Relatable. My kid was sent home from day camp in summer 2022 bc he coughed...& he was coughing because of all the dust flying around the classroom from the giant "anti-covid" fans they'd set up. He also has asthma & it's in his camper plan, but never did they think about him needing a puffer :( only bouncing him out into the street bc of their own "comfort".
I think things are slowly getting better, but an apology--from someone--for any of this--would be nice.
I’m one of Dr. Sharff’s coworkers. For the past 2 and a half years, she’s been a guiding light in our organization. She is knowledgeable, compassionate and experienced. I would trust her to care for any of my family members. For those that demonize her vaccination decisions, please post your thoughts after you get your medical degree (4 years), finish internal medicine residency (3 years), infectious disease fellowship (2 years) and then have years of on the ground experience. Hint: reading it on google is not equivalent. Thank you Dr. Sharff and all infectious disease physicians for being there.
Excellent essay Dr. Sharff! My strong feeling and advice is you need to move out of Oregon!! If you are in an area where people are reacting negatively to your kid coughing (this does NOT happen everywhere!!)....its time to move on. You can get a job anywhere...move out of an area where fear and mis-information rule...there are MANY places in the US (particularly those that chose to get kids back to school quicker)...that would be more supportive of normal kid resp. illness, etc at any given time during the school year. Rational common sense schools/Districts & cities do exist...you are not in one.
This was a great article. The pandemic has intensified people's anxiety about being sick, when it is a pretty normal part of childhood (and life). I also think articles in the media talking about hospitals filling up with children with respiratory viruses are irresponsible in how they are written. They are playing off of the fear from the pandemic. If people have not gotten many respiratory viruses over the last year, it is not surprising that we're finding an increase in kids catching these viruses. Much of the difficulties in hospitals with capacity is more nuanced. There are fewer staff working in hospitals from before due to burnout, firing staff who weren't vaccinated, etc. We need to get the whole story before we jump to conclusions!
The situation described in this essay has been the reality for so many, jabbed or not. It reflects the absolutely insane psychosis that has gripped the public. The propaganda and fear used on everyone over the last several years is expressing itself as damaged minds, unable to think and process information objectively. Acclimated to fear, people now react reflexively, reaching for masks and distancing, even though neither does a lot to affect outcomes. Where we once lived with colds and symptoms, people now react driven by fear of death; this, even though death is an extremely rare outcome.
The real blame here lies with the people and bodies that propagated the message of fear and pushed strategies which have led to what amounts to paranoid psychotic behavior. Just as tortured individuals show psychosis, so too does the population that suffered through the last several years.
Your child is not thriving. He is suffering the effects of a very dangerous injection. As you point out - the cold, the asthma….sure these are normal. But are they? Asthma in children? In line with all their other injections possibly?
Your friend who had pneumonia in feb 2020…is anyone asking about the origin of the virus? The gain of function research being done in Wuhan? I can’t read anymore about medical practitioners who pushed these injections. And on children!
I want to honor this author for sharing the child's perspective, in his own words. Too many adults speak for children - but, they have voices of their own, and those voices should be heard and seriously considered.
I appreciate your perspective because the hysteria has affected your child directly. I’m saddened that the outrage has come so late. Most affected were not the children of affluent families, but the kiddos whose parents were unwilling or unable to do schooling with them online. These kids sat alone in their apartments, locked away from the only care, structure, or even decent meals they ever receive, through the public school system. Under the guise of, “stopping the spread”, the most vulnerable amongst us suffered irreparable harm. I’m disturbed that even today our local WIC office, and others that serve underprivileged families, CONTINUE TO BE CLOSED. What in the actual hell is going on?! The damage to these families, who already have so many barriers to success, is a travesty. God help us for continuing to hurt people who desperately deserved societies consideration and care. I say this as a public health nurse who serves vulnerable pregnant women and their children.
Thanks Dr Sharff for an honest, thoughtful and humble essay that helps us all to consider our decisions and learn from our mistakes. I too am a physician with many misgivings about how our profession and our public health authorities have comported themselves through this unprecedented event. Let’s move forward together now.
I think this MD needs to move to AZ. She is living in an alternate universe. Her kids wouldn’t be looked at with shame in school. Isn't it fascinating that such a blue state practices such discrimination? Hmm.
I'm a bit confused about paragraph, could you clarify?
"On March 16th, 2020 Governor Brown declared Executive Order 20-20 and closed schools. Over the next 12 months, the only people that would socialize with my family or children were doctors and their children. Our usual social group was terrified of us, somehow as an infectious disease physician I was considered a vector ready to spread COVID-19 to the community. Non-medical friends regarded me with respect but a bit of trepidation, their fear was palpable. Kids walking down the street were not allowed onto our driveway in case we would transmit COVID-19 to their family. My children suffered because of my profession."
I undertook two unsatisfying careers - the Marines, then journalism - before I stumbled into medicine as a PA at age 40. (I went the PA route because felt it was a bad idea to run up $250k+ in student debt so late in life.)
