Delta is here and headlines are reporting the rise in new cases and hospitalizations, including some who have been fully vaccinated. What does this mean for vaccine efficacy? The answer is not as simple as it may seem: this post digs into the math and explains how to put breakthrough infections into context.
One of the reasons false information and pandemic rumors can be so confusing and exhausting is the high degree of self-contradiction. Here are a few examples of common pandemic rumors that oppugn themselves.
A friend of mine recently asked me how I respond to people who have opposing views about scientific issues like vaccines when their sources are from credentialed (MD, PhD) people. This is a great question, and something I encounter all the time. Here are my thoughts.
An article has been widely circulating entitled "How COVID-19 'Vaccines' May Destroy the Lives of Millions," claiming the COVID mRNA vaccines are experimental gene therapy that could cause major long-term health problems. None of this is true. This post explains why.
This post tackles the root of many conspiracy theories: the unfalsifiable hypothesis. Learn what unfalsifiable hypotheses are and how they can trap people into believing conspiracy theories.
Trying to decide if you're going to take the COVID vaccine? Me too. And I decided the best way to make that decision was to look through the data for myself. Here is what I found.
How do we know if a new vaccine is safe? This post tackles the question of vaccines safety: how do we monitor for side effects, and what happens if a new side effect is detected after a vaccine is already approved.
By Kristen Panthagani, PhD Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been confusion over the numbers: are cases being undercounted or overcounted? Are deaths being correctly attributed to COVID, or is the COVID death count grossly overestimating the true death toll? People hear stories of men dying from heart attacks being listed as COVID [...]
By Kristen Panthagani Ooooooooook. Deep breaths. Let's begin. I started this blog because I saw a lot of misinformation flying around, and well-meaning people are getting legitimately confused. And a lot of that misinformation is half truths or just quotes taken out of context (check out this post for examples of that), and I don't [...]
By Kristen Panthagani, PhD I saw this post on the interwebs citing a bunch of studies, suggesting that masks are ineffective at preventing infection and/or are unsafe. (And also suggesting there is some sort of cover-up of this science). Since there is still controversy around mask-wearing (and the post gave me PubMed ID's! thank you!) [...]