You are making a difference
Like it or not, and despite what you believe, or don't... We are all in this together. In a pandemic where a virus and emotions are running rampant, your actions and decisions have impact.
Check out video I found on TikTok. This girl has since called the whole thing a "joke" and deleted all her social media accounts. But I have no doubt her actions have already affected many in that terminal and on that plane, not to mention her family and friends.
Conversely, to those of you who continue to mask and distance - THANK YOU. Thank you for your sacrifices. Thank you for your kindness and respect for those around you. What you do matters so much. We will get through this together.
#IstandwithFauci
Dr. Fauci has served 6 presidents. He has led the NIAID and NIH for nearly 50 years. He’s won the medal of freedom, was the leading scientist that changed the tide of our largest pandemic (HIV), and for almost 20 years (1983-2002) was THE most published and cited scientist in the world. He literally WROTE THE BOOK - he is one of the authors of the most widely used internal medicine textbooks (which I and all my colleagues used). He is honest and speaks facts without a political spin.
I stand with science.
I stand with medicine.
I stand with my fellow doctors, nurses, pharmacists, healthcare providers, and all essential workers.
I stand with the truth.
The fact that people without any science background are arrogant enough to try to discredit a doctor so renowned and dedicated - who has held the health of the people in the forefront, despite others’ agendas - is just a sad metaphor of exactly what is wrong with this country and leadership.
Case in point, over the last several weeks during which his recommendations have been totally ignored - the U.S. numbers have skyrocketed. We need him and his expertise now more than ever.
I am tired
I have a confession guys: I'm tired. I really am. 😥 Yesterday was a tough day: Los Angeles went back on lockdown, and LAUSD announced that our kids will not be going back to school in the fall. 😭
I've tried really hard to make the best of this whole situation thus far - for myself and for my family. I know that while I cannot control what is going on around me, I can manage my own mind. 🧠
But it's getting to me.
Part of it is sadness - for our kids, for our economy, for my lonely friends and family. Part of it is true fatigue - from the worry, from the homeschooling, from the feeling that I can't get anything done anymore.
And part of it is anger. Angry frustration - as a doctor - knowing that had we as a country been able to put our arrogance and comfort and selfishness aside for just several weeks and properly mask and distance - this virus would have died out, like it has in many other countries (and NYC!).
But instead, we complain and fight and make it political and now we are worse off than when this all began... It's like the last 4 months have been for nothing. 😩
Is this really who we are? As Americans, that we care more about our individual "freedoms" and "rights" (to not wear a mask or go to a bar) than the health and safety of our neighbors and our entire country? That me, myself, and I are somehow more important and know better than everyone else? That our own agendas, desires, and arrogance trump science and experts? Are these the values and lessons we want to teach our children?
And so we are all paying for it now... Numbers are skyrocketing, and we are back on lockdown. This virus is not going away 🦠, and until we show some humility and respect - for it, for our experts, and for each other - it never will... 🙏🏼
(Tiktok is my coping mechanism. If the US bans it too, I will literally have a break down... 😂😩)
CoVID update: All up in the air
So reports are confirming that coronavirus 🦠 can be airborne (versus only found in droplets or surfaces and transmitted by contact).
Does this change the precautions we are taking? Are face masks still necessary?
Short answer: NOTHING has changed.
Scientists and healthcare professionals have always suspected that coronavirus was airborne, which is why social distancing has always been a major recommendation during this pandemic. Keeping your distance in a well ventilated space (ie outdoors) greatly reduces your risk of transmitting and/or contracting COVID.
Face masks 😷 are still very relevant especially in closer settings. Not only do they block droplets from your mouth and nose, they also reduce the radius of any smaller airborne particles (air will still flow around the mask - so don’t worry about your oxygen/CO2 levels - but airborne particles will not travel as far out).
#liveVICTORIOUS✌🏼 but stay safe, friends!
Thank you Theo + Leigh for our cute and comfy masks!!! Use VICKICHANMD when ordering to get 20% off!
COVID Confessions
“What’s the big deal? Why can’t we all just go back to normal? Only COVID+ patients need to shelter and wear a mask. That’s not me!”
As a physician 👩🏻⚕️, noncompliance is something I deal with and talk about every day. We are all human, which means forgetting medications, missing appointments, or not following health recommendations (like diet and exercising) is to be expected. In fact, according to studies, up to 60% of my ophthalmology patients do not take their prescribed eye drops properly! 👀
So when my colleagues began asking their COVID+ patients 🦠 about their exposures and how they have been isolating, I was not too entirely shocked at some of their answers (though still very shocking, read for yourself. these are not my patients, but a sample taken from an anonymous publication)
This is why we must insist EVERYONE mask. 😷 And why social distancing is still very VERY relevant. COVID numbers are climbing across the country as shelter-in-place relaxes and businesses reopen. As annoying and burdensome as some of these rules and mandates are, they are for YOUR safety. (And in case you forget to be compliant if you get sick... 🤒)
Asymptomatic vs. Presymptomatic COVID carriers
OK, our masked heads are reeling. 😷 The WHO released (and then "walked back" on) a statement 2 days ago about how transmission of COVID from asymptomatic carriers is "very rare." So what does that mean? Do we all still need to wear masks or not? Can we lift shelter orders? 🤷🏻♀️
So the short answer is - Nothing has changed. The current recommendations still stand: Universal masking is still recommended 😷; we still need to wash our hands 🧼; and we still need to practice social distancing.
The key word here is "asymptomatic" - which refers to people who carry the virus 🦠 but exhibit no symptoms (and never do). My understanding is that the viral load in these patients are too low to produce symptoms and thus too low to be transmitted. These are the people the WHO was referring to in their original statement.
On the other hand, "PREsymptomatic" carriers are those who also carry the virus and are not exhibiting symptoms YET (but WILL, typically within 1 week of exposure 🤒). These patients may feel fine, but can spread the virus rampantly before realizing they are sick. 🦠
And so while asymptotmatic carriers may be less of a worry according to the WHO (great news!), presymptomatic carriers are still a concern, which is why universal masking and social distancing are still so so important for the protection of our communities and loved ones. ❤️