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Dan Werb

Goodreads Author

Born

Vancouver

Twitter

dmwerb

Genre

Nonfiction, Science, Crime

Member Since

February 2019

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Hi! Just finished your book The Invisible Siege and I thought it was really captivating and very thoroughly researched. But it ended before the rise of Omicron. So I wanted to ask, what are your thoughts on Omicron and what do you think about the current approach in the West, where we rely now solely on vaccines for protection but have stopped masking, testing and other preventative measures?

Dan Werb Thanks for these great questions. I'll start with Omicron: what I find remarkable is how presciently Ralph Baric was able to predict that a variant li…moreThanks for these great questions. I'll start with Omicron: what I find remarkable is how presciently Ralph Baric was able to predict that a variant like Omicron would emerge (which of course is covered in the book, even if Omicron itself isn't). That being said, I don't think anyone had expected that it would be as incredibly transmissible as it has been; it's among the most transmissible human pathogen ever, neck and neck with measles (which has a reproductive ratio of 12-18).

So that has changed the game in terms of prevention: we're dealing with a variant that is different enough from the original 'wild-type' SARS-2 virus that it needs a different playbook. Vaccines *might* have been enough if we were still dealing with that first SARS-2 strain. But they're definitely not enough to control Omicron's damage. For that, we desperately need the multi-layered approach of masking, vaccines, widespread testing, and antivirals. It's really the only way at this point to make sure that the pandemic doesn't maintain its grip on society it has up until now.

One caveat with that: even if vaccines aren't as protective against breakthrough cases when it comes to Omicron, the level of immune protection they provide means most healthy people will only get mild illness. That's incredible news. The other piece of good news is that for most people, even if you get infected multiple times, it's more than likely that subsequent infections will be milder. So vaccines should stay a centerpiece of our strategy to move beyond the pandemic emergency even if the virus stays circulating.

Hope that helps and thanks for reading!(less)

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I am looking forward to reading the book. Is there a translation in Spanish or is your publisher working on that?

Dan Werb Sorry for the delay! No plans for a Spanish translation as of now but good to know that there are readers out there who would like to see one.

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Dan Werb’s books

Average rating: 3.83 · 276 ratings · 50 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Invisible Siege: The Rise of Coronaviruses and the Search for a Cure 4.29 avg rating — 131 ratings — published 2022 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	City of Omens: A Search for the Missing Women of the Borderlands 3.38 avg rating — 141 ratings — published 2019 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Our Wild Familiars: How Animals Are Adapting to Cities and Reshaping the Natural World 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Dan Werb's Blog

City of Omens in Kirkus Reviews

City of Omens: A Search for the Missing Women of the Borderlands

So thrilled about Kirkus reviewing City of Omens in advance of the June 4th 2019 pub date. As a scientist I was really focused on making sure that the prose was lively; the last thing I want to do is write a dry book about such a gritty topic. Happy that aspect of the writing seemed to shine through for the reviewer.

“Steely focus and Read more of this blog post »

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