Coronavirus Questions & Changing Guidance 😷
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Episode 116 Description
In this episode of The Ten News Gets Extra, we are looking at the latest COVID news and answering listener questions. 🦠 What is the Delta variant? 💉 When will the vaccine be ready for younger kids? And speaking of vaccines, correspondent Pamela Kirkland talks with Caleb Chung, a 12 year old vaccine trial participant. Thanks Caleb! 🙏 Do you have questions about the pandemic? Email us at: hello@thetennews.com 😷
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TRANSCRIPT:
Various Voices 0:00
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Bethany Van Delft 00:06
I'm Bethany Van Delft. It's July 31. And this is no ordinary episode of The Ten News. You got it. This is The Ten News Gets Extra!
Bethany Van Delft 00:23
News with the pandemic has been changing fast and furious the last couple of weeks with more mask mandates and the rise of the Delta variant. So we wanted to use today to answer some important COVID questions. Let's dive in…
Bethany Van Delft 00:40
Why are masks making a comeback? Where are the vaccines for kids? Is there another wave coming to my community? You might have a lot of questions about the state of the pandemic. And we're here to answer some of them.
Bethany Van Delft 00:54
Question 1: What is the Delta variant?
Nope, it's not a time hopper from the Marvel series Loki. The Delta variant is a strain of the virus that was first found in India. It made its way to the United States in March and is now the dominant form of the illness here. Today, 1 in 4 new cases of COVID are from the Delta variant. It's highly contagious- more so than all the other strains. Delta worries health officials because some studies show that people who are not vaccinated and become infected with Delta are twice as likely to be hospitalized. The best form of protection against Delta variant is if you can get vaccinated get vaccinated. All the vaccines approved in the U.S., Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson and Johnson help prevent serious illness.
Bethany Van Delft 01:44
Question 2: Do I need to wear a mask?
The World Health Organization has been urging people to put masks back on, no matter if you're vaccinated or not. But the CDC here in the U.S. says that if you got the shot, you don't have to mask up in many situations. Why do they say different things?
Experts say that the World Health Organization is advising the entire world and certain vaccines that other countries have been giving out, like the Sinovac vaccine aren't as effective at protecting against different COVID variants. But experts here agree that if your community has a low vaccination rate, and if you're not vaccinated, or you plan on being in a crowded space, it's a good idea to put on a mask. Schools across the country are making their plans for the Fall, and the rules do vary, from some schools requiring masks for kids and teachers to other places like Texas, which is banning all mask mandates. And remember, some families may choose to continue masking even if not required for different reasons, such as protecting family members who are high risk.
Bethany Van Delft 02:58
Question3: When will kids get vaccines?
Kids older than 12 can get the vaccine now. And for younger kids, both Pfizer and Moderna have been working away on lots of tests called clinical trials. Why is testing needed? Well, scientists are looking at whether kids of different age groups need different doses of the vaccine. Pfizer is expected to file for emergency authorization around the end of September and Moderna may follow this winter or early next spring. Experts agree that kids need to be vaccinated to move past the pandemic and get us closer to normal. We know that you may have more questions than these and we'd love to hear them.
Bethany Van Delft 03:41
What questions do you have about the pandemic? Grab a grown up and email us at Hello@thetennews.com or call us at 877-TEN-NEWS that's 877 t e n n e w s.
Bethany Van Delft 04:01
It's been a long road but a vaccine is coming for kids. We know that you may want to learn more about what it's like getting the vaccine. Well, we've got you covered with our re-air of our correspondent Pamela Kirkland, who sat down with Caleb Chang, a 12 year old vaccine trial participant
Pamela Kirkland 04:23
COVID-19 vaccine maker Pfizer was recently approved for use in kids aged 12 to 15. While that's awesome news. I bet some of you Ten'ers have questions about the vaccine and what it's like to get a shot. So we wanted to talk to Caleb Chung, he was a participant in the Pfizer vaccine trial for kids, and his dad Dr. Richard Chung, is a pediatrician at Duke University in North Carolina. Thank you both for coming on The Ten.
Caleb Chung
Thank you for inviting us.
Pamela Kirkland
So Caleb, tell us about why you wanted to participate in the trial.
Caleb Chung 04:57
Well, I'm in they wanted to participate In this trial, because it was a great opportunity that was actually given to me, as my dad brought back the news in early to mid December last year that a few of his colleagues were like, starting to move down into the 12 to 15 year old age group. So I thought this would be a really great opportunity to help out and fight back against the virus because there wasn't much I could really do.
Pamela Kirkland 05:28
And how did you feel after you got the shot? Were you nervous at all?
Caleb Chung 05:32
Um, I wasn't too nervous because I'm, I believe that the science is reliable and that it's safe. And I did experience a few side effects like headaches and arm and leg pains, relative fatigue or a sore throat. And actually, a few days ago, I received the news that I actually was one of the people who got the actual vaccine and not the placebo. So I was really excited that I had that protection all.
