Category: Infectious disease

Parenting my parents during COVID: Navigating from a distance

My day started out great; my dad called to let me know he had received the first dose of the vaccine. I let out a whoop of joy! One cannot imagine the sense of relief that passed over me. As a physician and an advocate for the vaccine, it has been a st…

I’m vaccinated and positive for COVID-19

I just tested positive for COVID-19. I was vaccinated earlier this year. I am scared. I am confident I will get through this. I received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine earlier this year, and I just tested positive for COVID-19. It’s almost comical tha…

Sorry, I’m fed up. It’s not professional, but I am.

“It’s experimental.” “It alters your DNA.” “It may cause long-term problems.” “It’s too new, too rushed. I want more time.” I hear this nonsense from patients all day. None are docs, virologists, microbiologists, immunologists, public health officials,…

Sorry, I’m fed up. It’s not professional, but I am.

“It’s experimental.” “It alters your DNA.” “It may cause long-term problems.” “It’s too new, too rushed. I want more time.” I hear this nonsense from patients all day. None are docs, virologists, microbiologists, immunologists, public health officials,…

Delta surge warning: Ignoring jaw pain comes at too high a price

As surges of the Delta variant alarm officials and citizens in this country and around the world, while the cases of COVID-19 have reached more than 200 million worldwide, a less visible threat re-emerges. If health care professionals are not allowed t…

A physician’s COVID message to patients

I know there’s a lot of information out there about the COVID-19 vaccine. You have probably read many different things about the vaccine from friends and family members, in the news, and social media. There is so much conflicting information that…

I am no longer terrified of COVID

I am no longer terrified of COVID. I’ve seen its death. I’ve seen it take the breath from someone’s lungs. I’ve watched it shut down kidneys. I’ve walked the halls of an ICU with pumps outside the room, and patients turned upside down. I’ve heard the c…

The political backlash to evidence-based doctors’ recommendations

Last week, someone referred to me online in the most shocking terms: a liberal. As I read the phrase, I gripped the pearls around my neck and coughed down my scalding afternoon tea. How could this have happened to me? With all its newsworthiness to the…

Think of the vaccines like an umbrella, and it’s raining outside

If you are confused about delta and how well the vaccines protect against infection right now, I don’t blame you: We are learning and updating data in real-time, and it is hard to keep track of it all. So maybe this analogy will help. Think of th…

A pandemic of the bullies over others

In the sweltering heat of late afternoon, I walked up to a grassy patch in front of the Central Bucks School District Administrative Building, for a July 27th press conference representing concerned medical professionals and parents in the district, in…