Category: Infectious Diseases
Antibody Treatments Can Slow Hospitalizations Due to COVID, But Vaccines Are Best
Myron Cohen, MD Myron Cohen, MD, professor of medicine in infectious diseases and director of the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, said masks and vaccines remain the best line of defense against Covid in an NBC News story. “You want to prevent any disease you can, rather than treat it, because the consequences of the infection are grave,” he said. At the s … Read more
Five-Year $3 Million Grant Will Study Pay-It-Forward Approach to Gonorrhea Testing
Weiming Tang, PhD, Joseph Tucker, MD, PhD, and David van Duin, MD, PhD Pay-it-forward programs, whereby someone receives a gift or free service and then gives a gift to another person in return, have expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide an opportunity for healthcare providers to reduce costs, increase uptake of interventions such as testing and vaccines, and promote … Read more
Wohl Discusses New FDA Criteria For Identifying Patients at High-Risk For Covid-19
David Wohl, MD David Wohl, MD, commented on new FDA criteria by which patients should be considered high-risk for severe COVID-19, expanding the pool of patients who can receive antibody treatment. In a Wall Street Journal report, Wohl said as many as 75% of adults in the US could qualify for treatment under the new criteria. “With the criteria expanded, we have so many more peop … Read more
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Vaccine Boosters to Roll Out Next Month, As NC Hospitalizations From Delta Variant Surge
David Wohl, MD The News & Observer reports on the Biden administration plans for COVID-19 vaccine boosters to combat waning immunity, as the delta variant causes cases to surge in North Carolina and the rest of the nation. Meanwhile, North Carolina reported the most hospitalizations in the state due to the virus since Jan. 29. David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in the divi … Read more
Weber Contributes Data to Discussions Regarding Student Vaccine Requirements
David Weber, MD, MPH Orange County Schools middle and high school students who are unvaccinated and want to play sports or take part in certain extracurricular activities will need to be tested twice a week for COVID-19. The school board decided in a unanimous vote to require the testing for students who want to be a cheerleader or join the band, chorus or theater this year. Davi … Read more
When Could We See Delta Peak in North Carolina?
David Wohl, MD (Credit: CBS-17) The numbers of new COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions keep climbing. That raises a critical question — when will they finally peak? CBS-17 interviewed David Wohl, MD, to learn more. “Under the current circumstances, unless there was a dramatic change, we’re talking about a peak in late October, early November,” said Wohl, professor of medicine … Read more
Mother-Infant Hepatitis B Treatment, Prevention Feasible in Sub-Saharan Africa
Peyton Thompson, MD A study in Lancet Global Health led by Peyton Thompson, MD, MSCR, assistant professor of pediatric infectious diseases, and Jonathan Parr, MD, MPH, assistant professor in adult infectious diseases, showed the feasibility and acceptance of hepatitis B virus testing, treatment, and vaccination programs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Hepatitis B virus ( … Read more
UNC HIV Cure Center Awarded $26.2 Million Over the Next 5 Years
David Margolis, MD The National Institutes of Health will award $53 million annually to 10 research organizations over the next five years to continue working toward curative therapies for HIV. The Collaboratory of AIDS Researchers for Eradication (CARE), led at the UNC HIV Cure Center by David Margolis, MD, is one of two programs to have received funds for all three five-year gr … Read more
Delta Variant Puts Hospitals Back in Crisis Mode
David Wohl, MD The Washington Post reports that with only about half of the U.S. population fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, hospitals across the country are straining to respond to a deadly fourth surge of infections driven by the delta variant. David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, who monitors the dashboard that tracks hos … Read more
Convincing Teens to Get Their Shot As School Year Nears
David Wohl, MD (Credit: WRAL.com) A WRAL.com report says officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are working to boost teen vaccination rates as students prepare to head back to the classroom. David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in infectious diseases said vaccination rates are lower than what they are for the adult population. “This is a crisis … Read more
US Likely to Greenlight COVID Booster Shots for Everyone, Here’s Why
David Weber, MD, MPH David Weber, MD, MPH, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, explained in a CBS-17 news report why COVID booster shots are needed for everyone. “We would like to, in healthcare, give as best protection as we can and it may be that boosters offer a way to improve protection,” said Weber. He also pointed out that increasing the dosing doe … Read more
Weber Discusses EUA Vaccine Booster For Immunocompromised Patients
In response to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granting Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for the use of a third “booster” vaccine dose in severely immunocompromised patients, Contagion Live spoke to infectious disease, virology, and vaccinology experts on the merits of a booster vaccine dose EUA. David Weber, MD, shared his thoughts following … Read more