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On the other hand, for people who are able to work from home and isolate, “maybe the risk-benefit decision favors waiting until we have a little bit more data,” Dr. Emily Miller, an OB-GYN at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, told TODAY.

Doctor Inger E. Burnett-Zeigler, a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University, said the holidays can be stressful in a normal year, but now there’s the added stress of uncertainty and health risks. “People are really having a hard time with being isolated and not being able to physically see their family and their friends,” Burnett-Zeigler said.

Palos Health announced last week it will join Northwestern Medicine on Jan 1. Earlier this year, the governing boards for both organizations approved the merger and definitive agreement. All regulatory approvals have now been received.

“People are able to interview more cheaply and much easier than before because they could just apply and accept an interview,” Dr. John Flaherty, professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who directs the infectious disease fellowship, which also saw an increase in interested potential trainees. “That increases the number of applications as well.”

Knowing she would want a record of what she experienced, Northwestern Memorial Hospital nurse Blair Bobier, 30, began keeping a journal. Lindsey Gradone, 34, a Northwestern nurse practitioner in the COVID-19 intensive care unit, felt the same and thought of how her family treasures her grandfather’s journal chronicling World War II, so she started her own.

Three Northwestern experts — Lorenzo-Redondo, a research assistant professor in infectious diseases; Dr. Michael Ison, a professor of infectious diseases; and Dr. Marc Sala, an assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care — answer some key questions people might have about the new variant.

As a medical and public health student at Northwestern, I’ve witnessed the advances we’ve made in treating opioid use disorders and overdoses. A medication called naloxone (brand name Narcan) allows for seemingly miraculous saves by blocking the action of opioids, often bringing patients back from the brink of death.

High C-section rates are not the problem, said Dr. William Grobman, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. The problem is variation between hospitals – low C-section rates in some and high rates in others – with no improved outcome for mother and baby.

Dr. Jonathan Moreira, a hematologist, oncologist and assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, says that today, technology is helping some for providers bridge the gap. “Mobile services can provide flexible and readily available language services in ambulatory and inpatient settings. In-person interpreter services may be more challenging to provide, particularly in underserved and/or rural areas, but are ideal as they can also contextualize body language,” said Moreira.

Similarly, Dr. Taylor A. Heald-Sargent, assistant professor of pediatrics infectious diseases at Northwestern University, stresses the importance of not canceling dental appointments. “So while it is something that sometimes can be delayed a little bit,” Heald-Sargent says, “it’s still essential to have good hygiene, which of course varies by person.