MEANWHILE, ONE UW HEALTH FIS HAN
PHYSICIAN IS ON SO CONFIDENT IN
THE VACCINE FOR COVID-19 THAT HE
WAS FIRST IN LEARN TO
PARTICIPATE IN A NEW TRIAL THIS
WEEK.
DR. JEFF POTHOF IS NOT CONNECTED
TO THE STUDY BUT HE IS THE UW
HEALTH CHIEF QUALITY OFFICER.
THE STUDY, ADMINISTERED BY UW
HEALTH AND THE SCHOOL OF
MEDICINE, IS OPEN FOR
ENROLLMENT.
INVESTIGATORS HOPE TO VACCINATE
1600 VOLUNTEERS OVER THE NEXT
EIGHT WEEKS AT UNIVERSITY
HOSPITAL.
DR. JEFF POTHOF JOINS US NOW AND
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BE THE
FIRST IN LINE TO RECEIVE THE
VACCINE IN THIS TRIAL HERE?
>> YOU KNOW, THE MAIN REASON IS,
IS I THINK THE MAJORITY OF US
ARE JUST REALLY TIRED OF THIS
WHOLE CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19
PANDEMIC.
WE'RE TIRED OF HOW MANY PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN MADE SICK.
WE'RE TIRED OF HOW MANY PEOPLE
HAVE DIED.
WE'RE TIRED OF NOT BEING ABLE TO
DO A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE
WANT TO DO.
OUR KIDS AREN'T GOING TO SCHOOL.
WE CAN'T SEE OUR SPORTS TEAMS
PLAY.
AND A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE VACCINE
IS GOING TO BE OUR MOST POWERFUL
TOOL TO CLOSE THE BOOK ON THIS
PANDEMIC.
I REVIEWED THE SAFETY PROFILE OF
THIS VACCINE.
I'VE TALKED TO THE RESEARCHERS.
AND FOR ME, THAT TREMENDOUS
BENEFIT OF GETTING US CLOSER TO
NORMAL FAR OUTWEIGHED THE SMALL
RISK IN THIS TRIAL.
THAT'S JUST SOMETHING I WANTED
TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.
>> DID YOU HAVE ANY AFTEREFFECTS
FROM IT?
>> A LITTLE TENDERNESS OVER THE
INJECTION SITE.
YESTERDAY I HAD A SMALL
HEADACHE.
HARD TO TELL IF THEY WERE
RELATED TO THE INJECTION.
TODAY I FEEL GREAT.
>> THE PRESIDENT HAS SAID THAT
HE HOPES AND EXPECTS A VACCINE
WILL BE AVAILABLE BY EARLY
NOVEMBER.
HOW REALISTIC DO YOU THINK THAT
IS?
>> YOU KNOW, EARLY
NOVEMBER SEEMS TO BE A LITTLE
BIT SOONER THAN WHAT I THINK
WE'LL BE READY TO HAVE THE DATA
AVAILABLE.
THE ONLY REASON TO APPROVE IS A
VACCINE IS IF WE KNOW IT'S SAFE
AND EFFECTIVE FOR HUNDREDS OF
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO GET IT.
THERE'S NO OTHER REASON TO
APPROVE A VKS VACCINE.
>> WITH UW SCHOOLS OPENING THIS
WEEK AS WELL AS K-12 SCHOOLS,
WHAT CONCERNS DO YOU HAVE THAT
YOUNG PEOPLE, AGAIN, WHO ARE
AMONG KIND OF THE HIGHEST SUBSET
OF PEOPLE SEEING POSITIVE COVID
CASES, CAN CONFORM THEIR
BEHAVIOR TO LIMIT THE SPREAD?
>> YEAH.
AS I LOOK AT THESE COLLEGE
REOPENING PLANS, THE PLANS THAT
THEY HAVE ON PAPER ARE REALLY
PRETTY OKAY, THEY'RE PRETTY
GOOD.
THE CONCERN THAT I HAVE IS IT
REALLY -- THE BULK OF THE
RESPONSIBILITY RESTS ON THOSE
STUDENTS, AND AS WE'VE HAD MORE
EXPERIENCES WITH COLLEGES
OPENING, I'D SAY THAT OUR
EXPERIENCE HASN'T BEEN ALL THAT
GREAT.
