This Week in Virology

TWiV 795: COVID-19 clinical update #76 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

August 21, 2021

In COVID-19 clinical update #76, Daniel Griffin covers association of age and pediatric household transmission, rapid antigen testing in remote communities, shedding of infectious virus in vaccinated individuals, FDA amendment of mRNA vaccine EUA to allow a third dose, new vaccine mandate for NY state, full vaccination suppresses selection of variants, effectiveness of mRNA vaccines in nursing homes, sustained effectiveness of mRNA vaccines against hospitalization, and no benefit from early convalescent serum in high-risk outpatients.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 795 (25 MB .mp3, 41 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

Age and pediatric household transmission (JAMA) 2:30
Rapid antigen testing in remote communities (MMWR) 5:13
Shedding of infectious virus from vaccinated individuals (medRxiv) 7:13
Additional vaccine doses for immunocompromised (FDA) 11:17
New vaccine mandate for New York (NYS) 14:08
Vaccination suppresses variant emergence (medRxiv) 15:25
mRNA vaccine effectiveness in nursing homes (MMWR) 18:24
Effectiveness of mRNA vaccines against hospitalization (MMWR) 22:36
mRNA vaccine sustained effectiveness against hospitalization (MMWR) 24:42
No benefit of convalescent plasma for high-risk outpatients (NEJM) 28:13
Letters read on TWiV 795 30:56
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to [email protected]

TWiV 794: PAMS spray SARS-CoV-2

August 15, 2021

TWiV summarizes cases of arbovirus disease during 2019 in the US, and explains a study that estimates infectiousness throughout the SARS-CoV-2 course of infection.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 794 (71 MB .mp3, 118 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

Vaccine Town Halls (ASV) 3:53
Arboviral illness, US, 2019 (MMWR) 8:25
Estimating SARS-CoV-2 infectiousness (Science) 43:02
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:35:48

Dickson – Climate Reports | United Nations
Brianne – Astronomy Picture of the Day: A Perfect Spiral
Rich – COVID-19 false dichotomies
Alan – Fixing broken machines
Vincent – MKBHD Studio Tour 2021

Variant Vernacular by Scott

What is in a name?
Letter? Number? Location?
It’s all Greek to me.

Times Are(n’t) a Changin’
Delta means “a change”
But if you want a game change,
Look to the vaccine.

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 793: COVID-19 clinical update #75 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

August 14, 2021

In COVID-19 clinical update #75, Daniel Griffin reviews vaccine effectiveness against transmission, modeling effectiveness of daily antigen tests, updated CDC guidance for fully vaccinated, risk of infection with time after mRNA vaccination, reduced risk of infection after vaccination, therapeutic anticoagulants in critically ill patients, and 6 month outcomes in hospitalized patients.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 793 (25 MB .mp3, 41 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

Vaccine effectiveness against transmission (Euro Surveill) 10:09
Effectiveness of daily antigen tests (medRxiv) 14:22
Interim guidance for fully vaccinated people (CDC) 17:45
Elapsed time since BNT162b2 vaccine and reinfection (medRxiv) 20:29
Reduced risk of infection after vaccination (MMWR) 24:23
Therapeutic anticoagulants in critically ill patients (NEJM) 27:42
6 month outcomes in hospitalized patients (J Gen Int Med) 32:10
Letters read on TWiV 793 33:59
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to [email protected]

TWiV 792: Transmission with Jeffrey Shaman

August 12, 2021

Jeffrey Shaman returns to TWiV to explain how epidemiologists measure SARS-CoV-2 movement among humans, including calculation of the reproductive index, secondary transmission, and what factors affect transmission.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

Guest: Jeffrey Shaman

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 792 (65 MB .mp3, 109 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

A guide to R (Nature) 1:07:42
Epidemiology of three SARS-CoV-2 VOC (medRxiv)
Impact of delta variant in India (medRxiv)
Letters read on TWiV 792 1:09:18
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:30:37

Brianne – The Social Lives of Giraffes
Kathy – Saturn’s Iapetus, moon in 3-D
Vincent – Arkansas Governor Wants To Reverse A Law That Forbids Schools To Require Masks

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 791: A mad virologists’ T party

August 8, 2021

TWiV reviews SARS-CoV-2 infection of wild white-tailed deer in the US, mRNA vaccine-mediated protection by spike-specific T cells before detection of neutralizing antibodies, and recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection in T-cell depleted rhesus macaques.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 791 (73 MB .mp3, 122 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

SARS-CoV-2 in wild deer (bioRxiv) 12:05
Rapid T cell induction by mRNA vaccine (Nature) 26:28
T cell depleted macaques recover from SARS-CoV-2 infection (mBio) 48:11
Letters read on TWiV 791 1:17:03
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:45:19

