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 does a deep dive into the immune system of people with long COVID reveal?

Long COVID

New study alert! A recent study available as a preprint found multiple biologic similarities in people experiencing long COVID. This early research informs future studies on the diagnosis of long COVID using self-reported symptoms and laboratory data as well as potential target mechanisms for the treatment of this debilitating condition. The underlying cause of long Read more…

If I got the smallpox vaccine as a kid, am I protected against monkeypox?

Infectious Diseases Vaccines

Short answer: Probably to some degree, but just how much is up in the air. Because the virus that causes monkeypox is similar to the smallpox virus, smallpox vaccines are effective at preventing people from getting monkeypox. Prior studies using the Dryvax vaccine (the first-generation smallpox vaccine that was used during smallpox eradication), showed that Read more…

Can COVID-19 trigger shingles?

Infectious Diseases

In a nutshell, yes. Researchers recently found that people over 50 who had COVID were more likely to get shingles than people who did not have COVID. This risk persists for at least 6 months following COVID-19 infection. A separate study looked at people who got either mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 and found NO elevated Read more…

How can we make public indoor spaces safer with on-going risks from COVID?

Infection and Spread Staying Safe

Answer: Ventilation (add outdoor air to dilute virus in inside air) Filtration (capture and remove virus from inside air) Thanks to Whitney Robinson, PhD and Kathleen Harper, MSPH for making this convenient one-pager with tips on improving indoor air quality to minimize spread of COVID-19 (and other viruses) in public and shared spaces. Full document Read more…

Dear Pandemic Live Q&A 08-12-22

Families/Kids Infection and Spread Infectious Diseases School Treatments Vaccines Videos

Those Nerdy Girls answer your questions about Monkeypox, masking at school, bivalent boosters, COVID-19 rebound, and more. Hosted by: – Malia Jones, PhD, MPH: Dear Pandemic Co-Founder & former EIC – Chana Davis, PhD: Dear Pandemic Contributing Writer & Founder, Fueled by Science ➡️ Welcome and Intros (0:00-0:46) ➡️ Monkeypox – How worried should I Read more…

Those Nerdy Girls Welcome the Reproductive Health Squad

Reproductive Health

Those Nerdy Girls remain committed to providing you with practical, factual, no-nonsense answers to all your everyday health questions, and today, we’re excited to introduce the Reproductive Health Squad. This team of women scientists and health care providers has the expertise to answer your real, embarrassing or even scary questions about all aspects of sexual Read more…

Are there any updates on Evusheld, the long-lasting preventative COVID-19 treatment?

Treatments

A: Evusheld helps prevent COVID infections for up to 6 months. Despite the ~7 million Americans who are significantly immunocompromised, only 400,000 doses have been administered so far, suggesting a lack of awareness among patients and doctors. Evusheld is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies authorized as a PREVENTATIVE treatment for people with compromised immune Read more…

What is confirmation bias? What is motivated reasoning? How do they impact the spread of misinformation?

Data Literacy Uncertainty and Misinformation

A: Confirmation bias happens when we accept information that confirms our pre-existing ideas or beliefs, but ignore or question information that does not. Motivated reasoning happens when we only seek out information that confirms what we already think is true. Both ways of distorted thinking can lead us to share information without critically assessing it Read more…