What to know about vaccines

Chief medical correspondent Dr. Taran Aurula. And Dr. Nola, let's start with the science right here. Why is it important for kids to get vaccinated? What happens if they're not? >> George, it feels like right now it is a chaotic situation like we are unmed. There is no captain steering the ship and I know there's a lot of misinformation and mistrust, but one thing that should not be under fire is vaccination and the public health story success that vaccination has been in this country. We know that it has saved millions of lives. We know that it prevents disability from diseases. So we forget but polio can cause paralysis. Measles can lead to brain inflammation. So if you get sick, it can end up resulting in complications. We have vaccines for cancer, HPV and hepatitis. We need vaccinations to prot protect the vulnerable, the ill, the imunompromised children. Right? So it is so important that we not forget the powerful impact. And I know it's easy as we, you know, live in a world where we don't see infectious diseases that much, but we don't have to look far back to CO. a couple years ago and we can see how one virus, one vulnerability can impact us. Not to mention the economic impact of hospitalizations, doctor's cost, lost wages. Um, but I think that personalization and remembering the lives that we all saw lost. I remember the freezer trucks behind Lennox Hill Hospital where I worked filled with bodies, patients saying goodbye on iPads. Let us not forget the toll that can happen um the immeasurable loss and suffering when we let our guard down. >> Yep. Serious impact on public health and given what's happened with some states. They're p pushing to make vaccines more accessible. Um in Florida they're moving to remove vaccine mandates. So we we may just be looking at a patchwork of states with different you know protocols, different policies. >> That's the right word. I think a patchwork and it's a fractured approach that we really haven't seen right now in this country before. Um and unfortunately we are seeing exactly that Florida sort of stepping backwards with their mandates. The Northwest and the Northeast forming alliances. Um but the reality is Michael vaccines don't know borders. They don't know the difference between Texas and Washington. And even though you're vaccinated, it's not perfect. So you can still get sick. So you know it's going to be a tough situation. And we may see the rise of groups like the vaccine integrity program that's now coming out of Minnesota to kind of fill in these gaps in the science because people feel lost now for where to turn. I >> I can't help but follow the money here and you have to wonder if the removal of a mandate potentially takes the insurance companies off the hook for reimbursements here. >> There's absolutely going to be ripple effects, Rebecca. Um we have a signal that private insurance companies for now will continue to cover but the big concern is around Medicare, Medicaid vaccines, the vaccine fund for children, those who are getting free vaccines. What will happen to their coverage for vaccination? >> You know, you talk about gaps in the science, but the but the basic science about vaccines is pretty clear, right? Vaccines are safe, they are effective, they should be used by kids. >> George, the science has not changed. The science doesn't change. What changes is how we interpret it, our policy. The science has not changed. Thank you. >> Thank