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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Is there a timeline for vaccinations for children? Do the “herd immunity” projections include children?

Biology/Immunity Families/Kids Vaccines

A: Trials for children 12+ are currently in progress for both the Moderna (ages 12-17; still enrolling!) and Pfizer (ages 12-15; done enrolling!) vaccines with the most optimistic timeline for vaccine approval in kids 12+ by the start of the 2021 school year. Children will need to be vaccinated for us to achieve herd immunity, Read more…

Addressing vaccine-related misinformation among essential workers

Uncertainty and Misinformation Vaccines

Today we’d like to showcase an example of a strategy to address vaccine-related misinformation among essential workers. The linked video was made by Dr. Eain Murphy, a Bronx-born virologist, together with the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York (UFA), the union representing the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). Dr. Murphy was a childhood Read more…

Is there any reason to avoid fever reducers such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen with vaccine administration?

Vaccines

A: It is generally recommended NOT to pretreat with fever reducers prior to vaccine administration, but if you develop a fever or feel uncomfortable after the vaccine you can take over the counter medicines. Pretreating may decrease the immune response to the vaccine. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen work by dampening the immune response. Ibuprofen is in Read more…

Does in-person schooling contribute to COVID-19 spread?

Infection and Spread School

A: It’s complicated. TL;DR: Two new well-designed studies find evidence that in-person schooling *does not* contribute to COVID spread when baseline community spread is LOW, but that in-person schooling *does* contribute to worsening COVID metrics when baseline COVID transmission is high. Thus far the research on schools and COVID-19 has been quite muddy, but two Read more…

You asked for more Heroes of the Pandemic. We’ve got ’em! Dr. Ala Stanford

Social and Racial Justice Vaccines Women in STEM

Tonight we’re honored to introduce Dr. Ala Stanford, pediatric surgeon and founder of Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium in Philadelphia. Dr. Stanford has had an extraordinary career in medicine filled with both adventure and service. No stranger to “stepping up and stepping in”, she leapt into action in April, 2020 when she realized that Black Philadelphians Read more…

I’ve reached a new mental low. It doesn’t seem like I’m getting the vaccine any time soon, and I’m just … done.

Mental Health

A: Deep breath. Experts told us the winter was going to be hard, and here we are. Research suggests that choosing (and accomplishing) a highlight each day — one activity, goal or project that is most important to you – will boost your self-efficacy and help you keep on keepin’ on. Feeling bored, anxious, irritable Read more…

Meet Those Nerdy Girls – Dr. Sandra Albrecht

Uncategorized

Time for us to meet our next Nerdy Girl! Introducing Dr. Sandra Albrecht, PhD, MPH. Dr. Albrecht is a regular contributor here at Dear Pandemic, and is also the Editor-in-Chief at our Spanish-language sister site, Querida Pandemia. Like several of the other NG’s, Dr. Albrecht is a researcher trained in social epidemiology. She studies the Read more…