IT IS THE THURSDAY KSAT QNA WHICH MEANS WE’RE GETTING YOUR BIGGEST COVID-19 QUESTIONS
ANSWERED WITH DOCTOR RUTH
BERGGREN INFECTIOUS DISEASE
SPECIALIST WITH THE LONG SCHOOL
OF MEDICINE AND YOU CAN HELP SAN ANTONIO, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE AS ALWAYS DOCTOR
WE’VE GOT A LOT TO TALK ABOUT
AND LIKE STUFF, ART FIRST START
WITH VACCINE. HESITANCY WE RAN
A REPORT EARLIER IN THE SHOW
TALKING ABOUT HOW WHAT
UNIVERSITY HEALTH ARE HAVING
A 1000. NO SHOWS A DAY FOR
VACCINATIONS WE KNOW WE’VE GOT
A BIGGER SUPPLY A LOT MORE WAYS
TO GET THE VACCINE BUT IS
HESITANCY SOMETHING THAT YOU’RE
CONCERNED ABOUT RIGHT NOW.
>> YES I AM VERY CONCERNED, YOU
KNOW WE WERE CLOSE TO 2400 A
DAY OVER AT OUR SHOP
AT THE YALE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
THAT THE SCHOOL NURSING
ACTUALLY BEAUTY HEALTH AND NOT
SURE IF WE HIT A 1000 TODAY.
SO THERE’S BEEN A CHANGE
AND YOU KNOW I THINK THERE’S A
LOT OF REASONS FOR THAT
SOME PEOPLE HEARD ABOUT THE
JOHNSON AND JOHNSON PAUSE AND
THEY SAID THAT MADE THEM
NERVOUS. BUT WE’RE STARTING TO
SEE A LITTLE BIT OF A DROP OFF
EVEN BEFORE THEN
BUT I’M HERE TO REMIND
EVERYBODY THAT THE VACCINE IS
OUR EXIT RAMP IS FAR WORSE TO
GET KOBE THEN IT IS TO TAKE THE
COVID VACCINE. SO WE NEED TO
TURN OUR VACCINE HESITANCY INTO
VACCINE CONFIDENCE AND VACCINE
URGENCY BECAUSE WE CONTINUE TO
BE IN
A RACE BETWEEN GETTING PEOPLE
VACCINATED AND THE VIRUS’S
ABILITY TO MUTATE AWAY FROM THE
PROTECTION OF THE ANTIBODIES
THAT THE VACCINE ELICITS.
>> DOCTOR LET’S FOCUS A LITTLE
BIT ON JOHNSON AND JOHNSON AND
THE CONCERNS WITH THAT THE CDC
MEETING TOMORROW TO DISCUSS A
WAY FORWARD
WITH THAT. ONE OF THE BIG
CONCERNS IS THE BLOOD CLOTS BUT
THE BLOOD CLOTS THAT WE’VE SEEN
WITH THE PATIENTS HAS ONLY BEEN
A HANDFUL AND YOU HAVE SOME
INFORMATION ABOUT THAT FOR US.
>> RIGHT SO THE RISK OF HAVING A BLOOD CLOT FROM THE JOHNSON AND JOHNSON VACCINE IS REALLY
LESS THAN THE RISK OF A
LIGHTNING STRIKE OVER A
PERSON’S LIFETIME FOR SURE, BUT
IT’S ALSO LESS RISKY THAN A LOT
OF OTHER COMMON THINGS
THE GRAPHIC. YOU HEAR IS GOING TO REMIND US THAT THE J AND J.
>> VACCINE CAUSED 6 CASES OF A
CERTAIN KIND OF BLOOD CLOT
CALLED CEREBRAL VENOUS SINUS
THROMBOSIS TOGETHER WITH
MOW LATELY. 6 CASES OUT OF
ALMOST 7 MILLION. SO THAT’S
LESS THAN 1 MILLION. AND IF YOU
JUST LOOK AT BLOOD CLOTS IN
GENERAL AND CONSIDER WHAT OTHER
KINDS OF THINGS THAT PEOPLE DO
ON A DAILY BASIS CAN PUT THEM
AT RISK FOR BLOOD CLOTS AND
COMPARE THAT RISK.
>> WE SEE THAT BIRTH CONTROL
PILLS OR CONTRACEPTION
CAN CAUSE BLOOD CLOTS AT ABOUT
500 CASES IN MILLION OR EVEN UP
TO 1000 CASES PER MILLION
SMOKING EVEN HIGHER RISK
1700 CASES OUT OF A MILLION
SMOKERS AND YOU DON’T SEE TOO
MANY PEOPLE RUNNING AWAY FROM
SMOKING BECAUSE THEY’RE WORRIED
ABOUT GETTING A BLOOD CLOT RISK
OF A BLOOD CLOT FROM THE J AND
J VACCINE IS DESK WE LOWER
THAN THAT AND HERE’S SOMETHING
THAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO
EMPHASIZE COVID INFECTION,
CAUSES
BLOOD CLOTS AND SO YOUR RISK OF
GETTING A BLOOD CLOT FROM A
COVID INFECTION IS VASTLY
HIGHER THAN THE RISK OF GETTING
ANY KIND OF BLOOD CLOT FROM THE
JOHNSON AND
JOHNSON VACCINE.
