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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If we have never achieved herd immunity with the flu, the common cold and many other diseases, what makes it possible to reach herd immunity with COVID-19?

Infection and Spread Vaccines

A: Some diseases are more elusive than others when it comes to herd immunity, and your two examples are among the elusive ones. In order to be a candidate for herd immunity, we need a disease caused by one specific virus. The virus has to be easily recognized by the immune system; it can’t mutate Read more…

Dear Pandemic COVID Q&A

Infection and Spread School Staying Safe Testing and Contact Tracing Vaccines Videos

In this live Q&A, we’re teaming up with our science gal-pals at the Unbiased Science Podcast, Drs. Andrea Love and Jessica Steier! We’ll be answering reader questions about antibody testing after vaccination, viral variants & kids, #thrifting, and whether your COVID-19 vaccine can make you test positive for COVID.  https://www.facebook.com/unbiasedscipod/ ➡️ Welcome, Intros, and Comments Read more…

Is there some benefit to people publicly trumpeting it once they’ve been vaccinated, say, by donning stickers, buttons, bumper stickers, etc.?

Vaccines

A: Yes, tasteful trumpeting could improve COVID-19 vaccination uptake by activating behavioral pathways. Images and stories are powerful tools in motivating social behavior. Stickers and other public displays of individual behavior can promote collective action (Think “I Voted” stickers). When trumpeting your vaccine, remain respectful of others with different perspectives and those who continue to Read more…

How’s the job market recovery going?

Data and Metrics

A: “Great trend, but terrible levels.” That’s the TL;DR from well-respected labor economist Aaron Sojourner in response to last week’s release of the March 2021 jobs report. 👍🏼 The good news: The numbers roundly beat Dow Jones expectations. (Expectations: 675k added jobs; Actuals: over 900k added jobs). Yay! 👎🏼 The less good news: The economy Read more…

What do we know about the COVID-19 vaccines in people who are immunosuppressed?

Biology/Immunity Vaccines

A. While data on the relative effectiveness in these groups is still limited, COVID-19 vaccines are safe for immunosuppressed people and help protect against severe COVID-19 disease. TL;DR: ➡️ None of the vaccines contain live virus and cannot cause infection. ➡️ Even if immune response is lower in the immunosuppressed, the vaccine will induce some Read more…

Any more examples of pandemic heroes?

Vaccines

A: Yes! We love this story about cheesemakers and dairy farmers helping rural Wisconsinites get access to the COVID-19 vaccine in the name of reaching “curd” immunity! In rural communities, populations tend to be older and rates of co-morbidities that increase risk for severe COVID-19 tend to be higher. In addition, access to the internet Read more…