Tell Me When It's Over: An Insider's Guide to Deciphering Covid Myths and Navigating Our Post-Pandemic World

by Paul A. Offit

From one of the world’s top virologists, the definitive guide to understanding—and navigating—COVID-19.

Three years on, COVID is clearly here to stay. So what do we do now? Drawing on his expertise as one of the world’s top virologists, Dr. Paul Offit helps weary readers address that crucial question in this brief, definitive guide.

As a member of the FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee and a former member of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices to the CDC, Offit has been in the room for the creation of policies that have affected hundreds of millions of people. In these pages, he marshals the power of hindsight to offer a fascinating frontline look at where we were, where we are, and where we’re heading in the now-permanent fight against the disease.

Accompanied by a companion website populated with breaking news and relevant commentary, this book contains everything you need to know to navigate COVID going forward. Offit addresses fundamental issues like boosters, immunity induced by natural infection, and what it means to be fully vaccinated. He explores the dueling origin stories of the disease, tracing today’s strident anti-vax rhetoric to twelve online sources and tracking the fallout. He breaks down long COVID—what it is, and what the known treatments are. And he looks to the future, revealing whether we can make a better vaccine, whether it should be mandated, and providing a crucial list of fourteen takeaways to eradicate further spread.

Filled with pragmatic analysis and sensible advice, TELL ME WHEN IT’S OVER is for anyone interested in finding new solutions to the new normal.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Medicine, Health, Social Issues, Politics, Book Club

272 pages, Hardcover

Published February 13, 2024

About the author

Paul A. Offit, MD is the Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Offit is also the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology, and a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He is a recipient of many awards including the J. Edmund Bradley Prize for Excellence in Pediatrics bestowed by the University of Maryland Medical School, the Young Investigator Award in Vaccine Development from the Infectious Disease Society of America, and a Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Paul A. Offit has published more than 130 papers in medical and scientific journals in the areas of rotavirus-specific immune responses and vaccine safety. He is also the co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq, recently recommended for universal use in infants by the CDC; for this achievement Dr. Offit received the Gold Medal from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Jonas Salk Medal from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

Dr Paul Offit was also a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is the author of multiple books.

from www.paul-offit.com

Reviews

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic!

A great historical narrative of Covid from the voice of an expert.

[Alison Burski-Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

A huge thank you to National Geographic and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

“Tell Me When It’s Over” dives deep into the intricacies of a once-in-a-century pandemic, exploring the science and policies that drove every step.

Through three distinct sections, and fourteen chapters, Offit tackles all aspects of the pandemic from the initial strain of COVID-19 that began in China, all the way to when the book was completed in June 2023. The author’s voice is clean and consistent throughout the text, providing his unique perspective as a doctor, professor, and (former and current) member of the governmental advisory committees discussed throughout the book. Offit outlines all of the science and stages the United States, and the world, went through when navigating this world health crisis. The author takes time to address and refute the misinformation claims that were spread during the height of the pandemic. He also takes time to identify times when the scientific community as a whole didn’t or don’t have the answer to questions being asked, often through anecdotes from this time serving on the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (former member) and the FDA’s Vaccine Advisory Committee (current member).

Offit takes a critical look at both US administrations who were charged with the health and safety of citizens during the pandemic. It is unfortunately difficult to discuss the pandemic without any measure of political discourse due to the enmeshment of the two. The author carefully reviews each administration, providing praise where it is due and critiques when warranted.

The book is filled with descriptions and discussions of the science behind COVID-19, the various medications used to treat patients, and the eventual vaccines released worldwide. The majority of these passages are accessible to a large audience, but I did find some of the science was a little too dense for me personally, which made it hard to fully understand at times. The book does require a baseline of scientific knowledge to fully appreciate all of the information and context provided.

[Savannah Quick · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 but I'm feeling generous.

The strongest point of the book was underlining the degree to which covid conspiracies and political polarization is going to restrict our next pandemic response.

My takeaway was that we should really devote more time explaining how vaccines work and why the disease impacts short and long term vaccine success on high school biology.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book. Dr Offit's writing style is conversational and the explanations are always crystal clear. This book is very much written for the lay reader but will still be of great interest to readers with more medical knowledge. The writing is fluid - it just carries the reader away. It is also relatively up-to-date. It’s coming out when perhaps there is too much complacency about COVID, so the timing is perfect. Thank you to Netgalley and National Geographic for the advance reader copy.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three years on, COVID is clearly here to stay. So what do we do now? Drawing on his expertise as one of the world’s top virologists, Dr. Paul Offit helps weary readers address that crucial question in this brief, definitive guide.

