Tag Archives: infection

Are Masks Really Effective?

Medical Musings, , ,
IMAGE ATTRIBUTION: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020)

In all the questions I’ve been directly asked or encountered online during the COVID pandemic, the effectiveness of masks is undoubtedly the most frequent. And rightfully so, when recommendations have swung so far from one side to the other it’s hard to know what to do. Added to the confusion are research studies that show masks are effective and others that show that they aren’t, and it becomes nearly impossible to make sense of it all. So what’s the truth? Are masks really effective?

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Why Asymptomatic COVID-19 is a Problem

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CDC/ Brian Judd/Photo credit: James Gathany

I got an interesting question about asymptomatic COVID-19 this week that seemed relatively straightforward, but is actually much more complicated. Isn’t it a good thing that a lot of people with COVID-19 have mild illness or no illness at all? Here’s why the answer to that question is both yes and no.

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Is the U.S. Doing Too Much or Too Little to Combat COVID-19?

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On Wednesday March 11, the NBA announced it would be suspending its season due to COVID-19, and other professional sports leagues soon followed suit. Over the past week, concerts, conferences, and other large gatherings were cancelled amid concern for the outbreak to apply a strategy known as “social distancing.” Students from universities across the country are being sent home, children are out of school, and employers are scrambling to develop guidance for employees to work remotely. And yet the reaction of the public is one of polar opposites: either sheer panic or no big deal (how very on-brand for the U.S.). 

Social distancing refers to literally creating more distance between individuals by enacting measures that prevent congregate settings. It may seem extreme, take for example this text my sister sent me this week:

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The Promise of Stem Cells Sells

Alternative Medicine, Medical Musings, Podcasts, The best of science in the media, , , ,

I recently binged the Wondery podcast Bad Batch from reporter Laura Beil. Like her previous podcast Dr. Death, Beil leads us through another fascinating medical mystery. This time, a handful of patients in Texas, Florida, and Arizona develop life-threatening infections after receiving an injection of stem cells.

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