This weeks update comes from the HIMSS conference in Las Vegas and includes a look at the latest vaccine guidance from the CDC that now advocates all pregnant women to get the COVID19 vaccines and the latest data and insights that shows the Pfizer vaccine to be safe in children 5 and up which is great news with schools set to open around the country
We talk about the conference experience and the continued need to wear face coverings and perhaps next time having badges with our picture splashed across to help each other with recognition
Raw Transcript
Nick van Terheyden
Hi, this is Dr. Nick on the incrementalist here with incremental insights for better business better health.
Fred Goldstein
And I’m Fred Goldstein with accountable health here working with employer groups to help their employee benefit programs look at their overall health, their employees. So Nick, another week with COVID, one of the things that we’re really beginning to see now and a lot of concerns regarding pregnant women and whether or not they should get vaccinated, I understand there’s some new information out about that.
Nick van Terheyden
Well, I think the good news is that the FDA is saying previously, it was we we suggest it would be a good thing. But they’re now actually saying this is an advisory. We want pregnant women to take and have the vaccine, we know that it’s safe. I know I hear a lot of times that, you know, there’s concern about it, how could you possibly know that it’s safe? Well, we know it’s safe, because we had a bunch of people that got pregnant, who would have been excluded from the original trials that we did with these vaccination studies in the very early stages. But because they managed to get pregnant, you know, they were already in the trial, they would have been excluded. They chose not to. And we saw data from that. And then they’ve actually studied it subsequently. And I don’t know about you, but I do know some mothers, and this is a big concern. So the fact that this is now a safer option, good news for the mothers good news for the babies as well, because I’m willing to bet there’s gonna be some transmissibility of the immunity because that’s what happens. Mothers are so good like that. They give it to their babies, right?
Fred Goldstein
Absolutely. We’ve also seen obviously, as the hospitalizations have arisen, that we’ve seen a rise in the number of pregnant women who were unvaccinated being hospitalized, I think severe.
Nick van Terheyden
Exactly. Right. So fantastic news. Now, just before we continue, Fred, this isn’t photoshopped. This put us together because this closes it. There’s a reason we’re wearing a mask, right?
Fred Goldstein
Yeah, we’re actually at the hims conference. And actually the way it was set up, which is good, it was mandatory vaccines and then have to wear a mask at all times. Yeah. So yep, we’re in the exhibit hall, they’ve spaced out a little bit better. So I think
Nick van Terheyden
we’re a little bit closer. But that’s because my arm isn’t long enough. And
Fred Goldstein
absolutely. So getting on with vaccines. Also, the other issue that came up that we’ve been waiting for for a while is what about the children? Yeah, understand, five, five and a half. Now,
Nick van Terheyden
it hasn’t quite come out. I think it will be out very soon. But there’s clear data clear studies showing that it’s safe for five and up. So that means that we’ve got all of these parents who are incredibly worried about their children, you know, they want to have mass in schools, you know, there’s all of this struggle. And it’s because the kids couldn’t get the vaccine. They weren’t authorized. We didn’t have an authorization. But now we’ve got the authorization we will do shortly. That’s fantastic news.
Fred Goldstein
Yeah, especially schools are opening. So once that comes out, hopefully fairly soon, we’ll be able to quickly ramp that up and begin to get a little bit safer environment for those children back in school, not just wearing masks, if possible, but getting a vaccine.
Nick van Terheyden
Yeah, so let’s talk a little bit about mass that’s creating an awful lot of fuss and bother this, I was just shocked, I saw a teeny bit of the news. And there’s people actually shouting at folks who are wearing masks. So you and I will be shouted out, because we’ve got this mask on. Right? I’ve got to say I struggle with this whole perception that you know, somebody that wants to protect themselves protect other people. If they’re making that personal choice, forget whether it’s a mandate or not. When did we stop being human beings? Yeah,
Fred Goldstein
I’m not really sure that it’s okay to practice safe behaviors. And we sort of push that as a culture and a community, you know, to wear your seatbelt to watch when you’re crossing the street, all those kinds of things. But to wear a mask to protect you or others is just different. I’ve not really shouted at you if you put
Nick van Terheyden
in a coffee for your children and said, Wow, that’s outrageous. You shouldn’t have to
Fred Goldstein
do that. Absolutely, absolutely
Nick van Terheyden
bizarre. I mean, what is going on in this world?
