How might we use information from studies of Covid-19 outbreaks in nursing homes and summer camps to inform the reopening of schools?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread School Staying Safe
Ashley Ritter, APRN, PhD
A: Let’s consider nursing homes and summer camps. While these environments are different from schools for a host of reasons, the knowledge gained from these settings does inform the critical decisions being made about educating children in the fall. A recent study of Covid-19 spread in nursing homes led by Dr. Elizabeth White found that Read more…
What do you make of the recent news that 1 in 3 kids in Florida tested positive for COVID-19?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
A: Let’s be sure we know what these numbers are telling us, and what they are not. The Florida Sun Sentinel recently reported that “Nearly one-in-three children tested for the new coronavirus in Florida has been positive.” Specifically, that’s 17,000 total positive tests among children. What’s more, 4 Florida children have died of COVID-19. What Read more…
Ugh, what’s the deal with this new study from South Korea about kids transmitting COVID-19?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Reopening
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
Does this mean going back to school is more dangerous than we thought? A: As you’ve noticed by now, headlines are often more sensational than the underlying facts. This is a large, solidly conducted study but doesn’t move the needle on what we already know: younger children seem less likely to contract and spread SARS-CoV-2, Read more…
What is the timeline from exposure to viral shedding to symptoms? When do people stop being contagious? When can I get out of quarantine? When is a PCR test accurate?
Infection and Spread Testing and Contact Tracing
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
For today’s #ThrowbackThursday, we revisit a post from May 4th about the timeline of infection. A: This timeline, which we adapted from several sources, visualizes the incubation period and infectious period (also called contagious period), along with the timeline for seeing symptoms, timing for a reliable PCR test, and the typical timeline to hospitalization and Read more…
Do masks work?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying Safe
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: Signs point to YES! As we’ve been heard to say, “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” While our gold standard randomized controlled trials are not very practical for testing the efficacy of masks during a pandemic (how would YOU like to be in that placebo group?!), accumulating evidence from different types of Read more…
I’m still confused about the “Is the virus airborne?” debate. Practical take-aways, please.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Individuals: Avoid poorly ventilated, crowded indoor spaces to the extent possible. Building owners/tenants: Beef up air filtration, especially in older buildings. Background: A very loud squabble emerged last week around the classification of SARS-CoV-2 in the scientific taxonomy. Nerdy Girl Alison wrote a wonderful post walking through the science discussing what an “airborne” classification Read more…
When should I get tested?
Infection and Spread Testing and Contact Tracing
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Ajay Sethi, PhD, MHS. Dr. Sethi is a leading infectious disease epidemiologist at UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health. (@AjayKSethi on Twitter!) ____________________________________________ Q: When should I get tested? When I’m sick? When I have specific symptoms? When I’m sick and not getting better after several days? When a family member Read more…
Doctors discuss COVID-19 and what they have learned
Clinical Symptoms Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Drs. Vineet Arora and Eve Bloomgarden, MDs and co-founders of IMPACT, discuss what they’ve learned these last few months about how COVID-19 impacts physicians and patients with Dear Pandemic Nerdy Girls Malia Jones, PhD, MPH and Lindsey Leininger, PhD. Link to original FB post
How do I choose the best face mask?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying Safe
Ashley Ritter, APRN, PhD
A: Awesome job wearing a mask! We know it’s a new habit and not always comfortable. Masks are effective in trapping droplets capable of spreading Covid-19. If we all wear one, we can greatly reduce the spread of the virus. Step one is committing to mask wearing. They all provide some level of protection. Step Read more…
What steps should families who want to visit relatives who are older and/or more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19 take to protect their loved ones?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Travel
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: We all miss our families (yes, us too!) and while navigating how to keep loved ones safe can feel overwhelming, the Nerdy Girls are here to help you make the best decisions possible based on the best information available! Luckily there are some key things (as highlighted in the NPR article below) you can Read more…
Is it true that Covid-19 symptoms can last for months?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
Introducing Nerdy Guest Michelle L. Frisco, PhD, who joins us to talk about “Covid long haulers”. Dr. Frisco is Associate Professor of Sociology & Demography at Penn State University. She studies population health. A: Yes. Some people who contract Covid-19 seem to deal with consistent or recurring symptoms for a long time. Q: How common Read more…
Talk to me about going to the dentist.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Here are a few factors to consider: (1) Your individual risk/benefit tradeoff; (2) The amount of circulating disease in your community; (3) The dentist’s infection control protocols. Heading back to the dentist safely is top of mind for the Nerdy Girls, as several of us have logged some serious time in the dental chair Read more…
Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening School
Lauren Hale, PhD MA
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
A: Let’s consider nursing homes and summer camps. While these environments are different from schools for a host of reasons, the knowledge gained from these settings does inform the critical decisions being made about educating children in the fall. A recent study of Covid-19 spread in nursing homes led by Dr. Elizabeth White found that Read more…
What do you make of the recent news that 1 in 3 kids in Florida tested positive for COVID-19?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and SpreadMalia Jones, PhD MPH
A: Let’s be sure we know what these numbers are telling us, and what they are not. The Florida Sun Sentinel recently reported that “Nearly one-in-three children tested for the new coronavirus in Florida has been positive.” Specifically, that’s 17,000 total positive tests among children. What’s more, 4 Florida children have died of COVID-19. What Read more…
Ugh, what’s the deal with this new study from South Korea about kids transmitting COVID-19?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Reopening
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
Does this mean going back to school is more dangerous than we thought? A: As you’ve noticed by now, headlines are often more sensational than the underlying facts. This is a large, solidly conducted study but doesn’t move the needle on what we already know: younger children seem less likely to contract and spread SARS-CoV-2, Read more…
What is the timeline from exposure to viral shedding to symptoms? When do people stop being contagious? When can I get out of quarantine? When is a PCR test accurate?
