Category: Infectious disease

Rusty nails and first aid: silver linings of COVID-19

It’s 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning in September of my second year of medical school. My brother, father, and I are chucking the used wood from our construction site into a U-Haul, prepping the wood for its ill fate of an indoor dumpster. Hundreds of mil…

Without trust, we face an uphill battle in defeating COVID-19

My annual routine of recommending the flu shot to my patients is now more critical than ever before. But when I asked one of my patients recently about getting the flu shot, she said: “No, not really. I’m worried it will give me the flu and make me sic…

Physicians who work themselves into the ground are nothing to be proud of

There were recently many news articles and coverage exalting a physician for working 250 straight days during COVID. 250 days, that’s nearly 8 1/2 months without a day off. While this physician displays dedication and caring, I don’t think we should ce…

2 a.m. thoughts of an emergency physician during the pandemic

Ooh child Things are gonna get easier. Ooh child Things’ll get brighter. I sing these words to my one-year-old son quite often; I believe them. I’ll never lose hope. Hospitalizations hit greater than 90,000 yesterday, and the trajectory is fright…

The potential for violence against health care workers during COVID-19

Recently, the FBI foiled an attempt to kidnap the governor of Michigan.  The entire story reads like a Tom Clancy novel: a group of disgruntled strangers meets and organizes through chat rooms online.  They conduct tactical training in the woods, do su…

COVID-19 highlights chronic oppressive job conditions [PODCAST]

“In medicine, the guise of ‘professionalism’ is an example of how an oppressive system has led us to believe that we ought not to advocate for our rights. It would be ‘unprofessional’ to organize for a better health care s…

The coronavirus football double standard

It is Thanksgiving and, while many are counting their blessings, others are mourning the loss of family time, routine, turkey, big family gatherings, and football.   The Baltimore Ravens had to cancel their game today because of too many positive COVID…

Be grateful this holiday season

The holiday season is when we would normally be celebrating with family and friends, all coming together to eat way too much food and watch loved ones open gifts. The reality is COVID-19 has caused us to alter our holiday plans, and this year’s holiday…

Heartland parenting complicated by COVID

Shimmying in his blinding white high-top Converse, the latest addition to his increasingly fashion-conscious wardrobe, Calvin, my 17-year-old son, bursts out, “I’m a good boy! I’m a good boy! I’m a good boy!” Puzzled by this uncharacteristic child-like…

Empty chairs at the table this holiday season

There’s nothing like the holidays and a new year around the corner to remind us that 2020 is almost over. This year let’s try to take nothing for granted. Especially since millions of Americans will soon sit down to a holiday meal with one or more love…