AdventHealth CEO Talks with Experts on Next Phase of the Pandemic

AdventHealth CEO Terry Shaw shared on LinkedIn a video update with experts in infectious diseases and vaccine safety regarding the state of the pandemic, the latest on vaccines and their views on what’s next.

Steven Smith, MD, chief scientific officer, and Vincent Hsu, MD, executive director of infection prevention, discussed the pandemic’s data indicators, the path to herd immunity, an outlook for vaccine supply, vaccine hesitancy, relaxing safety precautions too soon and post-vaccination safety and travel.

Click here to watch the video on LinkedIn.

Key Expert Quotes from the Discussion

Dr. Hsu on the state of the pandemic

“Our human nature is that we want to start relaxing and getting back to normal. Even though we are moving in the right direction, we are not there yet. It’s like a forest fire that hasn’t been completely stamped out yet.”

Dr. Smith on vaccine supply outlook
“Vaccine supply is very good right now with Moderna, Pfizer and Janssen available. The supply is about to really increase. Not only this month, but next month as well. There is a fourth vaccine that is on the horizon with initial reports suggesting it is more than 90% efficacious. We are anxious to see that fourth vaccine. That will clearly make enough supply for all Americans in the very near future.”

Dr. Smith on vaccine hesitancy
“We’ve been surveying our patients about their concerns for quite some time now and one of the things we saw early on was a lack of information and lack of understanding about the data. That has changed over the last three or four months, particularly on the safety side as we get more safety data. People are becoming less reluctant and less hesitant to take a vaccine. Getting that information from a reliable source is really, really important.”

“I’m optimistic. The numbers in our surveys of vaccine hesitancy have really dropped rapidly over the last several months. Our communities are responding to information in a very positive way.”

Dr. Hsu on relaxing safety precautions too soon
“We are not ready to declare victory. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting larger, but we have to understand that increases in cases can occur. We’ve seen in Europe the cases are now rising and they are in their fourth wave. If we do not continue what we know to be effective in preventing the spread of disease, we could see increased cases. It’s important that we continue wearing masks and continue social distancing. We will get there, but we are not ready at this time.”

Dr. Smith on the path to herd immunity
“It’s important to remember that number for herd immunity that you hear about – that number is going to be about 75, maybe even 85 percent of the population - either needs to have been infected with COVID-19 or gets vaccinated to prevent COVID-19. We are approaching that, and the numbers are looking good, but we are not there yet. It’s too soon to be releasing these restrictions. I am concerned, like Dr. Hsu, that we are going to have a fourth wave as we have seen in Europe and other parts of the world.”