In episode 6 of our COVID19 Road to a vaccine series, our host, Associate Professor Nigel Crawford, speaks to Professor Paul Offit. Professor Offit is an infectious diseases physician and Director of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHoP) Vaccine Education Center (VEC). The VEC website inspired the creation of the Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre, the host of this podcast series.
In this episode they discuss:
- The impact of SARS-CoV-2 on health care workers and the importance of a vaccine
- Preventative therapies and randomised controlled trials in a pandemic, specifically the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 and the other trials involving health care workers
- COVID-19 in children – do they play a role in transmission? Will they be a target for vaccine studies?
- Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome (PIMS) – how can we factor this emerging condition into safety planning?
Links:
- New York Times: We know crowding affects the spread. It may affect the death rate.
- New York Times: Re-thinking COVID-19 in children
- Vaccine Education Center
- MVEC: Clinical trial of BCG vaccine against COVID-19
- Paul Offit: Deadly Choices
- Paul Offit: The Cutter Incident
You can listen to this episode here: