Articles related to COVID-19

Simone Gold, MD, JD, a California doctor, and founder of America’s Frontline Doctors who has touted the benefits of hydroxychloroquine and raised unfounded concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines, admitted to the Washington Post that she joined the mob that stormed the Capitol last Wednesday. She added that she followed a crowd inside the building and assumed it was legal to do so.

Rehabilitation psychologist Abigail Hardin, PhD, of Rush University Medical Center offers some advice to those waiting for the COVID-19 vaccine, which is especially important given that the vaccines don’t take full effect (around 95% immunity) until days or weeks a number of days after the second dose. She recommends taking a few key steps now to reduce some of the challenges and anxieties that come with a serious illness.

2020 was brutal for healthcare workers, no question. Based on more than 1,250 responses from a survey sent out about how the pandemic has affected them both personally and professionally, MDLinx learned that roughly half of healthcare workers are seriously rethinking their careers or practice. Half! So then what is the outlook for 2021? Does oncology have a bright future?

According to several polls (though some said they might change their minds for various reasons), around 4 in 10 Americans have said they will not get a coronavirus vaccine. When it comes to the safety of these vaccines, however, there are good reasons to be confident already. Here are nine explanations to give to a patient, friend, or family member that may be skeptical of the shots.

MedPage Today shares the story of Cleavon Gilman, MD, an emergency room physician working at a hospital in Yuma, Arizona. His tweet? “No more ICU beds in the state of Arizona,” referring to his concern about the lack of available ICU beds on Nov. 22 despite the Governor and the Department of Health saying that same day there were more than 100 ICU beds.

The first doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be arriving in a few weeks, both of which use messenger RNA (mRNA) technology to induce an immune response. Biologically, mRNA is transcribed from DNA and travels into a cell’s cytoplasm where it is translated by ribosomes into proteins. For those who want more information on the history and science of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics, here’s a primer.