MILWAUKEE — The University of Wisconsin held a discussion on COVID-19 and its side effects Tuesday. Medical leaders and the University of Wisconsin came together to talk all-things COVID-19.
With more people becoming eligible for COVID-19, more questions are getting answered about vaccines and how they can help fight the virus.
The UW Now, a University of Wisconsin-based YouTube program, hosted four medical experts. People online were able to ask COVID-19 related questions to experts.
“I think we need to back away from splitting hairs about this vaccine. In fact, I think we pretty much consider them all the same at this point,” said panelist Jim Conway, M.D.
One of the first questions was how effective are the vaccines against the COVID-19 variants. Panelist Dave O'Connor says they are effective against current known variants.
“The vaccines seem to be effective against the variants, but more work is needed,” he said.
Another topic included workplaces mandating the vaccine. Dr. Nadia Safdar of UW Health said she isn’t aware of any employer doing so, but says it could be beneficial.
“Ultimately, I think it would be a good plan to mandate this vaccine. Thinking on how it helped with infection rates in healthcare workers, I think it would make complete sense," Safdar said.
Panelists on the show also continued to urge people to stay vigilant, even as vaccines roll out and as case numbers remain well below the peaks we’ve seen months ago.