WE'LL HAVE YOU BACK SOON.
>>> IN OTHER NEWS, THE FDA THIS
WEEK GAVE EMERGENCY
AUTHORIZATION FOR COVID-19
VACCINES IN CHILDREN FROM 6
MONTHS TO 5 YEARS OLD.
MARISA WOJCIK SAT DOWN WITH
SPECIALIST DR. JAMES CONWAY FOR
MORE.
>> WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD FROM
PARENTS, IF ANY, NOW THAT THE
APPROVAL OF THE COVID-19 VACCINE
HAS COME OUT FOR KIDS UNDER 5?
>> YEAH, WITH EVERYTHING
THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC, IT'S A
MIXED BAG.
THERE'S A LARGE GROUP OF PARENTS
THAT ARE ACTUALLY REALLY
EXCITED, THAT I HAVE BEEN --
THEY'VE BEEN WAITING A LONG TIME
AND ARE EAGER TO GET THEIR KIDS
SIGNED UP AND ARE FRUSTRATED
THAT THERE'S NOT ENOUGH VACCINE.
THERE'S A GROUP, THE LARGEST
GROUP, THAT HAVE TAKEN THE
WAIT-AND-SEE ATTITUDE, ALTHOUGH
IT'S A SPLIT GROUP.
ONE GROUP DOESN'T WANT TO DEAL
WITH THE HASSLE AND TRYING TO
COMPETE TO GET SLOTS, SO THEY'RE
WAITING AND SEEING MOSTLY TO BE
ABLE TO GET IT EASILY.
BUT ANOTHER GROUP THAT DOES WANT
TO SEE MORE DATA COME OUT FROM
LARGER SECTIONS OF THE
POPULATION.
AND THEN THERE'S A RELATIVELY
SMALL GROUP THAT ARE FIERCELY
OPPOSED AND THEY'RE NEVER GOING
TO GET IT NO MATTER WHAT WE ASK
THEM TO DO.
>> THERE'S A MISCONCEPTION,
THOUGH, THAT KIDS ARE LESS
VULNERABLE.
DO CHILDREN AND PARENTS OF KIDS
OF THIS AGE GROUP FEEL LEFT
BEHIND?
>> I WON'T ARGUE THE FACT THAT
MOST KIDS DO FINE AND RECOVER
FROM IT.
BUT WE ARE SEEING NOW THE SAME
THINGS WE SEE IN ADULT.
KIDS WITH LONG COVID, KIDS WITH
PERMANENT DISABILITIES RELATED
TO LONG -- LUNG AND HEART
INJURIES OR NEUROLOGICAL
PROBLEMS.
SO I THINK WE'VE LEARNED A LOT
MORE WITH THIS LAST OMICRON
SURGE BECAUSE WE HAD A VERY
DIFFERENT DYNAMIC AS FAR AS
BEHAVIOR AND ALSO WHO WAS
VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
>> WHICH BRANDS OF THE VACCINES
HAVE BEEN APPROVED AND AT WHAT
DOSAGES?
>> SO THE PFIZER KIDS ARE GOING
TO GET THREE DOSES.
WHEN THEY ORIGINALLY SEEMED TO
BE GETTING READY TO SUBMIT THEIR
INFORMATION BACK IN FEBRUARY AND
MARCH, PEOPLE LOOKED AT IT AND
SAID, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE
EFFECTIVE ENOUGH WITH TWO DOSES,
SOE THEY CONTINUED THOSE STUDIES
AND BASICALLY EXTENDED THEM AND
DECIDED ON THREE DOSES.
MODERNA IS COMING IN WITH TWO
DOSES.
AT THAT 25 MICROGRAMS.
I THINK MOST OF THE EXPECTATIONS
ARE THESE -- THESE GROUPS WILL
EVENTUALLY NEED BOOSTERS THE
SAME FOR ALL THE OTHER AGE
GROUPS, INCLUDING THE 5- TO
11-YEAR-OLDS.
