Speaker 1: (00:00)
California public health officials are ramping up efforts to get booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine into as many eligible adults as possible. Earlier this week, the state's public health director urged regional health care providers not to turn down any eligible patients for an additional shot. The tone of the message, underlines, a slow demand for boosters as the winter months, approach a combination that some fear could lead to another surge in cases. Joining me now is Dr. Davy Smith, head of the head of the division of infectious diseases and global public health at UC San Diego, Dr. Smith, welcome. And TJ, how important is it that eligible adults receive booster doses ahead of the holiday season?
Speaker 2: (00:45)
I think it is important for people who are eligible to get a booster dose to go ahead and get them a winter is coming, as they say, I am sure we're going to have an increase in cases and having more people, uh, better vaccinated as, as one might expect with a booster should help now that's important, but I actually think we're still lagging behind, uh, people not getting their first series of vaccination. And I think that is actually going to be more important,
Speaker 1: (01:11)
You know, in brief, can you break down how a booster dose bolsters the immunity of a given individual from COVID-19?
Speaker 2: (01:19)
Um, the first time somebody gets a vaccination, it's basically telling the immune system saying, Hey, look out for this virus. This is how you want to fight it. Then you get another dose if you took Pfizer or Madrona. And that's just reminding that, that immune system, those immune cells and say, Hey, this is how the virus looks, please, uh, make your antibodies now so that if you were to see the real thing could kill it. And then that memory, which we call immune immunologic memory wanes as all memories, what the does and what happens with a booster it's the exact same vaccine is that what's happened in the first two times. You're just administered again, to sort of wake up the immune system and say, Hey, this is still a problem. Make some more antibodies so that if you were to see it, you can fight it off.
Speaker 1: (02:07)
How does that differ from the immunity they receive from having had the illness prior?
Speaker 2: (02:13)
It's very similar. So it's mimicking that exact same response that the body might've had at the beginning. So someone gets infected with a virus. If their immune system is good, it makes them the response. It makes antibodies, it makes cells that can recognize that virus and kill it. Um, and the same thing happens with the vaccine. The vaccine, uh, doesn't have the live virus that's there, but it has pieces of the virus to get the immune system, uh, responding
Speaker 1: (02:42)
Colorado, which is facing one of the nation's worst searches, moved beyond federal guidance to allow booster doses for all adults. Do you think that's wise?
Speaker 2: (02:52)
I think it's wise in the setting of a, in the setting of a surge, um, that try to get as many people out there with as high antibody levels as possible. So as high immune responses as possible, so that perhaps not only do they not get sick, but it might decrease the chances of them spreading it. So these vaccines work to keep people out of the hospital, but people can still get infected. Um, hopefully the time that they're infected is less, hopefully it's less chance for them to spread it so that, uh, these boosters might decrease the amount of spread that happens in our community.
Speaker 1: (03:26)
Why do you think that there's a lag then with federal guidelines?
Speaker 2: (03:32)
To be honest, I think the data are kind of thin. So we don't have a lot of really good data for these boosters over time. It's because we're still pretty new with all of this. And we don't have a lot of good data saying this is who needs to get the boosters at exactly what time, but we're trying to get those data, but we're trying to get those data in the setting of a horrible pandemic. So when cases start to arise, it's logical to think, okay, we need more people out there with higher antibody, higher immune responses to stop the pandemic, but the feds are right. We don't have perfect data to say, this is the group that needs the booster at this time to stop the spread. Um, we're getting those data, but it's just gonna take time.
Speaker 1: (04:15)
Are you hearing a lot of questions from people asking whether or not they need their booster shots yet?
Speaker 2: (04:20)
I get that question a lot about whether or not people need their booster and we just walk through it and go through the data. And some people are thinking, okay, well I'm probably okay and I'm not going to get it. Or there's lots of people are like, oh, okay. I think it's this time winter is coming. And I want to be a good neighbor and go ahead and get my vaccine booster.
Speaker 1: (04:41)
And of course, as we mentioned, the state's public health director is urging regional healthcare providers to make that available to all eligible patients, the booster shots. Do you think healthcare providers are receptive to that?
Speaker 2: (04:55)
Yeah, everybody that I talked to, I don't know anybody. Who's refusing to give a booster to anybody who asks for it or who's eligible for it. And many of us are encouraging people to go ahead and get their boosters.
Speaker 1: (05:05)
And what's the best way for people to determine when they should receive their
Speaker 2: (05:10)
Talk to their primary care doc. That's, that's the best way. And if that doesn't work, they can go online and look for at the California department of health about the vaccine and who's eligible for the boosters, but really it's all about that, uh, connection with a primary care doc.
Speaker 1: (05:24)
And to clarify, does it matter which booster shot you receive?
Speaker 2: (05:28)
You know, honestly, it's still early to know which booster is, uh, best for which person at which time, but right now the best data points to, uh, to get the booster from the series that you started with. But it also looks just fine to get a mix and match. Um, so if you've got Pfizer before, it's okay to get Madrona, if you had J and J it's okay to get Pfizer, um, basically they all work to tell the immune system to say, Hey, this is the virus that you need to make antibodies to. And they all boost a response.
Speaker 1: (06:01)
I had been speaking with Dr. Davy Smith, head of the division of infectious diseases and global public health at UC San Diego. Dr. Smith. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank
Speaker 2: (06:11)
You.
