Preventing severe disease and death is the greatest value of a vaccine and a very personal benefit to each one of us. Achieving herd immunity — that is, stopping or at least greatly diminishing transmission of disease — is also a great value and a benefit for the entire community. On both scores, the three FDA-authorized COVID vaccines deserve to be called “home runs.”

The Pfizer- BioNTech Phase 3 trial enrolled over 43,000 volunteers; half of the volunteers received the vaccine; the other half received a placebo. Over a third of them were at risk for serious disease.

The “primary…

Caution is still the byword, and you will need to be cautious for many months to come both to protect yourself and to help quell the pandemic.

You may be wondering if you can go to a restaurant, hug your grand-kid, feel safe in the supermarket, go to a movie, and in general, just go back to normal living after a year of the pandemic upheavals. These are important questions about daily living. Here are some of the facts to help you make informed decisions.

There are two vaccines authorized in the US by the Food and Drug Administration for…

The light at the end of the tunnel is certainly shining brighter. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine and the very similar-based technology Moderna vaccine. Both have demonstrated excellent efficacy — 95% and 94% protection. But and it is a major but, there is a lot of concern nationwide and internationally about vaccine safety.

My message today is that the FDA’s emergency use authorization is an assurance of safety but it is important to note that safe does not mean there are no side effects. More on side effects later.

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Covid Related “Compression Syndrome” — Don’t Let the Media Drive Up Your Stress

“Compression Syndrome.” You probably have never heard of it. It may not be a formal medical syndrome but I suspect once defined you will not be surprised.

Nine months into this pandemic and we’re all tired. We’re all frustrated. There’s so much frustration and the stress just keeps building and building and building. And it’s not just what we’re facing concerning the coronavirus — the masks, the social distancing, giving people more space, avoiding crowds, no restaurants or movies, and so on. It is also the other…

What is Covid-induced caution fatigue? Let’s get started by remembering that this pandemic began back in March so it has been March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and now December and it will continue beyond. That is a long time to be frustrated, to be tired, to be bored, to be scared, and even a bit angry. These are all emotions that are building up inside of us, and as they keep layering some new stressor means an additional layer. It’s like a layer cake with more and more layers and the layers seem to be getting…

You may be thinking about getting together on Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas or New Year’s with a group of your close friends or family, now often dubbed as your “bubble.” This is probably not a good idea. Let’s remember that the virus is disbursed especially in settings of crowding, prolonged contact, poor ventilation, or where there is loud talking, singing, or heavy breathing. Does all that sound like a holiday gathering?

We all have “caution fatigue.” It’s a very real phenomenon, resulting from all the stresses that you are under — the necessity of wearing a mask, social distancing, and keeping…

If you are feeling fatigued, bored, or just downright lazy after a few months of sheltering in place, then you are like very many others. My interest was piqued after a comment from a friend that is usually very engaged in activities but expressed her “lassitude.”

My wife and I live in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) of 2000 residents just outside of Baltimore, Maryland. 1800 of us are in independent living with about 200 in assisted-living, rehabilitation, long term nursing care or memory care. The average age is 82 years with many in their 60’s and 70’s but…

Don’t Let “Caution Fatigue” Result in Getting Infected with Covid19

Trust no one. Harsh sounding words but following them is essential during this pandemic. Everyone knows the basics: wear a mask, social distance, avoid crowded spaces, avoid areas where air circulation is limited and, of course, use good hand hygiene. Most of us do it now.

But there is another very critical issue — never assume another person is virus free, no matter what they may think or tell you.

It’s worth repeating — never assume another person is virus free. They may feel fine with no symptoms, no fever…