HIV and ID Observations

December 20th, 2020

With Vaccine Rollout, a Mixture of Gratitude, Envy, and Cautious Hope

I. Gratitude Did I think we’d have two vaccines for COVID-19 available for distribution before 2021? Two vaccines with 95% efficacy in preventing disease, and nearly 100% in preventing severe disease? Vaccines that work across different patient populations, including the most vulnerable — especially older people? Not a chance. I’ve probably been quoted half a […]

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December 13th, 2020

Brush with Greatness — Rochelle Walensky to Head CDC

There’s an overused expression that, despite its familiarity, really does describe some people perfectly. It’s when you say someone “lights up a room.” My ID colleague and friend Dr. Rochelle Walensky certainly stands as a prime example. Right from the moment we first met during her interviews for ID fellowship in the late 1990s, I […]

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December 6th, 2020

Getting Through a Grim, Dark Winter with Little Bits of Joy

The season’s first nor’easter came barreling through New England this weekend, bringing with it an added level of gloom to an already pretty grim time. Grim because the virus sadly returned right on time, just like the other seasonal coronaviruses — and just like the virologists told us it would. Short days, cold dark nights, […]

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