Politics, Science, and Other Assorted Musings
I love helping people understand issues and look at them from a different perspective. In this blog, I hope I can offer you some new insights—bridging the gap between basic science and your medicine chest—as I am still a practicing physician, as well as having had broad clinical research experience. I'm interested in developing new medicines and treatments, as well as caring for patients—and explaining these topics for you.
As medicine has evolved, so have my interests. I have also become increasingly interested in health disparities, social justice issues, and ethics. I invite you to join me as we explore a variety of territories. I hope that reading these posts will encourage you to learn, engage, and above all, work for the forces of good.
If there are topics you'd like to see me cover, please let me know—I welcome your input as to what you would like us to discuss in this column.
Coronavirus - COVID19
Please note that I will be posting Coronavirus Tidbits of news here. You can sign up for updates by clicking the box at the right and subscribe to Covid, Politics, and Science. All Covid posts will go here, and I will upload back issues as I have time. Please share w friends. Thanks!
I’m going to have a reference file here for articles I have found particularly worthwhile, and will update this here as we learn new information. Click on the COVID-19 Resources, below, to expand that.
If you see something terrific, please share. We’re all in this together.
Quick links News Diagnostics Drugs Devices Epidemiology/Infection control Tips Politics Feel good du jour Comic relief Perspective/Poem Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. New Post: Surveillance for Measles Is a Victim of the COVID Pandemic A drop in surveillance and missed vaccine schedules due to the pandemic means potential new outbreaks of measles and other infectious diseases. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/963438 News New COVID variant alarms researchers, triggers travel bans South Africa’s health ministry, in an urgent media briefing yesterday, announced the detection of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant, B.1.1.529, that has quickly outpaced the Delta (B1617.2) variant and has a host of mutations that might change how the virus behaves. The new findings triggered an unprecedented and fast response in science and government ranks yesterday, with experts raising deep concerns about the new variant’s mutation profile and the World Health Organization (WHO) today convening its technical advisory group (TAG), with speculation swirling that it would designate B.1.1.529 as the…
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Quick links News Diagnostics Drugs Devices Epidemiology/Infection control Tips Politics Feel good du jour Comic relief Perspective/Poem Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. New post: Should You Worry About Disease Transmission in Public Bathrooms? https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/963106 News Austria moves to full COVID-19 lockdown, national vaccine mandate Battling an unprecedented surge like some of its neighbors, Austria’s government today announced a full lockdown, the first in Europe to take such dramatic steps amid the continent’s fourth surge. Europe’s latest surge is its biggest, and last week, the World Health Organization’s European region recorded its highest weekly total of the pandemic: nearly 2.19 million cases. Meanwhile, in the United States ahead of the winter holidays, cases continue to spike in the Midwest, with numbers rising in the Northeast, as well. High vaccination level not enough Earlier this week, Austria ordered a lockdown for unvaccinated people, but Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said the measure didn’t boost vaccination levels enough, according to the Washington Post….
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Quick links News Diagnostics Drugs Devices Epidemiology/Infection control Tips Politics Feel good du jour Comic relief Perspective/Poem Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. New post: Covid Vaccine Equity, G20 And Moderna https://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2021/11/13/covid-vaccine-equity-g20-and-moderna/?sh=7f61c64238e4 News Almost 80% of Americans believe or are unsure about at least one Covid falsehood https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-media-and-misinformation/?utm_source= ~ ~ ~ Germany joins France and others to advise against Moderna vaccine for people under 30 Germany’s vaccine advisory board issued a recommendation on Wednesday against using Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in individuals under 30. The Standing Commission on Vaccination, a group of health experts that develops national recommendations for vaccine policy, said only Pfizer’s vaccine should be used for individuals under the age of 30 and pregnant women. “Current reporting analysis shows that heart muscle and pericardial inflammation in boys and young men and in girls and young women under 30 years of age were observed more frequently after vaccination with (Moderna’s vax)than after vaccination with (Pfizer’s),” a…
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Quick links News Diagnostics Drugs Devices Epidemiology/Infection control Tips Politics Feel good du jour Comic relief Perspective/Poem Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. New posts: Covid-19, Brazil’s Bolsonaro, And Herd Immunity If Bolsonaro is charged with crimes against humanity in part for pushing herd immunity. Should other leaders be, too? An interview w Dr. Deisy Ventura, Prof of Ethics at the Faculty of Public Health, University of São Paulo https://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2021/11/06/covid-19-brazils-bolsonaro-and-herd-immunity/?sh=41c3eb015af6 ~ ~ ~ Pediatric Community Acquired Pneumonia: Lower Amoxicillin Dose and Shorter Duration May Be Effective For mildly-moderately ill children, 3 days treatment with Amoxil appears no worse than 7 days, with fewer side effects. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/962250 News Good communication from a trusted source: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Unvaccinated? Don’t Count on Leaving Your Family Death Benefits These days, workers who refuse to get vaccinated against covid-19 may face financial repercussions, from higher health insurance premiums to loss of their jobs. Now, the financial fallout…
