Ezra Klein Show
This week I was honored to be on the Ezra Klein Show hosted by the New York Times. We took a serious dive into the past 3.5 years: pandemic revisionism, masks, school closings, the politicization of public health, Sweden’s response, trade-offs in policy, and the tragedy of 1.2 million deaths. Basically, all the easy topics (just kidding).
I finally got the guts to listen. It was the most challenging interview I’ve ever participated in. The questions were so heavy, complex, and complicated. I tried to be raw, honest, transparent, and fair. It was (and still is) a bit scary.
I’m sharing not so you listen to my answers. (I actually don’t think there is one answer to these questions.) Instead, I hope you listen to the questions and contemplate your answers. I’ve found it helpful in processing this life-altering event and a start to heal from collective trauma. Self-reflection, open conversations, and listening—the only way to learn and be better prepared for the future.
The recording, transcript, attributions, and my book recommendations (in typical Ezra Klein fashion) can all be found HERE. It’s 65 minutes, so grab your coffee and get comfortable.
Love, YLE
“Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE)” is written by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MPH Ph.D.—an epidemiologist, wife, and mom of two little girls. During the day, she is a senior scientific consultant to several organizations. At night she writes this newsletter. Her main goal is to “translate” the ever-evolving public health world so that people will be well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support this effort, subscribe below:
I have struggled with listening to the recaps, from 2020. It still triggers such anxiety. I don’t even consider myself to have been much more than “present”, rather than front line, when seeing patients in the office setting, but I suppose it was, essentially. I could only mask, gown, change scrubs before going home, etc., and you know, it absolutely helped. I do recall during April 2020 shutdown needing to see someone in person who did not mention until sitting across from me, in their fabric mask, that they actually had a positive covid test in the hospital the day prior and was told it was a false positive. Whether we were at risk, or it was our children, spouses or elderly parents that we cared for, the fear was real. Really real.
I received, quite gratefully, a vaccine in 12/2020. Leap of faith, but after three months of lectures and education on all the vaccines from so many that I trusted- Dr Schaffner, Dr Hotez, Dr Offit, I trusted in all the data and wonderful thoughtful analysis. It was a game changer for us in medicine particularly, if not for so many.
I love both you and Ezra Klein. I will eagerly listen. But perhaps with a glass of wine in hand later this evening... it’s still raw for me thinking back on that time of the pandemic.
It really bugs me that people are so down on closing schools. I recall that, at that time, we hardly knew anything. Except that in previous pandemics, the old people and the young people were the usual victims. How could we know that kids would be okay! Just saying.