COVID-19 Virus Articles, COVID-19 Virus Information

The End of the Omicron Wave and Preparing for What’s Next

It may sound like a dream, but it’s possible that this “Omi-tsunami” wave, which has been surging in California and other parts of the US since early December 2021, will be the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the optimistic view, and notwithstanding pandemic fatigue driving our strong desire for COVID to be over, I …

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COVID Fortification Protocols by Age

Many have asked us to share what we at GetzWell have been doing to stay healthy and protected given the current threat of COVID-19. In addition to being vaccinated and boosted, eating a whole foods organic diet with an emphasis on fresh vegetables and some fruit, keeping stress levels as low as possible (through mindfulness and …

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January 11, 2022 Vol. 12: The 5th Wave: Omicron!

This article includes: My perspective on Omicron. The reasons why now is the time to upgrade masks to N95s or the equivalent. Interim patient/staff safety protocols during this Omicron phase (please review specifics below if you expect to have an appointment in the next 3-4 weeks). We are doing rapid testing and swabbing for PCR send-outs and …

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November 1, 2021 Vol. 10: A Nuanced Perspective – Whether Parents Should Vaccinate 5-11 Year Olds

On October 26th an independent advisory panel to the FDA, comprised of the country’s top scientists, epidemiologists, immunologists and physicians, voted 17 to zero to recommend a smaller dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. The FDA and CDC will undoubtedly accept and ratify the panel’s advice within days and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (aka Comirnaty) will soon be available to all but the youngest people in the United States.

August 25, 2021 Vol. 9: What To Do When There’s Been a COVID Exposure & Other Important Information

Since most kids have already returned to school for the fall 2021-22 academic year and the highly infectious Delta variant is now dominant in the Bay Area and beyond, I have pulled together our guidance regarding whether and how long to isolate or quarantine, which are actually two different things.

Should 12-15 Year Olds Be Vaccinated For COVID-19?

Yesterday the FDA approved the Pfizer mRNA vaccine for use in children 12 to 15 years old. The following serves as a brief response to the FDA’s approval and an update to our April 23 newsletter in which I answered questions submitted by parents: The Latest on Children, Teens, and COVID-19 Vaccines.

Dr. Getzelman’s Update: The Latest on Children, Teens, and COVID-19 Vaccines

SF Bay Area Moms sat down on April 13, 2021 with Dr. Julia Getzelman and asked her their members’ latest questions…

May 18, 2020 Vol. 6: Restrictions Are Easing. Yikes, Now What? Perspectives on lower-risk behaviors that are more sustainable in the long term.

Hold on tightly folks. Shelter-in-place and other restrictions imposed by state and local governments to slow COVID-19 are being loosened, and even lifted in some parts of California and the United States, without any comprehensive federal plan or testing strategy. At the federal level, chaos, lies, and gaslighting are preferred over planning, testing and leadership. Last week, Mr. Trump opined that COVID testing increases the number of novel coronavirus infections. This truly outrageous statement is beyond magical thinking. It is akin to suggesting there’s no need to use birth control to avoid pregnancy—instead, just skip the pregnancy test.

Flattening The Curve By Wearing Masks

I’m writing today about why wearing masks (almost any kind—even homemade) is an essential step in our war against COVID-19. Let me cut to the chase—MASKS MATTER: We all need to wear masks whenever we go out and we need to START NOW. What you have been hearing to the contrary is wrong. Here’s why mask wear can bring us back to some sense of normalcy sooner. Please help make this post go viral—we need to start a mass mask movement and demand that free masks be widely distributed ASAP.

March 26, 2020 – Sheltering In Place Appears to be Flattening The Curve: Things You Need To Know Now About Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)

First, I’d like to send all of you a giant virtual hug. We’re in this crisis together, and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather do this with than all of you.

We’ve made it through our first full week of “shelter in place” here in San Francisco. More than that, the shelter in place order in San Francisco and other Bay Area counties, may have helped lead Governor Newsom to issue a similar statewide order last Thursday. These sweeping orders were designed to curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) by forcing community-wide social distancing through April 7; however, our sourcs and recent comments by the Governor indicate that shelter in place is likely to be extended through most or all of April. It could be much worse: one family’s grandma grew up in Korea during the Korean War. When asked how she was coping with home quarantine here in the US, she said “Are you kidding” We were bombed everyday back hen, now I’m safe at home with wifi!”

COVID-19 virus