SAFETY OF OUR RESIDENTS AND TO
PROVIDE ENOUGH TIME TO LEARN
MORE AND MAKE EVIDENCE-BASED
DECISIONS ABOUT THE EFFECT OF
THIS NEWS ON THE VACCINE
ROLL-OUT, WE HAVE PAUSED THE USE
OF JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE IN
WISCONSIN.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT
THESE REACTIONS, WE CALL THEM
ADVERSE EVENTS, REPRESENT SIX
ADVERSE EVENTS OUT OF 6.8
MILLION DOSES OF JOHNSON &
JOHNSON VACCINE.
THAT MEANS THAT NEARLY 6.8
MILLION AMERICANS HAVE RECEIVED
THEIR SHOTS OF JOHNSON & JOHNSON
WITHOUT EXPERIENCING THIS
ADVERSE REACTION.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU
UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS VERY RARE
AND THAT WE ARE TAKING THIS
ACTION OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF
CAUTION.
>> EVEN WITHOUT THE JOHNSON &
JOHNSON VACCINE STILL IN THE MIX
FOR NOW, ABOUT A QUARTER OF
PEOPLE IN WISCONSIN ARE NOW
FULLY VACCINATED.
THE FOCUS HAS MOSTLY BEEN ON
ADULT VACCINATIONS, BUT OUR NEXT
GUEST SAYS MAKING SURE YOUNGER
CHILDREN ARE ABLE TO GET
VACCINATED IS IMPORTANT TO END
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
DR. JIM CONWAY, PROFESSOR OF
PEED
PEDIATRICS AT UW-MADISON.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> HAPPY TO BE HERE.
THANK YOU.
>> FIRST, ON THE JOHNSON &
JOHNSON VACCINE, WHAT SHOULD
PEOPLE WHO HAVE RECEIVED IT
KNOW?
>> I THINK FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE
RECEIVED IT RECENTLY, THEY NEED
TO JUST BE AWARE OF REPORTING
SIDE EFFECT SYMPTOMS THAT THEY
CONSIDER PARTICULARLY SEVERE.
SO FOR ABOUT THE TWO, THREE
WEEKS AFTER THEY GET THE VACCINE
ANY KIND OF HEADACHE,
RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS OR PAIN
NEED TO BE REPORTED AND
EVALUATED BY A MEDICAL
PROFESSIONAL.
>> HOW MIGHT THIS EXACERBATE
VACCINE HESITANCY?
>> I THINK THIS SHOWS HOW
SERIOUSLY WE TAKE SAFETY AND
EVEN JUST A HANDFUL OF CASES IS
ENOUGH TO TRIGGER THE SYSTEM TO
SAY LET'S PAUSE AND TAKE A
SECOND AND LOOK AT THIS AND MAKE
SURE WE'RE NOT MISSING ANYTHING.
MESS POSITIVE OFMOST OF THE VASKS TRIALS VACCINE TRIALS ARE
DONE ON 50,000 PEOPLE.
AT 6 OR 7 MILLION DOSES, THIS IS
VERY EARLY IN THE GAME.
>> WHY DO YOU SAY THAT IT IS
VITAL THAT CHILDREN GET COVID-19
VACCINATIONS AS SOON AS THEY ARE
CLEEFERRED TO DO SO?
>> YEAH.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT
PEOPLE REALIZE THAT EARLY ON IN
THIS PANDEMIC WE UNDERSTOOD TWO
THINGS.
ONE IS KIDS DON'T SEEM TO GET
VERY SEVERE DISEASE AND DIDN'T
SEEM TO BE MAJOR DRIVERS OF
TRANSMISSION.
THAT WAS PARTIALLY RELATED TO
THE FACT THAT SCHOOLS HAD ALL
GONE VIRTUAL AND EVERYBODY WAS
BEING CAREFUL AND MITIGATING AND
KIDS WERE BEING KEPT IN BUBBLES.
WHAT WE STARTED TO REALIZE IS
THAT AS WE'VE OPENED THINGS UP
AND KIDS ARE MORE ENGAGED WITH
OTHERS, THAT THEY CERTAINLY CAN
BE INFECTED.
