% >>> WELCOME TO "NOON WEDNESDAY,
% I'M MARISA WOJCIK, MULTIMEDIA
% JOURNALIST WITH "HERE & NOW" ON
% PBS WISCONSIN, AND TODAY IS
% FEBRUARY 2nd.%COVID CASES IN
WISCONSIN ARE
% PLUMMETING, EVEN FASTER THAN
% THEY CAME ON, AND
% HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS DUE
% TO COVID-19 APPEAR TO BE
% FOLLOWING THIS TREND, SO THIS IS
% A REPRIEVE THAT WE CAN COUNT ON,
% AND WHAT IS THE STATUS OF
% TESTING?%OTHER VARIANTS?%
AND VACCINES?
% FOR ALL OF THIS, WE GO TO "HERE
% & NOW" REPORTER, WILL CUSHMAN,
% WHO IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT ALL
% THINGS COVID.
% WILL, IT IS REALLY GOOD TO SEE
% YOU.%>> HEY,MARISA, THANKS.
% >>> SO LET'S TALK ABOUT CASE
% NUMBERS, PARTICULARLY IN
% WISCONSIN.
% WHAT DO NEW POSITIVE CASES LOOK
% LIKE?%>> SURE.
% SO THE 7-DAY AVERAGE THAT THE
% DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES
% REPORTED YESTERDAY WAS ABOUT
% 5500 NEW DAILY CASES, AND WHILE
% THAT IS STILL AS QUITE HIGH, IT
% IS A LOT LOWER THAN IT WAS EVEN
% TWO WEEKS AGO, LESS THAN A THIRD
% OF THE 7-DAY AVERAGE THAT WAS
% REPORTED FOR TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN
% IT ALMOST HIT 19,000 CASES PER
% DAY.
% SO THE OMICRON SPIKE TRULY LOOKS
% LIKE A SPIKE WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT
% ON A CHART BECAUSE IT IS
% STRAIGHT UP, AND WE'RE ON THE
% DOWNSIDE NOW, FOR NOW, AND IT IS
% ALMOST STRAIGHT DOWN, AND SO,
% YEAH, WE'RE TRENDING RIGHT NOW
% IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT,
% YEAH, WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
% >> AND, TYPICALLY, A LAGGING
% INDICATOR OF COVID CASES TRULY
% RETREATING IS LOOKING AT
% HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS
% DATA.
% WHAT ARE THOSE LOOKS LIKE?
% >> YEAH.
% GREAT QUESTION.
% ONE THING THAT WAS ACTUALLY KIND
% OF INTERESTING ABOUT THE OMICRON
% WAVE IN ITS KIND OF -- ONE OF
% THE MANY DIFFERENCES FROM
% PREVIOUS WAVES IS THAT
% HOSPITALIZATIONS ACTUALLY
% TRACKED PRETTY CLOSELY -- OR THE
% TREND IN HOSPITALIZATIONS
% TRACKED PRETTY CLOSELY WITH THE
% TREND IN CASES, AND
% HOSPITALIZATIONS ACTUALLY PEAKED
% A LITTLE BIT EARLIER THAN THE
% CASES OF THE 7-DAY AVERAGE.
% THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY
% KIND OF THE DATA ISSUES THAT THE
% DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES
% WAS WORKING OUT EARLIER IN
% JANUARY, WHICH MAY HAVE DELAYED
% THE PEAK IN CASES, BUT, YEAH,
% HOSPITALIZATIONS HAVE BEEN
% TRENDING DOWNWARD OVER THE LAST
% FEW WEEKS AS WELL.
% THEY ARE ALSO DOWN ABOUT A THIRD
% FROM THEIR PEAK THAT WE SAW A
% FEW WEEKS AGO.
% AND DEATHS ARE ALSO STARTING TO
% TREND DOWNWARD AS WELL.
