'Each vaccine is another weapon against the pandemic': Doctor

Dr. Jessica Osterman, Emergency Medicine Physician in Los Angeles, California, joined Yahoo Finance to discuss the latest on Covid-19.

Video Transcript

- We want to continue this conversation, talk about the implications of this, where we stand in getting Americans vaccinated. For that, we want to bring in Dr. Jessica Osterman, an emergency medicine physician in Los Angeles, California. Doctor, great to speak with you again. We just heard what Anjalee was talking about just in terms of the J&J vaccine, this partnership with Merck.

When you heard the news over the weekend that J&J's vaccine finally got FDA approval, what was your reaction? And I guess how better equipped are we at this point in getting the pandemic under control?

JESSICA OSTERMAN: Yeah, I mean, I was obviously very enthusiastic about that news, because I think each vaccine that's coming out on the market is just another kind of weapon in our toolbox against this pandemic. And so I was really happy to see that we have a new vaccine on the market here, and even happier today to see that Merck's going to help out making it, which just puts more vaccines into circulation here.

- Doctor, I want to ask you about something as many of us are eager to get whatever vaccine we can get. We wear our masks. And yet I think it's Texas is now doing away with their mask mandate. This doesn't make sense, does it? Or does it?

JESSICA OSTERMAN: Not quite yet. You know, I think if you look at the public health experts, they're saying, you know, we need at least 70% of the population vaccinated to really reach that herd immunity that we're looking for to protect the general public against the pandemic. And I just don't think we're quite there yet.

And so I would obviously encourage everyone to continue wearing masks. Definitely get the vaccine when it's your turn to do so. But I think it's a little early to start pulling back all those-- those guidelines.

- But to put it in perspective, though, we do have three vaccines that have been approved. The case rate continues to be substantially lower from where it was several weeks ago. Is it safe to say that we have turned a corner, at least in terms of what it looks like right now?

JESSICA OSTERMAN: Yeah, absolutely. I will tell you, the hospitals I work at here in Los Angeles, we are definitely seeing a dip in the cases of positive coronavirus patients that are coming into the ER. And we're hoping that as more patients continue, or more people continue to get vaccinated, we'll continue to see that down trending in positive cases.

But I don't think we're quite at the inflection point that we'd like to be at. But it's definitely heading in the right direction.

- So when we get past all of this and we look back to figure out how to prevent the next one, do you think it makes sense to continue to let the 50 states decree how they will do this kind of distribution? Or should the federal government take a single role?

JESSICA OSTERMAN: You know, I think we've learned a lot of lessons from this pandemic. And I think having a coordinated national plan is really important. I think there is some leniency when it comes to individual states as to how they want to put that plan into place. But I think having some sort of national guidance would be really beneficial in rolling things out, both in terms of guidelines, as well as vaccine distribution.

- And doctor, the guidance that we've gotten from the Biden administration-- of course we're expected to hear President Biden speak next hour, give us a little bit more details on the J&J and Merck partnership. But from what we've heard from the numbers that have been put forward from the White House, are those feasible? Do you think we will be able to reach the goals that they have put forward?

JESSICA OSTERMAN: You know, the speed that we've been seeing the vaccinations take place at this point in 2021 has been really encouraging. And, you know, I think we are all enthusiastic that as these continue to roll out and as we continue to have more vaccines available, we could be at a good place come late summer or even early fall where we do have that kind of herd immunity that we're looking for.

- Dr. Jessica Osterman, emergency medicine physician in Los Angeles, California, thanks so much for joining us today.