Author Archives: ceopate

For some time, we have been hearing many in the U.S. say that everyone has been infected with SARS-CoV-2 and already had COVID-19. I am guessing that those folks fall into one of three camps: First, a high-level review of antibodies. There are 5 major categories of antibodies (we abbreviate them with the prefix “Ig”Continue reading “Is it true that everyone has had COVID-19?”

Since early in the pandemic, I have urged the public not to focus only on deaths from COVID. I cautioned then that getting infected: Based upon what little we did know at the beginning of the pandemic, for someone my age, the risk of severe disease was the greatest concern because I was more likelyContinue reading “A COVID Cautionary Tale”

You may think that the title is a bit weird, but it is intentional. I am going to give a brief overview of the current understanding of Long COVID. However, I have practiced medicine long enough to understand that our knowledge about who gets certain diseases, why those individuals get the disease, what mechanisms areContinue reading “What Do We Think We Know about Long COVID at this Point”

A Guide to Planning from the Schoolhouse to the White House This day has been a long time coming. Our book is officially released today! You can access our book from local bookstores, Walmart (beginning 4/24) and many other distributors, including: In print, Kindle version or audiobook. How did this book come to be? InContinue reading “Preparing for the Next Global Outbreak”

People who follow my blog or follow me on Twitter will not be surprised that I disagree with the decisions made by some hospitals to end mask requirements in healthcare facilities. In fact, I previously wrote a blog piece as to why. However, I also realize that health care leaders are dealing with very challengingContinue reading “My 2 cents on ending mask requirements in hospitals”

Let’s first clear up a technicality: it is not actually the origins of COVID-19 that is at the center of the debate. We know that COVID-19 is a disease that is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2 (an acronym for severe acute respiratory syndrome – coronavirus followed by the number 2 because the first severeContinue reading “How are non-scientists to understand the COVID origins debate?”

I was shocked to read a news release from the Oregon Department of Human Services and Oregon Health Authority issued on March 3, 2023. Oregon will lift mask requirement for health care settings April 3 (govdelivery.com). The title of the memo is “Oregon will lift mask requirement for health care settings April 3.” There areContinue reading “A Fateful Decision”

With the 1/30/23 announcement that the Biden administration plans to end the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration in May, what does this mean for the public, for state governments and health care providers? Answer: Much more than you probably realize. Background The Trump administration issued the COVID-19 national emergency and the public health emergency (PHE)Continue reading “What are the implications of ending the federal public health emergency declaration?”

Should we permit it and if not, what should we do about it? The case of Ryan Cole It is hard to imagine that we all have not said something to others at some point in our life that was misinformation. At times, we have all been misinformed. Perhaps, if you are as old asContinue reading “Medical Disinformation”

I have been writing a blog series about the post-acute sequelae of COVID-19. My plans were to cover the many systems and organs of the body and what we have learned as to the Long-term health consequences some people may suffer following infection and why. I started with the nervous system. However, while I haveContinue reading “Long COVID”