Dr. Todd Ellerin discusses new health warning on COVID-19 vaccines

RELEASED ITS FIRST RECOMMENDATIONS, INCLUDING YEARLY FLU SHOTS FOR EVERYONE SIX MONTHS OR OLDER. FLU VACCINES, THOUGH WITHOUT THE PRESERVATIVE THIMEROSAL, THIMEROSAL, THIMEROSAL. OKAY, HERE TO TALK MORE ABOUT THIS IS DOCTOR TODD ELLERIN, VICE CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE AT SOUTH SHORE HEALTH. ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU. I THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE LET’S START WITH THESE RECOMMENDATIONS. IN ADDITION TO THE GUIDANCE ON FLU SHOTS, THE PANEL ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT RSV SHOT FOR NEWBORNS. LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT REALLY CAME OUT OF THIS. AND WHAT DOES THIS MEAN. RIGHT. THERE WERE THREE VOTES. AND THE FIRST ONE YOU ALREADY SAID FLU IN THE FALL, FLU SHOTS FOR SIX MONTHS AND OLDER. SO NOTHING CHANGED THERE. SO THAT WASN’T SHOCKING. THAT’S GOOD NEWS. THERE WAS NOTHING. THAT’S RIGHT. THEN THIS NEW REALLY A SECOND TO THE MARKET RSV ANTI MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY SIMILAR TO A VACCINE BUT NOT EXACTLY GIVEN TO BASICALLY ALL CHILDREN EIGHT MONTHS AND UNDER. AND IT’S CALLED INFLUENZA. AND THAT’S JUST GOOD NEWS. WHY? BECAUSE RSV IS ONE OF THE MAJOR CAUSES OF INFANT HOSPITALIZATION THAT FIRST YEAR. AND THIS REALLY WILL DECREASE THAT. SO THAT’S GOOD NEWS. BUT THEN THERE WAS SOME CONTROVERSY OVER THE GROUP RECOMMENDING THAT THEY REMOVE THIMEROSAL, WHICH IS A PRESERVATIVE, FROM MULTI-DOSE VIALS OF INFLUENZA VACCINE. SO LET’S DRILL DOWN ON THAT. THERE WAS THERE WAS CONCERN OVER THAT. AND THAT’S WHY THAT’S GONE. TAKE US THROUGH IT. WHAT WHAT IS THIS TIED TO? WHAT IS THE CONCERN? WHAT WHAT WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS WAY BACK WHEN THERE WAS A CONCERN THAT THIMEROSAL, BECAUSE IT CONTAINS MERCURY, MAY LEAD TO DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY IN CHILDREN. OKAY, THAT’S BEEN DEBUNKED. THERE ARE THERE WAS CONTROVERSY BACK THEN. COULD IT CAUSE AUTISM? AND BASICALLY ALL OF THE STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THIMEROSAL DOES NOT CAUSE AUTISM, BUT BECAUSE THERE WAS ALL THIS CONTROVERSY, THE GOVERNMENT, THE CDC AND OTHER AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS RECOMMENDED REMOVING THIMEROSAL FROM MOST VACCINES. SO MOST CHILDHOOD VACCINES DON’T HAVE IT. MULTI-DOSE VIALS OF FLU SHOTS DO. BUT REMEMBER, MOST ONLY 3% OR SO OF CHILDREN ACTUALLY ARE GETTING THE FLU SHOT WITH THOSE MULTI-DOSE VIALS. SO IT’S A SMALL PERCENTAGE. THAT’S INTERESTING. GOOD PERSPECTIVE AND GOOD CONTEXT. WHAT’S THE POINT OF THIS ADVISORY COMMITTEE? RIGHT. SO WHY DO WE NEED ADVISORY COMMITTEE? THE ADVISORY THE FDA TELLS US WHO WE CAN GIVE VACCINES OR MEDICATIONS TO THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE IN THE PAST HAS TOLD US WHO WE SHOULD GIVE IT TO, AND THEN INSURERS, INSURANCE COMPANIES HAVE TENDED TO LOOK FOR THE FORMAL GUIDANCE FROM THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND THEN THEY START TO COVER THE VACCINES BASED ON THAT. OKAY. IS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CDC’S RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE VACCINE SCHEDULE OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS? I’M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION. OKAY. WHY? BECAUSE REMEMBER, THERE ARE ALSO ACADEMIES. FOR INSTANCE, THE ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS ACTUALLY HAS VACCINE SCHEDULES, JUST LIKE THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE DOES. I’M GOING TO SHOW YOU ONE SLIGHT DIFFERENCE, OKAY. THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES CURRENTLY MADE A CHANGE AND SAYS FLU SHOT COVID VACCINES FOR HEALTHY CHILDREN AND HEALTHY ADULTS SHOULD BE DISCUSSED WITH THE PROVIDER. WHEREAS THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS SAYS HEALTHY CHILDREN AS LONG AS YOU’RE SIX MONTHS AND OLDER, SHOULD GET THE COVID VACCINE EVERY YEAR. IT’S A SLIGHT DIFFERENCE, BUT JUST SHOWING YOU THAT THERE’S MORE THAN ONE PERSPECTIVE. NOW REMEMBER, IMPORTANTLY, BOTH GROUPS ARE SAYING THAT COMPROMISED CHILDREN SHOULD GET VACCINATED EVERY YEAR. AND THAT’S IMPORTANT. AND DO YOU AND DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? AGREE WITH THAT. YOU DO AGREE WITH THAT. YOU’RE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS. VACCINES ARE IMPORTANT, RIGHT? WE WANT TO GET THIS RIGHT. AND IT’S IMPORTANT, I THINK, TO DISCUSS IT BECAUSE KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. AND THAT’S HOW WE LEARN ABOUT THINGS. ABSOLUTELY. AND WE APPRECIA