Infectious Diseases

The Buffalo News reported on the persistent level of COVID-19 infections in WNY, quoting Tom Russo, chief of the division of infectious diseases in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who said:“We just can’t really shake this plateau of cases that we’ve had and really turn the corner on the Delta wave. The good news is our hospitalizations have come down, and they’ve come down in the last couple weeks.”

The Buffalo News reported on reasons why children need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and quoted Tom Russo, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who said: “My major concern is potential for long-term consequences” from COVID infection. “Every child we protect who doesn’t get infected is a positive thing.”

The Buffalo News quoted Tom Russo, professor of medicine and chief of infectious disease, in an article on why the daily positivity rates for COVID-19 in Western New York remained above 5% over the past several weeks, higher than other areas in the state. “Cases are going to be dictated by a combination of exposure and the proportion of the population that’s susceptible,” said Russo. “As we go more from outdoor activities to indoor activities, that increases exposure. As, over time, for people that were previously infected and/or vaccinated, protection will wane and susceptibility will increase. If you get new people vaccinated and/or boosters, that decreases the proportion of the population susceptible.”

Romper published an article on masks to wear as the weather cools and people head indoors, noting that Tom Russo, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, warns that if parents and children are still wearing the same cloth masks that were purchased in April 2020, it’s time to reconsider.

In a Prevention article, Thomas Russo, chief of the division of infectious disease at the Jacobs School, commented about an advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration that overwhelmingly voted in favor of recommending the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages five to 11. “This is going to be extraordinarily helpful, and will no doubt be a relief for many parents,” Russo says. “Some families will finally be able to be fully vaccinated.” The article also appeared on MSN.

Yahoo reported on tensions between couples on vaccinating kids against COVID-19 and quoted Tom Russo, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who said:“The data looks good, and the efficacy of 90 percent is excellent.” He noted that the risk of myocarditis — a big concern for parents — is significantly higher when you contract COVID-19 than from getting the vaccine. “There weren't even any cases of myocarditis in the group that was studied for the vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds,” he said. The story was republished in numerous outlets worldwide.

Prevention reported on how immunity against COVID-19 after vaccination can wane for the immunocompromised and quotes Tom Russo, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who said that these people “just don’t have optimal protection from the vaccines.” He also noted that there is a broad range of immunity that people in this category demonstrate. Media outlets worldwide published the story.

Verywell Health reported on a study that found that people with long COVID have reported hearing problems, including tinnitus and quoted John Sellick, DO, associate professor of medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who said “Tinnitus, in particular, seems to be fairly common with long-haulers. The question is, is this going to resolve or not?”

Prevention reported that COVID-19 and mononucleosis have similar symptoms and quoted John Sellick, associate professor of medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who said, “Could this be COVID or mono? It’s sometimes hard to tell.”

MSN.com and Yahoo reported on ways to be safe from infections lurking in public bathrooms and quoted Tom Russo, chief of the division of infectious diseases in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who said try not to use your bare hands to operate handles. “Depending on the direction of the doors, I usually use my elbow if possible, or the inside of my jacket, but I try not to touch those surfaces with my hands so that I don't have to worry,” he says.

Yahoo! News interviewed Tom Russo, chief of the division of infectious disease at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, about how Maryland has had over 10,000 COVID cases this school year. The state had a mandatory face mask mandate in place and it will be revisited in December. Russo expects the mandates to eventually lift. “Kids won’t be masking in school forever,” said Russo. The article also appeared in Yahoo! Singapore, Yahoo! New Zealand and Yahoo! Malaysia.

Best Life spoke to Thomas Russo, chief of the division of infectious disease at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, about how to stay safe on a plane. Russo offered suggestions about being patient, waiting to eat only after other passengers have finished, and replacing your mask during the flight. The article appeared on Yahoo! Life, MSN Singapore and elsewhere.

Thomas Russo, chief of the division of infectious disease at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, was interviewed by Prevention magazine about how the antidepressant fluvoxamine may cut the chance of hospitalization of COVID-19. It’s somewhat of a mystery on why fluvoxamine might work against COVID-19. “It’s not clear what the mechanism of action is,” said Russo. He points out that fluvoxamine isn’t an antiviral medication, and that “early on, antivirals make a little more sense for treatment of a virus like COVID-19 because they tamp down on replication.” The article also appeared onMSN.

Sinclair Broadcast Group reported on the rise in breakthrough COVID-19 infections among vaccinated people, especially in the wake of Colin Powell’s death. The story noted that experts say the rise isn’t surprising given the increase in people getting vaccinated and that the breakthrough infections typically are happening in people with weakened immune systems. The story quoted Tim Murphy, director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, who said, “Colin Powell was probably at as high risk as you could possibly be for a breakthrough infection with COVID.” The article appeared in numerous additional media outlets.

An article in Roll Call says that “despite state and national efforts to address inequalities in COVID-19 vaccination, most states still show lagging vaccination rates among people of lower incomes and education levels, even as gaps for racial and ethnic groups have largely disappeared in recent months.” The article quotes Timothy Murphy, senior associate dean for clinical and translational research in the Jacobs School, and director of the Community Health Equity Research Institute. He said: “Even looking at an entire ZIP code number, you know, doesn’t tell the whole story. I do think that having, having access to more localized and more specific data would be very helpful and very important in terms of addressing this issue.”