Latest Blog Posts

Where do new variants come from?
Why do new variants keep emerging, and do they render vaccines useless? This post tackles the genetics of where variants come from and how changes to the spike protein impact vaccine effectiveness.

How does COVID impact the brain?
COVID is not just a respiratory disease; it attacks multiple systems, including the brain. More and more COVID-induced strokes are being reported, as are cases of long COVID, which involve brain fog and other neurological symptoms that can persist for years after infection. So how can COVID affect the brain? This post explores the neurological symptoms of COVID and signs of brain damage after infection, as well as possible explanations for how COVID could cause these problems.

Ninety five percent. NINETY FIVE PERCENT!
In November 2020, we got the news: the results from the first COVID vaccine phase 3 trial were released, and they were better than even the most optimistic expectations: 95% efficacy! This was far better than we had dared to dream. But, in the midst of all the celebrating and enthusiasm, groundwork was laid for a communication blunder that later left many feeling confused and betrayed. Check out part 2 of the series covering the story of the COVID vaccines (and the communication around them.)

COVID vaccination during pregnancy
Rumors about COVID vaccination and alleged impacts on fertility have been circulating since before the vaccines were even available. Because the initial vaccine trials did not study pregnant women specifically, when the vaccines were first authorized, we didn’t have a complete picture about the risks and benefits of COVID vaccination for pregnant women. Now over a year later, we do. In this post, Dr. Sana Zekri dives into the latest data on COVID vaccination during pregnancy.

How well do the COVID vaccines work? (and why has this been so confusing?)
How well do the COVID vaccines work? This question is not as simple to answer as it may seem. The communication during the pandemic has been in many ways very confusing, and vaccine efficacy is no exception. In this series of post, I’m going to tell you the story of the COVID vaccines and dissect where the communication broke down. And along the way, we’ll answer the question: just how well do the vaccines work?

COVID vaccines and fertility: vaccination before pregnancy
Even before COVID vaccines became available to the public, rumors were circulating about hypothetical impacts on fertility. This is the first in a series of articles by my friend Dr. Sana Zekri, MD, a board-certified physician in Family Medicine with Obstetrics, tackling these rumors and discussing the risks and benefits of vaccination for those who are trying to become pregnant as well as those who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
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About

Kristen Panthagani, MD, PhD is a physician-scientist who likes to help people understand science. She saw a lot of people getting unnecessarily confused by inaccurate claims flying around, and started this blog to help clarify some of those things.
Data Visualizations
People are looking at the percent of vaccinated hospitalizations and getting alarmed. But by itself, this number can't tell you much about how the vaccines are working, as it's highly dependent on the rate of vaccination in a community. Here's some maths to show what I mean👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/MmfiL7H1lw
— Kristen Panthagani, PhD (@kmpanthagani) July 20, 2021
Reviews
Featured In
Though Covid vaccines protect against serious illness, they are not perfect shields against the virus, particularly not the Delta variant. Experts say “breakthrough” infections are still relatively uncommon.
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 23, 2021
Here’s why they occur. https://t.co/rEDD2DMj0U
Breakthrough cases aren’t the cause of the US Covid-19 surge https://t.co/j20tM5QBIN
— Vox (@voxdotcom) August 3, 2021
The @nytimes collected breakthrough data from 40 states. At least until recently, severe COVID infections among fully vaccinated people have been relatively rare.
— Danielle Ivory (@danielle_ivory) August 10, 2021
We also learned that a rising share of breakthrough infections is not necessarily scary.https://t.co/q5zFMoFHxo