COVID‑19 Blog
Coronavirus Disease 2019
My goal with this series of entries is not to spread fear - my goal is to spread information. I spent a three-month rotation on an ICU-stepdown floor during the height of the pandemic; I remember my first suspected COVID case, my first confirmed COVID case, and my first COVID death. I remember those people's names and their faces. I remember their struggles. I remember the feeling I would get every time I read "pulmonary edema" on a patient chart. I want to help bring an end to the pandemic.
Every time I post an entry, you can trust that I have spent many hours reviewing the most recent research available so that my writings can be well-informed and current. I am not an epidemiologist, immunologist, or a virologist. I don't claim to be an expert. What I am is a concerned nurse who has seen the effects of COVID‑19 firsthand and wants to help make reliable information easier to find and understand. As a nurse, my education has included relevant topics such as disease prevention, pathophysiology, microbiology, and pharmacology. This is a blog. Information found here is generalized and should not be used as a substitute for medical advice; please consult your personal healthcare provider before acting on any information shown here.
Entries by statdate
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2021.12.26 Vaccine Immunity IS Natural Immunity
Infection results in your body creating its own IgM and IgG antibodies. Any guess at what your body creates when you've been vaccinated?
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2021.12.22 Variants? It's All Greek to Me!
More and more variants are being found. It's time for lessons in Greek and genetics!
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2021.11.02 New and Improved! Now with Tromethamine!
updated 2021.11.29
The children's vaccine from Pfizer has tromethamine in it, but the vaccine approved for adults doesn't. What is tromethamine and should you be concerned about it? (Spoiler: You don't need to worry about it.)
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2021.08.30 The Road to Comirnaty: FDA, EUA, BLA, OMG!
What does Pfizer's vaccine being FDA approved actually mean?
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2021.08.12 Answering "What's in the Vaccine?"
Lists of ingredients in each vaccine are publicly available. Let's review them and see why each ingredient is there.
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2021.08.07 Remarks on Gov. Pritzker's P‑12 Mask Mandate
updated 2021.08.11
opinion
Governor J.B. Pritzker (D-Illinois) mandated mask wearing in all Pre-K through 12th grade schools in Illinois. Here's what I think about it.
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2021.07.21 COVID‑19 Vaccines Cannot "Shed"
Only a couple of vaccines ever made are actually capable of shedding. Here's why.
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2021.07.20 Let's Talk About Ivermectin
There's been a lot of talk about "horse dewormer" in the news lately, but ivermectin is also prescribed to humans. We need to discuss the facts.
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2021.05.24 COVID‑19 Vaccine Q&A
It's time to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about the COVID‑19 vaccines.
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2021.01.20 Addressing Common COVID‑19 Misconceptions
updated 2021.02.03
New information about COVID‑19 is coming out every day. It's a lot to keep up with and it's easy to mistakenly believe inaccurate information. Let's clear that up.