AND DISTRIBUTION.
CRAIG.
>> MIGUEL ALMAGUER STARTING US
OFF.
THANK YOU.
JOINING US TO BREAK DOWN THESE
NEW DEVELOPMENTS, DEAN OF BROWN
UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC
HEALTH, DR. ASHISH JAH.
THANKS FOR BEING WITH US THIS
MORNING.
MODERNA SAYS ITS VACCINE IS
SHOWING A 95% EFFICACY RATE.
PFIZER SAYS IT’S ABOUT 90%
EFFECTIVE.
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO
VACCINES, DR. JHA AS YOU
UNDERSTAND IT BESIDES THE WAY
THEY HAVE TO BE STORED?
>> GOOD MORNING, THANKS FOR
HAVING ME ON.
NO MAJOR DIFFERENCES, THEY’RE
VERY SIMILAR VACCINES.
I EXPECT THEY HAVE THE SAME
LEVEL OF EFFECTIVENESS.
WE’LL HAVE TO SEE THE FULL DATA.
THE BIG DIFFERENCE AS YOU SAID
IS ABOUT STORAGE.
AND STORAGE IS GOING TO MAKE A
BIG DIFFERENCE BECAUSE THERE ARE
A LOT OF PLACES THAT CAN’T KEEP
VACCINES FROZEN THE WAY THE
PFIZER VACCINE NEEDS TO BE DONE.
SO SOME PLACES WILL GET THAT,
OTHER PLACES WILL GET THE
MODERNA VACCINE.
ALL OF THIS IS REALLY GOOD NEWS.
>> WE’LL TAKE THE GOOD NEWS THIS
MONDAY MORNING.
WITH TWO VACCINES SHOWING
PROMISE AND MORE POSSIBLY ON THE
WAY, HOW IS IT DECIDED WHICH
VACCINE YOU OR I WILL ULTIMATELY
GET?
WILL WE HAVE A CHOICE?
>> IT’S A GOOD QUESTION.
WE DON’T KNOW.
WE HAVE NOT SEEN ANY REAL
DETAILS OF ALL OF THIS FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
WE SHOULD BE SEEING GUIDANCE OUT
OF THE CDC.
I THINK IN THE BEGINNING WHAT’S
GOING TO HAPPEN IS AS THESE
VACCINES GET EMERGENCY USE
AUTHORIZATION, YOU’RE GOING TO
SEE THE FIRST GROUP OF FOLKS,
THE HEALTH CARE WORKERS, THE
FIRST RESPONDERS, GET VACCINATED
FIRST.
PROBABLY BASED ON AVAILABILITY.
AS MORE VACCINES COME ONLINE,
THERE WILL BE POTENTIALLY
DIFFERENTIATION BASED ON DATA,
SOME HAS BEEN TESTED MORE ON
ELDERLY AND OTHER VACCINES HAVE
NOT.
WE’LL HAVE TO USE THOSE DATA
POINTS TO MAKE DETERMINATIONS.
BUT WE’RE STILL EARLY.
WE JUST DON’T KNOW YET.
>> DR. JHA, WITH ANY VACCINE
OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE SIDE EFFECT.
YOU WATCH THE INJECTION SITE FOR
REDNESS.
BUT ARE THERE CONCERNS ABOUT
LONG-TERM SIDE EFFECTS?
THIS IS ALL BEING DONE SO
QUICKLY, HOW COULD WE EVEN KNOW?
>> YEAH, SO WITH ANY VACCINE OR
IN ANY THERAPEUTIC OF ANY KIND,
YOU ALWAYS WANTING TO MAKE SURE
THAT SAFETY IS THE FIRST
PRIORITY.
SO MOST OF THE SAFETY SIGNALS
SHOW UP IN THE FIRST 60 DAYS
AFTER VACCINATION.
I EXPECT THAT THE FIRST
IMMEDIATE STUFF, THE SORE ARM,
MAYBE MILD FEVER, THOSE WILL BE
PRETTY COMMON.
