Thoughts of a retired physician

  A hodgepodge of thoughts this week. We were “treated” to the spectacle of a member of Congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene, testifying this week under oath and having an acute episode of dementia. The count of her responses to questions of “I don’t know” or “I don’t remember” and “I can’t recall” was astronomical. Numerous exhibits were introduced but apparently did not make it through the neural fibrillary tangles to her memory. Well, she says she cannot recall. It is obvious – she lied her way through numerous hours of testimony. Since this was an administrative court and an administrative judge, not a civil or criminal court, her perjury is not likely to cause her the problems it should. However, it was clear to anyone listening that she evaded answering despite evidence in front of her and the world that she did say and do all manner of things seditious. She has a feral lack of concern for the Constitution and our democracy. She must go. On Monday the CDC mask mandate for travelers o

  Peace and Love to humanity. Stand with Ukraine and democracy.

  Today’s New York Times has a very informative and interesting article about MacKenzie Scott . Scott is the ex-wife of billionaire Jeff Bezos. The article is a minibiography of Ms. Scott but what intrigued me is her attitude toward the billions she received in her divorce settlement with Bezos. Read the article to learn about her life growing up, becoming a writer, and being mentored by Toni Morrison. But there is a need to talk about her relation to the billions of dollars she controls. Ms. Scott is a philanthropist with a vengeance. She began giving it away in 2019 when her divorce from Bezos was finalized. She gives anonymously and chooses where to direct her money. As the NYT article points out, she has elected to do without a formal foundation and has been criticized for that in some quarters because her decision process for donations is not entirely transparent. But boy, does she give. Her concerns are in areas I readily admit I endorse, rectifying inequalities and promoting soc

  The United States is a nation deficient in providing healthcare to its citizens. It is not that we lack world-class hospitals, excellent personnel (physicians, nurses, and every category of specialization that provides high-tech care), spectacular medical schools, residency and fellowship programs, research labs – you get the idea. What we lack is a system of healthcare that provides this basic need to everyone who lives here.  The stimulus for this short piece is an interaction Margan had yesterday at the local CVS pharmacy. I have used CVS for my medications since moving to California and found them to work well. I am not writing to bash CVS. We have great insurance and my meds are regularly refilled and mailed to me with only my co-pay. All of my meds are generic so my cost is minimal. Margan needed to begin medication to lower her cholesterol after her last visit to our internist. She and our internist agreed that given her labs and risk (using the American College of Cardiology’

  On 4 March, Los Angeles County lifted its indoor mask mandate for covid. This was after California had lifted its state mandate. Margan and I went to REI today for some hiking shoes. We were masked and I estimate that about ½ to ⅔ of the people we saw inside were also masked – leaving a high proportion who were not. The national data and the LA County data all show falling numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths , with numbers among the lowest troughs seen during the pandemic. However, the BA.2 omicron variant represents ever more of the cases seen , likely because it is more transmissible than the BA.1.1 variant and immunity from vaccines and prior infections wanes with time. The WHO reports BA.2 is now the dominant variant worldwide at 85% of isolates sequenced. Wastewater surveillance shows many communities have BA.2 being shed into sewage nationwide.  At the same time, uptake of vaccines has fallen to very low levels in the United States – less than 160,000 doses daily

  Covid cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are at their lowest point in Los Angeles County since July 2021 (727 new cases, 25 new deaths, and 432 current hospitalizations as of 19 March 2022). The masking mandates have pretty much been lifted except for public transit and healthcare facilities. And still. The omicron variant BA.2 is producing surges in Europe . Asia is seeing rising cases. It has been described for several months in Africa where case counts are less precise. BA.2 is perhaps 30 to 50% more transmissible than its cousin BA.1. New York City is experiencing a rise in test positivity and cases of BA.2 in the past 10 to 14 days and is an airplane ride from Los Angeles or any other city for that matter.  The encouraging news is that vaccinations and prior omicron BA.1 infection seems to provide protection against BA.2’s ability to produce severe disease and death. How robust this “immune wall” is and how long it will persist remain objects to study. Experts such as Drs.

  This was a busy week and next week promises the same. Multiple physician appointments (when did medicine become a commodity, I missed that – fortunately). The continued threat of Russian aggression in Ukraine becoming a general war in Europe remains. But at least we had a wonderful Sunday with our two older grandsons, Maxwell and Sebastian at the Los Angeles Zoo. They turned 12 and 9 respectively in February and as you can see, have grown a lot. Sebastian is closing in on our height while Maxwell – well, you can see that we have to look up at him now. My advice to all is enjoy life and family – precious items as time will otherwise stream by.