This ⤵️ examined the inequities of the global #COVID19 vaccine rollout. Wealthy nations need to help the rest of the world get vaccinated - not just for moral and humanitarian reasons, but also to tamp down variants and soften the global economic impact.
This ⤵️ outlined the precarious place we’re at in the pandemic. The next phase will depend on vaccines, variants, and how well we adhere to public health measures.
The recent lifting of restrictions & mask mandates may unnecessarily prolong the pandemic. link.medium.com/wCfDk8eCpeb
Here ⤵️ I reflect on the anniversary of the pandemic in NYC. Its hard to describe all the sadness healthcare workers saw this past year.
But theres reason for hope. Thankfully many of us are vaccinated against a disease we feared, bringing some comfort.
In ⤵️ piece I wrote about the global shortage of medical oxygen.
I know it might sound boring. But oxygen is something we take for granted. Like running water or nurses, we can’t even imagine a hospital without it. The global reality is very different. link.medium.com/Z8irQT9cAeb
In ⤵️ piece I discuss the promise and perils of vaccine passports.
Even with their obvious upsides, there are many unanswered questions on how they’ll be used and who will be left out. Let’s collectively consider their limitations before it’s too late.
In ⤵️ piece I wrote how the decision to pause the J&J vaccine seemed short-sighted. But for the health of our patients and for the long-term credibility of our public health institutions in the future, it was absolutely the right one.
In ⤵️ piece I wrote about the most common misconceptions when it comes to herd immunity.
FYI: it’s not a set, single, or even known threshold. Nor is it a country-level on/off switch where everything magically changes once we reach it. Want more deets? 👇 link.medium.com/Zs9wg1IaUfb
While the U.S. and other wealthy nations vaccinate their way out of our pandemic nightmare, Covid is raging around the world.
But only 0.2% of all Covid vaccines are going to low-income countries.
I wrote about Fox News fraudster @TuckerCarlson and his deliberate lies about the Covid vaccines.
In pushing disingenuous disinformation about the vaccines, Carlson is doing his viewers a huge disservice. Hopefully, none of them pay the ultimate price.
Over 115,000 health care workers around the world have died from Covid-19. Like many of my frontline colleagues, I've lost too many of my friends to this virus.
I've spent a lot of the last week speaking to people across government, media, and other actors involved in the Ebola response. Some reflections:
Size of the outbreak: this is massive already. Based on some other signals and conversations, this outbreak is at least 2-3 months old.
Official case numbers are ~1,000. But I suspect the true number is much larger, probably double. This will almost certainly end up being the second largest Ebola outbreak ever, and soon.
There have been 'mysterious' outbreaks close to the current hotspots for some time, and we still don't have a full accounting of all those.
I worked as an epidemiologist during an Ebola outbreak in Guinea in 2015. Tracking this and contract tracing is tough work. It'll take a few more weeks to further understand what communities have already been affected.
Vaccines/Treatments: you've probably heard there are "no treatments of vaccines" for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola.
There's been some movement on moving candidates along—including from Oxford to use the ChAdOx platform for a potential vaccine. Work on that is progressing, but would be many months away.
There's also a rVSVΔG vaccine—using the same platform as the FDA-approved Merck vaccine for Zaire Ebolavirus—that's being discussed, but would also take many months.
We have LOTS of Ervebo, that FDA-approved vaccine for the Zaire species, and there is some discussion about potentially using it here, since it *may* offer some cross-protection. The risk/benefits of that is outside my league...for more, go ask an amazing vaccinologist/immunologist nerd :)
On treatments, there are two monoclonal antibody 'cocktaills' that have promise, and will likely be used here. One by Regeneron and another by Mapp Bio. Doses are limited however, and there will be some logistical hurdles in getting these used quickly.
In today's video announcing the U.S. is withdrawing its previous funding commitment to GAVI, RFK Jr spends more time attacking vaccines than GAVI itself.
And he justifies the death of millions of children because he didn't like GAVI's social media policies on Covid vaccines.
There was almost unanimous rebuke from clinical organizations that should give us all pause.
These are the doctors that take of every American — from obstetricians to pediatricians to family practitioners—that ALL came out today to denounce RFK's move today.