Infection and Spread Testing and Contact Tracing
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
For today’s #ThrowbackThursday, we revisit a post from May 4th about the timeline of infection. A: This timeline, which we adapted from several sources, visualizes the incubation period and infectious period (also called contagious period), along with the timeline for seeing symptoms, timing for a reliable PCR test, and the typical timeline to hospitalization and Read more…
Do masks work?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying Safe
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: Signs point to YES! As we’ve been heard to say, “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” While our gold standard randomized controlled trials are not very practical for testing the efficacy of masks during a pandemic (how would YOU like to be in that placebo group?!), accumulating evidence from different types of Read more…
I’m still confused about the “Is the virus airborne?” debate. Practical take-aways, please.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Individuals: Avoid poorly ventilated, crowded indoor spaces to the extent possible. Building owners/tenants: Beef up air filtration, especially in older buildings. Background: A very loud squabble emerged last week around the classification of SARS-CoV-2 in the scientific taxonomy. Nerdy Girl Alison wrote a wonderful post walking through the science discussing what an “airborne” classification Read more…
When should I get tested?
Infection and Spread Testing and Contact Tracing
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Ajay Sethi, PhD, MHS. Dr. Sethi is a leading infectious disease epidemiologist at UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health. (@AjayKSethi on Twitter!) ____________________________________________ Q: When should I get tested? When I’m sick? When I have specific symptoms? When I’m sick and not getting better after several days? When a family member Read more…
Doctors discuss COVID-19 and what they have learned
Clinical Symptoms Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Drs. Vineet Arora and Eve Bloomgarden, MDs and co-founders of IMPACT, discuss what they’ve learned these last few months about how COVID-19 impacts physicians and patients with Dear Pandemic Nerdy Girls Malia Jones, PhD, MPH and Lindsey Leininger, PhD. Link to original FB post
How do I choose the best face mask?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying Safe
Ashley Ritter, APRN, PhD
A: Awesome job wearing a mask! We know it’s a new habit and not always comfortable. Masks are effective in trapping droplets capable of spreading Covid-19. If we all wear one, we can greatly reduce the spread of the virus. Step one is committing to mask wearing. They all provide some level of protection. Step Read more…
What steps should families who want to visit relatives who are older and/or more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19 take to protect their loved ones?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Travel
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: We all miss our families (yes, us too!) and while navigating how to keep loved ones safe can feel overwhelming, the Nerdy Girls are here to help you make the best decisions possible based on the best information available! Luckily there are some key things (as highlighted in the NPR article below) you can Read more…
Is it true that Covid-19 symptoms can last for months?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
Introducing Nerdy Guest Michelle L. Frisco, PhD, who joins us to talk about “Covid long haulers”. Dr. Frisco is Associate Professor of Sociology & Demography at Penn State University. She studies population health. A: Yes. Some people who contract Covid-19 seem to deal with consistent or recurring symptoms for a long time. Q: How common Read more…
Talk to me about going to the dentist.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Here are a few factors to consider: (1) Your individual risk/benefit tradeoff; (2) The amount of circulating disease in your community; (3) The dentist’s infection control protocols. Heading back to the dentist safely is top of mind for the Nerdy Girls, as several of us have logged some serious time in the dental chair Read more…
Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening School
Lauren Hale, PhD MA
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
A: Let’s be sure we know what these numbers are telling us, and what they are not. The Florida Sun Sentinel recently reported that “Nearly one-in-three children tested for the new coronavirus in Florida has been positive.” Specifically, that’s 17,000 total positive tests among children. What’s more, 4 Florida children have died of COVID-19. What Read more…
Ugh, what’s the deal with this new study from South Korea about kids transmitting COVID-19?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread ReopeningJennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
Does this mean going back to school is more dangerous than we thought? A: As you’ve noticed by now, headlines are often more sensational than the underlying facts. This is a large, solidly conducted study but doesn’t move the needle on what we already know: younger children seem less likely to contract and spread SARS-CoV-2, Read more…
What is the timeline from exposure to viral shedding to symptoms? When do people stop being contagious? When can I get out of quarantine? When is a PCR test accurate?
