KPFA - Corona Calls

KPFA - Corona Calls

By KPFANewsPolitics
Download on the App Store

KPFA - Corona Calls episodes

  • Corona Calls for 10.23.2023 – Serotonin and Long COVID

    Discussed in this episode:

    • A new article in the journal Cell finds Long Covid associated with reduced levels of serotonin circulating in the bloodstream. (The authors’ explanation: the persistent presence of the virus, and/or its fragments, causes the body to crank out more type I interferons. The interferons cause  inflammation in the gut that reduces uptake of serotonin, and hypercoagulability (micro-clots) in the blood that make it harder to retain serotonin. The lowered serotonin levels cause symptoms like brain fog and chronic fatigue.) Why it matters: if serotonin’s the problem, then those forms of Long Covid may have a treatment: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), like Prozac. Reference: Wong, Andrea C. et al.: Serotonin reduction in post-acute sequelae of viral infection
    • The CDC’s presented results of a new case-control study with mixed results for Paxlovid’s potential to reduce rates of Long Covid. The agency’s data confirm the anti-viral cocktail reduces Long Covid rates among people over 50, show no statistically significant benefit for adults under 50 and, counterintuitively, show it may increase the incidence of Long Covid symptoms in adolescents.

      • To send in questions: [email protected]

      Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

      The post Corona Calls for 10.23.2023 – Serotonin and Long COVID appeared first on KPFA.

      36 min
    • Corona Calls for 10.10.2023 – How does Novavax compare to mRNA vaccines?

      Discussed in this episode:

      How does Novavax compare to mRNA vaccines? It is different from a traditional vaccine, as it is a protein entering the immune system. Comparatively, mRNA vaccines facilitate the generation of proteins that can be protective. The Novavax results seem to be similar to mRNA vaccines, and some studies have shown that the protection provided can keep people from getting sick for up to four months. The smaller-scale operation of Novavax will gradually pick up. This is not the first non-mRNA vaccine that has been publicly distributed. The differences compared to the J&J vaccine are as follows:

      • J&J uses mRNA technology to code an identical virus vector to generate a reaction from the immune system. This is no longer available given the rare side effects it causes in 2021.

        • Could Novavax potentially be a better suited for people who have stronger reactions to mRNA vaccines?

        It is important to get the newest vaccine sooner rather than later, since the comparative benefits will become more clear later in a few months.

        Could the Nobel prize win for Covid vaccine scientists propel forward more research on using mRNA technology?

        Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

        The post Corona Calls for 10.10.2023 – How does Novavax compare to mRNA vaccines? appeared first on KPFA.

        39 min
      • Corona Calls for 10.10.2023 – Novavax Vaccine Approval

        Discussed in this episode:

        • Novavax approved and in production for US adults and teens
        • mRNA vaccine developers receive Nobel prize in medicine

          • Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

          The post Corona Calls for 10.10.2023 – Novavax Vaccine Approval appeared first on KPFA.

          32 min
        • Corona Calls for 10.02.2023 – What we know about when you’re infectious just changed

          Discussed in this episode:

          • Early in the pandemic, studies showed the amount of SARS-COV2 in nasal swabs peaked right about the time people got their first symptoms — helping to establish that a lot of spread was attributable to pre-symptomatic people. A new study shows viral load is now peaking 4-5 days after symptom onset, possibly because widespread population immunity means symptoms appear sooner in the course of infection.
            • The most immediate implication concerns how to use home tests, which are not sensitive enough to detect low levels of the virus: if you have symptoms, and test negative on a home test, you don’t want to rely on that negative home test result. You can try to confirm a negative result with a PCR test. (If you test positive on a home test you almost certainly *do* have COVID).
            • The WHO is now recommending new influenza vaccines drop the component targeting Influenza B / Yamagatta, a strain which appears to have gone extinct when early COVID lockdowns slowed the spread of many other infectious diseases.

              • We’ll start taking listener questions again next week (which will happen Tuesday because Monday is Indigenous Peoples Day). Send your questions to [email protected]

              Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

              The post Corona Calls for 10.02.2023 – What we know about when you’re infectious just changed appeared first on KPFA.

              29 min
            • Corona Calls for 09.25.2023 – Has the swell crested?

