April 2, 2021
Dear Members of the Baylor College of Medicine Community,
It was not such a great week in the world of COVID-19. In the nation, the case numbers are slowly but steadily rising. There are some big spikes in other countries, as well as in some places in the United States. In in the Texas Medical Center, we need to get our daily case rate down. But, I remain cautiously optimistic.
In this week’s video, I go over the local, state, national and international numbers and comment on the former CDC director’s interview in which he said the virus is so superbly designed – it has to be made by man. I do not think so. In the video, you will hear how the 17 year cicadas prove that theory wrong. It is also the subject of an op-ed I wrote in the Houston Chronicle today.
The variants remain a concern. Particularly troubling is that the AstraZeneca vaccine does not appear to work against the South African variant. We are doing a good job of getting people vaccinated, but we need to do better, especially in young adults – college students and those in their 20s. I also review some interesting studies on the efficacy of the vaccines.
Finally, we celebrated Doctors Day this week. It is good to celebrate doctors. This has been a tough year for them, particularly those working on the front lines in battling COVID-19. Dr. Lily agrees.
Have a nice weekend. Thank you for all you do to keep our community safe,
Paul Klotman, M.D.
President & CEO
Executive Dean
