Dr. Christine B. Whelan is a clinical professor in the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She is the author of five books, most recently The Big Picture: A Guide to Finding Your Purpose in Life (Templeton Press, 2016). At the University of Wisconsin – Madison Dr. Whelan teaches classes Read more…
Q: How is West Virginia getting vaccines in arms so fast? They have vaccinated at a higher rate than any other state! A: 3 things have driven West Virginia’s success: 1. A unique arrangement with local pharmacies (not national chains) to vaccinate long-term care staff and residents. 2. Advanced planning. 3. Leadership. First, let’s do Read more…
A: Some very positive signs for immune responses from newly published Phase 1/2 trial results, & Phase 3 efficacy results rumored to be on the near horizon. AND they tested only one dose 👏👏👏! TL;DR: ➡️ Low dose/high dose, & one dose/two dose regimes were tested in 805 adults aged 18 and older. ➡️ The Read more…
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. As over 92 million people worldwide have already had COVID19, a whole lotta folks are wondering about vaccination after infection. You had questions; the Nerdy Girls have answers! ➡️Cathy from Hong Kong and Diane from Michigan ask: “Does a person who has already had COVID need to be vaccinated?” Yes! Read more…
Dr. Aparna here to answer. This question just warms our hearts. And hits home for all of us here at Dear Pandemic. TL; DR: You can support by donating money, donating time/resources, following public health guidance, and learning more about local efforts (and vaccine distribution) so that you can be a vaccine ambassador during this Read more…
Dr. Aparna here to answer: This question just warms our hearts. And hits home for all of us here at Dear Pandemic. TL; DR: You can support by donating money, donating time/resources, following public health guidance, and learning more about local efforts (and vaccine distribution) so that you can be a vaccine ambassador during this Read more…
A: Trust in our health system is influenced by our beliefs about its benefits and consequences to ourselves and others. Low trust can derail the best of public health and medical treatments. Trust in the US health system is complicated by experiences and historical events that non-majority communities. People need time, reliable information, and repeated Read more…
A: Sigh. From riots to record pandemic death tolls, anxieties are running high … and our resolutions have stalled out already. Research shows that taking a step back to ask what matters most (and why) can help shore up well-being, even in tumultuous times. Read more for a purpose-finding playbook. The good news is living Read more…
A: This is an evolving situation. Actions today could result in great success or tragic loss. Key take aways— B.1.1.7 is in the US. Growing evidence suggests the B.1.1.7 variant spreads more easily than previous variants. New evidence supports the hypothesis that current vaccines are effective against B.1.1.7. Early efforts to contain B.1.1.7 buys time Read more…
This week we are delighted to be introducing our readers to nerdy girl extraordinaire, Dr. Aparna Kumar, PhD, MPH, CRNP. Dr. Kumar is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP-BC) and researcher specializing in child, adolescent, and women’s mental health. Her career has focused on decreasing stigma in mental health through research and education. As Read more…
In this live Q&A, Drs. Malia Jones & Ashley Ritter will be tackling pandemic questions from our readers. Today’s we’re answering questions from readers about whether you should get the vaccine if you’ve already had COVID and much more! ➡️ Welcome and NG Ashley gets her vax! (0:00-3:07) ➡️ Vaccination info for those who have Read more…
Este corto animado de la Facultad de Medicina de Stanford es una adaptación del libro para niños “Mi héroe eres tú” (My Hero is You, en Inglés) publicado a inicios de 2020 para ayudar a educar a los niños de todo el mundo sobre el COVID-19. La película tiene como objetivo transmitir mensajes de esperanza, Read more…
A. So far, we still have no evidence from well-designed randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that ivermectin is safe and effective for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19. However, several RCTs are currently underway which will hopefully provide us with an answer to this important question. ➡️What is ivermectin? Ivermectin (Iv) is a drug FDA-approved for Read more…
Q: I heard that the FDA approved several new rapid home test for diagnosis of COVID-19. Are the rapid tests just as good as the others? Can I take this one before I visit family? A: TL; DR: No, rapid tests are not quite as good at picking up positives (someone who really has COVID-19) Read more…
A: As many places see a significant surge in COVID19 cases, hospitals and resources become strained. Crisis standards of care represent a big change from usual healthcare made necessary by a major disaster. ➡️So, what does that actually mean? Crisis standards help guide decisions that must be made in extreme scarcity of resources (including staff, Read more…
Q: A happier, healthier 2021 sounds great… but how do I make it happen? I’m not really feeling up for New Year’s Resolutions this year. A: Get yourself ship-shape for 2021 with an anchors, sails and rudders exercise that honors the lessons we’ve learned in 2020 while also prioritizing forward movement for 2021. Psychologists (and Read more…
R: Es muy pronto para decir si sí o no, pero con más estudios podríamos saber pronto. La vitamina D es un micronutriente que se encuentra y es suplementado en la comida, se toma como suplemento y se produce en la piel cuando es expuesta a los rayos ultravioleta (UV). La vitamina D ayuda a Read more…
This week we are featuring Dr. Jennifer Beam Dowd, our incoming Nerdy Girl-In-Chief & scientist extraordinaire. Dr. Dowd is a health and social scientist who identifies most as a “demographer.” What’s a demographer? We’re glad you asked. Dr. Dowd uses statistics to study patterns in human populations–especially how long people live and why. Her impressive Read more…
In this live Q&A, Drs. Malia Jones & Amanda Simanek will be tackling pandemic questions from our readers. We’ll take questions about the “mutant strain”, which vaccine is best, that rumor about asymptomatic transmission being a phantom, and what we know (and don’t) about whether someone can still spread COVID after being vaccinated. ➡️ Welcome Read more…
A: The Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine was granted emergency authorization & the British government has decided to give as many people a first vaccine dose while delaying second doses *up to* 12 weeks after the first. A big news week here in the UK where this Nerdy Girl (Jenn) lives. Besides the worldwide focus on the new Read more…
