Author Archives: jbakerjrblog

Yesterday’s post on Sen. Paul vs. Dr. Fauci drew much attention from my followers that at least let me know people are still reading the blog! Let me clarify some points and reiterate my conclusion. I did not say I “liked” the way Sen. Paul questioned Dr. Fauci. It made for a confrontational meeting withContinue reading “Waking up my readership!”

Doctors Rand Paul (Senator) and Anthony Fauci had another testy exchange yesterday as Dr. Fauci testified before a Senate committee. One could boil down the argument on the need to wear masks after being vaccinated to this dichotomy: Dr. Fauci argued it was crucial to continue to mask for COVID-19 protection, and Senator Paul disputed that assertion andContinue reading “Rand Paul was right on some issues with Tony Fauci.”

There were three new developments surrounding the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. This vaccine has had more twists and turns than all the other COVID-19 vaccines combined. There have been problems with its clinical trials, questions concerning its efficacy, and regulatory suspensions in its use because of potential side effects, particularly blood clots.  Today, the European Union’s medicines regulatorContinue reading “Yet more news about the AstraZeneca chimpanzee adenovirus based COVID-19 vaccine..”

A year ago, one of the biggest challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic was simply trying to figure out how many people In the United States were infected with the disease. It was startling to find out that no one in government, at either the state or federal level, seemed to know exactly how many peopleContinue reading “The Truly Heroic “COVID Tracking Project” at The Atlantic Magazine has Ended”

I wound up on NewsNation, WGN’s TV news show, last night and was asked about the New York Times article that discussed women having more adverse reactions to the RNA coronavirus vaccines. While I think the New York Times’ article is accurate and covers the topic well, there were a few additional points I believe needed toContinue reading “Women are having most of the reactions to the coronavirus vaccines because they have stronger immune systems!”

Some of the best news I’ve heard recently is that the developer of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, BioNTech, is doing its best to expand production of its highly effective vaccine.  The maker of the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine is developing new manufacturing agreements that could give Europe, which is struggling to get vaccine, and even developing countriesContinue reading “BioNTech expands COVID-19 vaccine production while the AstraZeneca vaccine faces yet another set back.”

Remarkably, yesterday was my 366th blog post on this site. I started pandemicpondering.com a year ago as a way to provide information to the many friends and colleagues who were asking me questions about pandemics, therapeutics, and vaccines. It turned out to be a useful source of information for an impressive number of people andContinue reading “One year of pandemicpondering.com”

Attempts to develop vaccines for coronavirus variants highlight the differences in vaccine technology for COVID-19 and the implications for manufacturers.  An article in today’s Wall Street Journal highlights efforts by Moderna and Novavax to create new versions of their SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to specifically address Brazilian and South African virus variants. I and other scientists believe thatContinue reading “Will Novavax be left behind?”

Dr. David Ho is a virologist at Columbia University who gained appropriate prominence for his work with HIV. Recently, however, he has focused on the neutralization of coronavirus by monoclonal antibodies from commercial sources and in serum from individuals immunized against or infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. He portrays the ability of these antibodies toContinue reading “Dr. David Ho is confusing us with contradictory press releases on variant virus immunity. Do not be concerned.”

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has done many remarkable things to revitalize his city. Last week Mayor Duggan made news for another reason, when he reportedly refused a shipment of 6,200 doses of the newly approved Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. This appeared to be related to the lesser efficacy of this vaccine in preventing infections with theContinue reading “Was Detroit mayor Mike Duggan correct in dismissing the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine?”