Public Health On Call

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the opioid epidemic disappeared from headlines but not from reality. Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks to Dr. Yngvild Olsen, the medical director of an addiction treatment program in Baltimore and the Vice President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, about how her clinic had to pivot to stay open while protecting both patients and staff, how federal regulations have shifted, and what the status of the epidemic is and might be post-COVID-19. Disclosure: Medical school classmates, Dr. Sharfstein and Dr. Olsen are married.

Misinformation about COVID-19 can have real human costs in the forms of physical harm and "straining the fabric of democracy." But where does misinformation come from and how can it be prevented when so much is still unknown about the virus? Guest host Dr. Colleen Barry, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management, talks with Dr. Brendan Nyhan, an expert in the politics of misinformation about health, about why people might believe false claims, the role of politics, and how to keep science at the center of the discussion. Learn more: jhsph.edu/covid-19

It might be too late to halt transmission of COVID-19 but contract tracing could help bring the outbreak under control. Dr. Emily Gurley and PhD candidate Brooke Jarrett break down contact tracing and what it would take to get "an army" off the ground in US cities. Gurley and Jarrett also helped develop a free course on contact tracing which will soon be available from Johns Hopkins on the Coursera platform: www.coursera.org/jhu

As officials consider how and when to scale back social distancing restrictions, a big question is: When the economy reopens, will there be anywhere to go? Financial crises expert and author Kathleen Day returns to talk with Stephanie Desmon about the millions of Americans filing for unemployment, whether our current crisis will rival the Great Depression, and how we could start to dig our way out. (Recorded April 13)

With organ transplants on pause in the US to free up needed hospital resources, Americans with kidney failure are forced to assume the risks of going to crowded dialysis centers three times a week. Kidney transplant surgeon Dr. Dorry Segev talks with Stephanie Desmon about how the organ transplant community can rethink ways to resume transplants, assess which patients might fare better with risky transplants, and if COVID-19 patients can be organ donors. Learn more: jhsph.edu/covid-19

For the subset of people who become critically ill from the novel coronavirus, cytokine storms could be to blame. This severe inflammatory disease happens when the immune system goes haywire in response to a novel threat. Rheumatology fellow Dr. Max Konig and neurosurgeon Dr. Chetan Bettegowda talk with Stephanie Desmon about the vital role of cytokine in immune responses, how to identify who might be at risk, and how research is looking into stopping the storms before they start. Learn more: jhsph.edu/covid-19

Until there is a vaccine, the best hope for the novel coronavirus is finding the right "cocktail" of treatments for managing severe illness. A unique clinical trial model developed several years ago may now help identify treatments that work. Dr. Derek Angus talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the Bayesian inference model, a "March Madness" of testing multiple therapies at once. Learn more: jhsph.edu/covid-19

Virologist Dr. Andrew Pekosz returns to the podcast with an update on what his team has learned about COVID-19. Pekosz and Stephanie Desmon discuss further indications that COVID-19 may not be seasonal, why COVID-19 is "the flu on steroids," and how learning about how the virus replicates in our upper respiratory tracts could hold clues for treatment and prevention. PLUS: An update on the convalescent plasma therapy trial. Learn more: jhsph.edu/covid-19

The market is suddenly flooded with antibody tests claiming to prove whether or not people have already been exposed to COVID-19. But two critical questions are yet unanswered: Are any of these tests accurate and does past exposure mean immunity? Immunologist Dr. Gigi Gronvall of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about a new report outlining the potential and pitfalls of antibody testing. They discuss how long it might be before we understand more about antibodies and immunity to COVID-19 and how widespread testing could help capture the true footprint of the coronavirus's spread. Learn more: jhsph.edu/covid-19

If bats are immune to the novel coronavirus, can we learn something to help fight the virus in humans? How can I tell if my cough is spring allergies or COVID-19? Is it too soon for businesses like barber shops and salons to reopen? Can the virus crawl or be blown by the wind into your nose? Why are some people asymptomatic? Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security addresses questions submitted to publichealthquestion@jhu.edu