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.

Browse by Category

CDC Mask Recommendation Update 5/14/21

Masks

Q: What should I know about the new CDC recommendations allowing fully vaccinated people to lose the mask in most settings? A: The new CDC recommendations apply to fully vaccinated people only. This individual level policy change has complicated implications for population health. Like much of the last 15 months, nothing is written in stone. Read more…

CDC recommends the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents age 12-15!

Families/Kids Vaccines

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (@CDC) is recommending the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for all adolescents age 12-15 following the May12th meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Big picture: The vaccine is safe and effective for these kids and clinicians are raring to start giving the vaccine to this age Read more…

¿Cuál es la definición de vacuna?

Vaccines

Sigo escuchando a la gente decir que la vacuna para COVID-19 ‘no es una vacuna’, entonces, ¿cuál es la definición de vacuna? ¿Las vacunas para COVID son realmente vacunas? R: Una vacuna es un producto que se introduce en su cuerpo con la intención de crear anticuerpos contra una enfermedad específica, dándole la capacidad de Read more…

Are there really COVID-sniffing bees?

Testing and Contact Tracing

A: TL;DR. Turns out bees have great sniffers, just like dogs! Preliminary studies demonstrate up to 95% accuracy in detection of COVID-19 using multiple specially trained honeybees. Scientists of all stripes have stepped up to the challenge of helping fight the COVID-19 pandemic, including scientists who specialize in insects with yellow and black stripes. Researchers Read more…

Can’t we just offer incentives or lotteries to give reluctant folks an extra reason to get their shot?

Vaccines

Q: If vaccine demand is waning, can’t we just offer incentives or lotteries to give reluctant folks an extra reason to get their shot? A: Lotteries and other incentives could be really effective for promoting vaccine take-up. There are some potential pitfalls, too. Even before there were COVID-19 vaccines, there were pitches and proposals for Read more…

Are the vaccines effective against new variants?

Vaccines

A: Signs point to YES. While some emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants are more concerning than others, so far the vaccines remain effective at preventing disease and death. 💥 This means that while new “scariants” may make for eye-catching headlines, vaccines are still doing what we hoped to save lives and ultimately drive down transmission. Because of Read more…