Freedom ends where harm to others begins

Individual freedom ends where harm to others begins

This is a country founded on the principle of freedom; of thought, of religion, freedom to be who and what you want to be. But inherent in this privilege is a contract, with one’s neighbors and society. This social contract acknowledges that no individual exists outside of communion with and responsibility to other humans. Americans … Read more

The Delta variant is changing the rules

The Delta variant has changed the rules of the game

Never put it past Mother Nature to take the upper hand. Dismiss the value and importance of Nature and the tightly interwoven relationship of human survival with the health of our natural world and our fellow citizens long enough, and Nature will take steps to remind us who is in control. We are seeing this … Read more

Is it a cold or is it COVID?

Sick kids

Recently my two sons returned from a long-awaited and well-deserved week at sleep away camp. The camp required vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours of attendance and had very reasonable masking guidelines (masking was required when gathering indoors in groups but not when outdoors). Yet, both kids (both fully vaccinated) came home … Read more

COVID in the headlines: making sense of it all

COVID in the headlines: making sense of it all

There have been some big COVID-related announcements lately that, depending on your opinions, could leave you feeling excited or confused… or both. Today, we’re talking COVID in the headlines: making sense of it all. We’ll examine vaccines for teens (with younger children soon to follow), ditching the masks if you are vaccinated (with a few … Read more

COVID vaccines and your teen

Teen with mask during COVID

Today, we’re going to talk about COVID vaccines and your teen. But first, a quick word about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause. While I could spend a whole blogpost discussing this turn of events, my friend Dr. Jill Grimes has already written an amazing piece on the topic (read here). So, why reinvent the … Read more

Do scientists even know what they are talking about?

Why do guidelines keep changing? Do scientists even know what they are talking about?

Let’s look at a common refrain that we hear from many who are skeptical about getting a COVID vaccine. Translation: Do scientists even know what they are talking about? “The CDC and public health COVID guidelines keep changing. How can I trust what they say about COVID vaccines?” This concern makes total sense. At least, … Read more

COVID19, vaccines, and risk

COVID 19 vaccine

Today we are talking COVID19, vaccines, and risk. We have now administered the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to more than 6 million people across the U.S. It’s a start, but this number is significantly lower than we would have hoped. There are likely several reasons for this slow roll-out. There has been little central leadership … Read more

COVID19 vaccine coming soon: here’s what you need to know – Part 4

Two Covid vaccines

Parts 1, 2, and 3 of this series discussed a variety of topics; the immune system and how vaccines work; the phases of vaccine development and how we have much more rapidly, but safely, developed COVID vaccines; and specifics about the mRNA vaccines. Well, this post is going to be a hodge podge of different … Read more

COVID19 vaccine coming soon: here’s what you need to know – Part 3

COVID vaccine for the masses

Wow! Information about the new COVID19 vaccine is coming fast and furious. As I am writing this post, I am listening to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) deliberation about the vaccine and the practical recommendations regarding its use and administration. And it couldn’t be coming at a better time. Over 16 million … Read more

COVID19 vaccine coming soon: here’s what you need to know – Part 2

COVID19 vaccine image

By now, we’ve all heard that the development of a COVID vaccine is moving along at a much faster pace than normal. And this frightens some folks. The catchphrase for this program, Operation Warp Speed, isn’t helping. We envision our vaccine development process hurtling through the uncharted space of a science fiction movie – not … Read more