Dr. Nicole Saphier discusses updated guidance, new coronavirus strain on ‘FOX & Friends Weekend.’
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Rachel welcome back to Fox AMP
Rachel welcome back to Fox AMP
friends.
The CDC is issuing new guidance
on the Covid 19 vaccine for
people with underlying
health conditions, saying they
can receive it, provided they
havent had any severe allergic
reactions to its ingredients.
Fox news, medical contributor, Dr
Nicole Saphier, is the author
of Make America healthy again,
and she joins us now to react.
Welcome Nicole,
tell us about these new
guidelines.
Well, thats right Rachel.
Good morning
the CDC came out because people
have a lot of questions about
these new vaccines and
specifically, if you can take a
vaccine when you have chronic
illness
well, we know with Covid 19 the
elderly and those with
preexisting medical conditions
are at a higher risk for severe
illness. So its a really good
question whether or not those
with existing medical
conditions can take the vaccine,
and when you look at the safety
data from Pfizer and Moderna and
some of the other vaccines that
are going to be coming to market,
they do include people with
chronic medical conditions,
which is a good thing because
about forty percent of Americans have some
form of chronic illness, but
they are usually including the
more common ones: high blood
pressure, cholesterol, some form
of lung disease, and in that
they show its completely safe
and those people absolutely
should be getting the vaccine.
What was not included in the
clinical trials were those
with autoimmune disease
and some form of
immunosuppression and rightfully
so you dont usually include
them in the first stages of the
clinical trial. However, what
the CDC and a lot of the
specialty expert groups are
coming out saying is that the
benefit far out weighs the
risk in these groups.
Yes, it hasnt been tested in
these groups, but it doesnt mean
that the vaccine isnt going to
be safe.
The biggest concern is: will the
vaccine actually work in
these patients?
Will it provide them the
immunity that they are going
to need
Rachel? As you know, I myself
have an autoimmune disease, and
this is a big question that I
had
so ive called my colleagues at
the FDA, the CDC as well as my
own rheumatologist and asked.
Can I get the vaccine?
Will it put me into a big
autoimmune flare?
Will because of the medication
im on? Will I even mountain
immune response to the vaccine,
and the answer is we dont
really know? But what we do know
is. This vaccine is incredibly
safe unless you have a known,
severe allergic reaction history,
so everyone probably
should be getting this vaccine
under the guidance of their
doctor, and we have clinical
trials now undergoing to make
sure that these people are also
getting that immunity that they
need.
We dont know if its going to
be that same ninety five percent efficacy, but
any sort of immunity is going to
help and really help us move
that needle with Covid 19
Rachel, so youre going to take
the vaccine Nicole,
so Rachel when it is offer
ed to me yes,
but based on my doctors advice,
it seems that I should be taking
it because itll not only help
me but itll help potentially
help those around me, and so,
when it is my turn, I absolutely
will be taking it
Rachel all right. So meanwhile,
fears are growing
that theres. This new strain of
you know just as were starting
to get a handle on Covid 19
talk to me a little bit about
this new strain.
What we should be thinking about?
Well, the vaccine thats
out right now. First of all,
will that help someone if they
were to catch this new strain?
This is a great question.
Rachel and a lot of people are
concerned about this, but we do
have to remember that there have
been over one hundred different strains
of Sars Cov 2 circulating since
the beginning of this pandemic.
Its completely normal and
expected to see various strains
emerge from when youre in the
middle of a pandemic,
the specific strain coming out
of the UK, which is now not just
in the UK, its all across the
globe, seeing it in Canada as
well, is close to home. For us,
it does seem to be more
transmissible more contagious.
There has not been data showing
that it is anymore deadly or
has severe effects, but the big
question is: will the vaccines
work for it and Moderna came out
a couple days ago saying they
believe they looked at the new
strain and looked at their data
that they believe that the broad
immune response from their
vaccine will cover this strain.
They are going to be working as
well as Pfizer to start a
trial right now to make sure
that it is the same
its possibilities not going to
reach that same ninety five percent efficacy, but
maybe itll, still provide eighty percent
which, by the way, remember
Rachel were, are looking for
anything over fifty percent. With these.
Transcript generated on 2020-12-27.