Talking Shots

Talking Shots with Science Sam and U of T Professor Christina Guzzo (Part 3)

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 14:41:23 +0000

Talking Shots with Science Sam and U of T Professor Christina Guzzo (Part 3) Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 06/02/2021 - 10:41

Topic

Our Community

Coronavirus

Talking Shots

UTogether

Alumni

U of T Scarborough

Vaccines

While countries are racing to vaccinate as much of their population against COVID-19 as possible, new variants of concern are complicating efforts to stem the pandemic.

In the final installment of a three-part series, Samantha Yammine – a neuroscientist, science communicator and University of Toronto alumna otherwise known as “Science Sam” – asks U of T researcher Christina Guzzo to address the question of the vaccines’ efficacy against COVID-19 variants.

Guzzo, an assistant professor in the department of biological sciences at U of T Scarborough, points out that the immune response provided by the vaccines is not “all or nothing.”

“There might be a chance that someone who is vaccinated might get infected with one of these variants of concern,” Guzzo says. “However, they are still protected. It may be a very mild infection.”

“And in the very few rare cases where someone who is vaccinated did get infected, those people don’t spread the virus.”

Yammine also poses a question on everyone’s minds: When can we return to normal?

In response, Guzzo likens preventative measures against COVID-19 to slices of swiss cheese. Each strategy – from avoiding gatherings to wearing masks – is going to have holes, she says, but layering the slices atop one another, with vaccines as the “end game,” will make for robust protection against the virus.

Watch part one of the video series

Watch part two of the video series

Talking Shots with Science Sam and U of T Professor Christina Guzzo (Part 2)

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 28 May 2021 19:49:15 +0000

Talking Shots with Science Sam and U of T Professor Christina Guzzo (Part 2) Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 05/28/2021 - 15:49

Topic

Which COVID-19 vaccine should you get?

“The best vaccine to take is the vaccine that will save your life,” says Christina Guzzo, an assistant professor in the department of biological sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough. “If you agree that you just want to save your life, then any [approved] vaccine will do that.”

In the second episode of a three-part series, Samantha Yammine – a neuroscientist, science communicator and U of T alumna known as “Science Sam” on social media – talks to Guzzo about “vaccine shopping” and the popular belief that vaccines from certain pharmaceutical companies are better than others.

Guzzo explains that while clinical trials evaluate the efficacy of vaccines in preventing any symptom of COVID-19, including the slightest sniffle, such measures are far less relevant than the fact that all the currently approved vaccines will prevent severe disease and hospitalization.

She compares the pandemic to a sinking ship and the vaccines to a floatation device.

“Are you going to look at that flotation device, think twice about it, analyze how it fits, how it looks, how durable, how long it will last – or will you simply take the flotation device and save your life?”

Watch Part 1 of the video series

Talking Shots with Science Sam and U of T Professor Christina Guzzo (Part 1)

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 20 May 2021 15:33:59 +0000

Talking Shots with Science Sam and U of T Professor Christina Guzzo (Part 1) Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 05/20/2021 - 11:33

Topic

Canada has been ramping up its COVID-19 vaccination campaign in recent weeks, with more than 46 per cent of the population having received at least one dose. But hesitancy about vaccine safety persists among some individuals.

In the first segment of a three-part series, Samantha Yammine – a neuroscientist, science communicator and University of Toronto alumna otherwise known as “Science Sam” on social media – talks to Christina Guzzo, an assistant professor in the department of biological sciences at U of T Scarborough, about the risks and benefits of getting the COVID-19 shot.

Guzzo explains that vaccinated people have far lower rates of reinfection compared to those who contracted COVID-19. The risk of experiencing long-term effects from COVID-19 also far outweigh the chance of experiencing extremely rare complications from the vaccine, she says.

“We don’t have enough science and data and evidence to understand who might have a long-term effect from COVID-19,” Guzzo says, “so vaccination provides an additional benefit where it protects you from ... taking a chance and [saying], ‘Might I be the person who has a neurological impact from a COVID-19 infection?’”

Guzzo adds that the risks surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine are both low and acceptable, compared to the daily risks we face in the normal course of our lives.