Category: Infectious Diseases
Wohl Urges Americans to Wear Masks
David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases urged everyone to wear a mask as COVID-19 cases spike and health officials look ahead to what could be a deadly holiday season. “It’s not an act of defiance, it’s an act of denial by not putting on a mask,” Wohl told WRAL News. “Please wear a mask, it’s patriotic, it helps protect fellow Americans. It’s … Read more
A Presidential Experiment: What are Monoclonal Antibodies?
David Wohl, MD When President Donald Trump was hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), he received an experimental treatment that is still in clinical trials, including at UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill. Monoclonal antibody treatment uses antibodies manufactured in a laboratory that are designed to attached to the coronavirus to prevent it from entering into cel … Read more
Can Scientists Take the STING Out of Common Respiratory Viruses?
Stanley M. Lemon, MD Stanley M. Lemon, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases and department of microbiology and immunology, and his lab, with GSK colleagues, have discovered the majority of rhinoviruses need a human protein called STING to infect cells and replicate to cause disease. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the … Read more
Parr Recognizes More Trials Are Needed to Validate Tocilizumab For COVID-19 Treatment
Jonathan Parr, MD Tocilizumab, used for rheumatoid arthritis because it suppresses part of the immune response, has now been widely used for Covid-19 patients, but new studies cast doubt on the drug and the “hypothesis underlying its use.” A New York Times and Washington Post article recognized two studies in JAMA Internal Medicine and one in The New England Journal of Medicine … Read more
Sickbert-Bennett Talks to Washington Post About Using Public Bathrooms During Pandemic
Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, MS Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, MS, associate professor of infectious diseases and director of infection prevention at UNC Medical Center, told The Washington Post that regardless of how the virus may be transmitted — either through aerosolization or via surface contamination — preventive measures remain the same: Wear a mask and practice good hand hy … Read more
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Wohl Comments On Growing COVID-19 Cases in North Carolina
David Wohl, MD In a WRAL interview, David Wohl, MD, commented on the growing number of people in North Carolina with COVID-19 and the increase in hospitalizations, with more than 1,000 being hospitalized every day. “We are not being as careful as we need to be,” Wohl said. “We have entered phase 3 so there has been loosening of restrictions, and I think we are seeing the result. … Read more
Sickbert-Bennett Explains How Small Gatherings Provide the Right Conditions For Silent Spreaders.
Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, MS Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, MSc, told WRAL that being in intimate gatherings can be more threatening for contracting the coronavirus than being at crowded events. “What we see from the epidemiological data, the contact tracing and the outbreak investigations is that the majority of the cases are really closely connected to each other by closer con … Read more
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Wohl Tells WRAL News How False Negative Tests For COVID-19 Can Happen
David Wohl, MD, MPH David Wohl, MD, MPH, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, explained to WRAL News how false negative tests for COVID-19 can occur, and “suggests waiting at least five days or so after exposure before getting tested to be sure and so the end result isn’t a false negative test result.” Wohl also recognized that time is needed for the viru … Read more
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Wohl Explains Why False Negative Tests Can Happen
David Wohl, MD David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases offered advice on what to do after exposure to the coronavirus. “If you’ve been exposed to a known case of COVID-19, your job is to stay out of circulation, be away from people and then after some time getting a test,” explained Wohl in a WRAL interview. He emphasized that getting tested t … Read more
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Wohl Featured in UNC Health Media Briefing
David Wohl, MD In a new UNC Health Media Briefing on COVID-19, David Wohl, MD, answers questions on topics that include: • What we know about President Donald Trump’s battle with COVID-19. • How UNC Health medical specialists are using Remdesivir and Dexamethasone as well as experimental treatments to help COVID-19 patients. • What the reopening of North Carolina means in the bat … Read more
Gay Featured On NPR Talking About Vaccines
Cindy Gay, MD, MPH WUNC Producer Charlie Shelton-Ormond talked with Cindy Gay, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, the primary investigator of a Phase 3 clinical trial for a COVID vaccine taking place at UNC-Chapel Hill. Learn more from the UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine Newsroom.
Third Episode of ‘Confronting the HIV Epidemic’ Released
Lisa Hightow-Weidman, Kate Muessig, and Lina Rosengren-Hovee The third episode of a new series produced by Medscape Video features the work of three members of the UNC Behavior and Technology Lab in the division of infectious diseases. The series, titled “Confronting the HIV Epidemic,” includes interviews with BATLab Director Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH; BATLAB Global Division … Read more