STILL
STILL MONTHS AWAY. JSUT GREAT NBCNC AND AGAIN THE FDA IS GOING TO MEET ON
THURSDAY TO CONSIDER GIVING
PFIZER'S VACCINE EMERGENECY
AUTHORITIZATION.
PFIZER SAYS IT WOULD BE READY
TO SHIP DOSES WITHIN 24 HOURS
OF GETTING APPROVAL.
COLORADO HAS ALREADY ASKED FOR
NEARLY FORTY SEVEN THOUSAND
DOSES FROM THOSE FIRST
SHIPMENTS BUT THAT WOULD JUST
COVER A FRACTION OF COLORADO'S
POPULATION.
IT ALSO BRINGS UP MANY
BIOETHICAL QUESTIONS.
SO WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT
WITH AN EXPERT, DR. MATTHEW
WYNIA, THE DIRECTOR OF THE
CENTER FOR BIOETHICS AND
HUMANITIES AT THSI AND SHOOTS
DR. THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US .
GIVE PEOPLE, IF YOU WOULD A
QUICK IDEA WHAT BIOETHICS ARE
JUST SO WE UNDERSTAND WHERE IT
IS YOU'RE COMING FROM.
SURE.
SO MY PERSONAL TRAINING IS
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
I'M A REGULAR DOCTOR MOST
OF THE TIME BUT I'VE SPENT MUCH
OF MY CAREER THINKING ABOUT AND
HELPING DOCTORS AND HEALTH
SYSTEMS MANAGE SOME OF THE
ETHICAL ISSUES THAT CAN ARISE
DURING MEDICAL CARE AND IN
PARTICULAR WE SPEND A LOT
OF TIME THINKING IN ADVANCE
ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN ANY
EVENT OF SOME KIND OF A
DISASTER IS NOT VERY OFTEN THAT
BIOETHICS COME TO
THE FOREFRONT.
BUT HERE WE ARE THIS VACCINE
THEORETICALLY OR THIS MIGHT BE
THE FIRST OF THESE VACCINES TO
ROLL OUT.
HOW DO IS THE DECISION MADE AND
WHO GETS TO MAKE IT AS FAR AS
WHO GETS THAT VACCINE FIRST?
THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION OF THE
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DEBATE
ABOUT THIS OVER DECADES
ACTUALLY BECAUSE THIS DOES COME
UP EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE AND IT
WAS A PANDEMIC INFLUENZA BACK
IN 2009 FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WAS
A GOOD DEAL OF WORK AT
THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
AND THE NATIONAL ACADEMY
OF SCIENCE ENGINEERING MEDICINE
TO GIVE GUIDANCE.
BUT THE REALITY IS THIS IS JUST
GUIDANCE FOR THE STATES AND AND
WHEN THIS STUFF ACTUALLY
ARRIVES IN THE STATE IT IS UP
TO THE STATES TO MAKE THESE
DECISIONS AND THAT INVOLVES
COVERSATION WITH THE WITH
THE PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCIES
WITHIN THE STATE, BOTH A LOCAL
ONE AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND THEN ALSO
THE GOVERNOR AND THE GOVERNOR
HAS A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE TO
PLAY HERE IN TERMS OF SETTING
GENERAL CRITERIA THAT THE STATE
CAN THEN IMPLEMENT.
ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH WHAT
YOU'RE HEARING ABOUT THE WAY
THIS IS EXPECTED TO ROLL OUT
WITH FRONTLINE HEALTH
CARE WORKERS BEING FIRST IN
LINE AND AND THEN SOME OF THOSE
HARDEST HIT AREAS OF THE
POPULATION THERE AS WELL?
I THINK THE THE GENERAL
CRITERIA THAT WE'VE TALKED
ABOUT FOR YEARS ARE THAT YOU
WANT TO GET THE VACCINE INTO
THE ARMS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE
REQUIRED TO TAKE A GREAT DEAL
OF RISK IN THEIR WORK RIGHT OFF
THE BAT BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE
YOU WANT NOT TO LOSE IF YOU
LOSE A COUPLE OF NURSES OR A
COUPLE OF DOCTORS THAT COULD
ACTUALLY HAVE KNOCK ON
IMPLICATIONS FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S
HEALTH.
SO SO THERE'S VIRTUALLY NO
DEBATE ANYMORE ABOUT WHETHER
PEOPLE ON THE FRONT LINE,
PEOPLE WHO ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE
RISKS IN ORDER TO DO THEIR
JOBS, THEY SHOULD GO FIRST OFF,
I THINK THE DEBATES COME UP IN
THE SORT OF SUBSEQUENT PHASES
AFTER THAT WHICH WE'LL GET TO
PROBABLY IN JANUARY AND
FEBRUARY.
WHAT ABOUT THE IDEA OF MAKING
VACCINE MANDATORY?
CAN COMPANIES, PRIVATE
COMPANIES OR EVEN SAY A SCHOOL
DISTRICT SAY WE NEED TO HAVE
TEACHERS VACCINATED OR STUDENTS
MUST BE VACCINATED TO GO TO
SCHOOL LIKE WE DO WITH SOME
VACCINATIONS BUT NOT WITH
OTHERS?
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT ALSO HAS
TO GET SORTED OUT?
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL GET
SORTED OUT OVER TIME.
MY HUNCH IS ALTHOUGH IT'S
PROBABLY LEGAL FOR A BUSINESS
FOR EXAMPLE TO SAY WE WERE
WE'RE GOING TO REQUIRE THAT OUR
EMPLOYEES GET VACCINATED IN
ORDER TO COME TO WORK.
I DOUBT THAT ANYONE'S GOING TO
DO THAT WHILE THIS VACCINE IS
STILL VERY EARLY, WHILE IT'S
STILL IN SHORTAGE AND WHILE
IT'S STILL
UNDER
UNDER AN
UNDER AN EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION I THINK GIVE US SIX MONTHS OR A
YEAR AND YOU WILL START TO SEE
REAL DEBATE ABOUT WHETHER IT'S
ETHICALLY OK AND LEGALLY OK FOR
FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES
OF BUSINESSES TO REQUIRE PEOPLE
TO BE VACCINATED.
WELL, IT IS SOMETHING THAT
EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT.