Blog | Dr Kat

Mar 8

Measles is showing up all over the place - How do I know if I am protected?

Measles has been in the news a lot lately because, as of last week, there have been measles cases reported in 16 states (Arizona,...

Mar 1

Does COVID-19 destroy our immune systems?

The past couple of years we have seen fall virus seasons characterized with a tripledemic of COVID-19, RSV, and influenza surging...

Feb 22

New 99 million patient COVID-19 vaccine safety study - is it really the bombshell the headlines make it out to be?

The COVID-19 vaccines were globally introduced in 2020, accompanied by the most intensive vaccine safety monitoring program the world has...

Dec 1, 2023

BA.2.86 "Pirola" update

Since we are in the middle of holiday and fall cold season, and we have a noticeable uptick in cases per the wastewater data and the...

Oct 10, 2023

Do masks really work? What does the science say?

Masking is a critical public health tool for preventing spread of COVID-19. To protect yourself and others from COVID-19, CDC continues...

Oct 2, 2023

Should you wear a mask on the bus/train?

Q - I take the subway to work every day, should I wear a mask again since Covid is ticking up here in NYC? What are my chances of getting...

Sep 6, 2023

Why are the data on long COVID so confusing?

Hi folks! I haven't written about long covid in a while so I wanted to discuss why it seems like everywhere you look there seems to be a...

Aug 23, 2023

It's about that time...my FAQs on the flu vaccine!

How did this happen? I feel like I just had my seasonal flu vaccine but here we are again! The optimal timing to get the flu vaccine is...

Aug 12, 2023

Update on COVID-19, variant EG.5, and new fall vaccine booster

What is EG.5? The SARS-COV-2 EG.5 variant is another omicron sub-variant, and is a descendent of XBB.1.9.2, but with an additional...

Mar 6, 2023

Can we get a second bivalent booster?

Vaccines continue to be the most important tool in our arsenal to avoid severe illness and death from COVID-19. In the US, we have...

Jan 9, 2023

Should I still wear a mask on a plane?

Happy new year everyone! I recently flew to Washington DC for work, and I was one of about 5 people masking on the whole plane, so I have...

Nov 9, 2022

TRIPLEDEMIC?

Q: I've heard about really high rates of respiratory viruses this year. How concerning is this and is there a way to protect the...

Oct 30, 2022

Q: Is it possible to know what variant I have?

A: There are no clinical settings in the US that can provide the information to patients as to what variant they have. The reasons for...

Oct 5, 2022

You cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine

We all know that person...the one who says every year that they don't get the flu shot because it "gave them the flu" the last time they...

Sep 27, 2022

Should I get a second flu shot later in the season, to"boost" my protection?

I have had a couple people ask me If i get a flu shot now, can I get a second one later in the season? So theoretically I guess you...

Sep 22, 2022

Do my COVID-19 booster side effects tell me anything about how much immunity I have from the shot?

Bivalent boosters are here and it's *really* exciting because these vaccines contain BA4/BA5, so they are a perfect match to the...

Aug 15, 2022

So much news about Polio! Do I need a Polio booster?

I've been getting a lot of questions from people about what they need to do to prevent polio. Especially: do we need to get a polio...

Aug 9, 2022

Should I worry about Monkeypox when sending my child back to school?

Are daycares and K-12 schools are locations of concern when it comes to monkeypox? The overall risk for MPV in children remains low. ...

Aug 4, 2022

If I had the Smallpox vaccine when I was young, am I protected from Monkeypox?

The World Health Organization declared the world free of Smallpox on May 8, 1980. It is often touted as one of the foremost achievements...

Jul 26, 2022

Who is eligible for the Monkeypox Vaccine? (...And more of your Monkeypox questions answered)

Last Saturday (July 23), The WHO designated the 2022 monkeypox virus outbreak as a “public health emergency of international concern”...

Dr. Katrine Wallace
Epidemiologist & Science Communicator

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