As a member of the FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee and a former member of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices to the CDC, Offit has been in the room for the creation of policies that have affected hundreds of millions of people.In these pages, he marshals the power of hindsight to offer a fascinating frontline look at where we were, where we are, and where we’re heading in the now-permanent fight against the disease.

Accompanied by a companion website populated with breaking news and relevant commentary, this book contains everything you need to know to navigate COVID going forward. Offit addresses fundamental issues like boosters, immunity induced by natural infection, and what it means to be fully vaccinated. He explores the dueling origin stories of the disease, tracing today’s strident anti-vax rhetoric to twelve online sources and tracking the fallout. He breaks down long COVID—what it is, and what the known treatments are. And he looks to the future, revealing whether we can make a better vaccine, whether it should be mandated, and providing a crucial list of fourteen takeaways to eradicate further spread.

Full disclosure here…I am a Respiratory Therapist. I found this book both eye opening and well researched. I worked through Covid, though. I saw it myself. And even with the extensive research and studies and misinformation, all of which are well documented in the book, I have seen both the vaccinated and unvaccinated die. And I have seen both the vaccinated and unvaccinated survive. That’s not a political statement, either. It’s just what I’ve seen. And it’s hard to worry about politics and lines drawn in the sand when you’re trying with everything you have, and sometimes failing, to help someone simply breathe. What a crazy time that was.

Thank you to @tlcbooktours, National Geographic, and the author for the gifted copy.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative. There was so much about the pandemic that went on that I was completely oblivious to. Dr. Offit’s insights and explanations helped me to make sense of more of the confusing things that went on. Definitely a read for everyone!

[Jamie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Dr. Offit so naturally I needed to read this.
I will be honest, the intro broke my heart. We really fumbled with the pandemic and now we are all getting sick all the time. Constantly. I finally succumbed to the virus this last October and now I have arthritis. My 8 year old is now immune deficient. And my cat has liver disease. We are careful and it still got us.
No one is even masking!
I love how this goes over the known facts and the history of this nightmare virus. This is written for the average person, which is essential in all medical books that need to be read by the general population.
Thank you for letting me read this amazing book!

[Monica Tupper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to National Geographic for the Advance Reader's Copy of this book. I would sum this book up as a summary of the Covid Pandemic. I mostly enjoyed the chapters about its origin and vaccine development. I can understand why the majority of the book was centered around politicians given the public health crisis that it was. I had hoped to see more discussion on the virus itself. This book was written by a scientific expert to the general public and did a great job, breaking down a very complex topic that affected each and everyone of us. So if you still feel in a bit of a daze and need some clarification, this is a good one to grab :)

[Kevin Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I waffled back and forth between two or three stars.

There’s a lot of good information in this book, outlining the beginnings of the Covid 19 pandemic, the response, and where we go from here - all based in solid science.

I could have considered a four star rating, except for the segments of the book where the author displays a thinly veiled contempt for those who took a position opposite his, particularly earlier in the pandemic. That particular audience is the one that could benefit from the information in this book the most, but they will most likely be put off by statements that the author makes.

Personally, I followed the isolation and masking recommendations, and received the vaccine shortly after it was available, as that seemed to be the rational course of action. In that respect, I’m on the same page as the author. At the same time, I know others who chose a different course of action. In many cases those actions were also well considered. Their concerns cannot just be written off as the concerns of an uninformed person (which is what the author seems to do). As the author himself writes later in the book, “I think we should always be able to question the science behind public health recommendations. And this questioning should occur in the open, so that the public and the press can best understand the strengths and weaknesses behind specific recommendations.” (page 151).

There was a clear ideological divide in the response to those public health recommendations. That divide is worth mentioning (and I personally feel worth investigating, so as to prevent the politicization of what is really a scientific issue). It is not helpful, though, to continue harping on that ideological divide - once again because it just alienates the very demographic which could most benefit from the information.

Ultimately, I decided on a three star review because, in the latter half of the book, the author’s tone become more reconciliatory, and he gives recognition to some of the concerns held by the early critics of the Covid response.

