How to Boost Your Immune System During Cold and Flu Season

The New York Times

As the days shorten and people trade their tank tops and shorts for sweaters and tights, the turn of autumn signals another new beginning: the start of flu and cold season, and COVID winter number 3.

Dr. Helen Chu, associate professor of medicine and adjunct associate professor of global health at UW, is quoted.

The Strongest Signal That Americans Should Worry About Flu This Winter

The Atlantic

Sometime in the spring of 2020, after centuries, perhaps millennia, of tumultuous coexistence with humans, influenza abruptly went dark. Around the globe, documented cases of the viral infection completely cratered as the world tried to counteract SARS-CoV-2. Now, as the weather once again chills in this hemisphere and the winter holidays loom, experts are nervously looking ahead.

Dr. Helen Chu, associate professor of medicine and adjunct associate professor of global health at UW, is quoted.

When Should I Take a COVID Test?

NPR

By now we all know the drill when it comes to at home rapid Covid tests. You swab, you swirl, drip a few drops and wait 15 min.

At-home tests are very convenient, but knowing when to take a test and how to think about the result is important.

UW Medicine’s Dr. Helen Chu is here and will tell us how rapid tests can be helpful in reducing Covid cases.

Most COVID transmission is still asymptomatic

ABC News

Some 60% of virus spread starts with those who have no symptoms. A cough or sneeze in the checkout line at the grocery store may elicit fear of COVID-19, but that maskless person quietly sitting next to you on the subway could pose just as much of a threat, public health experts say. Dr. Helen Chu, infectious disease physician at the University of Washington School of Medicine, was featured. 

Multisite Trial Early Data Suggests Remdesivir is Effective (UW Medicine Newsroom, Interview with Helen Chu)

Remdesivir, a non-specific antiviral drug that was originally tested against Ebola, has been shown to be effective against the new coronavirus in a preliminary data analysis, as reported by the National Institutes of Health. The UW School of Medicine was one of the sites in the National Institutes of Health trial. Dr.

Studies Show that COVID-19 Can Spread Quickly in Homeless Communities

Researchers have been studying COVID-19 in homeless communities, specifically in shelters with two or more confirmed cases in the weeks prior to their study. They found that in these shelters with clusters of cases, the proportion of positive tests was higher than in shelters with lower amounts of previously reported cases.

UW Study Offers Real-Time Testing For Flu Virus (KOMO News - Features Helen Chu)

Only 10-20% of people with flu-like symptoms actually have the influenza virus. But a new study in Seattle will offer real time testing of the flu this year promising results in less than 30 minutes.

The study will take place at Harborview Medical Center and six other locations around Seattle. If you've had two flu-like symptoms: body aches, cough, or fever in the last week, you're eligible to participate in the study.

After signing a consent form, UW grad students will swab your nose and test for flu and other stuff.