Infection and Spread Testing and Contact Tracing
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
For today’s #ThrowbackThursday, we revisit a post from May 4th about the timeline of infection. A: This timeline, which we adapted from several sources, visualizes the incubation period and infectious period (also called contagious period), along with the timeline for seeing symptoms, timing for a reliable PCR test, and the typical timeline to hospitalization and Read more…
Do masks work?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying Safe
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: Signs point to YES! As we’ve been heard to say, “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” While our gold standard randomized controlled trials are not very practical for testing the efficacy of masks during a pandemic (how would YOU like to be in that placebo group?!), accumulating evidence from different types of Read more…
I’m still confused about the “Is the virus airborne?” debate. Practical take-aways, please.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Individuals: Avoid poorly ventilated, crowded indoor spaces to the extent possible. Building owners/tenants: Beef up air filtration, especially in older buildings. Background: A very loud squabble emerged last week around the classification of SARS-CoV-2 in the scientific taxonomy. Nerdy Girl Alison wrote a wonderful post walking through the science discussing what an “airborne” classification Read more…
When should I get tested?
Infection and Spread Testing and Contact Tracing
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Ajay Sethi, PhD, MHS. Dr. Sethi is a leading infectious disease epidemiologist at UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health. (@AjayKSethi on Twitter!) ____________________________________________ Q: When should I get tested? When I’m sick? When I have specific symptoms? When I’m sick and not getting better after several days? When a family member Read more…
Doctors discuss COVID-19 and what they have learned
Clinical Symptoms Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Drs. Vineet Arora and Eve Bloomgarden, MDs and co-founders of IMPACT, discuss what they’ve learned these last few months about how COVID-19 impacts physicians and patients with Dear Pandemic Nerdy Girls Malia Jones, PhD, MPH and Lindsey Leininger, PhD. Link to original FB post
How do I choose the best face mask?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying Safe
Ashley Ritter, APRN, PhD
A: Awesome job wearing a mask! We know it’s a new habit and not always comfortable. Masks are effective in trapping droplets capable of spreading Covid-19. If we all wear one, we can greatly reduce the spread of the virus. Step one is committing to mask wearing. They all provide some level of protection. Step Read more…
What steps should families who want to visit relatives who are older and/or more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19 take to protect their loved ones?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Travel
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: We all miss our families (yes, us too!) and while navigating how to keep loved ones safe can feel overwhelming, the Nerdy Girls are here to help you make the best decisions possible based on the best information available! Luckily there are some key things (as highlighted in the NPR article below) you can Read more…
Is it true that Covid-19 symptoms can last for months?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
Introducing Nerdy Guest Michelle L. Frisco, PhD, who joins us to talk about “Covid long haulers”. Dr. Frisco is Associate Professor of Sociology & Demography at Penn State University. She studies population health. A: Yes. Some people who contract Covid-19 seem to deal with consistent or recurring symptoms for a long time. Q: How common Read more…
Talk to me about going to the dentist.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Here are a few factors to consider: (1) Your individual risk/benefit tradeoff; (2) The amount of circulating disease in your community; (3) The dentist’s infection control protocols. Heading back to the dentist safely is top of mind for the Nerdy Girls, as several of us have logged some serious time in the dental chair Read more…
Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening School
Lauren Hale, PhD MA
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
Does this mean going back to school is more dangerous than we thought? A: As you’ve noticed by now, headlines are often more sensational than the underlying facts. This is a large, solidly conducted study but doesn’t move the needle on what we already know: younger children seem less likely to contract and spread SARS-CoV-2, Read more…
What is the timeline from exposure to viral shedding to symptoms? When do people stop being contagious? When can I get out of quarantine? When is a PCR test accurate?
