For Insight On New Covid-19 Variants, Look To Natural History Of Coronaviruses
I’ve long been a believer in taking lessons from nature, not the laboratory, to understand biology, ecology, and human disease. That’s particularly true of natural infections. When I first learned that Covid-19 was caused by a coronavirus, I hit the books and …
Why Patterns In Covid-19 Variation Might Resemble Seasonal Flu
We’ve learned that some variants of SARS-CoV-2 are more transmissible. Equally troubling is the possibility that future variants — or ones currently circulating off our radar — will in some way compromise our natural immune response, complicating our ability to treat critically …
Biden’s Covid-19 Plan Is A Welcome Relief — But It Needs To Go Further
With great relief, we welcome President Biden’s inauguration and his administration’s robust and rational Covid-19 recovery and economic stimulus plan. The $1.9 trillion plan includes positive steps that public health experts have been calling for since the beginning of the pandemic. While …
The US must develop a national vaccine registry
Vaccine distribution in the United States to this point has been inefficient and ineffective. The incoming Biden administration offers hope that efforts can be turned around, but the concrete strategies to accomplish the turn-around are yet to be detailed. To simplify vaccine …
Can SARS-CoV-2 Become Even More Troublesome Than The UK And South African Variants?
Random variation is an essential component of all living things. It drives diversity, and it is why there are so many different species. Viruses are no exception. Most viruses are experts at changing genomes to adapt to their environment. We now have …
New Covid-19 Variants Reshape Our Understanding Of Reinfection
Random variation is an essential component of all living things. It drives diversity, and it is why there are so many different species. Viruses are no exception. Most viruses are experts at changing genomes to adapt to their environment. We now have …
When Society Returns To Normal Post-Pandemic, Common Viruses Will Return In Droves
Social distancing, wearing masks, and limiting group gatherings are all proven measures to control the spread of Covid-19. If more people follow those safety restrictions actively, the pandemic would be at a much better stage than it currently is. Though, Covid-19 policy …
Why America Should Look To China To Contain Covid-19
Since the earliest days of the Covid-19 pandemic, American news media has been rife with stories about how China handled – or according to many of the reports, mishandled – the initial outbreak. The most recent is a story in the New York …
How The Vaccine Rollout Went Wrong And What To Do Next
It’s been nearly a month since the Food and Drug Administration granted its first vaccine emergency use authorizations to Moderna and Pfizer. Since then, only about 7 million doses were administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At …
Are We Creating Immune Resistant Variants Of SARS-CoV-2?
Random variation is an essential component of all living things. It drives diversity, and it is why there are so many different species. Viruses are no exception. Most viruses are experts at changing genomes to adapt to their environment. We now have …