HIV and ID Observations

September 22nd, 2021

What I’ve Been Busy Doing, Besides Seeing Patients — and Bonus Animal-Related Infection Podcast

Long-time readers of this site (and I thank you deeply for that) might have noticed a lengthier gap than usual between today’s post and the previously published one. Nearly three weeks! Wow! What on Earth is he doing? He must be really busy. That or just lazy. In order to reassure you that the former is a […]

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September 3rd, 2021

No, COVID-19 in Anti-Vaxxers Does Not Make Me Happy

High-profile people who deny the seriousness of COVID-19, or strongly oppose vaccination, also contract — and sometimes succumb — to the disease. Surprise, surprise. The list is long, but recently has included a group of well known conservative radio hosts. Broadcaster Marc Bernier from Daytona Beach, Florida, died of COVID-19 recently. Bernier called himself “Mr. Anti-Vax”, so it […]

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August 12th, 2021

Could This Be Our First Effective, Inexpensive, Widely Available Outpatient Treatment for COVID-19?

It’s fluvoxamine. This rarely used antidepressant, long off-patent, has quietly been going through high-quality clinical studies for treatment of COVID-19. It certainly won’t be endorsed or promoted by any deep-pocketed pharmaceutical company, but deserves some attention nonetheless. Here’s why I think we might finally be onto something with this “repurposed” drug, even after stumbling numerous times with […]

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August 2nd, 2021

Provincetown July Celebration a Challenging Stress Test for the COVID-19 Vaccines

When the complete history of the COVID-19 pandemic is eventually written — and boy oh boy, can’t wait for that — certain events will feature prominently as sites of notable outbreaks. The Diamond Princess cruise ship The Biogen Leadership conference The Skagit Valley Chorale practice The Sturgis motorcycle rally The Amy Coney Barrett White House reception And now: The Provincetown Independence Week celebration […]

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July 13th, 2021

To First-Year ID Fellows, Incredible Gratitude and Respect — Especially for This Past Year

Two things happened earlier this month in most U.S. hospitals — the academic year started, and the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 reached a low point not seen since the early phase of the pandemic. (No, hospitalizations are not down everywhere. We ID docs are very much aware that COVID-19 isn’t over. But the national […]

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July 1st, 2021

Five Reasons Why ID Doctors Are the Paperwork Champs

As they often do, the inquisitive folks over at Medscape polled doctors around the country on various topics. This one hit home: We're #1! https://t.co/4peKM1frWx pic.twitter.com/wwCrcXBrVI — Paul Sax (@PaulSaxMD) June 17, 2021 Say what you will about Medscape’s methodology, or representativeness, or need for statistical analysis. But we’re clearly #1 in the Paperwork and Administration category — and […]

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June 14th, 2021

The Time for Hospitals to Require COVID-19 Vaccination Among Employees Is Now

Imagine you work at a hospital. Patients come and go, admitted through the emergency room, or electively for surgery. Or they arrive for the day — maybe it’s an outpatient visit, or to receive chemotherapy or an infusion of biologic agents, or to undergo various imaging and other tests. Some of them, of course, have weakened immune […]

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June 1st, 2021

We’re Allowed to Say that Some COVID-19 Vaccines Are Better than Others, Right?

Over on the CDC website, an amazing resource, there’s this statement about the COVID-19 vaccines: The best COVID-19 vaccine is the first one that is available to you. Do not wait for a specific brand. I certainly agreed with that comment back in late 2020 and early 2021, when demand for vaccines exceeded supply, and we […]

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May 25th, 2021

Yes, the Yankees Had a COVID-19 Outbreak Even Though They’re Vaccinated — Here’s Why

Hey Paul, aren’t you going to write something about the Yankees and their COVID-19 outbreak? How did this happen, aren’t they vaccinated? So asked several of my friends, family members, and colleagues — understandably. I’ve never been shy about my unabashed obsession with baseball, nor my lifelong fandom of this particular much-reviled professional team, though it […]

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May 17th, 2021

CDC’s Surprise Mask Policy — and What It Means Right Now for Me

Anyone else out there blindsided by the CDC’s announcement last week about masks?  Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing … Jeepers, that was fast. Less than a month ago, I was having a conversation with my dog Louie about outdoor mask mandates, wondering when our town would drop this […]

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