Center for Disease Control

FAQs on COVID-19 Vaccination with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:55:55 GMT

To answer common questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, U.S. Surgeon General vice admiral Dr. Vivek Murthy joined AgriTalk on May 4. This was the same day President Joe Biden shared the goal for 70% of adults in America to have had at least one shot of the vaccine by July 4.

“The progress report is good,” Murthy says. “We have made tremendous progress in vaccinating the country to date. If you look at people above the age of 65, we’ve gotten at least one dose of the vaccine into more than 80%, which is pretty extraordinary. And we have about 70% of our seniors who are now fully vaccinated.”

But even with those 150 million people who have had at least one shot, Murthy says the country needs to have another 100 million shots administered in the next 60 days to reach the president’s next goal by July 4.

You can listen to the full interview with Murthy here:

On the segment, Murthy answered several commonly asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine:

Do we have enough supply?

“Here in America, we have done a good job of bolstering our supply. So we do have more and more vaccine available for those who want it. And we also, very importantly, have more places where you can get a vaccine.”

What is being done to increase access to the vaccine?

“There are over 40,000 pharmacies in the country that now have vaccine to offer. We have community vaccination sites, we have community health centers where we’ve actually directly delivered vaccine from the federal government and we’ve got more primary care doctors who are getting vaccine direct-ly in their offices so they can give it to patients. The President and the administration will be providing more direct funding and support to rural health clinics to support outreach as well as direct allocation of vaccine to rural health clinics so they can directly vaccinate their own patients.”

How is access being improved specifically to rural America?

“We know rural areas are different from urban areas, people are more spread out, it’s not always as easy to travel to one location that’s close to everyone to get a vaccine. So we’ve got to work through some of those logistical barriers, which is why the funding for the rural health clinics and for these mobile units is so important. But we also know everyone looked gets information from different sources. We’re a big country. Not everyone listens to the same news station, radio station and that means we’ve got to do more work in getting information out, and particularly through people’s doctors, which is the reason behind one of the projects we launched. From my office and other offices in the government it’s something called COVID-19 Community Core, where we bring together doctors, nurses, faith leaders, local business leaders and others to get the accurate information they know they and their communities want and to be able to share that with them.

In addition to people trusting the doctors and nurses who take care of them, we know about 50% of people say they would take the advice of a family member or friend when it comes to making a decision on the vaccine. What that means is even if you don’t have a medical degree or a nursing degree, you can still be a vital force in helping people understand the vaccines we have for COVID-19 are a way to protect them against COVID and a way, ultimately, for us to help turn this pandemic around.”

Why are people hesitant to get the vaccine?

“We’ve seen a lot of news stories about people being hesitant to get the vaccine. But what we’re finding actually is people who haven’t gotten vaccinated yet it’s a combination of a few things. Some people have questions, which are important to answer. We want people to get answers from reliable sources, like their doctors or their nurses who take care of them. But we also know some people are wondering if it’s really that important for them to get vaccinated. Maybe they’re young and healthy, and they think, ‘Hey, I’m not at high risk of a bad outcome, do I really need to get this vaccine?’, or maybe they’re working two or three jobs and don’t have transportation to get to a vaccine center.

We’re trying to work on all three fronts to make sure we’re working closely with doctors and nurses around the country, as well as pastors and other faith leaders, to help get information to their com-munities. But we’re also trying to improve the number of access points so it’s easier and easier hope-fully over the weeks ahead for people to get vaccines in their pharmacy, in their doctor’s office or in their neighborhoods.”

Should people who have had COVID-19 get vaccinated?

“The answer is yes. And here’s why. It turns out the immunity you get from a natural infection is actually not as robust. It’s not as strong as the protection you get from the vaccine. So you’re more likely to be at risk for reinfection. That’s why we’re asking everyone to get vaccinated regardless of their prior infection.”

What if people still have questions?

