Fixing Healthcare Podcast

On Forbes, Dr. Robert Pearl wrote about his recent trip from San Diego to New York, which he referred to as the “Covid-19 Flight From Hell.” The article has been read by hundreds of thousands of people, most of whom were horrified by Pearl’s experience with the infected passenger and curious about what (if anything) the airline industry had to say for itself. In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy Corr and Dr. Pearl discuss flying in the waning months of the Covid-19 era and whether Americans prefer the feeling of safety over actually being safe. Here are the questions asked and answered on this week’s show: Each week, the show begins with the most recent and relevant facts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? Can vaccinated grandparents visit their unvaccinated grandkids? What’s the new guidance? When it comes to mental health, what’s new? Listener question: “I’m hearing that the AstraZeneca vaccine causes blood clots. Is it dangerous? Should I avoid taking it if offered?” Listener question: “I’m planning to have back surgery this month, but I had a mild case of the coronavirus a couple of weeks ago. How long do I need to wait?” Why did the CDC change the “social distance” expectation for students from six feet to three? Any good news this week? Numerous listeners wrote in about Dr. Pearl’s widely read article, “The Covid-19 Flight From Hell.” What did the airlines have to say? Listener question: “I’m confused about how people can transmit the coronavirus after they are vaccinated and therefore not being able to come in direct contact with unvaccinated people. Can you elaborate?” What’s new when it comes to the “long haulers” discussed in episode 31? Why did Miami, Florida seem caught off guard by rowdy spring breakers? What would it take to bring Americans together amid a great political divide? What’s up with the Covid-19 death rates in Florida and California? 2020 was the deadliest year in U.S. history. Was that because of Covid-19? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #34: What happened after Dr. Pearl’s ‘Covid-19 flight from hell’? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Dr. Jen Gunter is known by many titles. She’s been called Twitter’s resident gynecologist, the Internet’s OB-GYN, and medicine’s fiercest advocate for women’s health. In her writing for The New York Times (and in her bestselling book The Vagina Bible), Gunter has gone after some of the nation’s most powerful players. “I’ve taken on politicians, I’ve taken on the wellness industrial complex, and most recently, Vagisil, and they’re awful campaign to make teens embarrassed about their normal body smells and function,” she told Fixing Healthcare hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. In 2015, Gunter’s blistering critiques of Goop, the wellness empire headed by Gwyneth Paltrow, became an internet sensation, sparking a national debate about the pseudoscience that surrounds health and wellness products. In this episode of Fixing Healthcare, Dr. Gunter takes on the culture of medicine, looking at the role sexism plays in the careers of doctors, the health of patients and the stories we tell about women’s bodies. Jen Gunter’s Interview Highlights On the dangers of Goop and the ‘wellness-industrial complex’ “A site like Goop is particularly dangerous, because it mixes good quality information, and they have some good information, with absolute harmful trash. So for example, they sell a coffee enema kit, they promote drinking raw milk, they have people who write content for them who are anti-vaxxers. And so, we know that it just takes one exposure to a medical conspiracy theory for people to start thinking that maybe that’s something they should worry about. Conspiracy theories are very sticky that way. When I’m battling a site like that, it’s because either their products are super harmful.” On Gunter’s own near-death delivery “After I delivered, I had sepsis. And I was on two different antibiotics afterwards I was deteriorating and nobody was listening to me. My oxygen levels were dropping, my pH level wasn’t changing. Nobody was listening to me, and I spent a day and a half dying in my hospital bed. It wasn’t until I started screaming and got hysterical and yelled at the attending that I got the care I needed. Now, imagine if I wasn’t a physician, imagine if I was being victimized by racism. I would have died.” On the word vagina “When it came time to promote the book (The Vagina Bible), my publisher Kensington wanted to do promoted ads on Twitter and on Facebook. And they were turned down when it had the word ‘vagina’ in it … And my understanding too, is for a lot of the morning shows, saying the word vagina and vulva is a challenge, because I guess they don’t want kids who are eating breakfast with their families to hear the word. I mean, that’s problematic. There’s nothing wrong with saying the words vagina and vulva.” On how doctors treat women “I really do feel that women are not listened to in the way that men are, or they have a harder time navigating the system because of that. It