“What has kept me comprised during this entire time has been the realization that this whole situation is not normal. It’s not normal for me; it’s not normal for millions of other people. This is not how pregnancy is supposed to go. This is a pan…
Category: Infectious disease
Happy pandemic birthday
What a difference a year makes. I didn’t go on a fabulous trip abroad or eat at a gaudy restaurant with sparklers and melting chocolate orbs. This birthday I took myself to a botanical garden, which was beautiful and exceptionally peaceful. Walking the…
Why this physician will get the COVID vaccine
The history of vaccines is a story of profound success. Illnesses that killed hundreds of thousands of people every year are nearly eradicated since the development of vaccines. Illnesses that my older colleagues treated routinely are things I will onl…
What worries this physician about the COVID-19 vaccine
Over coffee and the usual banter in the doctor’s lounge, a group of physicians takes a break from seeing patients after donning off their PPE. The TV is blasting the news, largely ignored, until the focus turns to the COVID-19 vaccine. The newsca…
COVID, paternalism, and the death of patient autonomy
A year ago, if you had asked me if most doctors respected their patients’ wishes, I would have answered with a resounding yes. If you had asked me if medicine had divorced its paternalistic roots when physicians trampled over ideals like patient autono…
During the pandemic, many health care workers won’t be home for Christmas
He was a healthy 36-year-old paramedic with a loving wife and an adorable little boy. Jim loved his job. The rush, the adrenaline, the blaring lights through downtown hurrying to get to the major hospital. Cardiac arrests, gunshot wounds, tragic auto a…
Why can I trust the COVID vaccine?
Many friends have asked for my perspective on the COVID vaccine. Answering this requires both an explanation of clinical trials and an understanding of what normally slows down pharmaceutical development. Importantly, COVID vaccines are required to go …
Vaccinating the entire U.S population: Health information technologies are positioned to help
The mammoth task of vaccinating most of the world’s human population against COVID-19 is before us. Several viable, highly effective vaccines have been developed at record speed. The pharmaceutical industry will now be called upon to meet the nex…
COVID-19 and The Queen’s Gambit: What will be the pandemic’s endgame?
The Queen’s Gambit, a seven-part Netflix series, has been the darling of streaming television during the coronavirus pandemic. Seen by more than 60 million people, the story chronicles the life of fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon, who grows up in a …
As COVID worsens, don’t forget about the opioid crisis
For the past seven months, an epidemic in our country has spiraled out of control, claiming thousands of lives that could have been saved. It has been met by an inadequate, meandering national response that has often lacked urgency. It has disrupted fa…
