Show Me the Science

The virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to have originated in wild bats that live in caves around Wuhan, China. It also may have been passed to a second animal species before it began infecting people. Many devastating epidemics in recent years — including SARS, Ebola and HIV/AIDS — were caused by animal viruses that spilled over into people. Before another pandemic begins, a diverse group of in...

In St. Louis, as in much of the United States, African Americans are more likely to test positive for COVID-19. They're also more likely to be hospitalized, to end up in intensive care and to die of the infection. Further, protests that have erupted against police violence point to another stressor shouldered primarily by African Americans. In this episode, we discuss systemic racism — inside and...

Most of the country is relaxing guidelines put in place to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. But many questions arise about how to re-open safely. In this episode, we discuss making everyday life safer with Hilary M. Babcock, MD , a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and medical director of the Infection Prevention and Epidemiology Consortium for BJC HealthCare. S...

It seems almost every day brings a new finding about COVID-19, but still, relatively little is understood about the novel coronavirus, the disease it causes or how best to prevent and treat it. Scientific research takes time, but the lack of sound research hasn't stopped some from filling in the gaps with their own theories about the origins of the virus, potential treatments, vaccines, the useful...

More than 10 percent of those with serious COVID-19 infections have been frontline health-care workers. Now, an international group, led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is launching a trial to see whether the drug chloroquine might help those workers. The drug trail won't treat doctors, nurses and others after they get sick. Instead, the health-care workers...

The St. Louis region and most of the United States are under stay-at-home orders, meaning that aside from reporting to "essential" jobs that require attendance, and trips to the grocery store, drug store or other necessary errands, most people are spending more time at home than ever before. This week's podcast features experts in maintaining one's physical and mental health while isolated. Washin...

Although anecdotal reports have suggested certain therapies help some patients, there still are no proven treatments for the disorder. In this episode, we discuss repurposing existing drugs to treat COVID-19. One study involves treating hospitalized patients. Another involves providing infected patients with a drug to take at home as a way to prevent them from worsening and having to go to the hos...

With the number of cases climbing daily, some doctors and researchers are looking to bring back a very old therapy: the transfusion of antibodies from the plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients into patients battling COVID-19 infection. In this episode, Jeffrey P. Henderson, MD, PhD , an associate professor of medicine and of molecular microbiology in the Division of Infectious Diseases, discusses...

In this episode, Steven J. Lawrence, MD , an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, discusses COVID-19, the medical community's response to it, and what we might expect moving forward — locally, nationally and around the world. Lawrence is an expert in public health and infectious disease, and emergency preparedness is one of his primary interests. Show Me the Scie...