just seems that many times, they’re told their pain isn’t that serious. Or they’re told it’s not that bad, or they’re told they’re bleeding isn’t that heavy … I believe a lot of it is just part of the general ways that society dismisses concerns related to the reproductive tract.” On how doctors treat Black women “Serious cancer concerns aside, the rate of having ovaries removed is much higher for Black women than it is for white women or Hispanic women. And that can really only be explained with racism, with either people having less access to quality care, people having their concerns not heard, people thinking that you don’t deserve quality care.” On sexism in medical training   “I trained in the 80s and the early 90s, and you had to be just like the guys and you had to be as tough. And certainly, where I trained there was very little room for someone in a surgical specialty to not act like … a stereotypical version of a male surgeon. You just had to be tough, you had to suck it up. And I think that having only one type of person in a field is terrible … I was in medicine 20 years before there was a woman who was the chair of my department, so I think that says something.” READ: Full transcript of our discussion with Jen Gunter Fixing Healthcare is in its fifth season, which focuses on the culture of medicine. For Dr. Robert Pearl, this topic is of vital importance to the health and well-being of patients. For years, he has been researching and reporting on physician culture—efforts that will culminate in the publication of his 2021 book, “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” * * * Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post Episode 31: Dr. Jen Gunter vs. sexism, pseudoscience & the wellness-industrial complex appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Moderna, Pfizer and now Johnson & Johnson have emerged as surprising heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic—pulling our nation out of this pandemic one vaccine shot at a time. This week, however, co-host Jeremy Corr raised a thought-provoking question: Why aren’t generic drug makers getting involved to help speed up vaccine production and end this pandemic faster? Do name-brand drug companies have any obligation to hand over their patents to generic drug manufacturers? Would it make a difference if they did? In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy and Dr. Robert Pearl discuss the ethical and legal implications of drug development during a national crisis. Here’s everything that was discussed [and when] on this episode: [00:55] Each week, the show begins with the most recent and relevant facts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [05:20] Listener question: “We seem to be learning more about the Covid-19 vaccines each week. Is anything still uncertain?” [12:40] Who’s still hesitant to take the vaccine and why? [15:15] Nursing homes were responsible for approximately 40% of deaths in the early phases of the pandemic. What about now? [16:50] Listener question: “How does the mutation rate of this virus compares to others we’ve seen in the past?” [20:00] Pfizer has requested FDA approval to meet less stringent storage and transportation requirements. What happened with that? [21:03] Why aren’t drug companies required to hand over their patents to generic drug manufacturers in order to speed up production and end the pandemic? [23:52] Any especially good news this week? [25:57] Mental health remains a major worry for educators and parents. What are we learning? [27:54] Any new insights on the origin of the virus one year later? [30:50] Some states like Texas are talking about eliminating any Covid-related restrictions whereas officials like Dr. Fauci describe these as foolish and dangerous actions. Discuss … [36:00] Obesity is known as a major contributor to complications and deaths from Covid-19. Why is America’s weight problem only treated as a wake-up call? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #33: Why aren’t we producing generic vaccines? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

A respected doctor recently published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal predicting, “We’ll have herd immunity by April.” Many other respected doctors took to social media to contradict him, arguing it’s too early to claim victory over the disease. For months now, co-hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr have been closely monitoring the debate and data surrounding our nation’s immunity status. If one thing’s clear, it’s that nothing is clear. The scientific community seems split right down the middle. Pearl points out that there are two camps emerging in the debate over herd immunity: Those who are more cautious and those who are more optimistic. In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Pearl explains how both sides might be right. Here’s everything that was discussed [and when] on this episode: [00:58] Each week, the show begins with the most recent and relevant facts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [05:00] Listener question: “The