Media Coverage

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested avoiding the door-to-door Halloween tradition of trick-or-treating, calling it a “higher-risk activity.” Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, shares tips for this year’s Halloween. He advises trick-or-treaters to stick together and trick-or-treat in their own social bubbles. He also urges trick-or-treaters to wear cloth face coverings with their costumes and underneath costume masks. He advises recipients of trick-or-treaters to leave candy outside their front doors or at the end of their driveways. He notes that parents should wear face coverings, too.

The Buffalo News quotes Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, in a story on the risks of attending a Bills football game if fans are allowed in restricted numbers. Wearing masks and sitting outdoors in seats that are distanced from other fans can help to mitigate the spread, Russo said. In cases where such precautions are followed, “Even though there might be some infectious people there, the likelihood of getting infected is low,” he said.

Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was interviewed for stories about President Donald Trump’s battle against COVID-19. “We've learned over the last several months there are a number of risk factors for a more serious or bad outcome. One of them is increasing age, and the president is 74; that’s not quite optimal. We also know males don’t do as well as females,” Russo said.

A story on KN95 masks quotes John A. Sellick Jr., DO, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, who says, “KN95s are the Chinese version of the U.S. N95. Since they are not normally made and sold in the U.S., they need emergency-use authorizations to be sold here. This was done when there was considerable shortage of N95s at the spring peak of COVID-19.”

Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD, senior associate dean for health policy, is quoted in a story on an executive order allowing the importation of cheaper medications from Canada. Nielsen says it’s possible that some consumers will see lower prices as a result of the order, noting that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar predicts the plan would result in savings. “But the final rule says HHS is unable to make any estimates about savings because it doesn’t know which drugs will be imported,” she adds.

Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was featured in a Cosmopolitan article about how tricky it is to identify the symptoms of COVID-19. “If someone presents with cough first and fever afterward, I wouldn’t assume it’s not COVID,” Russo said. “It’s an interesting guide, but you should never let symptoms alone drive whether or not you should do a test.” The article was also picked up by MSN, MSN Canada and Yahoo! Style.

The Buffalo News featured Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, in a Q&A article about the importance of the flu shot during the pandemic. “If you are healthy and get vaccinated, you are less likely to get an infection and pass the virus to loved ones,” Russo said. The vaccine is 30 to 60 percent effective in preventing influenza depending on strains that circulate during flu season but gives some protection against all strains. “That means those who get the flu are more likely to have a milder case, less likely to be hospitalized and less likely to die,” he said.

The role of stress in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) relates to the gut-brain axis, a sort of information highway connecting the nervous system in the brain to the one in the gut. This is especially true for women. In most Western countries, women are about twice as likely to have IBS as men. But it’s not just any stress that’s to blame — it’s a specific kind called cognitive stress. “It’s the stress that arises in how we process information, it’s sort of our mental soundtrack,” explains Jeffrey M. Lackner, PsyD, professor of medicine, chief of behavioral medicine and director of the Behavioral Medicine Clinic. 

Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD, senior associate dean for health policy, has been answering questions about COVID-19 in a weekly appearance on WBFO since the pandemic began. She explained that symptoms can linger for months and discussed possible re-infection. She noted that a Hong Kong man was hospitalized for COVID-19 in March, then tested negative twice, and then tested positive again five months later. In South Korea, 285 people were studied who had positive tests months after getting the infection originally. “The theory is that these were likely dead viral particles that were being picked up by testing.” Nielsen said it’s remotely possible to get infected again with a related strain of coronavirus, but “you'll probably be protected anyway.”

A new report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control shows that people who tested positive for COVID-19 were approximately twice as likely to have reported eating recently at a restaurant compared to people who tested negative. Health experts say indoor dining still poses major risks. Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, urges people to wear face coverings as often as possible, as they can significantly lower the chances of dispersing virus-containing particles. “When eating you physically can’t wear a mask but you can minimize that risk by popping it back on between bites,” says Russo.

Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was quoted in an article about what to expect from an expected second wave of COVID-19. Russo said in the story, “if everyone is rigorous about mask use, physical distancing, appropriate hand hygiene, and avoids venues where masks are not used, especially indoor poorly ventilated spaces, the feared increase in new infections will hopefully be minimized.”

Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, is quoted in articles about new research that found that people 12 to 17 years old had nearly twice the number of COVID-19 infections than kids age 5 to 11. “There’s some data to suggest that these younger children may — and that’s the operative word here — be somewhat less likely to get infected,” said Russo. “But I don’t think the final word is out for sure in terms of whether these children are infected differently or not.”

Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was interviewed for a story in Prevention Magazine about how to tell the difference between COVID-19 and flu symptoms. The story also appeared on Yahoo! News and MSN.

A growing share of Americans feel comfortable dining out now despite the COVID-19 health risks it poses. Wearing masks indoors can significantly lower the chances of dispersing virus-containing particles, says Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases. “Whenever there’s a scenario where everyone can wear masks at all times the risk is lower,” Russo says. “When eating you physically can’t wear a mask but you can minimize that risk by popping it back on between bites.”

The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, that is responsible for COVID-19 has mutated from its original strain, according to new research — and experts say that suggests it has become even more infectious. Discovering mutations can be useful from a scientific standpoint because “they allow us to track spread and exposures,” says John A. Sellick Jr., DO, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases. “This particular mutation originated in Europe and “allowed us to determine that most of the east coast virus came from Europe.”