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>> AN F.D.A. PANEL RECOMMENDS
THE COVID VACCINES FOR CHILDREN
AGES FIVE TO 11 AND WE’LL TALK
WITH THE CHAIRMAN OF THE VACCINE
COMMITTEE.
THIS FAR INTO THE PANDEMIC, HOW
DO YOU FEEL ABOUT MANDATES?
WHAT ABOUT MANDATES AGAINST
MANDATES?
TODAY IS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31ST,
2021 AND THIS IS FLASH POINT.
>> Devin: IN FACT, IT’S THE
HALLOWEEN EDITION OF FLASH
POINT.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN.
I HOPE YOU’RE HAVING A GREAT
LAST WEEKEND OF OCTOBER WHICH
MEANS WE’VE GOT AN ELECTION DAY
TWO DAYS HENCE.
I WONDER LIKE ME IF YOU’RE
SENSING POLITICAL FATIGUE AMONG
VOTERS?
A MAYOR’S RACE THAT HAD NO
FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS BETWEEN
CANDIDATES.
AND CITY COUNCIL AMONGST AN
INVESTIGATION.
AND THREE PROPOSALS THAT HAVEN’T
SIT UP THE POLITICAL SIZE
SEISMOGRAPHS.
AND AS PARENTS ARE STRUGGLING TO
PROTECT YOUNG CHILDREN FROM THE
VIRUS, THE F.D.A. RECOMMENDED
VACCINES NOR FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
AND INSPIRED QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS.
AND WE’LL TALK WITH THE MAN TO
HEADS UP THE FOOD AND DRUG
ADMINISTRATION, DR. ARNOLD
MONTO.
FROM VACCINES AND MASKS,
MANDATES, A THICK LINE BETWEEN
RECOMMENDING SOMETHING AND
DEMANDING IT AND WE’VE SEEN A
WARREN CITY COUNCILMAN ARRESTED
FOR’ FUSING TO WEAR A MASK
INSIDE THE TCF CENTER RECENTLY.
IT’S VOLATILE AND SCHOOL BOARD
MEETINGS HAVE FALLEN INTO A
FREE-FOR-ALL.
THIS WEEK, THERE WERE SEVERAL
BILLS OUTLAWING MANDATES FOR
MANDATES.
AND THE GOVERNOR IS LIKELY TO
VETO, THAT.
WE’LL HAVE THAT ON FLASH POINT.
♪
ALL RIGHT, LET’S START THIS
MORNING WITH THE MAN WHO ON THIS
PROGRAM HAS BEEN OUR GUIDE
THROUGH MUCH OF THE PANDEMIC,
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO
VACCINES. HE’S THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
HE’S THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
F.D.A.’S VACCINE COMMITTEE, EM
EPIDEMIOLOGIST, DR. ARNOLD
MONTO.
I’D LIKE TO GO BACK TO THE
MEETING.
TO MANY OF US WATCHING IT, THE
MOOD, THE VIBE OF THAT MEETING
FELT A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
THERE WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF
INTENSITY.
IS THAT BECAUSE WE WERE TALKING
ABOUT KIDS OR AM I MAYBE
OVERSUBSCRIBING DRAMA WHERE YOU
DIDN’T NECESSARILY FEEL ANY?
>> NO, I THINK WE’RE ALL MORE
SENSITIVE WHEN WE’RE TALKING
ABOUT KIDS AND THESE ARE HEALTHY
KIDS THAT WE’RE MAINLY TALKING
ABOUT AND WE KNOW THAT HEALTHY
KIDS HAVE WOUND UP IN THE
HOSPITAL WITH COVID AT A LOWER
FREQUENCY FROM ADULTS, BUT, IN
FACT, IT HAS HAPPENED.
WE’VE HAD DEATHS OF KIDS FROM
COVID AND WE’VE ALSO HAD, AND
THERE WERE SOME MEMBERS WHO
TALKED ABOUT THIS, DEATHS OF
KIDS FROM INFLUENZA.
NOT A WHOLE LOT, BUT WE
VACCINATE KIDS FOR INFLUENZA.
>> Devin: YEAH.