Pamela Kirkland 06:01
Dr. Chung, how did you feel about your son participating in the trial? And what was your own vaccination experience? Like?
Dr. Richard Chung 06:08
Yeah, so as Caleb mentioned, we heard about it in December. And so some colleagues at Duke, were helping to conduct the trial here and I heard about that. Caleb at the time was 12. And, you know, around that time, that was when a lot of the initial news about these vaccines, at least for adults had come out. And so there was a lot of positive news about it being safe and effective in the trials, and people are getting excited about that. As a pediatrician, though, somebody who takes care of a lot of young people, including age 10, you know, we've always been, throughout the pandemic, really trying to make sure that kids don't get forgotten about, and eventually, that kids could get the protection that they deserve.
And so as Caleb kind of mentioned, it seemed like a really good opportunity. Because, you know, he had gone through so many months at that point of virtual school, and a lot of his activities were disrupted. He wasn't seeing his friends as often as he really wanted to, and, and, you know, at age 12, you're kind of at the point where you're wanting to do something yourself, you know, you want to be able to take control and, and make your mark on the world. And this seemed like a really good opportunity. I got my own shot through the hospital where I work. And then I got my second shot in January.
Pamela Kirkland 07:20
And you're both now vaccinated.
What are you looking forward to doing any fun summer plans?
Caleb Chung 07:25
Um, yeah, I think in like July, we're going to go on two different vacations with our family. And I'm really excited for that, and that they'll be like, protected, and safe during that traveling. And also getting back to school in the fall and getting to do my extracurricular activities. Like, I'm doing cello and I was doing jujitsu. But obviously, it's a lot more difficult and hard online. So I'm really excited to go back in person. And that would be really fun. And also getting to see my friends more and just having the safety and protection that the vaccine provides will really open up new opportunities.
Pamela Kirkland 08:11
That's very cool. And Caleb, do you have any advice for kids who may be on the fence about getting the vaccine or who are nervous about taking the Pfizer vaccine?
Caleb Chung 08:21
Well, it definitely depends on like, what their past experience with vaccines has been, like, if they just but I would just say that, um, if they choose to take the vaccine, I think that'd be a wise choice because they can really, I believe, personally, that can really protect you and can really give you an extra layer of safety between you and the Coronavirus. And it will. And I know there's like a lot of things that are opening up where if you are vaccinated, then you get to do more like in person, things without mass. So I think that would be a pretty cool motivation for people who are not that competent in the vaccine.
Pamela Kirkland 09:12
Well, thank you both so much for taking the time to talk to us and educate everyone on what the vaccine is and what the experiences are around it. So thank you again, and we'll check in with you guys soon.
Caleb Chung 09:25
Thanks for having us. Thank you.
Bethany Van Delft 09:29
Without awesome trial participants like Caleb, we wouldn't have a vaccine today. Thank you, Caleb.
Bethany Van Delft 09:40
You know who is out of this world? All of you Ten'ers and we want to hear from you. If you haven't already, please click on the link in the show notes for our latest Ten News listener survey. It's only 10 questions and it should take you less time than listening to the show. With the help of a grown up you can be entered to win an Amazon gift card. This is the last day that the survey will be open so get your answers in before it closes.
Bethany Van Delft 10:14
Okay, it's time for..
Sound Bite
What? What's the big idea? Trivia on the Ten.
Bethany Van Delft 10:23
As COVID-19 vaccines continue to roll out across the world, Romanians had an especially spooky site where they could get vaccinated. Where was it?
Was it A) house inhabited by a ghost, B) the middle of a haunted forest or C) Dracula's castle.
Bethany Van Delft 10:47
Did you guess it? The answer is C, Dracula's castle. That's right. The 14th century castle that supposedly inspired Bram Stoker's famous vampire novel has traded fangs for syringes. The country hopes the spooky setting will attract more people to get their shots. At the site, doctors wore stickers with fangs on them. Talk about taking a bite out of the pandemic.
Time's up. Thanks for listening to The Ten News. Look out for new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and extras on Saturdays.
The Ten News is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team is shopping for new masks and includes Kate Hale, Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto and Andrew Hall. Pamela Kirkland contributed to this episode. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany Van Delft. And thanks for listening to The TenNews.
Blah, blah. I want to give you a vaccine...
Sources for this episode:
https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/5-things-to-know-delta-variant-covid
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/30/well/live/delta-variant-vaccines-masks.html
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/prince-georges-county/prince-georges-schools-to-require-masks-this-fall/2743563/
https://www.npr.org/2021/07/26/1017864066/how-some-districts-are-trying-to-get-anxious-families-back-into-school-buildings
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01061-4
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/07/26/world/covid-delta-variant-vaccine
https://apnews.com/article/europe-entertainment-coronavirus-pandemic-arts-and-entertainment-oddities-366088a94bfe6b69f2f9fe6dce662540