Dickson – Virgin Hyperloop shows off the future
Brianne – BioNumbers
Rich – Advice will evolve as COVID situation changes
Alan – Mars Perseverance-themed geocaching swag
Vincent – Mattel’s Barbie Turns Women Of Science, Including COVID Vaccine Developer, Into Dolls

Listener Picks

Nancy – Vaccines at a Party
Jeff – How to Survive a Plague, Part 2

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 790: COVID-19 clinical update #74 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

August 7, 2021

In COVID-19 clinical update #74, Daniel Griffin covers infections in vaccinated individuals, expansion of Regeneron monoclonal antibody cocktail for prophylaxis, neutralization of variants by antibodies produced by infection or vaccination, longer hospital stays associated with remdesivir treatment, and post-acute sequelae of infection and impact on quality of life 1-6 months after illness.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 790 (28 MB .mp3, 46 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

Outbreak in Barnstable County, MA (MMWR) 13:34
Kinetics of delta variant infections (medRxiv) 22:33
Prophlaxis with Regeneron mAbs (Regeneron) 27:00
Subcutaneous mAbs to prevent COVID-19 (NEJM) 28:30
Variant neutralization by infection or vaccine antibodies (Clin Inf Dis) 32:02
Remdesivir associated with longer hospital stays (JAMA) 33:56
Post-acute sequelae (Op For Inf Dis) 35:38
Letters read on TWiV 790 39:12
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to [email protected]

TWiV 789: Does delta mean a change?

August 5, 2021

TWiV reviews a leaked CDC document on virulence and spread of the delta variant, and how anti-alphavirus antibodies that do not neutralize infection can nevertheless protect mice from disease.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 789 (65 MB .mp3, 109 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

NYC first to require vaccination proof (Reuters) 7:32
Leaked internal CDC document (WaPo) 9:42
Manuscripts on increased virulence (one, two, three) 46:28
Disease protection by non-neutralizing antibodies (Cell) 1:08:40
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:32:56

Brianne – Nobel Prize Games
Kathy – Snail sensors
Rich – In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope by Rana Awdish
Vincent – The Provincetown Covid data is actually good news (if you are vaccinated) and I Was the Architect of Operation Warp Speed. I Have a Message for All Americans.

Listener Pick

Jake – NASA spinoff
Peter – Bernard, the Extraordinary Moth

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 788: neuroCOVID with Kiran Thakur, MD

July 31, 2021

Kiran joins TWiV to discuss the findings of a team at Columbia University Medical Center on COVID-19 neuropathology, and the conclusion that SARS-CoV-2 does not reproduce in the central nervous system.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker

Guest: Kiran Thakur

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 788 (73 MB .mp3, 122 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

COVID-19 neuropathology (Brain) 9:46
Infections in vaccinated people (MMWR) 1:06:27
Infections in vaccinated people (NEJM) 1:07:44
Letters read on TWiV 788 1:21:16
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:41:23

Dickson – Simone Biles and Suni Lee
Brianne – How Speed and Distance Dictate the Way Olympians Run
Rich – CDC reversal on indoor masking prompts experts to ask, ‘Where’s the data?’
Vincent – Paul and the Mosquitos

Listener Pick

Lin – Your Vaccinated Immune System is Ready For Breakthroughs

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 787: COVID-19 clinical update #73 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

July 31, 2021

In COVID-19 clinical update #73, Daniel Griffin reviews updated mask guidance from CDC, infections in public school district employees, effectiveness of vaccines against delta variant, antibody response after third vaccine dose in kidney transplant recipients, protection afforded by mRNA vaccines fully vaccinated people with and without prior infections, correlates of protection in nonhuman primates, lack of effectiveness of doxycycline, neurological manifestations of COVID-19, and infection in vaccinated health care workers.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 787 (28 MB .mp3, 46 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

Updated mask guidance (CDC) 3:37
Infections in public school district employees (MMWR) 8:59
10% of positive kids need hospitalization (Houston Chronicle) 13:05
Effectiveness of vaccines vs delta variant (NEJM) 17:48
Antibody response after third vaccine dose (JAMA) 20:10
Severe COVID-19 in kidney transplant patients (Kidney Intl) 21:06
mRNA vaccine protection with or without prior infection (medRxiv) 22:37
Doxycycline ineffective (Lancet) 27:33
Neurological manifestations (Lancet) 30:09
Infections in vaccinated health care workers (NEJM) 32:24
Letters read on TWiV 787 38:15
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to [email protected]

TWiV 786: You make mucus and you move it

July 29, 2021

TWiVsters review off-season epidemics of respiratory syncytial virus in Australia after easing of COVID-19 restrictions, and impaired innate immune responses in upper respiratory tract cells from patients with severe COVID-19.