Thread by @DrTomFrieden

Benefits, Risks, and Future of Vaccines and the Pandemic

Our vaccine safety monitoring system works. Reports of blood clots led to quick investigation, quick action, and transparency about what is known, not known and next steps. Vaccines remain our way out of the pandemic. 1/14

Global collaboration has been critical throughout the pandemic. Public health and medical experts around the world are collaborating to determine whether the events associated with AstraZenenca vaccine are the same as these events which may be associated with the J&J shot. 2/14

Tech transfer is crucial. The pandemic is the world’s most important problem. mRNA technology is our best solution. Create high-quality manufacturing platforms and hubs around the world to improve vaccine access. mRNA technology is an insurance policy against the pandemic. 3/14

mRNA vaccines are easier to tweak for vaccine-escape variants, less subject to production delays, easier and quicker to scale. May be more effective against infection, and may be safer also. ALL licensed vaccines are safe and effective; mRNA is the most promising technology. 4/14

We also need more efforts like Moderna’s to study vaccine thermostability at non-freezing temperatures, and other efforts that may help get mRNA vaccines to places and communities that are harder to reach. bit.ly/3tspOHw 5/14

Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever, saving billions of lives. As with any medical intervention, there may be a small risk. Rotavirus causes deadly diarrheal disease in young children. The story of rotavirus vaccines is instructive. 6/14

In 1999, the Rotashield vaccine was withdrawn from the US market because of a rare, serious complication. Other countries followed suit. This decision led to literally MILLIONS of preventable child deaths around the world until a new vaccine was introduced 7 years later. 7/14

There’s still a low risk of serious complications associated with rotavirus vaccines but benefits of vaccination FAR outweigh the risks. Thus the US and countries around the world continue to vaccinate children against rotavirus, looking carefully for possible complications. 8/14

Serious events possibly associated with J&J vaccine being investigated. The pandemic continues. About 1 in 200 people with Covid die from it. 6 reports of CVST among almost 7 million people who got J&J; no known reports of such events associated w/ Pfizer/Moderna vaccines. 9/14

Analysis of risks and benefits guide recommendations for vaccines, including against Covid. This is uncomfortable. We weigh “sins of commission” more heavily than “sins of omission”. But if a vaccine helps many thousands more people than it may harm isn’t this the way to go?10/14

Globally, benefits of the vectored vaccines (J&J, AZ) will FAR outweigh risks in ALL communities in which Covid is spreading and for all populations at high risk of complications of Covid. 11/14

The more people vaccinated with available vaccines, the lower the case rates, the more lives saved, the sooner we will get to the new normal. I still think we’re likely to crush the curve of infections by summer and be in the new normal in the fall in the United States. 12/14

We must balance the risks posed by Covid with extremely low potential risks of getting vaccinated. Fundamentally, the case for scaling up mRNA vaccine platforms globally just got even stronger than when we advocated for this 6 weeks ago. politi.co/2MTInEE 13/14

Scaling up production of mRNA vaccines won’t be simple. Life rarely is. But technological transfer of the most promising vaccine technology isn’t just the right thing to do altruistically, it’s essential to the health and safety of every person, everywhere in the world. 14/end