine emergency use authorization and…

A cozy COVID Christmas: Finding hope and joy in darkness

We recently passed the third Sunday of Advent. In my faith tradition, that is a day we focus on joy. I write today about the joys of having a “cozy COVID Christmas” and how we can celebrate our respective holidays while minimizing the risk to our loved…

A letter to Black America for those who do not want to take the COVID-19 vaccine

I am a Black female physician who entered medicine with the hopes to serve her community. I am “Black and Proud,” in the words of James Brown. I love all of my patients, regardless of their race or ethnicity, but I am not afraid to admit that Black Liv…

Why Department of Homeland Security leadership is vital for battling the COVID-19 pandemic

A successful transition from the Trump administration will be essential as America braces itself for record-breaking hospitalizations and mortality due to SARS-CoV-2. Beyond the COVID-19 Task Force of the Biden Administration, new Department of Homelan…

Should health care students receive the COVID-19 vaccine?

As we pass the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, the long anticipate vaccine is officially ready for distribution. This record-breaking advancement in medicine has been the ray of hope that everyone is eagerly anticipating for. However, with a co…

We finally have a COVID vaccine. Now what?

The past several months have been a very rough journey for so many of us, as we are still in the midst of a deadly viral pandemic that has claimed close to 300,000 lives just here in the United States and thousands more globally. We have seen our front…

We cannot control what people choose to believe, and we can’t deny what we know

A few months ago, I quit social media. It was absolutely the right decision for me – I needed my time back. So many little moments of beauty and consideration get skipped when my brain follows one feed after another and loses track of time. But e…

What it’s like to be pregnant in a pandemic [PODCAST]

“What has kept me comprised during this entire time has been the realization that this whole situation is not normal. It’s not normal for me; it’s not normal for millions of other people. This is not how pregnancy is supposed to go. This is a pan…

Happy pandemic birthday

What a difference a year makes. I didn’t go on a fabulous trip abroad or eat at a gaudy restaurant with sparklers and melting chocolate orbs. This birthday I took myself to a botanical garden, which was beautiful and exceptionally peaceful. Walking the…

Why this physician will get the COVID vaccine

The history of vaccines is a story of profound success. Illnesses that killed hundreds of thousands of people every year are nearly eradicated since the development of vaccines. Illnesses that my older colleagues treated routinely are things I will onl…