Show Me the Science
65 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 months ago -Show Me the Science is the new podcast from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. Our podcast features stories that highlight the latest in groundbreaking research, clinical care and education at Washington University.
Homepage Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Newly approved drug may slow progression of Alzheimer’s
August 04, 2023 19:31 - 20 minutes - 16.2 MBIn this episode, Washington University researchers discuss the Food and Drug Administration’s recent full approval of the drug Leqembi (lecanemab) and what it could mean to the future of Alzheimer’s disease treatments. The drug is approved for use in people with mild dementia from Alzheimer’s disease, but researchers at Washington University’s Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center (ADRC), believe the drug, along with other medications in clinical trials, one day may ...
Can psychedelic drugs help treat mental illness?
June 30, 2023 19:42 - 21 minutes - 17.1 MBIn this episode, we discuss new research into psychedelic drugs as potential therapies for psychiatric illness. Several studies have suggested that drugs, such as psilocybin, may be useful in treating problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and depression. Psychiatry researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been using a brain-imaging technique called precision functional mapping to learn how psilocybin affects certain networks in the brain....
Advocating for science and truth
June 02, 2023 14:12 - 21 minutes - 16.4 MBIn this episode, we hear from two physician-scientists who have been leaders in the U.S. effort to deal with two medical crises that emerged almost 40 years apart: HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. Anthony S. Fauci, MD, the recently retired director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), spoke to Washington University School of Medicine’s 2023 graduating class. His role at NIH made him a leader in the worldwide effort to understand and ...
Making connections through storytelling
May 15, 2023 19:49 - 17 minutes - 13.9 MBIn this episode, we visit a recent event sponsored by the Becker Medical Library at the School of Medicine. Called “In Our Words: Connection,” the storytelling event brought together 12 faculty members, medical students, residents and fellows who told stories about how their lives have been affected by medicine as caregivers, those receiving care or otherwise. The idea behind the evening was to share stories and assist physicians and trainees in better understanding that they face many of th...
Maternal mortality rates are spiking. How can the trend be reversed?
April 17, 2023 17:43 - 15 minutes - 13.1 MBIn this episode, we report on the disturbing spike in maternal mortality rates in recent years. Although rates of maternal death have long been higher in the U.S. than in other wealthy countries, the rate recently reached its highest level since 1965. The number of deaths of mothers has risen from 17.4 deaths per 100,000 births in 2018 to 20.1 deaths in 2019 and 23.8 in 2020 — the first year of the pandemic. Then in 2021, the most recent year for which statistics are available, there were 32...
International effort aims to help those at risk for serious psychiatric illness
March 13, 2023 19:32 - 16 minutes - 13.1 MBIn this episode, we report on a major international study involving psychiatry researchers from the School of Medicine who are working to identify causes and effects of the early stages of schizophrenia in young people — an illness characterized by significant changes in thoughts, feelings and behavior that may include a loss of contact with reality. The goal is to improve early diagnosis and treatment to potentially prevent the most devastating effects of the disorder. The study’s princip...
Recognizing, caring for dementia patients in the emergency department
January 31, 2023 21:49 - 20 minutes - 18 MBIn this episode, we head to the emergency department. Doctors in most emergency departments around the country are dealing with fewer COVID-19-positive patients than before, but they continue to be faced with a different epidemic of sorts: the 20% to 30% of patients with dementia-related cognitive issues who seek emergency care. As the U.S. population ages, it’s more common for emergency physicians to find themselves treating older people who are living with dementia. Further, during the thi...
Brain-related issues can linger after patients recover from COVID-19
December 21, 2022 20:00 - 19 minutes - 15.6 MBIn this episode, we learn more about one of the leading problems associated with long COVID-19. Those who have been infected with the virus are at increased risk for a range of neurological conditions in the first year after an infection. Research conducted at the School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System has found that strokes, cognitive and memory problems, depression, anxiety and migraine headaches are more common in people who have had COVID-19 than those w...
