The first case of the South African variant of COVID-19 in the US was found in South Carolina. Heal’s chief physician, Dr. Renee Dua, joins Yahoo Finance Live to discuss.
Video transcription
ZACK GUZMAN: We have new news from the state of South Carolina, where the first case, official case, of this variant of the South African coronavirus has already been detected and documented in that state, according to state health officials earlier. Obviously, we were waiting to see the first official documentation of this following the UK variant, but both are apparently still covered by the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. At least that is what initial studies with both vaccines seem to show. But how problematic could it be if the South African variant, now in South Carolina, continued to spread?
I want to bring Dr. Renee Dua, Medical Director of Heal, join us now to learn more about this. And, Dr. Dua, I mean, this is something that a lot of people may have waited for just what we’ve seen happen so far, but even so, it’s now the first official case in South Carolina. What do you think about it, given the do we know about the vaccine’s effectiveness so far?
RENEE DUA: Yes. Thanks for having me on the show. It is obviously very worrying. And as we all know, the behavior of this virus is to mutate and change. And so, for the moment, we are protected with the vaccines that we have at our disposal, but it is also becoming increasingly clear that we will need reinforcements to protect us over time.
AKIKO FUJITA: What does this mean, from a planning perspective, to you? We received assurances from Pfizer, as well as from the CEO of Moderna, who was earlier this week, specifically saying that, to their point, they believe their vaccines are still effective against these variants, but they are looking for these boosters. When trying to plan how the distribution process will be, while responding to incoming cases, how does all of this complicate things for you?
RENEE DUA: I think the complication is twofold. So, as a doctor, I want to help, and I need to receive the vaccines to be able to administer these vaccines to my patients. As the owner of a home delivery business, it is very, very challenging to do almost anything, certainly here in the state of California. There has been no transparent communication from our government officials on how to apply, how to apply and how to receive vaccine doses. And then you are stuck wanting to help and not being able to.
I think that, ultimately, President Biden has a plan outlined. I think we will see more fluency in vaccine operations being released and administered. I hope California will reach them, because we are having serious cases here, certainly in Los Angeles. So, more to come – and hopefully better news – soon.
ZACK GUZMAN: Yes. As Akiko was saying, although it appears that the two vaccines still cover these variants, it appears that the South African variant is the one against which it has been shown to be least effective in defense. When you look at this – I must note that there have been two documented cases in South Carolina, both of people who have not traveled. Obviously, it would be bad to see in any state, but South Carolina, we must point out, is one of those states that has not necessarily had a high percentage of citizens per 100,000 vaccinated so far. So, when you see these two cases coming from people who have not traveled, what does this indicate to you about perhaps the spread that was already occurring without us knowing it?
RENEE DUA: Yes. And, as I said, I think this virus is changing. We are hearing about this in South Carolina and I am sure we will hear more cases in other states. So I think there is more to come about this variety, this variant, but it tells us that we need to be vigilant about masks, physical separation and hand washing. If you qualify for a vaccine, get one if you can, apply. All of us who think that we can relax and that everything is under control are not there yet. Right? So, I think this is the most critical part of what we are learning.
AKIKO FUJITA: I know we have been in this new Biden government for just over a week, but we have seen, at least publicly, the new president act aggressively in an attempt to map out a federal plan for the distribution of vaccines as well as responding to the virus itself. How did that change the conversation for you internally? And when do you expect to see the impact of these new changes?
RENEE DUA: I think it first gave us a little peace of mind, those of us who are on the front line, those of us who care for patients. We have the tranquility of knowing that things will improve and will change. But it is also important to note that although there is a federal government, there are also state governments that administer the operations of distributing this vaccine, and we are at the mercy of our states and their own organization, or in the absence of it.
So, I think we’re waiting to hear more. I cannot say that we have changed our behavior. For example, at Heal, we are still contacting government officials on a daily basis to try to help. We are still hearing about a lot of confusion. I have colleagues and friends who do not get the second dose. Some did not take the first dose. This is really worrying if we should continue to care for patients and, more importantly, keep them out of the hospital. Therefore, we are waiting patiently. We are waiting.
AKIKO FUJITA: All right. Well, we wish you the best of luck. I hope to be able to contact you again as you continue to respond to this pandemic. Dr. Renee Dua, Medical Director of Heal, thank you very much for joining us today.
RENEE DUA: Thank you very much for having me. Thank you.