Archives
I Get It. You’re Scared.
Posted on August 19, 2021 1 Comment
I had a most interesting encounter with a dude on Facebook. Said dude decided that a few hundred deaths from COVID-19 each day are acceptable for several reasons, the most important of which — in his opinion — was that we could not lose our freedoms for the sake of saving the lives of people […]
The End of a Chapter
Posted on May 26, 2021
This week marks the end of my time as the chief of the outbreak team. The positivity rate in our health district is now at 1.25%. In Maryland, it is at 1.98%. In Washington, DC, it is at 1.5%. The number of cases from congregate settings has dropped precipitously as vaccination uptake reached well over 90% in most facilities among their residents, though it could be better among their staff. Overall in the communities, more than half of eligible adults have been vaccinated, with many parents taking their younger kids to get vaccinated and younger adults also participating (thanks in part to schools and universities requiring vaccination before returning to in-person teaching).
Quarantine Shmarantine! Pandemic Edition
Posted on November 24, 2020 4 Comments
Six years ago, I told you all about how quarantines don’t really work in practice. They work in theory just fine, but human nature in all of us make us violate quarantine almost inevitably. We just don’t like being told what to do as a society. We also get scared of contagion if we are […]
What You Need to Know About COVID-19 Right Now (mid-July 2020 Edition)
Posted on July 16, 2020 3 Comments
So many things have changed since the pandemic began. Here are a few things you need to know right now… Right. This. Instant.
The Things You Need to Think About Before You Reopen Schools
Posted on July 10, 2020 3 Comments
I’d like to start off this blog post by telling you that I am in no way advocating for or against reopening schools. This is currently a hot-button issue, and many policymakers are scratching their heads on how to do school reopening correctly. I am also not telling any one person or group how schools […]
They’re Laughing at US
Posted on July 5, 2020 4 Comments
It has almost been 20 years since the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania of September 11, 2001. Since then, numerous conspiracy theories have been floated in an attempt to explain the unimaginable tragedy that that day was for the families of the victims. These theories range from the insane to […]
The Relationship Between Binge Drinking and COVID-19 Cases May Be Linear, But…
Posted on July 3, 2020 4 Comments
NOTE: This blog post has apparently been living rent-free in Dr. Glazer’s head for a couple of days. Instead of pointing out that his thesis may be incorrect, Dr. Glazer keeps pointing out that I mention that the data have to be normally distributed for the linear regression to work. In fact, the residuals from […]
The Abuse You’re Going to Have to Take
Posted on July 2, 2020 2 Comments
It’s been a weird pandemic. From day one of the response, I was asked to manage several very young and very bright public health workers for several jobs. Later on, I was promoted to managing other public health workers. Through it all, I’ve tried to follow one rule: Always be on the side of my […]
Operation Onesimus
Posted on April 13, 2020
Onesimus was an African slave brought by force to what was then the Massachusetts Colony. The knowledge and wisdom he brought with him saved lives at a time when smallpox was pandemic. I hope to be able to use all of the knowledge and wisdom of the people around me to do what I can in this pandemic.
Your Obsession with Data
Posted on April 2, 2020 2 Comments
People are hungry for more and more data about the pandemic. It’s not that they are trained on how to use it. It’s just that they want to have some sort of control over the situation. They need just a little more faith in the professionals.
EpidemioLogical 