Treating the whole patient all at once
November 22, 2022 16:32 - 17 minutes - 13.9 MBIn this episode, we visit the team at the Washington University Living Well Center. It was launched to improve outcomes for patients with orthopedic issues. For example, if someone needs hip-replacement surgery, that person also can receive help losing weight, stopping smoking and taking other actions to make it more likely the outcome from their surgery will be as good as possible. The center uses dietary counseling, physical therapy, massage, acupuncture and behavioral therapy to prepar...
Updated boosters and progress toward a nasal vaccine
October 19, 2022 20:14 - 17 minutes - 14.2 MBAs we get deeper into autumn and winter approaches, we discuss COVID-19 vaccines. New boosters have been developed to rev up the immune system not only to fight the original strain of the virus but also to boost the immune system against more recent omicron strains of SARS-CoV-2. In this episode, we discuss the boosters — now approved for use in children as young as 5 — with infectious diseases specialist Rachel M. Presti, MD, PhD, an associate professor of medicine and medical director of W...
What if it’s not COVID-19?
August 30, 2022 15:23 - 19 minutes - 14.5 MBIf you were coughing, running a fever and felt short of breath, what would you think? Those are common symptoms of COVID-19. But not everyone with such symptoms is infected with the virus. In this episode, we tell the story of a Michael Moffitt, a young man who grew up in St. Louis but was been working in the oil and gas fields of New Mexico. He got sick in November 2020 with a cough, fever and shortness of breath, initially leading his doctor to assume he had COVID-19. Moffitt's tests for...
New COVID-19 variants causing re-infections
August 03, 2022 20:50 - 19 minutes - 15.3 MBInfections and hospitalizations are rising again. During this latest wave of COVID-19 infections, many fully vaccinated people are getting sick, as are people who previously were sick with the virus, even those infected in the very recent past. The new strains of omicron — BA.4 and BA.5 — have stricken some well-known, fully vaccinated people, including President Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci. In this episode, we speak with William G. Powderly, MD, the J. William Campbell Professor and c...
Giving stroke patients a hand
July 18, 2022 19:40 - 20 minutes - 17.1 MBBrain-computer interfaces connect activity in the brain to an external device by means of a computer. Research has shown it’s possible to use such interfaces to move robotic arms and perform other tasks. Almost 30 years ago, Washington University researcher Eric Leuthardt, MD, a professor of neurosurgery, demonstrated that he could hook electrodes to the brains of epilepsy patients who were waiting to have brain surgery, and those patients then could play video games just by thinking about m...
Long COVID-19 a lasting battle for many
June 22, 2022 15:13 - 18 minutes - 14.8 MBAs many as 30% of those who get COVID-19 will continue to have problems in the weeks and months after their infections. Long COVID-19 is defined as a condition in which issues persist for at least three months. But for many, the difficulties last much longer. Extreme fatigue, shortness of breath and what many call brain fog lead the list of long-term complications. Some people also develop heart problems, diabetes, psychiatric issues and trouble with pain in the weeks and months following th...
Pandemic fuels use of alcohol, opioids
May 17, 2022 18:00 - 19 minutes - 15.5 MBIn this episode, we discuss issues that were problems long before anyone ever heard of COVID-19: alcohol use disorder and opioid overdose. Both seem to have gotten worse during the pandemic. Alcohol sales rose during the early days of lockdown, and they’ve remained high. Laura J. Bierut, MD, the Alumni Endowed Professor of Psychiatry, says another issue is that with some people losing their jobs while millions more have worked from home, some of the guardrails that have kept people from dri...
As 'Show Me the Science' turns 2, we look back at 2 years of a pandemic
April 26, 2022 17:56 - 19 minutes - 16.9 MBBut for this episode, we’re sticking with COVID-19. In 2020, when the pandemic shut down much of the country, our very first guest on “Show Me the Science” was Steven J. Lawrence, MD, a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases. He also was our first guest of our second season of podcast episodes last year. And we’ve brought him back again, for year three. As the pandemic first gripped the St. Louis area, Lawrence was worried whether there would be adequate ventilators, ICU...