number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths seem to move up and down so fast that my head is spinning! What’s going on?” [08:02] What are the latest vaccine updates? [13:25] Listener question: “Do scientists know anything more about vaccinations for pregnant women?” [15:02] Should people who’ve had Covid-19 be vaccinated? [19:24] Some people are forgoing the second shot for fear of an allergic reaction. Good idea? [20:56] Any updates on the various mutant strains? [23:50] J&J’s vaccine is approved: Yay! Any other good news this week? [26:02] NYC drama: Early in the pandemic, Governor Cuomo was held up as a coronavirus hero. Now everyone seems to be against him. What’s the truth behind all this drama? [29:25] What should we make of the mental health statistics emerging from the pandemic? [32:08] Last year, Mardi Gras was a super spreader event. What happened this year in New Orleans? [33:11] We’ve now passed a half million deaths in the United States, as Dr. Pearl reluctantly predicted in October 2020. If we had known at the start of the pandemic that a vaccine would be highly effective, safe and available in less than a year, what might we have done differently early on? [34:29] What’s new from a global perspective? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #32: Is herd immunity almost here? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

When the producers of Fox first reached out to Dr. Lisa Sanders with the idea of turning her New York Times column into a TV show called House, she was intrigued. “Tell me how that’s going to work,” she said, “I mean, what’s the show about?” One of the executive producers replied, “Well, it’s about an irritable, arrogant and drug addicted doctor who hates patients and loves diagnosis.” Dr. Sanders recalls thinking, “Who would watch such a show?” The answer, it turned out, was billions of people, thanks in part to Sanders, who agreed to become the show’s medical consultant. Dr. Lisa Sanders is now an associate professor of internal medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and a contributing writer for New York Times Magazine. In 2019, Dr. Sanders created the Netflix miniseries Diagnosis, in which she relied on crowdsourcing to unravel complex medical mysteries. In this interview, she diagnoses the invisible yet highly influential physician culture, looking at the many ways doctors both help and harm their patients.   Highlights from this episode with Lisa Sanders   1. On the conflict between compassionate care and computerized care “Why would those be in contrast? It’s not like we’re suggesting that (doctors) should have four arms instead of two arms. We’re saying that they should have both a right arm and a left arm like everybody else. I mean, there’s not a choice between choosing technical expertise and choosing somebody you like. That’s just not a real choice.” 2. On dealing with sexism as a doctor “I came from an extremely sexist business before going to medical school. I mean, before I was in medical school, I worked for CBS News, where if you blinked an eye when a cameraman called you hon, or a correspondent patted you on the butt, you were just in big trouble. You weren’t going to get anywhere. Very early in my professional life, I learned to just turn an eye and focus on what I needed to get done, because these jerks, you can’t fix them.” 3. On bringing medical culture into the 21st century “Culture by its nature changes pretty slowly because it’s sub rosa. It’s not something that people embrace. The version of the Hippocratic oath that you took and that I took is different at every institution. It ain’t law, right? It doesn’t really reflect the real culture that exists here, that is so much more subtle and more amorphous than those little oaths that we all recite when we get our MDs. I think that the younger generations of women and men coming into medicine, pointing out the ways this culture doesn’t see them or sees them and thinks badly of them, or sees their patients and thinks badly of their patients, I mean, all we can do is try to work on our little plot of ground, because that’s how culture changes.” 4. On surprise medical billing “I think all of this surprise billing should just be banned. Period. I had to go in for a procedure not long ago, and at every step of the way, I said, ‘Can you assure me that everyone here who will be involved in my care takes my insurance, because I’m not going to pay any surprise bills?’ It’s ridiculous that somebody who’s sick has to do that, and yet, that’s where we are. That’s where we are because we have stopped thinking that rules are helpful. Rules are helpful.” 