Did you know that there are treatments for COVID that can significantly decrease the chance of serious, deadly outcomes of this disease? Did you know that these are available in the outpatient setting? This all sounds wonderful, and these therapies are indeed excellent tools in our COVID-fighting toolbox. But these treatments have been difficult to … Read more
Why do we vaccinate? This is a super important question and one I don’t think enough people have fully thought through. The reasons aren’t as black and white as we might think. But we’ll get to that in a minute. First, I want to take a moment to ponder where we are and how things … Read more
Today we’re going to do a good old fashioned Q&A session. As a family doctor who cares for people of all ages, I am hearing questions about COVID vaccines for kids multiple times a day from parents and grandparents. There is a lot of excitement about finally being able to protect our younger children. But, … Read more
Let’s talk about COVID-19: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I haven’t written for a while. The world has been too much and I’ve lost some of my focus. But also, I’ve been busy. Since last I wrote, I have become a PowerPoint guru – available for all your Zoom meeting vaccine educational needs. … Read more
To mask or not to mask – that is the question… among many many others. It’s now been over a month since I started writing about the novel Coronavirus that hit our world like a ton of bricks. In that time, what we know, or think we know, about this virus has changed. Likewise, guidelines … Read more
Recently, it occurred to me that “social distancing” may be too nebulous of a term. Mostly it occurred to me because my friend Janelle told me it was too nebulous. So, I guess it occurred to Janelle. But then it occurred to me that she is absolutely right! So, there you go. Obviously, some people … Read more
All 50 states are reporting cases of the novel Coronavirus. It’s a COVID-19 world now. Is this our new normal? More people are getting tested (though still not enough). The numbers of cases of COVID-19 are surging, and so are deaths from this frightening illness. Every day we read some new headline about risk factors, … Read more
Well, a great deal has happened since last I wrote. The World Health Organization upgraded the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection status to Pandemic. In Spokane, we now have identified our first 3 cases of COVID-19. Across Washington state (and in many other districts across the country), schools are closed for the next 6 weeks. Colleges are … Read more
If you’re just tuning in, this is the second installment of my blogpost to keep myself, and you, up to speed on what’s happening with COVID-19. For the original story (and still some very good baseline information), click here. In the last week, we are no longer just seeing Coronavirus in Washington. We are now … Read more
Washingtonians are a pioneering people. We are tough. We are resilient. Unfortunately, with the report of the first US death from Coronavirus (COVID-19) in our own back yard, we are pioneering in a way that we didn’t necessarily want. And our toughness and resilience will be called upon to set an example to the rest … Read more