As ‘Show Me the Science’ turns 2, we look back at 2 years of a pandemic
April 26, 2022 17:56 - 19 minutes - 16.9 MBBut for this episode, we’re sticking with COVID-19. In 2020, when the pandemic shut down much of the country, our very first guest on “Show Me the Science” was Steven J. Lawrence, MD, a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases. He also was our first guest of our second season of podcast episodes last year. And we’ve brought him back again, for year three. As the pandemic first gripped the St. Louis area, Lawrence was worried whether there would be adequate ventilators, IC...
Long COVID can affect every organ system in the body
April 01, 2022 16:07 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBThe death toll isn’t the only staggering statistic from the first two years of the pandemic. What’s become increasing clear is that some COVID-19 patients don’t get well right away. Since the earliest days of the pandemic, we’ve heard of survivors who continue to experience shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, lingering difficulty with taste and smell, and brain fog. But researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Administration have found that other...
Adjusting the nation's COVID-19 response
March 08, 2022 16:28 - 19 minutes - 14 MBWith the pandemic death toll approaching 1 million people in the United States, Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a Washington University alum, visited Washington University School of Medicine on March 2 and March 3, 2022. As part of the Department of Medicine’s weekly Grand Rounds series, she sat down with William G. Powderly, MD, the J. William Campbell Professor of Medicine and co-director of the Division of Infectious ...
Adjusting the nation’s COVID-19 response
March 08, 2022 16:28 - 19 minutes - 14 MBWith the pandemic death toll approaching 1 million people in the United States, Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a Washington University alum, visited Washington University School of Medicine on March 2 and March 3, 2022. As part of the Department of Medicine’s weekly Grand Rounds series, she sat down with William G. Powderly, MD, the J. William Campbell Professor of Medicine and co-director of the Division of Infectious...
Can we communicate more effectively about vaccines?
March 01, 2022 17:59 - 18 minutes - 12.6 MBMore than 900,000 people in the United States have died of COVID-19, and over the last year, almost all of those deaths have been among unvaccinated people. Still, many people remain unvaccinated, and many say they are not sure whether they can trust the things public health officials say about COVID vaccines. Washington University infectious diseases specialist Elvin H. Geng, MD, a professor of medicine, recently recalled similar issues with communication and trust in a Perspective essay he ...
Fighting burnout in health care
February 16, 2022 23:31 - 20 minutes - 16.4 MBWith U.S. hospitals crowded with COVID-19 patients for almost two years, the pandemic’s relentlessness has pushed many doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals to the brink. Many have decided to leave the field or question whether to remain. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have launched a research project as part of a new program funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The g...
Highly contagious omicron is a roller coaster
February 02, 2022 21:37 - 20 minutes - 15.2 MBThe omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 arrived in the United States around Thanksgiving. Within a few weeks, it was the dominant variant in the country, and hospitals suddenly were crowded with COVID-19 patients again. More patients were hospitalized in the St. Louis region as the omicron wave hit than at any other time during the pandemic. The good news is that although there have been breakthrough infections in vaccinated people — even in those who received booster shots — omicron doesn’t make m...
Why the omicron wave is different
January 26, 2022 19:16 - 18 minutes - 14.9 MBWhen SARS-CoV-2 first arrived, it was as if a raging wildfire had been blown by a strong wind through dry, flammable timber. So says Ali Ellebedy, PhD, an immunologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. As a population, he says, we were completely vulnerable to the virus because no one’s immune system had seen it before. In the two years since the virus first appeared, millions of infections and vaccinations have been able to tamp down some of the flames, and Ellebedy s...
Hospitalized patients with COVID reach record levels
January 12, 2022 18:33 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MBAlthough there seems to be evidence that infections with the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 are somewhat milder, you wouldn’t know that from the number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital. A post-holiday spike in cases has seen the number of inpatients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital rise to levels higher than any seen since the pandemic began. In this episode, a pair of Washington University physicians report that because of the number of hospitalized COVID-19 pat...