“I always say our health is personal to us. And if you have questions, you absolutely have a right to get those questions answered because ultimately, it’s your health. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind about the vaccine.

Recognize 90% of doctors in this country have either gotten the vaccine or are planning to get it as soon as possible. That tells you about the faith the medical profession has in the vaccine.
Keep in mind these vaccines, even though it seems like they were developed on a quick timeframe, the technology behind them has been in development for decades.
We are lucky enough to see the culmination of that research, and these vaccines have been studied rigorously in clinical trials and what we’ve seen with nearly 150 million people having received at least one dose of the vaccine is this side effect profile remains really strong in terms of safety. The effectiveness remains extraordinarily strong and high as well. That’s what you want to see — high effectiveness and very low risk in any vaccine you take.
I know many people are worried about the side effects of the vaccine. But first of all, the vast majority of people don’t have side effects from this vaccine. Those who do tend to experience one to two days of flu-like symptoms, meaning fatigue, maybe a low-grade fever and a body ache, but that lasts for about a day or two. Then it goes away, and they feel pretty good. Afterward what you’re left with is protection from the vaccine.

“It’s certainly a blessing to be able to serve the country, especially at a time like this during this pandemic crisis. I’m eager to do everything I can to help,” Murthy says.

EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Fauci on COVID Pandemic — "It Will End"

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 21:38:57 GMT

The omicron variant surge of COVID-19 might appear to be cresting in some big cities, but the latest wave is far from over, especially in many rural communities, says Dr. Anthony Fauci. The chief medical adviser to President Biden says smaller towns should expect omicron outbreaks to increase in the coming weeks.

“When you have an outbreak of a new variant, there’s a delay,” says Dr. Fauci regarding rural outbreak trends. “Rather than have the sharp peak and then come down, you sort of gradually go up and then come back down.”

In a one-on-one interview with Farm Journal Editor and AgDay TV host, Clinton Griffiths, Dr. Fauci says as vaccination numbers and unvaccinated COVID survivors increase the pandemic will end.

“It will end. I can guarantee you and your viewers it will end hopefully sooner rather than later,” Dr. Fauci says. “We will reach a point where the virus will be low enough in the community as to not have any impact on what we do, so we can get ourselves back to some form of normality and it doesn’t interrupt the economy or interrupt our way of life. That’s what we’re hoping we’re going to see within a reasonable period of time.”

(Watch Full Interview Above)

The highly transmissible omicron variant has helped to push COVID-19 positive rates higher since late fall. The weekly rolling average of COVID-19 deaths is now at 1,700. That’s about half what it was in January 2021.

“If you look at the devastation in this country thus far, we’ve had 850,000 deaths and about 66 million cases,” Dr. Fauci says.

New models from the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub , created by university and health experts, which now factor in the omicron variant, expect up to 2.38 million hospitalizations and 304,000 deaths, at worst, and 409,000 hospitalizations and 54,000 deaths, at best, from mid-December through mid-March. Those models show the omicron peak sometime between February and March.

(Farm Journal)

“To be sure, there are breakthrough infections, namely, people get vaccinated and even boosted, and they may get infected,” says Dr. Fauci. “For the most part, though, those infections are either without symptoms or minimally symptomatic.”

Dr. Fauci says in many, but not all, rural areas, vaccination rates are lower compared with the rest of the country. While strongly advocating for vaccines and boosters to prevent hospitalization or severe illness, Dr. Fauci recognizes all immunity will ultimately work together against the coronavirus.

“I think when you get a situation of more and more people getting vaccinated and boosted or unfortunately, people getting sick or getting infected, then recovering and having a degree of protection, if you combine those two, there will be enough protection in the country,” says Fauci in reference to an eventual end of the pandemic.

The federal government is now offering free coronavirus test kits to some Americans. Those with a valid residential address can go to COVIDTests.gov to get one set of four free at-home COVID tests starting in late January.