Infection and Spread Testing and Contact TracingMalia Jones, PhD MPH
For today’s #ThrowbackThursday, we revisit a post from May 4th about the timeline of infection. A: This timeline, which we adapted from several sources, visualizes the incubation period and infectious period (also called contagious period), along with the timeline for seeing symptoms, timing for a reliable PCR test, and the typical timeline to hospitalization and Read more…
Do masks work?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying Safe
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: Signs point to YES! As we’ve been heard to say, “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” While our gold standard randomized controlled trials are not very practical for testing the efficacy of masks during a pandemic (how would YOU like to be in that placebo group?!), accumulating evidence from different types of Read more…
I’m still confused about the “Is the virus airborne?” debate. Practical take-aways, please.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Individuals: Avoid poorly ventilated, crowded indoor spaces to the extent possible. Building owners/tenants: Beef up air filtration, especially in older buildings. Background: A very loud squabble emerged last week around the classification of SARS-CoV-2 in the scientific taxonomy. Nerdy Girl Alison wrote a wonderful post walking through the science discussing what an “airborne” classification Read more…
When should I get tested?
Infection and Spread Testing and Contact Tracing
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Ajay Sethi, PhD, MHS. Dr. Sethi is a leading infectious disease epidemiologist at UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health. (@AjayKSethi on Twitter!) ____________________________________________ Q: When should I get tested? When I’m sick? When I have specific symptoms? When I’m sick and not getting better after several days? When a family member Read more…
Doctors discuss COVID-19 and what they have learned
Clinical Symptoms Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Drs. Vineet Arora and Eve Bloomgarden, MDs and co-founders of IMPACT, discuss what they’ve learned these last few months about how COVID-19 impacts physicians and patients with Dear Pandemic Nerdy Girls Malia Jones, PhD, MPH and Lindsey Leininger, PhD. Link to original FB post
How do I choose the best face mask?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying Safe
Ashley Ritter, APRN, PhD
A: Awesome job wearing a mask! We know it’s a new habit and not always comfortable. Masks are effective in trapping droplets capable of spreading Covid-19. If we all wear one, we can greatly reduce the spread of the virus. Step one is committing to mask wearing. They all provide some level of protection. Step Read more…
What steps should families who want to visit relatives who are older and/or more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19 take to protect their loved ones?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Travel
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: We all miss our families (yes, us too!) and while navigating how to keep loved ones safe can feel overwhelming, the Nerdy Girls are here to help you make the best decisions possible based on the best information available! Luckily there are some key things (as highlighted in the NPR article below) you can Read more…
Is it true that Covid-19 symptoms can last for months?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
Introducing Nerdy Guest Michelle L. Frisco, PhD, who joins us to talk about “Covid long haulers”. Dr. Frisco is Associate Professor of Sociology & Demography at Penn State University. She studies population health. A: Yes. Some people who contract Covid-19 seem to deal with consistent or recurring symptoms for a long time. Q: How common Read more…
Talk to me about going to the dentist.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Here are a few factors to consider: (1) Your individual risk/benefit tradeoff; (2) The amount of circulating disease in your community; (3) The dentist’s infection control protocols. Heading back to the dentist safely is top of mind for the Nerdy Girls, as several of us have logged some serious time in the dental chair Read more…
Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening School
Lauren Hale, PhD MA
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
For today’s #ThrowbackThursday, we revisit a post from May 4th about the timeline of infection. A: This timeline, which we adapted from several sources, visualizes the incubation period and infectious period (also called contagious period), along with the timeline for seeing symptoms, timing for a reliable PCR test, and the typical timeline to hospitalization and Read more…
Do masks work?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying SafeJennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: Signs point to YES! As we’ve been heard to say, “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” While our gold standard randomized controlled trials are not very practical for testing the efficacy of masks during a pandemic (how would YOU like to be in that placebo group?!), accumulating evidence from different types of Read more…
I’m still confused about the “Is the virus airborne?” debate. Practical take-aways, please.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Individuals: Avoid poorly ventilated, crowded indoor spaces to the extent possible. Building owners/tenants: Beef up air filtration, especially in older buildings. Background: A very loud squabble emerged last week around the classification of SARS-CoV-2 in the scientific taxonomy. Nerdy Girl Alison wrote a wonderful post walking through the science discussing what an “airborne” classification Read more…
When should I get tested?