% THEY ARE ALSO DOWN ABOUT A THIRD
% FROM WHERE THEY WERE ABOUT A
% WEEK AGO.
% THEY ARE, RIGHT NOW, THERE'S
% ABOUT TWO DOZEN NEW DEATHS
% REPORTED EVERY DAY COMPARED TO
% THREE DOZEN NEW DEATHS REPORTED
% EVERY DAY THAT WE SAW A WEEK
% AGO.
% >> SO THIS IS ALL GOOD NEWS, BUT
% THESE NUMBERS, BY ALL ACCOUNTS,
% ARE STILL -- WE SHOULD STILL
% CONSIDER THESE HIGH, CORRECT?
% WE'RE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS QUITE
% YET.%>> YEAH.
% A 7-DAY AVERAGE OF 5500 NEW
% CONFIRMED CASES ACROSS THE WHOLE
% STATE IS STILL REALLY HIGH.
% IN FACT, THAT WOULD BE CLOSE TO
% RECORD-SETTING PRIOR TO THE
% OMICRON WAVE.%IN LATE 2020,
THAT WAS THE
% PREVIOUS KIND OF PEAK OF CASES
% OF DISEASE IN WISCONSIN, AND THE
% 7-DAY AVERAGE GOT UP OVER 6,000
% FOR A LITTLE WHILE, AND SO WE
% ARE NOT TOO FAR OFF FROM THAT
% STILL, AND SO WHILE IT
% DEFINITELY -- WE'RE HEADED IN
% THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND FEELS
% LIKE THINGS ARE TRENDING BETTER,
% AND, IN FACT, THE DATA SHOWS
% THAT THEY ARE, THE SITUATION IS
% GETTING BETTER FROM, LIKE, A
% REALLY BAD SURGE, AND SO, YES,
% THINGS ARE STILL QUITE INTENSE
% IN TERMS OF TRANSMISSION, AND IN
% ALL 72 COUNTIES ACROSS THE
% STATE, THERE'S STILL REPORTS OF
% CRITICALLY HIGH TRANSMISSION
% ACCORDING TO THE STATE HEALTH
% DEPARTMENT.%>> AND YOU ALLUD
ED TO THIS, BUT,
% YOU KNOW, IN THE FALL OF LAST
% YEAR, IT WAS A DELTA WAVE THAT
% WAS REALLY CRUSHING HOSPITALS
% AND SYSTEMS AND AFTER THE
% THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY PERIOD,
% OMICRON ALL THE SUDDEN EMERGED,
% AND SO THE CASES THAT WE'RE
% TALKING ABOUT THAT SPIKED AND
% ARE NOW RETREATING, ARE THOSE
% ALL PRETTY MUCH ATTRIBUTABLE TO
% THIS OMICRON VARIANT?
% >> THEY ARE.
% YES.
% THE WISCONSIN STATE LABORATORY
% OF HYGIENE DOES GENOME
% SEQUENCING OF A CERTAIN NUMBER
% OF SPECIMENS TAKEN FROM PEOPLE
% WHO WITH TEST POSITIVE AS WELL
% AS OTHER LABS AROUND THE STATE,
% AND AS OF MID-JANUARY, THE STATE
% HYGIENE LABS KIND OF PUBLICLY
% AVAILABLE DATA SHOWS THAT 98%
% ESSENTIALLY ALL SPECIMEN
% COLLECTED AND ANALYZED IN GENOME
% SEQUENCING IN JANUARY WERE
% CAUSED BY OMICRO.
% >> IT IS VERY HARD TO FATHOM
% THAT QUICK OF AN EMERGENCE OF A
% VARIANT, AND SO IT IS GOOD NEWS
% OMICRON DOES APPEAR TO BE
% RELIABLY DECREASING,
% DECELERATING, BUT THERE'S NEWS
% NOW OF AN OMICRON SUBVARIANT
% CIRCULATING, SO WHAT DO WE KNOW
% ABOUT THE SUB VARIANT, AND ARE
% THERE OTHER VARIANTS THAT COULD
% HINDER THIS CASE DECLINE IN THE
% PROGRESS THAT WE ARE SEEING AT
% THE MOMENT?
