The question is not “how well do masks work”. The question is “how well does THIS mask work HERE”. I collaborated on this post with @dr.risahoshino , a highly respected and knowledgeable pediatrician in NY. We lay out for you the science, rationale, and critical thinking behind the decision to wear a mask. Mask wearing is highlyContinue reading “How do masks work?”
Category Archives: Public Health
Tracking Variants
So many questions about how we track variants and if a PCR test is able to tell you if you have a Delta infection. @dr.berthahidalgo and I teamed up to walk you through how variants are identified. Key points:1️⃣ PCR testing is effective at telling you if you have COVID-19.2️⃣ Full genome sequencing is able to detectContinue reading “Tracking Variants”
Monitoring Adverse Events
Monitoring for adverse-events after vaccination is fundamental to public safety and is taken very seriously. But how does it work? There is a very robust system in place to monitor for safety! Let’s get to know it so we can place our trust in it. Understanding is power. In this post I go over theContinue reading “Monitoring Adverse Events”
Hierarchy of Evidence
What is the hierarchy of evidence and how should you use it? The hierarchy of evidence is a tool that allows you to understand the quality of the information you are viewing. Importantly, a hierarchy assumes that each level builds on the previous. This means that all levels are important, even if they should beContinue reading “Hierarchy of Evidence”
Herd Immunity
@my_np_jenna and I worked together on this post that goes over the basic concepts of herd immunity and how it relates to COVID-19! 🙌🏼 In a nutshell, herd immunity thresholds are based on the contagiousness of the pathogen in question. This is captured by the reproduction number (R0) of a disease, which estimates the average numberContinue reading “Herd Immunity”
Maternal Mortality
I got to work with @sciencewhizliz on this very important slide deck! More attention needs to be paid to maternal mortality rates both globally and within the United States. While preparing this deck I was very surprised by just how much more risk there is in the US compared to other similarly developed/wealthy countries. More focus needsContinue reading “Maternal Mortality”
Masks after the shot?
Why have you been hearing that’s it recommended you continue wearing your mask even after being vaccinated? This post goes over it! In a nutshell, the clinical trials for Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech were designed to focus on disease inhibition and decreased disease severity. Participants were only tested if they were experiencing symptoms. Therefore, asymptotic casesContinue reading “Masks after the shot?”
False Negatives and False Positives
False Negatives (-) and False Positives (+)! Any detection test (viral, hormone, antibody, etc.) has a limit of detection which defines how sensitive it is, and an inherent specificity which determines how much it will pick up antigens similar to, but not, the target. A more sensitive test will result in fewer false negatives -theContinue reading “False Negatives and False Positives”