Podcasts · This Week in Virology

TWiV 1298: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

21 Feb 2026 · 43 min · Episode 1298

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello discuss reversal of last week’s no review decision on a flu mRNA vaccine by Vinjay Prasad, appointment of Jay Bhattacharya as CDC director, no experience required, and already detectable reduction in hepatitis B virus vaccination rates, then Dr. Griffin then deep dives into recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, where to find PEMGARDA, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, the consequences of measles infection on immune amnesia (shout out to Immune 26), long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, long COVID effect on fertility and type 2 diabetes and contacting your federal government representative to stop the assault on science and biomedical research.

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Links for this episode

• Whiplash! F.D.A. Reverses Decision and Agrees to Review Moderna’s Flu Vaccine • (NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Access New wire) • N.I.H. Director Will Temporarily Run C.D.C. in Leadership Shake-Up • (NY Times) • Reduction in infant Hepatitis B Immunizations (Oregon State Health Department) • Why Adenovirus vectored vaccine failed: Adenoviral Inciting Antigen and Somatic Hypermutation in VITT (NEJM) • Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan) • Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) • Big outbreak, bright lights…Measles Dashboard(South Carolina Department of Public Health) • Measles Outbreak Hits Florida College (NY Times) • Utah’s measles outbreak reaches 300 cases (CIDRAP) • Measles Is Actively Spreading in SLCo (Salt Lake County Health Department) • Tracking Measles Cases in the U.S. (Johns Hopkins) • Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg) • Weekly measles and rubella monitoring (Government of Canada) • Measles (WHO) • Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health) • Measles(CDC Measles (Rubeola)) • Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola)) • Presumptive evidence of measles immunity (CDC) • Contraindications and precautions to measles vaccination (CDC) • Adverse events associated with childhood vaccines: evidence bearing on causality (NLM) • Measles Vaccination: Know the Facts(ISDA: Infectious Diseases Society of America) • Deaths following vaccination: what does the evidence show (Vaccine) • Measles 2025 (NEJM) • Measles virus infection diminishes preexisting antibodies that offer protection from other pathogens (Science; Immune 26) • Incomplete genetic reconstitution of B cell pools contributes to prolonged immunosuppression after measles (Science) • Studies into the mechanism of measles-associated immune suppression during a measles outbreak in the Netherlands (Nature Communications) • Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) • US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) • Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) • Weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView) • OPTION 2: XOFLUZA $50 Cash Pay Option (xofluza) • RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) • Respiratory Diseases (Yale School of Public Health) • US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) • RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection) • Vaccines for Adults (CDC: Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV)) • Economic Analysis of Protein Subunit and mRNA RSV Vaccination in Adults aged 50-59 Years (CDC: ACIP) • The risk of cardiac disease events after respiratory syncytial virus disease: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis (European Respiratory Review) • Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) • COVID-19 deaths (CDC) • Respiratory Illnesses Data Channel (CDC: Respiratory Illnesses) • COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC) • COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC) • SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain) • COVID-19 Antiviral…

Links in the notes 20

• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-virology/id1176779065
• https://www.microbe.tv/contribute
• https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/health/fda-moderna-flu-vaccine-mrna.html
• https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/fda-reverses-course-and-will-now-review-modernas-flu-shot-46b3aab1?mod=hp_lead_pos4
• https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/moderna-announces-the-u.s.-food-and-drug-administration-will-initiate-1138398
• https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/us/politics/bhattacharya-kennedy-cdc-director.html#:~:text=N.I.H.-,Director%20Will%20Temporarily%20Run%20C.D.C.%20in%20Leadership%20Shake-Up,Trump%20appoints%20a%20permanent%20director
• https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/oregon.immunization.program/viz/InfantHepatitisBImmunizations/ALERTstateandcounty
• https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2514824
• https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html
• https://dph.sc.gov/diseases-conditions/infectious-diseases/measles-rubeola/measles-dashboard
• https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/well/measles-florida-ave-maria-university.html
• https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/utah-s-measles-outbreak-reaches-300-cases
• https://www.saltlakecounty.gov/health/news/measles-is-actively-spreading-in-slco/
• https://publichealth.jhu.edu/ivac/resources/us-measles-tracker
• https://b2927012.smushcdn.com/2927012/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/measles_vax_rec_2.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1
• https://health-infobase.canada.ca/measles-rubella/
• https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/measles
• https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/measles/
• https://www.cdc.gov/measles/hcp/vaccine-considerations/index.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html

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