Dr Lucy McBride — Princeton, Harvard Medical, Cambridge University. Trained in internal medicine at John Hopkins.
“My tripled vax'd, COVID-recovered, PCR-tested, masked son in college w/ a 99% vax rate got to see the inside of the University's dining hall for 1st time in *2 yrs* last week.
Today? It closed again. Student dining is back to *outside* only - or alone. Socializing limited…
My son has been loathe to speak out, worried abt being shamed for not caring abt other ppl (this kid has a heart of gold - a lover not a fighter) or being labeled anti- x, y, z. But watching his friends suffer from anxiety, depression, substance use issues, he spoke out tonight
My son is an old soul. Wise, empathetic, kind. (Not that I'm biased.) He's had struggles. He has made lemonade out of lemons. He has tolerated the loss of normalcy w grace & maturity. Not a complainer. But enough is enough. How safe is safe? When have I done enough, mom?
He just got an email from the college. They admit no one is that sick, the campus is fully vax'd/boosted, yet tonight they needed to add restrictions because of...safety.
My heart aches. Not just for him but for all of the college kids who don't have a mom to talk to.
and who don't have the resources or support to ask for help. He is resilient. Most kids are. But not indefinitely.
Someone, please, make this make sense. The kids are not alright. The risk of hospitalization from COVID in a teen is one in 1 MILLION.
Health is about more than the absence of COVID-19.
Getting back to normal won't be a quick fix for two years of life interrupted for young ppl, but it's a start. And that's when the *real* work begins.“