>> AND THAT’S WHY WE FELT, ALL
OF US, THAT IT WAS INCUMBENT
UPON US TO PROVIDE A VACCINE FOR
THOSE PARENTS AND THEIR KIDS WHO
WANT TO GET PROTECTED AT THIS
POINT BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT WAS VERY CLEAR IS THAT THE
VACCINES ARE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE.
>> IT DOES FEEL LIKE, I THINK,
LIKE A DIFFERENT TASK HERE FOR A
LOT OF PARENTS.
IT’S ONE THING FOR ME TO GET A
VACCINE AND SORT OF PUT MY OWN
LIFE ON THE LINE IF I’M MAKING A
DECISION TO ARE MY CHILD, WHICH
IS STILL DEVELOPING, STILL MATURING, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE’RE
MATURING, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT PREPEE BEST --
PREPUBESCENT CHILDREN.
AND HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT WE KNOW
ENOUGH FOR THIS?
>> I THINK WE KNOW ENOUGH.
WE’VE SEEN THAT THIS VACCINE,
THE BENEFITS CLEARLY OUTWEIGH
THE RISKS.
THE RISKS ARE REALLY VERY SMALL
FOR ADULTS, ESPECIALLY ADULTS
OVER ABOUT 30 TO 40 YEARS OF
AGE.
THE ONE THING THAT WE HAVE SEEN,
WHICH IS CLEARLY ASSOCIATED WITH
THE VACCINE, IS IN TYPICALLY,
MAINLY ADOLESCENT MALES AN
OCCURRENCE OF MYOCARDITIS.
IT’S LOW FREQUENCY, BUT IT’S
RELATED TO THE VACCINE AND
THAT’S WHY, AMONG OTHER REASONS,
THE AMOUNT OF STUFF, ANTIGEN
THAT’S IN THE VACCINE IS REDUCED
BY A THIRD.
WE’VE GOT ONLY ABOUT A THIRD OF
THE MRNA IN THE VACCINE.
IN KIDS THIS WORKS, IT PRODUCES
GOOD RESPONSES AND THE SPONSOR
WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE US WITH DATA
WHICH SHOWED US MORE THAN 90%
EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING
SYMPTOMATIC COVID.
NOT HOSPITALIZATIONS AND FROM
THE OTHER DATA WE’D EXPECT THAT
WOULD BE EVEN HIGHER.
>> Devin: RIGHT.
WHEN WE--
WHEN YOU HEAR A PARENT SAY,
LOOK, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE
SOME OF THOSE CASES OF
MYOCARDITIS AND WE DON’T KNOW
WHY THAT’S HAPPENING, IT’S
IRRESPONSIBLE TO MOVE AHEAD
UNTIL WE HAVE THAT FIGURED OUT.
WHAT DO YOU SAY?
>> I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE.
BECAUSE WE’VE LOOKED AT THIS.
WE’VE HAD A VERY DETAILED
ANALYSIS OF RISKS, BENEFITS
PUTTING INTO THE EQUATION IN
TERMS OF THE RISKS.
THE RISK OF MYOCARDITIS AND THAT
CONVINCED US THAT WE SHOULD BE
MOVING AHEAD.
WE DO KNOW THAT PEOPLE DO HAVE
QUESTIONS AND THAT’S WHY THE
COMMITTEE IN GENERAL FELT THAT
WE’RE NOT YET READY, IF AT ALL,
EVER, FOR MANDATES FOR CHILDREN.
BUT MANY PARENTS WANT TO GET
THEIR CHILDREN PROTECTED.
THEY KNOW THAT THEY ARE AT RISK
AND THEY KNOW THAT ATTENDANCE AT
SCHOOL IS VERY IMPORTANT AND
WE’VE SEEN SCHOOL OUTBREAKS.
>> Devin: YEAH, ESPECIALLY, IT’S
HARD TO MISS THE FACT THAT A LOT
OF THEM ARE IN PLACES WHERE
THERE HASN’T BEEN ANY SORT OF
MASKING PROTOCOLS AS WELL.
I’M CURIOUS ABOUT LETTING YOU
CLEAR UP SOMETHING THAT WE
TALKED ABOUT ON ONE OF OUR
NEWSCASTS THIS PAST WEEK.
