The On Deadline Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The CDC wants to see & study what you're flushing down the study -- Is the key to turning COVID from pandemic to endemic a nasal spray vaccine? Feb 07, 2022

Show notes

The CDC would really like to see and know what you're flushing down the toilet.

The public health agency is expanding programs so scientists can study wastewater, which may hold the key to learning about COVID spread in your city.

And the future of COVID prevention through vaccines might not involve any needles at all............it could be a vaccine delivered through a nasal spray.

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Turns on some old fashioned sunshine will do us good: new study links Vitamin D deficiency to higher likelihood of severe COVID Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

When your grandmother used to tell you that getting a little sunshine would do you good, turns out she knew what she was talking about.

The sun could help you avoid the worst of COVID. A new study out of Israel found a correlation between Vitamin D deficiency and the severity of COVID illnesses.

Vitamin D deficient patients were 14 times more likely to have a severe or a critical case of COVID than those who aren't deficient.

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So which is it: is the COVID pandemic winding down and becoming endemic, or will a highly lethal coronavirus be with us forever? Feb 03, 2022

Show notes

Doctors and scientists have been saying COVID will eventually become endemic......meaning the virus is still there, still circulating but it's manageable---nowhere near as rampant and deadly as it is now.

But one biosecurity expert in Australia say COVID will never get to that point. It'll remain an epidemic. She says it's because there are large rapid rises in case numbers.

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Were the early pandemic lockdows ineffective, bad policy and a waste of time? -- Europe is moving beyond COVID restrictions, so why can't we? Feb 02, 2022

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Think back to when this all started, March of 2020 when the world basically shut down. We were told we all had to stay home to both flatten the curve and save lives. Well, new analysis from Johns Hopkins University found that all those lockdowns had very little impact on saving lives in both the U-S and Europe.

With the worst of omicron seemingly behind us as cases continue to drop, many doctors are now saying it's time to start easing COVID restrictions--and that includes taking off our masks. Does the science support gradually moving on from the pandemic?

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Tiny doses for tiny arms: Pfizer applies for EUA for its COVID vaccine in kids 5-and-younger -- Why does the Bay Area manage COVID outbreaks so much better than L.A.? Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

Pfizer has formally submitted its COVID vaccine to the FDA for emergency use authorization for use in children ages 5 and younger. Scientists have had a tough time perfecting the vaccine dosage for little bodies--strong enough to illicit an immune response against coronavirus but not too strong to bring on side effects. So we'll take a closer look.

Here in California we just had a battle of NorCal vs. SoCal, but that was in football with the Rams and 49ers going at it in the NFC Championship. The Rams won that round--but when it comes to the battle of controlling COVID, the Bay Area is blowing away Los Angeles--we'll explain.

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Have mask mandates jumped the pandemic shark? Jan 31, 2022

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After the governor of California, the mayors of Los Angeles and San Francisco plus a whole bunch of their VIP guests were all photographed without masks at yesterday's NFC Championship at Sofi stadium..........a lot of people are asking today if mask mandates have officially jumped the shark.

An LA County Supervisor says it may be time to let people make their own decisions and calculated risks on when and where to mask up--so we'll talk with her about what comes next on mask policies.

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When is it time to wind down COVID precautions & restrictions? -- The right and wrong way to use, and reuse, those N95 masks -- Omicron's annoying little brother -- Everyone panic, alcohol supplies are running low Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

More countries in Europe are easing COVID restrictions; and several U.S. cities and states that had tough COVID precautions in place are gradually lifting them.

San Francisco even is loosening its indoor mask requirements. But not in Los Angeles County. When should restrictions be eased?

Doctors want everyone now to where N-95 and KN-95 masks--out with the old cloth and thinner surgical masks. But there are lots of questions on how to wear them, for how long and if they can be reused; so we'll try to answer some of them.

We've talked about that subvariant of omicron, it's "little brother" the B-A-2. Well it's officially here in U.S., with a handful of cases reported in Los Angeles County. Is this the start of something much more ominous?

And remember back to the early days of the pandemic when everyone was buying up all the alcohol? Sales were great. But now some alcohol makers are running out or supply.

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The unenforced indoor COVID vaccine mandate in Los Angeles -- What good are COVID tests when results come back weeks later?! Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

It was supposed to be iron clad and strictly enforced: the COVID vaccine mandate on indoor spaces in Los Angeles meant that if you wanted to go to a gym, or movie theater or restaurant, you had to show proof of being vaccinated.

Turns out no one seems to be enforcing it..........and no fines or warnings have been issued by city public health officials.

And If you took a COVID test recently and are still waiting for the results after two days...you're far from alone. We talk to one man who had to wait weeks before a response.

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The COVID vaccine booster shot effort in the U.S. needs a boost -- Why are so many immunocompromised people being turned away from pharmacies for their 4th COVID vaccine dose? Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

The COVID vaccine booster shot effort is in need of............a boost.

The numbers of booster shots going into arms of Americans has slowed considerably in recent weeks and public health officials are wondering what they can do to kickstart the effort.

Also on today's podcast, we're looking at why some pharmacies are telling immunocompromised people they can't get a fourth booster shot............even though the CDC has given it the green light.

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Omicron might have a little brother -- Ethical debate rages over Boston hospital that's denying a patient a heart transplant because he won't take the COVID vaccine -- Restaurants, battered & bruised, are barely hanging on Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

What if the Omicron variant had a little brother? Well, it kind of does.

Scientists are paying attention to a variant of this troublesome COVID variant. The Omicron relative is being called B-A 2, it's been found in both Europe and the U.S.--so we'll get to know this omicron relative and try to decipher how big of a problem it could be.

Ethical questions are being raised about a hospital refusing to perform a heart transplant until a man gets vaccinated. So far, he's refused to get the shots..........even as the hospital is balking at going through with his transplant.

And each time restaurants have started to climb off the mat from this COVID pandemic.........another new variant arrives and a new wave of infections follows. We'll hear from restaurant owners who are barely keeping their doors open after two years of this.

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