June 2023 Where did SARS-CoV-2 come from? SARS-CoV-2 is the formal name of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. A key question about the pandemic remains, where did it come from / how did it get into people? It’s no surprise that new human viruses appear. Emerging viruses are a known threat because it has happened…

by Amy Rogers. Writer. Scientist. In 2006, Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 2016, he started writing a novel about an epidemic of bubonic plague on a fictional Mediterranean island set in 1901 during the waning days of the Ottoman Empire. In this novel…

By Amy Rogers, MD, PhD Will bird flu be the source of the next global pandemic? As a microbiology professor and a science thriller novelist, I’ve been fascinated by deadly plagues for a long time. My interest began when I discovered Richard Preston’s seminal book The Hot Zone, a novelized nonfiction account of Ebola virus coming to the US. Since then…

Don’t pay retail price to fill a prescription for your dog or cat — Everyone knows health care in America is expensive. The cost of prescription drugs is the one part of that expense the average person actually sees. Getting a new prescription from your doctor is like spinning a wheel to see how much money you’re going to lose. If you have insurance…

By Amy Rogers, MD, PhD The US Food and Drug Administration has “authorized” second COVID-19 boosters for people 50 years and older. ( STAT News) For most vaccinated Americans, a second booster would be a fourth dose of COVID vaccine. Should you get the shot? A lot of people have asked me this question. Let’s jump to the punchline: For…

By Amy Rogers,MD, PhD Natural Immunity and Muscosal Antibodies A reader asked about a friend who is “monitoring his immune level” as a way to protect himself against COVID19 without getting vaccinated. This friend also believes “discussion about natural immunity is being suppressed.” Monitoring Your Immune Level To say you are “monitoring your immune level” is akin to saying…

By Dr. Amy Rogers, MD, PhD After reading my article “Why Omicron Will Be The Last COVID Variant of (Major) Concern”, someone asked me about vaccination for people who have tested positive for the coronavirus, or who have actually had a symptomatic case of COVID19. Here is my reply. The…

I said ask me if you want a technical explanation for why monoclonal antibodies fail. Someone asked. Here is my reply: The immune system forms antibodies against “foreign” proteins that enter the body. We call the unwanted or alien thing an “antigen." Antibodies grab onto the antigen by a careful…

By Amy Rogers, MD, PhD In my last post I said, “I’m not worried about another, more contagious variant emerging. Omicron is that variant.” I further argued that we were on the verge of achieving a type of herd immunity in the US. Several people asked a good question about…