% >> YEAH.
% NO.
% GREAT QUESTION.
% THAT VARIANT IS KNOWN AS BA2,
% AND IT IS PRETTY CLOSELY RELATED
% TO WHAT I'LL CALL, LIKE, THE
% ORIGINAL OMICRON VARIANT.
% YOU'LL SEE IN THE NEWS SOME
% PEOPLE CALL IT, LIKE, STEALTH
% OMICRON VARIANT OR SOMETHING%
LIKE THAT, BUT IT IS ESSENTIALLE
% CALLING IT A SUB VARIANT, BUT
% WHO HAS NOT GIVEN IT ITS OWN
% KIND OF GREEK LETTER.
% THAT KIND OF INDICATES IT IS
% PRETTY CLOSELY RELATED
% GENETICALLY TO THE ORIGINAL
% OMICRON VARIANT.
% IN FACT, IT WAS IDENTIFIED ONLY
% A WEEK AFTER THE ORIGINAL
% OMICRON VARIANT IN SOUTHERN
% AFRICA WHERE THE OMICRON VARIANT
% WAS DETECTED FIRST IN NOVEMBER
% OF 2021, AND AT THE TIME, IT WAS
% KIND OF BELIEVED THAT THE
% OMICRON VARIANT, ONE THAT HAS
% SINCE SWEPT THE GLOBE, WOULD BE
% THE ONE THAT WOULD DO THAT, AND
% THIS OTHER ONE, AND THERE WAS
% ANOTHER SUB VARIANT IDENTIFIED
% AROUND THE SAME TIME, MAY NOT
% BASICALLY BE ABLE TO COMPETE
% WITH REGULAR OMICRON, BUT SINCE
% THEN, WE ARE SEEING A GROWING
% NUMBER OF COUNTRIES AND STATES
% INCLUDING HERE IN WISCONSIN THIS
% BA2 SUB VARIANT BEING
% IDENTIFIED, AND, IN FACT, IN
% SOME PLACES WHERE IT WAS
% IDENTIFIED EARLIER, DENMARK,
% UNITED KINGDOM, SOME OTHER
% COUNTRIES, WE ARE SEEING IT IS
% TAKING OVER TRANSMISSION FROM
% REGULAR OMICRON, AND IT APPEARS
% LIKE IT COULD BE EVEN MORE
% TRANSMISSIBLE THAN REGULAR
% OMICRON, WHICH WAS EXTREMELY
% TRANSMISSIBLE TO BEGIN WITH.
% IT WOULD BE 50% MORE
% TRANSMISSIBLE THAN REGULAR
% OMICRON.
% SCIENTISTS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE
% OUT WHY IT IS MORE
% TRANSMISSIBLE, WHETHER IT IS
% BETTER AT EVADING IMMUNE
% RESPONSES THAN REGULAR OMICRON
% OR WHETHER IT HAS MUTATIONS THAT
% MAKE IT JUST INHERENTLY MORE
% TRANSMISSIBLE SO THAT'S STILL
% BEING KIND OF FIGURED OUT IN
% REALTIME, BUT IT IS DEFINITELY
% SOMETHING THAT PUBLIC HEALTH
% OFFICIALS AND WHO AND CDC AND
% STATE DEPARTMENT OF
% ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES AND
% OTHERS ARE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE
% ON.