5. When college students ask about becoming a doctor “I say it’s the best. It’s the best. I didn’t go to medical school, obviously, to make a lot of money. I say ‘obviously’ because not only am I an internist, which is I believe still third from the bottom of income scales with only pediatricians and endocrinologists below us. I’m a general internist, and I’m an academic general internist. Not only do I not make much money compared to everybody else, I make even less money by working through a university, but it doesn’t matter to me. That’s not why I did it. I think that when it comes down to it, people want to do the jobs that give them joy.” 6. On what doctors owe their patients “Most of these people (who write to me) do not have rare diseases, but I think far too often, they don’t have a relationship with a doctor who’s paying attention. When I attend on the wards, I (see) patients who pass through the hospital untouched by human thought. Every single patient has to be touched by thought. That’s what I teach, and that’s what I try to practice. It’s what keeps medicine interesting is knowing that every single patient you see is different from everyone you’ve seen before, even though they might share similarities. I think that a lot of patients end up writing to me because they feel untouched by human thought.” READ: Full transcript of our latest discussion with Lisa Sanders Fixing Healthcare is now in its fifth season, which focuses on the culture of medicine. For Dr. Robert Pearl, this topic is of vital importance to the health and well-being of patients. For years, he has been researching and reporting on physician culture—efforts that will culminate in the publication of his 2021 book, “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors And Patients.” * * * Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post Episode 30: ‘Diagnosis’ doctor Lisa Sanders examines medical culture appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

A listener of this show wrote in with a question about her ongoing coronavirus symptoms. A month after testing positive, she’s still not back to feeling like herself. According to the data, she’s not alone. All across the country, there are millions of these so-called “long-haulers,” and the actual number of people who fall into this category might be even larger than we initial thought. Patients who continue to experience Covid-19 symptoms talk about “brain fog,” difficulty sleeping, ongoing exhaustion, inability to regain sense of taste or smell, and in some cases, damage to the heart, lung or kidney. So, what’s “normal” in terms of recovery from the Covid-19 disease and what do scientists know about these long-haulers? In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl dive into this issue and answer listener questions. Here’s what was discussed [and when] on this episode: [00:53] Each week, the show begins with the most recent and relevant facts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [06:08] What’s the status of the mysterious Russian vaccine? [08:00] Listener question: “I had the coronavirus a month ago and am still not back to feeling like myself. Is this common?” [10:45] What does data tell us about this pandemic and mental health issues? [12:16] What’s the controversy surrounding the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? [17:05] Got any good news this week? [19:16] What happens when you get the first vaccine dose from one manufacturer and the second from a different one? [21:45] One year into the pandemic and we have three vaccines but no effective treatments outside of a steroid to reduce inflammation. Why? [25:47] Better equipped to manage vaccine distribution: businesses or the government? [26:42] As a patient, does co-host Jeremy Corr have any advice or request for the Biden administration? [28:14] Listener question: “Can you talk about the success of the vaccination program in Israel? Anything Americans can take from it?” This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #31: How long do Covid-19 symptoms persist? What’s a normal recovery? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Variants (or mutant strains) of the coronavirus have popped up in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil. These strains are highly transmissible, sparking concerns that the variants could be more lethal and that current vaccines may be less effective against them. Perhaps most concerning is the question of if (or when) these variants will wreak havoc in the United States, where hospitals are still reeling from unsafe gatherings during the winter holidays. In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl dive into this issue and answer listener questions. Here’s what was discussed [and when] on this episode: [00:49] Each week, the show begins with the most recent and relevant facts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [06:44] Covid-19 developments in Europe are gaining attention. Why? [08:40] Dr. Fauci says herd immunity will require vaccination rates of 75% to 80%. Is that possible? [11:48] Is “coronavirus fatigue” still a national problem according to the data? [13:16] Are Black Americans receiving a smaller percent of available vaccines? [15:19] Any positive Covid-19 news this week? [17:23] Are nursing homes safer now than early in the pandemic? [19:20] What do the hosts see as the most likely scenario for the pandemic six months down the road? [20:48] President Biden is likely to push for a national mask policy. Will he be successful if it is voluntary and if not, what more should he do? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #30: Are the mutant strains of Covid deadlier? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

