FAQs from some of my low-risk patients this week:

Wouldn't a 4th shot prevent me from...

... getting COVID?
... sickening my unvax'd child/immunosuppressed son/elderly parent?

These are excellent questions but demonstrate how woefully we've messaged the vaccine.

A 🧵 ...
Sure, some patients are anxious. That's normal.

Sure, some patients get told by Google/a neighbor/TV pundit to get a 4th shot regardless of age & health. That's our world.

Sure, some patients truly *need* a 4th shot to reduce the risk for severe COVID. That's my job.

2x
But when so many of my patients call w the very same question, I want to know why. 🙋‍♀️

After all, my pts are smart, well-intended, & paying attn. I've been writing a free weekly C19 newsletter x 2 yrs trying to help ppl understand nuance & contextualize data.

So what's up?

3x
Despite the abundance of information, many smart ppl still think the vaccines protect us from *getting* COVID.

They don't. They beautifully drop the risk for severe COVID (esp for ppl at high risk for severe outcomes in the 1st place), but they don't prevent all infections

4x
That's ok!

(It's also not "antivax" to explain nuances of vaccines.)

Indeed the vaccines are truly amazing. They likely prevented my elderly triple-vax'd patient with atrial fib, diabetes & COVID from needing hospital care last month!

5x
But by inadvertently suggesting to ppl that 1) vaccines prevent infection, 2) vax'd ppl can no longer transmit the virus to others, or 3) masking toddlers in NY prevents a higher-risk person like @kathygriffin from getting COVID in LA, we've done ppl a huge disservice.

6x
Accidentally scaring people into thinking their vaccine *isn't* doing the excellent job that it's doing - while accidentally suggesting the vax provides an impenetrable force field that it *doesn't* just shows that we've failed as trusted messengers in medicine & public health.7x
I don't blame any one person, party, internet celebrity, or institution.

I don't blame anyone in the general public for being confused about COVID, the vaccines, boosters, immunity.

Heck, I get confused too! (Which is why I ask for help when something doesn't make sense.)

8x
I'm simply saying that even after 2 yrs, ppl *still* have trouble understanding the basics.

So let's get back to them.

Let's

✅not let the perfect be the enemy of the amazing
✅boost vax confidence
✅more appropriately manage expectations re NPIs & the virus itself

9x
Let's work on structural changes to prepare for the next wave/variant (from ventilating buildings to scaling up #primarycare).

Trust is hard-won & easily lost in medicine. Let's build it back.

(PS last week I pleaded with Congress to help) 👇

/end

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More from @drlucymcbride

Apr 1
I was honored to speak in front of @HouseScience committee yesterday abt the importance of trusted messengers in a crisis— & what we need to do for the next phase of #Covid_19.

Here is my opening statement … 🧵 1x

#Vaccines #VaccinesSaveLives #PrimaryCare
As we inevitably face more C19 waves & variants, I worry abt the ongoing devastation from the virus *and* abt the collateral damage from the mitigations themselves. Mostly I worry abt ppls’ confusion & resulting anxiety abt not knowing who to trust in a global health crisis.2x
I’m here to share with you what I’ve learned firsthand caring for patients almost every day during COVID—real people on the receiving end of often confusing public health guidance & the unfortunate politicization of science. 3x
Read 21 tweets
Mar 3
I was honored to testify today in front of congressional @EnergyCommerce committee:

"Lessons from the Front-Line: #COVID19's Impact on American Health Care."

My opening statement ... followed by congressional member questions...

#mentalhealthishealth

🧵 1x
Mental, physical & behavioral health are inseparable.

The pandemic has laid bare our vast vulnerabilities.

#Primarycare is where ppl can be fully seen & heard, where trust is born & where we apply broad public health advice to pts' unique medical issues & lived experience ...2x
Approx 80M Americans don't have a primary care provider.

We must scale up/increase access to needed #primarycare services, as a hub for problem-solving for medical conditions like obesity, diabetes & depression, in order to heal from trauma & prepare for the next pandemic...3x
Read 13 tweets
Feb 17
My tripled vax'd, COVID-recovered, PCR-tested, masked son in college w/ a 99% vax rate got to see the inside of the University's dining hall for 1st time in *2 yrs* last week.

Today? It closed again. Student dining is back to *outside* only - or alone. Socializing limited ...🧵
My son has been loathe to speak out, worried abt being shamed for not caring abt other ppl (this kid has a ❤️ of gold - a lover not a fighter) or being labeled anti- x, y, z. But watching his friends suffer from anxiety, depression, substance use issues, he spoke out tonight...2x
My son is an old soul. Wise, empathetic, kind. (Not that I'm biased.) He's had struggles. He has made lemonade out of lemons. He has tolerated the loss of normalcy w grace & maturity. Not a complainer. But enough is enough. How safe is safe? When have I done enough, mom?....3x
Read 7 tweets
Feb 15
Just bc #mentalhealth is harder to quantify doesn't mean it's any less important to our physical health ... or to policy-making.

After talking teens & parents for the past 2 yrs, it's never been more clear to me (& my #primarycare colleagues) that #mentalhealth is health. 1x
Not every child, teen, or parent is suffering from mental health issues. Our lived experiences during COVID have been varied & diverse. Indeed, some kids are pandemic-proof. Some of my teen patients have actually thrived during COVID... but 2x
I think it's fair to say that the absence of normalcy has been hard for many kids, adolescents, & parents - & the disruptions to school life have disproportionately affected the same populations who have tragically been disproportionately devastated by COVID-19. 3x
Read 8 tweets
Feb 4
THIS WHOLE OP-ED is 🏅

“There is not a single right answer for how to proceed. Within the set of legitimate strategies, the choice of strategy is often less important than whether or not people follow and support it.” 🧵

nytimes.com/2022/02/04/opi…
“Within the set of legitimate strategies, the choice of strategy is often less important than whether or not people follow and support it.” — @M_B_Petersen 2/n
“According to our data, the Omicron wave has also chipped away at the trust of those who have been supportive of their govt’s approach up until now. Lifting restrictions while cases are soaring can seem like betrayal after 2 years of seeking to ‘flatten the curve.’” @M_B_Petersen
Read 6 tweets
Feb 3
"It is time to recognize the myriad threats to children’s safety – beyond that of a single virus – and to appropriately balance these risks."

Proud to co-author this piece w/ virologist @DrScottBalsitis, peds psych MD @carol_psych & peds MD K Walsh 👇👇

usatoday.com/story/opinion/…
..As scientists & MDs, we are concerned that COVID mitigation measures for children are doing more harm than good. Too many policymakers have viewed health as the mere absence of COVID-19, putting children into a loop of mitigation measures that are uncoupled from actual risk. 🧵
...After two years of living with one disruption after another, the evidence is clear: The pandemic & the loss of normalcy are taking a tremendous toll on students, with the data on mental health being particularly alarming...
Read 14 tweets

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