Media Coverage

WKBW reported on the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Science’s socially distanced Match Day celebration, quoting several students and Archana Mishra, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine, who said: “The pandemic has taught us a lot. But it has also taught us courage. And seeing how everybody huddled together to truly make a difference in the pandemic — they’ve had good role models!” 

Corrections employees across the country are hesitant about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The Associated Press reports COVID-19 infection rates in prisons are more than three times as high as in the general public. “You’ve got a higher concentration of individuals indoors and closed quarters, and the potential risk of getting infected increases in that particular venue,” says Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases. He says he understands the hesitancy some may have on signing up to get the shot, but he advises people to do some research. “I can't stress enough that the benefits versus the risks of getting vaccinated against the new coronavirus are absolutely extraordinary,” Russo notes.

After getting the COVID-19 vaccine, certain symptoms are common. A less common symptom — and, in fact, not even included in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list of possible side effects — is a metallic taste following vaccination. John A. Sellick Jr., DO, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, explains that a small number of people experience altered taste with almost all vaccines, and the COVID-19 vaccine is no exception. “We’ve given tens of thousands of doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and the number of people who have reported [a metallic taste] is in the handful range,” Sellick says. If your taste is altered as a side effect of the vaccine, it should happen immediately following your shot. “If it happens days later, especially if in combination with loss of smell, it’s a fairly solid sign of SARS-CoV-2 infection,” notes Sellick.

Depending on how far a person is willing to travel, it is now possible to get a vaccination within a few days after making an appointment through the New York State Department of Health website. But what about individuals who hesitate to get the vaccine? “Nothing in medicine is perfect right? There’s always a relative benefit to risk ratio for anything we do in life,” says Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases. Russo believes that a growing number of people who were initially skeptical and hesitant may be willing to take it. “It was an early concern, but I think people are feeling more comfortable that the vaccine is safe,” he says.

When asked to predict how the COVID-19 pandemic will be affecting the world one year from now, Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, commented: “If we can get people here in Western New York to step up and get vaccinated … If we can get at least that critical number of around 80 percent-plus vaccinated, I think we would be able to be back to where we were a couple of years ago, in terms of people getting together without masks in indoor settings. However, if we don’t have everyone step up — particularly people who are younger and healthy and who say ‘there’s no consequences to me if I get infected with COVID’ — or even people who have been previously infected, where their protection is not going to be as good as that conferred by the vaccines, then we may be living in a slightly different world,” says Russo. Creating herd immunity via vaccination is a community effort, he notes.

Could a New Yorker head to Ohio to get their COVID-19 vaccine? The answer is yes, depending on where you book an appointment. “Having this option for New York State residents to get vaccinated, if they’re not able to get vaccinated here in New York, is really fantastic. I suspect some people will be willing to take advantage of that,” says Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases.

In late summer, health officials began warning of a possible “twindemic,” involving both COVID-19 and seasonal flu. “Fortunately, that has not happened,” says Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases. As of March 6, according to New York State Department of Health Flu Tracker, there were just under 4,000 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza in the state since the start of the most current flu season in the fall. Russo attributes the dramatic decrease in influenza this season mostly to the public health measures taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including the wearing of masks, efforts by individuals to keep physically distant from one another, the absence of people in workplaces and in schools, and prohibitions on large gatherings. “People have employed those public health measures to protect themselves from getting COVID, and that combination has really stuffed influenza quite effectively," Russo says.

Losing your sense of smell can be worrisome, particularly because it’s a symptom of COVID-19. How can you tell the difference? A loss of smell due to allergies always happens along with nasal congestion, says Stanley A. Schwartz, MD, PhD, UB Distinguished Professor of medicine and pediatrics, who is chief of the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology. Plus, if allergies are the culprit, the loss of smell will come on gradually. The nerves that conduct your sense of smell to your brain are located within your nose, Schwartz notes. When you’re having an allergic reaction, those nerves can become inflamed and “that will cut off your sense of smell,” he explains. Allergies can also cause sinusitis, an inflammation of your sinuses. “Sinusitis can cause your sinuses to fill up with mucus,” Schwartz says, “and that can affect your ability to smell odors.”

Moderna has announced the start of a new trial that tests their COVID-19 vaccine in young children. The study, dubbed KidCOVE, which is a collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, will test the vaccine on nearly 7,000 kids. John A. Sellick Jr., DO, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, says: “Getting kids immunized is going to be a very important part of this moving on to getting a good level of protection in the community.” While studies show children are not as susceptible to getting COVID-19, Sellick says they can be carriers, which is why developing a pediatric vaccine is important.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released guidance for fully vaccinated people, noting that they can gather indoors in small groups without masks or physically distance with other fully vaccinated people. The CDC says you’re considered fully vaccinated if it has been at least two weeks since you had the second shot in a two-shot series (i.e., the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines) or if it has been at least two weeks since you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. If you want to be really safe after getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you’ll wait four weeks to consider yourself fully vaccinated, says Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases.

Allergy season can bring a whole host of unpleasant symptoms, like a runny nose, sneezing and itchy, watery eyes. An allergic reaction is a chain reaction that starts in your genes and is expressed by your immune system, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology. Certain allergy medications, including first-generation antihistamines like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can make you feel tired, says Stanley A. Schwartz, MD, PhD, UB Distinguished Professor of medicine and pediatrics, who is chief of the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology. “Antihistamines block the receptors for histamine in the body, and there is a receptor for histamine in the brain that keeps you alert,” he explains.

COVID-19 vaccine distribution is underway in the United States. You might feel fine and experience no side effects after the vaccine, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it’s possible to experience minor flu-like symptoms. The CDC says you should avoid taking an over-the-counter pain-relieving medication like acetaminophen or ibuprofen before you get the vaccine. It is unclear at this point how these medications will impact the vaccine’s ability to create important COVID-fighting antibodies. Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, notes that data doesn’t definitively say taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen after getting vaccinated will interfere with the vaccine’s effectiveness.

President Joe Biden has ordered states to open up COVID-19 vaccinations to all adults as of May 1. He also urged the use of other medical staff to vaccinate Americans, including veterinarians, dentists and paramedics. Timothy F. Murphy, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and senior associate dean for clinical and translational research, says the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is authorized for adults age 16 and up. Murphy does not anticipate any safety issues arising with the vaccine in children. “It's reasonable to be optimistic that they will be safe and effective in children,” he says. No one will be forced to get vaccinated, but experts urge everyone to at least consider it. “We're getting close to 100 million vaccines that have been administered,” Murphy says. “We have learned that it is, indeed, safe.”

Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, is interviewed for a story about most employees not wanting to return to the  office until everyone’s vaccinated. “If you only have half the people vaccinated [at work] and you have half the people susceptible to infection, that will be enough for this virus to propagate,” Russo said.

Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was interviewed for stories about working out after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. There’s no indication that working out after you’re vaccinated would make you more or less likely to have side effects, Russo said.