Dr. Bob calls up Monica Gandhi, infectious diseases and HIV doctor at UCSF, to talk about why she’s feeling optimistic at this moment in the pandemic. They discuss why her optimism hasn’t waned despite the fourth wave, the variants, and the CDC Director’s feeling of “impending doom.” Plus, why it’s so hard for places like the CDC to balance optimism and caution in how they advise the public. 

 

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Follow Monica Gandhi on Twitter @MonicaGandhi9. 

 

Keep up with Andy in D.C. on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

 

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Check out these resources from today’s episode: 

 

• Keep up with the CDC’s latest recommendations for fully vaccinated people: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html 
• Check out this Atlantic article about the fourth surge that Monica mentions in today’s episode: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/03/fourth-surge-variant-vaccine/618463/ 
• Read this CDC study looking at the real-world effectiveness of the mRNA vaccines: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7013e3.htm 
• This article suggests vaccines might reduce viral load (and thereby suppress transmission of COVID-19): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01316-7 
• Check out David Leonhardt’s article on the US media’s obsession with bad news: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/briefing/boulder-shooting-george-segal-astrazeneca.html 
• Learn more about Dr. Bob Wachter and the UCSF Department of Medicine here: https://medicine.ucsf.edu/ 

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