KPFA - Corona Calls

Discussed in this episode: Jay Bhattacharya, who heads the National Institutes of Health for the Trump administration, kept the CDC from publishing data showing getting an updated COVID shot drastically reduced the need for emergency care and hospitalization. To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: coronacalls@kpfa.org Tune in live Monday mornings at 7:30am Pacific at kpfa....

Discussed in this episode: In a lawsuit brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics, a federal judge has stayed (put on hold) every decision made by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices since RFK Jr. purged and replaced its membership last summer. To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: coronacalls@kpfa.org Tune in live Monday mornings at 7:30am Pacific...

Discussed in this episode: The New York Times got a copy of an internal report by a working group of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. It makes outlandlish claims about the prevalence of COVID vaccine injury based in part on second-hand reports a conservative pollster, and suggests internal changes to how the government defines and tracks vaccine injury. To send us a question...

Discussed in this episode: Vinay Prasad, the Trump appointee who heads the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, has announced he’s leaving his position at the end of April. The announcement came shortly after he reversed a controversial decision to block FDA review of a new MRNA influenza vaccine from Moderna. To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: coronacal...

Discussed in this episode: Moderna’s got a new MRNA vaccine for influenza. It says clinical trials show the vaccine is 26% more effective than the flu vaccine currently in use. But when Moderna asked the FDA to review the new vaccine for approval, the FDA refused. Then, within a week, the FDA reversed itself and started the review. To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: co...

Discussed in this episode: What it would mean to have a vaccine that targets a broad range of coronaviruses, rather than a few variants of COVID-19. To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: coronacalls@kpfa.org Tune in live Monday mornings at 7:30am Pacific at kpfa.org. Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Internati...

Discussed in this episode:   Influenza cases may be headed toward a second spike. The increase seems mostly driven by Influenza B, which is more dangerous for children than Influenza A. After the Trump administration pulled the US out of the World Health Organization, governor Gavin Newsom signed California up. To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: coronacalls@kpfa.org Tu...

Discussed in this episode: A measles outbreak centered in South Carolina has just topped 700 cases, and spread to at least one person in California. Influenza deaths are topping COVID deaths this season. (Influenza rates *appear* to be starting a decline, but it’s not uncommon for flu season to see a second peak.) Doctor Swartzberg is shockingly sanguine about the pattern COVID seems to have settl...

Discussed in this episode: RFK Jr. has upended the childhood vaccination schedule To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: coronacalls@kpfa.org Tune in live Monday mornings at 7:30am Pacific at kpfa.org. Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. The post Corona Calls for 01.12.2026 – RFK Jr. Updend...

(Apologies for the one-week delay — I initially posted this to the wrong feed -b) Discussed in this episode: Influenza levels are rising quickly This year’s flu vaccine appears to be reducing the risk of hospitalization in adults by 30-40%. That’s a significant help, but a worse topline than in prior flu seasons. This is likely because the Influenza A subclade K, which has come to predominate, eme...

Discussed in this episode: Trendlines for respiratory illnesses that spread this time of year: National COVID rates are low but rising in some states, especially in the Northeast. Influenza rates are rising in line with previous years. One area of concern: vaccination rates for influenza are dropping, which could lead to more severe cases and deaths. RSV hospitalizations are down dramatically, lar...

Discussed in this episode: RFK Jr.’s recently-reconfigured Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has reversed a nearly 35-year-old recommendation that all newborns receive vaccination for Hepatitis B. Other childhood vaccinations may be next. To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: coronacalls@kpfa.org (Because of KPFA’s fundraising schedule, we won’t be able to take...

Discussed in this episode: Trump FDA appointee Vinay Prasad sent agency staff a lengthy, accusatory memo alleging without data that COVID vaccination was involved in the deaths of at least 10 children, and promising a stricter vaccine approval process moving forward. To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: coronacalls@kpfa.org Tune in live Monday mornings at 7:30am Pacific...

Discussed in this episode: H3N2 influenza has picked up a mutation (dubbed “subclade K”) that’s raising concerns for two reasons: 1) it accounts for a growing share of influenza samples that get genetically-sequenced, implying it has some growth advantage, and 2) the mutations emerged after the makeup of this year’s flu vaccine was approved and entered production. A resident of Washington State ha...

An all-audience-questions episode, including: If I’ve been exposed but haven’t gotten sick, how long until I’m safe to be around other people? Are any of the currently-approved COVID vaccines better than the other ones available? How long until I need to get re-vaccinated for RSV If I’ve had shingles, do I still need the shingles vaccine? To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write...

Discussed in this episode: The government shutdown has deprived us of the statistics the CDC normally aggregates and publishes to track the prevalence of respiratory infections this time of year — but other sources of data suggest this season is off to a mild start To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: coronacalls@kpfa.org Tune in live Monday mornings at 7:30am Pacific at...

Discussed in this episode: A new study shows the risk of heart attack and stroke shoot up in the immediate aftermath of an infection with influenza or COVID 19, and stay elevated for weeks. Another study, in Nature, shows MRNA vaccines for Covid made cancer patients receiving immunotherapy respond better to treatment, and live longer. To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to:...

Apologies for the delayed posting! Life, fund drive, and staff illnesses conspired to de-rail our normal publication schedule. Discussed in this episode: How the government shutdown, and CDC staff cuts carried out by the Trump administration, are impacting our capacity to respond to public health crises. To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: coronacalls@kpfa.org Tune in l...

Apologies for the delayed posting! Life, fund drive, and staff illnesses conspired to de-rail our normal publication schedule. Discussed in this episode: A new study on long covid in young people published in The Lancet suggests each additional COVID infection increases the risk of getting long covid about as much as the first infection did. To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, wr...

Apologies for the delayed posting! Life, fund drive, and staff illnesses conspired to de-rail our normal publication schedule. Discussed in this episode: Trying to make sense of the proceedings of RFK Jr.’s newly-repopulated Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Timing fall vaccinations To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: coronacalls@kpfa.org Tune in live Monday...

In light of the rise in COVID levels and the drop in federal support for vaccination and public health, we devoted the episode to listener questions, including: When it’s advisable to re-up your vaccination What to do if you’ve been sick for 5+ weeks and are worried about long covid Whether you can find out if you’ve had COVID, without realizing it To send us a question in advance of next week’s s...

Discussed in this episode: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got grilled by the Senate Health Committee on Thursday over (among other things) firing the CDC director he’d helped get confirmed earlier this year, and presiding over an FDA decision that may make it much harder to get COVID vaccines. To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: coronacalls@kpfa.org Tune in live...

To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write to: coronacalls@kpfa.org Tune in live Monday mornings at 7:30am Pacific at kpfa.org. Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. The post Corona Calls for 02.09.2025 appeared first on KPFA.

Discussed in this episode: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has ended 22 contracts collectively worth $500 million that funded research and development of MRNA vaccines like the two deployed against COVID  in record time. Research in California dairies suggests bird flu may be transmitted through the air, not just from surface contact. To send us a question in advance of next week’s show, write...