Category: Infectious disease

A shift in mindset in our approach to the “fight” against COVID-19

The fight. The battle. The conquest. The opponent. The enemy. The nemesis. Our collective descriptions of our response to COVID-19 are analogous to our descriptions of wartime.  We have cast the novel coronavirus as the opposition and ourselves as the …

A pulmonologist’s COVID diary

June 25 Like most physicians, I am bad at scheduling my own doctors visit. This year, despite COVID craziness, I had made an appointment with a new PCP to get Singulair refills (my allergies were a killer, and a drippy nose behind an N95 is no joke). I…

Spare older anesthesiologists COVID-19 coronavirus risk [PODCAST]

“This pandemic presents a unique opportunity for senior anesthesiologists to see the benefit of accommodating the health care needs of our workforce. Just as I tried to avoid the teratogenic effects of certain cases when pregnant, we should consi…

People with COVID-19 who live in highly polluted areas are more likely to die

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on the health inequities many Americans face because of where they live and the air they breathe. We are seeing what I have long seen in my allergy practice—many of my patients live in communities with unheal…

Let’s assume you have coronavirus

There are now 16 states (as of the end of June) that require people to wear face coverings when out in public. But we need to acknowledge it: many Americans really don’t want to. Our president and vice-president don’t wear masks, even thoug…

We should communicate like we are in a code blue 

The alarm goes off! Code blue! Code blue! The code blue team rushes to the scene. The patient is unresponsive. There is no pulse. The leader of the code team looks at the monitor and takes charge. The patient is in ventricular fibrillation (cardiac arr…

Should you get a COVID-19 antibody test?

Antibody testing, also called serological testing, can be used to determine whether an individual is currently infected with COVID-19 or has previously been infected with COVID-19 and recovered. Unlike the molecular testing (PCR tests), which detects t…

The sensory limitation of wearing masks

Without a doubt, life has been peculiar since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic. The social, political, financial, and emotional tolls have been staggering; however, most recently, I’ve been interested in the sensory deficits it seems to be unma…

In these times of crisis, remember the Golden Rule [PODCAST]

“We are in the midst of a crisis in humanity. While we are still dealing with COVID pandemic and its deleterious health, economic and societal consequences, our troubling past of racism and inequality is rearing its ugly head. The senseless killi…

How a physician finds laughter during this dark time [PODCAST]

“With my passion for writing and connecting digitally with others in health care and the general public, this ‘downtime’ has allowed for an expansion of these interests. I’ve begun recording on my podcast, a multidisciplinary conversation between…