Nothing about these findings are surprising, but it’s possible some people will read into them more than what we can actually say from the data. — Any parent, teacher, coach, or faith leader of adolescents didn’t need a study to tell them this, but it’s always nice to have data to back up what we’re seeing in our everyday lives: the COVID pandemic hit teens HARD. More than one in three high school students said they…

Even against Omicron, vaccination offers substantial protection against the worst outcomes of COVID, even in people with previous infections. — Two or three doses of mRNA COVID vaccines reduce the risk of death or needing a ventilator by 90%, even against Omicron, according to new research from the CDC. In addition, a study published today in Lancet Infectious Diseases found that, in people who have already had COVID, vaccination with…

When people use a word like endemic to mean whatever they want, it lets us dodge the more important questions, like what we’re going to do about it. — It’s been nearly a month and a half since California became the first state to officially adopt a policy for COVID-19 as an “endemic” disease. But even at the time, Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t really explain how it was determined that Omicron was now endemic or even what that actually…

I couldn’t say all I wanted in my National Geographic story about vaccine injuries, so here’s the rest of the story — The story I published in National Geographic on vaccine injuries began in mid-August 2021, when Emily Ekanayake told me on Twitter about her son’s myocarditis and her mounting medical bills. (Note: If you haven’t read that story, it makes more sense to read that before this one. Enter any email…

Despite claims about vaccines ‘not working,’ they consistently deliver on their most important job: preventing death — Vaccination against Covid remains the best way to reduce your likelihood of dying from the disease at any age, though it’s particularly important for older adults. During both delta and omicron, vaccination, especially for those who have gotten their booster, substantially reduces the risk of going to the ER or…

A comprehensive guide and resources for more information — Since very early in the rollout of the Covid vaccines, rumors and worries about the vaccines affecting fertility have circulated. Like many of the questions people have had about Covid vaccines, this concern is a familiar one in the history of vaccines and vaccine hesitancy. Misinformation about vaccines and fertility…

Original publication date: November 17, 2014 — This is the first of the “From the Archives” articles I will be publishing here. I will always include the original date of publication as the subhead, and I will always include an introductory note like this one about the fact that the article is old. I will also note…

Some of my past articles, while partly dated, still retain some relevance today. I’ll begin sharing those here. — During the years I wrote for Forbes, I published a number of articles which contain some outdated information but whose overall topic and points remain relevant today. When I stopped writing at Forbes, due primarily to changes in the pay model that I felt were unfair to writers, I forfeited…

If you’ve been using a cloth mask or even surgical masks so far, this is the time to upgrade. — Earlier this week, it seemed the CDC might update its mask recommendations to strongly encourage people to wear better quality masks than cloth ones, but CDC director Rochelle Walensky clarified Wednesday that the agency isn’t planning to change its mask recommendations anytime soon. “Any mask is better than no mask,”…