Hello and welcome to the Oster Home Update, COVID-19, a weekly podcast on the COVID-19

pandemic with Dr. Michael Oster Home. Dr. Oster Home is an internationally recognized

medical detective and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy

or CITRAP at the University of Minnesota. In this podcast, Dr. Oster Home will draw on

more than 45 years of experience investigating infectious disease outbreaks to provide

straight talk on the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm Chris Doll, reporter for CITRAP News. I'm your

host for these conversations. In a briefing last week on the COVID-19 pandemic, the director

general of the World Health Organization noted the encouraging worldwide trends of declining

cases and deaths, but warned against complacency, urging countries to keep their COVID-19 measures

in place and individuals to keep their guard up in the face of their rising threat from

coronavirus variants. But as cases continue their steady decline in the United States and

more people get vaccinated, you can feel the complacency starting to set in. Americans

are ready to be done with this pandemic. Will the threat of variant viruses and the possibility

of another wave of infections be enough to prevent the US from becoming too complacent?

On this February 18th episode of the Oster Home Update, we'll discuss the threat of the

variants and how well the US is prepared to handle another wave of infections. We'll

also get an update from Dr. Oster Home on the US Facts Nation's strategy. Talk about

a recent CDC study on double masking and a call to limit airborne transmission of the

coronavirus in workplaces and look at the first month of the Biden administration's response

to the pandemic. And we'll answer a listener question about the safety of outdoor activity

and highlight another pandemic act of kindness. But first we'll begin with Dr. Oster

Oster Home's welcome and dedication.

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