Children and COVID-19 posted on 2020-04-15
Honesty, Respect, and Reassurance. These three cardinal rules for sharing bad news with children are worth remembering. Thankfully, kids don’t often get COVID-19. Less than 2.5% of cases are reported worldwide. When children are infected, they usually become only mildly ill, though asymptomatic infections are not uncommon1. In one study from the Wuhan Children’s Hospital, [Read More]
A Celebration for Change posted on 2020-04-12
In Judeo-Christian tradition, this is a time for joy and celebration, whether to honor the resurrection of Jesus Christ or the liberation of the Hebrew people from bonds of oppression in ancient Egypt. Some say the word Easter comes from the Old English word ēostre. While the etymology is debated, some scholars associate this [Read More]
Short Circuit posted on 2020-04-10
As I write this note, my mother is dying in a hospital room in Southern France. She is alone. Visitors are not allowed. My elderly father is quarantined in his home, an ancient four-story stone house that dates almost from the Middle Ages. In two months they would have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. But [Read More]
Thoughtless, or selfish, that is the question. posted on 2020-04-08
Shakespeare once wrote, “To be, or not to be, that is the question.” Today, we must ask a different question: “Are people thoughtless, or are they simply selfish?” Despite orders for social distancing and self-isolation to mitigate transmission of COVD-19 in virtually every country, crowds continue to gather in public places, shop in large numbers, [Read More]
Overcoming Uncertainty posted on 2020-04-07
A few days ago, Andreas Voss, the President of the International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, posted an advisory1 stating the controversial paper published in IJAA on the favorable effects of Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin in patients with COVID-19 infection2 did not meet the journal’s scientific standards. Meanwhile, countless physicians on the frontlines prescribe these drugs. Many also prescribe [Read More]