Category: Infectious disease

Crossing the liminal space of the pandemic

We have been walking down a long hallway for many, many months. We left the room we resided in pre-COVID, but we have not yet found a room to rest. We are in the liminal space of COVID. This is unsettling and unnerving — liminal space often is. Liminal…

I was thinking about retiring, and COVID-19 gave me a push [PODCAST]

“Last March, I was working in a small primary care practice on the west side of Denver. COVID-19 came to town. On Thursday, March 12, we were told the schools would be closing. On Friday, we were told that clinic staff had to wear masks — and the…

The dimming of the shining city

In March 1630, John Winthrop delivered the treatise “A Model of Christian Charity” at Holyrood Church in Southampton, England, prior to leading the first settlers of the Massachusetts Bay colony on their to journey to the New World. In his …

Does pro-vaccine always have to be pro-mandate?

“They are firing me for not getting the COVID vaccine. I can make more money working at Michael’s than I do at this job. I was only doing this because I like to help people. But this is it for me. I’m quitting. I’ll miss the pat…

Ivermectin is a Nobel Prize-winning wonder drug

Ivermectin is an over 30-year-old wonder drug that treats life- and sight-threatening parasitic infections. Its lasting influence on global health has been so profound that two of the key researchers in its discovery and development won the Nobel Prize…

Compassion fatigue and the unvaccinated

“Do you get compassion fatigue when you take care of smokers or patients with obesity or diabetes?” This was in reply to an article on compassion fatigue I had posted on my Facebook page. The article was written by an exhausted physician ca…

Honor your oath. Set boundaries. Demand respect.

This morning, while scrolling through social media, I encountered a resounding theme. Multiple physicians posting about being challenged, disrespected, and made to feel worthless by the very people they were trying to help: their patients. Being brough…

Looking at the studies behind masks

With the recent onset of the Delta variant rendering havoc on an already strained economy and weary population post- the rabid COVID-19 surge, there is much debate on effective policies that negate the harmful outcomes of viral acquisition. The B.1.617…

When clinicians are bullied at a school board meeting [PODCAST]

“The first amendment protects your right to free speech. But it does not make you more right, more ethical, or more kind. And nor does it give one license to rewrite history as has been occurring since July 27th, adding insult to our experience. …

A COVID long-hauler shares her story

According to the WHO, 10 to 20 percent of COVID-19 patients experience lingering symptoms for several months following infection. What we know as long COVID is now termed post-COVID condition as of October 6. Post COVID-19 condition occurs in individua…