Kristen V. Brown
Bloomberg
Oakland, CA, United States
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Past articles by Kristen:
Plenty of Americans Are Drinking Bleach, Still for Sale on Amazon
It’s easy to find bleach-based fake cures for sale on Amazon and other retailers. → Read More
I Just Got Boosted. Why Did I Catch Covid?
Hi folks, it’s Kristen, writing from my sunny homeland of Orange County, California, where my whole family is frantically Covid testing before a cousin’s wedding. As we enter sniffle season, I’ve been fielding lots of questions on the best ways to avoid getting sick and why Covid can sometimes evade our defensive measures. But first... → Read More
Omicron Cases Are Hitting Highs, But New Data Put End in Sight
Data suggest hospitalizations are now decoupled from case numbers, and the variant causes less severe disease → Read More
Weighing the Risks of Holiday Travel During Omicron: What the Experts Say
With the highly transmissible variant surging around the world, we asked a group of U.S. infectious-disease specialists for their advice. → Read More
Omicron Undetected in U.S. So Far, Testing Biden Sequencing Plan
Covid-19’s omicron variant is posing the first major test of the U.S.’s expanded system for monitoring mutations -- a key line of defense against potentially dangerous new versions of the virus that might spread quickly, evade vaccines or kill more infected people. → Read More
All Those 23andMe Spit Tests Were Part of a Bigger Plan
CEO Anne Wojcicki wants to make drugs using insights from millions of customer DNA samples, and doesn’t think that should bother anyone. → Read More
Two Experts Weigh In on Delta
This week's edition of the Covid Q&A is a lightning round on the delta variant. In hopes of making this very confusing time just a little less so, each week Bloomberg Prognosis picks one question sent in by readers and puts it to experts in the field. For this week’s edition, we’re doing something different. → Read More
The Vaccinated Are Worried and Scientists Don’t Have Answers
Sign up here for our daily coronavirus newsletter on what you need to know Anecdotes tell us what the data can’t: Vaccinated people appear to be getting the coronavirus at a surprisingly high rate. But exactly how often isn’t clear, nor is it certain how likely they are to spread the virus to others. → Read More
‘Ridiculous’: Vaccine Myths Cripple U.S. Uptake as Delta Surges
The excuses range from the merely false to the absurd. The shots don’t work. They impair fertility. They’ll alter your DNA. They’ll magnetize you. They actually spread the virus. → Read More
Delta Variant Gains Steam in Undervaccinated U.S. Counties
Early evidence suggests that the highly contagious delta variant, which has prompted concern worldwide as it leads to new surges of Covid-19 across the globe, is spreading in undervaccinated pockets of the U.S. → Read More
Is It Time to Take Off Your Mask?
In this week's edition of the Covid Q&A, we look at when it's okay to ditch your mask. In hopes of making this very confusing time just a little less so, each week Bloomberg Prognosis is picking one question sent in by readers and putting it to an expert in the field. This week's question comes to us from Heather in Brooklyn, N.Y. As rules have relaxed, Heather asked for clarification on when… → Read More
The U.S. Has the Shots It Needs, But Vaccine Doubt Is Prolonging the Pandemic
Skepticism threatens to drag out Covid restrictions. → Read More
How Your DNA Test Could Be Used in Unanticipated Ways
Relatively simple tests that can analyze an individual’s DNA have proved a boon in the fields of medicine and criminal justice, not to mention genealogy. They can identify genetic disorders, implicate or clear criminal suspects, and help people fill in their family trees. In recent years, however, it’s become clear that DNA data can be used in ways we never expected or desired. As a result, more… → Read More
Hims Built a $1.6 Billion Online Empire By Pushing Prescriptions
The telehealth startup has prospered during the pandemic and is about to go public. Is anybody going to rein it in? → Read More
The 6-Feet Rule Will Guide Architects in a Post-Covid World
Past pandemics also forced a rethinking of physical space. → Read More
Apple Watch, Fitbit May Help Spot Emerging Coronavirus Outbreaks
Fitness trackers monitor metrics like heart rate that can be early indicators of illness. → Read More
Antibody Tests Are Everywhere Now and Confusing Everyone
Chiropractors and Botox clinics have even gotten in on the act. → Read More
How Your DNA Test Could Be Used in Unanticipated Ways
Few foresaw that the data we generate about ourselves on the internet would be used to track our habits and try to influence our behavior, including what we buy and how we vote. Now, as more and more people submit to testing to identify genetic disorders or search for ancestral roots, DNA data is poised for a similar turn. With police tracking down criminals based on consumer genetic tests taken… → Read More
No One Is Safeguarding Your DNA
A person’s privacy can be compromised if a third or fourth cousin takes a home DNA test. → Read More
Your DNA Is Out There. Do You Want Law Enforcement Using It?
A genealogist and a data science company are solving cold cases and finding the unfindable. → Read More