Katelyn Jetelina
Epidemiologist; founded Your Local Epidemiologist in March 2020 to translate public-health science.
Katelyn Jetelina did not write this page.
We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.
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Their wordsThe health ecosystem was not working for people. It was built for another time and has failed everyone for years.
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Their wordsFancy doctorate degrees alone won’t solve it. It will take community expertise and lived experience.
- 1 day earlier
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Our reading
If parents stop reporting vaccine reactions, the U.S. risks missing critical safety signals.
Their wordsIf parents lose trust and stop reporting reactions, the U.S. risks missing critical safety signals until far more children are affected.
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Their wordsThe season is early, but the curve looks normal. Hospitalizations are rising at about the rate we’d expect.
- 3 weeks earlier
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Their wordsThe flu will slowly but surely move from the Pacific eastward in a sweeping motion.
- 5 days earlier
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Their wordsTrustworthiness means responsiveness, consistency, transparency, being human, admitting to mistakes, and actually executing.
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Their wordsTrust in systems (and each other) has been eroding for years (decades?) in the U.S. because people are being repeatedly failed by the systems around them.
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Their wordsTrust isn’t declared; it’s earned over and over and over again through a set of acts that make something or someone trustworthy.
- 2 days earlier
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Their wordsthe risk of the plague reaching the U.S. from Russia is essentially nil
↗Top 8 questions about the “plague” situationyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com
- 1 day earlier
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Their wordsAll of this underscores something so important: Biosecurity and public health are essential infrastructure investments, not “nice to haves.”
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Their wordsIt’s concerning, as any lab accident/leak is, but the risk of this becoming a Covid-19 pandemic is very, very low for a few reasons
- 13 days earlier
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Their wordsThat said, when you tally it all up, roughly 70% of the U.S. health care system is already financed by taxpayer money.
↗Medicare for All: Separating the slogan from the substanceyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com
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Their wordsAdvantage plans offer the same benefits as Original Medicare plus extras like drug, dental, or vision coverage, but this privatization is known to cost taxpayers an additional $100 billion (!) a year.
↗Medicare for All: Separating the slogan from the substanceyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com
- 1 day earlier
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Their wordsCDC’s vaccine advisory group (ACIP) normally updates its recommendations as medical evidence evolves, but under RFK Jr., that process has completely stalled.
- 4 days earlier
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Their wordsThere are legitimate ways to improve our systems, but what they're likely planning isn't one of them.
↗Two days left to comment on HHS's vaccine category proposalyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 1st of 2 in this piece
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Their wordsMoving a vaccine out of that category adds significant implementation barriers that will erode access to vaccines.
↗Two days left to comment on HHS's vaccine category proposalyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 2nd of 2 in this piece
- 2 days earlier
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Their wordsThey face a fundamental biological trade-off: highly lethal or highly contagious, but typically not both.
↗What AI can and cannot do in biosecurityyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 1st of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsThis physical work will remain necessary for the foreseeable future.
↗What AI can and cannot do in biosecurityyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 2nd of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsAI plausibly increases the risk at the margin. Whether that increase is small or catastrophic depends on factors such as AI capability trajectories, biosecurity responses, governance, etc.
↗What AI can and cannot do in biosecurityyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 3rd of 3 in this piece
- 1 day earlier
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Their wordsThe West, like California and Hawaii, has bigger waves in summer than in winter.
↗Respiratory increasing, while Covid-19 peaking? Also, the air after 9/11 killed more than the actual attackyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 1st of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsmeasles really only spreads in tightly knit, unvaccinated pockets.
↗Respiratory increasing, while Covid-19 peaking? Also, the air after 9/11 killed more than the actual attackyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 2nd of 3 in this piece
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Our reading
The long-term health effects of a disaster deserve as much attention as the disaster itself.
Their wordsWhen there is a disaster, it's important to take long-term effects as seriously as the initial event.
↗Respiratory increasing, while Covid-19 peaking? Also, the air after 9/11 killed more than the actual attackyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 3rd of 3 in this piece
- 2 weeks earlier
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Their wordsSo, withholding the data signals that CDC is choosing not to trust the states' account. This is an unprecedented move.
↗Measles deaths debacle, Covid-19 protection for immunocompromised, and moreyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 1st of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsClearly, scientists aren't updating the data. Politicians are.
↗Measles deaths debacle, Covid-19 protection for immunocompromised, and moreyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 2nd of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsPublic health data isn't just information; it's a vital resource, as valuable as gold, for protecting Americans' lives.
↗Measles deaths debacle, Covid-19 protection for immunocompromised, and moreyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 3rd of 3 in this piece
- 6 days earlier
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Our reading
The specific vaccine brand or formulation matters less than simply getting vaccinated at all.
Their wordsThere are nuances to consider for those seeking maximum protection, but ultimately, the best vaccine is the one you receive.
↗Your guide to fall 2026 vaccinesyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 1st of 2 in this piece
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Their wordsGetting vaccines is one of the best things you can do this fall and winter to stay healthy and minimize disruption to school, work, and travel.
↗Your guide to fall 2026 vaccinesyourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 2nd of 2 in this piece
- 1 day earlier
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Our reading
Vaccine distribution schedules that miss the optimal protection window represent a policy failure.
Their wordsOur systems not matching up with the optimal protection window seems like a big policy failure.
↗Foodborne illness increase? Common cold, Covid-19 summer wave, and more.yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 1st of 3 in this piece
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Our reading
Defunding public health surveillance systems allows foodborne disease outbreaks to go undetected.
Their wordsWhen the public health systems meant to catch and stop this stuff are cut (less funding, less staff, less historical knowledge, and less leadership), outbreaks can, and will, emerge between the cracks.
↗Foodborne illness increase? Common cold, Covid-19 summer wave, and more.yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 2nd of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsThe problem is that "number of recalls" is a terrible metric because we don't know what we don't know.
↗Foodborne illness increase? Common cold, Covid-19 summer wave, and more.yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com 3rd of 3 in this piece