The JPost Podcast - Health & Wellness

Pfizer vaccines saved millions of lives, but how good are they really?

The Jerusalem Post Health & Wellness Podcast with Maayan Hoffman and Rossella Tercatin In their last episode of 2021, Senior COVID Analyst Maayan Hoffman and Health Reporter Rossella Tercatin look back at year two of coronavirus. Where did Israel do well? How could the country have improved? They also put a strong focus on the year of the vaccines, how Pfizer came into Israel and how many lives the shot saved. At the same time, they acknowledge the challenges with the vaccine and think about what might be next for combatting the pandemic.  Photo credit: Avshalom Sassoni/Maariv

Six secrets to a happy life and everything we know about Omicron

The Jerusalem Post Podcast - Health & Wellness Edition  In this special edition of the Jerusalem Post Podcast - Health & Wellness Edition, Senior Health Analyst Maayan Hoffman and Health Reporter Rossella Tercatin conduct a fascinating interview with Michael Shpigelmacher CEO of Bionaut Labs, an Israeli-American start-up that designs remote-controlled micro-robots revolutionizing the treatment of central nervous system disorders, targeting deep brain structures safely and precisely. Find out how this robot could save lives. This time, "It's all about Omicron!" Though everyone hoped the winter would look differently, we are faced with a yet another variant outbreak and on the verge of the country's fifth COVID-19 wave. Omicron cases are rising, Hoffman and Tercatin explain, though serious cases and mortality rates are going down. Omicron is at least four times more infectious than the Delta variant, research is starting to show.  Israel reacted swiftly by shuttering Israel's airport once again to foreigners, a decision that was extended through December 22. All Israelis are likewise asked to isolate for a minimum of three days on return to the country from abraod.  Does the vaccine work? They talk about when we will really know. And also look at why Israel's vaccination remains at only 60%.  As we expect the weather to get colder this upcoming week, another issue that was brought to the table is the flu outbreak in Israel. Last winter, the flu completely disappeared. There was not even one case in Israel. We can assume this was caused at least in part by social distancing, lockdowns, wearing masks and washing hands. But this year flu cases are quickly going up. There were 300 people hospitalized with flu as of the weekend, nearly double the number we saw in 2019. And, here too, vaccination numbers are really down.  They end up the episode on a happy note, sharing with us the six things you must do to have a happy and healthy life. Photo credit: Ingimage

Could the Omicron variant have developed in African AIDS patients?

In a special edition of the Jerusalem Post Podcast - Health & Wellness Edition, Senior Health Analyst Maayan Hoffman talks with Prof. Cyrille Cohen, head of the Immunology Lab at Bar-Ilan University, explains what is concerning health experts. The burning question: How did the world get a COVID variant with more than 50 mutations, including over 30 on the virus’ spike protein? According to Cohen, SARS-CoV-2 mutates at a rate of about one mutation every two weeks. So a variant like Omicron would mean that it started mutating almost two years ago, “which does not add up with what we know.” So, why are we seeing so many mutations at once in a variant? Partly because this variant was developing for a few months under the radar until it acquired enough mutations to be what the Omicron is today as a variant of concern. And the likelihood, said Cohen, is that it could have incubated in people with defective immune systems, like for example in people with AIDS. “In normal people, not vaccinated, infection lasts five to 10 days,” he said. “This lapse in time is what the virus has to change until you infect someone else. In vaccinated people, the virus has around a day - meaning the virus would not thrive as it does in unvaccinated people. That is why it is so important to get vaccinated in order to stop the spread of the variants. “But in immunosuppressed people, you might end up with a kind of chronic infection in which the virus lingers for a month or so,” he continued. “And during that time, the virus could actually dodge the immune system and accumulate more and more mutations.” The virus is just replicating over and over in the person’s body because the immune system is not able to stop it.  “Africa should definitely be granted access to vaccines as fast as possible,” Cohen contended, “because this is a global fight and only when all of the population will have access to vaccines can we stand a chance of minimizing the cases we will see.” Other items during the discussion: > Children’s vaccination> Shuttering Israel’s airport> The effectiveness of the mRNA vaccines - against the variant and in general  Photo credit: REUTERS, as seen on jpost.com

What‘s the story with Israel‘s COVID-19 vaccine? And does mental illness effect your work?

In this week's edition of The Jerusalem Post Health & Wellness podcast, Senior Health Analyst Maayan Hoffman and Health Correspondent Rossella Tercatin gather 'round the mics to take on the latest coronavirus news from Israel and beyond. The Jerusalem Post got access to new data on the country's Brilife vaccine and it is looking very promising. The duo breaks down how the Israeli vaccine is made and why Brilife might last longer and even be more effective for inoculating individuals in poorer countries than the Pfizer jab They then leave the topic of COVID and shift to diabetes. World Diabetes Day was Sunday and Hoffman reviews just how fast the disease is spreading in Israel and the world. They highlight a new project in Israel's North that hopes to help solve the crisis. Finally, they look at the impact of mental health on work and question whether the new administration in general, and specifically Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, will really tackle the issue in Israel.  All this, and more, on this week's edition of the The Jerusalem Post Health & Wellness podcast. Photo credit: Hadassah

Who died from COVID-19 in Israel? And what‘s up with Israel‘s oral vaccine?

In this next edition of the Jerusalem Post Health & Wellness podcast, Senior Health Analyst Maayan Hoffman and Health Correspondent Rossella Tercatin tackle travel once again. Israel rolled out new travel rules and there is a lot of chaos and confusion and tourists aim to enter the country. They celebrate the decreasing number of COVID cases in Israel, but take a detailed look at who actually died from the virus and why some of those people became COVID victims. The duo talks about the potential for Israel to approve vaccines for children ages 5-11, just like the US, as the country prepares for its first public vaccination debate.  They celebrate the upcoming Phase I trial of Israel's oral vaccine in South Africa, talk to Dr. Ronen Arbel about how more than 4,750 Israeli lives were saved in three months by vaccination, and help readers figure out how to tell the difference between the flu and corona. Enjoy the show.  Photo credit: Flash90 as seen on jpost.com