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While COVID-19 vaccines might have been oversold as the ultimate infection preventers, they did a solid job reducing severe illness. Now, researchers have discovered that a nasal vaccine might just be the secret weapon against transmission — at least if you're a hamster.

In this radio interview with John Batchelor, our conversation includes (1) the approval of the latest COVID vaccines; and (2) the problem – especially for people in some occupations – with testing for the presence of marijuana and other drugs.

The advances in medical practice since World War II have been stunning, and they continue apace. Some of the existing and anticipated ones are discussed here and in Part 2.

As the fall approaches, the Delta variant continues to infect our citizens as the climate becomes more hospitable to respiratory viruses. Booster immunizations have arrived, and they’ll be rolled out soon.

A curious term has emerged among the anti-vaccine community, following the Covid pandemic, that has scientists baffled as to how it could be receiving much online attention. Are turbo-cancers real? Or just another overblown scare?

Are some COVID-19 shots engineered to control your thoughts? A prominent anti-vaccine campaigner claims this might be the case. He's wrong, but debunking his concern gives us a chance to discuss cool gene-therapy technology.

RNA-based treatments for select genetic diseases have made major headlines in the last few months by receiving FDA approval and giving hope to families of suffering children.

Pfizer and Moderna are producing fewer but more effective (and pricier) vaccines, while AstraZeneca is making a greater number of less effective (and cheaper) vaccines.

Dr. Offit, a physician and immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania, provides a readable and informative discussion of many issues surrounding the pandemic – the science, the toll, the disinformation, and what we can expect.

Politically-driven vaccine resistance renders persuasion efforts all but futile in that segment of the population. A different, but still potent, obstacle is posed when trying to persuade those susceptible to conspiracy theories. What happens when the two tactics are deliberately and calculatedly used in tandem – facilitated by junk science? Might perpetuating this kind of compound disinformation count as treason if done by a public servant?

For roughly 1 in every 10,000 people who are exposed to common viruses, like herpes simplex or the flu, encephalitis develops. This potentially deadly disease, an inflammation of the brain, is caused by the viruses ability to invade the brainstem. But why does this happen to a small subset of otherwise healthy children? 

It is that time of year when we present listicles of our top 5 or 10. Here are our most popular articles based on your page views. On behalf of myself and all of our wonderful writers, thank you for all 400,000 reads.

From the very beginning, the FDA knew that the COVID-19 vaccine was linked to serious heart trouble in recipients. The FDA medical officer review [1] of Pfizer’s original COVID-19 application notes “clinically important serious adverse reactions [included] anaphylaxis and myocarditis/pericarditis.” There is an urgent need for the FDA, CDC, and manufacturers to thoroughly investigate serious heart-related adverse events after the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines.

Contrary to a poorly researched Wall Street Journal commentary, the new COVID vaccines have been tested appropriately and, like their predecessors, will likely prevent serious illness, death, and undue stress on the U.S. healthcare system.

I get it. People are sick and tired of COVID and endlessly cranky about having to deal with the changing facts and rules. Some of this discontent is expressed as dissatisfaction with the vaccines. While this frustration may be understandable it is not warranted. The vaccines are nothing short of a medical miracle. Don't shoot the messenger RNA. Blame the virus.

By any measure, today's announcement about the unexpected efficacy of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine is great news. But, Pfizer's Dr. Robert Popovian cautions us that the job is not done. There are policies that are essential to ensure the vaccine is promoted to the public, distributed, and administered properly. And be priced so that everyone can get it. Devil. Details.

COVID vaccination is no longer one-size-fits-all: US health officials now leave booster decisions to individuals, and the WHO urges “focused protection” for those at highest risk. Yet without hard numbers on whose immunity fades fastest, personal choice is a shot in the dark. A new study maps each person’s immune rise and fall—offering the data we need to turn guesswork into tailored guidance.

The Agency's drug approval and enforcement actions are falling through the cracks, while regulators are squandering time and resources on insubstantial trivia.

What would happen if we approached antibiotic resistance with the same fervor that we have for covid? Is there a reason why we should not?

Platelets, minuscule white blood cells that are crucial for normal blood clotting, may be useful as an early screening test for lung cancer — thus possibly avoiding the necessity of extensive surgery and long-term treatments. An innovative use of so-called Tumor-Educated Platelets seems potentially valuable for the early detection of lung cancer, and maybe for other cancers as well.

Upper respiratory infections have a seasonality; winter is their thing. The role of the changing temperature and humidity, in some entangled manner, contributes to the winter increases. But what is the role of one of our first barriers to those invading microbes, the nose?

What if a new gatekeeper to your future doctor’s education appeared — but forgot to write a rulebook? Amid headlines about addressing healthcare shortages, a new accreditation body is making promises of transparency and rigor. But behind the scenes lies a blueprint with more politics than policy.

Roughly 70% of Americans have gotten or plan to get vaccinated – a percentage that has not changed since June. The public remains divided between those that fear the virus and its consequences and those who fear the vaccination.

Eric Topol is a cardiologist working in translational medicine, innovation, at Scripps Clinic in San Diego. He is an active commentator in healthcare. Here is his Twitter thread on Operation Warp Speed along with the vaccine development timeline.