>>> 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 ALLUDED 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 THINK 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 FAIR 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."