Media Coverage

Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was quoted in a WKBW story on recent CDC and FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccine boosters for specific individuals. “To be clear, it’s only Pfizer recipients at this point,” said Russo. “The first group that’s eligible are (those 65 and older) that are more than six months out from the last vaccination,” he said. “The second group that’s eligible is individuals 18-64 that are more vulnerable and susceptible to critical illness if they get infected. The last group that’s eligible are individuals who are 18 to 64 that are front-line workers.”

Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, told Yahoo! News that he’s among the experts wary of a new policy announced by Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s new surgeon general, that gives parents in the state the choice of deciding whether their children need to quarantine after a COVID-19 exposure. “I think it’s going to result in enhancing transmission cases,” Russo said. “From a public health point of view, I do not think this will be beneficial. I’m not sure that parents are in the best position to judge this.”

Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was quoted in a story about Brown University temporarily halting in-person dining due to a COVID-19 outbreak, a decision he called a “smart move.” “When masks are down, that’s when students are at risk,” he says. “I’ve always worried about transmission in dining halls — kids are talking and no one is cautious. It’s an at-risk setting.”

Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was quoted in an article on who should choose the nasal flu vaccine and why. “It’s sort of a niche vaccine, given that there are so many contraindications,” said Russo. “But it can be helpful for people who have a needle phobia.”

More than 50 news outlets nationwide published a report on the rise of COVID-19 infections among children, and the eligibility of young children to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. Timothy F. Murphy, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and senior associate dean for clinical and translational research, told the outlets that children might be less likely to suffer serious symptoms if infected, but there are still some dangers that appear to justify immunizing children. “I think we’re learning from all these hospitalizations that it is important to get that protection for children,” he said. “Even though the children tend to have milder disease ... when the number of children who get infected is very large, the small percentage of children who have more severe illnesses also increases.”

Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was quoted in an article on the safety of receiving the flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same time. Russo, who says receiving both vaccinations together are safe, adds, “The consequences of getting both COVID and the flu are not great. You’ll want to get vaccinated.”

Prevention reported on why vaccinated people still need to wear masks and quoted Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, who said: “If you could possibly be infectious to others, it’s prudent for people to wear masks (when required) so they don’t serve as a vector.” It was also carried by MSN.

John A. Sellick Jr., DO, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, was quoted in a story on why up to 40 percent of Erie County’s positive COVID-19 tests were breakthrough cases among the vaccinated. “You’re seeing the tiny tip of the iceberg or the mountain,” he said. “In Erie County right now, you’ve got well over half a million people over the age of 18 who are either fully vaccinated or partially vaccinated. And they’re not in the hospital.” Peter Winkelstein, MD, executive director of the UB Institute for Healthcare Informatics, added, “Some people get confused, ‘Oh, the vaccines don’t work.’ But they work. They work, they work, they work — especially for keeping people out of the hospital. The vaccine is not a golden shield. It’s not a magic wand. But it’s really good, and it’s a lot better than nothing.”

John A. Sellick Jr., DO, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, was quoted in an article that seeks to answer questions about President Joe Biden’s recent COVID-19 vaccination mandate that requires all federal employees as well as staff at businesses with more than 100 employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. The hope is that the mandate will get more people vaccinated and the country closer to normalcy, said Sellick. “We’ve been playing nice for months and now we’ve hit a brick wall,” he said.

Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was quoted in a Yahoo! Life story reporting on how Thanksgiving 2021 gatherings with family and friends may pan out given the delta variant. Russo discussed the categories of people who may be the most vulnerable, including children and those who are vaccinated but whose immune systems are compromised.

Self quoted Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, in a story about whether or not germs can be transferred from clothing worn outside to inside furniture and other items. “The risk isn’t zero, but I think the risk is very low,” he said. The story also ran on MSN.

WKBW reported that UB, which has mandated COVID-19 vaccines for all students attending class in-person, has the highest student COVID-19 vaccination rate in SUNY. The story quotes UB students including Abigaelle Toussaint, who was reluctant at first to be vaccinated but then got the vaccine. She said, “I feel safer here knowing we are all vaccinated.” The story also quoted Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD, senior associate dean for health policy in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who said: “I think the only way we’re going to stop the virus is for more and more mandates.” A version of the story also ran on Yahoo! News.

PressFrom reported on various pieces of misinformation on social media about COVID-19 and quoted Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, who explained the origin of the term COVID-19.

In a story on earaches and COVID-19, the publication BestLife notes that Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, told Prevention in January that earaches could be linked to COVID-19.

Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was quoted in stories on at-home COVID-19 tests, such as the well-known BinaxNOW and QuickVue tests. Russo commented on situations in which people may want to call their doctor.