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Category: COVID-19

Black and white photo of an orchestra hall from a musician's point of view.

Study of Aerosols and Microbial Contamination from Wind Instruments Spurred by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted on April 4, 2021July 2, 2022 by Jennifer Tsang

For the last two decades, I’ve sat in the middle of the clarinet section of orchestras, oblivious to the possibility of microbes swirling around me amidst the melodies and harmonies that fill the air. I didn’t once think about the potential spread of pathogens from another player’s instrument. That is, not until the COVID-19 pandemic…

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Comparison of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to a layer cake. Each protein encoded by the virus is labeled as a recipe, as is the five components of the layer cake.

The COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine: A Cake Analogy

Posted on December 28, 2020July 2, 2022 by Jennifer Tsang

Vaccines in the past typically work by using a weakened virus or a purified viral protein from the virus to stimulate our immune response. But, the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines we’ve been hearing about work a bit differently. Instead of containing viral protein, the vaccines contain mRNA, which instructs your cells to make the viral protein…

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black dog with its tongue out

Doggie Detectives Sniff Out Infectious Diseases

Posted on November 3, 2020July 2, 2022 by Jennifer Tsang

A dog’s nose knows, and it might just know when you’re emitting the scent of infectious disease. With its 300 million scent receptors, the dog’s most recent detective work involves COVID-19. Dogs are identifying COVID-19 cases in airports You might have seen the many news stories about dogs sniffing out COVID-19 at the Helsinki airport…

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coronavirus micrograph SARS-CoV-2

Convalescent Plasma Therapy from Diphtheria to COVID-19

Posted on June 21, 2020July 2, 2022 by Jennifer Tsang

Convalescent plasma. It’s an old term that’s recently resurfaced as we face a virus with no vaccine. Just this week, a study of 20,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients who received convalescent plasma was published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. While convalescent plasma therapy might be promising for treating COVID-19 patients, it actually has a long history of…

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chart comparing number of influenza cases in Philadelphia versus St. Loius in 1918

Social Distancing During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic and Lessons for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Posted on March 8, 2020July 2, 2022 by Jennifer Tsang

As COVID-19 spreads around the world, more and more things such as conferences, schools, and large events such as SXSW are being canceled – an effort to halt the spread of the virus and reduce the strain on our healthcare system. Meanwhile, dangerous notions circulate: the idea that nearly everyone will get COVID-19 so distancing…

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