logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2020
44m 19s

Herd Immunity

Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McElroy
About this episode
There's been a lot of discussion about herd immunity in the face of COVID-19, but did you know that anyone who talks about achieving herd immunity without a vaccine (something humanity has never pulled off ever) is a big stinky liar goofball? We'll explore that truth and so much more on this week's episode of Sawbones. 
Up next
Nov 18
Sawbones: Dopamine Detox
<p>The algorithm strikes again, this time telling Justin about a popular wellness trend known as a Dopamine Detox. Dopamine is often associated with pleasure centers and addiction, and certain corners of the internet think we are overflooded with it. But Dr. Sydnee talks about wh ... Show More
51m 24s
Nov 4
Sawbones: Monkey Escape
<p>Sometimes we like to have fun on Sawbones, like diving into a recently reported story of a truck full research animals who escaped and were infectious to humans. But what actually happened, were these monkeys infected, and what is the purpose of monkeys being infected in the n ... Show More
37m 48s
Oct 28
Sawbones: Methylene Blue
<p>Often pseudo-scientific medicine is brought to Dr. Sydnee by friends and family. But this time, she encountered methylene blue in the wild! Methylene blue is currently being touted as a cancer treatment, which is . . . not based on evidence. But Dr. Sydnee talks about the hist ... Show More
43m 8s
Recommended Episodes
May 2020
How Herd Immunity Works
<p>Herd immunity is an epidemiological concept that if enough people are inoculated against a disease the rest of us won’t get it. It’s been useful in holding back diseases like polio and measles, but we have vaccines for them. We don’t have one for Covid-19.</p><p> </p> Learn mo ... Show More
1h 2m
Feb 2021
Coronavirus Vaccine Q&A: Variants, Side Effects, And More
Can people who are vaccinated still carry and transmit the coronavirus to other people? How effective are the vaccines against coronavirus variants? And what's the deal with side effects? In this episode, an excerpt of Maddie's appearance on another NPR podcast, It's Been a Minut ... Show More
16m 3s
Mar 2021
The Debate Over Vaccine Mandates
Suppressing the spread of Covid-19 in the United States is going to require vaccinating 70-85% of the population. But what happens if not enough Americans voluntarily get the vaccine? CNN’s Chief Medial Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Emily Largent, a lawyer and assistant ... Show More
15m 42s
Sep 2022
Ep 105 Down in the Mumps
<p>We’ve covered measles, we’ve taken on rubella, and now we’re finishing up the classic MMR vaccine by exploring the other M: mumps. To some listeners, mumps may be a painful childhood memory while to others it’s just a letter in a vaccine they were too young to remember getting ... Show More
1h 17m
Dec 2021
Does catching covid give you more immunity than being vaccinated?
Immunity to Covid-19. We've all been hoping to develop it ever since the virus emerged two years ago. Since then, a race to vaccinate the world has begun in earnest, with many countries rolling out booster shots in response to the rise of the Omicron variant. Health officials and ... Show More
8m 58s