[Zhelana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good, but it made me so angry. Basically it's about Covid myths and lies and how we got to the point that vaccination is a political point rather than a scientific and medical point. Written by the guy who disproved the notion that vaccines cause autism, he replays some of that information, but then goes farther talking about how anti-vaxxism moved from the fringe left to the mainstream right and how that affects our world. He also talks about the myths of ivermectin and other anti retrovirals that were tried at Trump's behest to solve Covid. He traces how so many people were fooled into believing that Covid was not a big deal no matter how many people died around them. And the he looks to the future to our next pandemic, and wonders what should change, what has changed, and what might change. Overall this was a brilliant book, although at times it made me angry enough to almost throw it across the room (good that I did not since it is on a kindle!) For example, did you know that only 12 people in the country are responsible for nearly 90% of anti-vaxx propaganda, and without them we could have had vaccine uptake like the rest of the developed world? Anyway, definitely read this book, it's the most interesting one I've read thus far this year (acknowledging that it is only June). And Paul Offit is one of those rare jewels of a science writer who actually both knows the science and can write.

[Joseph Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chances are most people who “follow the science” are both the most likely readers of this book and the most likely to find nothing new in it.

The point that resonated most strongly for me is the comparison of anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. with Ala Stanford, the first African American female pediatric surgeon trained entirely in the United States, who started her own Covid testing and vaccinating program in Philadelphia, vaccinating by May 2021 more than 46,000 Philadelphians from underserved parts of the city. (One could also compare her favorably to Legacy author Uché Blackstock.)

Most of the funding of anti-vaccination misinformation comes from the dietary supplement industry.

I’m not sure why he feels a need to vindicate China and the Wuhan Virology Laboratory when it comes to the origins of Covid. He introduces a new fact for me, that there are bat caves in and around Wuhan, how many he didn’t say; and he places a lot of importance on the western section of a particular wet market as the source of the pandemic. A video briefly appeared on the internet showing a raccoon dog and two foxes for sale there just before the pandemic. This constitutes a smoking gun in the mind of the author. What might have been going on in the collective mind of the Chinese government I can’t say but with its pervasive video surveillance system and extensive identification data base, finding the buyers of the dog and foxes may have been possible but instead the government officially blamed the U. S. Army. In the best of all possible worlds lab leaks simply don’t happen.

He also blames a misstatement by the FDA Commissioner and the Secretary of Health and Human Services for what he perceives to plummeting public confidence in medical authority. The misstatement concerned the relative risk versus absolute risk of receiving or not receiving convalescent plasma. I doubt too many of us could explain the difference between relative and absolute risk and after reading his example involving the risk of being hit by a car while walking on a sidewalk versus crossing a street, I’m still confused.

I should point out he is equally unsparing of the Trump and Biden administrations.

Covid culled our population of the people most susceptible to this new disease, those who did not have a very long life expectancy anyway, especially the elderly and those with metabolic syndrome. Now that immunity is spread throughout the population it should be more like the flu and the vaccine for it will likely be bundled with the annual flu shot. But he does not address the consequences of the authorities dramatically overreacting to the pandemic.

[Ute Weiß · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. Unfortunately lots of people don‘t understand how science works and follow easy answers and believe in conspiracy rather than facts.

The last chapter called „Lessons learned or not“ summarizes what‘s happening today and has a rather pessimistic outlook when it comes to the next pandemics (and they will certainly come).

„Getting the public understand the scientific process“ - I doubt that will ever happen.

„Stop the spread of misinformation“ - good luck with that …

„Separate politics and science“ - lol

Disease is nature fighting back and part of the human condition but thanks to modern medicine and science no child has to die of measles, be crippled by polio etc.

If they still do nowadays it‘s thanks to the ignorance of their caretakers.

So, let‘s wait and see how we‘ll get through the next pandemic with what we have learned from this one.