Pfizer Vaccine Receives Full FDA Approval: “Now is the Time to Get Vaccinated,” White House Says

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:50:48 GMT

Nearly nine months following the authorization of the first emergency use of a COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a seal of approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Comirnaty.

In an AgriTalk interview on Tuesday with host Chip Flory, Dr. Bechara Choucair, White House vaccination coordinator, discussed the FDA’s approval of Pfizer’s vaccine.

“We know there are a lot of people who are still undecided about the vaccine. And there are many reasons why some of these folks are undecided about the vaccine. But for the subset of these folks, and according to the Kaiser Family foundation, up to three out 10 of these folks are waiting to get the full approval of the FDA before they get vaccinated,” Choucair says. “If you’ve been waiting for this approval before you get the vaccine, now is the time go ahead and get vaccinated.”

Many have questioned whether the FDA would push approval for the Pfizer vaccine because so many people have already received the jab. Choucair explains the FDA’s acceptance of the vaccine wasn’t a political move. The decision was based on fact and scientific data.

“The FDA has gone through a very complex process to ensure the safety, the effectiveness, and the quality production of this vaccine. They have reviewed literally hundreds of thousands of pages worth of preclinical data, clinical data, and information. They’re reviewed details of the manufacturing process,” Choucair says. “They’ve gone through inspections at the sites in which the vaccine is made. We know the FDA has worked around the clock and has said that this was one of their top priorities. And we know the FDA is the gold stand for safety in the world. So I think people should absolutely be confident in that this vaccine has met its high standards, is safe, and is effective.”

With Pfizer leading the FDA approval charge, it begs the question if or when Moderna and Johnson & Johnson will follow suit.

“We know from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, both companies are still gathering final data and submitting their application materials. And the FDA has already said the COVID-19 vaccines are among their top priority,” Choucair told Flory. “Currently in the United States, we have three vaccines that are very safe and very effective. They’re effective at preventing you from getting the infection, but they are particularly effective in preventing you from getting more severe consequences after injection – like hospitalizations and deaths.”

Given that schools are reopening across the country with in-person classes, COVID-19 is likely to spike. However, Choucair says there is a spark of hope in the ongoing full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for teens and preteens.

“The vaccine has received full approval for 16 years old and older. Now, keep in mind that 12- to 15-year-olds will continue to receive the vaccine. Pfizer remains authorized for emergency use, and it is safe and effective, as we’ve heard from both the CDC and the FDA,” he says. “At this time, Pfizer has requested the full approval for the use of the vaccine and on individuals 16 and older. In July, Pfizer did say it would pursue separate approval for the 12-to-15-year age group once that additional six-month data comes out.”

Choucair told Flory the data attests to the effectiveness of the vaccine and the Pfizer option is working as anticipated.

“If you look at the overwhelming majority of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 in this country today, they are amongst those who are unvaccinated. You look at the overwhelming majority of people who are dying from COVID-19 today, they are by far unvaccinated. So the vaccines work. They’re effective; they’re safe. If you are still thinking about getting vaccinated, now is the time to roll up your sleeves and get that shot.”

An uptick in vaccinations seems likely with the FDA approving the Pfizer vaccine. However, it’s difficult to put into perspective how many Americans are vaccinated or unvaccinated. In his final thoughts, Choucair discussed the number of shots administered each day, as well as weekly averages.

“This is our path to getting this pandemic behind us. It all starts with more and more people getting vaccinated. And the fact remains that we’re seeing more and more people getting vaccinated every single day. We’ve averaged 800,000 doses per day over the last week or so. We have more than 470,000 people every single day, rolling-up their sleeves and getting that very first shot,” Choucair says. “We know people are realizing that this pandemic is not over. People are realizing this delta variant is much more contagious and they’re realizing there are more people in hospitals, more people dying, and we want to make sure they’re protecting themselves, and their communities.”

Listen to Chip Flory’s full interview with Dr. Bechara Choucair, White House vaccination coordinator, here.