I always admired and envied doctors for their astonishing depth and breadth of knowledge and expertise, mostly a product of their long years of residency.
At the same time, PAs have certain advantages. For many of us, like me, medicine wasn’t our first and only career. So we often find it easier to communicate with patients using layman’s terms. In most cases, most places, PAs get to spend more time with patients than doctors do.
Finally, my years in journalism left me extremely cynical and disillusioned about both media and politics.
So it was crystal clear to me, by Feb 2020, that media hacks and public-health quacks were deliberately promoting mass hysteria over a novel, but not especially deadly respiratory pathogen.
I hadn’t heard of ‘mass formation’ at the time, but it was clear that irrational fear had driven a lot of people, including a number of my friends and relatives, quite mad.
Trying to reason with them was uncannily like trying to reason with a shell-shock victim.
Throughout 2020, it wasn’t hard for corporate media to line up docs willing to go on TV and say things like ‘promoting natural immunity is promoting mass murder.’
I don’t find it at all surprising that an ID doc, especially one practicing in Oregon, would trust ‘the system’ and assume that those running the medical establishment shared her values and priorities, and that they had her kid’s best interests at heart.
I’m just a dumb ER guy. But it seemed clear to me, early on, that kids were at much lower risk from Covid than from seasonal flu, and that the ‘vaccine’ technology was questionable to say the least.
Dr Sharff, however, was immersed in a social and professional milieu that squelched dissent, and where pressure to conform must have been immense.
A fellow PA practicing in Oregon told me he kept getting screamed at, by people who at least said they were doctors, for running on park trails without a mask!
So let’s be a little compassionate and not judge the good doctor too harshly.
The label "novel" doesn't fit. Examples of NOVEL viruses are smallpox brought by Europeans to America's First Nations. That caused 95% lethality, a calamity onto those people.
This virus (and we knew from the outset) was under 0.05%. Calling this "novel" is abusive. 99.9% of people who caught this virus were fine.
Im a PA in Family Medicine. From March 2020 until February 2021 I was the only provider in my office to see patients in person. The other doctors were only available through telemedicine. To this day, I’m the only provider willing to see patients that have a cough or feel sick! The pandemic has forever changed my perspective on medical practitioners, “experts” and policy makers. Its borderline terrifying how many of those in power lack common sense, compassion, and humility.
Relatable. My kid was sent home from day camp in summer 2022 bc he coughed...& he was coughing because of all the dust flying around the classroom from the giant "anti-covid" fans they'd set up. He also has asthma & it's in his camper plan, but never did they think about him needing a puffer :( only bouncing him out into the street bc of their own "comfort".
I think things are slowly getting better, but an apology--from someone--for any of this--would be nice.
I’m one of Dr. Sharff’s coworkers. For the past 2 and a half years, she’s been a guiding light in our organization. She is knowledgeable, compassionate and experienced. I would trust her to care for any of my family members. For those that demonize her vaccination decisions, please post your thoughts after you get your medical degree (4 years), finish internal medicine residency (3 years), infectious disease fellowship (2 years) and then have years of on the ground experience. Hint: reading it on google is not equivalent. Thank you Dr. Sharff and all infectious disease physicians for being there.
Excellent essay Dr. Sharff! My strong feeling and advice is you need to move out of Oregon!! If you are in an area where people are reacting negatively to your kid coughing (this does NOT happen everywhere!!)....its time to move on. You can get a job anywhere...move out of an area where fear and mis-information rule...there are MANY places in the US (particularly those that chose to get kids back to school quicker)...that would be more supportive of normal kid resp. illness, etc at any given time during the school year. Rational common sense schools/Districts & cities do exist...you are not in one.
I use the smell test. If it's 'experimental' and I'm being 'forced' to do it, it smells bad.
This was a great article. The pandemic has intensified people's anxiety about being sick, when it is a pretty normal part of childhood (and life). I also think articles in the media talking about hospitals filling up with children with respiratory viruses are irresponsible in how they are written. They are playing off of the fear from the pandemic. If people have not gotten many respiratory viruses over the last year, it is not surprising that we're finding an increase in kids catching these viruses. Much of the difficulties in hospitals with capacity is more nuanced. There are fewer staff working in hospitals from before due to burnout, firing staff who weren't vaccinated, etc. We need to get the whole story before we jump to conclusions!
The situation described in this essay has been the reality for so many, jabbed or not. It reflects the absolutely insane psychosis that has gripped the public. The propaganda and fear used on everyone over the last several years is expressing itself as damaged minds, unable to think and process information objectively. Acclimated to fear, people now react reflexively, reaching for masks and distancing, even though neither does a lot to affect outcomes. Where we once lived with colds and symptoms, people now react driven by fear of death; this, even though death is an extremely rare outcome.
The real blame here lies with the people and bodies that propagated the message of fear and pushed strategies which have led to what amounts to paranoid psychotic behavior. Just as tortured individuals show psychosis, so too does the population that suffered through the last several years.