>> NOW, YOU'VE DEALT WITH.
>> S IN YOUNGER HUMANS FOR QUITE
A WHILE.
AND WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO
PARENTS OR GUARDIANS THAT ARE
UNSURE ABOUT EVACUATING THEIR --
VACCINATES THEIR CHILD BETWEEN 6
MONTHS AND 5 YEARS OLD?
>> THERE ARE A COUPLE THINGS.
THIS VIRUS IS UNPREDICTABLE.
AND AS MUCH AS WE THINK WE
UNDERSTAND IT, IT DOES THINGS
AND IT CHANGES THAT ACTUALLY
THEN LEADS TO UNEXPECTED
CONSEQUENCES.
SOME OF WHICH ARE PRETTY
UNFORTUNATE.
AND SO I THINK IT'S A FALSE
NARRATIVE TO CONVINCE OURSELF
THAT IS THE VIRUS IS GETTING
MILDER OR LESS INVASIVE OR LESS
TRANSMISSIBLE.
I THINK THE OTHER THING IS THAT
THIS VIRUS KEEPS CHANGING.
AND AS IT KEEPS MUTATING, PEOPLE
ARE NOT MAINTAINING THEIR
IMMUNITY.
BUT WE CAN'T LET OURSELVES BE
FOOLED BY THAT PREDICTING THAT
THEY'RE GOING TO BE PROTECTED
AND HAVE A MILDER CASE OR HAVE
NO INFECTION WHEN IT COMES
AROUND.
SO WE'VE GOT A TOOL NOW THAT IS
EXTRAORDINARILY SAFE IN ALL
THESE STUDIES.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY
WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE AS
BEING SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO
CHANGE HOW WE THINK ABOUT THIS,
IS TRYING TO GIVE ESSENTIALLY
EQUITABLE PROTECTION TO ALL AGE
GROUPS SO THAT THEY'RE PROTECTED
AGAINST THE WORST OUTCOMES THAT
CAN HAPPEN, AS WE CONTINUE TO
LEARN ABOUT THIS REALLY SORT OF
RAPIDLY CHANGING DYNAMIC OF THIS
PANDEMIC IN FRONT OF US.
>> SO IF A PARENT OR GUARDIAN IS
OUT THERE LISTENING TO THIS AND
THEY ARE REALLY EAGER TO GET
THEIR CHILD VACCINATED, CAN THEY
JUST GO TO THE PHARMACY, LIKE SO
MANY OF US HAVE, TO GET OUR
COVID SHOT OR IS THERE A
DIFFERENT PROCEDURE FOR THIS
REALLY YOUNGER GROUP?
>> YEAH, NOT QUITE YET.
I THINK THAT CURRENTLY THE
SUPPLIES ARE JUST STARTING TO
ROLL OUT AND THEY'RE SHIPPING
FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO
THE STATE GOVERNMENT AND BEING
ALLOCATED OUT.
SO I THINK EVERYBODY IS GOING TO
BE LOOKING FOR APPOINTMENTS,
WHETHER PHARMACIES, PUBLIC
HEALTH, OR HEALTH SYSTEMS, UNTIL
THERE IS MUCH MORE SUPPLY
AVAILABLE.
BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE'S
GOING TO BE MORE OF AN EFFORT
NOW TO MOVE THE VACCINES OUT
INTO MY PRAYER CARE OFFICES
TO -- PRY MAYOR CARE OFFICES AND
WHERE THEY'RE MORE FAMILIAR AND
COMFORTABLE AND WHERE THEY CAN
TALK TO PEOPLE AND GET THEIR
ANSWERS.
UNDER AGE 3 KIDS NEED A
PRECIPITATION.
THEN -- PREPARATION.
THEN THE PHARMACY CAN REACH OUT.
UNDER AGE 3 PEOPLE NEED
SOMETHING THAT A PROVIDER HAS
PRESCRIBED IT.
>> ALL RIGHT.