With the pandemic bringing a bright spotlight on vaccine hesitancy, people are under the impression that confidence varies by race and background. Why would that be, and how is it related to health equity? And what is health equity anyhow? We invited University of Minnesota School of Medicine professor and health equity expert Dr. Nate […]
This week, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously to recommend the Pfizer vaccine be given to kids ages 12-15. We invited long-time ACIP member Patsy Stinchfield on the podcast to talk us through how this decision was made and when other age groups might be eligible. We asked her all the […]
Millions of people have received a COVID-19 vaccine, which gives us a lot of information about the safety of these vaccines. We asked Dr. Stanley Plotkin, inventor of the rubella vaccine and co-inventor of a rotavirus vaccine, to join us to answer our questions and to make some predictions. Links from podcast: Wisconsin pharmacist V-Safe […]
I have enrolled in a #COVIDvaccine trial and last week got my first shot. This wasn’t always my plan, though. I had a surprising amount of hesitancy early on, so I want to share how I worked through it. As an avid advocate who believes that vaccines save lives, I found myself personally and professionally […]
It’s here! The COVID-19 vaccine is going into people’s arms as you read the letters in this post. Listen, this pandemic has been difficult in a way that redefines the word “difficult,” so let’s take some time to feel grateful that we have a vaccine being delivered. But we are guessing that you still have […]
Often, when we scratch beneath the surface of someone who is anti-vaccine, we find conspiracy theories abound. We are also seeing them grow during the time of COVID. Why are anti-vaxxers prone to conspiratorial thinking and what can we do to turn people toward rational thought, instead? In this episode, Karen and Nathan discuss these […]
While the world is consumed with justifiable fears of COVID-19, measles, polio, and even diphtheria are finding pathways to resurgence. What is going on with those routine childhood vaccines? Are they really important right now? Karen and Nathan discuss this critical topic and what you can do to make sure we are preventing multiple health […]
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re focused on this one, novel infection. It’s almost as if time has stopped and we’ve forgotten about the many childhood diseases that, thanks to science, we can prevent! Is it just me, or does it feel like flu season was eons ago? But it’s our job to […]
The world’s vaccinologists are racing against time to find a safe, effective vaccine to protect against SARS-CoV-2. In our latest Vax Talk episode, we talked to our friend and infectious disease expert, Dr. Stanley Potkin, about how vaccines are typically developed and what is being done now to make the one vaccine the world desperately […]