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Osterholm Update

Episode 208: Bad News, Good News

Osterholm Update

CIDRAP

Science

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2026

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

<p dir="ltr">This week on the Osterholm Update, Chris Dall and Dr. Osterholm dissect the latest results of Paxlovid trials and what they tell us about COVID-19. They'll also discuss a CDC study on COVID-19 vaccines that's been blocked by the acting CDC director, examine a survey that reveals the impact of changes to CDC messaging on vaccines and autism, explore the US Defense Secretary's decision to no longer require flu shots for US military members and bring you up to speed on the hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship. Plus, the latest findings of CIDRAP’s analysis of HPV vaccines.<br><br><a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/paxlovid-doesn-t-reduce-hospitalization-death-rates-vaccinated-high-risk-covid-outpatients">Paxlovid doesn’t reduce hospitalization, death rates in vaccinated high-risk COVID outpatients, trial shows</a> (CIDRAP)<br><br><a href="https://insidemedicine.substack.com/p/the-end-of-the-paxlovid-era-why-two">The end of the Paxlovid era? Why two new negative trials are great news.</a> (Inside Medicine Substack)&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/27/is-covid-still-a-thing-expert-analysis-who-needs-vaccine-booster-shot/">​​What happened to Covid?</a> (STAT)<br><br><a href="https://vaxintegrity.cidrap.umn.edu/sites/default/files/FINAL%20REPORT%20HPV%20Vaccine%20Evidence%20Review_0.pdf">Safety and effectiveness of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine</a> (Vaccine Integrity Project)<br><br><a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/human-papillomavirus-hpv/hardest-thing-i-ve-ever-gone-through-cervical-cancer-survivors-speak-out">‘The hardest thing I’ve ever gone through’: Cervical cancer survivors speak out about importance of HPV vaccine</a> (CIDRAP)<br><br>&nbsp;</p> <p>Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:</p> <p><a href="https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/get-involved/"><strong>Voices for Vaccines</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://familiesfightingflu.org/take-action/"><strong>Families Fighting Flu</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://vaccinateyourfamily.org/get-involved/"><strong>Vaccinate Your Family</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://shotatlife.org/take-action/"><strong>Shot@Life</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://aspr.hhs.gov/MRC/Pages/index.aspx"><strong>Medical Reserve Corps</strong></a></p> <p>Learn more about the <a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/vaccine-integrity-project"><strong>Vaccine Integrity Project</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/osterholm-update-covid-19"><strong>MORE EPISODES</strong></a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/support-cidrap"><strong>SUPPORT THIS PODCAST</strong></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Music:</strong></p> <p>"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)<br>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</p>

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello and welcome to the Oström Update, a podcast about infectious diseases and public health,

0:13.8

featuring Dr. Michael Osterholm.

0:17.0

Dr. Ostrome is an internationally recognized medical detective and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, or Sidrap, at the University of Minnesota.

0:26.7

In this podcast, Dr. Ostrome draws an over 50 years of experience in infectious disease epidemiology to provide straight talk on the latest infectious disease outbreaks,

0:40.6

counter misinformation and disinformation about vaccines,

0:46.0

and distill the complex and ever-evolving public health threats facing our world.

0:49.5

I'm Chris Dahl, reporter for Sidrapp News,

1:00.4

and I'm your host for these conversations. Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of the Oström Update podcast.

1:04.6

From the moment it received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration,

1:09.5

Pax Lovit has been one of the primary

1:11.3

antiviral medications for adults with COVID-19 who are at risk for hospitalization or death.

1:17.3

Some of you might remember the if it's COVID Paxlovid tagline created by Drug Maker Pfizer

1:22.8

and its advertisements for the truck. But the results of two randomized clinical trials

1:27.1

published recently

1:27.9

in the New England Journal of Medicine found that Pax Lode failed to reduce hospitalizations

1:32.5

or deaths in adults with risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes. On its face, that seems like

1:39.3

bad news. But as emergency physician, researcher, and writer Dr. Jeremy Faust, noted recently in his

1:45.0

inside medicine substact column, it also contains some good news, because there were no deaths

1:50.7

from any cause in the study. And that tells us something about where we are with COVID.

1:56.6

Yes, the fact that two major studies conducted in 2022-2020 to 24 failed to show this benefit

2:02.0

for Paxlovod is caused for celebration, Faust wrote.

2:05.9

COVID-19 is no longer the massive mortality threat it once was.

...

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