A Conversation With Dr. Ali Hassoun Pt. 2

Dr. Ali Hasson returns to the WAAY 31 studio to discuss a vaccine for the coronavirus, what our near future expectations are, and more.

>> dan shaffer: welcome back.

We're back with dr. ali hassoun, infectious disease specialist from huntsville hospital.

>> najahe sherman: the cdc is telling states to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine as soon as late october.

And just today the ceo of pfizer said its trial might have results in october.

Is that a realistic timetable for us to see one?

>> dr. hassoun: what i would say that's very surprising plan or projection because we've said it from the beginning.

We're going to need a solid phase three trials that have enough patient enrolled.

At the same time we would have good data to know efficacy as well as safety.

And it will be very difficult by october to know these information.

Because i can tell you at the moment there is nothing published yet.

And it's september now.

Nothing published yet about phase three data.

So it is surprising they're saying that.

I mean, i wish it can happen, but it's unlikely it will.

>> dan shaffer: astro zeneca joined pfizer in a phase three clinical trial.

We obviously don't have a vaccine but how important is it for multiple companies to be in this stage in their research?

>> dr. hassoun: i think it's very important because we don't know if all of these vaccine are going to be proven to be effective or proven to be safe.

So that's very good and encouraging.

We need multiple different vaccines on different phases to know which one is going to be the most beneficial or most likely effective for our patient so definitely we want multiple in there.

>> najahe sherman: dr. hassoun, a recent cnn poll showed 40% of americans won't get a vaccine when one becomes available.

What is your perspective on that >> dr. hassoun: yeah, so we've seen it with the flu vaccine, the response and the belief in the flu vaccine have been low and it's hard to convince the community.

I think what's important going to be with the covid or the coronavirus vaccine is how much we're going to tell the public how effective it is, what is the issues with it, we'll be up front with them about all that information because i think there is good number of the population willing to take it.

But they want to get more information.

And they want a good advice about it.

So 40% is not surprising because we've seen it the same with the flu vaccine.

But i've seen it at the same time as an experience where we get to talk with our, you know, colleagues, peers, neighbors, family, employee where we have the vaccine available, we give them incentive, we talk to them about it.

So we might be able to increase that percentage.

But we need the data first.

>> dan shaffer: you're right when you say people want information.

People do want that.

They want it consistently.

We seem to get more seemingly contradictory information coming out each week.

This week the national institutes of health said doctors should not be convalescent plasma until more studies are available.

Have you used it and what do you think are some of the risks and benefits?

>> dr. hassoun: yeah, and dan, an important thing about all these therapies of covid, none of them have been fully f.d.a.

Approved.

The research has been done on it but a lot of this research is retrospective, meaning they gave it to the patient and came back and looked at it and see if it's effective.

I did and have used qon va less sent plasma, but i really don't recommend it for everyone.

I usually recommend it for certain patient who come early in the disease who have pneumonia but didn't reach significant inflammation, for example.

Like what has been published, i wouldn't recommend it for those who are intubated because they're already past the point where it might help.

There's a lot of factors that we usually look at and see benefits and risk.

Risk-wise, you know, we always worry, you know, is there any toxicity, safety issues with it.

At the moment, the data that published, it's not very clear.

We know there is no acute reaction from it but we don't know if there's a long-term effect for it.

So i'm usually very cautious in using these, but i tell my patient, these are the data.

These might be beneficial.

And then we make decision together to see if it could be helpful or not.

>> najahe sherman: dr. hassoun, with all of the recent numbers and developments that we are seeing and referring to you, what do you project is in store for the future over the next few months?

>> dr. hassoun: in the way of, you know, i'm hoping there is still ongoing trials on, for example, monoclonal antibodies.

There are ongoing for vaccines.

There are ongoing for other actually anti-viral medication.

So there is some hope we might see other options that's going to be available.

In the meantime, i can tell you there is good hope, if we apply prevention, it will be a good idea, definitely we cut down on the cases in there.

>> dan shaffer: we've been talking to you literally for months now.

How is your level of concern shifted since the beginning of the virus, if it has at all?

>> dr. hassoun: you know, my main concern, we still definitely see patient who get admitted to the hospital who's very, very sick.

And unfortunately some of them admit they didn't believe in the coronavirus.

They didn't follow the guideline they didn't follow the prevention, unfortunately.

And we still see that on social media.

We still see it on regular basis in the hospital.

And, you know, i really ask the the community to help us, those who got infected or those who had family got infected or know of a friend, really reach out to those who doesn't believe it and talk to -- out to them about this.

This is a real disease.

I know it's not a big percentage get sick, severely ill, but those who get sick will have a long-term effect or die from it.

>> dan shaffer: sobering works.

Dr. ali hassoun if he can, disease special list at huntsville hospital.

>> najahe sherman: as always, thank you for your