Tag: SARS-CoV-2
A Race Against Vaccine Hesitancy
The vaccine program is in a race against the emergence of new strains of the virus. Vaccine hesitancy may be the margin of victory or failure.
One More Time – Masks Work
The evidence supports the conclusion that mask-wearing policies are effective and justified.
The New SARS-CoV-2 Variants
Two new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been detected that are more infectious. What are the implications?
Germ theory denial in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic
As hard as it is to believe, in the middle of a global pandemic that's claimed so many lives and so thoroughly disrupted society, there are people who still deny germ theory. How can this be?
2020 and the pandemic: A year of (some) physicians behaving badly
Looking back on 2020, if there's one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us, it's that crises reveal character. Unfortunately, the character of too many physicians has been found wanting, as they spent 2020 denying the pandemic, peddling quack cures, or spreading misinformation in the service of defying public health interventions. What can be done?
Syncope and Bell’s palsy: Distinguishing correlation from causation for adverse events observed after COVID-19 vaccination
The FDA has approved emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for two COVID-19 vaccines, and the largest mass vaccination program in history has begun. Look for antivaxxers to attribute reactions to the vaccine that the vaccine very likely didn't cause. We'll examine the example stories of vasovagal syncope and Bell's palsy that were reported by the press last week.
COVID-19 and Tooth Loss
Reports that teeth are spontaneously falling out after COVID-19 recovery are surfacing. Is tooth loss yet another complication of this disease?
Deciding between a vaccine and…an infection?
A handy comparison of COVID-19 vaccines compared to COVID-19 infections.
The Oregon Medical Board suspends the medical license of antivax pediatrician Dr. Paul Thomas
Late last week, the Oregon Medical Board suspended the licenses of two physicians, one for bragging about not wearing a mask around his patients, the second being Dr. Paul Thomas, an antivaccine pediatrician, whose continued practice was deemed a threat to his patients. It's time for more state medical boards to step up, as Oregon's has.