BUT ANY MAJOR COMPLICATIONS, WE
SHOULD SEE THEM IN THE FIRST 60
DAYS.
THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE
WANT TO LOOK AT THE DATA VERY
CAREFULLY AND MAKE SURE THAT
WE’VE GOT AT LEAST A COUPLE OF
MONTHS OF FOLLOW-UP IN MOST
PATIENTS.
LONG-TERM EFFECTS WE’RE NOT
GOING TO KNOW BUT THERE ARE VERY
FEW LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF THESE
THINGS.
MOST OF THE EFFECTS ARE SHORT
TERM.
>> DR. JHA, THANKSGIVING JUST A
FEW DAYS AWAY, COLLEGE STUDENTS
ARE RETURNING HOME.
THE CDC RECOMMENDS LIMITING
SMALL GATHERINGS.
CHICAGO’S MAYOR, LORI LIGHTFOOT,
SHE SAYS THAT ALL THANKSGIVING
PLANS THERE IN CHICAGO SHOULD BE
CANCELLED.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT?
>> YOU KNOW, I WISH I DIDN’T,
BUT I DO.
WE’RE IN SUCH BAD SHAPE IN OUR
COUNTRY RIGHT NOW.
WE ALWAYS GET TOGETHER WITH
OUR -- WITH MY ELDERLY PARENTS.
WE’RE NOT DOING THAT THIS YEAR.
WE’RE NOT DOING IT BECAUSE I
WANT THEM AROUND IN 2021.
THIS IS JUST NOT THE TIME TO GET
HOUSEHOLDS TOGETHER.
WE HAVE SO MUCH VIRUS IN THE
COUNTRY, IN THE COMMUNITY.
WE’VE LET THIS GET OUT OF
CONTROL.
AND UNFORTUNATELY IT’S JUST NOT
SAFE TO HAVE HOUSEHOLDS GETTING
TOGETHER RIGHT NOW.
>> SO THEN WITH THAT SAID, THE
VACCINE ISN’T HERE YET, MICHIGAN
AND WASHINGTON STATE ARE THE
LATEST TO REIMPOSE RESTRICTIONS
LIKE WE SAW IN THE SPRING.
AS YOU MENTIONED, STAY-AT-HOME
ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR
CHICAGO AND NEW MEXICO.
IT’S INTERESTING, BECAUSE NOW
WE’RE STARTING TO SEE IMAGES OF
EMPTY STORE SHELVES SIMILAR TO
THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC.
DO YOU THINK WE’RE HEADED FOR
ANOTHER SHUTDOWN?
>> I DON’T.
I THINK WE KNOW SO MUCH MORE
THAN WHAT WE DID SIX, EIGHT
MONTHS AGO THAT WE DON’T NEED A
NATIONAL SHUTDOWN.
I THINK WE KNOW THERE ARE A LOT
OF THINGS THAT ARE SAFE.
BEING OUTDOORS IS LARGELY SAFE.
I THINK SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY K
THROUGH 8 WE’RE NOT SEEING
OUTBREAKS, I THINK THOSE ARE
LARGELY SAFE.
SO I THINK WE CAN BE MUCH MORE
NUANCED THIS TIME AROUND.
OF COURSE I WISH WE HAD USED THE
LAST EIGHT MONTHS TO BUILD UP A
TERRIFIC TESTING CAPACITY.
WE HAVE NOT.
WE’RE STILL SEEING SHORTAGES OF
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR DOCTORS
AND NURSES.
THAT’S UNBELIEVABLE EIGHT MONTHS
LATER.
BUT WE KNOW SO MUCH MORE.
WE SHOULD NOT NEED A NATIONAL
LOCKDOWN ANYMORE.
>> DR. JHA, YOU ALWAYS GIVE US
SO MUCH GOOD INFORMATION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WE ALSO FORGET DR. JHA LIKE A
LOT OF THE OTHER DOCTORS WE HAVE
ON, THEY’RE ACTUALLY WORKING SO
THEY HAVE TIME TO STOP AND TALK
TO US, WE’RE SO APPRECIATIVE.
>> SOLID.