WE'VE HAD A LOT OF COLLEGE
CAMPUSES REPORT HIGH LEVELS OF
COVID-19 TRANSMISSION THROUGH
ACTIVITIES THAT AREN'T
NECESSARILY HAPPENING DURING THE
SCHOOL DAY, BUT WHEN THE SCHOOL
DAY IS OVER.
SO IF WE CONTINUE TO SEE THAT
TREND, I THINK WHAT YOU'LL FIND
IS HIGH LEVELS OF COVID-19
TRANSMITTING BETWEEN THAT AGE
DEMOGRAPHIC.
COLLEGE CAMPUSES HAVING TO THINK
ABOUT SHUTTING DOWN.
AND THEN WE'RE LEFT WITH THE
ISSUE OF DO WE NEED TO COHORT
THOSE STUDENTS ON CAMPUS IN THE
CITY THEY'RE IN SO THEY DON'T GO
BACK TO THEIR COMMUNITIES ACROSS
THE UNITED STATES AND INCREASE
THE COVID-19 TRANCE TRANSMITABILITY
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
>> WHEN YOU SEE NUMBERS IN THE
HUNDREDS ON UW CAMPUS WITH
SOMETHING OVER 300 CASES IN
MADISON, SHOULD THAT BE OF
CONCERN?
>> I THINK IT'S CERTAINLY OF
CONCERN.
WE NEED TO LOOK AT THOSE CASES
AND FIGURE OUT WHERE ARE THEY
AT.
ARE WE ABLE TO KEEP UP ON
CONTACT TRACING AND KEEP AHEAD
OF IT SO THOSE CASES CAN'T
INCREASE WITH THE NEXT ROUND.
IF WE FIND OURSELVES IN A
SITUATION WHERE WE CAN'T KEEP UP
ON IT, THEN WE NEED TO MAKE
HARDER DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT TO
DO WITH OUR CAMPUSES.
IF WE HAVE ROBUST CONTACT
TRACING, SOME OF THOSE
INDIVIDUALS CAN BE ISOLATED.
WE'VE GOT A FIGHTING CHANCE.
BUT TO SAY THAT THERE ISN'T
CONCERN, THERE IS CONCERN ABOUT
HOW THE COLLEGE CAMPUSES ARE
GOING TO WORK OUT THIS FALL.
>> YOU TOUCHED ON THIS BRIEFLY,
BUT FOR THOSE STUDENTS NOT IN
RESIDENCE HALLS WHO ARE GETTING
KIND OF REGULAR TESTING, SHOULD
THE STUDENTS OUTSIDE RESIDENCE
HALLS TAKE IT ON THEMSELVES TO
GET TESTS EITHER THROUGH THEIR
SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY OR CLINICS?
>> YEAH.
I THINK ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE IN
CONGREGATE LIVING OR CLOSE TO
OTHER PEOPLE OR IF YOU WERE
UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO ABIDE BY
SOCIAL DISTANCING AND MASK
GUIDELINES, IT'S CRUCIAL WE
IDENTIFY THOSE, ESPECIALLY IN
THOSE ASYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS.
WE WOULD ENCOURAGE THEM TO GET
TEST SAID.
>> WHAT ARE HEALTH CARE WORKERS
STEELING FOR?
>> A BIT OF APPREHENSION.
IF WE HAVE HIGH LEVELS OF
COVID-19 AND HIGH LEVELS OF
INFLUENZA, WE COULD OUT-STRIP
OUR PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND THE
NUMBER OF ROOMS WE HAVE TO TAKE
CARE OF PEOPLE.
THE SILVER LINING IS WITH MASK
MANDATES AND PHYSICAL DISTANCING
IN PLACE, THOSE ARE ALSO
EFFECTIVE AGAINST THE FLU.
SO WE'RE HOPEFUL THE FLU SEASON
IS TAMED DOWN THIS YEAR.
>> GOOD POINT.
DR. JEFF