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News 12's Iain Page spoke with infectious disease specialist Dr. Harish Moorjani about China's latest surge in COVID-19 cases and the possibility of a fourth dose of Rockland-based Pfizer's vaccine.

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And speaking of the weather getting colder. One of those days, Addison, where I think, you know, the moms out there say put your coat on so you don't catch the cold. Right? Moms always know. Right. They always know when the kids are always like, I'll be fine. Beauty, overpaid beauty. Where's that scarf? Where's that glove? I gave you. It's fine. I forgot it. Whoops. Well, with these temperatures, Addison, I think they'll have to listen to their moms. Yeah, definitely. So, especially for those morning hours. If you feel like these kids may be wanting to like toss up a year or two in the afternoon. I was just feeling better. The sun is shining but still that temperature trend is running cooler than average. You don't wanna get sick out there. So don't forget the jacket scarf and hat before you step out the door. Midweek, we continue to stay cold but thankfully less wind coming around. So it does make you feel a little bit better over time. But then we head into Friday and going towards the weekend watching those rain chances on the rise. Cameras still shaking a little bit right here. Looking across, of course, towards the Como Bridge where during this hour we're sitting at 30 degrees. Feels like 21. The winds have backed down from about 20 plus prior to around 10. But nonetheless, it's that feel like temperature. We're all across the board. We're feeling subfreezing to feel about 19 degrees in New Bern and 25 degrees in the Kingston area. So, moving forward throughout the overnight hour time frame, you'll watch these temperatures cool down to the upper twenties. All the while those skies are clearing out winds continue to back down over time. But we're watching this cold Canadian air surge on down from the north, pushing on in past the cold from the pass by earlier on today, that did allow some light snow showers to come. I'm on in from the Great Lakes and thankfully though didn't really make it past the Catskills, but we did see a few areas like Westchester County seeing a few flurries flying around. So towards tomorrow morning, we got 60 degrees for a feel like temperature in Newburgh, 20 in New City, you'll watch those numbers move up in the afternoon hours, but you'll notice everyone's still feeling very frigid. No one's making out of the mid to upper twenties for feel like temperatures from Thursday morning, we can see those temperatures getting a little bit better and then by the afternoon hours still building on a slow surplus of warmth trying to come up there wet now going in past Thursday into Friday, we have an air flow pressure pushing in towards the region. It's gonna be giving us rain shower changes. There is some pink out there in the cats heels, but I think it's few and far between. We see any actual mix coming on in just rain coming on down as those temperatures continue to move up above average high. So we're noticing that our temperatures are feeling a little bit better out there heading in towards the weekend and then you move on in past Sunday to Monday. We do see those numbers unfortunately cooling down as we head into the first night of Hanukkah next Thursday.

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Will a 4th dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 shot be needed? Infectious disease specialists gives insight

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We turn now to a COVID alert China is ordering 51 million people into lockdown. As the country deals with its worst outbreak since early 2020. China is reporting thousands of new local cases. According to the National Health Commission. More than 2000 cases were reported across 58 cities. It marks the fourth consecutive day china reported more than 1000 daily new cases and joining us now on the news that tend to talk about china's outbreak and all things covid. And the possibility of 1/4 doses of course doctor infectious disease specialist Dr Harris moore johnny and thanks so much for joining us. Doctor. Thank you again for having me. So doctor, we see this in china. We know they have a zero covid policy and we see this just outbreak in cases and they're locked down again. So I know a lot of our viewers are thinking, hey, can that happen here to us again? It's clear in what we have seen in the last thing is a pandemic of the unvaccinated sort of say. So people who are vaccinated and the virus evolves into something that is partially resistant to the neutralizing ability of the immune system generated by the vaccines. Whether it's two vaccines, primary series and then a booster or two vaccines and a mild covid infection or you know, a covid infection followed by two. I've seen primary series and then a booster and an immuno suppressed people. You get the fourth shark to boost up the neutralizing antibodies but the virus continues to evolve. As we have seen the latest one we saw in the last two months in the United States was the army crown wearing which was slightly resistant to the neutralizing antibody tighter generated by these vaccine series. Uh so we are now looking at a B a two variant of the omicron and that may be resistant to the neutralizing ability of the vaccine induced immunity. And so you know, covid appropriate behavior at an individual level continues to be the name of the game. Get your vaccinations if you're eligible, get the two primary series and then a booster and then take it from there. There are studies being done on new emergent variants and what vaccine may help prevent those new emergent variants from taking a foothold in our community. Having said that, I think we have antivirus that our pan covid active. So they are active against all variants of this covid virus. We have monoclonal antibodies that used early on in the infection to cure you and get you over that infection. And then you know, maybe 1/4 shot of a vaccine which may be directed towards the new variants to protect you, not only just by antibody protection but also by way of cellular immunity that will develop over time as you give more vaccinations. You know, and that's a great point. Doctors want to follow up quickly. Pfizer's Ceo said over the weekend that we're going to need 1/4 dose. And I think you just talked about how long it lasts. So will this fourth dose will they be able to produce something that can last longer for us? So that's a great question. And I think it may not be 1/4 dose of the MMR vaccines. What we are seeing is data emerge worldwide that mix and match is possibly the way to go and there are new vaccines on the horizon such as the protein subunit vaccines. One manufacturer that comes to mind is Novavax and it has been shown at least in one big trial published in a big journal recently about two months ago that boosting M. RNA vaccine series with a Novavax subunit protein vaccine may be the way to go because that produces cellular immunity which is the long lasting immunity. But if you have enough neutralizing antibody title that gives your body time to fight this virus until your own immune system can come and clear it. And then of course in the United States we have the antivirals, the oral pills now that are available that in my experience over the last month and a half have cured everybody that I've used it in and that's been several dozen patients. So I think you're well prepared as a community but reinforcing the fact that get your vaccinations. If you're eligible, get your too short primary series and a booster and 1/4 1 if you belong to that category of patients That needs the 4th 1 and continue to exhibit and covered appropriate behavior, especially indoors. All right, Dr, More johnny. Always good to see you. Thanks so much for the time and the insight. We appreciate it. Sure.

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