Jeff writes:

Hello

I am a general pediatrician and I would love to hear your thoughts on applying the new CDC guidance for COVID and other respiratory illnesses to children, who often have mild symptoms, particularly as it relates to return to school recommendations.

I saw a 5 year old recently with 2 days of congestion and slight cough. She had a COVID exposure and indeed tested positive. When does she go back to school? She never felt particularly ill, so maybe the guidance does not apply. Most children at this age will not reliably wear a well-fitted mask for any length of time, so perhaps instead she should be excluded longer for that reason. Since the guidance is intended to be more general, does it means that all children with runny noses should be masking at school, or perhaps only those that have had fevers? (I’m not sure what that would mean for the lunchroom or gym class where masking is not a serious option for most children.)

Any thought you have would be greatly appreciated.

Jeff

Wallingford, CT

J writes:

Hi Dr. Griffin,

I know you enjoy using data to set the record straight when rumors get going, so I thought you might be interested in sharing your two cents about the following situation.

There has been some conversation in wildlife management circles about people’s rabies antibody titers falling off precipitously after being sick with COVID-19. These are folks who have rabies pre-exposure vaccination due to anticipated wildlife encounters, and who get their titers checked regularly to determine if/when they need a rabies booster. 

Is there any mechanism that would explain a causal effect of SARS-Co-V infection/COVID illness on rabies titers in a rabies-vaccinated person?

Thank you!

J

Eli writes:

Is there any evidence that giving COVID vaccine after COVID infection and recovery gives more protection against reinfection?

Eli

Brendan writes:

Sorry if you’ve discussed this already, as I missed the podcast in the last several weeks 

I see in this study the authors, also noted viral load increases as part of some rebounds, which has me concerned about giving patients Dexamethasone in the second week. Can you please ask Dr. Daniel Griffin what we should do with this knowledge? And what sort of testing is available for patients and clinicians to know if it’s a viral rebound or just the inflammatory phase? Would a RAT show, or could the mucus membranes already have defeated the virus so no positive test then, yet instead the battle rages on somewhere else. 

COVID-19 Rebound After VV116 vs Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir Treatment: A Randomized Clinical Trial | Infectious Diseases | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2816033

Thank you 

Kind Regards 

Brendan