>> AND I KNOW THAT IN IN
LOOKING THESE BLOOD
CLOT RISKS. THIS CBS T THAT
SPECIFIC KIND OF BLOOD CLOT
THAT HAS BEEN SEEN IN THE 6
WOMEN WHO GOT OUT OF THE 6.8
MILLION WHO GOT THE JOHNSON AND
JOHNSON VACCINE THAT’S A
DIFFERENT KIND OF BLOOD CLOT
THEM. SOME OF THE MORE TYPICAL
CASES, BUT THOUGH I MEAN THAT
IS A VERY SMALL RISK TO YOU
SHARED SOME INFORMATION WITH US
ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
>> RIGHT SO THIS GRAPHIC IS
LOOKING A LITTLE PARAMETER THAT
WHAT WE SAW IN THE NUMBERS
PREVIOUSLY PREVIOUSLY WE’RE
LOOKING AT BLOOD CLOTS IN
GENERAL, THIS IS LOOKING AT
CBS TEEN AND NOTICE THAT THE
GENERAL POPULATION IF YOU LOOK
AT A MILLION PEOPLE OVER A YEAR
YOU’RE GOING
TO SEE 3 TO 15 PEOPLE IN THAT
GROUP ARE GOING TO GET A CVST
KIND OF A BLOOD CLOT
FOR VARIOUS REASONS AND THAT
RIGHT THERE TAKE A LOOK AT THAT
COMPARED THE GENERAL POPULATION
RISK TO WHAT WE’RE SEEING FOR
THE JOHNSON AND JOHNSON RISK SO
IT’S NOT EVEN CLEAR THAT THE
RISK OF THIS TYPE OF CLOT IS
GREATER FOR JOHNSON JOHNSON
THAT IT IS JUST IN THAT TIME
PERIOD FOR THE
GENERAL POPULATION.
>> AND AGAIN WE’RE COMPARING
HERE THE RISK OF THIS PROBLEM
FROM OTHER COMMON CONDITIONS,
PREGNANCY CAN
CAUSE THIS ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE
PILLS CAN CAUSE THIS AT RATES
THAT ARE FAR HIGHER THAN
THE JOHNSON AND JOHNSON VACCINE
SO REALLY WHEN YOU TAKE ALL
THIS TOGETHER YOU HAVE TO
WONDER WHY DID WE PAUSED
THE VACCINE. IF IT’S SO VERY
VERY RARE MORE RARE TO HAVE
PROBLEMS THEN MANY OF THESE
OTHER THINGS THAT WE ALREADY
HAVE APPROVED AND DO EVERY DAY
AND. WHAT WE’RE TOLD
IS THAT THE AUTHORITIES THE FDA CDC WANTED TO GET EVERYONE’S ATTENTION AND TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE’RE ALL AWARE IT SO THAT WHEN
WE SEE THESE TYPES OF CLOTS WE
DON’T MAKE A MISTAKE IN THE WAY
TAT WE MANAGE THEM
AND WE DON’T WANT TO BE GIVING
THE BLOOD THINNER HEPARIN TO
THOSE FOLKS AND THEIR OTHER
MEDICINES THAT WE USE INSTEAD.
>> SO
>> SO OVERALL MESSAGE IT IS STILL SAFE TO GET THE VACCINES THAT
ARE AVAILABLE WE’LL WAIT TO SEE
WHAT HAPPENS IN TERMS OF THE
JOHNSON AND JOHNSON, BUT
PFIZER MODERNA THEY ARE WIDELY
AVAILABLE AND YOU’RE STILL
RECOMMENDING THEM FOR PEOPLE IN
OUR COMMUNITY.
YES.
>> AND I DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT
WILL HAPPEN TOMORROW WITH A C
IP BUT MANY OF MY
COLLEAGUES PREDICT THAT WE’RE
GOING TO SEE THIS VACCINE COME
BACK ONLINE BECAUSE IT HAS A
LOT OF VALUE FOR PEOPLE THAT
HAVE TREMENDOUS DIFFICULTY TO
GET INTO BACKS A NATION SITES,
TREMENDOUS VALUE FOR PEOPLE WHO
HAVE SEVERE ALLERGIES TO THE
MRNA VACCINES. AND WE THINK IS
LIKELY TO COME BACK ONLINE AND
BE AVAILABLE WITH CERTAIN
RESTRICTIONS PERHAPS WILL BE
GUIDED TO USE IT ONLY IN OLDER
FOLKS.
>> ALL RIGHT, WE’LL SEE WHAT
HAPPENS TOMORROW WE’LL BE
WATCHING DOCTOR RUTH BERGGREN
AS ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU.
AND THANKS FOR THE INFO.