Local doctors push for more mpox vaccination as virus appears to be on the rise | GBH
2022 saw it’s highest spikes in the number of mpox cases in the summer. Though Massachusetts has higher vaccination rates than the national average, physicians including CEID faculty Dr. Cassandra Pierre still express some concern for a repeat of that trend this summer. “We are concerned that, going into the summer, there remain a large […]
Cases of babesiosis, a deadly tickborne disease, are on the rise in New England | GBH
Blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, are widely known for carrying Lyme disease. Another, lesser known disease they can spread is babesiosis. While most people experience mild flulike symptoms of fatigue, fever, and muscle aches, it can be fatal for older adults, immunocompromised people, and those without a spleen. CEID faculty Dr. Cassandra Pierre […]
Masking returns at many Massachusetts hospitals — and not just because of COVID | WGBH
As more Massachusetts hospitals reinstate mask requirements, CEID faculty Dr. Cassandra Pierre reminds us that masks have long been used to prevent against a range of respiratory illnesses, including common colds, the flu, & RSV, not only Covid-19. Read the full story here.
New COVID vaccines are coming. Here’s what you should know about the 2023 boosters | WGBH
CEID faculty Dr. Pierre spoke to WGBH about the newly approved latest COVID vaccine boosters. To view the full conversation, which includes her thoughts about who should consider getting these boosters and how to approach routine vaccination as we learn to live with COVID among the common seasonal illnesses, watch here.
Deaths of Black, Hispanic and young Massachusetts residents rose in 2021 | WGBH
Per CEID Faculty Dr. Cassandra Pierre: “we know that COVID at this point is not the primary reason going forward for the death rates we’re seeing in communities of color. It continues to be a significant factor, but we know that COVID is also the match that’s lit [up] this really very rickety infrastructure, holding […]
When is it time to mask up again? Boston doctors weigh in | WGBH
CEID Interim Director Dr. David Hamer adds to the conversation about masks, “There are benefits to mask use that go beyond simply preventing disease.” See more here.
State to drop funding for school COVID testing | WGBH
CEID Faculty Dr. Cassandra Pierre weighs in on the Massachusetts decision to stop providing COVID-19 testing in schools this fall “… With schools left to purchase self tests through a statewide contract, experts say the change will exacerbate inequities across different districts. ‘For those school districts that do decide to continue testing, they’re going to […]
Omicron variant caused more deaths in Mass. in shorter period than delta did, new study finds | WGBH
“…The increase in mortality associated with the omicron variant disproportionally affected residents of color in Massachusetts, said [CEID Faculty] Dr. Cassandra Pierre, an infectious disease physician who is the associate hospital epidemiologist and the medical director of public health programs at Boston Medical Center. Pierre said, before the omicron surge, the gap in COVID-19 deaths […]
Could coronavirus become endemic? Boston doctors weigh in | WGBH
CEID Faculty Dr. Cassandra Pierre weighs in on endemicity: “…’It is true that other countries have been able to experience … less upheavals or surges in COVID-19 numbers. When COVID-19 reaches endemicity or the endemic state in one area, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all areas sync up with that, and we are not in […]
COVID cases among Mass. students plummet after omicron peak, but experts urge caution | WGBH
CEID Faculty Dr. Cassandra Pierre weighs in on COVID rates and the end of the school mask mandate in Massachusetts: “…Pierre, the hospital epidemiologist at Boston Medical Center, said hospitalizations are ‘coming down from a very high level, which means that there’s still a significant component of our state, of our counties and of our […]