COVID-19 is here, and it isn’t going away. The SARS-CoV2 virus, and the disease it causes, has entered the ecosystem of human pathogens and is running up numbers that make it appear to be heading into the realm of the pandemic. Let’s look a…
Category: Infectious disease
Love in the time of coronavirus
“The weak would never enter the kingdom of love.” ― Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera As the medical community grapples to come up with an appropriate response and protect our patients from this latest pandemic, I cannot help but wo…
The idiot’s guide to coronavirus from an emergency physician
1. Take it easy. The worst part of all this is the fear. More people die from the flu, car accidents, or guns. As of Saturday, March 7th, 19 Americans had died from COVID-19, compared to 1,177 every week from the flu, 746 from car crashes, and 294 from…
MKSAP: 36-year-old man with abdominal cramping, diarrhea, malaise, and nausea
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 36-year-old man is evaluated for a 10-day history of abdominal cramping, diarrhea, malaise, and nausea. Diarrhea is watery without mucus or…
Is the conference cancelled? How coronavirus is upending the conference industry.
Nearly 100,000 pop culture fans flocked to Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle last year, including many dressed as superheroes, aliens, and robots. But something scarier than a comic book villain is roiling the conference this year — the spread of the c…
COVID-19 showcases the bravery of first responders
When first responders answered roughly ten calls from a long-term care center in Kirkland, Washington, over the course of a week, they did not expect to become patients themselves. Entering the Life Care Center of Kirkland last month exposed them to th…
What coronavirus is teaching us about telehealth
“Should I cancel my business trip?” That is not the kind of question that patients typically ask their doctors. For most people, that’s not even a question they can ask their doctors, at least, not without an appointment, a co-pay and an anxiety-induci…
What coronavirus is teaching us about telehealth
“Should I cancel my business trip?” That is not the kind of question that patients typically ask their doctors. For most people, that’s not even a question they can ask their doctors, at least, not without an appointment, a co-pay and an anxiety-induci…
How to prevent coronavirus: Your COVID-19 questions answered by a public health professional
1. What can I do to prevent becoming infected? When people are sick with a respiratory disease like COVID-19, they cough or sneeze particles into the air. If someone is coughing near you, the virus could easily land on your eyes, nose, or mouth. These …
COVID-19’s biggest threat is to the health of our economy
“Made in China.” Words ubiquitous throughout the products we use every day and now, ironically, applicable to the virus that has laid siege around the world. Illness and death have spread across borders and continents, as well as fear and …
