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Can some medications make me more heat sensitive?

Biology/Immunity Health & Wellness

Yes, certain medications can make you more likely to experience heat-related illness. While we can’t control the weather, we can prepare and help more people stay safe. To understand how medications can affect our bodies when outside temperatures rise, let’s look at the body’s normal cooling process. Our warm-blooded bodies are designed to maintain a fairly Read more…

What is immune imprinting, and should the public be worried about it?

Biology/Immunity Infectious Diseases Vaccines

Q: What is immune imprinting, and should the public be worried about it? A: Don’t let statements about imprinting stop you from getting your annual vaccines for COVID and flu. Immune imprinting refers to the fact that our immune response to a vaccine (or infection) is affected by previous exposures to similar vaccines (or infections). Read more…

If a variant has mutations in the spike protein, does that mean the vaccines won’t work?

Biology/Immunity Vaccines

Tl;dr: mutations can make vaccines less effective, but that doesn’t mean they render them useless. Immunity isn’t all or nothing, and the current vaccines still provide protection, especially against severe disease and death. Many have been concerned that because (so far) our COVID vaccines have used the spike protein from the original SARS-CoV-2 virus (also Read more…

Why do some people not get COVID when everyone around them has it?

Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread

TLDR; Many things impact infection risk, including vaccination status, prior exposures, genetics, and the specific details of one’s contact with infected people. Even when conditions seem ideal for transmission, it’s not a done deal. This is why, if COVID comes to your home, it’s worth trying to limit spread. And sometimes, you just get lucky. Read more…

I’m vaccinated, and I’ve recovered from Omicron. Can I finally let my guard down?

Biology/Immunity

🙋 Asking for a friend… No wait, actually, I’m asking for me. After almost two years of precautions and a total of 10 vaccine shots, this Nerdy Girl’s family of four came down with COVID over the winter holidays, most likely the omicron variant. Now that we’re all fully recovered (thank you, vaccines!), it’s time Read more…

Want to know more about infection vs. vaccine induced immunity to SARS-CoV-2?

Biology/Immunity Vaccines

Immunologists who *really* do their own research on this topic have thoughts. Check out this infographic from the British Society for Immunology: TL;DR: ➡️ For most people vaccination will induce more effective & longer lasting immunity compared to natural infection. ➡️ Even if you’ve had COVID-19, vaccination will significantly boost the immunity you have from Read more…