Aimee Pugh Bernard, PhD

Aimee Pugh Bernard: An immunologist offers tips for assessing health info in the wilds of the Internet – Twin Cities twincities.com/2022/09/25/aim…

A fresh podcast episode to help you make sense of an *interesting* blog about vaccine ingredients

Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 are taking hold and may springboard us into a new infection surge. We can protect ourselves and others by staying up-to-date on vaccination, masking up when community transmission is high or if you’re at high risk, and staying home when sick.

Need some ideas for summer fun at home? Check out Think Like a Scientist (TLaS) experiment videos and worksheets 🧪🥼 tlasprogram.wordpress.com/videos/

Almost 20 million more people globally are alive today because they got vaccinated against Covid, according to a new study—in just the first year vaccines were available!

With COVID infections rising A great way to slow the spread is by using rapid tests So we are launching another round of free tests from the government Go to covidtests.gov It takes about a minute to fill out And you'll get 8 tests delivered to your home via USPS

Thankful for the supportive academic community at CU AMC 💕

A new CDC analysis found that severe illness and death from Covid were extremely rare in vaccinated people. Among 1,228,664 fully vaccinated people across the US, 185 (0.015%) had severe illness and 36 (0.0033%) died. Covid vaccines are extremely safe and remarkably effective.

New "Osterholm Update: COVID-19" podcast! @mtosterholm & @cvdall discuss the severity of the Omicron variant, the rise in hospitalizations, the effectiveness of rapid antigen tests, and new testing strategies. cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/podca…

Yes, we're about to be hit with a tidal wave of Omicron infections. But we have bulwarks - vaccinations, prior immunity, ability to mask, tests, treatment, and more. These should enable us to keep schools open, the economy progressing, and not let Omicron dominate our lives.

The US vaccination program has so far prevented nearly 1.1 million deaths from Covid and more than 10.3 million hospitalizations, according to a new model.

"I see a lot of vaccinated people getting COVID so what is the point?" The point is these people aren't in the hospital. That is the point.

Lung tissue study sheds light on fast Omicron spread The virus multiplies 70 times faster in the bronchi than the Delta #COVID19 variant and the original SARS-CoV-2, researchers report ow.ly/3KX050HbNMc

Science books for everyone!

Is it possible #OmicronVariant sets us back to square one? No We have lots of tests that'll detect Omicron We have therapies that'll work Our vaccines MAY take a hit but will still provide some (may be a lot) protection We are in a MUCH better place This isn't March 2020

We can’t allow the virus to further divide and conquer us. Instead, we must collaborate for a safer, healthier, and better protected world. It’s humans vs. microbes. We’re all in this together.

@CIDRAP Good idea but this can happen anywhere with viral mutations and convergent evolution

New #COVID19 variant alarms researchers, triggers travel bans bit.ly/3136gRa

@SolNataMD Keep in mind convergent evolution too. The or similar variants can pop up anywhere - viruses mutate!

Antibody from booster doses covers the spike proteins to prevent infection

Why do we need COVID vaccine boosters? To make more antibody! Think of it like hosting a big party (pre-pandemic) - you would need multiple cases of beer to cover every guest. For SARS-CoV-2, we need lots of antibody to cover all the spike proteins and prevent infection!