Category: Infectious Diseases
COVID-19 Delta Variant Q & A with Drs. Cindy Gay and David Wohl
David Wohl, MD, and Cindy Gay, MD, MPH Cindy Gay, MD, and David Wohl, MD, are featured in a new video about the COVID-19 Delta variant, vaccine efficacy and mRNA vaccine safety. Dr. Gay is an associate professor in the division of infectious diseases and leads vaccine clinical trials at UNC for the Moderna and Novavax vaccines. Dr. Wohl is professor of medicine in infectious dis … Read more
Wohl Pens Op-Ed to Encourage Vaccination against Delta Variant
David Wohl, MD Regardless of their rationales, unvaccinated people serve as kindling for the delta fire. David Wohl, MD, professor of infectious diseases, wrote an op-ed titled, “As cases rise, the US is throwing the unvaccinated a lifeline. Take it.” Read his article here.
Congratulations, Graduates!
(L-R) Program coordinator Hunter Davis, Graduates Laura Rachal, Min Kim, Daphne Villanueva, Program Director Michelle Floris-Moore, Graduate Arianne Morrison, and ICHID Director David van Duin at the ID Program Graduation in June 2021. June 30th marked the completion of the ACGME portion of ID fellowship for three ID Fellows, Arianne Morrison, Laura Rachal, and Min Kim; along wit … Read more
Wohl Contributed to Recent News Stories About COVID-19 Variants
David Wohl, MD NC Medical Schools, Health Systems Forming Network to Analyze Delta Variant The latest data shows the Delta variant represents about 13 percent of COVID-19 cases in North Carolina, but that data is about a month old, according to a CBS-17 news report published July 18, 2021. “It is inevitable this is going to be the dominant virus here very, very shortly,” said Dav … Read more
Study Compares Mortality Among People Entering HIV Care with General US Population
Joseph Eron, MD HIV-related mortality has decreased since 1996 due to improving treatments and evolving care guidelines, but the extent to which persons entering HIV care have a higher risk for death over the following years, compared with peers in the general population, has been unclear. Joseph Eron, MD, the Herman and Louise Smith Distinguished Professor of Medicine and chief … Read more
Study Finds Bamlanivimab Reduces Risk of COVID in Skilled Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities
Myron Cohen, MD Myron Cohen, MD, is the lead investigator of a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that shows bamlanivimab monotherapy reduced the incidence of infection in skilled nursing homes and assisted living facilities with high risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure. The randomized phase 3 clinical trial included 966 residents and staff … Read more
Browne Lab Earns NIH Grant to Study Cannabis Effects on HIV Reservoir
Edward Browne, PhD The National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the NIH, is funding the Browne lab in the UNC HIV Cure Center for a study on the effects of cannabis use on the reservoir of HIV that is dormant within patients but becomes activated and spreads when antiretroviral medications are ceased. This phenomenon is called HIV latency, and it’s considered the main barrier to … Read more
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Wohl Says If People Are Waiting For a “Magical Moment” to Get Vaccinated, This Is It
David Wohl, MD The delta variant now accounts for half of the COVID-19 cases in many areas of the U.S., President Joe Biden said Tuesday, urging unvaccinated Americans to get the COVID-19 shots as the U.S. faces a dramatic rise in the “hypertransmissible” variant of the coronavirus. An NBC Today Health report asks experts about the effectiveness of current vaccines against the de … Read more
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Here’s How to Design Drug Trials to Defeat the Next Pandemic
Myron Cohen, MD Myron Cohen, MD, began his career fighting HIV in the early 1980s, and he’s been battling the epidemic around the world ever since. But he has never worked as hard to generate new therapies and save lives as he has during the Covid-19 crisis. “Desperation or urgency can push us away from the scientific method,” Cohen said in a CNN Health report. “It is better to n … Read more
As Delta Variant Spreads, Doctors Urge Balancing Safety and Celebration Over Holiday Weekend
David Weber, MD, MPH As fireworks shows and 4th of July events return across the Triangle, doctors stress the need for people to celebrate safely. “The Delta variant has steadily increased in the US from just being a few percent a number of weeks ago to CDC reports more than 20% of all the cases,” said David Weber, MD, MPH, in an ABC-11 news report. “Sitting at say an outdoor st … Read more
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How Will We Know If NC’s Vaccine Lottery Is Working?
David Wohl, MD The number of North Carolinians getting their first shots has plateaued during the three weeks since the state announced a series of $1 million drawings for vaccinated people. An ABC-11 news report recognizes the numerous incentives being offered to persuade people to get their shots, and asks experts if they are working. David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in th … Read more
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NC’s $25 Cash Card Program Expands to 38 Counties As State Hopes to Boost Vaccination Rates
David Weber, MD, MPH North Carolina health officials are expanding the number of locations where you can get a $25 cash card for getting the COVID-19 vaccine or taking someone to get vaccinated. The $25 is meant to offset the time and transportation costs of getting the shot. After a trial period in just a few North Carolina counties, the program is expanding. David Weber, MD, MP … Read more