You don’t need to be a doctor or scientist to read Tell Me When It’s Over, nor should you. In this National Geographic publication, Dr. Paul Offit breaks down the who, what, when, where and how of the COVID pandemic in a way that we all can, and should, try to understand. Whether or not you agree with the author’s views and for what reasons should be shelved at least temporarily in the interests of finally getting direct, straightforward answers on this highly controversial topic. Written almost like a Q&A, this insider perspective on one of the greatest health and political crises of our time is easily accessible in this new go-to book.

Three years on, COVID is clearly here to stay in some way, shape or form. 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 is a good starting point for what 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.

Dr. Paul Offit is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of virology and immunology and a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases. He has written 13 books and published more than 150 papers on science and medicine. His subjects range from the history of the anti-vaccine movement, to the science behind vitamin supplements, to the overuse of medical treatments and, most recently, the COVID pandemic. He is also a co-inventor of a rotavirus vaccine. As mentioned above, Dr. Offit is a member of the FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee and a former member of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices to the CDC. He is the recipient of many awards including the President’s Certificate for Outstanding Service from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Biologics Industry Organization, the Odyssey Award from the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, and the Young Investigator Award in Vaccine Development from the Infectious Disease Society of America.

Dr. Offit makes his position and findings abundantly clear in Tell Me When It’s Over. He does not shy away from the tough questions and instead brings his wealth of experience and knowledge to this book in a candid, matter-of-fact manner. Dr. Offit acknowledges the facts and the fiction surrounding COVID, and he debunks various myths through careful research. Importantly, this book reads like Dr. Offit’s individual and personal findings and opinions, and not like a paid endorsement from a public or private body. Whatever your political leanings, there is something worthwhile for you in this book.

Given the length of the COVID pandemic and the sheer volume of content on the topic, Dr. Offit executes an impressive effort to summarize, simplify and get straight to the point in each chapter. I provide the chapter breakdown below because I think it is the best way to illustrate just how much this book covers in its relatively short (240-ish) number of pages.

Part I Where We Were

Chapter 1: The Origin of a Nightmare

Chapter 2: The Lure of Conspiracy

Chapter 3: The FDA Stumbles

Chapter 4: A Ticket Out

Chapter 5: The Misinformation Business

Chapter 6: Rogue Scientist – The Remarkable Story of Robert Malone

Chapter 7: A Pandemic of the Unvaccinated


Part II Where We Are

Chapter 8: Booster Confusion: Who is Protected?

Chapter 9: Treating COVID

Chapter 10: Long COVID: What is it? Can it be treated? Can it be prevented?


Part III Where We’re Heading

Chapter 11: Can We Make a Better COVID Vaccine?

Chapter 12: Should COVID Vaccines be Mandated?

Chapter 13: Is Immunity from Natural Infection Better than Vaccination?

Chapter 14: A Practical Guide to COVID Today

Epilogue: Lessons Learned (Or Not)

Tell Me When It’s Over distills the complexities of science and medicine into clear prose and an interesting narrative. It avoids the density of textbook language and does not succumb to getting lost in the weeds of technical scientific data or heated politics. This book is an essential read for those wanting to know succinctly where we have been and where we may be headed. A well-researched book 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.

I appreciate this book and the other books on vaccines that Offit is written. It's hard right now , especially as people have drifted from focusing on COVID and whether or not the recommendation will be for everyone or age and healthcare risk restricted.

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!

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.

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

I always love his books – Paul Offit is an incredible translator of complex medical concepts and science communicator. I didn't feel this was his strongest book, but I really hope it reaches the readership it needs to. He has an accessible, conversational tone that makes it easy to udnerstand and absorb this important information. And as he always does, he focuses on mythbusting misinformation (but never aggressively or mockingly, which I feel is very important with the divide we've exprerienced in recent years). I learned a lot here, some of which I really wish I'd known earlier, but there was also some that was a bit redundant if you follow this news regularly or have already read a lot about it. Nevertheless, really hope this reaches readers who need it.

A huge thank you to National Geographic 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.

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.