You are my favorite patient. You’re charming and funny. You proudly tell me you’ve just retired – having built multiple successful businesses from scratch. You were admitted to my service with rapidly progressive respiratory failure. Your C…
Category: Infectious disease
There was life before COVID, but we are not yet at the point of life after COVID
Each weekday morning, without fail, I awake to two texts. One is a symptom checker from my hospital. The other is a symptom checker from my son’s elementary school. They serve as a persistent reminder that the pandemic isn’t over, even if we would all …
How to get patients vaccinated against COVID-19 [PODCAST]
“While opposition to the vaccine may be hardening, pediatricians and family physicians enjoy an advantage the CDC and Dr. Fauci may not: namely, they are liked and trusted by patients. In general, parents look to personal physicians for guidance …
“We are not that great.” Gain-of-function research highlights our hubris
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has made believers out of us. The statements “I believe in science” and “follow the science” express our collective assurance that scientific innovation will continue to serve humanity and sustain us through our pandemic wearine…
A prescription against COVID-19: Telehealth and ivermectin
It’s been in the news that several telehealth companies are offering patients access to the anti-parasite drug ivermectin, which while rumored by some to be an effective treatment for COVID-19 is unproven. As coronavirus deaths in the United States con…
Why pediatricians think about COVID differently
Earlier this summer, the American Academy of Pediatrics made recommendations that contrasted with those from the CDC, emphasizing the need to do everything possible to prevent COVID infection in children. Specifically, they recommended that even vaccin…
A pandemic is not a war. It’s a natural disaster.
The main reason we are seemingly so accepting of lockdowns and vaccine mandates is that we have been conditioned to view a pandemic or an epidemic as a war being waged on our society. In wartime, we naturally expect civil liberties to be suspended. Lik…
How to close the leadership challenge and end this COVID chapter
The reason that the United States hasn’t been able to reach higher vaccination rates is because of leadership failures. It’s really hard for leaders to lead transformational change during stable times. It’s infinitely harder to lead i…
I see you, COVID
I see you, COVID. I see you in the hospitals each day. I don on my surgical cap, scrubs, goggles, N95 mask, and gown. Are you there? I see you in the scared eyes of my patients, in their tears, and in their regrets. I see you in their cough, gasps for …
Try this new technique when talking to vaccine skeptics [PODCAST]
“When we hear skepticism, our first instinct may be to end the conversation. After all, why spend our time trying to convince someone who has made up their mind? Our second instinct may be to counter the person’s position without pausing to hear …