% AS THEY ARE KEEPING AN EYE OUT
% FOR NEW VARIANTS, WITH BILLIONS
% OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD WHO
% STILL HAVE NOT BEEN VACCINATED,
% THERE IS A LOT OF, BASICALLY,
% NATURAL LABORATORIES FOR THE
% VIRUS TO CONTINUE MUTATING AND
% FOR NEW VARIANTS TO ARISE,
% POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS NEW
% VARIANTS.%>> SO WHEN WE THIN
K WE CAN TAKE
% A DEEP BREATH, WE'RE KIND OF
% IMMEDIATELY CONFRONTED WITH
% SOMETHING NEW, AND I APOLOGIZE,
% WE CAN HEAR MY DOG'S BARKING IN
% THE BACKGROUND, SO IT IS PROOF
% WE'RE IN OUR HOMES, AND WE'RE
% LIVE.
% LET'S TALK ABOUT TESTING AND
% TESTING SITES.
% GETTING A COVID TEST LAST
% NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER WAS
% EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, NEARLY
% IMPOSSIBLE.
% THERE WERE LONG WAIT LINES,
% EXPENSIVE AT-HOME RAPID TESTS,
% IF YOU COULD EVEN FIND ONE ON
% THE SHELF AT THE PHARMACY, AND
% IT SEEMS LIKE THE PUBLIC HEALTH
% RESPONSE WAS BEHIND WHEN IT CAME
% TO TESTING AND HAVING AN IMPACT
% OF KIND OF PREVENTING THIS WAVE
% AS WE'RE SEEING IT COMING.
% WAS THE PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSE
% APPROPRIATE, AND DOES IT SEEM
% LIKE OFFICIALS ARE ACTUALLY
% TRYING TO PREPARE FOR WHEN THESE
% WAVES ARE UPCOMING?
% >> YEAH.
% THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
% IT DID SEEM, ESPECIALLY WHEN
% OMICRON HIT WISCONSIN RIGHT
% BEFORE THE YEAR END CHRISTMAS
% AND NEW YEAR'S HOLIDAYS, LIKE,
% LIKE PEOPLE -- EVERYONE WAS
% SCRAMBLING FOR TESTS AND FINDING
% A TEST, WHETHER IT WAS THROUGH A
% CLINIC, LIKE GETTING A PCR TEST
% OR RAPID TEST WAS PRETTY
% DIFFICULT TO DO.
% IT DID FEEL LIKE, ONCE AGAIN IN
% THIS PANDEMIC, LIKE THE PUBLIC
% HEALTH RESPONSE WAS ONE, TWO
% STEPS BEHIND THE VIRUS, AND, IN
% FACT, WE KNEW, BASICALLY, SINCE
% THE OMICRON VARIANT WAS DETECTED
% IN LATE NOVEMBER THAT IT WAS
% LIKELY TO BE COMING TO THE U.S.
% AND TO WISCONSIN ALONG WITH A
% CRUSH OF NEW CASES, SO, YEAH, I
% THINK THERE'S AN ARGUMENT TO BE
% MADE THAT THE PUBLIC HEALTH
% RESPONSE IS NOT QUITE PREPARED
% FOR QUITE THE ONSLAUGHT THAT WE
% SAW AT THE END OF 2021 AND THE
% TRULY CRUSHING DEMAND FOR
% TESTING.
% SINCE THEN, WE HAVE SEEN THE --
% SOME NEW -- OR NOT NECESSARILY
% NEW, BUT COMMUNITY TESTING SITES
% REOPENING AROUND THE STATE, AND
% AS WELL AS SOME NEW FEDERAL
% PROGRAMS OR WHATNOT, RESOURCES
% FOR OBTAINING AND GETTING
% REIMBURSED FOR RAPID AT-HOME
% TESTING.
% THAT WAS NOT REALLY AVAILABLE
% WHEN EVERYONE WAS SEEKING OUT
% THESE TESTS IN THE END OF 2021,
% BUT THAT DEMAND FOR TESTING
% SEEMS TO BE RECEDING A BIT.
% TESTING IS MORE AVAILABLE EVEN
% MORE THAN IT WAS A MONTH AGO.
