Dear Members of the Baylor College of Medicine Community,
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the medical community is beginning to see what works and what does not work, showing that science is a good thing. Some clinical trials are going well, others have paused to ensure patient safety. In this week’s video, I go through some of those clinical trials, as well as statistics from the Texas Medical Center. There is a new JAMA publication that shows how the United States does compared to the rest of the world in the battle against COVID. No one was prepared for this virus, but the comparisons are interesting to see.
I also talk a bit about herd immunity, which in my view means “just giving up.” I have calculated how many people likely would die from COVID to reach herd immunity. It is a big number. The virus is not going anywhere, but we need to continue to practice physical distancing, wear masks and wash hands frequently. We continue to add more treatments and we will have a vaccine before too long.
Dr. James McDeavitt provides some excellent advice this week on creating your own holiday bubble.
Today’s video ends with our own Docapella choir singing “Lean on Me.” A good message for today.
Have a safe and relaxing weekend.
Paul Klotman, M.D.
President & CEO
Executive Dean
