CHEMED’s Q & A With Vaccine Expert Now Available to the Public
With the recent uptick in COVID cases within our community, and the rise in resultant hospitalizations, there is probably no medical topic as urgent as that of the newly released COVID vaccines. And there is no better way to gain clarity on a subject than by consulting with an expert on that subject. Inasmuch as the new vaccine has generated an enormous demand to get vaccinated, there have been many unanswered questions on the public’s mind.
In an effort to present clear and practical information, CHEMED arranged a Zoom conference for medical professionals with Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at CHOP, and Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Pennsylvania. An internationally recognized expert in virology and immunology, Dr. Offit was a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to the CDCP, and is a member of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. He is a founding advisory board member of the Autism Science Foundation and the Foundation for Vaccine Research.
The Q&A session was moderated by Dr. Dovid Friedman and Dr. Jeffrey Kaminetzky of CHEMED, with additional questions submitted by participating medical professionals. The session addressed the full range of issues including: How effective are the vaccines? Should people with antibodies get vaccinated? Will we still need to wear masks? Is there an advantage in either the Pfizer or Moderna versions? Will we achieve herd immunity?
An unedited video of the entire conference is now available to the general public at the CHEMED website at www.chemedhealth.org/droffit.
“We are pleased to make this valuable information available to the entire community,” said Dr. Friedman. “We hope this will clarify any questions people may have.” Dr. Friedman emphasized that although we are all eager to see the light at the end of the tunnel, it is still important to practice social distancing and wear masks until that time.
Dr. Offit said the vaccine is effective against disease. Is he referring to the infection itself – Sars-CoV-2? Or is he referring to the symptoms of the infection (Covid-19)? According to the Chief Scientist at the W.H.O., the vaccine is not effective against the actual infection, but only the symptoms. And other news reports are confirming that as well.Thank you.
Both Moderna and Pfizer state in their clinical trials reports that “data are limited to assess the effect of the vaccine against asymptomatic infection.” Does that mean the vaccine has only been proven to less symptoms if someone gets infected, but not to prevent the actual infection?