Coronavirus (COVID-19) Q&A

CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, returns to JAMA's Q&A series to discuss the agency's response to emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, implications for the planned vaccine mobilization strategy, the upcoming Johnson & Johnson vaccine FDA advisory hearings, strategies for reopening K-12 schools, and other agency activities and priorities related to COVID-19 control. Recorded February 17, 2021.

Related Article(s):

• Coronavirus Update With CDC Director Rochelle Walensky - February 17, 2021
• SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in the United States—Challenges and Opportunities
• SARS-CoV-2 Viral Variants—Tackling a Moving Target

CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, returns to JAMA's Q&A series to discuss the agency's response to emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, implications for the planned vaccine mobilization strategy, the upcoming Johnson & Johnson vaccine FDA advisory hearings, strategies for reopening K-12 schools, and other agency activities and priorities related to COVID-19 control. Recorded February 17, 2021.

Related Article(s):

• Coronavirus Update With CDC Director Rochelle Walensky - February 17, 2021
• SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in the United States—Challenges and Opportunities
• SARS-CoV-2 Viral Variants—Tackling a Moving Target

Paul A. Offit, MD, of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia returns to JAMA's Q&A series to provide an update on the emergence of COVID-19 variants and their implications for vaccine development, including the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, scheduled for a US Food and Drug Administration VRBPAC hearing on February 26, 2021. Recorded February 11, 2021.

Related Article:

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines and the Growing Threat of Viral Variants

As US vaccine distribution expands to include younger healthier populations, questions about vaccine safety in women of childbearing age have become more urgent. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center's Catherine Y. Spong, MD, and Emory University School of Medicine's Denise J. Jamieson, MD, MPH, both eminent obstetrician/gynecologists, join JAMA's Q&A series to discuss the safety of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in pregnant and nursing mothers, and in individuals trying to get pregnant. Recorded February 8, 2021.

Related Articles:

• Pregnancy, Postpartum Care, and COVID-19 Vaccination in 2021
• COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnant and Lactating Women
• Involving Pregnant Individuals in Clinical Research on COVID-19 Vaccines

Natural experiments comparing coronavirus spread on ships and in hair salons with vs without face masks point to the importance of wearing masks for curbing SARS-CoV-2 spread. John T. Brooks, MD, chief medical officer of the CDC’s COVID-19 response team, reviews recently published epidemiologic data that reinforce the role of mask use for pandemic control.

Related Article:

Effectiveness of Mask Wearing to Control Community Spread of SARS-CoV-2

Interview with Lawrence O. Gostin, JD, author of Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines

2021 has brought news of emerging SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants that increase transmissibility. Will they diminish vaccine efficacy and lead us to lose pandemic control? University of Michigan's Adam Lauring, MD, PhD, a molecular virologist who uses evolutionary theory to study viral transmission and pathogenesis, joins JAMA's Q&A series to explain the variants and what they mean for public health. Recorded February 4, 2021.

Related Article(s):

Genetic Variants of SARS-CoV-2—What Do They Mean?

2021 has brought news of emerging SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants that increase transmissibility. Will they diminish vaccine efficacy and lead us to lose pandemic control? University of Michigan's Adam Lauring, MD, PhD, a molecular virologist who uses evolutionary theory to study viral transmission and pathogenesis, joins JAMA's Q&A series to explain the variants and what they mean for public health. Recorded February 4, 2021.

Related Article(s):

Genetic Variants of SARS-CoV-2—What Do They Mean?

NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD, returns to JAMA's Q&A series to discuss

• Shifts in the US pandemic response under the Biden administration
• Emerging genetic variants and implications for vaccine efficacy
• Prospects for new vaccine approvals and more.

Related Article:

Preventing the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 With Masks and Other “Low-tech” Interventions

Interview with Kristin M. Holland, PhD, MPH, author of Trends in US Emergency Department Visits for Mental Health, Overdose, and Violence Outcomes Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic