COVID-19 Risk Factors and Your Immune System (Dr. Galit Alter)

Galit Alter, PhD joins host Dr. Chana Davis to discuss why COVID-19 infections can be either deadly or invisible - and why age, health, and obesity matter so much. Dr. Alter, a leading immunologist, sheds light on how our immune response to viral infection shapes our fate. Questions include: Why do kids tend to escape COVID-19 infection with little to no symptoms? Why are older adults at such high risk of severe disease? What is the biology beneath the other key COVID-19 risk factors (e.g. obesity, hypertension, immunocompromised state)? How does COVID-19 compare to other viruses? Can we "boost" our immune systems? This episode is part one of a two part conversation. Part two is focused on what to expect from COVID-19 vaccines. Galit Alter, PhD is a Professor of Medicine at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, where she studies the immune response to viral infections, and how to use this knowledge to improve vaccines. She is also co-Director of Harvard's Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). Dr. Alter received her PhD in experimental medicine from McGill University. Learn more about Dr. Galit AlterLinks: COVIDexplained.org --- HOSTED BY CHANA DAVIS, PHD Access more of Dr. Davis' work at fueledbyscience.com or on social @fueledbyscience (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter)