This week was…heavy. As one colleague pointed out, “Watching the shift from COVID-19 as a medical and science problem to a moral one is the most taxing aspect of the pandemic”. We continue to watch a public health ethics course play out in real time.

Somewhat relatedly, there’s a concurrent, moral debate about dissemination of health disinformation across various platforms, including Substack (here’s what happened and my comments).

Then there’s the <5 vaccine. Antivaxx groups organized attack campaigns in an attempt to stop some of us from supporting vaccines. But then news hit yesterday that the vaccine was not coming for a while. Which was a reminder that us parents <5 are forced to ride this rollercoaster that is an absolute, unacceptable disaster.

Taken together, the death threats are more serious. The microaggression is deeper. And the punches are coming from every angle.

And I’m tired.

So, I’m taking a break for a week or two. After getting some sunshine and ocean air this week, I realized the last break I had from YLE was in October 2020 when I had my baby. And I really just need to watch some trashy TV, read a book, play Wordle, and just do…nothing.

I look forward to refueling my tank and seeing you on the other side soon.

Love, Katelyn

Your Local Epidemiologist

Taking a short break