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Scientists detail link between molnupiravir and SARS-CoV-2 mutations

… that work in a similar way. Infectious disease topics COVID-19 Byline Lisa Schnirring Body A new paper suggests … Paxlovid, a recent study found that both drugs reduced COVID deaths and hospitalizations. Mutation signature matched …
Lisa Schnirring
molnupiravir pile

CDC respiratory virus official resigns as former ACIP members warn of immunization progress rollback

… US vaccination programs. Infectious disease topics COVID-19 Influenza Vaccines Public Health Childhood Vaccines … MD, a CDC medical officer who co-led the CDC COVID-19 vaccine work group r esigned saying the current … program. The group added Kennedy ’ s recent changes to COVID vaccine policy reflect a troubling disregard of the …
Lisa Schnirring
CDC headquarters

Group argues for name change for US vaccine safety monitoring system

… be able to counter misperceptions that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and … became more common after November of 2020, when COVID-19 vaccines were first being used under emergency … VAERS deaths were not confirmed to have been caused by COVID vaccinations. A lot of coincidental events wind up …
Stephanie Soucheray

More US teens hospitalized for mental illness during pandemic

… hospitals for mental illness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic reveals a steep increase in the monthly … in the Consortium for Clinical Characterization of COVID-19. Girls hit particularly hard The monthly proportion … pandemic and beyond," they wrote. Infectious disease topic COVID-19 Date Wed, 12/14/2022 - 15:06 Byline Mary Van …
Mary Van Beusekom

CDC tracking BA.2.87.1 SARS-CoV-2 variant

… isn't fueling a detectable increase in South Africa's COVID cases, the CDC said. So far, it's not clear how well … experience with the JN.1 variant suggests that the current COVID vaccine can help protect against a diverse range of … a variant under monitoring (VUM). Infectious disease topic COVID-19 Date Mon, 02/12/2024 - 15:15 Byline Lisa Schnirring …
Lisa Schnirring

Lab study: Sterilized reused respirators not effective enough against aerosolized particles

… respirators (FFRs) collected from nurses amid the COVID-19 pandemic were in good enough condition to undergo … reused FFRs (eg, N95s) collected from nurses who cared for COVID-19 patients at three hospitals.  Untorn respirators … hydrogen peroxide plasma gas sterilization. "During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a shortage of Filtering …
Mary Van Beusekom

Quick takes: School infection prevention, low US respiratory virus levels, polio in 3 nations

… in its weekly respiratory illness snapshot , which covers COVID-19, seasonal flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Flu test positivity declined last week, and COVID and RSV test positivity remained stable compared to the previous week. For COVID, wastewater detections of SARS-CoV-2 remained at the …
Lisa Schnirring

Analysis: Small but meaningful menstrual cycle changes follow flu vaccination

… an influenza vaccine with or without a co-administered COVID-19 vaccine was associated with a small and … and 710 were concurrently vaccinated for influenza and COVID-19. Overall cycle length increased by less than one day … while those vaccinated concurrently for influenza and COVID-19 experienced a mean increase of 0.49 (95% CI, 0.16 to …
Stephanie Soucheray
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189

Episode 189: Are We at Risk of Losing Our Vaccines?

In "Are We At Risk of Losing Our Vaccines?", Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss declining childhood vaccination rates, a statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics on non-medical exemptions for mandated vaccines, and the recent termination of $500 million in mRNA vaccine research contracts. Dr. Osterholm also covers the latest COVID data and shares another "This Week in Public Health History" segment. 

Medical vs nonmedical immunization exemptions for child care and school attendance: policy statement (Hackell et al., Pediatrics)

Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:

Voices for Vaccines

Families Fighting Flu

Vaccinate Your Family

Shot@Life

Medical Reserve Corps

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August 7, 2025
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192

Episode 192: Ice Cream and Shark Attacks

In "Ice Cream and Shark Attacks," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the FDA’s recent decision to authorize updated COVID-19 vaccines for limited groups, the confusion around access for those under 65, and the uncertain outcomes of this week’s ACIP meeting. They also cover ongoing upheaval at the CDC, provide updates on COVID-19 and measles, answer an ID Query on Chagas disease, and share the latest installment of This Week in Public Health History.

Vaccine Integrity Project Viewpoint: Four tips for understanding this week’s ACIP meeting

Vaccine Integrity Project - Fall Immunization Information

 

Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:

Voices for Vaccines

Families Fighting Flu

Vaccinate Your Family

Shot@Life

Medical Reserve Corps

Learn more about the Vaccine Integrity Project

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September 18, 2025
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165

Episode 165: Frustrating Times: H5N1, Mpox, & Vectorborne Disease

In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss H5N1 in cattle, mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the risk of different vectorborne diseases in the United States. Dr. Osterholm also discusses the newly available 2024-2025 COVID vaccines and shares the latest "This Week In Public Health History" segment. 

