Decoding COVID

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Helping everyday people learn the science behind COVID-19.

John Houghton


    • Apr 6, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 30m AVG DURATION
    • 2 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Decoding COVID

    2. Harvard Epidemiologist Dr. Stephen Kissler discusses COVID-19 Mathematical Modeling & Variants

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2021 46:58


    Harvard Epidemiologist, Dr. Stephen Kissler and John Houghton discuss data modeling for diseases with special consideration of SARS-CoV-2 variants, including B.1.1.7 (UK), P.1 (Brazil), and B.1.351 (South Africa).  This is a deep dive on the nuts and bolts of COVID-19 modeling including insightful definitions of R0, generation interval, start date, and population size. How R0 as a measure becomes substituted with Rt as an outbreak progresses Review data model created by John at the beginning of the epidemic The SIR model (Susceptible, Infectious, or Recovered) How does reinfection change the SIR model? Introducing SIRS (or SIS) Probabilistic vs deterministic modeling The explosiveness of exponential growth Can new variants be introduced at an exponential rate? Discussion of Lancet paper: Resurgence of COVID-19 in Manaus, Brazil, despite high seroprevalence - The Lancet Math check: If a variant is 40% more infectious than an R0 3.0 wild type-virus, what is the new R0? Check out Dr. Kissler's podcast: Pandemic: Coronavirus Edition.

    1. SARS-CoV-2 Attacks Germinal Centers, Implications for Herd Immunity and Reinfection

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2021 13:29


    In our first episode, we discuss how SARS-CoV-2 attacks germinal centers in lymph nodes and spleens, resulting in a weakened immune response.  Review paper from the life sciences journal Cell:  Loss of Bcl-6-Expressing T Follicular Helper Cells and Germinal Centers in COVID-19.  Hosted by John Houghton, with special guests Dr. Faz Alam, Microbiologist and graduate of the Imperial College of London, and Danny Chan, PhD candidate, Infectious Diseases, University of Chicago and President of Biotech Without Borders.  Faz and Danny are co-hosts of the YouTube Microbiology Journal Club and they also covered the same paper in their September 6, 2020 episode.

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