Infection and Spread Testing and Contact Tracing
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Ajay Sethi, PhD, MHS. Dr. Sethi is a leading infectious disease epidemiologist at UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health. (@AjayKSethi on Twitter!) ____________________________________________ Q: When should I get tested? When I’m sick? When I have specific symptoms? When I’m sick and not getting better after several days? When a family member Read more…
Doctors discuss COVID-19 and what they have learned
Clinical Symptoms Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Drs. Vineet Arora and Eve Bloomgarden, MDs and co-founders of IMPACT, discuss what they’ve learned these last few months about how COVID-19 impacts physicians and patients with Dear Pandemic Nerdy Girls Malia Jones, PhD, MPH and Lindsey Leininger, PhD. Link to original FB post
How do I choose the best face mask?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying Safe
Ashley Ritter, APRN, PhD
A: Awesome job wearing a mask! We know it’s a new habit and not always comfortable. Masks are effective in trapping droplets capable of spreading Covid-19. If we all wear one, we can greatly reduce the spread of the virus. Step one is committing to mask wearing. They all provide some level of protection. Step Read more…
What steps should families who want to visit relatives who are older and/or more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19 take to protect their loved ones?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Travel
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: We all miss our families (yes, us too!) and while navigating how to keep loved ones safe can feel overwhelming, the Nerdy Girls are here to help you make the best decisions possible based on the best information available! Luckily there are some key things (as highlighted in the NPR article below) you can Read more…
Is it true that Covid-19 symptoms can last for months?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
Introducing Nerdy Guest Michelle L. Frisco, PhD, who joins us to talk about “Covid long haulers”. Dr. Frisco is Associate Professor of Sociology & Demography at Penn State University. She studies population health. A: Yes. Some people who contract Covid-19 seem to deal with consistent or recurring symptoms for a long time. Q: How common Read more…
Talk to me about going to the dentist.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Here are a few factors to consider: (1) Your individual risk/benefit tradeoff; (2) The amount of circulating disease in your community; (3) The dentist’s infection control protocols. Heading back to the dentist safely is top of mind for the Nerdy Girls, as several of us have logged some serious time in the dental chair Read more…
Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening School
Lauren Hale, PhD MA
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
A: Signs point to YES! As we’ve been heard to say, “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” While our gold standard randomized controlled trials are not very practical for testing the efficacy of masks during a pandemic (how would YOU like to be in that placebo group?!), accumulating evidence from different types of Read more…
I’m still confused about the “Is the virus airborne?” debate. Practical take-aways, please.
Infection and Spread Staying SafeLindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Individuals: Avoid poorly ventilated, crowded indoor spaces to the extent possible. Building owners/tenants: Beef up air filtration, especially in older buildings. Background: A very loud squabble emerged last week around the classification of SARS-CoV-2 in the scientific taxonomy. Nerdy Girl Alison wrote a wonderful post walking through the science discussing what an “airborne” classification Read more…
When should I get tested?
Infection and Spread Testing and Contact Tracing
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Ajay Sethi, PhD, MHS. Dr. Sethi is a leading infectious disease epidemiologist at UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health. (@AjayKSethi on Twitter!) ____________________________________________ Q: When should I get tested? When I’m sick? When I have specific symptoms? When I’m sick and not getting better after several days? When a family member Read more…
Doctors discuss COVID-19 and what they have learned
Clinical Symptoms Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Drs. Vineet Arora and Eve Bloomgarden, MDs and co-founders of IMPACT, discuss what they’ve learned these last few months about how COVID-19 impacts physicians and patients with Dear Pandemic Nerdy Girls Malia Jones, PhD, MPH and Lindsey Leininger, PhD. Link to original FB post
How do I choose the best face mask?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying Safe
Ashley Ritter, APRN, PhD
A: Awesome job wearing a mask! We know it’s a new habit and not always comfortable. Masks are effective in trapping droplets capable of spreading Covid-19. If we all wear one, we can greatly reduce the spread of the virus. Step one is committing to mask wearing. They all provide some level of protection. Step Read more…
What steps should families who want to visit relatives who are older and/or more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19 take to protect their loved ones?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Travel
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: We all miss our families (yes, us too!) and while navigating how to keep loved ones safe can feel overwhelming, the Nerdy Girls are here to help you make the best decisions possible based on the best information available! Luckily there are some key things (as highlighted in the NPR article below) you can Read more…
Is it true that Covid-19 symptoms can last for months?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
Introducing Nerdy Guest Michelle L. Frisco, PhD, who joins us to talk about “Covid long haulers”. Dr. Frisco is Associate Professor of Sociology & Demography at Penn State University. She studies population health. A: Yes. Some people who contract Covid-19 seem to deal with consistent or recurring symptoms for a long time. Q: How common Read more…
Talk to me about going to the dentist.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Here are a few factors to consider: (1) Your individual risk/benefit tradeoff; (2) The amount of circulating disease in your community; (3) The dentist’s infection control protocols. Heading back to the dentist safely is top of mind for the Nerdy Girls, as several of us have logged some serious time in the dental chair Read more…
Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening School
Lauren Hale, PhD MA
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
A: Individuals: Avoid poorly ventilated, crowded indoor spaces to the extent possible. Building owners/tenants: Beef up air filtration, especially in older buildings. Background: A very loud squabble emerged last week around the classification of SARS-CoV-2 in the scientific taxonomy. Nerdy Girl Alison wrote a wonderful post walking through the science discussing what an “airborne” classification Read more…
When should I get tested?
