Viewpoints: Lessons From Science Supporters Vs. ‘Plandemic’ Panderers; Step Away From Making Anxiety, Depression Worse

The New York Times: We’re All Casualties Of Trump’s War On Coronavirus Science 
In 2004, “60 Minutes” aired a segment on what it called “virus hunters,” scientists searching for bugs that can leap from animals to humans and cause pandemics. “What worries me the most is that we are going to miss the next emerging disease,” said a scientist named Peter Daszak, describing his fear of a coronavirus “that moves from one part of the planet to another, wiping out people as it moves along.”In the intervening years, Daszak became president of the EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit research organization focused on emerging pandemics. EcoHealth worked with China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology to study coronaviruses in bats that could infect humans, and, as Science magazine put it, “to develop tools that could help researchers create diagnostics, treatments and vaccines for human outbreaks.” Since 2014, the EcoHealth Alliance has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health, until its funding was abruptly cut two weeks ago. (Michelle Goldberg, 5/11)

Detroit Free Press: Plandemic's 'Hidden Agenda' Behind COVID-19 Is Just Misinformation
The links to the viral video “Plandemic” started showing up in my Facebook feed last week. “Very interesting,” one of my friends wrote about it. I saw several subsequent posts about it, and then my brother texted me, “Got a sec?” My brother is a pastor in Colorado and had someone he respects urge him to watch “Plandemic,” a 26-minute video that promises to reveal the “hidden agenda” behind the COVID-19 pandemic. I called him and he shared his concern: People seem to be taking the conspiracy theories presented in “Plandemic” seriously. He wondered if I could write something up that he could pass along to them, to help people distinguish between sound reporting and conspiracy thinking or propaganda. (Marshall Allen, 5/12)

Los Angeles Times: Vaccines Are Poison, Says Shop Owner With Coronavirus Mask Ban 
By the time I got to the Simi Valley flooring shop late Monday morning, the controversial signs had been hauled inside, and the store was locked up tight. Peering through the window of Ramsay One Construction, I could see why they had caused such a fuss. There were four of them; white paint on plywood slabs about four feet high and two feet wide:“We’re OPEN – to the truth.”“No Masks Allowed.” “Hand shakes OK.” “Hugs Very OK.” (Robin Abacarian, 5/12)

CNN: Fauci Warns Of Colossal, Deadly Mistake. Will Trump Listen?
Dr. Anthony Fauci and the other experts at the top tiers of the American public health system have been clear: Reopening the nation without adhering to the clear guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would be a colossal, deadly mistake. But will states, and even the Trump administration, listen? (Jill Filipovic, 5/12)

The New York Times: How Accurate Are Antibody Tests?
Whether you think the country is reopening too fast or too slowly (or whether you think “it depends”), almost everyone agrees that testing should be critical to the next phase of our coronavirus existence. In particular, antibody tests that detect whether a person has developed immunity to the virus seem to offer a promising path forward. But what does a positive antibody test mean? It means you should feel confident that you can work, shop and socialize without getting sick or infecting others, right?Not so fast. (Todd Haugh and Suneal Bedi, 5/13)

The Wall Street Journal: In Lockdown, Pot And Booze Are Bad News 
When my patients ask how to manage depression and avoid anxiety in isolation, I tell them to abstain from alcohol and marijuana. Responsible use of these substances is possible during normal times, and it’s tempting to reach for a drink or a joint to take the edge off. But lockdown is a recipe for overindulgence and dependence. Booze and pot can offer temporary relief and comfort, but this benefit is short-lived and ultimately can be self-destructive. Both can contribute to psychological distress, fatigue and even paranoia when used regularly. And drinking is associated with domestic violence, which has been on the rise during this crisis. (Erica Komisar, 5/12)

Stat: Psychiatry Residents Provide Good Medical Care For Covid-19 
As the number of Americans with Covid-19 rapidly rises, doctors are among them, having no special immunity to the virus. They are being quarantined in large numbers, leaving hospitals short of staff to care for the influx of Covid-19 patients. In response, these facilities have started redeploying specialists like ophthalmologists, dermatologists, and even psychiatry residents like us to treat patients on coronavirus floors... We believe that if you are afflicted with Covid-19 and have a psychiatry resident as your doctor, there is no need to panic. In fact, there may even be some important benefits. (Jack Turban and Chase T.M. Anderson, 5/13)

CNN: My Son's Fight With Kawasaki Disease Taught Me To Trust My Instincts
The latest pandemic news has many parents on edge. If we didn't have enough to worry about already during this pandemic, parents now have another dire warning from medical experts. A rare inflammatory disease, similar to toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease, is affecting children... Parents are afraid, with good reason -- especially if they are the parent of a black or brown child. (Roxanne Jones, 5/12)

The New York Times: Amid Covid-19, A Call For M.D.’s To Mail The Abortion Pill
Last fall, months before America’s first outbreak of the coronavirus, Francine Coeytaux and Elisa Wells, co-founders of the abortion rights advocacy group Plan C, were reaching out to doctors with a question they said was urgent: “Would you be willing to mail the ‘abortion pills’ to women in their homes?” For millions of women across America, abortion access was already severely limited — the result of restrictive new laws that have forced dozens of clinics to close their doors. Now, with the spread of Covid-19, some states have classified abortions as “nonessential,” putting access to the procedure even further out of reach. (Patrick Adams, 5/12)

Stat: Palliative Care Needs Tweaking In The Coronavirus Era 
“This is my fault. I’m the one who got her sick,” my patient’s son tells me via video call. “And I saw the pictures on the news. I saw what they’re doing to the bodies in New York, piling them onto trucks...” I am a palliative care physician. I manage symptoms like pain, shortness of breath, and nausea for patients with serious illnesses, including those near the ends of their lives. I also counsel my patients and their families on how they might approach important medical decisions they need, or might need, to make... After more than a month embedded in my hospital’s intensive care unit for patients with Covid-19, though, I’ve become increasingly unsure about how to effectively do my job. (Richard E. Leiter, 5/13)