SHAYNA: NEW DATA SUGGESTS THE PFIZ VERACCINE MAY BE LESS EFFECTIVE AT PREVENTING COVID-19 INFECTIONS FROM THE DELTA VARIANT. HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS DR. TODD ELLERIN, CHIEF OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT SOUTH SHORE HEAL.TH TH ESE NEW NUMBERS FROM ISRAEL ARE PRELIMINARY, BUT THEY SHOW THE PFIZER VACCINE IS ONLY 64% EFFECTIVE AT STOPPING THE DEALT VARIANT IN THE REAL WORLD. WHAT COULD THAT MEAN FOR MASSACHUSETTS? DO YOU THINK WE MAY SEE REMO OUTBREAKS AND MORE PEOPLE IN THE HOSPITAL? >> THAT IS RIGHT HERE I THINK — THAT IS RIGHT. I THINK WHAT IT IS SAYING IS THIS DELTA VARIANT CAN EVADE SOME OF OUR IMMUNITY INCLUDING SOME OF THESE GREAT VACCINES .EVEN THOUGH WE MAYSEE AN SEEING A SMALL INCREASE FROM THIS DELTA VARIANT, BUT WHAT WE ARE NOT SEEING IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HOSPITALIZATIONS .INHE T STUDY, THE VACCINE WAS 94% EFFECTIVATE PREVENTING HOSPITALIZATIONS. THAT IS A KEY NUMB.ER ONCE YOU KEEP A PERSON OUT OF THE HOSPITAL, YOU’RE NOT GOING HTOAVE THE SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS. IT IS ONE THING TO HAVE THE VIRUS AND IN THE BACK OF OUR NOSE. ULTIMATELY, IFE W CAN KEEP PEOPLE OUT OF HOSPITALS, WE ARE GOING TO DO WELL. ED: IS 64% STILL A GOOD NUMBER? >> I THINK 64% IS A GOODUM NBER. WHEN YOU COMPARE IT TO THE INITIAL PHASE THREE TRIAL WHERE IT WAS 94, 95 SAINT, IT SMSEE LESS BUT I DON’T WANT TO FOCUS ON THAT NUMBER. I WANT TO FOCUS ON THE STILL GREATER THAN 90% REDTIUCON IN HOSPITALIZATIONS. 99% REDUCTIONS AND DEBTS. ED: HERE IS QUESTION TWO. IF PFIZER IS AN MRNA CREATION — I AM SIMPLIFNGYI THE WORD. MODERNITY IS ROUGHLY THE SAME THING. WOULDN’T IT BE A SIMILARES RULT OR NO? >>T I IS A LIKELY EDUCATED GUESS. THE DATA WE ARE SEEING WITH PFIZ AERND MODERNA ARE VERY SIMILAR. REMEMBER, ENVE THE4 6 PERCENT REDUCTION IN INFECTION IS STILL BETTER THAN THE AVERAGE FLU SEASON. THESE VACCINES ARE STILL IMMUNONIGEC, WHICH MEANS IT GIVES AUS MORE ROBUST IMMUNE RESPONSE. ETHER IS NO QUESTION FOR THOSE UNVACCINATED Y,OU HAVE TO GO OUT, ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES AND GET VACCINADTE. IT IS THE BTES WAY TO ACHIEVE INDEPENDENCE FROM THIS VIS.RU SHAYNA: THIS WEEK WE LEARNED , MORE THAN 99% OF AMERICANS WHO DIED FROM COVID-19 IN JUNE WERE NOT VACCINATED. AS SOMEONE WHO TREATS THESE PA TIENTS, WHAT’S YOUR REACTION? >> DESPITE THE FACT WE ARE DOING SO MUCH BETTER, I AM STILL LOOKING AROUND IN OUR INTENSIVE CARE UNITS SEEING OUR COVID PATIENTS. MELET GIVE YOU A PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT THAT NUMBER MEANS. WE HAVE ABOUT 10 TO 1500,0 PEOPLE DYING OF COVID IN THE UNITED STATES EACH MONTH. IF YOU HAVE A 99 PERCENT REDUCTION, THAT MEANS 9900 OUT OF 10,000 THATRE A DYING VACCINATED. HUNTER OUTF O — 100 OUT OF THOSE 1000,0 DEATHS ARE VACCINATED. THAT IS SUCH A STARK DIFFERENCE. IF THAT IS NOT A REANSO TO GO GET BACK TO ME, I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS. ED: I ALREADY WHAT YOUR ANSWER IS BUT I’M OWING TO ASK ANYWAY. SOME OF ROU VIEWERS HAVE BEEN ASNGKI US THAT THEY ARE WORRIED ABOUT FALYMI MEMBERS WHO REFUSED TOET G VACCINATED. WHAT IS YOUR BEST ADVICE? >> WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS CONTINUEO T LISTEN TO THOSE PEOPLE WE RECA ABOUT WHO ARE UNVACCINATED. IT ASK THEM QSTUEIONS. WHY NOT YET? TRY TO BE AS NONJUDGMENTAL AS POSSIBLE AND WORK WITH THEM BECAUSE HOPEFULLY IF THEY VEHA NOT BEEN VACCINATED, IT IS NOT TOO LATE. WE ARE STILL SEEING MILLIONS OF PEOPLE STILL GETTING VACCINATED I JUST THINK WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE WE CARE ABOUTND A ASK THEM AND TRY TO GIVE THEM THE SOUND DATA. IT IS TGHOU WHEN YOU LOVE SOMEONE AND YOU KNOW THEY ARE NOT VACCINATED

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Video: COVID-19 vaccines still prevent hospitalizations from delta variant, Dr. Ellerin says

Updated: 5:10 PM EDT Jul 6, 2021

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New data from an Israeli study suggests that the Pfizer vaccine may be less effective at preventing COVID-19 infections from the delta variant.

BOSTON —

New data from an Israeli study suggests that the Pfizer vaccine may be less effective at preventing COVID-19 infections from the delta variant.

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