RACHEL: WELCOME BACK TO FOX &
FRIENDS.
THE CDC IS ISSUING NEW GUIDANCE
ON THE COVID-19 VACCINE FOR
PEOPLE WITH UNDERLYING
HEALTH CONDITIONS SAYING THEY
CAN RECEIVE IT, PROVIDED THEY
HAVEN’T HAD ANY SEVERE ALLERGIC
REACTIONS TO ITS INGREDIENTS.
FOX NEWS MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR DR.
NICOLE SAPHIER IS THE AUTHOR
OF "MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN"
AND SHE JOINS US NOW TO REACT.
WELCOME, NICOLE.
TELL US ABOUT THESE NEW
GUIDELINES.
>> WELL THAT’S RIGHT, RACHEL,
GOOD MORNING.
THE CDC CAME OUT BECAUSE PEOPLE
HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT
THESE NEW VACCINES AND
SPECIFICALLY IF YOU CAN TAKE A
VACCINE WHEN YOU HAVE CHRONIC
ILLNESS.
WELL WE KNOW WITH COVID-19 THE
ELDERLY AND THOSE WITH
PREEXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS
ARE AT A HIGHER RISK FOR SEVERE
ILLNESS SO IT’S A REALLY GOOD
QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT THOSE
WITH EXISTING MEDICAL
CONDITIONS CAN TAKE THE VACCINE,
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SAFETY
DATA FROM PFIZER AND MODERNA AND
SOME OF THE OTHER VACCINES THAT
ARE GOING TO BE COMING TO MARKET
THEY DO INCLUDE PEOPLE WITH
CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITIONS,
WHICH IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE
ABOUT 40% OF AMERICANS HAVE SOME
FORM OF CHRONIC ILLNESS, BUT
THEY ARE USUALLY INCLUDING THE
MORE COMMON ONES, HIGH BLOOD
PRESSURE, CHOLESTEROL, SOME FORM
OF LUNG DISEASE, AND IN THAT
THEY SHOW IT’S COMPLETELY SAFE
AND THOSE PEOPLE ABSOLUTELY
SHOULD BE GETTING THE VACCINE.
WHAT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE
CLINICAL TRIALS WERE THOSE
WITH AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE
AND SOME FORM OF
IMMUNOSUPPRESSION AND RIGHTFULLY
SO YOU DON’T USUALLY INCLUDE
THEM IN THE FIRST STAGES OF THE
CLINICAL TRIAL; HOWEVER WHAT
THE CDC AND A LOT OF THE
SPECIALTY EXPERT GROUPS ARE
COMING OUT SAYING IS THAT THE
BENEFIT FAR OUT WEIGHS THE
RISK IN THESE GROUPS.
YES IT HASN’T BEEN TESTED IN
THESE GROUPS BUT IT DOESN’T MEAN
THAT THE VACCINE ISN’T GOING TO
BE SAFE.
THE BIGGEST CONCERN IS WILL THE
VACCINE ACTUALLY WORK IN
THESE PATIENTS?
WILL IT PROVIDE THEM THE
IMMUNITY THAT THEY ARE GOING
TO NEED?
RACHEL, AS YOU KNOW, I MYSELF
HAVE AN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE AND
THIS IS A BIG QUESTION THAT I
HAD.
SO I’VE CALLED MY COLLEAGUES AT
THE FDA, THE CDC, AS WELL AS MY
OWN RHEUMATOLOGIST AND ASKED,
CAN I GET THE VACCINE?
WILL IT PUT ME INTO A BIG
AUTOIMMUNE FLARE?
WILL, BECAUSE OF THE MEDICATION
I’M ON, WILL I EVEN MOUNTAIN
IMMUNE RESPONSE TO THE VACCINE
AND THE ANSWER IS, WE DON’T
REALLY KNOW, BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW
IS THIS VACCINE IS INCREDIBLY
SAFE UNLESS YOU HAVE A KNOWN
SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTION HISTORY
, SO EVERYONE PROBABLY
SHOULD BE GETTING THIS VACCINE,
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THEIR
DOCTOR, AND WE HAVE CLINICAL
TRIALS NOW UNDERGOING TO MAKE
SURE THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE ALSO
GETTING THAT IMMUNITY THAT THEY
NEED.
WE DON’T KNOW IF IT’S GOING TO
BE THAT SAME 95% EFFICACY BUT
ANY SORT OF IMMUNITY IS GOING TO
HELP AND REALLY HELP US MOVE
THAT NEEDLE WITH COVID-19.
RACHEL: SO YOU’RE GOING TO TAKE
THE VACCINE, NICOLE?
>> SO RACHEL, WHEN IT IS OFFER
ED TO ME, YES.
BUT BASED ON MY DOCTOR’S ADVICE,
IT SEEMS THAT I SHOULD BE TAKING
IT BECAUSE IT’LL NOT ONLY HELP
ME BUT IT’LL HELP POTENTIALLY
HELP THOSE AROUND ME, AND SO
WHEN IT IS MY TURN, I ABSOLUTELY
WILL BE TAKING IT.
RACHEL: ALL RIGHT, SO, MEANWHILE
, FEARS ARE GROWING
THAT THERE’S THIS NEW STRAIN OF,
YOU KNOW, JUST AS WE’RE STARTING
TO GET A HANDLE ON COVID-19.
TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THIS NEW STRAIN.
WHAT WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT
, WELL THE VACCINE THAT’S
OUT RIGHT NOW, FIRST OF ALL,
WILL THAT HELP SOMEONE IF THEY
WERE TO CATCH THIS NEW STRAIN?
>> THIS IS A GREAT QUESTION,
RACHEL AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT THIS BUT WE DO
HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THERE HAVE
BEEN OVER 100 DIFFERENT STRAINS
OF SARS COV-2 CIRCULATING SINCE
THE BEGINNING OF THIS PANDEMIC.
IT’S COMPLETELY NORMAL AND
EXPECTED TO SEE VARIOUS STRAINS
EMERGE FROM WHEN YOU’RE IN THE
MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC.
THE SPECIFIC STRAIN COMING OUT
OF THE UK WHICH IS NOW NOT JUST
IN THE UK, IT’S ALL ACROSS THE
GLOBE SEEING IT IN CANADA AS
WELL, IS CLOSE TO HOME FOR US
, IT DOES SEEM TO BE MORE
TRANSMISSIBLE, MORE CONTAGIOUS,
THERE HAS NOT BEEN DATA SHOWING
THAT IT IS ANYMORE DEADLY OR
HAS SEVERE EFFECTS BUT THE BIG
QUESTION IS WILL THE VACCINES
WORK FOR IT AND MODERNA CAME OUT
A COUPLE DAYS AGO SAYING THEY
BELIEVE THEY LOOKED AT THE NEW
STRAIN AND LOOKED AT THEIR DATA
THAT THEY BELIEVE THAT THE BROAD
IMMUNE RESPONSE FROM THEIR
VACCINE WILL COVER THIS STRAIN.
THEY ARE GOING TO BE WORKING AS
WELL AS PFIZER TO START A
TRIAL RIGHT NOW TO MAKE SURE
THAT IT IS THE SAME.
IT’S POSSIBILITIES NOT GOING TO
REACH THAT SAME 95% EFFICACY BUT
MAYBE IT’LL STILL PROVIDE 80%
WHICH BY THE WAY REMEMBER,
RACHEL WE’RE ARE LOOKING FOR
ANYTHING OVER 50% WITH THESE