Category: Infectious disease

JAMA retracts controversial masks study

A controversial study suggesting that masks may harm children by exposing them to high carbon dioxide levels was retracted on Friday. The research letter released in JAMA Pediatrics on June 30 had reported unacceptably high levels of carbon dioxide by …

During COVID, older patients stopped going to the doctor. Here’s how to change that.

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out last year, Helen (not her real name) took all the right steps to protect herself. The 74-year-old self-isolated, wore a face mask, and practiced social distancing. Helen stayed safe from the virus during this time, …

4 lessons the pandemic has taught health care

COVID-19 has drastically impacted every facet of life. Health care has been the center of this pandemic, and those working in health care have seen first-hand the crisis and the advancements made. As we reflect on the impact this pandemic has, we have …

A morning code blue for a COVID patient

An excerpt from An Eschatological Isolation. At 12:11 p.m., the overhead speaker announced: “Code Blue, Three West.” She repeated, “Code Blue, Three West.” Shit. I started my stopwatch and saved the patient note I was writing in the back office of Thre…

Tips to help you overcome your pandemic bad habits

When the COVID-19 pandemic began in the U.S., and states issued stay-at-home orders, many people vowed to use their time at home positively, learning new skills, virtually volunteering, and getting into shape. Now, more than a year into the pandemic, m…

Stop the spread of vaccine disinformation: a story in pictures

Emily Watters is a physician who explains vaccine disinformation and how it spreads (click to enlarge): Emily Watters is a psychiatrist and can be reached at The Cartoon Shrink. Image credits: Emily Watters
Stop the spread of vaccine disinformation: a …

Telemedicine in Nepal during COVID-19

My phone rings. “Namaskar! My cough is really bothering me. What should I do?” says a middle-aged man. “Namaskar! I am Astha Prasai. I am here to help you. Please bear with me while I ask you your problem in detail,” I answer. Mr. Kafle from Kathmandu …

After COVID, now my soul can rest a little easier

I had been searching for a year. Because of the pandemic, despite the pandemic and to heal from the pandemic. Finally in May this year, I was gifted what seemed to have become an impossible task. I messaged the hospital manager: “The trees have arrived…

A plea for help from the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic [PODCAST]

“This plea for help is on behalf of every hospital worker who has been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic — from the environmental services staff and medical assistants who are often not recognized, to the social workers and chaplains wh…

Let the mourning wear black

What a year of change. A pandemic. Cancer. Death. Loss. Fighting. Abandonment. Pain. Becoming an orphan. Becoming a caregiver. My family was hit with a sledgehammer and crushed into pieces. My joyful plans and decades of hard work wiped away with the i…