% >> AND ALONG THOSE SAME LINES,
% WHILE THE DEMAND WAS REALLY
% HIGH, YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING INTO A
% LITTLE BIT THAT THERE ARE SOME
% TESTING SITES THAT HAVE POPPED
% UP THAT SEEM AS IF THEY MIGHT
% NOT BE LEGITIMATE, AND IT IS
% HARD TO TELL WHO IS RUNNING THIS
% SITE.
% IS IT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN
% TRUST?
% WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THE
% TESTING SITES, AND ARE ANY OF
% THEM FULL-ON FRAUDULENT, OR ARE
% THEY JUST QUESTIONABLE?
% WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION SHOULD
% THEY ASK YOU FOR?
% WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME
% OF THESE MAYBE LESS THAN
% TRUSTWORTHY TESTING SITES?
% >> YEAH.
% IT DOES APPEAR LIKE THERE HAVE
% BEEN SOME FOLKS WHO MAYBE HAVE
% TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION
% A LITTLE BIT IN TERMS OF THE
% DEMAND FOR TESTING AND KIND OF,
% LIKE, LACK OF AVAILABLE TESTING
% THAT WE SAW LAST MONTH, AND
% THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF, I
% GUESS, LACK OF A BETTER WORD, I
% WOULD SAY TESTING CLINIC OR
% TESTING SITES POPPING UP ALL
% OVER THE STATE THAT ADVERTISE
% FREE PCR TESTS AND RAPID TESTS,
% NO INSURANCE NECESSARY, AND
% WHILE NOT ALL OF THESE --
% DEFINITELY NOT ALL OF THESE ARE
% ILLEGITIMATE, SOME OF THEM HAVE
% DEFINITELY DRAWN COMPLAINTS FROM%
PEOPLE WHO HAVE TRIED TO USE
% THEIR SERVICES AND GET TESTED.
% PEOPLE NOT GETTING THEIR TEST
% RESULTS BACK, COMPLAINTS ABOUT
% TRYING TO -- KIND OF THE
% SANITARY PRACTICES IN SOME OF
% THE PLACES, SOME OF THE
% INFORMATION THEY ARE SEEKING
% FROM PEOPLE SEEKING TESTS MIGHT
% SEEM A LITTLE SUSPICIOUS, AND
% SO, ACTUALLY, THE STATE HEALTH
% DEPARTMENT AND THE DEPARTMENT OF
% AGRICULTURE CONSUMER PROTECTION%
AND TRADE IN THE STATE PUT OUT
% AN ADVISORY LAST WEEK,
% ESSENTIALLY, TELLING PEOPLE TO
% BE ON ALERT FOR POTENTIALLY
% FRAUDULENT BEHAVIOR AT TESTING
% SITES AND REALLY RECOMMENDING
% THAT YOU SEEK OUT TESTING FROM
% THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, IF
% IT'S AVAILABLE, FREE COMMUNITY
% TESTING SITE, OR THROUGH YOUR
% DOCTOR, IF YOU CAN GET ONE THERE
% OR THE PHARMACY, OR THROUGH YOUR
% CHILDREN'S SCHOOLS, IF TESTING
% IS AVAILABLE THROUGH THEM, JUST
% GOING THROUGH THE AVENUES THAT
% WE KNOW ARE SAFE AND ARE GOING
% TO PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION.
% THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS
% ALSO KIND OF SHARING A FEW RED
% FLAGS TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT.
% IF YOU DO GO TO ONE OF THESE
% OTHER KIND OF THIRD PARTY
% TESTING SITES, THOSE INCLUDE IF
% THEY ARE ASKING FOR CASH, THAT'S
% A RED FLAG.
% THEY SHOULDN'T BE ASKING YOU FOR
% PAYMENT, ESPECIALLY CASH.