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Quick links News Diagnostics Drugs Devices Epidemiology/Infection control Tips Politics Feel good du jour Comic relief Perspective/Poem Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. New post: CDC Sleuths Find Source Of Deadly Melioidosis Outbreak Is A Room Spray Sold At Walmart https://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2021/10/24/cdc-sleuths-find-source-of-deadly-melioidosis-outbreak-is-a-room-spray-sold-at-walmart/?sh=73014fc7e307 News FDA authorizes Pfizer vax for kids 5-11 yo https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-emergency-use-children-5-through-11-years-age ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Merck to allow other nations to produce new COVID-19 antiviral Merck and the United Nations-based Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) today announced a licensing deal that will allow pharmaceutical companies in other countries to make molnupiravir-an investigational antiviral to treat COVID-19-a step that would ease access in low- and middle-income countries. First agreement of its kind for the pandemic Results from promising clinical trials suggest that the drug, the first oral treatment of its kind for COVID-19, could be an important tool for cutting hospitalizations and deaths. Fearing a repeat of the inequitable global rollout of COVID-19 vaccine, global health…
Read MoreQuick links News Diagnostics Drugs Devices Epidemiology/Infection control Tips Politics Feel good du jour Comic relief Perspective/Poem Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. My latest posts: Florida’s Private School –The “Brain School Centner Academy– With $25,000 Price Tag Promotes Anti-Vax Misinformation https://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2021/10/20/floridas-centner-academy-promotes-anti-science-anti-vax-misinformation/?sh=7f1ac2975816 ~ ~ ~ Florida’s DeSantis Taps Controversial Surgeon General Ladapo As Covid Rates Soar https://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2021/09/25/whats-going-on-in-florida-are-they-trying-to-bring-back-deadly-infections/?sh=6b26e96ead1b News PSA: ~ ~ ~ Co-Administering COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccines Found Safe and Effective During today’s U.S. CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting, Ruvim Izikson, M.D., MPH, presented ‘Phase II safety and immunogenicity study of the coadministration of an influenza vaccine and high-dose flu shot. This study is essential since the new COVID-19 vaccine primary series timing and strategy, and older adults are most likely eligible for COVID-19 boosters and their annual influenza vaccine during the same window of time. This scheduling conflict creates the risk that many seniors get vaccinated only for one or the other; with the priority on the…
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Quick links News Diagnostics Drugs Devices Epidemiology/Infection control Tips Politics Feel good du jour Comic relief Perspective/Poem Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. Recent articles: Transparency in Communications Is Essential for Trust A few days ago, my local hospital announced it was on “diversion.” The “explanation” from UPMC was cryptic and unsatisfying. The hospital diverted ambulances to other communities more than 75 minutes away over mountain roads. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/959819 ~ ~ ~ First Drug for Dengue Found to Be Effective in Mice Researchers at KU Leuven Rega Institute and Center for Drug Design and Discovery (CD3), Leuven, Belgium, have identified a new target for treating dengue in collaboration with Jannsen Pharmaceutica, NV. As reported in Nature, the antiviral compound showed strong activity in mice for prophylaxis against dengue and for treatment of the infection. Dengue is a viral infection acquired through the bite of an Aedes mosquito. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/960589 News COVID lesson: trust the public with hard truths When…
Read MoreQuick links News Diagnostics Drugs Devices Epidemiology/Infection control Tips Politics Feel good du jour Comic relief Perspective/Poem Bits of beauty Announcements: First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. News Giving flu, COVID vaccines at same time appears to be safe, effective Giving the flu vaccine at the same time as the second dose of the AstraZeneca/Oxford or Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine appeared to be safe and induce immunogenicity, according to a non-peer-reviewed study in The Lancet yesterday. “Our findings demonstrate that concomitant administration of six different combinations of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines raises no safety concerns, produces acceptable reactogenicity profiles and preserves immunogenicity.”Sep 30 Lancet preprint study https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/10/covid-19-scan-oct-01-2021 ~ ~ ~ FDA to hold Advisory Committee meetings next week on J&J and Moderna boosters, and EUA for kids’ vax https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-hold-advisory-committee-meetings-discuss-emergency-use-authorization-booster-doses-and-covid-19 ~ ~ ~ Half of severe COVID-19 patients have symptoms after a year, Wuhan study finds Sept. 29 (UPI) — Older people and those who suffer more serious illness initially are more likely to experience lingering symptoms…
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Quick links First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. News COVID-19 may trigger hyperglycemia and worsen disease by harming fat cells COVID-19 may bring high risks of severe disease and death in many patients by disrupting key metabolic signals and thereby triggering hyperglycemia, according to a new study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian. Booster recap: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recent Authorization coincides with the CDC’s new guidance, which is as follows: People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, People aged 50-64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their 2-dose Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, People aged 18-49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks, and People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting…
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Quick links First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I’m getting. Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don’t be shy about that. What’s Going On In Florida? Are They Trying To Bring Back Deadly Infections? State Government Penalizes Vaccinated by Rationing Regeneron Antibody Treatment… to preserve supplies for those who are unwilling to get vaccinated and remain most vulnerable News ~ ~ ~ Diagnostics: still an incredible, negligent last of testing. Drugs and Vaccines: This (below) is a good perspective on why there was a discrepancy between what the ACIP recommended and what Dr. Walensky/CDC decided about boosters–which was to extend them to people at occupational risk. I believe that was the correct decision to make. ~ ~ ~ 26. Even with highly effective boosters, if there’s a lot of #Covid in the community & a lot of introduction into nursing homes by unvaccinated staff, boosters won’t stop cases in nursing homes, #ACIP is told. Higher vax rates among staff would have a greater impact. 29. Among people who got a 3rd dose of mRNA, side effects were comparable to dose 2, but were reported at slightly lower…
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