I’m confident in the J&J vaccine and its effectiveness: NewYork Presbyterian CEO

Dr. Steven Corwin, NewYork Presbyterian Hospital CEO, joins Yahoo Finance’s Kristin Myers and Alexis Christoforous to discuss the latest on the coronavirus.

Video transcript

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: Welcome back, everyone. Trying to book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine has actually gotten a lot easier recently. In fact, some vaccination sites are now saying that slots are going unfilled. And experts now warn the vaccine supply will likely outstrip demand in the coming weeks. Here to talk about that and more is Dr. Steven Corwin, CEO of New York Presbyterian Hospital here in New York.

Dr. Corwin, good to see you again. So what are you seeing there on the ground at your hospitals? Do you think we're nearing a tipping point here in vaccine demand?

STEVEN CORWIN: Well, first of all, I think we're seeing a decline in the cases around the country, which is very comforting. And if you look at the vaccine data, I think the vaccine is having a real effect where it's been given worldwide, whether it's Israel, the United Kingdom, and certainly, with the rapid vaccine rollout here. So we're starting to feel less pressure on our intensive care beds, and we're seeing less in the way of admissions, which is terrific.

That being said, I think we were always going to get to the point where demand was going to start to wane, and supply would increase. And I think we have to redouble our efforts now to make sure that everybody gets vaccinated. For whatever reason of vaccine hesitancy, I think educating people about the vaccine, depoliticizing the vaccine, and getting people to take it will be important.

That's why I think it was important that the FDA paused the J&J vaccine because I think people want to feel confident that the vaccine is safe. And although it was only a one in a million chance around the blood clots, I think making sure that we understand what caused it is going to be really important. So I am hopeful that we've reached a tipping point on the positive side, but we certainly are seeing much more in the way of supply now.

KRISTIN MYERS: So doctor, I hear what you're saying in terms of vaccine hesitancy. For folks wanting to receive one of the vaccines, curious if there's any vaccine hesitancy in terms of distributing, at least when it comes to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. I know what you're saying about those blood clots, which of course, was worrying to a lot of folks who saw those headlines, but now I'm seeing other headlines that one of the plants that manufactures the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, found to have contaminated doses from a series of failures and in terms of the plant. Of course, which led me to think, well, I wouldn't want the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, especially if I have the options of Pfizer or Moderna. Is there at all, as the hospital administrator thought, that perhaps, you should stick with some of these other vaccines, instead, to distribute.

STEVEN CORWIN: Great question. I will tell you that my daughter just delivered our first grandchild, and she got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, so I'm pretty confident in that vaccine. I think you're right, and that's why we have an experienced FDA. The data monitoring, the safety board, the ability of the FDA to make sure that there are no supply chain glitches or manufacturing defects.

So in an almost perverse way, I'm comforted by the fact that they caught these supply chain defects. J&J is a terrific company. We can always have glitches, but I think the vaccine is effective. I think the vaccine is good, and I think we'll be OK with any of the three vaccines that have been approved to date, to be honest with you.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: What are you seeing in terms of younger folks wanting to get vaccinated? Are they running for the opportunity? Are they thinking, you know what, maybe getting COVID isn't that bad, or you know what, maybe I want to wait and see what those side effects are. What's the feel from that population?

STEVEN CORWIN: Well, I think certainly, there was a lot of enthusiasm in younger people that one and done with the J&J vaccine. Now, people are just making sure that it's safe. I do think, unfortunately, we've got a political divide around the vaccine, and you've seen the polls as well as I have. I don't have firm evidence on it, but I do think that we need to make sure that this is not a Republican or Democrat issue, that everybody gets educated around it because we need to get to herd immunity, and we can't get to herd immunity without the vast majority of people in the country getting vaccinated. That's the way we get out of this.

And as I said in my introductory remarks, we really feel that spring has sprung between the cases going down and the vaccine coming on. If we stick to it as a country, I think that summertime and fall will be much, much better than it was last year.

KRISTIN MYERS: Doctor, you mentioned towards the beginning of some of your comments that efforts needed to be redoubled to reach some of those folks that were a little bit hesitant to take the vaccine. But then, of course, we've also been seeing inequality, at least, when it came to the vaccine distribution among certain populations and certain communities. What efforts or what are you guys looking at in order to make sure that the vaccine is reaching as many folks surrounding New York Presbyterian as possible?

STEVEN CORWIN: Well, we had a very strong and coordinated effort around the vaccine site we had in Upper Manhattan. And for your listeners, that is primarily immigrant Dominican community, but Upper Manhattan, Northern Harlem, et cetera, and we spent a huge amount of time educating patients individually with community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, talks to each of these communities, and we found it to be quite effective.

So our demographics in terms of, we've given about 200,000 doses of vaccines, first and second dose, and our demography is outstanding in terms of that. I think close to 60% are BIPOC communities, communities of color. But we're also now seeing in white, working-class communities, people that are reluctant to take it. So this extends beyond communities of color. It's an equity issue around the country, but our efforts, particularly in our communities, were around communities of color to begin with.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: That's excellent and definitely, could be seen as a blueprint for other hospitals around the country, doctor. I just want your thoughts on these variants, these new variants that keep popping up. Are you seeing at your hospitals that the existing vaccines are actually effective with these variants?

STEVEN CORWIN: Yes, very much so. I think we're seeing less in the way of illness. I think the UK variant is now the dominant variant in New York. We have some of the New York variant. We think the vaccine is effective against all of them, and severe hospitalizations have gone down. You see that dramatically in people that have gotten two doses of vaccine, particularly, in the over aged 60 group.

To your earlier points, we need to make sure people age 18 to 49 get the vaccine and get it as quickly as possible. And I personally would take-- I had the Pfizer vaccine, but I would go Pfizer, Moderna, or J&J. And as I told you, my daughter had the J&J vaccine, having delivered our first grandchild. So I think they're all safe and just get shots in the arms, really.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: Excellent. Excellent insights, Dr. Corwin. Congratulations on becoming a grandpa too. Great news.

STEVEN CORWIN: Thanks. You know, given everything that's happened with COVID, it's a great feeling to see a new life come into the world. I'm sure you understand that.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: Absolutely a blessing. All right, thanks again for your time.

STEVEN CORWIN: Thanks so much.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: See you soon.