In this episode, President Biden elevates his science advisor to his Cabinet, a review of the current flu season, the scientific goals of the WHO-convened Global Study of the Origins of SARS-CoV-2, and answers to listener questions.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler
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Download TWiV 709 (54 MB .mp3, 90 min)
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Links for this episode
- President’s science advisor to Cabinet (NY Times) 1:34
- Letter from Biden to Lander (pdf) 2:16
- Weekly flu (CDC) 5:42
- Weekly NY flu (NYDOH)
- WHO study on SARS-CoV-2 origins (WHO) 10:11
- Letters read on TWiV 709 28:48
- Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!
Weekly Picks 1:21:09
Kathy – 15 YouTubers play Telestrations
Vincent – Vince Beiser
Listener Picks
Bob, David, Janet – Sea Shanty by A Cappella Science (YouTube, TikTok, Bandcamp)
Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees
Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv
On January 18, David Leonhardt in the New York Times stated that the vaccines were safe and people who were vaccinated did not need masks. Although then he said that masks should be used to support everyone using masks. He appeared to not believe that you could spread the disease if you were vaccinated and had several authorities that agreed with him. He also quotes various people saying we should use masks in case of virus variants. Is he correct about the vaccines and the masks?
Re. sewage as a great place to find viruses, and from some of my old colleagues @ U Pittsburgh, from 10yrs ago. I’m not sure whether this was the first paper to use that as a source for finding viruses, but it may have been. The other aspect of this study is the control they used. (To help find that, word search the paper for Shinola.) https://mbio.asm.org/content/2/5/e00180-11
What value would there be in having a confirmatory test of your immunization response? Example: attending a large wedding in June after being vaccinated in January. Taking a test to ensure you aren’t in the group that fails to respond.
Dear Twiv team,
Like Jennifer in this episode, I got neuropathy from the Shingrix vaccine. I had the shot last February. Several days later, I started having pain in all the areas that support my weight. These include my feet when standing, my buttocks when sitting, and my back when lying down. Obviously, I chose not to have the booster injection. My doctor put me on Cymbalta, which helps dull the pain. After a few months, I had a negative MRI of the brain. I submitted a report to VAERS. Almost a year later, I still have the condition. The severity of the symptoms varies and I have had to learn to live with it.
Sincerely, Matt Silverberg