Fred Goldstein
It’s really strange, right? Perhaps you as originally an outsider from the UK can understand what’s going on with this American culture here better than I do must be out.
Nick van Terheyden
And I’d like to say that we’re doing a fantastic job in the UK. And, you know, things I think are not bad. But I’m pretty sure that they guess their way out of some of it. They were pretty lucky with some of the choices. They made that choice with the two part vaccine and only given the first one not actually worked out. It was great. No longer dosing, you mean, yeah, a second. A second, they took the second dose and said, we’re going to spread it out. We want to get more people with their first dose. And I actually think it worked out but I’m not sure that there was good basis and science for that at the time right. Now. I think we’re seeing more of it. And, you know, that’s the thing about this every day you and I learned something new, right? We absolutely do.
Fred Goldstein
It’s just fascinating to try to keep up with it because it is changing so rapidly. Yeah.
Nick van Terheyden
So in terms of conference and the experience here You know, what would you say? I know I’ve got some thoughts, but what are your thoughts?
Fred Goldstein
nervousness was definitely early on, I felt a little bit better. I’ve tried to really be ultimately careful. So it’s an interesting experience. Obviously, we have to learn how to live with it. And by live with it, I mean, you don’t just throw everything to the wind and say, oh, we’re just gonna go and do everything. But how do we safely function and do the things we need to do? And I think masking and vaccines obviously, is the key at this point.
Nick van Terheyden
Yeah. And the other thing that I would say, here’s my big struggle at this conference. I can’t recognize anybody. I mean, who are you again? Yeah,
Fred Goldstein
exactly.
Nick van Terheyden
I just, I have my capacity to actually recognize somebody from that small amount of space is just very limited. Now maybe if I was 20 years old, and you know, my eyesight was able to spot it. Some people spotted me I’m you know, accused occasionally is looking like Gordon Ramsay. I guess I have the hair going on and whatever. Yeah, but I’ve missed people. And I have sometimes occasionally folks coming up and saying, hey, it’s good to see but I’m not getting that interaction. That’s my big complaint. And I think maybe we could put badges with pictures on
Fred Goldstein
Yeah, I think the idea of if you’re running a conference or something, think of that a badge as a bigger picture somebody’s face. Because even with my glasses, I need my glasses to see the little bit he picked up on some of these. So yeah, I don’t know.
Nick van Terheyden
Some of the hospitals I saw that with some of the physicians and nurses because they’re all covered up. They had no connection with the patients. What did they do? They actually put it and they have pictures and they were sticking they I think they printed them out at home. Yeah, that’s actually not a bad
Fred Goldstein
idea to communicate with. And speaking of hospitals, obviously, we’ve seen this huge increase in hospitalizations. You know, obviously starting Missouri, but now Florida, Texas, Mississippi, any other states just unbelievable to watch this.
Nick van Terheyden
Yeah. So hospitals are filling up in certain areas. We’ve got to stay on top of this. It’s not over it ain’t over until it’s over. I forget what movies on somebody’s on. No, but Yogi Berra baseball for so it wasn’t a movie. It’s baseball. Yeah, sorry.
Fred Goldstein
about that. All good are good. And but yeah, really it? It ain’t over. We sort of thought in the summer, we were heading into a better period of time, but we missed it, folks. Unfortunately. It was a race between the vaccine and delta variant. Yeah. And right now, it’s obviously the hospitals are struggling in anything we can do. To keep the hospitals from having this influx of patients, especially right now is critical.
Nick van Terheyden
Yeah, it’s raging through especially the unvaccinated. So if there was one message to leave everybody with get vaccinated right? If you’re not,
Fred Goldstein
absolutely. So with that this is for adults in the Campbell health. Thanks so much for joining us this week. If you’d like more information, please go to accountable health. llc.com
Nick van Terheyden
and this is Dr. Nick on the incrementalist here with incremental insights for better business, better health.
