First, a plea for objectivity. One powerful force complicating the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be the temptation to package information to fit preconceived outcomes. Over the last five months, the result of such wishful thinking has often been lax and ineffective disease interventions, and over this same interval United States deaths from COVID-19 have […]
“We need epi, stat!” This dramatic phrase – so familiar in emergency medicine – today possesses new significance. Epi (epinephrine), that lifesaving drug, also means epidemiology, that lifesaving science of disease investigation. Indeed, today we do need epi stat. Beyond COVID-19, current epi crises encompass Ebola, Zika, cholera, chikungunya MERS-CoV, malaria and influenza.
The COVID-19 Pandemic stretches most every sector of modern society. Healthcare, employment, education, transportation, and social relationships continue in upheaval. Fortunate for us, we live in the Information Age. Abundant knowledge is readily available to improve our response to these crises. But such knowledge is so voluminous, and sometimes so complex, that few
“Massive” “Colossal” and “Immense” – words that inadequately describe the magnitude of the explosion which convulsed Beirut, Lebanon, three days ago. With the force of an early atomic bomb, 2,700 tons of highly combustible ammonium nitrate ignited in the congested port city. Some 140 people were instantly incinerated, 5,000 people packed hospitals suffering from