James Lawler, MD, director of international programs and innovation at the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Angela Hewlett, MD, medical director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, will discuss the recent surge in the Delta variant of COVID-19, guidance on staying safe and the myths surrounding the virus and vaccine at the Aug. 30 Science Café.
To ensure social distancing, the virtual Science Café will be offered via Facebook Live and begin at 2 p.m.: https://www.facebook.com/ScienceCafeNE/. Viewers do not need a Facebook account to view the livestream.
“We want to dispel those myths about COVID-19 and the vaccine that are circulating and influencing people to either not believe the virus is that dangerous or that are keeping them from getting vaccinated,” Dr. Lawler said.
“Vaccination is the most powerful tool we currently have available to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19. The Delta variant is spreading through our community and is highly transmissible. Hospitalizations are increasing, and the vast majority of COVID patients who are hospitalized are unvaccinated,” Dr. Hewlett said.
“Some of these patients are young and otherwise healthy but are developing severe and even life-threatening disease. The vaccines continue to provide a high degree of protection from severe disease, hospitalization, and death so the importance of vaccination cannot be emphasized enough,” she said.
Science Cafés involve a face-to-face conversation with an expert about current science topics. Each meeting is organized around an interesting topic of conversation. Experts give a brief presentation followed by a Q&A period.
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