Implications of Israel's Aggressive Third Dose Vaccine Program

University of Wisconsin Abstract: Israel began an aggressive COVID-19 immunization program before most other countries. Consequently, they were among the first to observe waning immunity. This prompted Israel to begin an ambitious real-world experiment to provide third doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to those who were initially vaccinated at least five months previously. The early results show dramatic protection from both severe illness and mild cases among older individuals who were the first to receive the vaccine. In this presentation I will summarize the Israeli data and discuss why I think other countries including the US should implement similar programs as soon as possible. Air Surveillance for Respiratory Pathogens in Dane County Communities Shelby O’Connor Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of Wisconsin Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how underprepared our community is to detect circulating respiratory viruses. Predictive warning systems for these viruses are needed. For the past several months, we have been piloting Thermo AerosolSense air samplers in university, hospital, and other community settings. We have detected SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in air samples collected at many of these sites. In the future, we propose adapting this system for widespread use in K-12 schools to support ongoing mitigation strategies and provide additional virus detection methods for school communities. If you found this video useful, please check out our other videos on computational modeling, infection and immunology: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiEtieOeWbMKh9VcQoinSwODcSZKMTGat Please consider joining our IMAG/MSM WG on Multiscale Modeling and Viral Pandemics: https://www.imagwiki.nibib.nih.gov/content/msm-viral-pandemics-meetings Please also consider joining the Global Alliance for Immune Prediction and Intervention: http://glimprint.org/