Another pandemic holiday season
December 20, 2021 16:41 - 19 minutes - 15.5 MBThe omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is here, but it’s the delta variant that has been driving a rapid increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in recent weeks as people get out into the world more, antibody responses from vaccines wane, and families travel and gather in larger groups. As cases surge and hospitalizations increase, health-care workers are facing a second holiday season with emergency rooms and intensive care units (ICUs) crowded with COVID-19 patients. Nguyet Nguyen, MD, an assistan...
Omicron has arrived
December 09, 2021 15:35 - 20 minutes - 17.7 MBA few weeks ago, no one had heard of the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. Since its recent discovery by scientists in South Africa, infections with the variant have been found in dozens of U.S. states and countries around the world. Scientists are scrambling to understand whether the new variant, which houses several mutations on the spike protein that infects cells, might be able to evade protection from current vaccines. Virologist and researcher Larissa B. Thackray, PhD, an associate profess...
What's up with boosters?
November 18, 2021 16:00 - 21 minutes - 17.6 MBOver a million kids ages 5 to 11 have had the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and a growing number of older people are getting booster shots. Although the official recommendation limits the booster to those over age 65, with weakened immune systems or who have jobs that put them at high risk for exposure to the novel coronavirus, that's expected to change soon. Some states and cities already have begun recommending boosters for everyone over age 18. There’s little doubt boosters are helpi...
What’s up with boosters?
November 18, 2021 16:00 - 21 minutes - 17.6 MBOver a million kids ages 5 to 11 have had the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and a growing number of older people are getting booster shots. Although the official recommendation limits the booster to those over age 65, with weakened immune systems or who have jobs that put them at high risk for exposure to the novel coronavirus, that's expected to change soon. Some states and cities already have begun recommending boosters for everyone over age 18. There’s little doubt boosters are help...
Vaccines approved for younger kids
November 03, 2021 17:39 - 17 minutes - 15.1 MBCOVID-19 has killed more than 5 million people around the world, with more than 740,000 dead in the United States. Although the virus is far more deadly in older people than in children, more than 650 kids have died of COVID-19 in the United States. Meanwhile, during the surge caused by the delta variant, hospitalizations of children increased fivefold. Some 90% of the 12- to 17-year-olds hospitalized for the illness? were unvaccinated, and none of the hospitalized children under age 12 were ...
Remaining resilient while the pandemic drags on
October 21, 2021 14:52 - 19 minutes - 16.8 MBEven as the numbers of COVID-19 cases around the country decline again, with cooler weather and people moving back indoors, we’re being warned about the possibility of another swing upward in cases. Such an increase would represent yet another wave of illness during this pandemic. And after all these months, the stress is getting to many people. Groups particularly vulnerable to such stress are older adults — who face the greatest risk from the virus — and young children. But as the pandemic ...
Boosters? Vaccines for kids? Where do we stand heading toward winter?
September 30, 2021 14:02 - 21 minutes - 17.4 MBRecently, the federal government decided that vaccine booster shots will be made available for Americans 65 and older, those with compromised immune systems and others in high-risk jobs. In addition, Pfizer has submitted data asserting its vaccine is safe and effective for children ages 5-12. The next step could be an emergency use authorization from the Food & Drug Administration, allowing younger children to be vaccinated. Despite breakthrough infections involving vaccinated people, suggest...
Shutdowns in COVID-19's early days helped St. Louis area avoid thousands of deaths
September 17, 2021 18:30 - 18 minutes - 15.1 MBIn March 2020, the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in the St. Louis region, and health officials in St. Louis County and the city of St. Louis issued emergency orders to try to halt the virus’ spread. A new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis determined that those orders may have saved hundreds of lives and prevented thousands of hospitalizations. An analysis conducted by infectious diseases specialist Elvin H. Geng, MD, a professor of medici...