Infection and Spread Testing and Contact TracingMalia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Ajay Sethi, PhD, MHS. Dr. Sethi is a leading infectious disease epidemiologist at UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health. (@AjayKSethi on Twitter!) ____________________________________________ Q: When should I get tested? When I’m sick? When I have specific symptoms? When I’m sick and not getting better after several days? When a family member Read more…
Doctors discuss COVID-19 and what they have learned
Clinical Symptoms Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Drs. Vineet Arora and Eve Bloomgarden, MDs and co-founders of IMPACT, discuss what they’ve learned these last few months about how COVID-19 impacts physicians and patients with Dear Pandemic Nerdy Girls Malia Jones, PhD, MPH and Lindsey Leininger, PhD. Link to original FB post
How do I choose the best face mask?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying Safe
Ashley Ritter, APRN, PhD
A: Awesome job wearing a mask! We know it’s a new habit and not always comfortable. Masks are effective in trapping droplets capable of spreading Covid-19. If we all wear one, we can greatly reduce the spread of the virus. Step one is committing to mask wearing. They all provide some level of protection. Step Read more…
What steps should families who want to visit relatives who are older and/or more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19 take to protect their loved ones?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Travel
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: We all miss our families (yes, us too!) and while navigating how to keep loved ones safe can feel overwhelming, the Nerdy Girls are here to help you make the best decisions possible based on the best information available! Luckily there are some key things (as highlighted in the NPR article below) you can Read more…
Is it true that Covid-19 symptoms can last for months?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
Introducing Nerdy Guest Michelle L. Frisco, PhD, who joins us to talk about “Covid long haulers”. Dr. Frisco is Associate Professor of Sociology & Demography at Penn State University. She studies population health. A: Yes. Some people who contract Covid-19 seem to deal with consistent or recurring symptoms for a long time. Q: How common Read more…
Talk to me about going to the dentist.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Here are a few factors to consider: (1) Your individual risk/benefit tradeoff; (2) The amount of circulating disease in your community; (3) The dentist’s infection control protocols. Heading back to the dentist safely is top of mind for the Nerdy Girls, as several of us have logged some serious time in the dental chair Read more…
Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening School
Lauren Hale, PhD MA
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
Introducing Nerdy Guest Ajay Sethi, PhD, MHS. Dr. Sethi is a leading infectious disease epidemiologist at UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health. (@AjayKSethi on Twitter!) ____________________________________________ Q: When should I get tested? When I’m sick? When I have specific symptoms? When I’m sick and not getting better after several days? When a family member Read more…
Doctors discuss COVID-19 and what they have learned
Clinical Symptoms Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe VideosMalia Jones, PhD MPH
Drs. Vineet Arora and Eve Bloomgarden, MDs and co-founders of IMPACT, discuss what they’ve learned these last few months about how COVID-19 impacts physicians and patients with Dear Pandemic Nerdy Girls Malia Jones, PhD, MPH and Lindsey Leininger, PhD. Link to original FB post
How do I choose the best face mask?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying Safe
Ashley Ritter, APRN, PhD
A: Awesome job wearing a mask! We know it’s a new habit and not always comfortable. Masks are effective in trapping droplets capable of spreading Covid-19. If we all wear one, we can greatly reduce the spread of the virus. Step one is committing to mask wearing. They all provide some level of protection. Step Read more…
What steps should families who want to visit relatives who are older and/or more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19 take to protect their loved ones?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Travel
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: We all miss our families (yes, us too!) and while navigating how to keep loved ones safe can feel overwhelming, the Nerdy Girls are here to help you make the best decisions possible based on the best information available! Luckily there are some key things (as highlighted in the NPR article below) you can Read more…
Is it true that Covid-19 symptoms can last for months?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
Introducing Nerdy Guest Michelle L. Frisco, PhD, who joins us to talk about “Covid long haulers”. Dr. Frisco is Associate Professor of Sociology & Demography at Penn State University. She studies population health. A: Yes. Some people who contract Covid-19 seem to deal with consistent or recurring symptoms for a long time. Q: How common Read more…
Talk to me about going to the dentist.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Here are a few factors to consider: (1) Your individual risk/benefit tradeoff; (2) The amount of circulating disease in your community; (3) The dentist’s infection control protocols. Heading back to the dentist safely is top of mind for the Nerdy Girls, as several of us have logged some serious time in the dental chair Read more…
Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening School
Lauren Hale, PhD MA
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
Drs. Vineet Arora and Eve Bloomgarden, MDs and co-founders of IMPACT, discuss what they’ve learned these last few months about how COVID-19 impacts physicians and patients with Dear Pandemic Nerdy Girls Malia Jones, PhD, MPH and Lindsey Leininger, PhD. Link to original FB post
How do I choose the best face mask?
