It’s that time of year again. As fall approaches, influenza is knocking on the door… but this flu season, AGAIN, promises to be far from typical. We are smack dab in the middle of a pandemic – still! COVID19 has devastated lives and livelihoods. The Delta variant is a monster and, even though we now … Read more
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
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
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
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
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
Though the world’s COVID19 situation looks bleak, we’ve had a lot of exciting news on the vaccine front lately. There’s a COVID19 vaccine coming soon: here’s what you need to know – Part 1. The mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are reportedly both over 90% effective (though we’ve only learned this from press releases … Read more
The last nine months have been a real rollercoaster ride. And not the kind where you’re full of nervous anticipation, exhilaration felt at every turn, twist and drop; the kind where, at the end, you think “Holy Crap! I want to do that again!”. Nope. This COVID19 rollercoaster ride has been more like the poop … Read more
Return to Phase 1 – a step back or a move forward? Well, in the last couple of weeks I have had a patient die of COVID19. I have had patients tell me stories of their entire family, including elderly grandparents, coming down with COVID19. I have heard of weddings missed and new babies not … Read more
If you’ve ever wondered what life was like before vaccines, or what life could be like if we allow immunization rates to fall, now you know. Or, at least, now you have a sense – suffering, death, anxiety, fear, poverty, and more. In 2020, we will certainly fare better in our fight against the novel … Read more