KPFA - Corona Calls

KPFA - Corona Calls

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KPFA - Corona Calls episodes

  • Corona Calls for 08.14.2023: Mitochondria and Long Covid

    Discussed in this episode:

    • A new paper in Science Translational Medicine draws results from animal experiments, human samples, and human autopsies to suggest a mechanism for some cases of Long Covid: the virus binds to a protein on our cells’ mitochondria and can enduringly alter their function.

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

      The post Corona Calls for 08.14.2023: Mitochondria and Long Covid appeared first on KPFA.

      36 min
    • Corona Calls for 08.07.2023 – Eris (EG.5.1)

      Discussed in this episode:

      • CDC genomic surveillance shows a new subvariant (EG.5.1, or “Eris” to people who like to give subvariants nicknames) accounting for a larger and larger share of positive COVID tests. That could mean it’s contributing to the current surge in cases.
      • Dr. Swartzberg’s recommended reading on Long Covid: the National Institutes for Health conducts and publishes relevant research at recovercovid.org ; the Infectious Disease Society of America also publishes regular writeups on new research and treatment guidance

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

        The post Corona Calls for 08.07.2023 – Eris (EG.5.1) appeared first on KPFA.

        37 min
      • Corona Calls for 07.31.2023 – A surge?

        Discussed in this episode:

        • Data aggregated by the CDC shows an increase in COVID hospitalizations, in positive test rates among people seeking emergency care, and in SARS-COV2 levels in wastewater samples. 
        • You can look up COVID levels in California wastewater on a system-by-system basis here

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

          The post Corona Calls for 07.31.2023 – A surge? appeared first on KPFA.

          35 min
        • Corona Calls for 07.24.2023 – Genetics and COVID

          Discussed in this episode:

          • New research published in Nature examined if people who got infected without showing symptoms had something in common genetically. They did: a mutation on the  HLA-B (that’s short for Human Leukocyte Antigen) gene. In the laboratory, T-cell samples collected from those people *before* infection reacted strongly to SARS-COV2, suggesting the mutation helps the immune system respond to other, less-serious coronaviruses in a way that is also effective against COVID-19.
            • Reference: Augusto, D.G., Murdolo, L.D., Chatzileontiadou, D.S.M. et al. A common allele of HLA is associated with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nature (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06331-x

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

            The post Corona Calls for 07.24.2023 – Genetics and COVID appeared first on KPFA.

            23 min
          • Corona Calls for 07.17.2023 – Is it over?

            Discussed in this episode:

            • The morning newsletter at the New York Times, citing excess mortality data, suggests the pandemic is “over”
            • The WHO’s updates show COVID deaths are down almost everywhere right now — including the southern hemisphere, which is in the middle of winter. That suggests COVID’s not settling into an endemic pattern of seasonal spread (yet).

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

              The post Corona Calls for 07.17.2023 – Is it over? appeared first on KPFA.

              38 min
            • Corona Calls for 07.10.2023

              Filling in for Brian Edwards-Tiekert, Philip Maldari hosts Covid Calls this week, featuring Dr. John Swartzberg, Clinical Professor Emeritus of Infectious Diseases at UC Berkeley.

              Discussed in this episode:

              • Growth of the anti-vaccination movement and its weaponization in US politics
              • The spread of Measles in the United States
              • The rules and timelines for receiving a monovalent vaccine in the upcoming months
              • Getting the Chickenpox or Varicella vaccine for children and adults interacting with children

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

                The post Corona Calls for 07.10.2023 appeared first on KPFA.

                37 min
              • Corona Calls for 07.03.2023 – Covid correlation with pediatric diabetes, and more

                Filling in for Brian Edwards-Tiekert, Jesse Strauss hosts Covid Calls this week, featuring Dr. John Swartzberg, Clinical Professor Emeritus of Infectious Diseases at UC Berkeley.

                Discussed in this episode:

                • Covid infectiousness correlated with particular blood types: https://fortune.com/well/2023/06/27/which-blood-type-greater-risk-getting-covid-19/
                • The childhood diabetes rate has risen in correlation with covid – we discuss whether there’s a causal link: https://www.ajmc.com/view/pediatric-diabetes-dka-rates-increased-during-early-covid-19-pandemic
                • In hindsight – are schools vectors for covid transmission?: https://missionlocal.org/2023/06/docs-reflect-on-race-schools-three-years-into-covid-19/

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

                  The post Corona Calls for 07.03.2023 – Covid correlation with pediatric diabetes, and more appeared first on KPFA.

                  40 min
                • Corona Calls for 06.26.2023 – Mpox warnings

                  Dr. Swartzberg is off this week! Our guest expert is Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, professor of medicine and infectious disease physician at UCSF Medical Center.

                  Discussed in this episode:

                  • The public health department in Los Angeles is warning it confirmed six new Mpox cases over last week.
                  • The Mpox vaccine is widely available, and no longer restricted to people at high risk of exposure and/or serious disease. Californians can make a vaccination appointments through the the same MyTurn site as for Covid vaccines.

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

                    The post Corona Calls for 06.26.2023 – Mpox warnings appeared first on KPFA.

                    40 min
                  • Corona Calls for 06.20.2023

                    Brian was off camping this week. Philip Maldari sat in as host. Discussed in this episode:

                    • A key FDA committee has advanced plans for a fall booster drive using a monovalent vaccine targeting the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant.
                    • Why the US COVID death rate looks so much higher than the rest of the world’s (some of the answer is differences in record-keeping; the gap between the US and countries with similar reporting systems is largely the cost of inequality and poor access to health care )

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

                      The post Corona Calls for 06.20.2023 appeared first on KPFA.

                      34 min
                    • Corona Calls for 06.12.2023: New Metformin trial

                      Discussed in this episode:

                      • A randomized controlled trial shows the cheap, widely-available diabetes drug Metformin significantly reduces (by 41%) the likelihood of long covid in unvaccinated people who get infected: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(23)00299-2/fulltext
                        • (Vaccinated and boosted people still did considerably better than unvaccinated people who received Metformin. Vaccinated people didn’t receive enough added benefit from Metformin to achieve statistical significance in a trial of this size).
                      • UK researchers deliberately (!) infected volunteers with COVID to study how much virus they emit, by what routes, and when: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(23)00101-5/fulltext
                        • (The results confirm that home rapid tests are very good at detecting whether someone is infectious at the moment they’re tested–only 2% of the live virus detected in the study was collected before tests started turning positive.)
                      • A study shows mouse neurons infected with COVID in a laboratory can fuse together, a possible explanation for symptoms like “brain fog” in people with Long Covid: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg2248

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

                        The post Corona Calls for 06.12.2023: New Metformin trial appeared first on KPFA.

                        39 min

                      About KPFA - Corona Calls

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