Infection and Spread Masks Staying SafeAshley Ritter, APRN, PhD
A: Awesome job wearing a mask! We know it’s a new habit and not always comfortable. Masks are effective in trapping droplets capable of spreading Covid-19. If we all wear one, we can greatly reduce the spread of the virus. Step one is committing to mask wearing. They all provide some level of protection. Step Read more…
What steps should families who want to visit relatives who are older and/or more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19 take to protect their loved ones?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Travel
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: We all miss our families (yes, us too!) and while navigating how to keep loved ones safe can feel overwhelming, the Nerdy Girls are here to help you make the best decisions possible based on the best information available! Luckily there are some key things (as highlighted in the NPR article below) you can Read more…
Is it true that Covid-19 symptoms can last for months?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
Introducing Nerdy Guest Michelle L. Frisco, PhD, who joins us to talk about “Covid long haulers”. Dr. Frisco is Associate Professor of Sociology & Demography at Penn State University. She studies population health. A: Yes. Some people who contract Covid-19 seem to deal with consistent or recurring symptoms for a long time. Q: How common Read more…
Talk to me about going to the dentist.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Here are a few factors to consider: (1) Your individual risk/benefit tradeoff; (2) The amount of circulating disease in your community; (3) The dentist’s infection control protocols. Heading back to the dentist safely is top of mind for the Nerdy Girls, as several of us have logged some serious time in the dental chair Read more…
Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening School
Lauren Hale, PhD MA
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
A: Awesome job wearing a mask! We know it’s a new habit and not always comfortable. Masks are effective in trapping droplets capable of spreading Covid-19. If we all wear one, we can greatly reduce the spread of the virus. Step one is committing to mask wearing. They all provide some level of protection. Step Read more…
What steps should families who want to visit relatives who are older and/or more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19 take to protect their loved ones?
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe TravelAmanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: We all miss our families (yes, us too!) and while navigating how to keep loved ones safe can feel overwhelming, the Nerdy Girls are here to help you make the best decisions possible based on the best information available! Luckily there are some key things (as highlighted in the NPR article below) you can Read more…
Is it true that Covid-19 symptoms can last for months?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
Introducing Nerdy Guest Michelle L. Frisco, PhD, who joins us to talk about “Covid long haulers”. Dr. Frisco is Associate Professor of Sociology & Demography at Penn State University. She studies population health. A: Yes. Some people who contract Covid-19 seem to deal with consistent or recurring symptoms for a long time. Q: How common Read more…
Talk to me about going to the dentist.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Here are a few factors to consider: (1) Your individual risk/benefit tradeoff; (2) The amount of circulating disease in your community; (3) The dentist’s infection control protocols. Heading back to the dentist safely is top of mind for the Nerdy Girls, as several of us have logged some serious time in the dental chair Read more…
Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening School
Lauren Hale, PhD MA
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
A: We all miss our families (yes, us too!) and while navigating how to keep loved ones safe can feel overwhelming, the Nerdy Girls are here to help you make the best decisions possible based on the best information available! Luckily there are some key things (as highlighted in the NPR article below) you can Read more…
Is it true that Covid-19 symptoms can last for months?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and SpreadAlison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
Introducing Nerdy Guest Michelle L. Frisco, PhD, who joins us to talk about “Covid long haulers”. Dr. Frisco is Associate Professor of Sociology & Demography at Penn State University. She studies population health. A: Yes. Some people who contract Covid-19 seem to deal with consistent or recurring symptoms for a long time. Q: How common Read more…
Talk to me about going to the dentist.
