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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What is “community transmission”? Isn’t *all* of it community transmission?

Infection and Spread

A: In short, yes. At this point, it’s all community transmission—except in rare cases when contact tracers can pinpoint one specific point of exposure and identify the exact chain of transmission from person-to-person. Community transmission is a technical epidemiology term that means new cases can’t be linked back to a particular point of origin through Read more…

Is blood plasma a cure for COVID19?

Treatments

A. The evidence suggests it’s still not clear. For today’s #TBT, we’re revisiting our previous post from May 12 which summarized the history, rationale, evidence to date around the use of blood plasma (also referred to as convalescent plasma) to treat COVID19. This was also a popular question from our weekly roundup, *and* it’s been Read more…

What safety precautions for clothing, supplies, and shoes can I take if I am sending my children back to school?

Families/Kids Infection and Spread Reopening School Staying Safe

A: While there are no stringent guidelines, we know that we should wash everything frequently with soap and water. Continue to follow SMART guidelines. And make it a routine and it will be easier to remember. Here are some guidelines for children returning to school in descending order of importance: 1) Reinforce hand washing. Pack Read more…

Seven Months In: What’s the State of the Science?

Infection and Spread Staying Safe Testing and Contact Tracing

Andrew Joseph, Helen Branswell, and Elizabeth Conney of StatNews have pulled together a tour-de-force synthesis of what science does – and does not – yet know about SARS-CoV-2 and its companion disease, COVID-19. A truly terrific read Some highlights: SPACE AND PLACE MATTER. A LOT. Transmission risk is greatly elevated in crowded indoor spaces with Read more…

I heard the NBA invented a new Covid saliva test? What’s up?

Testing and Contact Tracing

A: It’s called SalivaDirect, and it was developed by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health with funding from the NBA. And it’s good news! On Saturday, the FDA granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the new test, which has some distinct advantages over the more common PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests currently Read more…

What’s the deal with the news that COVID-19 immunity only lasts up to 3 months?

Biology/Immunity Infection and Spread Uncertainty and Misinformation

A: NOPE In a news story picked up by many media outlets yesterday, headlines regarding the duration of immunity were inferred from recent CDC guidance on quarantine. The relevant sentence from the CDC was: “People who have tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to quarantine or get tested again for up to 3 months Read more…

Are we OVER or UNDER counting COVID-19 deaths?

Data and Metrics Data Literacy Uncertainty and Misinformation

A: We are likely UNDER counting official deaths due to COVID-19. How do we know? While we are not necessarily good at attributing deaths accurately to specific causes, developed countries are good at counting ALL deaths. While some deaths attributed to COVID-19 would have occurred during this period anyway, we can calculate “EXCESS MORTALITY” – Read more…

Nerdy Guest Amani Martorella chats with Malia about young adults, mental health, and college

Mental Health School Staying Safe Videos

Amani Martorella, MSSW, is the Senior Clinical Social Worker at the Johns Hopkins University’s student counseling center, and the senior staff advisor for A Place To Talk, a campus peer mental health support group. She talks about how college students have been affected by the pandemic, getting sent home and coming back for the college Read more…