>> THE FDA IS NOT RECOMMENDING BOOSTER SHOTS FOR MOST AMERICANS. HOWEVER, HEALTH
OFFICIALS ARE RECOMMENDING
DOSES FOR 65 AND OLDER AND
THOSE WHO ARE CONSIDERED HIGH
RISK. SO JOINING ME NOW IS
DOCTOR MELANIE SWIFT WITH MAYO
CLINIC. GOOD MORNING, DOCTOR
SWIFT AND THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US.
>> GLAD TO BE HERE. THANK YOU.
>> LET’S START WITH SOMETHING
SIMPLE. WHAT IS A BOOSTER AND
WHY DO WE NEED BOOSTERS FOR
VACCINES?
>> IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT AT
THIS STAGE THAT PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THAT PRIMARY VACCINE
SERIES, WHICH IS MORE THAN ONE
SHOT AND A BOOSTER. THAT IS
SOMETHING YOU GET LATER. SO
THINK OF IT LIKE PAINTING YOUR
HOUSE. THE CAN OF PAINT MAY
SAY YOU NEED 2 COATS OF PAINT,
BUT SOME PEOPLE MAY NEED 3. SO
THE NUMBER OF DOSES THAT
PEOPLE NEED FOR MRNA VACCINES
MIGHT BE 2 OR MAYBE 3 FOR SOME
PEOPLE. ONCE YOU’VE HAD THAT
PRIMARY SERIES, YOUR IMMUNE
SYSTEM HAS RESPONDED THE BEST
THEY CAN OVER TIME THAT
IMMUNITY COULD WEAR OFF OR THE
VIRUS ITSELF COULD CHANGE SUCH
THAT YOU NEED ANOTHER LATER
DOWN THE ROAD. AND SLATER IS A
BOOSTER SHOT.
>> SO WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN A BOOSTER AND A 3RD
DOSE FOR THOSE PREVIOUSLY TOLD
HOW THAT THEY COULD QUALIFY?
HOW IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT?
>> PEOPLE WHO ARE MEETING THAT
3RD INITIAL DOSES ARE PEOPLE
THAT ARE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED.
AND THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEMS DON’T
RESPOND AS WELL TO DOSE
ONE-DOSE TOO, AS YOUNG HEALTHY
PEOPLE’S IMMUNE SYSTEMS
RESPOND. SO THEY ACTUALLY NEED
THOSE WIND GOES TO DOSE 3
GOING FORWARD THAT 3 IS NOT
GOING TO BE SPACED FAR APART.
IT’S GOING TO BE 28 DAYS AFTER
THOSE 2. SO IMMUNE COMPROMISE,
PEOPLE LOOK AT THOSE WIND,
THEN THOSE 2.21 OR 28 DAYS
LATER. AND THEN THOSE 3.28,
DAYS AFTER THAT, THAT’S THEIR
PRIMARY SERIES. NOW, THEN DOWN
THE ROAD 6 MONTHS OR MORE
LATER, THEY MAY NEED A BOOSTER
AND RIGHT NOW IT’S JUST THE
TIMING OF HOW THE VACCINE
ROLLOUT HAPPENED. THAT MANY OF
THOSE PEOPLE ARE GETTING THAT
3RD DOSE NOW BECAUSE WE DIDN’T
KNOW LAST WINTER AND SPRING
THAT THEY WOULD NEED A 3RD
DOSE.
>> AND RIGHT NOW, DO WE KNOW
OF BOOSTERS WILL HELP STOP OR
CONTROL BREAKTHROUGH
INFECTIONS THAT WE’VE SEEN
WITH THE DELTA VARIANT?
>> YOU KNOW, THAT’S THE BIG
QUESTION THAT IS STILL ON THE
TABLE. THE FDA PANEL THAT
REVIEWED THE DATA YESTERDAY
REVIEWED DATA FROM THE COMPANY
PFIZER, BUT THAT DATA WAS
VERY, VERY LIMITED AND REALLY
NOT THE PRIMARY BASIS FOR THE
RECOMMENDATION. THAT DATE, IT
DIDN’T LOOK AT WHO GOT SICK
AFTER GETTING A BOOSTER OR
NOT. IT WAS JUST LOOKING AT
LAB TESTS, A VERY SMALL SUBSET
OF PEOPLE AND THEIR CLINICAL
TRIALS. IN FACT, THE DATA FROM
PFIZER ONLY INCLUDED 12 PEOPLE
WHO ARE OVER 65. AND IT JUST
SHOWS WHAT THEIR BLOOD TEST IN
A TEST TUBE AFTER BOOSTER. AND
WHILE THAT LOOKS PROMISING,
WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO KNOW IS
HOW WELL DO THESE VACCINES
LAST IN PREVENTING
HOSPITALIZATION AND AND IT
LOOKS LIKE DATE LAST QUITE
WELL FOR THAT. THE DATA FROM
ISRAEL WAS PROBABLY THE MOST
COMPELLING DATA THAT SUPPORTED
BOOSTERS FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE
AND THAT COMMITTEE IS STILL
VERY CONCERNED ABOUT NEEDING
MORE CLINICAL DATA OUT COMS
AND PEOPLE WHO ARE YOUNGER
BECAUSE IT’S VERY CLEAR IN THE
CDC MEMBERS ON ON THE PANEL
MADE THIS VERY CLEAR
YESTERDAY. THAT’S WHAT’S
FUELING THE PANDEMIC. ARE
PEOPLE WHO ARE UNVACCINATED
ARE PATH TO ENDING THE
PANDEMIC IS NOT REALLY THROUGH
BOOSTERS. IT’S 30 ADDITIONAL
VACCINES AND PEOPLE WHO REMAIN
UNVACCINATED.
>> AND THANK YOU SO MUCH,
DOCTOR SET. THAT IS
UNFORTUNATELY ALL THE TIME WE
HAVE RIGHT NOW. BUT I WANT TO
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR JOINING US