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- We the format, the assessment,
that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.
- [Reporter] By the end of the week,
2.9 million doses will arrive at 636 locations
in all 50 states.
- A lot of effort has gone into developing,
studying and authorizing COVID-19 vaccines quickly
to respond to the pandemic we are facing.
- And let's turn back now to the breaking news
in the Corona virus pandemic,
the FDA has given Pfizer full approval
for its COVID vaccine.
- We know have eight months worth of real-world data
from the more than 1.2 billion doses
that were given out around the world.
- [Reporter] Let's talk about, first of all,
what does this FDA approval actually mean
for all of us right now?
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- The vaccine is a vaccine
that we've actually been working on
for approximately 15 years.
So that's important to know
that this research has been going on.
This isn't something that came up overnight.
Unfortunately,
we were anticipating a virus of this veil
so that we would be prepared for it.
So that's why this vaccine was approved emergently
so quickly, because there was already data about this virus.
- From a scientific perspective,
actually the two major vaccines that are out,
which are both RNA vaccines,
they're very elegant solutions
to a very complicated problem.
Basically, the vaccine is a message.
That's the RNA part.
Basically, when you put it into your bloodstream,
the message goes into your cells,
your cells then produce a key part of the virus
that is necessary for the virus to infect your cells.
When you produce that key part,
your immune system will not recognize this protein,
a spike protein on a COVID virus as a foreign agent,
and will produce antibodies to it.
Those antibodies then are sort of responsible
for your acquired immunity.
They ensure that you have a ready-made defense
when you then encounter the real virus.
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- So unfortunately,
people are connotating this virus as not being harmful
if they are healthy, per se.
We used to think that, honestly,
when we first started with this virus,
we thought it was equivocal to the flu virus.
Unfortunately, it's not, and it doesn't discriminate.
And we are finding that over and over again.
If you go into the hospital settings right now,
99% of the hospitalized individuals of all ranges,
all ethnicities, everything, are unvaccinated.
- It is impossible for either of the RNA vaccines
to give you the coronavirus.
All they contain are instructions for making one protein.
That one protein by itself
cannot give you a COVID infection.
- To get FDA approved in this country
is extremely difficult.
There are so many gamuts and so many different processes
that have to be maintained or attained
in order for it to happen.
So one of the processes is data.
There were 44,000 individuals that got the Pfizer vaccine
and that data was presented to the FDA.
And obviously, the data went well,
because the FDA did approve it.
The other portion of the FDA approval is the manufacturing.
So it's very important to people to understand
that when we get FDA approval,
the manufacturing is also scrutinized.
So that you know this is real drug and that is pure,
and that people should feel more comfortable and confident
to know that this is something
that is really going to help their bodies.
- It is infinitely safer to get the vaccination.
With the vaccination,
you run no risk of hospitalization or death.
With getting the actual disease,
you run significant risk of hospitalization and death.
And that doesn't seem to matter your age group
or pre-existing conditions.
I mean, obviously those things can cause problems,
but we're now seeing with the new delta variant
high hospitalization rates and even death rates
among otherwise young, healthy people.
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It's necessary for your own safety, number one.
If you don't get vaccinated, your taking a tremendous risk.
In fact,
I'd argue that it's not so much a matter
of if you're going to come down with COVID, so much as when.
If you are surrounded by other people
who are all vaccinated,
it lessens your already small risk
if you're vaccinated, even further.
Ultimately, the only way we're going to get out
of this current COVID crisis
is if enough people are vaccinated.
It's the best thing you can do for your own safety,
it's the best thing you can do
for the safety of your friends and loved ones.
And in general, the best thing you can do for your society.
- The vaccines that we have now,
the Moderna and the Pfizer, are over 90% effective.
And people need to understand,
our childhood vaccines are only 60% effective.
That's how amazing this vaccine is.
It works.
If you get it, it works.
As a society,
if we are being so focused on ourselves
and not understanding that this is a pandemic, right?
This is affecting everybody equally.
There are people out there
whose immune systems are just not good.
There are people out there that are older,
there are people out there that are younger.
Our kids can't even get this vaccine.
So it's just really not fair
for people to be so concerned about themselves
at this point in our lives.
The problem with that statement
is those same people are saying,
we need to go back to normal.
That is not going to happen
if we don't work on this together.
That's the only way our new normal will happen.
We will never have that normal,
it's gonna be a new normal.
But if we don't all come on board together to do this,
it's not gonna happen at all,
and we're actually moving backwards
instead of moving forwards.
There are people in other countries
that would literally give their life to have this vaccine.
And unfortunately, we have people in this country
that are absolutely adamant
that they are not going to get it,
because of various reasons.
So I, as an educator, as a clinician, as a physician,
my job is to understand why and to hopefully educate them.
The problem is there's too many sources out there
that are not evidence-based medicine or science,
and it is too easy to go out there
and find these different things.
And when people want to believe something,
those social media sites
and everything actually cater to their beliefs.
It's a real thing.
And that just kind of augments the irrational thoughts
and things that are going through their heads
when they're not going to the right resources.
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- As a CSN professor to all CSN students,
I implore you, I beg you to please get vaccinated.
- I'm here to appeal to you guys
to get the COVID vaccine this year.
It's going to be an amazing year.
You're going to have an amazing time in school,
but it is so important to stay healthy.
- It's the very best thing you can do for yourself.
It's the very best thing you can do
for any of your friends and relatives who are close to you.
It allows you to continue your learning here unimpeded
and will help us get out of this current crisis
as quickly as we possibly can.
We're not getting out of it
until a large percentage of the population is vaccinated.
- Get the vaccine.
If you have questions, ask your family doctor,
ask your clinician.
We are here to help you.
We want you to stay Vega strong
and have the best time at CSN.
- Greetings, CSN family.
I myself am vaccinated.
And I enjoy the feeling of safety and security that I get
knowing that I'm fully protected
from the likelihood of getting seriously ill
from this virus.
So as part of our return to campus plan,
and for your safety, and for the safety of your loved ones,
please join me and get your COVID vaccine today.
If you know the facts, you'll get the vax.
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