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Posts for Topic: Your Voices Matter

Detection by Wearables

by Douglas Quine, PhD


Many people today have wearable devices to monitor their exercise and heart rate such as FitBits and SmartWatches. Last spring, as I was traveling in Ireland, I developed a “chest cold” for two days and tested positive (lateral flow antigen test) for COVID-19. It was only a mild case, for which I gave credit to my COVID vaccinations.

My 10-day hotel quarantine provided time for personal reflection and research. I was interested to see on my FitBit that my normally low baseline heart rate was climbing daily on April 5 (first positive), April 6 (no test), April 7 (positive), and April 8 (positive) after which it declined from April 9 to April 13 as I tested positive daily and recovered. Having returned to baseline heart rate for a couple of days, I tested COVID negative on April 15th.

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Covid Vaccination Status in an Era of Boosters

by Douglas Quine, PhD


I’ve seen a couple of recent articles about the proper way to describe one’s current COVID vaccination status as the number of available COVID vaccination options expands. I disagree with the recommendation that people who received the original and follow-up (Pfizer or Moderna are most common) vaccinations call themselves “fully vaccinated.”

I received my original Pfizer COVID vaccines in December 2020 and January 2021 as an employee of Veterans Affairs Healthcare.

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My Citizen Engagement in COVID-19 Research

by Douglas B Quine


In March 2020 when COVID-19 was a hot new topic, a COVID-19 Smartphone application was launched by the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston (where I was born) and King's College (London) to capture real-time data on possible COVID symptoms, infections, tests, and vaccinations. I enrolled a month later in early April 2020 and have been reporting my health status (almost) every day since.

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Response to Mike Critelli's Reflections on 9/11

by Carol Harnett


Carol Harnett is a health and disability expert. She is the president of the nonprofit organization Council for Disability Awareness. Carol is a radio host, speaker, consultant and writer. This letter was written to Mike in response to his reflections on the anniversary of 9/11.

MakeUsWell edited Carol’s words for clarity and length.

9/12/2021

Mike,

Thank you for sharing your reflections on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. As someone who grew up on Staten Island, I lost fathers and mothers of childhood friends, high school classmates, and countless acquaintances. My closest friend’s husband was an architect for the Port Authority, who saw the first plane from his office window before it struck the tower. He got about half of his coworkers to run into the stairwell with him as the plane hit about 6 stories above them. The stairs disintegrated under his feet as he descended. He suffered intense survivor guilt and never fully recovered psychologically. He has not set foot in Manhattan again. The Port Authority accommodated him and allowed him to use an office in NJ.

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A New Day for Old Stories

by Chris McSwain


So here we are in July 2021, and Los Angeles county just reinstated their indoor mask mandate. There are questions about the Delta variant and the waning immunity and the need for Moderna or Pfizer booster shots.

Chris's article resonates now.

Chris McSwain is the CEO and co-founder of ThinkX, Inc. He serves AiRCare Health as an Executive Advisor, Vida Health as a Commercial Advisor, and Eden Health as an Employer Advisory Board member.

A global leader motivated and dedicated to making the world a better place, Chris believes the best way to learn about the country is to see it first hand. Chris and his wife are modern day explorers, traveling across the U.S. in a motorhome.  

MakeUsWell edited Chris's write-up for clarity and length.

Getting consumers to regularly wear masks and wash hands sounds simple. It would also seem straightforward for consumers to trust taking the vaccines proven successful in treating COVID.

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