Susi writes:
Dr. Griffin,
We have been so grateful for your leadership in this pandemic. I am a pediatric infectious diseases physician with 5 partners at a children’s hospital. We are still testing all routine admissions, but are under increasing pressure to stop. I have concerns about our immunocompromised patients and our patients at risk for severe disease. If we learn they are positive on admission we could potentially intervene. We would also have better ability to keep common areas of the hospital safe. Do you have any thoughts about routine hospital admission testing?
Thanks so much!
Susi Whitworth, MD
Zac writes:
Good evening Daniel and Vincent. I am a huge fan and have been listening to your show since March 2019. Thank you for remaining my beacon of sanity during the pandemic. I received a booster shot and am on Evusheld due to an immune system suppressed by Infliximaab (Remicaide). I received my Evusheld shot in early April, and MRNA booster (Moderna, Moderna, Pfizer) in December 2021. I am 41, mildly overweight, have Crohns, but am otherwise in good health. My next Infliximaab infusion is in mid June. What would the best time to be to take my second booster? I have a very forward facing job with a lot of indoor interactions with the public. I wear a N95, but want to give myself the best chance to avoid serious complications if I am infected by the virus. Thank you for your time.
Zac in Pennsylvania
Laurie writes:
I am a pediatrician in a busy private practice in San Francisco with SO many questions but I will limit them to three.
1.) Parents of 5-11 year olds want to know if they should get the booster now or wait until fall, unless visiting grandma or other high risk individuals over the summer.
2.) Everyone wants Paxlovid! You mentioned that the prescribing slope is getting slipperier (and I just learned from you that LD is a risk factor!) We are trying hard to hold the line. It seems like it is not a benign drug plus the rebound issue could complicate things (people are also now asking for a 10 day course.) Are we doing our patients with mild asthma and/or ADHD a disservice in saying no?
3.) What are your thoughts about the initial data on the Pfizer 3 dose immunizations for the under 5s? It seems a little underwhelming to me at this juncture.
Thank you so much for all you do. TWiV has been instrumental in keeping us up to date, helping us make good decisions for ourselves, our staff and our many grateful patients. We are very appreciative.
Laurie Schultz MD, MPH
Golden Gate Pediatrics
Mauro writes:
Hello Daniel.
When Moderna and/or Pfizer get EUA for kids 5 and under, do they just use the same vial for adults and prepare more syringes with less volume or do they have a special formulation?
I’m asking because we’re eager to get our daughter vaccinated and were wondering if we’d have to wait for kids’ special formulations to be delivered.
Thanks
Mauro
