Author Archives: Kim Morris

CBS-17 reports that one of the key COVID-19 numbers the state wants to be stable before further restrictions are lifted June 1 might be less valuable now than it was a few months ago. The test positivity rate — the percentage of tests found to be positive — hinges on how...

Cindy Gay, MD, MPH, was interviewed for a WTKR (Coastal, VA, and Northeastern NC) news report about enrolling children in Novavax Covid-19 vaccine trials at UNC.  She described the goal to enroll 3,000 adolescents ages 12-17 while prioritizing diversity throughout the age group in the trial. “It’s really important from...

Researchers at UNC and Duke have improved HIV care by gamifying it with a mobile gaming application. The study was co-led by Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH,  professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, and Kate Meussig, PhD, at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Gaming features – like...

CBS-17 news reports that many vaccine providers are preparing to vaccinate 12-15 year-olds as soon as federal health officials give the green light. “We can start immediately; we’re ready,” said David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, in the story. Wohl also told CBS-17 that...

UNC will administer the shots at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill weeks after the J&J vaccine underwent a nationwide pause based on guidance by the CDC. UNC Health’s David Wohl, MD, explained the delay for UNC returning to the J&J COVID-19 vaccine in a WRAL interview. “It really had...

Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, MS, was featured in La Neta Neta discussing a recent mask study. In the news story, she explains that the study team has been able to show that the double mask is not more effective because of the additional layers but because it offers a better fit....

NC Policy Watch reports the total number of vaccinations dropped by 23% over one week in April, an indication that North Carolina still faces challenges in achieving its vaccination goals. Now, the state Department of Health and Human Services wants to direct vaccination efforts toward neighborhoods where few people have gotten shots....

People who have received a COVID-19 vaccine may be wondering when they can safely hug loved ones, hang out with friends, and go to sporting events or concerts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued guidelines on what should (and should not) be done after becoming fully vaccinated....

G1 Therapeutics, Inc., a commercial-stage oncology company, announced that the peer-reviewed journal of Clinical Lung Cancer published the final pooled results from three clinical trials of COSELA™ (trilaciclib) in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). “Cancer patients have two major sources of physical suffering – the cancer itself and the...

In an article published by Explico.co, Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, MS, associate professor of infectious diseases, described mask combinations that were tested on volunteers, from a single cloth mask to folded surgical masks. The studies found that wearing a full coverage mask, such as a bandana or neck warmer over a...

Seth Berkowitz, MD, assistant professor in the division of general medicine and clinical epidemiology, was featured in the article “Food Insecurity Can Lead Straight to the ED,” a special report published in Emergency Medicine News. In the report he explains how the “emergency department is a powerful window into food...

Sofija Volertas, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology, allergy and immunology, was interviewed for a Pop Sugar article about working out before getting a vaccine. Volertas recognized that allergists don’t have a definitive answer for someone being 100 percent clear to work out pre-vaccine. But aside...