Vaccines and COVID-19 infection generate protective antibodies, even against Delta
August 30, 2021 21:17 - 19 minutes - 16.5 MBIt’s been a busy summer in the laboratory of Ali Ellebedy, PhD, an associate professor of pathology & immunology and of molecular microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Studying samples from patients with COVID-19 infections and others who have been vaccinated against the virus, he’s found hopeful signs in the immune system — even regarding the vaccine’s response to the highly infectious Delta variant. His laboratory has reported that the immune system continu...
Vaccines and COVID-19 infection generate protective antibodies, even against Delta
August 30, 2021 21:17 - 19 minutes - 16.5 MBIt’s been a busy summer in the laboratory of Ali Ellebedy, PhD, an associate professor of pathology & immunology and of molecular microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Studying samples from patients with COVID-19 infections and others who have been vaccinated against the virus, he’s found hopeful signs in the immune system — even regarding the vaccine’s response to the highly infectious Delta variant. His laboratory has reported that the immune system continue...
New threats from highly contagious delta variant
August 03, 2021 21:40 - 19 minutes - 16.5 MBAs patients infected with the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus fill hospitals in parts of Missouri, and the virus spreads new infections around the country, Washington University data scientists and infectious diseases specialists are urging people to mask up again, regardless of vaccination status. The researchers say that although vaccination remains remarkably effective, masking and other public health practices that slowed the spread prior to the availability of vaccines are necessary ...
Pregnant women, new moms and vaccines
July 20, 2021 20:40 - 20 minutes - 16.4 MBPregnant patients who get COVID-19 have much worse outcomes than women who don’t get infected. They are three times as likely to end up in intensive care, three times as likely to need a ventilator to help them breathe and twice as likely to die. Ebony Boyce Carter, MD, an assistant professor of obstetrics & gynecology, has delivered babies throughout the pandemic while promoting health equity for high-risk pregnant women and their babies. Carter herself has three young daughters, and she say...
Vaccinating kids against COVID-19 likely to enhance school safety
June 23, 2021 18:30 - 20 minutes - 17.5 MBWhether and how children can return to classrooms has been hotly debated during the past year. Requiring teachers and students to wear masks, spreading out kids in classrooms and preventing students and staff from coming to school when sick has made most schools safe. With many teachers now vaccinated and more children now eligible, it’s expected that classrooms will be even safer when school resumes in the fall, according to pediatric infectious disease specialist Jason Newland, MD, a profes...
What to make of CDC's new masking guidelines
May 19, 2021 22:00 - 18 minutes - 14.3 MBAfter recently announcing that vaccinated people could safely take off their masks outdoors and gather in small groups with other vaccinated people indoors, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) next decided that vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks indoors either. The new guidelines caught many by surprise, but William G. Powderly, MD, the Larry J. Shapiro Director of the Institute for Public Health and co-director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Wash...
Pandemic contributing to uptick of mental health problems in kids
May 12, 2021 20:37 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MBInfections with the virus that causes COVID-19 are not the only cause of pandemic-related hospitalizations. Although children tend to be at lower risk of COVID-19, the number of kids with mental health and behavioral problems has exploded during the pandemic, driving an increase in pediatric hospital admissions nationwide. Stressors associated with remote schooling, fear of infection, and concern about older relatives have contributed to a tidal wave of hospital admissions for psychiatric iss...
A year later, scientists recall their efforts to jumpstart research into the mysterious new coronavirus
April 21, 2021 17:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MBEven before the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the United States, Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, the Herbert S. Gasser Professor of Medicine, started setting the stage with Sean Whelan, PhD, the Marvin A. Brennecke Distinguished Professor of Molecular Microbiology, for scientists at the university to study the virus. Whelan had just arrived in St. Louis to begin his new role as head of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and didn’t even have an operational laboratory when the two...
One year into the pandemic, vaccines are making life better, but it’s not over yet
March 24, 2021 18:28 - 18 minutes - 13.1 MBWhen we launched this podcast in March 2020, our first guest was a doctor who had spent years planning responses to epidemics, bioterrorism and other disasters. Last March, Steven J. Lawrence, MD, a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, told us what he thought might happen as the pandemic progressed. He worried about whether there would be enough ventilators, ICU beds and medical staff to care for those who would become infected with the novel coronavirus. He praised...