American doctors have it rough these days. Not only are they fighting to keep Covid-19 patients alive as hospitalizations surge, but they are also struggling to navigate the ever-changing and increasingly complex world around them. This generation’s doctors are not just dealing with medical issues, but with the health consequences of societal issues, as well. From gun violence and climate change to economic disparities and racial inequalities, the difficulties patients face in their communities are now entering the doctor’s office and banging loudly on the exam-room door. Our guest this episode has observed these changes firsthand, and she joins us to offer insights into these confusing times for doctors. Dr. Leana Wen is an emergency physician and a public health professor at George Washington University. She’s also a contributing columnist for Washington Post and an on-air medical analyst for CNN. Previously, she served as Baltimore’s health commissioner.   Highlights from this interview with Leana Wen 1. On treating the health consequences of society’s problems “I remember back in my medical training, being told by attendings that there are certain things that we just should not be asking because, and so the thinking goes, what are you going to do if you get an answer for which you cannot help that patient? For example, what if we find that a child is coming in all the time for asthma attacks, but the problem is that he is living in a house that has vacant (buildings) all around, and there’s nothing that you can do about the mold in other people’s apartments, and that’s actually what’s triggering his asthma attacks? Well, at the same time, if that’s what’s making him ill, isn’t it also our responsibility as physicians and as healthcare workers to tackle those issues, because that’s ultimately the root of his illness? Otherwise, we’re only addressing the symptoms and not the cause.” 2. On whether doctors truly treat all patients the same “We do in medicine, of course, we need to uphold our oath. And part of that oath is treating everyone with the same dignity and humanity, no matter who they are, what they look like, whether they’re able to pay. We treat everyone with the humanity that we would want to be treated with ourselves. That does not mean, of course, that everybody gets exactly the same treatment.” 3. On whether doctors do everything they can to save lives “It’s often been said that public health works when it’s invisible. By definition, you don’t see the face of public health because we have been successful when we have prevented something bad from occurring. But then as a result, we don’t focus on prevention. Public health and prevention efforts are the first on the chopping block whenever we’re discussing budget issues. They are certainly not front of mind for many people. And one could argue, that’s how we got into the mess up we are today with this public health catastrophe, because we did not invest in public health infrastructure … And I hope that if there’s anything that COVID has taught us, it’s the attention to these long-term issues, including to prevention.” 4. On factoring a patient’s financial situation into medical decisions “In my view, we need to do what’s best for our patients, recognizing that we do not live in a perfect world. In an ideal world, we should not be rationing care. In an ideal world, we should not be making decisions based on costs, but based on science and evidence. But we don’t live in that ideal world. I don’t want to be prescribing my patients a medicine for their high blood pressure that they’re never going to take simply because their insurance doesn’t cover it … I also think it’s very difficult when we tell our patients to do things like exercise or eat fresh food, but they live in a place where they can’t access fresh produce. And so we need to come up with recommendations that people can actually do. And so to the issue of cost, I do think it’s important to have a discussion with our patients about cost because they live in the real world.” 5. On whether docs should “stay in their lane.” “When I was a medical student, I was very involved in the American Medical Student Association. I was on the board of directors. I also took a year off from medical school to serve as the AMSA national president full-time I worked in D.C. And at that time, I was trying to press the rest of the medical profession to this understanding that there is no such thing as ‘staying in our lane,’ that because our patients are coming to us with all these complex needs, and because we see that all these issues are intricately intertwined with health, that we need to be advocates for our patients on all these issues. Of course, over time, I’ve seen the limitations of this kind of view and in a couple of ways. One is that if everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.” READ: Full transcript of our latest discussion with Leana Wen  Fixing Healthcare is now in its fifth season, which focuses on the culture of medicine. For Dr. Robert Pearl, this topic is of vital importance to the health and well-being of patients. For years, he has been researching and reporting on physician culture—efforts that will culminate in the publication of his 2021 book, “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors And Patients.” To learn more, subscribe to his newsletter Monthly Musings on American Healthcare. * * * Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post Episode 29: Leana Wen discusses COVID-19 and the culture of medicine appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