% THEY SHOULDN'T BE ASKING YOU FOR
% PERSONAL INFORMATION LIKE YOUR
% SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, YOUR
% DRIVER'S LICENSE NUMBER, OR%
ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
% THEY MAY WANT TO CHECK YOUR ID
% AND GET YOUR INSURANCE
% INFORMATION IF THEY PLAN TO
% POTENTIALLY GET REIMBURSED BY
% YOUR INSURANCE, BUT THEY
% DEFINITELY SHOULD NOT BE GETTING
% YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER OR
% ANYTHING LIKE THAT, AND THE
% STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ALSO
% JUST RECOMMENDED GOING TO THE
% WEBSITE.
% THEY HAVE A MAP OF TESTING SITES
% THAT THEY VETTED, AND THEY KNOW
% YOU CAN BE ASSURED THEY ARE
% LEGITIMATE.
% GO TO THEIR WEBSITE AND CHECK
% THAT OUT.
% >> VERY, VERY STRANGE
% DEVELOPMENT, BUT, LUCKILY, IT IS
% NOT SOMETHING THAT HASN'T ARISEN
% ON A MASS SCALE AS OF YET IN THE
% PANDEMIC, SO THAT'S GOOD.
% LET'S MOVE ON TO VACCINATIONS.
% ARE WE SEEING A RISE IN
% VACCINATIONS AT ALL AFTER THIS
% OMICRON SPIKE?
% HAS IT REALLY MOTIVATED ANY NEW
% GROUPS OF PEOPLE TO GO AND GET
% THEIR SHOT?
% >> I WOULD SAY VACCINATIONS ARE
% INCREASING PROBABLY AT A SIMILAR
% TRAJECTORY THAT THEY WERE PRIOR
% TO OMICRON.
% I THINK UPTAKE, LOOKING AT THE
% DATA, UPTAKE IN BOOSTER SHOTS
% DEFINITELY SEEMS TO HAVE
% IMPROVED SINCE THE OMICRON WAVE
% HIT.%THAT WAS ONE OF THE MAIN
% RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PUBLIC
% HEALTH OFFICIALS, THAT IF YOU
% ARE ELIGIBLE FOR YOUR BOOSTER
% SHOT, THAT YOU SHOULD GET ONE TO
% PROTECT AGAINST SOME OMICRON
% INFECTION, BUT OVERALL, WE'RE
% STILL SEEING A COUPLE THOUSAND
% PEOPLE GETTING NEWLY VACCINATED
% EVERY DAY ACROSS THE STATE,
% WHICH IS BY NO MEANS, LIKE, A
% SMALL NUMBER, BUT IT IS NOT THAT
% MUCH LARGER THAN WE WERE SEEING
% IN 2021.
% RIGHT NOW, JUST UNDER 60% OF THE
% STATE'S POPULATION IS CONSIDERED
% FULLY VACCINATED, AND THE
% SMALLER PORTION IS BOOSTED.
% SO VACCINATION NUMBERS ARE STILL
% INCREASING, BUT FAIRLY SLOWLY,
% AND WE ARE SEEING SOME PLACES,
% MILWAUKEE, THE CITY OF
% MILWAUKEE, ACTUALLY, JUST
% ANNOUNCED ANOTHER CASH INCENTIVE
% FOR ANYONE WHO IS NEWLY SEEKING
% OUT VACCINATION BEGINNING
% TOMORROW, ACTUALLY, THURSDAY,
% FEBRUARY 3rd.
% ANYONE WHO GETS NEWLY VACCINATED
% AT ONE OF THE MILWAUKEE HEALTH
% DEPARTMENT CLINICS WILL GET A
% $100 GIFT CARD.
% THERE'S STILL WORK TO BE DONE,
% FOR SURE, BUT, YEAH.
% >> AND, YESTERDAY, PFIZER
% ANNOUNCED IT IS SEEKING AN
% EMERGENCY APPROVAL FOR
% VACCINATING CHILDREN UNDER THE
% AGE OF 5.
