Researchers say the South Africa coronavirus variant could re-infect people who’ve already had COVID… and reduce the efficacy of some vaccines.
Dr. Celine Gounder is the host of EPIDEMIC, a podcast about the public health and science of the coronavirus pandemic. In this excerpt from the podcast she explores what this new mutation means for immunity.
Listen to the full-length episode here:
You can listen to full episodes of EPIDEMIC with Dr. Celine Gounder, wherever you get your podcasts.
Online learning became the new normal when many schools were forced to shut down at the start of the pandemic. But as students return to the classrooms, some experts think online learning could become the new normal. Is this progress? Or could this create new inequities?
Women’s health is fertile ground for mis- and disinformation to arise… especially when it comes to COVID, vaccines, fertility and pregnancy. This is in no small part because the exclusion of pregnant women from clinical trials creates an information void in which rumors and myths can easily take root.
The United States is the wealthiest nation on the planet… but it’s also the only industrialized country that doesn't offer childcare and paid leave for parents and caregivers, and the pandemic has made the problem even worse.
As vaccination rates rise steadily in many wealthier countries in North America and Europe, calls for a return to normal life are increasing. One proposed solution is vaccine certificates. Such systems would let people travel and attend public events if they show proof of vaccination. But critics worry about unintended consequences.
Vaccines are now widely available in the United States. But for the rest of the world… where vaccines are still largely unavailable… the pandemic is now worse than ever. So far, much of the discussion around vaccine supply to the developing world has focused on donating excess doses. 80 million doses might sound like a lot. But the reality is that it’s not nearly enough.
So far, most vaccine production has focused on supplying wealthy nations in Europe and the United States but places like Africa are in dire need of life saving vaccines.
Alongside the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 this past year, we’ve seen the proliferation of disinformation on social media. This parallel epidemic, what the WHO calls an infodemic, has thwarted efforts to control the pandemic around the world. Some of the most vulnerable people and countries have been the targets of these campaigns.
By now most people know that SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that emerged from an animal host. Zoonotic transmission is when pathogens spillover from animals into humans.
The arrival of vaccines has put the end of the pandemic in sight. But the end of the pandemic might not mean the end of SARS-CoV-2.
In August 2020, Russia became the first country to develop a COVID vaccine, Sputnik V. But the reasons for their accelerated launch weren’t just for humanitarian purposes.
COVID has amplified the economic, racial, and gender disparities that already exist in our country. But it’s also given policy-makers an opportunity to make positive changes that will prevail beyond the pandemic.
Rural America’s vaccine rollout has bucked expectations. A recent survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that four in 10 rural Americans reported getting at least their first dose of vaccine. That’s compared to three in 10 in urban and suburban areas.
Black Americans are twice as likely to die from COVID as white Americans. Despite this, polls show that African-Americans are less interested in receiving the vaccine than other groups. But for people of color who do want the vaccine, inequities in U.S. healthcare are making access to vaccines more difficult.
When President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue plan in March, a third round of stimulus checks went out to American citizens. But for some of the people most in need, that money will never come.
Scientists were able to create vaccines for the coronavirus in record-breaking time. That speed has saved countless lives but it’s also made some feel the process was rushed. But what many people don’t know is that the research that helped build the vaccine had been in the works for years.
A new variant of the coronavirus first discovered in the United Kingdom has public health officials worried. The CDC thinks it’ll become the dominant variant in the United States by the end of March.
Facebook recently announced they will remove unfounded claims and disinformation about vaccines from their platforms. Dr. Celine Gounder is the host of EPIDEMIC, a podcast about the public health and science of the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Gounder spoke with John Cook. He’s a professor who has found a surprising tool to fight climate change denial that has big implications for combating misinformation during the pandemic.
Millions of Americans have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and many have recovered… but for some, the effects of COVID haven’t let up.
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