Trustworthy and accurate health info for moms like me! Monday updates
This has been a difficult year for everyone, but especially for doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers. Looking for holiday gifts for the healthcare providers in your life? Read on for four great ways to show them your appreciation and maybe make their New Year a little brighter!
Hopefully you’ve heard the exciting news by now: Last week, both Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their COVID-19 vaccines are about 95% effective! This is groundbreaking news that had changed the way that many physicians and public health professionals – including myself – think about these vaccines. But, you may be wondering what does “95% effective” really mean, both for the vaccines themselves and the pandemic? Read on for an explanation.
Let’s be honest: the longer the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, the harder it is to give up our treasured traditions. For many Americans like myself, Thanksgiving is one of the most important traditions. My extended family has gotten together, sometimes traveling far distances to do so, for a big Thanksgiving dinner for as long as I can remember. It’s important to me, I want it for my kids, and after so many months of social distancing I really want to spend time in the same room as my family.
But.
This Thanksgiving, we will celebrate in our own separate homes in front of the video chat and I strongly encourage and ask you and your family do the same, for their and your own protection. Read on for reasons why.
You’ve probably already heard about risks of COVID-19 for older adults and people with certain high-risk conditions. But, new data is showing that COVID-19 can also be particularly risky for pregnant women and the babies they are carrying. Are you or someone you love pregnant? Read on for more information on risks to pregnant women during this pandemic, and important preventive steps.
“How soon will a COVID-19 vaccine come out?” That’s one of the top questions I’ve been asked over the last several months. It’s usually followed with “Is it being rushed?” Unfortunately, the answer to the first question is still unclear. However, there are real, evidence-based reasons why and how scientists are achieving the seemingly-impossible: developing a vaccine against COVID-19 within months of the first identified cases. This post will discuss those reasons and whether the vaccine is being rushed.
Halloween is nearly here! Are you ready? The COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t mean you and your kids can’t still have a spooky fun time; read on for expert tips to keep your kids and yourself safe and healthy while still enjoying Halloween this weekend.
Last week Johnson & Johnson announced that they were temporarily pausing their COVID-19 vaccine clinical studies in order to review and evaluate an unexpected illness in an individual participating in their study, less than 3 weeks after their Phase 3 study had started. Another COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, also had its clinical studies paused in July and September for similar reasons. Read on for my thoughts on what this may mean for potential COVID-19 vaccines and their safety.
This past June, the New England Journal of Medicine published two articles describing a then-newly identified complication of COVID-19 infection in children, which the CDC had named Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C. At the time, it was unclear whether this complication was unique to children. However, the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) recently published a case series summarizing 27 cases of a similar condition in adults.
If you’ve been following the news, then you may have heard conflicting information about how soon a COVID-19 vaccine will become available. Unfortunately, my crystal ball is hazy on that front, but I think it’s fair to say that whenever a COVID-19 vaccine or vaccines first come out, initial supplies will be limited and focused on front-line healthcare workers, other essential workers, and people at high risk of severe COVID-19 infection. It may be several months before we have widespread COVID-19 vaccine available, so keep wearing face masks and social distancing until then!
Although there are still a lot of questions about when COVID-19 vaccine will come out, we’re starting to get a clearer picture of which COVID-19 vaccines may be available. There are currently four U.S. COVID-19 vaccines in the third (and final) phase of clinical trials prior to approval. It’s important to keep in mind that not all vaccine candidates will necessarily be approved; the whole point of a clinical trial is to study whether a vaccine is safe and effective in as many populations as possible. This post summarizes the four vaccines that are currently farthest along, but it’s no guarantee that any of them will ultimately be approved.
Welcome back to another week! If your kids’ school year has begun, whether remotely, on-site or on a hybrid schedule, I hope it’s going well and they’re staying safe and healthy!
If you live in a northern climate, then the weather’s probably getting chillier and after six months of social distancing, the call of your favorite restaurant or café may be getting more and more attractive. Unfortunately, a recent study published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) suggests that spending time in restaurants, bars and coffee shops during the COVID-19 pandemic may be one of the riskiest choices we could make.