PARENTS OF 11 YEAR OLDS FEEL
LIKE THEY’RE IN A STRANGE
INTERSECTION RIGHT BETWEEN OUR
VACCINE PROTOCOLS AND WE’VE HAD
SOME QUESTIONS COME INTO THE
NEWS ROOM, DR. FRANK McGEORGE
TACKLED THAT THIS WEEK AND LET
YOU HANDLE THE QUESTION.
WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT AGE
INSTEAD OF WEIGHT LIKE WITH A
LOT OF MEDICATIONS?
>> BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A
MEDICATION, THIS IS A VACCINE
AND THE QUESTION -- THEY’RE
TYPICALLY, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH
INFLUENZA VACCINE THERE USED TO
BE A SMALLER AMOUNT OF VACCINE
GIVEN TO VERY YOUNG CHILDREN
UNDER FIVE YEARS OR IT VARIED IN
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
AND WE’VE GONE IN GENERAL TO A
SINGLE DOSE.
THE REASON WE ARE REDUCING THE
DOSE HERE IS THAT WE KNOW THAT
THERE IS GOOD RESPONSE TO A
THIRD OF THE DOSE AND THERE WAS
ANOTHER QUESTION, WELL, WHY A
11-YEAR-OLD ARE YOU GIVING A
THIRD OF THE DOSE AND A
12-YEAR-OLD THE FULL DOSE?
AND MY ANSWER TO THAT IS, WE
NEED TO SEE WHETHER WE CAN GIVE
A THIRD OF THE DOSE TO THE OLDER
CHILDREN BECAUSE IT PROBABLY
WOULD WORK.
WE REALLY HAVEN’T EVALUATED
GOING DOWN AS FAR AS WE CAN WITH
THE DOSE BECAUSE WE’VE ONLY HAD
A YEAR TO WORK WITH THIS.
AND THE HOPE IS TO STOP
OUTBREAKS.
>> Devin: I THINK A PART OF WHAT
YOU’RE SUGGESTING THERE, WE’RE
STILL LEARNING A LOT, AND ALSO,
THE F.D.A., YOUR MARCHING ORDERS
IS TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER THIS
VACCINE IS SAFE.
IT’S NOT REALLY TO WEIGH IN ON
MANDATES, THAT’S LEFT TO OTHERS,
BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU DON’T
DISCUSS THIS EM.
AND YOU ALL DISCUSSED THEM THE
OTHER DAY AND YOU’RE NOT
COMFORTABLE WITH THIS VACCINE
BEING MANDATED FOR CHILDREN YET,
IS THAT RIGHT?
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
BECAUSE WE REALLY NEED MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THESE TOTAL
EFFECTS.
WE DON’T KNOW, WE THINK THAT
WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO REDUCE
TRANSMISSION TO OTHER FAMILY
MEMBERS OR TEACHERS AND THE
REST.
WE’D LIKE TO SEE OBSERVATIONS TO
PROVE THIS.
WE CAN EXTRAPOLATE WITH WHAT WE
SEE WITH OTHER EXPIRE TRI
INFECTIONS AND THIS IS GIVEN IN
MANY WAYS SO WE GO WITH THE BEST
INFORMATION WE HAVE AT THE TIME
AND THEN FINE TUNE AS WE GO
ALONG, BUT WE FEEL COMFORTABLE
AND A LOT OF MY MEDICAL
COLLEAGUES ARE EAGER TO GET
THEIR CHILDREN VACCINATED.
THERE ARE SOME THAT DON’T WANT
TO, SO WE NEED TO NOT BE TELLING
PEOPLE WHAT TO DO NOW, BUT
ADVISING THEM.
>> Devin: WE’VE GOT, OBVIOUSLY,
STILL A LOT MORE TO LEARN NOT
ONLY ABOUT THE VACCINE, BUT
STILL ABOUT COVID THIS MUCH TIME
AFTER IT ARRIVED.
DR. MONTO, IT’S GREAT TO HAVE
YOU ON THE PROGRAM AND WHAT
YOU’VE BEEN DOING AT THE F.D.A.
WE’LL TALK SOON, I HOPE.