A weekly update on new research and developments concerning COVID-19 (and occasionally other infectious diseases that hit the news).
We take questions via call-in during the live broadcast, Mondays at 7:33am Pacific, streaming via kpfa.org. Podcasts with show notes go up later the same day. Between live shows, we take questions via email at upfront@kpfa.org .
Our guest most weeks is Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. Our question-wrangler most weeks is Brian Edwards-Tiekert, host of KPFA’s morning public affairs program, UpFront.
Music: Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.
Discussed in this episode: Omicron subvariant JN.1 is now believed to account for a majority of all COVID cases worldwide. COVID hospitalizations are rising in the US, but less than at this time in previous years. To send in questions: coronacalls@kpfa.org Podcast music credit: Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.
Discussed in this episode: The CDC Covid Data Tracker is starting to show a significant uptick in COVID emergency room visits and hospitalization nationwide, though absolute rates are still low for most of the country, including California. To send in questions: coronacalls@kpfa.org Podcast music credit: Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.
Discussed in this episode: Just before Thanksgiving, the WHO asked China for data on a surge in respiratory illness that has reportedly led to long lines at hospitals, especially children’s hospitals, in the country’s north. China’s responses so far indicate it’s found no new pathogens driving the surge. The country’s health officials attribute it to … Continued
Discussed in this episode: The precautions Dr. Swartzberg’s taking when he travels to spend Thanksgiving with family: vaccines, masks, and tests Why we just don’t know yet whether nasal sprays like NoriZite actually help prevent infection The government is sending out more free tests. Here’s where to get yours: https://www.covid.gov/tests To send in questions: coronacalls@kpfa.org … Continued
Discussed in this episode: The subvariant rising to dominance in North America: HV.1 Getting vaccinated when your immune system is suppressed Combining Paxlovid with Metfomin To send in questions: coronacalls@kpfa.org Podcast music credit: Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.
Discussed in this episode: what Dr. Swartzberg reads to stay current The CDC Covid Data Tracker Dr. Katelyn Jetelina’s newsletter, Your Local Epidemiologist Dr. Eric Topol’s newsletter, Ground Truths To send in questions: coronacalls@kpfa.org Podcast music credit: Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.
A mailbag episode! (No new papers to discuss.) To send in questions: coronacalls@kpfa.org Podcast music credit: Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.
Discussed in this episode: A new article in the journal Cell finds Long Covid associated with reduced levels of serotonin circulating in the bloodstream. (The authors’ explanation: the persistent presence of the virus, and/or its fragments, causes the body to crank out more type I interferons. The interferons cause inflammation in the gut that reduces uptake … Continued
Discussed in this episode: How does Novavax compare to mRNA vaccines? It is different from a traditional vaccine, as it is a protein entering the immune system. Comparatively, mRNA vaccines facilitate the generation of proteins that can be protective. The Novavax results seem to be similar to mRNA vaccines, and some studies have shown that … Continued
Discussed in this episode: Novavax approved and in production for US adults and teens mRNA vaccine developers receive Nobel prize in medicine Podcast music credit: Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.