WHILE THEY STILL DON'T SEEM TO
DO POORLY WITH THE INFECTION,
THEY CAN TRANSMIT TO OTHERS AND
CAN CAUSE SMALL OUTBREAKS AND
TRANSMISSION WITHIN THEIR PEER
GROUPS, BUT ALSO BACK INTO THEIR
FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES.
IF WE WANT TO GET RID OF THIS,
WE NEED HERD IMMUNITY ACROSS ALL
AGE GROUPS AND NOT HAVE A
RESERVOIR OF VULNERABLES
CIRCULATING THE DISEASE.
>> I UNDERSTAND TRIALS WITH
YOUNG CHILDREN ARE WELL
UNDERWAY.
WHEN MIGHT WE BE EXPECT TO BE
CLEARED FOR USE OF THOSE?
>> THEY'RE DOING THESE IN A
STEP-WISE MANNER.
THEY FIFTEEN FINISHED UP TO THE 12 TO
15-YEAR-OLDS.
APPROVAL SHOULD BE SOMETIME IN
EARLY SUMMER.
AND THEN THEY'RE GRADUALLY
WORKING THEIR WAY INTO THE SIX
TO 11-YEAR-OLDS AND THREE TO
FIVE-YEAR-OLDS AND FINALLY THE
SIX MONTH OLDS TO TWO YEEFERLDS.
THOSE GROUPS WILL BE MORE TOWARD
THE END OF 2021.
YOUNGEST KIDS IN EARLY 2022.
>> PFIZER VACCINE IS CLEARED FOR
16 AND OLDER NOW.
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR THAT AGE
GROUP TO GET VACCINATED?
>> I THINK WHILE THERE IS
VACCINE AVAILABLE AND WHILE
PEOPLE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO
ACCOMMODATE THOSE GROUPS, IT'S
IMPORTANT TO START VAKS NAILING
AS MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
THE GOAL SHOULD BE IF WE CAN GET
THROUGH MOST OF THOSE GROUPS IN
TIMES THAT WHEN THE UAU FOR
PFIZER AMENDMENT, THAT WILL BE
THE NEXT GROUP WE CAN TACKLE.
WE WANT TO AVOID BOTTLENECKS
WHERE A LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE
ARE ELIGIBLE AND OTHER PEOPLE
ARE STRAGGLING ALONG.
YOUNG ADULTS NEED TO GET MOVING
AND GET THEMSELVES IMMUNIZED AND
THEN THE 16 AND 17-YEAR-OLDS, SO
WE CAN CLEAR THE CAPACITY SO
WHEN 12 TO 15-YEAR-OLDS ARE
APPROVED, WE CAN GET THEM MOVING
OVER THE SUMMER.
>> SO WISCONSIN IS AT JUST MORE
THAN 25% FULLY VACCINATED.
ARE WE WINNING THIS RACE AGAINST
THE VARIANTS?
>> YEAH.
IT'S OPTIMISTIC, BUT THERE'S
STILL A LITTLE TOUCHINESS OVER
THESE NESKS NEXT FEW MONTHS.
THE VARIANTS ARE SURROUNDING US.
WE'RE STARTING TO SEE
TRANSMISSION IN VARIOUS AREAS
AROUND WISCONSIN.
WE DO NEED TO BE AGGRESSIVE
ABOUT GETTING MORE OF THE
POPULATION IMMUNIZED AS QUICKLY
AS POSSIBLE.
WHILE WE'RE IN THIS RAMP-UP, WE
NEED PEOPLE TO BUCKLE DOWN AND
BE PATIENT SO WE DON'T SEE MUCH
MORE SPRID.
WE'VE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN
OLDER INDIVIDUALS IN WIFS, ONE
OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL STATES IN
THAT GROUP.
WE HAVE PROABLGHTED PROTECTED THE MOST
VULNERABLE.
BUT NOW WE NEED BUY-IN.
WE ARE STARTING TO SEE A BUMP-UP
IN HOSPITALIZATIONS.
THESE NEXT TWO MONTHS ARE
CRITICAL.
>> WE WILL