% MANY PARENTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN
% HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS, HAVE
% BEEN WORRYING ABOUT THEIR KIDS,
% AND IT'S THE SAME VACCINE THAT
% ADULTS GET, BUT ONE TENTH THE
% DOSAGE, BUT IN DATA TRIALS,
% THEY'VE ONLY BEEN DOING TWO
% DOSES, AND THERE'S BEEN MIXED
% RESULTS, AND SO THEY ARE HOPING
% THE APPROVAL WILL GO THROUGH AND
% A THIRD DOSE WILL DO THE TRICK
% TO GET THIS AGE GROUP ENOUGH
% IMMUNITY.
% WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?
% IT SEEMS MUDDLED AND CONFUSING
% AND LESS KIND OF A BRIGHT LIGHT
% THAT WE SAW IN OTHER AGE GROUPS
% AS THESE VACCINES HAVE EMERGED.
% >> YOU'RE RIGHT.
% THIS SITUATION IS A LITTLE BIT
% DIFFERENT THAN AUTHORIZATIONS
% FOR PREVIOUS AGE GROUPS THAT WE
% HAVE SEEN FOR COVID-19 VACCINES,
% AND, YEAH, AS YOU SAID, THERE
% ARE A BUNCH OF NATIONAL REPORTS
% YESTERDAY THAT PFIZER AND
% BOINTECH WOULD BE SEEKING
% AUTHORIZATION FOR THEIR VACCINE
% FOR CHILDREN AGES 6 MONTHS TO 5
% YEARS.
% IT IS SURPRISING BASED ON, AS
% YOU SAID, THOSE MIXED RESULTS IN
% THE INITIAL TRIAL WITH THE
% TWO-DOSE REGIMEN OF THAT DOSAGE
% THAT'S ONE-TENTH OF THE ADULT
% DOSAGE.%THOSE TRIALS SHOWED
THAT IN
% CHILDREN AGES 6 MONTHS TO 2
% YEARS, THEY ACTUALLY -- THE
% REGIMEN SOLICITED A GOOD IMMUNE
% RESPONSE.
% NOW, FOR CHILDREN AGES 2 TO 4,
% THE OTHER PART OF THAT AGE
% GROUP, THEY DIDN'T SEE THAT SAME
% IMMUNE RESPONSE.
% ALTHOUGH, THAT -- THERE'S NO
% QUESTION ABOUT THE SAFETY OF
% THIS DOSAGE IN THE CHILDREN, THE
% TRIALS SHOWED THAT THE DOSAGE IS
% VERY SAFE IN CHILDREN IN THIS
% AGE GROUP DID TOLERATE WELL WITH
% MINIMAL SIDE EFFECTS, BUT IT IS
% ABOUT THE EFFICACY, WHETHER THE
% TWO-DOSE REGIMEN IN THE
% 2-YEAR-OLDS TO 4-YEAR-OLDS IS
% REALLY ENOUGH TO ELICIT A STRONG
% ENOUGH IMMUNE RESPONSE SO THE
% REPORTING YOU'RE REFERRING TO
% THAT I'VE ALSO BEEN TRACKING IS
% KIND OF INTERESTING.
% IT SOUNDS LIKE FDA OFFICIALS
% WERE ACTUALLY ENCOURAGING PFIZER
% AND BIOTECH TO SEEK
% AUTHORIZATION THIS MONTH IN
% FEBRUARY WITH AN EYE TOWARD
% EVENTUALLY AUTHORIZING A THIRD
% DOSE FOR THE CHILDREN 2 TO 4
% YEARS OLD AS WELL, AND EVEN THE
% WHOLE AGE GROUP.
% IT IS DEFINITELY DIFFERENT HOW
% THIS PROCESS WORKED FOR OTHER
% GROUPS, AND I THINK PART OF THAT
% IS JUST THE WANTING TO HAVE A
% VACCINE AVAILABLE FOR THIS AGE
% GROUP.