In a Northern California hospital, a freezer containing over 800 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine suddenly broke down. Local leaders realized they had less than two hours to administer the shots before the entire batch went bad. Administrators and staff sprang into action and, according to CNN, didn’t waste a drop of the vaccine. How then do we explain the excruciatingly slow rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine so far, with only 7 million of the 22 million available shots given out? Americans are understandably bewildered and upset by the handling of vaccinations so far. Now the question is: What if anything can be done to fix it? In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl dive into this issue and answer listener questions. Here’s what was discussed [and when] on this episode: [00:49] Why is the vaccine administration going so poorly? Can we solve the problem sooner than later? [05:26] Listener question: “I heard the government is considering giving people only one shot or maybe cutting the dose in half. So, does this mean there have been problems with the vaccine?” [12:30] How are vaccinations going in other countries? [14:52] Beyond Moderna and Pfizer, what’s the status with other vaccines? [19:43] Any “upbeat” news about the pandemic this past week? [22:01] Why are reports saying that more people are testing positive without symptoms? [24:36] What to make of the new Kaiser Family Foundation survey on urban vs. rural attitudes about the pandemic and the Covid-19 vaccine? [29:40] How does historian Jeremy Corr think his fellow historians will view this pandemic 50 or 100 years from now? [32:42] What lessons have the pandemic taught us about American healthcare? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #29: What went wrong with the vaccine rollout? Is it fixable? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

It has been a busy two weeks for news outlets covering the coronavirus pandemic. The holidays brought a surge in new cases and deaths. A coronavirus mutation was reported in England. Reports of allergic reactions to the vaccine have also surfaced. There’s news on at-home testing kits and there’s a new coronavirus relief package that has been signed by the president. In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl discuss these events and answer listener questions. Here’s what was covered [and when] on this episode: [00:49] What was the biggest coronavirus news from this past week? [04:13] Listener questions: “What does it mean that the virus has mutated?” and “Will the current vaccines work on these new mutations?” [09:11] How many Americans must be vaccinated to reach herd immunity? [12:03] Any truth to the accusation that Dr. Fauci downplayed the threats of the coronavirus to avoid inciting panic? [14:33] Why has the pandemic divided, rather than united, our country? And what, if anything, could be done to keep politics out of future pandemic responses? [17:50] Listener question: “I’m 48 and my parents just had their 80th birthdays. When will we be able to get vaccinated?” [20:54] Are young and healthy people right to worry about vaccine scarcity in the U.S.? [23:26] Listener question: Should we worry about reports of severe allergic reactions to the vaccine? [25:41] What exactly is in the vaccines? Do the ingredients differ between the Pfizer, Moderna, and others? [27:38] Is it difficult to keep the vaccines at extreme low temperatures, especially in more rural areas? [30:20] Listener question: “Can my employer force me to be vaccinated as a condition of employment?” [33:37] After someone is vaccinated, can he/she return to their pre-pandemic lifestyle? [36:48] What’s the status of at-home testing for Covid-19? Coming soon? [40:00] Why do pro and NCAA sports continue to stumble (with game cancellations in all major sports)? [42:15] With many similarities to the “Spanish flu” of 1918, why haven’t Americans learned lessons from history? [44:55] What should Americans know about the coronavirus stimulus bill signed by the president? [48:14] The relief package includes a law against “surprise medical billing.” What is surprise medical billing and how will this legislation change the current practice? [50:53] U.S. life expectancy grew in 2019, but what will the 2020 data show? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #28: Are coronavirus mutations in the UK cause for concern in the US? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.