The world is not ready for the next pandemic (Michael Osterholm & Mark Olshaker, Foreign Affairs)

Interim clinical considerations for use of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States (CDC)

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September 5, 2024

Health workers, laypeople differ on how to allocate limited medical resources amid a crisis

… that goal, according to a survey launched early in the COVID-19 pandemic. University of California Los Angeles … than HCPs (9.04 vs 8.76). Infectious disease topic COVID-19 Date Wed, 03/13/2024 - 16:10 Byline Mary Van … if their HCP did so. "Because of how quickly the COVID-19 crisis worsened, decision-makers had to write …
Mary Van Beusekom

CDC updates BA.2.86 assessment as countries report more sequences

… including in the United States. Infectious disease topics COVID-19 Byline Lisa Schnirring Body The US Centers for … United States and emphasized that the country's rise in COVID hospitalizations is likely fueled by XBB viruses that …
Lisa Schnirring
covid in epithelium

Kids in state with flu vaccine mandate more likely to be vaccinated, study finds

… season. The team also used county-level community COVID-19 case counts from March 2020 to August 2020 to measure area COVID-19 severity. The average child age was 9.7 years, and … vaccinated children in a county with the greatest COVID-19 severity had a lower predicted probability of being …
Mary Van Beusekom

Poll: Public trust in government health advice drops further, as partisan divide widens

… (Bird Flu) Anti-science Public Health Childhood Vaccines COVID-19 Byline Lisa Schnirring Body An erosion in public … trust in government health agencies that began during the COVID-19 pandemic has continued over the past 18 months, … for some vaccines remains strong, at 83%. What about COVID and H5N1? On other health topics, KFF found that myths …
Lisa Schnirring
flag and stethoscope

WHO adds BA.2.86 to SARS-CoV-2 variant monitoring list

… EG.5, as variants of interest. Infectious disease topics COVID-19 Byline Lisa Schnirring Body The World Health … Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD, the WHO's technical lead for COVID-19, on Twitter said there is very limited information … needs closer monitoring. "Surveillance, sequencing, and COVID-19 reporting [are] critical to track known and detect …
Lisa Schnirring
SARS-CoV-2 sequencing

Study: Antibiotics don't reduce risk of death from viral respiratory infections

… two-thirds of patients hospitalized with flu, RSV, or COVID-19 received antibiotics, but they had a higher risk of … Infectious disease topics Antimicrobial Stewardship COVID-19 Influenza, General Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) … of the high rate of unnecessary antibiotic use observed in COVID-19 patients. Early studies during conducted during the …
Chris Dall
Intravenous therapy drip

No new SARS-CoV-2 strains seen in first 3 weeks after China lifted lockdowns

… variants or new strains. Infectious disease topics COVID-19 Byline Mary Van Beusekom, MS Body Since China ended its stringent zero-COVID policies in early December 2022, no new SARS-CoV-2 … the emergence of any new strains during the recent COVID-19 surge in China. Omicron] BA.5.2 and BF.7 are …
Mary Van Beusekom
SARS-CoV-2

CDC study highlights 'uneven' decline in resistant infections in US hospital patients

… but hospital-onset cases significantly increased during COVID. Infectious disease topics Antimicrobial Stewardship … declined during the first part of the study period, the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a significant increase in … they wrote. Overall decline masks sharp uptick during COVID To provide updated estimates for rates for community- …
Chris Dall
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales
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137

Episode 137: Variant Soup

In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss national and international COVID trends, record dengue outbreaks around the world, and the updated timeline for the new COVID booster shots. Dr. Osterholm also answers an ID query on leprosy in Florida and shares a moment of joy from one of our listeners.

Content Warning: This week's dedication and closing include discussion about suicide awareness and prevention. For listeners who would prefer to avoid this topic, we recommend skipping 3:35-6:28 and 1:00:34-1:03:32. 

    Resources for suicide loss survivors
    NAMI Family Support Group
August 10, 2023
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128

Episode 128: A Light at the End of a Tough Two Weeks

In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the state of the pandemic in the U.S. and around the world, the latest news on vaccines, and the current Marburg virus outbreaks in Africa. Dr. Osterholm also answers two COVID queries and shares a beautiful place from one of our listeners.

 

    Jane Ellen's beautiful place
April 6, 2023

81% of toilet samples from US-bound planes had Omicron RNA

… surveillance to provide an early warning system for COVID-19 and other pathogens. Infectious disease topics COVID-19 Byline Mary Van Beusekom, MS Body Two new studies … Weekly Report highlight new findings about air travel amid COVID-19, with one showing that 81% of wastewater samples …
Mary Van Beusekom
Airplane full of passengers

SARS-CoV-2 can infect coronary arteries and trigger heart attack, stroke, study suggests

… of the extent of plaque buildup. Infectious disease topics COVID-19 Byline Mary Van Beusekom, MS Body SARS-CoV-2 can … plaque at autopsy from eight patients who died of COVID-19. They also infected arterial and plaque cells, … after other respiratory viral infections such as the flu, COVID-19 patients are at more than seven times the risk for …
Mary Van Beusekom
Patient being defibrillated

Trump issues order to withdraw US from WHO

… to infectious disease outbreaks. Infectious disease topics COVID-19 Influenza, General Antimicrobial Stewardship Public … President Donald Trump cited the WHO's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and failure to implement reforms as among … WHO, an organization he has been highly critical since the COVID-19 pandemic. The first Trump administration announced …
Chris Dall
WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland
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158

Episode 158: An Unfolding Saga

In "An Unfolding Saga," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the latest H5N1, COVID-19, and measles news. Dr. Osterholm also answers an ID query on influenza and shares the latest "This Week in Public Health History" segment. 

Study confirms infection in mice fed H5N1-contaminated raw milk (CIDRAP News)

Akiko Iwasaki & Eric Topol Interview: The Immunology of Covid and the Future (Ground Truths)

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May 30, 2024

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