[Lisa Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started out really liking this book, it’s nice to see factual information and not misinformation about covid. In the end, though, I’m disappointed that he doesn’t encourage boosters for most people and isn’t a super strong proponent of masking. In the single chapter on long COVID, he describes the multi-systemic damage that can occur, many symptoms without any treatment or cure. He himself says that 20% of people infected will have long COVID symptoms for two years, symptoms which may increase the likelihood of heart attacks, strokes & a myriad of other issues. 20%!! I feel like if something caused cancer in 20% of people, we’d be cracking down on it (like smoking). So it doesn’t make sense to me to say I’ve got a 20% chance of being severely debilitated but hey, I don’t need a booster or a mask? Make it make sense.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A guide the Covid pandemic looking at what we know about the virus, vaccines, and how to deal with pandemics full of lots of great information. Broken into easy to read chapters covering things like the origin of the virus, reactions to it, the work behind the vaccine development, as well as recommendations for the future. This book was fascinating, for example I didn't realize how much the unregulated supplement industry was behind vaccine opposition or the money that is made opposing vaccines. The Covid pandemic is just another reminder of how we are always learning new things about diseases and developing new treatments to keep individuals and societies healthy. I received a free Kindle edition of this book from the publisher.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure: I got an ARC from a Goodreads giveaway.
Background: I have read one other book by Paul Offit (Autism's False Prophets) and remember enjoying it.

I really loved this book and genuinely think that everyone should read it. Offit covers the pandemic from December 2019 to June 2023, diving into the science and the policy decisions. He covers conspiracy theories, how vaccines work, failures in science communication, what we know about long covid, and so much more. He writes in a very accessible way and covers a lot of ground in a pretty short book. If you want to know the basics behind the science of covid-19, get this book!

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reading.

I believe anyone who has questions about Covid should read this book. It really is an eye opener to understand all aspects of medical science, diseases, vaccines and how they work, and to how Covid led us to more political separation and anti-vaxers. I feel everyone should read this book. I respect that this information comes from a doctor and a scientist, someone I can trust. I don't want to get any misinformation from these anti-vaxers and\or social media.

[Adam Ingram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I put this book off for a long time. I got it April 2025 and didn’t read it until July 2025. Working COVID and seeing the thousands of bodies pass through our alternate morgues has left a last impression that I’ll carry forever.

This book is well written and has a lot of great details about immunizations and thoughts of what was happening from 2020-2023.

It’s not a book on ethics, it’s not a science journal article, it’s not PubMed, it’s not a scientific theory essay, it’s a guide on what’s happened in the eyes of a physician who knows vaccines.

I would recommend this book to everyone.

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity.

An interesting read regarding the covid virus.

Although I do not agree with some of the author’s opinions in his book…I do appreciate the time taken to explain his research and theories.

#TellMeWhenItsOver
#NetGalley

[Doreva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent review of Covid-19 and it’s risks, vaccines and treatments. Dr. Offit’s writing style is personable and easy to understand. He explains complex science in a way that is accessible to the layperson. Highly recommended for anyone seeking clarity about Covid-19 and the United States public health response to the pandemic.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tell Me When It's Over was a great, easy to digest novel about Covid-19. There is history about Covid and where the actual strain of Covid-19 came from. Another great novel by Dr. Offit.

Thank you Netgalley for this book, in exchange for an honest review.

[Pam Schoeff-groth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard the author, Paul Offit, MD, speak on the Doctors radio station on Serius. The book was Fascinating, Thought provoking, and I loved learning the history and the facts about Covid and the creation of the vaccines. I Highly recommend this book for those interested in what really happened.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read. Written by someone who definitely knows more than me, so it is hard to review the book. Paul Offit believes/knows what he is saying and it comes down to the reader having a trust in academia and the soundness of their knowledge and unknown unknowns.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read. Paul explains every step of the issue using terminology that anyone should understand, frankly and unapologetically. His insight into the bigger story, the innerworkings of it all, and his observations are all spot on.

A must-read for anyone trying to understand what just happened.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ebook. Glad I read it, but this is already starting to be dated. Still it’s a great book to recommend those on the fence about vaccines, though I’m surprised to learn that Offit doesn’t necessarily believe in yearly COVID vaccines.

[Elspeth Naramore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay but I guess I was looking for more of a guide to current day COVID issues rather than a recap of the whole ordeal. The last few chapters were interesting and helpful.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was choppy reading. I would have preferred a paper book I could mark up and skip around. One with a good index.

[Cami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good synopsis with expert experience. I appreciated the facts and comprehensive way he covered covid start to present.

[Sally Cardella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good overview- easy to read and understand- very informative

[Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth the read

[db · Rating 4 out of 5]

informative.