NEIDL in the News
Massachusetts ranks high for coronavirus variant cases, as infections spike across state
Original article from Boston Herald by Lisa Kashinsky and Rick Sobey. April 12, 2021 As coronavirus cases continue to spike across Massachusetts, the state has the second highest number of reported cases of the more contagious Brazilian variant in the U.S. and ranks high for U.K. variant cases, prompting public health... More
Study provides novel platform to study how SARS-CoV-2 affects the gut
Original article from Medical XPress by BU School of Medicine. April 13, 2021 How could studying gastrointestinal cells help the fight against COVD-19, which is a respiratory disease? According to a team led by Gustavo Mostoslavsky, MD, Ph.D., at the BU/BMC Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM) and Elke Mühlberger, Ph.D., from... More
Pfizer and BioNTech say vaccine prevents Covid-19 in adolescents
Original article from STAT by Matthew Herper. March 31, 2021 Pfizer and BioNTech said Wednesday that their Covid-19 vaccine prevented symptomatic disease and was well-tolerated in a Phase 3 study of adolescents ages 12 to 15. The companies say they will submit the data to the Food and Drug Administration as an... More
COVID-19 cases are rising in what experts say is a warning sign
Original article from The Boston Globe by Dasia Moore. March 26, 2021 Though vaccination has thus far staved off a rise in hospitalizations and deaths, epidemiologists warn that the current uptick in cases could still balloon into a surge. Even as more and more people get vaccinations, Massachusetts is once again seeing... More
AstraZeneca vaccine 79 percent effective at preventing COVID symptoms, U.S. trial shows (Interview with Dr. Bhadelia)
Original article from PBS by William Brangham. March 22, 2021 In the largest COVID vaccine trial yet, AstraZeneca's vaccine was 79 percent effective in preventing symptomatic infections, the company announced Monday. AstraZeneca's vaccine has also been shown to be extremely effective at preventing the most serious outcomes from COVID-19, the company... More
A 2020 Pandemic Year in Review: BUSM Steps Up
Original article from BU School of Medicine by Sara Frazier. March 10, 2021 The year 2020 was like no other—it was business as usual for January and most of February, then everything changed in March. On top of the stress and isolation of a global pandemic, 2020 evolved into a year... More
Public health experts support CDC guidance on vaccinated people
Original article from The Boston Globe by Travis Andersen. March 8, 2021 Public health specialists on Monday voiced support for new guidelines from the CDC indicating that people fully-vaccinated against COVID-19 can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or distancing. The recommendations also say vaccinated people can mix... More
An Infectious Disease Specialist Discusses Baker’s Plans To Further Reopen Mass. (Interview with Dr. Hamer)
Original article from WBUR by Deborah Becker. February 26, 2021 Massachusetts will lift more restrictions on businesses next week as the state's COVID numbers continue to decline. Gov. Charlie Baker announced the state will move forward to phase three, step two on Monday. That will allow theaters and other indoor performance venues... More
BU Publishes Public Health Data from Its Fall 2020 COVID Surveillance Efforts
Original article from The Brink by Kat J. McAlpine. February 26, 2021 University leadership and scientists, in detailed case study of COVID-related measures and outcomes, hope BU’s insights can aid other institutions, corporations Living, working, and learning amidst a constant viral threat: Boston University leaders and scientists have written a case study... More
Dressed For Success; GMS students join the early fight against COVID-19
Original article from Boston University Medicine by Art Jahnke. Winter 2021 Edition SEE PAGES 14 TO 25 Click Cover or HERE to Read Full Article in Boston University Medicine
Artificial intelligence could help ‘fine-tune’ vaccine priority lists, predict mortality, study reports
Original article from The Boston Globe by Dasia Moore. February 4, 2021 Much of the debate around vaccine prioritization hinges on one question: Who faces the greatest risk of dying if they become infected with COVID-19? Thus far, it is a question without a definitive answer. Age is one way to gauge... More
Does wearing two masks provide more protection?
Original article from Business Mirror by Associated Press. February 5, 2021 It depends, but it’s possible that doubling up could help in some situations. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing a cloth mask made with two or more layers, and ensuring it covers your nose and mouth. The agency says... More
What’s behind the dip in coronavirus cases? We ask specialists
Original article from The Boston Globe by Dasia Moore. February 1, 2021 After a dramatic post-holiday surge in COVID-19 infections, Massachusetts seems to have found something of a reprieve: Throughout most of January, daily case counts fell steadily, marking the longest period of transmission decline since late spring. But the drop in... More
A gout drug shows promise for Covid-19, but skeptics worry about trusting science by press release
Original article from STAT by Matthew Herper. January 23, 2021 A press release from a Canadian research group raised hopes that treating people recently diagnosed with Covid-19 with colchicine, a drug commonly used to treat gout, could reduce the risk they will need to be hospitalized.But outside experts said the data... More
Where did COVID-19 come from?
Original article from USA Today by Elizabeth Weise and Karen Weintraub. January 17, 2021 The coronavirus that conquered the world came from a thumb-sized bat tucked inside a remote Chinese cave. Of this much, scientists are convinced. Exactly how and when it fled the bat to begin its devastating flight across the... More
How effective is a single vaccine dose against Covid-19?
Original article from BBC by Zaria Gorvett. January 14, 2021 Pretend it didn't happen – expert advice on how to behave after receiving a single dose of any of the Covid-19 vaccines. The cases are already beginning to emerge. When 85-year-old Colin Horseman was admitted to Doncaster Royal Infirmary in late December, it... More
How Coronavirus Damages Lung Cells within Mere Hours
Original article from The Brink by Kat J. McAlpine. January 11, 2021 What if scientists knew exactly what impact the SARS-CoV-2 virus had inside our lung cells, within the first few hours of being infected? Could they use that information to find drugs that would disrupt the virus’ replication process before... More
Dr. Nahid Bhadelia: ‘The lack of a coordinated national plan’ is the cause of delays in Covid-19 vaccine distribution
Original article from MSNBC by Craig Melvin. January 4, 2021 MSNBC’s Yasmin Vossoughian is joined by infectious disease physician and Boston University professor, Dr. Nahid Bhadelia to discuss delays in the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine and AstraZeneca vaccine approval in the U.S. Click to Watch more on MSNBC
Checking In On Massachusetts’ Vaccine Rollout (Interview with Dr. Hamer)
Original article from WBUR by Tiziana Dearing, Chris Citorik, & Martha Bebinger. December 30, 2020 With just two days left of 2020, many are hoping for a better year in 2021. But much of that hope is pinned to making vaccines widely available. Just a few weeks into the rollout, some health... More
Boston Says Goodbye And Good Riddance 2020 (Interview with Dr. Hamer)
Original article from WBUR. December 30, 2020 Here is the Radio Boston rundown for Dec. 30. Tiziana Dearing is our host. The vaccine rollout is stumbling. The federal government is behind in distribution and states lack funding. So, we ask: where are we, really, on vaccinations in Massachusetts? We're joined by Dr. Davidson... More