Category: COVID

Trevor Bedford on Omicron and what about COVID keeps him up at night [PODCAST]

Welcome to an expedited episode of The Podcast by KevinMD. Trevor Bedford is a computational biologist and infectious disease scientist, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He was selected as a recipient of the 2021 MacArthur Fellowship and can be …

A milligram of understanding for anti-vaxxers

When the COVID pandemic first reared its ugly head in 2020, I was mentally prepared (as much as any of us could be) for the patient care wave that was coming our way. What I was not prepared for was the mass of anti-science and anti-intellectual pushba…

The post-pandemic future I envisioned is here

It has been exactly one year since Pfizer’s first trucks rolled out to much fanfare. Billions followed every twist and turn on the path to getting a vaccine that would save countless lives and give us a return to normalcy. We all hoped for a bris…

Is Omicron a sheep in wolf’s clothing?

Make no mistake, the newest variant in the COVID-19 family is far more contagious than any of the others. Will it cause a drastic surge in the pandemic? Or could it have a mitigating influence? First identified in South Africa on November 11, Omicron q…

Omicron and misinformation: When will we learn from past mistakes?

Did anyone else’s heart sink when you heard about the new COVID variant? Mine sure did. I wasn’t surprised when I heard the news. I felt numb as I know we are in for a challenging period, partially because the colder months are quickly approaching and …

Viral upper respiratory infections in the age of COVID

Your toddler has had a cough and runny, stuffy nose on and off for months. They also attend daycare and have a sibling in preschool. You are worried about the symptoms. You are also exhausted because your child’s coughing and congestion is not le…

Why patients refuse the COVID-19 vaccination

The U.S. is progressively falling behind other countries when rated on the percent of the population that is vaccinated against COVID-19. I ask all my patients if they are vaccinated against COVID-19 and estimate that 80 percent are vaccinated. The unv…

Monica Gandhi, MD on why hospitalizations better measure COVID’s impact [PODCAST]

Welcome to an expedited episode of The Podcast by KevinMD. Monica Gandhi is an infectious disease physician and co-author of the New York Times opinion article, “Why Hospitalizations Are Now a Better Indicator of Covid’s Impact.” Transcript…

California School Districts Grope for Sensible Reopening Plans

Some districts want to bring everyone back to the classroom and some are planning distance-only learning, while most others are settling on one of a variety of options in the middle. Whatever their leanings, they all face vast, troubling uncertainty.

Next Showdown in Congress: Protecting Workers vs. Protecting Employers in the Pandemic

Democrats want to bind employers to follow a safety plan, while Republicans seek to shield employers and doctors from lawsuits.