Omicron variant Q+A: What are the symptoms and can rapid tests detect it? | GBH News

CEID Faculty Dr. Cassandra Pierre answers the question, “Should I just get coronavirus now so I can have immunity and avoid getting sick later?” “More cases overall, even mild ones, mean more people are able to spread the virus — in turn leading to more severe disease and deaths. ‘So in a crowded, overtaxed healthcare […]

When will omicron peak in the US? Experts weigh in | Fox 4 Kansas City

CEID Faculty Dr. David Hamer discusses the predicted timeline of the omicron variant. “’Right now we’re still in the upswing for most parts of the country,’ he said. ‘My prediction would be within the next two to four weeks, we’re going to see it [reach a peak] and start to drop.’” Read the full article […]

Could Omicron Hasten the Transition From Pandemic to Endemic? | WebMD

CEID Faculty Dr. Syra Madad answers the question, how does the transition from pandemic to endemic work? “‘A transition from pandemic to endemic is ‘not a light switch and there’s no metrics associated with what endemic means for COVID-19,’ says Syra Madad, a doctor of health care science and infectious disease epidemiologist at Harvard’s Belfer Center for […]

How Long Can You Wear a KN95, N95, or KF94 Mask Before Replacing It? | Health

CEID Faculty Dr. Cassandra Pierre provides information on the types of respirators and how to use them. “‘Respirators kind of fall in between the two options: You can reuse respirators (without washing in between uses), as long as you’re aware of your personal risk level, and you take care of the mask between uses,’ Cassandra M. […]

How Long After COVID Exposure Could You Test Positive? | NBC 10 Boston

CEID Faculty Dr. Cassandra Pierre answers questions about the omicron variant. “With recent variants, we’ve seen decreases in the incubation period which is the time between exposure and infection. What we’ve seen with omicron is compared to previous incubation times which are about 7 days, it has gotten down to about 3 days which is […]

Outlook For COVID-19, Taxes, Energy, And Real Estate | Bloomberg

CEID Faculty Dr. Syra Madad is featured on The Tape podcast to comment on the latest about the omicron wave. “I think that many of us are predicting that the omicron wave is going to be less of an issue in terms of how long it will be at a very high level of community […]

Boston Children’s Hospital reporting jump in coronavirus patients, creating more isolation rooms amid omicron wave | Boston Herald

CEID Faculty Dr. David Hamer comments on the jump in child hospitalizations in the Boston Herald. “The jump in pediatric hospitalizations is ‘a little surprising’ because omicron tends to cause milder cases and children have had ‘pretty mild’ cases since March 2020, said Davidson Hamer, a Boston University specialist in infectious diseases. ‘But when there’s […]