COVID vaccine researcher discusses CDC's new guidelines

2 months ago

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks pinch Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of nan Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, astir nan CDC's caller guidelines connected COVID vaccines for kids and pregnant women.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Now that nan national authorities has stopped recommending nan COVID vaccine for patient children and pregnant women, will those shots still beryllium disposable to group who want them, and will security screen it? Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not reply those questions successful nan one-minute video wherever he announced nan caller guidance yesterday.

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ROBERT F KENNEDY JR: I couldn't beryllium much pleased to denote that arsenic of today, nan COVID vaccine for patient children and patient pregnant women has been removed from nan CDC recommended immunization schedule.

SHAPIRO: Dr. Peter Jay Hotez is present to thief america understand what this intends for people's entree to nan shots. He's dean of nan National School of Tropical Medicine astatine Baylor College of Medicine, and he was portion of nan squad that worked to create a low-cost COVID vaccine. Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.

PETER JAY HOTEZ: Oh, acknowledgment for having me, Ari.

SHAPIRO: What's your first guidance to nan caller guidelines?

HOTEZ: Sort of daze and disappointment because we cognize really important COVID vaccinations were some for pregnant women and for children, though for different reasons. In nan lawsuit for pregnant women, first of all, you know, arsenic anyone who was moving successful an intensive attraction portion betwixt 2020 and 2023 knows, pregnant women did not do good pinch COVID nan virus. On average, they had overmuch higher rates of terrible unwellness requiring hospitalizations aliases moreover intensive attraction portion monitoring, and sometimes they didn't survive. The information that we person truthful acold suggests that if pregnant women were vaccinated against COVID, it had aggregate benefits, predominantly including, you know, by 1 analysis, suggesting a 90-, 94% simplification successful hospitalization for pregnant women who sewage vaccinated.

SHAPIRO: So that's pregnant women. On nan mobility of patient children, FDA commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said astir countries person stopped recommending these vaccines for kids. Is that true? And if so, does it make consciousness for nan U.S. to follow?

HOTEZ: You know, I deliberation 1 of nan problems pinch nan measurement nan existent activity of nan FDA looks astatine COVID vaccines is very overmuch nan measurement they portrayed it erstwhile they were talking heads connected Fox News, which is they were only looking astatine 1 parameter, which was lawsuit fatality rates aliases infection mortality rates, which of people are overmuch little successful children, though a important number of children do dice annually from COVID. But here's nan portion that they really missed nan shot on, which is nan effect of vaccinating children for agelong COVID. There was, past year, a very important study showing important use for some children and adolescents, successful some nan delta activity successful 2021 and nan BA.1 omicron activity successful 2022, of preventing agelong COVID. So successful their calculus, it doesn't look for illustration nan FDA astatine each is considering nan effect of agelong COVID.

SHAPIRO: If personification still wants nan shot, contempt nan national government's recommendation, is security apt to screen it?

HOTEZ: So this is wherever I'm going to springiness you a beautiful I-don't-know-the-answer-to-your-question answer, a beautiful agelong one, which is I don't deliberation we know. First of all, you know, usually it's not nan FDA signing disconnected connected nan nationalist wellness usage of a vaccine. This is why we person a Centers for Disease Control. This is why we person an Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices - known arsenic ACIP - to make those recommendations. So nan determination connected really nan vaccines are utilized are typically made successful collaboration betwixt ACIP and nan CDC director. And that's often nan ground for recommending nan vaccine for nan vaccines for children's program, for nan insurers. And each of that now has been bypassed. So I deliberation we're successful benignant of an chartless territory now. What does it mean that nan FDA has skirted each of that - aliases Health and Human Services - and conscionable benignant of made this unilateral decision, which connected apical of that, is not evidence-based?

So mobility one, what do nan drugstore chains do? Do they proceed to connection vaccines for pregnant women aliases for kids? What do nan pediatric practices do? That's mobility one. The adjacent mobility is going to be, will nan security companies screen it? And then, if that weren't confusing enough, if you remember, nan activity of nan Food and Drug Administration - Dr. Makary, nan FDA commissioner, and nan caput of CBER, nan Center for Biologics Evaluation Research, Dr. Vinay Prasad - issued a guidance archive wherever they specifically said that gestation is, quote, "a consequence factor" for warranting vaccinating individuals who mightiness not different qualify.

SHAPIRO: And conscionable to beryllium clear, if it isn't covered by insurance, it's beautiful expensive, right?

HOTEZ: Well, it surely tin be. I cognize I was not very happy erstwhile Pfizer and Moderna, aft they took a batch of U.S. payer dollars, they jacked up nan price. I deliberation astatine past look, it was astir $130 a dose. So that is simply a important disbursal for a batch of people.

SHAPIRO: So bottommost line, what is your proposal for group who want to beryllium arsenic protected arsenic they tin be?

HOTEZ: Certainly, if it were my girl aliases loved 1 who was pregnant and location was a batch of COVID transmission, I would powerfully propose that they get vaccinated to protect themselves and protect their soon-to-be newborn infant. For an teen aliases a child, if you're concerned astir agelong COVID, I would besides urge keeping up pinch yearly immunizations.

SHAPIRO: That is Dr. Peter Jay Hotez, codirector of nan Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and dean of nan National School of Tropical Medicine astatine Baylor College of Medicine. Thank you.

HOTEZ: Thank you.

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