their appointments like crazy, due to either having COVID19 or encountering someone with COVID. Yet many of my patients who reported contracting COVID-19 were experiencing minor symptoms similar to the common cold, which they attributed to being vaccinated and boosted. Could we finally have this somewhat under control? A couple of weeks of being under the weather is way better than March 2020, when hundreds of New Yorkers were dying daily from the pandemic. Whereas statistics are showing fewer COVID-19 deaths in NY, guns are causing an increase in violence across our city and gun arrests continue to rise. Thank goodness I hear of very few dentist-related gun problems from our members; then again, it is not something people tend to talk about. A few weeks ago, my wife, Tina, was squeegeeing our SUV’s windows at the gas station when she decided to clean the top of the car and found a hole in the driver’s side roof corresponding to the back seat (Figure 1). She drove to the local car dealer who said it looked like someone dropped a metal rod from a construction site. Tina then went to our local police station and called over a cop, who said it might be a bullet or from a BB gun. After reporting the incident to our insurance company and taking the car to the repair shop, we received confirmation that the hole had been caused by a bullet when the bullet itself was discovered under the seat of the car. We speculated that someone had either shot her car from a building or shot a bullet into the air, which had subsequently landed on the car. I cannot express how upset my family was and how thankful we were that my wife was not another New York gun statistic. Hopefully, our new mayor will have a better answer to getting guns off our streets before any more injuries or deaths occur. A few days ago, I was exposed to COVID-19 after a rare instance of having my mask down around people who, though fully vaccinated, were unknowingly COVID-19 positive. When people who are fully vaccinated and boosted and those who have already recovered from COVID19 can contract the virus, pharmaceutical companies need to start developing second-generation vaccines, not just giving the same vaccines repeatedly, because herd immunity does not seem to be happening. While pondering our future, I ran to the nearest urgent care and waited hours in line to get a long Q-tip spun up my nostrils. Without any symptoms, but precautionary masked and at home quarantined, I awaited the results. Longingly awaiting a negative result can make anyone anxious and down. However, lifting our eyes and hearts up to this year’s Times Square New Year’s Eve ball drop will surely add positivity to our life. That, and of course, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, always puts a smile on my face. Thinking of much lower COVID-related death rates and milder COVIDrelated symptoms among the afflicted, along with a new mayor to increase our safety, we have a lot of wonderful New York living to look forward to. SDDS, along with my family and I, wish you a happy and safe 2022 and good riddance to COVID-19! GRADUATE STUDENTS/RESIDENTS DR. KEVIN YU (General Practice; New York University, 2021) Wyckoff Heights Medical Center REINSTATEMENTS DR. REHEM DABEISH (General Practice; New York University, 2016) DR. EDWARD ESPIRITU (General Practice; Northwestern University, 2000) 470 Pendale St, Staten Island, NY 10306-4055 DR. MARITERE ZAMORA (General Practice; Nova Southeastern University, 2019) TRANSFERS DR. FIRAS MARSHEH (Endodontics; New York University, 2006) 2348 Ralph Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11234-5515 Transferred formNew York County Dental Society DR. SUMAYA IBRAHEEM (General Practice; The State University of NewYork, University at Buffalo, 2018) 2348 Ralph Ave, Brooklyn, New York 11234-5515 Transferred fromNew York County Dental Society WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS! WWW.SDDSNY.ORG 7
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