Video: Boston doctor answers variety of COVID-19 vaccine questions
Updated: 6:05 PM EDT Jun 28, 2022
NEWSCENTER FIVE AT 5:30. JESSICA: VACCINE EXPERTS FOR THE FDA JUST PAVED THE WAY FOR NEW COVID-19 BOOSTER SHOTS THIS FALL, RECOMMENDING THAT THERE SHOULD BE A DOSE TO TARGET SOME FORM OF OMICRON. JOINING US FOR A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS IS DR. SHIRA DORON, THE HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST AT TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER. GOOD TO SEE YOU. ED: SOME EXPERTS ARGUE, THESE SHOTS FROM MODERNA AND PFIZER ARE ALREADY OUTDATED BECAUSE THEY WERE TESTED AGAINST THE ORIGINAL OMICRON VARIANT, NOT THE NEW SUBVARIANTS. WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> THE MEETING TODAY WAS DENSE. THEY PRESENTED DATA ON VARIOUS CONFIGURATIONS OF BOOSTERS AND ANTIBODY RESPONSES THEY HAVE. BY THE TIME ANY COMPANY CAN SCALE UP MANUFACTURING AND A NEW BOOSTER DEPLOYED FOR A NEW VARIANT, CHANCES ARE IT WOULD NOT BE THE CIRCULATING VARIANT ANYMORE. SO I THINK IT IS A LOSING BATTLE TO PREDICT THE FUTURE, THE APPROACH OUTLINED BY THE WHO IS STICK WITH THE ORIGINAL OMICRON STRAIN, EVOLUTIONARILY DISTINCT COMPARED TO THE ORIGINAL WUHAN VIRUS. IT GENERATES A RESPONSE AND WORKS WELL AGAINST THE SUBVARIANTS. MODERNA SAYS THEY ARE ALREADY MANUFACTURING THAT FORMULATION. JESSICA: IN MASSACHUSETTS, MORE THAN 87% OF RESIDENTS AGE 12 AND OLDER ARE FULLY VACCINATED, AND NEARLY 55% HAVE HAD ONE BOOSTER SHOT. IN YOUR OPINION, WHICH GROUPS WILL LIKELY NEED ANOTHER SHOT THIS FALL? >> WE HAVE HEARD THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WON’T HAVE FUNDS FOR CONGRESS TO PURCHASE ONE FOR EVERY AMERICAN TO HAVE AN OMICRON SPECIFIC BOOSTER. THE HIGHEST RISK AMERICANS WILL BE PRIORITIZED. THE ELDERLY AND IMMUNOCOMPROMISED. THOSE WHO HAVE NOT OPTED TO GET A BOOSTER, THERE IS HOPE SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN SKEPTICAL ABOUT GETTING A BOOSTER WILL DO SO IF IT CLOSELY MATCHES THE CIRCULATING VARIANTS AND PROVIDES MORE EFFICACY. ED: LET’S GET TO SOME OF THESE VIEWER QUESTIONS. THE FIRST ONE IS FROM ANA. I’M ELIGIBLE FOR A SECOND BOOSTER SHOT. SHOULD I GET IT NOW OR WAIT FOR A FALL BOOSTER? >> THE CDC STRENGTHENED ITS RECOMMENDATION. ANYONE OVER 50 OR IMMUNO COMPROMISED SHOULD GET A SECOND BOOSTER. WE HAVE MADE STATEMENTS SUGGESTING A BOOSTER DOESN’T DISQUALIFY YOU FROM GETTING A NEW VERSION SHOULD ONE BE AVAILABLE IN THE FALL. A SECOND BOOSTER TAKES A LOW RISK OF DISEASE, AND MAKES IT EVEN LOWER. THE OLDER YOU ARE, THE MORE UNDERLYING MEDICAL PROBLEMS, THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE TO SEE A BENEFIT. JESSICA: HERE’S ANOTHER ONE, THIS TIME FROM CONNOR. IF VACCINES DON’T BLOCK INFECTION, WHY DO KIDS STILL NEED THEM? >> TO CLARIFY, THE TRIALS SHOW VACCINATED CHILDREN WERE LESS LIKELY TO GET INFECTED THAN UNVACCINATED CHILDREN, BUT IT IS TRUE VACCINES AREN’T WORKING AS WELL AGAINST INFECTION IN THE OMICRON ERA AS THEY USED TO. THE REASON TO VACCINATE KIDS FOR COVID-19 IS THE SAME AS ALL CHILDHOOD VACCINES, IT LETS US TAKE A LOW RISK AND MAKE IT EVEN LOWER. CHILDREN DO GET SICK AND DIE OF COVID-19, AND WE WANT THE LOWEST RATES OF SERIOUS ILLNESS AND DEATH IN CHILDREN. ED
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Video: Boston doctor answers variety of COVID-19 vaccine questions
Updated: 6:05 PM EDT Jun 28, 2022
The Tufts hospital epidemiologist weighs in on the news of FDA vaccine experts paving the way for new booster shots this fall.
The Tufts hospital epidemiologist weighs in on the news of FDA vaccine experts paving the way for new booster shots this fall.
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