Reading Room
The reading room includes articles and videos of potential interest to consumers and medical professionals. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the NC Medical Board, its members and staff. Note: Some links may require subscriptions.
If no one else is wearing a mask, should you?
National Geographic
March 24, 2022
Once Hawaii drops its mask mandate later this week, no state in the United States will require everyone to wear a mask indoors to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Yet in many supermarkets, office buildings, movie theaters, and other indoor locations, some people are still masking up. But if only half, or a few, or nobody else is doing so, does the mask offer the wearer sufficient protection?
Color Code podcast launched
STATNews
March 23, 2022
STATnews has launched a powerful eight-episode podcast by Nicholas St. Fleur (@SciFleur) called Color Code which explores the intersection of racism and medicine.
People with ‘medium COVID’ are caught in a gray area of recovery with little support
NPR
March 20, 2022
Waves of fatigue. The inability to smell milk that has gone bad. A racing heartbeat. These are just a few COVID-19 symptoms that can linger after an initial coronavirus infection. Though they may not always amount to the debilitating cases of long COVID-19 that can leave people bedridden or unable to perform daily functions, it’s very common to take weeks to fully recover — a condition I’ve been thinking of as “medium COVID.”