- The CDC is now recommending the Pfizer vaccine
for children ages five to 11.
What does that mean?
What are the benefits?
What are the drawbacks?
And how you can help in the battle against misinformation
with our good friend, the Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy.
let's get started, peewoop.
We have a lot to talk about.
- Yes, a lot's happened since you and I last chatted.
- Yeah, now we have the vaccine
that is more widely available for kids,
and that's a topic I really wanna dive into.
But first, let's talk about this misinformation toolkit
that you've published.
Tell me more about that.
- And we did that, not 'cause how misinformation is new,
but because in the last few years,
we've seen a dramatic increase
in the scale and the speed and sophistication
with which this misinformation is spreading.
So, we wanted to call attention to that
and let everyone know that there were steps
all of us could and needed to take.
And here's why this is so important
because there's a recent poll that just came out
that showed that close to 80% of people
either believe or think some of the myths out there
about COVID-19 are actually true.
- What I love about the approach
that's really highlighted in this toolkit
is that you wanna lead with an empathetic approach.
You wanna be not so much challenging
what people currently believe,
but sort of coming from a place of understanding
of where they're hearing it, why they're worried.
- One of the things that we advocate for in this toolkit
is first, just taking a pause to understand
what people's motivations are,
what their concerns are, what's important to them.
If we don't take an empathetic approach,
if we don't give people the benefit of the doubt
before we judge or shame them, then we lose them.
We don't have the opportunity to support folks
in reaching that shared goal.
I haven't heard of a single person's mind
who's been changed by being shamed or blamed.
So, the bottom line is those approaches don't work.
- Yeah, tell me what vaccine has been authorized
by the FDA, under the EUA,
and what are the steps that parents should take
to getting this vaccine for their kids.
- Well, I'm glad we're talking about this
'cause this is a landmark moment
not just for parents like me who have kids five through 11,
but for all of us
who wanna see this pandemic come to an end.
With the recent FDA authorization
and the CDC recommendation of the vaccine
for kids five through 11,
and this is the Pfizer vaccine, mind you,
we now have 28 million children, 28 million more people,
who have come under the umbrella
potentially of being vaccinated.
But here's what parents really need to know.
Number one,
the vaccine was rigorously tested in clinical trials
and it was put through the same review process
by the FDA and CDC that we put any other vaccine through.
And what they found in that review process
was that this vaccine was highly effective,
more than 90% effective,
at protecting our kids from symptomatic COVID.
The second thing they found is that the safety profile
of the vaccine was actually really, really good.
And when children did have side effects,
they were a sore arm, fatigue,
a headache, occasionally a fever,
but those symptoms went away within a day or two,
and what the children were left with
was longer-term protection.
And very importantly,
they did not see any serious adverse effects.
- Do you view this authorization for five to 11 year old
as a potential off-ramp
for some of the residual mask mandates that still exist,
whether it's in schools, in hospitals?
- Okay, well, so I think the more people get vaccinated,
the more we have a chance of getting cases
to come down and stay down,
and then that's really gonna be our key
to an off-ramp with things like masks
and other restrictions as well.
Kids, in addition to getting COVID-19,
also can spread COVID-19.
There was a notion out there before
that kids don't transmit the virus.
We absolutely found that is not the case.
They do transmit the virus, they contribute to spread.
And so, yes, getting 28 million more children vaccinated
will absolutely help reduce the spread,
help get cases down, keep 'em down.
And that's when we can start to get rid of
some of the restrictions that we currently have right now.
- How does getting your child vaccinated protect grandma?
- Oh, great question.
We know, again, that children can transmit the virus,
that has definitely been proven.
We also know that when children then see folks
who are vulnerable like grandparents, for example,
especially those who have not been vaccinated,
there's a real risk they can pass on the virus to them.
And that's important
because we've seen the vast majority of deaths
that have taken place from COVID-19
has occurred among the elderly population, those above 65.
And finally, Mike, I think it's important
that we recognize one thing that COVID has taught us, right,
is that our health really does depend
on what other people do, right?
- Yeah.
- And what we've learned from other viruses and illnesses
in the past is the more of us get vaccinated,
the more of a wall we build around those who are vulnerable.
- Yeah, and a very specific question
that I see come up quite often on social media
and from my patients is on the topic of myocarditis,
the inflammation of the heart.
We didn't even see that in the Pfizer study
for five to 11 year olds.
Do you think the study had sufficient participants
to rule that out?
And if it does happen, what does it mean?
How does it compare to getting myocarditis
from actual COVID-19?
- The trial that was done for kids five through 11
had several thousand children in it, right?
So, they were able to detect side effects
that would happen with any reasonable frequency.
And thankfully, they didn't see any serious adverse effects.
Now, is there a chance that there could be
a very rare side effect that crops up?
There's always that chance,
but everything we do is a risk-benefit, right?
And what we have to compare the risk of any vaccine to
is to the risk of getting COVID itself.
And there, what we do know is that people who get COVID
do have a significantly higher risk
of actually having cardiac involvement like myocarditis.
