Welcome back to closing bell on cheddar news everyone. The fourth dose debate.
There has been notable disagreement in the
medical community about 1/4 covid vaccine dose.
In fact, even some FDA officials didn't support the idea of a second booster shop.
Well last week the agency authorized one anyway for americans ages 50 and older
and it did so without meeting with its vaccine advisory committee ahead of time.
The group instead meeting today to discuss
the future of boosters and the CBC quickly
following in the footsteps of the FADA and authorized a 4th dose as well.
Well,
reports say the agency also didn't discuss the
move with its own team of vaccine experts
and now a growing number of doctors are speaking out against the decision.
Joining me now is a member of the CBC
advisory committee to the director and the executive vice president
of the robert wood johnson foundation. Dr
julie
morita. Dr morita. Thank you so much for coming on the show.
Where do you stand on this fourth vaccine dose?
Thanks for having me kristen. Yes.
So as you pointed out,
there was a little bit of a difference in
terms of the way FDA handled this recommendation.
Typically what happens is the FDA has an advisory committee
made up of the external experts who come together.
Review the available data,
then make a recommendation on whether or not the vaccine should
be approved or for a license in non emergency situations.
That the next step is actually for CDCs advisory committee to consider the data
as well and to make a recommendation for the use of the vaccine,
this didn't happen with the second booster and I think it's caused people
to be concerned about the validity or the appropriateness of the recommendation.
When I look at the data that are available, it does really,
there is evidence that the vaccine the second the first boosters
immunity does wayne and that we do have high risk people,
elderly people and people who have underlying health conditions that are over 50.
And so to provide a vaccine booster at this point
makes sense to keep them out of the hospital,
keep them out of the hospital and getting seriously ill.
Okay,
so let's take a look at this graphic doctor of some
of the doctors who have spoken out actually against 1/4 booster.
Fourth dose. That is a second booster.
What do you make of this disagreement in
the medical community about 1/4 vaccination dose?
I mean I think the data that are available are somewhat limited.
And so and what's the usual practice in terms of having
the FDA advisory committee and the CBC advisory committee way in
that didn't happen in this situation and I can see that
white people would be concerned and have questions about it optimally.
We would have those kinds of open debate
discussions, decisions and recommendations made
in this particular situation.
I think there is some evidence to suggest that the vaccine does
wayne after the first booster and there are people we know that
evidence is pretty clear regarding who is at high risk for disease
and who's who is at high risk for getting seriously sick.
And so considering a booster, a second booster makes sense.
It's not necessarily making a recommendation for everyone to get a booster.
But certainly the people who are at highest risk for serious disease and
death are really it's appropriate for them to consider getting a vaccine.
Do we know how effective eye doctor this
second booster would be though against this new,
more contagious spreading some variant of oh macron
be a two would be of course,
we know many of the vaccines at least in the early days were too
counter that very first variant strain of the virus that emerged from Wuhan china.
What about the doses the booster doses?
How effective do we know that they are in combating
these newer mutations, these new variants
that have arisen.
So what's happening today actually, the FDA is doing this today.
They've convened their expert panel to consider the need
for boosters and develop a framework for boosters moving
forward because there are these questions regarding how effective
are these current vaccines against the evolving variants.
And and as we look when we look at flu as another respiratory virus
every year, we have to modify the vaccine to adjust for the strains that occur.
It could be that FDA considers the data today or in
future meetings and does make a recommendation for us to make
annual or other adjustments to the vaccines themselves because the vaccines
may not always remain effective against new variants as they emerge.
I know it's just a few months ago in september the director and the deputy director
of the FDA is vaccine office did actually quit their quit their jobs,
feeling pressure to support another vaccination dose
and they've since wrote about what they said was
a lack of data to support 1/4 booster,
1/4 dose, a second booster.
What's your response to this
again?
I think that because there are limited data
available and the usual processes weren't used.
There are three people that are raising questions
about the appropriateness of making this recommendation.
I think keeping from my perspective is that the recommendation is there
for people that can get boosted for the with the second dose.
But I also feel like we can't forget about the people who haven't been immunized yet.
People who haven't had their first booster,
those people also need to get vaccinated at this point.
While we're in this kind of quiet time where the disease rates are so high,
hospitalizations aren't overwhelming.
The system now is a great time for people who haven't
been vaccinated and who haven't gotten that booster to get vaccinated.
Okay, dr julie morita, Executive vice President,
the robert Wood johnson Foundation and member of
the CDCs advisory committee to the director,
a doctor. We appreciate it