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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I’m really stressed out. And I feel like it might be getting worse, not better.

Mental Health

A: You are not alone: Surveys tell us that adults in the U.S. are reporting the highest stress levels since the early days of the pandemic. If the obvious stress-busting advice hasn’t helped, we’ve got some bigger-picture ideas to ponder. According to the American Psychological Association’s just-released January 2021 Stress Snapshot, 84% of American adults Read more…

Where the heck is the flu?

Data and Metrics Staying Safe

A: There has been incredibly low influenza activity this season. Yay! Turns out, masking, washing hands, staying home when sick, and vaccinations really do work! Influenza season typically starts around October, peaks between December and February, and then tapers off. And flu is no joke. In the 2019-2020 flu season, the CDC estimated flu caused Read more…

What’s the current advice on the COVID-19 vaccine and pregnancy?

Families/Kids Vaccines

A: Overall, there is no evidence that risks of vaccination would outweigh the benefits for pregnant women, but specific guidance varies by country. Why no clear guidance? As with almost all drug/vaccine trials, the current Phase III COVID-19 clinical trials did not include pregnant women (though some participants became pregnant during the Pfizer and Moderna Read more…

Debunking of Dangerous and False Vaccine Rumors

Uncertainty and Misinformation Vaccines

Thanks to our awesome partner Your local epidemiologist for this science-based debunking of some really dangerous and false vaccine rumors circulating recently. Update: Your local epidemiologist’s post reached a couple million people. The Facebook algorithm has removed it, so we’re just gonna paste the content here. #FactsMatter “COVID19 vaccines will destroy our lives” posted by Read more…

Help! I’m so confused…which is the best mask?

Masks

A: Check out our mask cheat sheet below, and #MaskUp! Remember the 2 keys to mask effectiveness: 💥FILTRATION and FIT Nerdy Girl mask ranking: 1️⃣ N95 2️⃣ KF94 (Korea), FFP2 (Europe) 3️⃣ KN95s (buyer beware: manufacturer should hold a ‘NIOSH Certificate’) 4️⃣ Double-mask (cloth mask on top of surgical, OR cloth mask with filter insert) Read more…

Meet Those Nerdy Girls – Dr. Amanda Simanek

Uncategorized

This week in Meet the Nerdy Girls, we’re delighted to introduce Dr. Amanda Simanek, PhD, MPH! Dr. Simanek is a social epidemiologist who studies the psychosocial determinants of infectious disease, links between infection and chronic disease, and the pathways by which social inequities in health occur across the lifecourse and across generations. We asked her Read more…

Home poop tests anyone?

Testing and Contact Tracing

Q: I’ve heard that some colleges are testing wastewater from dorms to find out if there is Covid. Does this mean there could be accurate(ish) home fecal tests in our future? I can’t decide if I want the answer to be yes or no. A. The Nerdy Girls support innovation, accuracy, affordability, and accessibility. And Read more…

Dear Pandemic COVID Q&A

Masks Vaccines Videos

In this live Q&A, Dear Pandemic contributing scientists Drs. Malia Jones & Michelle Kinder will be tackling questions from our readers about the different kinds of vaccines, vaccine side effects, and questions about masks! If you have a question, put it in our question box at www.dearpandemic.org. ➡️ Welcome, Intros, and Announcements (0:00-2:10) ➡️ Explainer Read more…

Update on Novavax and Johnson & Johnson Vaccines

Vaccines

BREAKING NEWS: It’s been an eventful last 24 hours with release of Phase III trial results from both Novavax & Johnson & Johnson! TL;DR: We have two more vaccines with very good (but not perfect) protection against symptomatic disease, but *very* good protection against severe disease. The J&J one dose regimen along with regular temperature Read more…