COVID-19 Cases Are Climbing, with Donald Alcendor, PhD

After a historically low-transmission summer, new cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 have increased by approximately 18% in the US over the last week, according to CDC data. In a new DocTalk interview, Donald J. Alcendor, PhD, associate professor, department of pathology microbiology and immunology, division of infectious diseases, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and HCPLive Editorial Advisory Board member, discussed the factors influencing the current iteration of COVID-19 in the US. Put briefly: “The virus is changing, and immunity is waning.” Want more COVID-19 and health care news updates? Visit us at HCPLive.com.Episode highlights:0:16 Intro1:36 The current climb in COVID-19: What’s happening?3:58 Are the variants becoming harder to dodge?7:01 How the end of the US public health emergency impacted prevention11:07 Realistic vaccine expectations13:13 Advancing COVID-19 antivirals17:32 The future for mRNA vaccines infectious disease21:27 Public health implications22:58 A quiet COVID-19 summer: What went well?25:06 Projecting future waves28:26 Advice for clinicians in preparing patients