Your child is not thriving. He is suffering the effects of a very dangerous injection. As you point out - the cold, the asthma….sure these are normal. But are they? Asthma in children? In line with all their other injections possibly?
Your friend who had pneumonia in feb 2020…is anyone asking about the origin of the virus? The gain of function research being done in Wuhan? I can’t read anymore about medical practitioners who pushed these injections. And on children!
Loved your article = as a physician and mother myself.
I want to honor this author for sharing the child's perspective, in his own words. Too many adults speak for children - but, they have voices of their own, and those voices should be heard and seriously considered.
I appreciate your perspective because the hysteria has affected your child directly. I’m saddened that the outrage has come so late. Most affected were not the children of affluent families, but the kiddos whose parents were unwilling or unable to do schooling with them online. These kids sat alone in their apartments, locked away from the only care, structure, or even decent meals they ever receive, through the public school system. Under the guise of, “stopping the spread”, the most vulnerable amongst us suffered irreparable harm. I’m disturbed that even today our local WIC office, and others that serve underprivileged families, CONTINUE TO BE CLOSED. What in the actual hell is going on?! The damage to these families, who already have so many barriers to success, is a travesty. God help us for continuing to hurt people who desperately deserved societies consideration and care. I say this as a public health nurse who serves vulnerable pregnant women and their children.
Id happily have your kids over for a playdate. Sniffles, cough...dont care. ❤️🇨🇦
Thanks Dr Sharff for an honest, thoughtful and humble essay that helps us all to consider our decisions and learn from our mistakes. I too am a physician with many misgivings about how our profession and our public health authorities have comported themselves through this unprecedented event. Let’s move forward together now.
I think this MD needs to move to AZ. She is living in an alternate universe. Her kids wouldn’t be looked at with shame in school. Isn't it fascinating that such a blue state practices such discrimination? Hmm.
Dear "Katie"
That was a gut-wrenching story.
I'm a bit confused about paragraph, could you clarify?
"On March 16th, 2020 Governor Brown declared Executive Order 20-20 and closed schools. Over the next 12 months, the only people that would socialize with my family or children were doctors and their children. Our usual social group was terrified of us, somehow as an infectious disease physician I was considered a vector ready to spread COVID-19 to the community. Non-medical friends regarded me with respect but a bit of trepidation, their fear was palpable. Kids walking down the street were not allowed onto our driveway in case we would transmit COVID-19 to their family. My children suffered because of my profession."
I undertook two unsatisfying careers - the Marines, then journalism - before I stumbled into medicine as a PA at age 40. (I went the PA route because felt it was a bad idea to run up $250k+ in student debt so late in life.)
I always admired and envied doctors for their astonishing depth and breadth of knowledge and expertise, mostly a product of their long years of residency.
At the same time, PAs have certain advantages. For many of us, like me, medicine wasn’t our first and only career. So we often find it easier to communicate with patients using layman’s terms. In most cases, most places, PAs get to spend more time with patients than doctors do.
Finally, my years in journalism left me extremely cynical and disillusioned about both media and politics.
So it was crystal clear to me, by Feb 2020, that media hacks and public-health quacks were deliberately promoting mass hysteria over a novel, but not especially deadly respiratory pathogen.
I hadn’t heard of ‘mass formation’ at the time, but it was clear that irrational fear had driven a lot of people, including a number of my friends and relatives, quite mad.
Trying to reason with them was uncannily like trying to reason with a shell-shock victim.
Throughout 2020, it wasn’t hard for corporate media to line up docs willing to go on TV and say things like ‘promoting natural immunity is promoting mass murder.’
I don’t find it at all surprising that an ID doc, especially one practicing in Oregon, would trust ‘the system’ and assume that those running the medical establishment shared her values and priorities, and that they had her kid’s best interests at heart.
I’m just a dumb ER guy. But it seemed clear to me, early on, that kids were at much lower risk from Covid than from seasonal flu, and that the ‘vaccine’ technology was questionable to say the least.
Dr Sharff, however, was immersed in a social and professional milieu that squelched dissent, and where pressure to conform must have been immense.
A fellow PA practicing in Oregon told me he kept getting screamed at, by people who at least said they were doctors, for running on park trails without a mask!
So let’s be a little compassionate and not judge the good doctor too harshly.
The label "novel" doesn't fit. Examples of NOVEL viruses are smallpox brought by Europeans to America's First Nations. That caused 95% lethality, a calamity onto those people.
This virus (and we knew from the outset) was under 0.05%. Calling this "novel" is abusive. 99.9% of people who caught this virus were fine.
Im a PA in Family Medicine. From March 2020 until February 2021 I was the only provider in my office to see patients in person. The other doctors were only available through telemedicine. To this day, I’m the only provider willing to see patients that have a cough or feel sick! The pandemic has forever changed my perspective on medical practitioners, “experts” and policy makers. Its borderline terrifying how many of those in power lack common sense, compassion, and humility.