News
Schaffner: Full vaccination is necessary for optimal protection against Covid-19
Aug. 6, 2021—Full vaccination is necessary for optimal protection against Covid-19 — especially the highly contagious Delta variant, which accounted for an estimated 93.4% of all cases in the US in the two weeks ending July 31. Dr. William Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, echoed Walensky’s take on how vaccination lowers the intensity of Covid-19 symptoms...
Delta variant breakthrough risk is low when vaccinated says Creech
Aug. 6, 2021—While the delta variant is more contagious and may be more severe, studies show the vaccines are still effective at preventing severe illness and death, despite the small chance of breakthrough infections with them. “We don’t hear all the stories of people that came into contact with someone who had Covid and didn’t get sick,” said Dr. Buddy Creech,...
Patrick comments on pediatric COVID-19 vaccine study
Aug. 6, 2021—The number of U.S. adolescents and young adults who screened positive for depression and suicide risk increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study suggests. Researchers examined electronic health records from 68,699 people ages 12 to 21, who received primary care at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The proportion of youth screening positive for depressive...
VUMC prepared to handle mass casualty events says Guillamondegui
Aug. 4, 2021—According to Dr. Oscar Guillamondegui, any trauma where three or more people are hurt is considered a mass casualty event. And Tuesday morning, as ambulances and police descended on Smile Direct Club and news of a mass casualty shooting broke in Antioch and across the nation, Dr. Guillamondegui and his staff of level 1 trauma...
Edwards comments on possible COVID-19 vaccine side effects
Aug. 4, 2021—Over half of eligible Americans have received a COVID-19 vaccine, and many have experienced common side effects – things like sore arms, maybe a fever. But some people say they have also had changes to their menstrual cycles. NPR’s Geoff Brumfiel investigates. This is just a small fraction of the many tens of millions of...
Schaffner talks to CNN about COVID-19 protocols in schools
Aug. 4, 2021—Covid-19 protocols vary across the country, but when children go back to school, districts will need to know how to respond to outbreaks quickly. Districts need to be prepared to enact contact tracing, testing, the quarantining of people who were exposed to the virus and the isolation of people with infections, Dr. William Schaffner, a...
Neuzil comments on new vaccine protection data
Aug. 2, 2021—Executives of the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer predicted Wednesday that vaccine boosters would soon be needed, a declaration that came on the same day the company published data showing that its coronavirus shots remained robustly protective six months after vaccination, providing nearly complete protection against severe disease. Hours later, Israeli health officials moved toward making boosters available for older residents....
WSJ talks to Schaffner about breakthrough Covid-19 cases
Aug. 2, 2021—As the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads, more vaccinated Americans are reporting they have tested positive for Covid-19. A breakthrough infection is when someone who received a Covid-19 vaccine contracts the virus more than 14 days after they have been fully vaccinated. Breakthrough infections are rare and generally mild. Most don’t require hospitalization, according to Dr. William Schaffner, a...
Mansilla and Vaidya discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion in public health
Jul. 30, 2021—Vanderbilt Master of Public Health Students Kristyne Mansilla ’22 and Avi Vaidya ’22 recently reflected on their experience in the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Virtual Student Leadership Institute (SLI). The two students were nominated by the Program to join the two-day training session during National Public Health Week in April. They joined...
Talbot discusses the delta variant
Jul. 30, 2021—Dr. Thomas Talbot, chief hospital epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and professor of medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, explains what we already know about the delta variant.
ABC News talks to Schaffner about updated CDC mask guidelines
Jul. 29, 2021—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday cited new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant in revising its mask guidance to now recommend that everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission — vaccinated or not — wear a mask in public, indoor settings. The agency also called for universal masking in schools....
Dusetzina comments on federal court ruling that could legalize Medicare copays
Jul. 29, 2021—Three years ago, pharma giant Pfizer paid $24 million to settle federal allegations that it was paying kickbacks and inflating sales by reimbursing Medicare patients for out-of-pocket medication costs. By making prohibitively expensive medicine essentially free for patients, the company induced them to use Pfizer drugs even as the price of one of those medicines, covered by Medicare and Medicaid,...
Talbot’s Influenza network sizes up COVID
Jul. 26, 2021—Compared to adults hospitalized with influenza, adults hospitalized with COVID-19 during the initial months of the pandemic had 15 times the risk of admission to intensive care, 16 times the risk of being placed on a ventilator, and 20 times the risk of death during hospitalization. That’s according to a report in Clinical Infectious Diseases by H. Keipp Talbot, MD, MPH, and fellow investigators in the Hospitalized Adult Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network,...
Schaffner comments on COVID-19 boosters and vaccine safety
Jul. 23, 2021—Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet Thursday to make recommendations on how to address new safety issues concerning the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine and to review preliminary data on whether Covid-19 vaccine boosters will be needed in the future — especially for people with compromised immune systems. Dr. William...
Current MPH student Antoon talks to Time Magazine about why RSV Is having an off-season surge
Jul. 23, 2021—Dr. James Antoon, an assistant professor of pediatrics at VanderbiltUniversity Medical Center, often goes an entire summer without diagnosing a single case of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The common illness, which typically results in mild, cold-like symptoms but can be severe in infants and elderly adults, usually goes along with the winter flu season. But...