JK
Jay K. Varma
@drjayvarma
Physician, epidemiologist, public health practice
New York City, New York
*Professor of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine *Director, Cornell Center for Pandemic Prevention & Response *Board Member, Siga Technologies *CAPT (Retired), US Public Health Service
40 Posts
Preparing the US Laboratory System for the Next Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in the national laboratory system in the United States. Who is responsible for developing a test for a new infectious disease? What is the role of the private, public, and academic sectors? What redundancies exist? How do public health lab Future of public health after the COVID-19 emergency response?
The March 2023 issue of Health Affairs will feature a collection of research papers focused on lessons for public health policy and practice arising from the COVID-19 pandemic experience in the United States. On Wednesday, February 8 from 1pm – 4pm ET/ 10am – 1pm PT, I will be sp Public Health Officials Need to Talk about Sex More
Excited to see NYTimes.com publish this essay encouraging people to have more sex. Public health officials talk too infrequently about sex. The most obvious explanation is the prevailing cultural belief that sex is frivolous, unnecessary, or immoral when it is not a straight, mar A really important article in NY Times today for people who wonder why so much #COVID funding has gone unspent at state and local health agencies. Lots to unpack, but I think one of the most critical political and budgeting problems is that public health is viewed as a commoditie Thanks to @spectrumnews for allowing me to make the case for why COVID-19 vaccine mandates for working adults are so important for NYC's health security: avert infections, hospitalizations, and deaths and support economic productivity. #publichealth #vaccines #healthcare #COVID1 Ending NYC's Government Vaccine Mandate Will Increase Illness, Deaths, and Costs
I was shocked today to learn that New York City will end its requirement that City employees be vaccinated against COVID-19. The City's own data, paid for by its dollars and analyzed by its staff, are abundantly clear. Vaccinating adults averts infections, hospitalizations, and d The findings from this study of COVID-19 deaths among people < 18 in the United States are really quite striking and align with what's been observed in other analyses. While deaths in children from any cause should be rare, COVID-19 infections have caused more deaths among US chi What is optimum timing for annual COVID-19 vaccination?
Greatly appreciated this incredibly detailed and timely summary of discussions at yesterday's FDA meeting from @helenbranswell @matthewherper . Lots of disc Excellent primer on why kids should be vaccinated against COVID-19
For anyone who wants an excellent primary on why kids should be vaccinated against #COVID19, this is an excellent summary of the issues by Paul Offit . The basic argument is: The virus is not going away. FDA begins planning for annual COVID-19 vaccination
The latest news is that FDA is developing a plan for COVID-19 vaccines to be updated annually, following the same general approach as seasonal influenza vaccination: Convene experts in the spring to r To protect abortion rights, states need to consider on-shoring manufacture of abortion medications
I am deeply concerned that states and groups that support abortion rights are placing too much faith in the likelihood that government agencies will remain a bulwark against current and future assault Must Read Report about the Future of CDC
If you read only one document about revitalizing CDC, please read this report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). It's one of the few documents I've read that appropriately Reducing excess antibiotic use in animals can delay emergence of new drug-resistant infections, but progress stalled in USA
Antimicrobial-resistance is a quiet, slow-moving pandemic that causes substantial illness and death now and will grow in magnitude and severity unless major policy changes are enacted globally. Reduci Why Organizations Need to be Thinking About The Age of Pandemics in 2023
Heading into the New Year, I believe it's critically important for academic and practicing #publichealth experts to ensure that corporations, large not-for-profit organizations, and other private sect We need voters, lobbyists, and corporations to care about public health
This article accurately captures the dynamic discussions in the political and health sphere about the future of public health agencies in the US. What it does not highlight is what I believe is the hi Open Source Intelligence for Health Emergencies
This article in the Washington Post is critically importance not because of what it reveals about the magnitude of COVID-19 in China but because of how it demonstrates how powerful open source intelli Thanks for PBS for having me on the News Hour last night to discuss the #COVID19 situation in USA right now. One challenge with interviews like this is that you have to remember to hit all the key poi My New Year’s resolution is to wean myself off the other app and #Post more here. Pre-Departure COVID Testing for China is Only Public Health Theater at this Stage of Pandemic
At this stage of the pandemic, with widespread community transmission and minimal political will to adopt public health control measures, the new CDC requirement for pre-departure COVID testing on peo Did Drug-Resistant Staph Infections Arise in Hedgehogs Before Humans Ever Used Antibiotics?
So this study in Nature is really (for lack of a better word) cool and provides further evidence for what public health experts have been saying: the health of humans, animals, and the environment is