% THIS IS THE ONLY AGE GROUP THAT
% VACCINES ARE STILL NOT AVAILABLE
% FOR, AND AS WE SAW THE OMICRON
% SURGE, WE ARE CONTINUING TO SEE
% SOME OF THE YOUNGEST CHILDREN
% ARE BEING INFECTED AT MUCH
% HIGHER RATES THAN PREVIOUSLY IN
% THE PANDEMIC, AND SO I THINK
% THERE'S SOME URGENCY ON THE PART
% OF FEDERAL REGULATORS TO TRY TO
% BEGIN BUILDING VACCINE DERIVED
% IMMUNITY AMONG THIS AGE GROUP.
% >> HAVE KIDS IN THIS AGE GROUP
% AND KIND OF CHILDREN IN GENERAL
% BEEN LEFT OUT OF THE
% CONVERSATION TOO MUCH AS PEOPLE
% SAY, WELL, THE YOUNGER YOU ARE,
% THE MILDER THE CASE YOU WILL
% HAVE, IS THAT DISCOUNTING THE
% FEAR THAT A LOT OF PARENTS HAVE
% THAT THEIR CHILDREN WILL GET
% INFECTED AND SICK WITH COVID-19?
% >> YEAH.%I THINK THAT'S A FAI
R QUESTION.
% THERE'S ACTUALLY AN INFECTIOUS
% DISEASES EXPERT ON PBS NEWS HOUR
% LAST NIGHT TALKING ABOUT THIS A
% LITTLE BIT IN HOW, IN HER VIEW,
% SHE'S INVOLVED IN THESE TRIALS
% IN THIS AGE GROUP, AND IN HER
% VIEW, THE THREAT OF COVID-19 IN
% THIS AGE GROUP HAS BEEN MAYBE A
% LITTLE UNDERPLAYED, AND, IN
% FACT, IT IS TRUE THAT CHILDREN
% ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE GETTING
% SEVERE SYMPTOMS WHEN INFECTED BY
% COVID-19.
% THEY ARE LESS LIKELY TO DIE FROM
% COVID-19 THAN AN ADULT AND
% ESPECIALLY OLDER ADULTS, BUT AS
% SHE POINTED OUT, THE NUMBER OF
% CHILDREN AGES ACTUALLY 5 TO 11
% IS A LITTLE BIT OLDER WHO DIE
% BETWEEN OCTOBER 2021 FROM
% COVID-19 WOULD HAVE PUT THEM AT,
% LIKE, THAT NUMBER WOULD HAVE
% BEEN THE LEAST LEADING CAUSE OF
% DEATH REPORTED BY THE CDC IN
% 2019, SO IT IS NOT -- IT'S NOT,
% LIKE, THERE ARE NOT CHILDREN
% DYING FROM COVID-19, IT'S NOT
% THAT THERE ARE NOT CHILDREN
% GETTING VERY SICK FROM COVID,
% AND IN HER VIEW, AND I THINK THE
% VIEW OF A LOT OF PARENTS, YOU
% SHOULD REALLY BE TREATING THE
% THREAT OF COVID-19 TO SMALL
% CHILDREN MORE SERIOUSLY THAN A
% LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN.
% >> AND THE VACCINE IS AVAILABLE
% FOR CHILDREN OVER 5 FOR PARENTS
% WHO HAVE NOT WANTED TO GET THEIR
% CHILD VACCINATED YET, AND IT IS
% EXPECTED THAT THIS VACCINATION
% FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 5
% COULD BE APPROVED AS SOON AS THE
% END OF THE MONTH SO WE'LL TRACK
% THIS AND CHECKING IN WITH YOU,
% BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WILL
% CUSHMAN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
% >> THANKS,MARISA.
% >> FOR MORE FROM "HERE & NOW"
% AND PBS WISCONSIN, VISIT
% PBSWISCONSIN.ORG/NEWS, AND THANK
% YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US ON
% "NOON WEDNESDAY."