ABA SVP Paul Benda discusses the continued downward trend in COVID cases and what the fancy models predict, provides an update on vaccines for kids, discusses boosters (and mixing and matching vaccines), reviews a new report on surface contamination, and evaluates where we stand on OSHA’s emergency temporary standards and whether most banks considered federal contractors for purposes of the Biden administration's vaccine and testing mandate.

ABA SVP Paul Benda discusses a slight downturn in COVID cases, Pfizer data from its vaccine trial for kids, the risk of myocarditis from vaccines, booster shots for Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson and some good news on "long COVID."

ABA SVP Paul Benda discusses coronavirus case rates in kids, drivers for infection and when their vaccine may be available; the value and efficacy of home tests; the pending availability of booster shots; and a quick review of the Biden COVID-19 "action plan."

Recorded slightly later in the week to account for Labor Day-related reporting delays, ABA SVP Paul Benda discusses the plateau seen in national COVID-19 case counts (and the case decline in several states that saw Delta variant surges), examines the rise in the proportion of cases that are due to children getting infected and does a deep dive into ivermectin in response to listener questions.

ABA SVP Paul Benda discusses potential vaccine booster shot plans, risk and benefit calculations for vaccinating 5-12-year-olds, an unmasked teacher in California who gave the virus to half of her students, testing trends and just what is going on with Ivermectin.

ABA SVP Paul Benda discusses how COVID-19 case count growths are slowing, looks at Israel’s skyrocketing case count and why it may not be a good analog to the U.S., discusses what full FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine means, examines some of the items OSHA is looking at and considers just how long does that N95 mask you have actually lasts.

Paul Benda welcomes you to ABA’s twentieth episode of the weekly Pandemic Update podcast. Once again, it’s all about the Delta variant, which now likely makes up 99% of US cases. This week, Benda discusses current and potential future trends, hospitalization rates—including children—and shares some exciting news about booster shots. He also parses some data on vaccine effectiveness from Israel and newly released CDC studies, and discusses updated OSHA recommendations.

Paul Benda welcomes you to ABA's twentieth episode of the weekly Pandemic Update podcast. Again, not much good news to report this week. Benda discusses the continued spread of Delta and the potential to ration care in some states. He introduces some data on masks and mask recommendations for kids, a new journal article proving COVID is airborne, and a potential timeline for full FDA approval of the vaccine and what it might mean for off-label use. To round it out, he provides some not so good news on the effectiveness of recovered immunity in comparison to vaccine immunity.

In this episode of the ABA Pandemic Update, Paul Benda breaks down the science behind the Delta variants' hyper-infectious nature. It’s all Delta all the time and things keep getting worse and likely to get worse before it gets better. He reviews vaccine effectiveness with Delta, the breakthrough Provincetown cluster, and how to mitigate your risk of getting infected.

On the latest ABA Pandemic Update, Paul Benda does not have much good news to report. He discusses the Delta surge, vaccine effectiveness and safety, new CDC mask guidance, an unwelcome delay on the COVID vaccine for those 12 and under, and he tries to figure out how bad things will get before they get better.