Speaker 1: (00:00)
On Monday school districts around San Diego reported slightly higher absentee numbers. As some parents kept their children home to protest vaccine mandates, But while small groups demonstrate against the mandates, other parents are counting the days until a vaccine for kids under 12 is approved. Health officials say that emergency use approval is probably coming in the next few weeks, but not in time for Halloween. So what should parents have at top of mind as we enter another year of holidays in the midst of a pandemic, joining me is Dr. Mark Sawyer, pediatric infectious disease specialist with Rady children's hospital and UC San Diego. Dr. Sorry. Welcome
Speaker 2: (00:46)
Back. It's great to join you, Marie. Now we
Speaker 1: (00:49)
See the number of new COVID cases going down as more vaccine mandates go into effect. Do you see a cause and effect there?
Speaker 2: (00:58)
Oh, I do think there is some cause and effect the mandates have been, have really been working and more and more people are getting immunized. We're reaching a level where there aren't that many susceptible people still around. So, you know, we're, I, I hesitate to use the word herd immunity, but we're really making a lot of progress.
Speaker 1: (01:18)
How are mandates working at Rady's?
Speaker 2: (01:20)
Uh, all the health workers at Rady need to be immunized. And if for some reason they won't get immunized, then we they're being placed into non-patient care type of jobs. Uh, during the pandemic
Speaker 1: (01:36)
Now, currently vaccines are available for kids 12 years and older, but what is the latest on vaccine approval for children under 12?
Speaker 2: (01:45)
Yeah, I think that's coming right up. The FDA is meeting on the 26th of October to review the data from Pfizer about that, uh, immunizations in that younger age group. And from what I've heard about that data and having seen the FDA in action during this COVID outbreak, I expect pretty rapid approval of a emergency use authorization or EUA for the five through 11. Will
Speaker 1: (02:14)
This be a different form of the
Speaker 2: (02:16)
Vaccine? It's the same format or the same construct, but it's a lower dose. So the dose that was used in the five to 11 was one-third the dose that older adolescents and adults were getting.
Speaker 1: (02:31)
And will kids need two shots?
Speaker 2: (02:33)
Yes, it's a two dose regimen, just like it is in adults.
Speaker 1: (02:38)
What's the plan on how the shots will be given to children? Will we see large vaccination sites open up again?
Speaker 2: (02:45)
I think there may be some, but I wear it since we started the pandemic. We have many more immunizers in San Diego than we had, you know, back in January and February pharmacies are one place where school children may be able to get immunized. And of course at their primary care physician's office, the pediatricians and family physicians of San Diego have been gearing up and getting ready so that they can give back scenes just in their office.
Speaker 1: (03:13)
And what kinds of reactions may kids get from the shot?
Speaker 2: (03:17)
Well, we haven't seen the full data yet for the younger set, but what's been released so far suggests they get the same sort of side effects as older adolescent adults. So sore, arms, redness, where the injection was given. You might not feel good for 24 hours, but then you're back to normal.
Speaker 1: (03:34)
Should perhaps kids plan staying home from school the day after they get a vaccination,
Speaker 2: (03:40)
It's really hard for me to predict kids are pretty resilient and it takes a lot to throw them off. So they may well be able to just continue and go to school like normal.
Speaker 1: (03:49)
So right now, of course, a kid's vaccine is not yet approved or hoping for that in the next few weeks. And of course Halloween is coming up. So would you let your kids or grandkids go trick or treating this year?
Speaker 2: (04:01)
I think that's a pretty safe activity. It's outdoors, of course, and doesn't require prolonged close contact with other people. Now, having said that I'm referring to a couple of kids, siblings, for example, going around their neighborhood, not batches of 20 kids gathering together in a herd
Speaker 1: (04:22)
Should kids where COVID masks like sort of under their masks are over there Halloween mask.
Speaker 2: (04:28)
Yeah. Hopefully they already have masks on as part of their costume. But I think in an outdoor setting like that, uh, if there are not a lot of other kids in the, in their group that they probably can not wear a mask.
Speaker 1: (04:42)
Dr. Anthony Fowchee recently had some encouraging words for families in regards to celebrating Halloween this year, but did have these words of caution for those who are not vaccinated,
Speaker 3: (04:53)
If you're not vaccinated again, think about it that you'll add an extra degree of protection to yourself and your children and your family and your community.
Speaker 1: (05:02)
So for the younger kids who cannot be vaccinated at this time, what extra degree of protection can they add?
Speaker 2: (05:11)
We do know that masks work. So in indoor settings, particularly around people that you don't know, their immunization status masks can still be, should still be used. Good ventilation helps even in an indoor setting, distancing from other people, all the things that we've been doing for the last year and a half that also worked to reduce the risk,
Speaker 1: (05:33)
You know, even with a vaccine for kids five and over those very young children will still be unvaccinated. How should people with infants and toddlers plan for this holiday season?
Speaker 2: (05:44)
Well, the same precautions apply trying to keep away from March groups of people, uh, unless you're outdoors. Uh, good. Hand-washing, you know, I wouldn't pass the newborn around for every family member to hold them. Uh, cause the more spacing you have, the better off you are now, vaccine is being studied all the way down to six months of age. So in the next six months or so we may be starting to immunize even younger kids.
Speaker 1: (06:14)
There's been an enormous amount of misinformation spread about the COVID vaccine. And I can only imagine that that's going to ramp up again when young children can be vaccinated. Is there any way to counteract that?
Speaker 2: (06:27)
Well, you know, health officials and public health officials are trying as much as they can to get out accurate information. I would encourage people who have concerns about the vaccine to talk to their physician. That's their best source of unbiased and unfiltered information. Uh, and you know, there are certainly lots of good sites on the internet to gather information, but there's lots of misinformation there too. So I would not rely on the internet to, to educate yourself about the risks and the benefits of vaccine. Talk to your doctor or your children stock.
Speaker 1: (07:05)
I've talked to you several times, many times during the pandemic and you sound very hopeful at this point. Is that the way you feel Dr. Sawyer?
Speaker 2: (07:13)
Yes. I think we're getting over the worst of this. You know, we had a peak just in the last month or two, we think largely due to the Delta variant. And there may be other variants that come in the, in the next year, but we've learned how to wear masks. We've learned how to space ourselves apart. The vaccines are making a big impact. So I think we'll continue to have little peaks of activity at various times, but I don't expect a massive outbreak the way we've been having in the last year.
Speaker 1: (07:46)
I've been speaking with Dr. Mark Sawyer with Rady children's hospital and UC San Diego, Dr. Sawyer. Thank you. Thank
Speaker 2: (07:53)
You, Maureen.
