News
Creech explains challenges with pediatric vaccine trials
Oct. 15, 2021—Research to develop successful vaccines to help slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has taken place very publicly and at a historically fast pace. More recently, as the delta variant caused a surge in cases and threatened the safety of children returning to school, researchers have labored to finish pediatric COVID-19 vaccine trials and companies have...
Clayton discusses religious exemptions with COVID-19 vaccines
Oct. 13, 2021—With COVID-19 vaccine mandates proliferating across the country in the public and private sectors as well as some school districts, the pushback from those unwilling or hesitant to get their shots is heating up. The vaccination effort has raised new questions about exemptions because mandates for adults are generally rare outside of settings like healthcare...
Katz sees increase in children with MIS-C after latest COVID surge
Oct. 7, 2021—More than 195 cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have been reported statewide since May 2020, according to Tennessee Department of Health data. The number of cases has more than tripled since early February when the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed about 51 cases in Tennessee. Pediatricians at Monroe Carell...
Schaffner comments on quadrivalent flu vaccines
Oct. 7, 2021—William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center: The entire influenza vaccine manufacturing industry has been moving toward quadrivalent vaccines for a decade. And this year, everybody is there in all their formulations. That’s great since every vaccine will protect against four strains of the influenza virus. Quad is associated with about...
Kids’ colds didn’t take a break during the pandemic, says Halasa
Oct. 4, 2021—As cases of influenza and other respiratory viruses plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic for kids and adults alike, rhinovirus and enterovirus continued to infect children at typical rates, a multicenter study suggested. In a surveillance analysis involving more than 35,000 children who presented to emergency departments or were hospitalized for acute respiratory illness, 29.6% tested...
Tsosie uses biomedical research to seek genomic justice
Oct. 1, 2021—Krystal Tsosie, M.P.H., says there’s a word for the gathering of genetic samples and data from underrepresented populations, including Indigenous people. “It’s just colonialism,” Tsosie said. “If we really want to talk about justice and genomic justice, then we really have to talk about data equity. And also empowering data decisions from Indigenous communities like...
Talbot discusses CDC’s plan for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots
Oct. 1, 2021—The Covid-19 vaccine booster shot’s side effects appear to largely mirror how people felt after their second dose, according to a study published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot, an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, said she was not surprised by the apparent...
Schaffner discusses possible side effects of the COVID-19 booster shot
Sep. 30, 2021—COVID-19 booster shots have been authorized for a select group of people in the U.S. who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. And, if you’re one of them, you probably have some questions about what potential side effects you could experience after getting your third dose. Now, a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) breaks down...
Talbot comments on health care workers and COVID booster shots
Sep. 27, 2021—The FDA authorized booster doses for Americans who are 65 and older, younger adults with underlying health conditions and those in jobs that put them at high risk for COVID-19. The ruling represents a drastically scaled back version of the Biden administration’s sweeping plan to give third doses to nearly all American adults to shore...
Schaffner discusses offering Pfizer booster vaccines to those who qualify
Sep. 27, 2021—Starting Friday, Metro Nashville Public Health began offering Pfizer booster vaccines to those who qualify. “If you have a series of underlying illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease and the like. You’re also eligible,” explained Dr. William Schaffner, a global infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Schaffner says boosters are a new,...
Schaffner talks to The Washington Post about COVID-19 vaccine boosters
Sep. 23, 2021—A second shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine boosts protection against symptomatic and severe covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the drug company announced early Tuesday. Those booster shots also generated additional antibodies, molecules churned out by the immune system to help fight off infections. “It’s very exciting news,” said Vanderbilt University Medical...
Fill named Top 40 Under 40 in Public Health
Sep. 21, 2021—As the deputy state epidemiologist, Dr. Mary-Margaret Fill has played an important role in helping Tennessee combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Serving as a liaison between the on-the-ground public health teams and senior leadership at the Tennessee Department of Health and the Governor’s Office, Mary Margaret has helped officials explain the intricacies of the underlying data...
Creech is looking to determine the right dose amount for the COVID-19 vaccine in children
Sep. 21, 2021—Researchers said children under 12 could be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine in time for the holidays. The FDA could give emergency approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in the next few weeks, and researchers said now is the time for parents to talk to their child’s pediatrician. “I would suggest to parents, now is...
Chung receives early investigator award from ASCPT
Sep. 20, 2021—Cecilia Chung, MD, MPH, associate professor of Medicine, has received the 2022 Leon I. Goldberg Early Investigator Award from the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (ASCPT). The award was established in 1986 to honor scientists for accomplishments in the field of clinical pharmacology within 10 years of completing an advanced degree, residency program...
Antoon looks at severe COVID disease in children
Sep. 20, 2021—Over the course of the pandemic, researchers nationwide noticed differences in COVID-19 disease between children and adults. While risk factors for hospitalization and poor outcomes are well documented in adults, less is known about the clinical factors associated with COVID disease severity in children. In an effort to aid mitigation strategies for children who are...