After a year of COVID-19, vaccines making life better but it’s not over
March 24, 2021 18:28 - 18 minutes - 13.1 MBWhen we launched this podcast in March 2020, our first guest was a doctor who had spent years planning responses to epidemics, bioterrorism and other disasters. Last March, Steven J. Lawrence, MD, a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, told us what he thought might happen as the pandemic progressed. He worried about whether there would be enough ventilators, ICU beds and medical staff to care for those who would become infected with the novel coronavirus. He praised ...
Loss of smell, heart problems common symptoms for long-haulers
March 10, 2021 20:21 - 19 minutes - 13.7 MBIn the year since COVID-19 infections first appeared in the United States, a few things have become clear. One is that many who get sick don’t recover quickly. Even those who don’t have to be hospitalized can experience symptoms that linger. Called long-haulers, these individuals suffer from a variety of issues such as shortness of breath, abnormal heart rhythms, fatigue and loss of the ability to smell. In fact, many people first realize they may be infected with the virus when they notice t...
Avoiding burnout and tending to mental health as the pandemic runs into a second year
February 15, 2021 20:58 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBIt’s been a year since the first COVID-19 cases started appearing in the United States, and during this span, many people have been living with the stress of trying to work from home while simultaneously trying to help their kids attend online school. Essential workers haven’t had the safety of home, having to continue working in grocery stores, and child-care, food-production and other such settings. Meanwhile, first responders and physicians have faced the at times overwhelming stress of de...
Avoiding burnout and tending to mental health as the pandemic runs into a second year
February 15, 2021 20:58 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBIt’s been a year since the first COVID-19 cases started appearing in the United States, and during this span, many people have been living with the stress of trying to work from home while simultaneously trying to help their kids attend online school. Essential workers haven’t had the safety of home, having to continue working in grocery stores, and child-care, food-production and other such settings. Meanwhile, first responders and physicians have faced the at times overwhelming stress of d...
Improving health messaging in fight to slow COVID-19
January 27, 2021 23:03 - 19 minutes - 13.3 MBFor the past year, we’ve heard about the importance of wearing masks, avoiding crowds, maintaining physical distance and regularly washing our hands. All of us have been asked to take simple steps to protect ourselves and those around us. But nothing is simple when you have to do it every day for months, particularly while receiving mixed messages from some friends and leaders. In this episode, we’ll hear about how focused marketing and health communication could help more people do the right...
Vaccines have arrived but COVID-19 treatments progressing much more slowly
December 28, 2020 23:28 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MBCOVID-19 vaccine development has been rapid and successful. Two vaccines that report more than 90% efficacy against the virus already are in use, with approval of more vaccines expected in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the development of treatments for those infected with the virus has been slower. Only one drug, the steroid dexamethasone, has been proven to reduce the risk of death in those hospitalized with COVID-19. In this episode, we’ll hear reasons why the development of effective treatm...
COVID-19 vaccines around the corner
December 09, 2020 15:32 - 20 minutes - 15.6 MBDrug companies are reporting eye-popping success rates in clinical trials of their vaccines to prevent COVID-19. It’s possible the first people in the U.S. could begin getting shots before the end of the year. In this episode, we’ll hear about the amazing pace of vaccine development, as well as Washington University’s role in vaccine research, from infectious diseases specialist Rachel Presti, MD, PhD, an associate professor of medicine and medical director of Washington University’s Infect...
Preparing for winter and the holidays under the shadow of COVID-19
November 16, 2020 15:48 - 21 minutes - 15.7 MBWinter is coming, and the pandemic is intensifying in most of the country, with numbers of COVID-19 cases setting records almost daily, cold weather approaching and people moving activities indoors. In addition, college students who have been away at school for the last few months will return home soon, and extended families are trying to figure out whether it will be safe to gather for holiday meals and other celebrations. Staying safe during the current spike in cases is a major challenge, ...