Panning for Pandemic Gold: Personal Lessons and Observation

Abstract

A recent article published in one of Canada’s national newspapers asked, “Will life soon return to normal?” It was one of the more optimistic pieces I have read this year. The authors – all of them infectious disease physicians – opined on the eventual return to our normal activities, made possible by the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines. This past year brought such rapid change to our lives and to those of our patients and communities. I started to reflect on some of the changes that might persist beyond this “return to normal” and what follows is a recounting of my own experiences and those of my dermatology colleagues I have communicated with — via text, phone, and zoom — over the past few months.