FDA staff declines to take stance on Pfizer’s Covid vaccine booster shots, citing lack of verified data

The FDA staff declined to take a stance on whether to back booster shots of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, saying U.S. regulators haven’t verified all the available data. Dan Barouch, MD, PhD of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center said there is currently not a consensus in the biomedical community on boosters for the general public and with experts on both sides of the debate, it’ll be interesting to see where the debate goes. (CNBC, September 15, 2021)

Coronavirus was top cause of law enforcement deaths in first six months of 2021, report says

A spokesperson for the city of Cambridge discussed how police officers in the city are not required to be vaccinated, yet the city has had strong vaccination rates. In part, thanks to an officer who also serves as a part-time nurse at Mount Auburn Hospital and was an instrumental internal resource in the early stages making himself available to address any questions and concerns. (Boston Globe, September 14, 2021)

Industry Sounds Alarm on “Mental Health Crisis”

Behavioral health practitioners and advocates are proposing two bills as part of the solutions to challenges facing their field, and patients seeking care. Patrick Aquino, MD of Beth Israel Lahey Health Behavioral Services said Massachusetts is grappling with an acute shortage of psychiatrists at the same time that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought on an ever-increasing need for mental health treatment. (State House News via WBUR, September 14, 2021)

Mass. doctor on big outdoor events: ‘There’s gonna be some transmission’

Brian Hollenbeck, MD of New England Baptist Hospital said it's inevitable that there will be some transmission of COVID-19 at large events and that ultimately it comes down to people's personal risk tolerance. (WCVB, September 13, 2021)

Return to stadium worth the risk for fans

Football season is back and fans are returning to stadiums. But COVID-19 concerns remain. Sharon Wright, MD, MPH of Beth Israel Lahey Health said it is important to know one’s risk factors and understand ways to mitigate the risk of exposure. (The Sun Chronicle, September 12, 2021)

Research probes women doctors’ “impossible task of having it all”

The pandemic has further amplified the imbalance of child care and household-management tasks, placing further burden on women physicians. Research by Huma Farid, MD and Katharyn M. Atkins, MD of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, aims to shed light on the pandemic’s true toll on women physicians with children and to develop a framework for how institutions can best support these physicians, particularly early on in their careers. (American Medical Association, September 8, 2021)

Massachusetts doctor’s COVID focus after Labor Day holiday

Robin Colgrove, MD of Mount Auburn Hospital, discussed the spike in COVID-19 RNA detectable in wastewater, how to keep children safe as they return to school and the future of booster shots. (WCVB, September 6, 2021)

ISID podcast: COVID travel passes

Lin Chen, MD of Mount Auburn Hospital joined a podcast from the International Society of Infections Disease to discuss what COVID-19 travel passes would look like and when and how might they be feasible. (ISID Podcast, September 2, 2021)

Mass. doctor on new, proposed travel restrictions amid COVID-19 delta spread

The European Union is recommending new travel restrictions for American tourists as COVID-19 cases in the U.S. continue to surge. Preeti Mehrotra, MD of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, discussed the proposed travel restrictions and said international travel plays a role in global transmission. (WCVB, August 30, 2021)

Booster shot rollout against COVID-19 is likely to differ from the first vaccine effort

Russell Phillips, MD of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, comments on how some primary care doctors are using a state-driven system to order vaccination doses for their patients. (Boston Globe, August 28, 2021)