Posts from Those Nerdy Girls

All the posts from our Those Nerdy Girls Facebook page dating back to May 1st, 2020, are currently archived here and can be searched for by category, key words, etc. Be sure to check back often as additional posts are being added each day.

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Are temperature checks an adequate screening tool for COVID-19?

Clinical Symptoms Infection and Spread Staying Safe

A: Unfortunately, no. Being fever-free at the time of a temperature check is not a guarantee that a person doesn’t have COVID-19, nor that someone with COVID-19 won’t spread the infection to others. Why is that? The period of infectiousness for someone with COVID-19 (i.e., the window of time when someone can infect others) starts Read more…

Announcing the Dear Pandemic podcast!

Uncategorized

Good news! Dear Pandemic now has a podcast! It’s called I Have Questions. Find it wherever you get podcasts, or at https://anchor.fm/dearpandemic. For now, the podcast is weekly Q&A with follower questions and Dear Pandemic contributor answers. We’ll be adding longer-format interviews with other experts soon, so stay tuned. If you have a question, put Read more…

I recently saw an article stating SARS-CoV-2 was made in a lab.

Uncertainty and Misinformation

Q: How do I evaluate the quality of this claim and support good science? A: This extraordinary claim requires some serious evaluation to prevent the spread of misinformation. Curiosity and scientific skepticism are quite healthy, though the new pre-print article violates many foundational principles of scientific inquiry. Lindsay’s Laws of Infodemiology provide a useful guide Read more…

What’s the most likely way to catch SARS-CoV-2? Do I still need to Lysol the bejeesus out of everything?

Infection and Spread Socializing Staying Safe

A: You are most likely to catch SARS-CoV-2 from the AIR you breathe. General cleanliness rules for surfaces apply but you can stop obsessive purchases of Lysol and Clorox wipes. We’ve come a long way from those whimsical days in March when our hands were cracked from too much hand sanitizer and the high touch Read more…

I am struggling with anxiety and maybe depression during this pandemic and nothing I have tried, from journaling to gratitude journaling, has worked.

Mental Health

Q: I think I need a therapist. Where do I start? A: We will walk you through it. Before we do, we want to acknowledge your bravery. Many of us are going through this and we thank you for asking openly and honestly about how to find help. In fact, approximately 40% of Americans report Read more…

What’s going on with the rise in SARS-CoV-2 cases in Spain? It sounds really bad.

Biology/Immunity Data and Metrics Infection and Spread

Q: Since they were already hit hard once, shouldn’t they have some herd immunity? A: Spain has seen an alarming increase in confirmed cases since mid-July, even surpassing the U.S. in daily cases per capita. But so far, deaths have only ticked up slightly compared to the height of their epidemic in March and April Read more…

As we approach seasonal influenza season, how will I know if my symptoms are from the flu or covid-19? If I am not sure, what should I do?

Clinical Symptoms Staying Safe

A: Spoiler alert: It will be challenging. Many symptoms overlap between seasonal flu and COVID-19 which will unfortunately make it hard to know whether you have flu or COVID-19. For a thorough comparison of symptoms and other clinical characteristics of flu vs. COVID-19 see here. Symptoms common to both COVID-19 and flu include: -Fever or Read more…

Did the Sturgis bike rally really cause 266,796 new COVID-19 cases?

Data and Metrics Data Literacy Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation

A: Extremely unlikely. (but that doesn’t mean it didn’t increase transmission…) The Nerdy Girls want to give you straight talk about the data whether or not it comports with our pre-existing views (like the general idea that mass gatherings are *not* a good idea during the pandemic). Trust in science relies on having high standards Read more…