Transcription:

Liz Healy (Host): Hello listeners. And thank you for tuning into the Well Within Reach podcast brought to you by Riverside Healthcare. I'm your host, Liz Healy and joining me today is Whitney Pelletier who's our Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator here at Riverside. Thank you for joining us today, Whitney.

Whitney Pelletier, PharmD, BCPS (Guest): Thank you for having me.

Host: So, can you tell us a little bit about your background and what you do here at Riverside?

Whitney: Absolutely. So I am a Clinical Pharmacist. I graduated pharmacy school in 2016 and then in 2019, I went and got Board Certified in Pharmaceutical Services. So, I've been here for five years. And I've been the Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator also for five years.

Host: Okay. So, being in the pharmacy, there's something that's coming out this year it's the, you know, both COVID vaccines that started this year and then the reoccurring flu vaccines. And that's what we're here to talk about today. So, first I'm going to ask just some questions about the flu vaccine. Just things that I haven in my mind and things that I've heard in the community So, the flu vaccines have been around for a long time. They're not new, but can you tell us a little bit about the science? Like I understand they're kind of based off of last year, but how do those work?

Whitney: Absolutely. So, what happens is there is roughly 144 National Influenza Centers throughout the world. Throughout the year, they are collecting different influenza samples. And then at one point throughout the year, they will then send all of their samples and research to the World Health Organization. The World Health Organization will then review all of this and provide recommendations for what should occur. So, that occurs in February. So, for the Northern hemisphere, for the Southern hemisphere, it occurs in September. So, they actually, the World Health Organization this year met in February to decide what our influenza vaccines would be. They then send all that information to the FDA and the FDA then either agrees or they slightly change it. But it is based off of last year's influenza strains or what the Southern hemisphere is also seeing at that time.

Host: Okay. Cool. It's kind of interesting to see that they base it off of the previous year. So, they have a jumping off point. So, are there different types of vaccines? I know some people are allergic to like eggs, so they can't get like a normal flu vaccine.

Whitney: Yeah. So there are three different types of influenza vaccines. So, you do have your regular egg based, then you have a cell based which actually uses mammalian cells. And then there's recombinant, which is basically a culture made vaccine that is made in a laboratory, that one does not have any type of animal or egg type product. It's all made within the laboratory. So, there are three different types.

Host: Okay. So are there times of the year, I know you said the WHO and the different health organizations meet at certain times a year to talk about the vaccine. Are there good times of year that you should get your flu vaccine?

Whitney: Yes. So, the best time to obtain your flu vaccine, if you are an adult is anywhere between September and the end of October. If you are a child or have children, sometimes they say it can be done earlier because they may need two doses, depending on which flu vaccine this is for them. But really for your adults, it's September to October. What that then allows is additional coverage because typically your actual influenza season peaks in February. So, you want to make sure that you're still covered between that February and March time. So, September and October is the best time.

Host: Okay. And how long does it take for the vaccine to become effective?

Whitney: It's roughly two weeks.

Host: Okay. Does the flu vaccine prevent me from actually getting the flu?

Whitney: It helps reduce your chances. So, that's a great question. Typically a lot of people always think if I get the flu vaccine, I'm never going to get the flu. Since it is and we talked about that, it is based off last year's influenza strains, nothing's a hundred percent, however, the big aspect of the flu vaccine is to be able to help reduce hospitalizations or those severe illnesses. That's the real benefit of the flu vaccine. Yes. Can it prevent certain types. Absolutely. But the biggest aspect is reducing those hospitalizations or the severe influenza.

Host: Okay, so to kind of flip to the other side of this topic we're here to talk about is the COVID vaccines. There's the three that are available in the US right now, can you explain a little bit, difference between Moderna, Pfizer, and the Johnson and Johnson.

Whitney: Yeah. So, your Moderna and Pfizer are what are your mRNA vaccines. So, that's your messenger RNA, your J and J your Johnson and Johnson vaccine is your viral vector vaccine. And I'll kind of get into that in a minute too, of what the difference of those are. But your Pfizer and your Moderna, they are two doses. So they require two doses to be the full, complete series. Pfizer is your doses are three weeks apart and your Moderna is then four weeks apart. Where right now, the Johnson and Johnson is a single dose, that's the big difference there.

Host: Okay. So, the difference between Moderna and Pfizer, they're both mRNAs. Are they developed differently?

Whitney: They are slightly different. The dosing within the vaccines are different. That is the big aspect. They are both messenger RNAs, but the physical makeup is slightly different.

