Navigating the second wave

NL webinar: Covid reinfection, vaccine efficacy, and what we know about mucormycosis

To talk about the effectiveness of Covid treatments and vaccines, and discuss the connection between Covid and mucormycosis, Manisha Pande hosts Dr Priya Sampathkumar, chair, Infection and Prevention Control at Mayo Clinic, and Dr Sumaiya Shaikh, neuroscientist and founding editor of Alt News Science.

On the effectiveness of plasma therapy in treating Covid, Shaikh says, “In Covid, it adds to the different mutations. So, not just that it is not useful but in a lot of instances, it adds to the variants in the population.”

Talking about Covid reinfection, Sampathkumar says, “Because of the lack of good data on testing and actual numbers coming out, we don’t know the reinfection rate [for the Indian strain]. We don’t know whether the cases are more severe or less severe. It does appear that this is all like a brand-new infection.”

They also discuss whether pregnant women can get vaccinated, the efficacy rates of various vaccines, booster shots, and more.

Watch.