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Lindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Here are a few factors to consider: (1) Your individual risk/benefit tradeoff; (2) The amount of circulating disease in your community; (3) The dentist’s infection control protocols. Heading back to the dentist safely is top of mind for the Nerdy Girls, as several of us have logged some serious time in the dental chair Read more…
Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening School
Lauren Hale, PhD MA
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
Introducing Nerdy Guest Michelle L. Frisco, PhD, who joins us to talk about “Covid long haulers”. Dr. Frisco is Associate Professor of Sociology & Demography at Penn State University. She studies population health. A: Yes. Some people who contract Covid-19 seem to deal with consistent or recurring symptoms for a long time. Q: How common Read more…
Talk to me about going to the dentist.
Infection and Spread Staying SafeLindsey Leininger, PhD MA
A: Here are a few factors to consider: (1) Your individual risk/benefit tradeoff; (2) The amount of circulating disease in your community; (3) The dentist’s infection control protocols. Heading back to the dentist safely is top of mind for the Nerdy Girls, as several of us have logged some serious time in the dental chair Read more…
Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening School
Lauren Hale, PhD MA
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
A: Here are a few factors to consider: (1) Your individual risk/benefit tradeoff; (2) The amount of circulating disease in your community; (3) The dentist’s infection control protocols. Heading back to the dentist safely is top of mind for the Nerdy Girls, as several of us have logged some serious time in the dental chair Read more…
Will temperature checks actually work? What else can schools and businesses do to quickly scan for potentially infectious people?
Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Reopening SchoolLauren Hale, PhD MA
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation
Jennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
A: There’s reason to be skeptical about temperature checks. COVID-19 is infectious for several days before symptoms appear. Scanning folks as they enter a building for a fever won’t do much to prevent people who are pre-symptomatic from entering and spewing infectious droplets all over the place. Gross. At this point, we need to embrace Read more…
What is the real risk of death from COVID-19? Is it actually worse than the flu?
Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and MisinformationJennifer Beam Dowd, PhD
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial Justice
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
A: It’s complicated…. but YES! As a demographer and epidemiologist, mortality rates are in my wheelhouse so to speak, but getting a handle on COVID-19 has challenged us all. First some definitions: Case Fatality Rate (CFR): % of confirmed cases who die. In the U.S., the estimated CFR is currently 4.33% In the U.K., the Read more…
What’s happening in refugee camps?
Infection and Spread Social and Racial JusticeMalia Jones, PhD MPH
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe Videos
Malia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
Introducing Nerdy Guest Dr. Paula Tavrow, who joins us to talk to us about what’s happening with COVID-19 in refugee camps. Dr. Tavrow is an adjunct professor of Community Health Sciences at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She has been working on African public health issues since 1984. *** A: I can speak to Read more…
“What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?”
Families/Kids Infection and Spread Staying Safe VideosMalia Jones, PhD MPH
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread Videos
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
Why we can’t answer questions like “What’s my risk when I’m doing _____?” What is your risk when you’re doing _____? You may have noticed we won’t give you a straight answer to this question. Dr. Malia Jones chats about why. She shows the relationship between individual and community risk using her toy model COVID Read more…
Nerdy Guest chat with Dr. Valerie Paz-Soldan
Infection and Spread VideosAlison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
We chat with Tulane professor, social scientist and public health researcher Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan about the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Charlamos con la Dra. Valerie Paz Soldan, profesora en la Universidad de Tulane, científica social e investigadora de salud pública, sobre la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú See Less Link to original FB post
Is the virus airborne?
Infection and Spread Staying SafeAlison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying Safe
Alison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
So is the virus airborne? Yes or no?!?
Infection and Spread Staying SafeAlison Buttenheim, PhD MBA, Co-founder & Advisor
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread
Amanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
A: It depends what you mean by airborne. Fortunately, the guidance for avoiding the virus in your day-to-day life is the same either way. On July 4th, a New York Times article reported that 239 scientists from 32 countries had sent an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) asserting that “airborne transmission of Read more…
How can it be that COVID-19 cases are increasing but deaths are decreasing in the U.S.?
Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and SpreadAmanda Simanek, PhD MPH
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
A: Timing, timing, timing. And some other factors too. As this Vox article notes, “The sinking death rates reflect the state of the pandemic a month or more ago, experts say, when the original hot spots had been contained and other states had only just begun to open up restaurants and other businesses.” We have Read more…
