David O’Connor, Professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, University of Wisconsin. Title: Implications of Israel's aggressive third dose vaccine program. Abstract: Israel began an aggressive COVID-19 immunization program before most other countries. Consequently, they were among the first to observe waning immunity. This prompted Israel to begin an ambitious real-world experiment to provide third doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to those who were initially vaccinated at least five months previously. The early results show dramatic protection from both severe illness and mild cases among older individuals who were the first to receive the vaccine. In this presentation I will summarize the Israeli data and discuss why I think other countries including the US should implement similar programs as soon as possible. YouTube and Slides.

Shelby O’Connor, Professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, University of Wisconsin. Title: Air surveillance for respiratory pathogens in Dane County communities. Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how under prepared our community is to detect circulating respiratory viruses. Predictive warning systems for these viruses are needed. For the past several months, we have been piloting Thermo AerosolSense air samplers in university, hospital, and other community settings. We have detected SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in air samples collected at many of these sites. In the future, we propose adapting this system for widespread use in K-12 schools to support ongoing mitigation strategies and provide additional virus detection methods for school communities. YouTube and Slides.