TRACK THE VAX MedPage Today

We did it all. We social distanced, masked, got vaccinated, masked some more, and got boosted. But still, with Omicron -- a much more contagious variant spreading like wildfire -- infections are at an all-time high.
There remain more than 100 different vaccines in human trials and development for COVID-19, from protein subunits to inactivated coronavirus vaccines, as well as another 70-plus in animal trials.
So, is boosting with our existing authorized vaccines going to be our "new normal?" Or, are there new vaccines still in development that would allow us to truly be "one and done."
On this week's episode, Dial Hewlett Jr., MD, the medical director for Westchester County, New York, and deputy to the commissioner for the Westchester County Department of Health, joins us to explain what future vaccines are coming down the pike and where research will lead us.

Millions of Americans are experiencing chronic, lingering, and debilitating symptoms months after recovering from COVID-19. The symptoms of so-called long COVID range from breathing problems to memory impairment, making it difficult for clinicians to pinpoint the syndrome and who may be at highest risk.
The NIH has directed $1 billion toward studying the syndrome, and some hospitals, including pediatric hospitals, have opened centers to research and care for patients experiencing long COVID.
On this week's episode, Jonathan Whiteson, MD, medical director of cardiac and pulmonary rehab at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, and spokesperson for the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, joins us to explain how long COVID is being detected and treated, and the new guidance for physicians.

The longer the COVID-19 epidemic persists the more likely we are to see more super-spreader events, even among those vaccinated, and possibly by variants not yet identified.
Health experts have already worked to help prevent and treat COVID – but say there's more we need to do to track individual cases and community spread.
On this week's episode, John Connor, MD, an associate professor and researcher at the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories at Boston University, joins us to explain how they track the introduction of COVID and remnants of COVID infections over time.

Omicron has reached the U.S., and widespread vaccination may not be enough to keep the new variant from spreading. The variant is expected to outpace Delta in the coming weeks, with more than 30 states having now reported a case.
On this week's episode, Abraar Karan, MD, MPH, an infectious disease physician at Stanford University, joins us to explain all we know -- and still don't -- when it comes to this new variant.

wo years into the COVID-19 pandemic -- and 1 year after vaccines first became available -- there are still those who are opting out of getting vaccinated.
Deep distrust in government and science are among the reasons that some are continuing to hold out on the shots. But experts suggest that there are psychological barriers that may have nothing to do with mistrust. To understand all of the factors at play, we need to first recognize how the mind processes the act of making a decision -- whether it is to opt in or out.
On this week's episode, Gretchen Chapman, PhD, department head of social and decision sciences at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, joins us to help us understand the psychology behind COVID vaccine refusal.

COVID booster shots are now recommended for millions of Americans, prompting questions on why immunity acquired from the vaccines is waning so soon.
Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has hinted that periodic booster shots against COVID are likely here to stay, and may redefine what it means to be "fully vaccinated."
While natural immunity from previous COVID infection is of scientific interest, it's also a political talking point that some have seized on to sidestep vaccination.
What does the science show when it comes to the duration of natural immunity? And how does natural immunity compare to vaccine-acquired immunity?
On this week's episode, Bob Wachter, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, answers questions about immunity and how to stay protected.