              Discussed in this episode:

              • Based on hospitalizations and sewage monitoring, the late-summer swell of cases seems to have crested
              • In anticipation of a larger winter surge, multiple Bay Area counties are mandating healthcare workers wear masks starting November 1.

                • Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

                The post Corona Calls for 09.25.2023 – Has the swell crested? appeared first on KPFA.

                29 min
              • Corona Calls for 09.18.2023 – Is Long COVID getting less common?

                Discussed in this episode:

                • COVID hospitalizations continue to trend up, nearly doubling rates from mid-summer. (That’s a large increase from a low baseline: in most of the country, hospitalization rates are still what the CDC considers “low.”)
                • A new observational study using patient data from Stockholm suggests the percent of COVID cases that result in a Long Covid diagnosis has dropped with each new major variant

                  • Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

                  The post Corona Calls for 09.18.2023 – Is Long COVID getting less common? appeared first on KPFA.

                  39 min
                • Corona Calls for 09.11.2023: The wave meets the booster

                  Discussed in this episode:

                  • The FDA is poised to issue final approval of a new round of COVID vaccines as soon as today; a CDC advisory committee will issue recommendations on who should get it tomorrow (Tuesday); the new shots could be available as soon as Friday.
                  • The vaccine is re-calibrated to target the main variant that was in circulation this Spring (XBB.1.5); there’s a roundup of studies estimating its efficacy against the variants currently in circulation here

                    • Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

                    The post Corona Calls for 09.11.2023: The wave meets the booster appeared first on KPFA.

                    38 min
                  • Corona Calls for 09.05.2023 – BA.2.86 (“Pirola”) Revisited

                    Discussed in this episode:

                    New results from laboratory testing suggest BA.2.86 (nicknamed “Pirola”) may not be the menace people assessing its genetic sequence initially feared. These studies attach the spike protein from a COVID subvariant onto a harmless pseudovirus, then watch how it interacts with our cells and antibodies in a test tube.

                    • The first series of lab tests (still in preprint) suggests: BA.2.86 is somewhat better at evading antibodies from vaccination or prior infection, but also less able to infect our cells when it’s not intercepted by antibodies. This may explain the epidemiological data for BA.2.86, which so far doesn’t show the kind of explosive growth trajectory associated with, for instance, the Omicron wave.
                    •  Another lab’s work showed that the antibodies produced in response to recent subvariants in the XBB lineage target Pirola better than antibodies from the variants in circulation a year ago.

                      • That’s not an all-clear: COVID levels in wastewater samples are rising in most parts of the country! But it’s other subvariants driving the increase, none yet with the explosive growth rate that characterized the emergence of Omicron in the winter of 2021.

                      Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

                      The post Corona Calls for 09.05.2023 – BA.2.86 (“Pirola”) Revisited appeared first on KPFA.

                      41 min
                    • Corona Calls for 08.28.2023 – B.2.86 (“Pirola”)

                      Discussed in this episode:

                      • The new subvariant B.2.86 (nicknamed “Pirola”) is drawing concern  in public health circles because a large quantity of mutations suggest it could be very effective at evading immunity from vaccination or infection from prior strains. It’s already been detected in multiple countries, including the US.
                      • A new study in Nature confirms the value of layered COVID defenses: during Omicron, vaccination was enough to reduce infection among prisoners exposed to someone infected on their cellblock, but not enough to protect them from infection by someone sharing their cell, suggesting the vaccines work best in combination with non-pharmaceutical interventions (masks, ventilation, distancing) that reduce total exposure.

                        • Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

                        The post Corona Calls for 08.28.2023 – B.2.86 (“Pirola”) appeared first on KPFA.

                        38 min
                      • Corona Calls for 08.21.2023: Boosterpalooza

                        Discussed in this episode:

                        • Considerations when timing and combining the COVID booster due out this fall, the annual flu vaccine, and the newly-approved RSV vaccine.
                        • A new study suggests you might get a better immune response from getting all your COVID shots in the same arm. (The study only measured antibodies and T-cells in blood samples, not actual health outcomes).

                          • Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

                          The post Corona Calls for 08.21.2023: Boosterpalooza appeared first on KPFA.

                          36 min

                        About KPFA - Corona Calls

                        From the publisher's feed

                        A weekly update on new research and developments concerning COVID-19 (and occasionally other infectious diseases that hit the news).