Host: Okay. So, the science used in the mRNA vaccines has been around a lot longer than just the Pfizer Moderna vaccines that we have seen come to market this year. Can you talk a little bit more about the mRNA science?

Whitney: Yeah. So mRNA, which also stands for messenger RNA, what that is, it's a piece of DNA that is put into the body. So, your body from messenger RNA is able to then make up different proteins. So, what is then happening within the body is once the messenger RNA is in the body, your body recognizes it as a message and it then knows it needs to build what's called the spike protein.

The spike protein is in what your body sees and builds antibodies off of. That actual strand of messenger RNA, your body will break down and it no longer exists within the body. And then you're just left with all the antibodies. So that's the benefit of the messenger RNA. They have been studying it for the last few decades. They've been studying it in Zika, to be able to prevent or vaccine against Zika. And also there are some clinical trials for oncology that are also using messenger RNA at this point.

Host: Okay. I kind of heard the analogy about mRNA, as like you get an email into your body on how to defend your body against something. And then it reads the email and is like, okay, I can do this now. So, would you consider that like a good analogy?

Whitney: Yep if you know how to defeat it, you can hit delete, and then it's gone.

Host: Yeah. Oh, perfect. So, it is a then. So once you get a COVID vaccine, how long does it take you to build up the immunity? Is it similar to the flu vaccine?

Whitney: It is. So it is two weeks. So if you get the Pfizer or the Moderna, it's two weeks after that second dose, the Johnson & Johnson it's two weeks after that single dose.

Host: Okay. Something that just came into mind here. So there's the two doses for the mRNA. Is there a reason why we get the two doses for that one?

Whitney: Yeah. So your body is then able to create additional antibodies. So, we already know from the first dose that it is effective, but it's not that 90 ish percent effective. By having that second dose you're then able to get there. So, it's very similar to when you're a pediatric and you're getting that flu vaccine. So kind of going back to the flu. Whenever it's your first time ever receiving the vaccine, you've actually need two doses a month apart for the flu vaccine.

Host: Oh, okay. So what very interesting. You know, one of the big myths that came out right when the COVID vaccine came out is that the vaccine would completely prevent COVID. I assume it's similar to the flu vaccine where it doesn't completely prevent it.

Whitney: Correct. Yep. So, especially with the variants that we're seeing now. Obviously, viruses are able to change. They're able to mutate. So, by being vaccinated, it definitely helps prevent you from getting it or also if you do get it because it's not a hundred percent effective, the case will most likely be less severe.

Host: Okay. So at first it was not recommended to get both the COVID vaccine and a flu vaccine or another immunization at the same time. Is that still true?

Whitney: It is not. So, the CDC has updated their recommendation that you can actually get the COVID vaccine and the flu vaccine at the same time. The reason why they updated this was based on past studies of other vaccines and how vaccines work that there is no interaction between the two. So, if you need both, you are more than able to get both at the same time.

Host: Okay. And why is it so important that we receive both the flu vaccine and the COVID vaccine?

Whitney: Yeah. So, it's important to receive both the flu vaccine and COVID vaccine because they're two different viruses. So, they're both something that can be harmful to other people, or even, myself. And it's important to vaccinate against both because they're very different. The flu vaccine and the COVID vaccine and the flu virus and COVID virus. They are not the same. One will not protect you from the other. So it's important to protect yourself from both.

Host: Okay. So, do you think, in your opinion, obviously, you know, everyone has their own opinion. I've heard a lot that the flu season could be a lot worse this year. Would you agree with that?

Whitney: I think it's going to be a wait and see. Definitely last year was mild and I don't know if it's because everybody was washing their hands more and wearing masks, but, yes. I have also heard that this year is going to be a lot worse. I think it's going to be a wait and see at this point.

Host: Yeah. If someone is looking to get either a flu vaccine or a COVID vaccine at Riverside, how would they go about doing that?

Whitney: Yeah, they can sign off up their My Chart for a flu vaccine or a COVID vaccine. If you go onto My Chart, it allows you to sign up for that.

Host: Oh, perfect. They can schedule their appointment right there. They can do it. And whenever they have a free time, they can download them yeah on their phone. That's perfect. Is there anything else you'd like to add Whitney?

Whitney: Just the real importance of being vaccinated and why it's so important and how you can help the community by being vaccinated.

Host: Perfect. Thank you so much for joining us today and thank you for tuning in to our Well Within Reach podcast with Whitney Pelletier from the Riverside Pharmacy and your host, Liz Healy.