DOM In the News

Read about how the Department of Medicine is responding to the outbreak of the coronavirus respiratory illness COVID-19. See related COVID-19 publications.

passengers waiting at los angeles international airport.png

The truth about what it's like to fly on a plane right now

SF Gate |

Monica Gandhi and Bob Wachter were quoted in the SF Gate describing the risks of traveling on a plane and advising people to minimize the amount of time with their mask off.

CA family masked outside

California follows CDC in relaxing outdoors mask guidance for vaccinated people

San Francisco Chronicle |

Babak Javid was quoted in the SF Chronicle agreeing with the new CDC guidance released on Tuesday, saying the guidance is sensible. 

vaccinated Americans can go without masks

CDC says fully vaccinated Americans can go without masks outdoors, except in crowded settings

Washington Post |

Monica Gandhi was quoted in the Washington Post applauding the CDC’s action that fully vaccinated people can go without masks outdoors when walking, jogging or biking, or dining with friends at outdoor restaurants after arguing that accumulating evidence shows the low risk of outdoor transmission.

drive thru vaccine

UCSF reports a Bay Area man got blood clot after receiving Johnson & Johnson vaccination 

San Francisco Chronicle |

Andrew Leavitt was quoted in the SF Chronicle about a UCSF case in which a patient in his early 30s began to developed blood clots after receiving the J & J vaccine.

empty Disneyland

Is it safe to go to Disneyland? Medical experts weigh in.

SF Gate |

Peter Chin-Hong and Monica Gandhi were quoted in the SF Gate discussing whether it’s safe to visit Disneyland now that the theme park has updated its social distancing and mask mandate protocols.

Unmasked men eating

The vaccinated and unvaccinated are mingling, creating a tricky new social landscape

San Francisco Chronicle |

Bob Wachter was quoted in the SF Chronicle describing the mingling of vaccinated and non-vaccinated people as a game of ‘psychological chess’ as more public health restrictions are lifted. 

outdoor mask mandate

Should California end its outdoor mask mandate? Bay Area experts weigh in

San Francisco Chronicle |

Monica Gandhi and Peter Chin-Hong were quoted in the SF Chronicle about ending outdoor mask mandates in California and that such consensus is not at all clear-cut even though studies have shown that less than 10% of all coronavirus infections occurred outdoors.

vaccination site

A Vaccine Can Be Bad for a Person but Awesome for All People

Wired |

Peter Chin-Hong and Bob Wachter were quoted in a Wired article about the pause in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, weighing in on the societal benefits and harm reduction for individual patients. 

pedestrians wearing masks at Union Square

Are masks still needed in California, especially outdoors? Experts are torn

SF Gate |

Peter Chin-Hong and Monica Gandhi were quoted in the SF Gate agreeing that it’s too soon to stop using masks indoors and discussing if outdoor masking is still necessary.

3D print of a spike protein of SARS-CoV-2

UCSF doctor weighs in on new Covid variant identified in Texas

SF Gate |

Monica Gandhi was quoted in the SF Gate about the new Covid variant identified in Texas, stating how she's not concerned about this variant yet, as she has not seen the actual peer-reviewed data that it is resistant to antibodies.  

Mask

Is It Time to End Outdoor Masking?

New York Times |

Monica Gandhi was quoted in an op-ed in the New York Times calling for an end to outdoor mask mandates now that the vaccination drive is underway.

Plan for Booster

UCSF doctor says there's 'good evidence' Covid-19 booster shots may not be necessary

ABC 7 News |

Monica Gandhi was quoted in ABC 7 News stating booster shots may not be necessary as no breakthrough infections have been reported since the initial vaccine trial started nearly ten months ago, but experts and public health officials have reported it may still be recommended for added protection.

a dangerous moment to be unvaccinated

Opinion: This is the most dangerous moment to be unvaccinated

Washington Post |

Bob Wachter wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post describing how the risk of exposure to Covid-19 may be getting enormously better in the growing vaccinated population, while at the same time, growing somewhat worse in the unvaccinated group. 

USA Today logo

Is herd immunity to Covid-19 possible? Experts increasingly say no.

USA Today |

Monica Gandhi was quoted in USA Today discussing the decreasing hope of herd immunity, “I am a bit surprised by the pessimism being expressed in the press lately about variants and hesitancy not allowing the vaccines to get us through the pandemic. I think they are the solution.” 

Masked on plane

UCSF doctor vs. Nate Silver on whether it's 'neurotic' to double mask on a plane post-vaccination

SF Gate |

Monica Gandhi and Bob Wachter were quoted in the SF Gate regarding mask wearing in various settings using plethora of stats to empower others to make their own risk assessments.