Coronavirus: 'We have to be cautious' going into the winter season, doctor says

Dr. Anthony Harris, HFit Health CEO, joins Yahoo Finance to discuss the latest in the coronavirus pandemic.

Video Transcript

JARED BLIKRE: Welcome back. Moderna's stock is off today, down about 2 and 1/2%. That's after the FDA said it needs more time to review its COVID vaccine for teens. And here with the details, as well as an update on the COVID front, we want to welcome in Dr. Anthony Harris, HFit Health CEO. Doctor, thank you for joining us today.

And I've been following the approval process for all these vaccines since the beginning of COVID, like everybody else. I'm not an expert, but when something goes-- when it goes off schedule-- we'll call it that way-- my ears perk up. And I want to know why. So what should we be thinking about this latest development with the FDA not approving just yet this vaccine, Moderna vaccine, for teens?

ANTHONY HARRIS: Sure, well, thanks, Jared, first, for having me on. And when we're talking about these type of events-- let's call them pauses, right, in the process-- we should know that they're not too alarming, right? And actually, they should be seen kind of as a positive in the process. Most Americans we talked to do have some level of concern around the rapidity of the approval of these vaccines when they first came to market.

And so what we're seeing in this regard of the Moderna vaccine is just a pause, if you would, to do some more digging around the age group, 12 to 17, to look at whether or not the vaccine actually does increase risk for a condition called myocarditis. And those listeners may be familiar, those watchers may be familiar with that term myocarditis, because a lot of parents had and do have concerns. I have a four-year-old and a one-year-old. And yes, I've done my due diligence to understand the risk. And I think the FDA will come down on the side-- same side as the Europeans have in terms of approving the Moderna for this age group.

JARED BLIKRE: And we've seen US COVID cases come down to about half the levels than we saw at peak delta. As we head into the fall, the holiday season here, kind of picks up its stride, and also flu season, what should people be thinking about during this time of year?

ANTHONY HARRIS: Sure, during this time of year, we have to know a couple of things and keep those things in the forefront of our mind, right? Yes, we anticipate some level of a spike in terms of the numbers to bump up higher than they are today. And the reason why is, particularly in the northern states, people are huddled together in the cold weather. And that internal huddling in a closed environment can breed more infections.

And we saw that happen tremendously last year where between December, January, February, we lost quarter million Americans to COVID. And what we are looking forward to this winter, even though we may anticipate a spike, is a less impact from COVID-19 because we have vaccines in place. Now we didn't last year. Because we still have precautions in place.

Now, on that note, the precautions that were in place last year, virtually every state had a mask mandate. And we know that this year, there's only 11 states that have some level of the mask mandate. And that's important to note in terms of preventing infection. So we have to be cautious going into the winter. We haven't gotten to the other side of this yet, but if we're diligent, I think we'll fare pretty well, definitely compared to last year when we're talking the fall and the flu season.

JARED BLIKRE: Yeah, and you mentioned internal huddling. I picked up on that. It sounds like a good Halloween party. But as people do gather for the holiday season and if we were to have another superspreader event or the cases just uptick again, what should people be on the lookout for to make sure that we don't have a repeat of prior episodes here, including the politicians, because the mandates are really going to be in their hands?

ANTHONY HARRIS: Absolutely. I think we should all still keep in mind that we don't want to have huge gatherings, right? Particularly if you're talking the unvaccinated populations, those are the populations that we know are not just at risk of contracting COVID, but still are at significant risk of dying from COVID, particularly if you have members of the family that have risk factors, pre-existing conditions.

So when we're looking to have a good time during the holidays, let's be mindful of the number. If you can keep them relatively low in terms of not more than 15, 20 in a gathering, particularly if you're in a smaller space, that's going to benefit limiting the transmission risk for all those in attendance. Now, if we're talking vaccinated populations, then we have a little bit more leeway, but we know that the vaccine doesn't prevent transmissions very well, only about 39% if we're looking at Israel's data. It's not until we have that third booster, and which is a whole other topic, that we can get the prevention of transmission back into the 90s. So there's still more work to do.

JARED BLIKRE: Yeah, and today's a pretty big day in New York City. We have thousands of potential city workers facing themselves losing their job because of a new vaccine mandate that's going into effect today. I'm just wondering, in your business-- I know you consult with a lot of businesses, and you've no doubt seen the controversial aspect of these vaccine mandates-- how do you work with some of your clients and customers? And just, what's your boots on the ground perspective here, I guess?

ANTHONY HARRIS: Sure, so we counsel our employers that, you know, you have to look at not just the risks from COVID, but also the business risks of the mandate and the impact to your business. Certainly, when we're talking municipalities and first responders, as in the case of New York, where we're facing now, you know, 9,000 employees that are off without pay potentially, unpaid leave, you know, that's an impact to that city.

Now, to New York's credit, 91% of the public workers are actually vaccinated, right? And so, when we're looking at private employers, same thing, right? Look at the risk to your business. Are you going to be in a scenario where you're shut down because the workers have left? And we're seeing the repercussions of that, obviously, in the airline, potentially in the airline industries. And take that into consideration before you mandate as we anticipate the ETS. It's all about managing risk on the upside and downside. And it's not just a straight line forward because we know these are essential services. And we rely on these. Millions of Americans rely on these services in all cities. And the impact we know can be significant.

JARED BLIKRE: Oh, doctor, we certainly appreciate your time here. Dr. Anthony Harris, HFit Health CEO.