When vaccinations number in the hundreds per day and thousands per week, the job probably feels somewhere between overwhelming to impossible. But not for two pharmacists on a mission to somewhere extraordinary.
The death of Dr. Susan Moore symbolizes what it actually means to be Black in America. Her loss embodies the reality that education cannot protect Blacks from ill-treatment, inequality or injustice. Dr. Moore was a mother, a daughter, and a physician. If a Black physician cannot receive high quality healthcare in America, what does that mean for the Black population as a whole?
Despite the $12 billion dollar investment by the federal government for vaccine development and distribution, there is no well-defined, reliable plan to efficiently administer them to the public. Unfortunately, rapid distribution (continue reading →)
This column is in no way intended to suggest the MMR vaccine is an alternative to the COVID-19 vaccine, however for those who are not at the front of the line, the information might be worth a second look. To me, the study findings were so remarkable that I sent my 78-year-old mother to get her first MMR the very next day.
If the FDA signs off on Pfizer’s crowning glory, that leaves every one of us with an important decision to make about our health and our lives. What will it be?
Please re-open dance schools catering to children under the age of 18. Exploration and instruction in the arts is an essential part of a balanced education. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a great deal from our children. For some, dance training provided the only sense of normalcy in their lives. The science, logistics, and compliance of dance professionals has demonstrated this decision is not only safe, but also likely life-saving.
Whether we like it or not, the face mask—an N95, surgical mask, or one made of cotton cloth—has become the universal symbol of 2020. And it is possible that face masks save more lives than we realize.
Creation of a COVID-19 vaccine is the crown jewel of the White House’s COVID-19 response. President Trump unrealistically named the tedious and time-consuming endeavor “Operation Warp Speed.” To be licensed for use, a novel vaccine must be tested for safety, immune system reactivity, and protective value in humans, which can take up to 10-15 years. Unlike medications, which treat patients with a medical condition, vaccines are given to healthy people, therefore the safety margin must be extraordinarily high.
As a woman, the loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg feels overwhelmingly profound. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I often find myself searching for a ray of sun breaking through the clouds. As sunlight hits the waters of the Puget Sound, it brings a sense of anticipation for the future. A ray of hope can be found in Federal Judge Diane Humetewa, the first Native American woman and enrolled tribal member to serve as a federal judge in history. And she was one of RBG’s picks for the next nominee of the U.S. Supreme Court.
The United States has one of the highest rates of obesity in the world. More than 40% of American adults are obese, which means they have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Almost 10% of American adults qualify as severely obese, defined as having a BMI of 40 or more. Of those with extreme obesity — defined as a BMI of 40 or more —the risk of death from COVID-19 is 17 times higher.