We also know that they have a risk of blood clots,
they have a risk of on COVID,
and a whole host of other issues,
which you don't see with vaccines.
- I think the reality of how prevalent COVID is now
in our society that you're basically choosing
between getting the vaccine and getting COVID at this point.
Because I don't think there's a child out there
who you can say they probably won't experience COVID.
I think that it's so prevalent
that you're almost having to make the choice,
it's between the vaccine or COVID.
And in that case, if you look at the myocarditis
that has happened in the slightly higher age range for kids,
it's been so few in comparison
to getting myocarditis from COVID-19,
you're essentially making the decision
between one of two paths.
And we wanna make the path of least disease,
least infection, least complications.
And COVID-19 has a lot of complications, as you said.
So, really, that's the take-home point for parents.
How do you see this misinformation playing out
with the topic of infertility for children?
Because that's something a lot of parents are worried about
because their children five to 11
don't have that issue at that point, obviously,
but then, later in life,
is that something you're concerned about,
even perhaps for your own children?
- Yeah, I'm glad you raised it
because there are about 1/3 of folks out there
who either believe or are unsure
about this myth around infertility.
The truth is that there is nothing in the data that we have,
in the science, that lends any credence to that rumor.
There is no link between the vaccine and infertility.
And that's actually why I'm getting
my five-year-old vaccinated, too.
Because, of course, I want him to have a healthy future.
I want him to be healthy in all ways.
I would love for him to have a family one day,
if he wants to, but I'm not concerned
that the vaccine is gonna inhibit any of that.
If anything, I feel the vaccine will give him a greater shot
of leading a healthier life
and not having complications from COVID,
and that's what we all want as parents.
- What's your guidance on receiving the COVID-19 vaccine
for your five to 11 year old
and getting other vaccines at the same time?
- The good news is you can get other vaccines as well.
It's very important to get vaccinated for flu,
you just need to get it at a different site.
So, we have two arms, so we can get a shot in each arm.
- (laughs) What would you tell parents
who have an 11 year old who's close to her 12th birthday?
Should they wait for the 30 microgram dose?
- Yes, I would say don't wait.
I'd say go ahead and get your dose now
and if your child is 11, they'll get 10 micrograms.
If they're 12 by the time they're due for their second dose,
then they'll get 30 micrograms at that point.
But the reason not to wait
is that you don't wanna delay your child
starting to build protection.
And they will start to build protection
with that 10 microgram dose.
Especially with as much COVID as we have circulating,
the faster kids get protected, the better.
- Are there any children that you would recommend
to not get vaccinated or hold off waiting to get vaccinated?
- So, I would say the only reason
to hold off getting vaccinated
is if you have a specific allergy
to a component of the Pfizer vaccine.
That's very rare, people generally don't have that.
But if you have an allergy to foods or to eggs,
for example, or other things,
you don't need to avoid getting vaccinated.
We want people to go ahead and get vaccinated.
- Yeah, I think a lot of patients
and parents have questions.
If their child has a unique condition,
whether it's a platelet condition, some other allergy,
perhaps a heart condition or diabetes runs in the family,
and they get worried if their child is at a higher risk
to having side effects, is any of that true?
- Well, so generally, we haven't seen any concerns
with children with other medical conditions
getting the vaccine.
That's good news.
In fact, I would say the flip is true,
which is if you have other medical conditions,
then we know from our experience with COVID,
that increases the risk of you having bad outcomes
if you get COVID-19.
So, in my mind, it's actually all the more important
for children with other medical conditions
to get vaccinated to protect them against
the bad outcomes of the virus.
One of the things that's really important, I think,
is for us to recognize that getting our kids vaccinated
is also about helping to address
the profound mental health toll
that our kids have sustained over the last 20 months.
Rates of anxiety and depression and loneliness
rise among any groups of children.
And this is so sad to see and it's heartbreaking,
but we can do something about it.
That's where the vaccine is so helpful.
- It's a very holistic approach
and a as a family medicine doctor
who's also an osteopathic physician by training,
I very much appreciate you thinking in those terms.
- And I'm really hopeful, also, at this moment.
And I know that sometimes you read the news
and it can feel like it's doom and gloom all the time,
but there are so many reasons
at this particular point in time to be hopeful.
We have not just one, but three vaccines available.
We have 190 million plus people
who have been fully vaccinated.
We have our kids back in school.
We have vaccines for kids five through 11,
and we're finding ways to get back to our way of life,
but we can only do it together.
And that's why it's not just about doctors
like me and you having conversations,
it's about people recognizing the power they have
because of their voice,
because of their trusted relationships.
They can be the person who makes a difference
in someone else's decision to get protected
by getting vaccinated.
- Dr. Murthy, thank you so much for educating us,
empowering us to help my viewers and myself and my family
to make the right decisions about our health.
And I hope we continue meeting up with this misinformation.
We have a toolkit now that I can arm my residents with,
community leaders with, and we continue to thank you
for the work that you've been doing.
So, thank you for that.
- I so appreciate that, Mike.
- I had a difficult patient encounter,
click here to check that out.
And as always, stay happy and healthy.
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