All the posts from our Dear Pandemic Facebook page dating back to May 1st, 2020, are currently archived here and can be searched for by category, key words, etc. Be sure to check back often as additional posts are being added each day.
💥 The FDA Vaccines and Biologics Product *Advisory* Committee met on Thursday to discuss recommendations on a third dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine and on Friday to discuss a second dose of Johnson and Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine. 💥 The committee unanimously recommended a 3rd half dose of the Moderna vaccine for people over the age …
A) Runny noses are tricky. On one hand, they’re a common symptom of COVID-19. On the other hand, they are usually due to some other bug. Getting tested is the only way to know for sure what you’ve got. Whether or not you test, be kind and spare others not just from the sniffles, but …
A: Give a strong, clear, favorable recommendation; be persistent; listen with empathy; address concerns; and keep the door open to keep talking about it! Receiving a strong recommendation in favor of vaccination from a trusted source is one of the most important reasons someone accepts immunization. Each of us can be that trusted source for …
On the eve of the US FDA meetings some long awaited results from the US Mix and Match booster trial. TL;DR: ➡️ A boost of ANY vaccine raised antibodies a lot, no matter your first type of vaccine. ➡️ Boosting with an mRNA vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer) after an original Johnson & Johnson vaccine produced …
Immunologists who *really* do their own research on this topic have thoughts. Check out this infographic from the British Society for Immunology: TL;DR: ➡️ For most people vaccination will induce more effective & longer lasting immunity compared to natural infection. ➡️ Even if you’ve had COVID-19, vaccination will significantly boost the immunity you have from …
A: Yes- BUT those odds are not as good as they sound. Ask yourself- would you let your family board a plane if 1 out of 100 passengers were going to be thrown out of the plane mid-flight? We continue to hear the “99% survivable” argument as a reason not to get the COVID-19 vaccine. …
Malaria is, in a word, awful. And there’s a lot of it. And the new vaccine for malaria is honestly meh. It’s safe, but its efficacy is nothing to sing about. That said, even a little improvement in malaria prevention multiplied by several hundred million people means a huge positive impact. The newly recommended vaccine …
A) To test or not to test? When in doubt, test. If testing access is limited, prioritize testing after riskier activities and when you pose a high risk to others. Continue using SMARTS layers of protection on top of testing. Read on for the TL;DR on when testing adds the most value and how to …
A: YES! In fact, the US CDC recently released a health advisory strongly encouraging pregnant people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent serious illness, death, and bad outcomes for the pregnancy. Pregnant persons who get COVID-19 are more likely to need ICU admission, need help breathing with machines and tubes, and even death. They …
A: A well-fitted, high filtration mask such as N95, KN95, FFP2 or KF94. ⚠️ Delta is more transmissible, in part due to infected people shedding more virus from their nose and mouth. While vaccination is still your #1 defense against Delta, it’s also a good idea to UPGRADE YOUR MASK when you are in higher …
