GOOD CHANCE IT COULD BE ALREADY
HERE.
GREG PALKOT FOR US IN LONDON.
LINKS BRING IN DR. MARC SIEGEL.
A FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR AND
AUTHOR OF "COVID, THE POLITICS
OF FEAR AND THE POWER OF
SCIENCE."
GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS AFTERNOON.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THIS
STRAIN IN THE U.K.?
ACCORDING TO ADMIRAL GIRAR, WE
HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS SEPTEMBER.
>> YES, WE HAVE.
I HEARD ABOUT THIS WEEKS AGO AT
THE NIH.
A COUPLE THINGS TO TELL YOU
ABOUT.
FIRST OF ALL, THIS VIRUS IS
CHANGING ALL THE TIME.
IT’S ALWAYS DRIFTING, ALWAYS
MAKING NEW PROTEINS BECAUSE IT
DOESN’T REPAIR ITSELF.
OVER THE TIME OF A PANDEMIC, YOU
KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING?
VIRUSES LIKE ANY OTHER THING ARE
TRYING TO SURVIVE.
IT HAS A SURVIVAL ADVANTAGE IF
IT’S MORE TRANSMISSABLE.
GREG PALKOT JUST POINTED OUT
WHAT THEY THINK BUT THAT IS
BASED ON MATHEMATICAL MODELLING.
THEY HAVE NOT CONFIRMED IT.
THERE’S NO EVIDENCE IT’S MORE
DEADLY.
IN TERMS OF THE VACCINE, IT
WOULD LIKELY TAKE MONTHS IF NOT
YEARS BEFORE ENOUGH CHANGES
WOULD OCCUR TO THE VIRUS BEFORE
IT WOULD RESIST THE VACCINATION.
THE VACCINE HIT A VERY STRONG
TARGET, THE SPIKE PROTEIN.
ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE THAT IT WOULD
INFECT VACCINATION AT THIS
POINT.
>> I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT
THIS IDEA OF IT BEING MORE
VIRULENT OR NOT.
YOU SUGGEST IT’S NOT.
YOU SAID VACCINES HAVE TO ADAPT
NORTH TO SURVIVE.
VIRUSES HAVE TO ADAPT IN ORDER
TO SUR VIE, RATHER.
IF A VIRUS STARTS KILLING EVERY
HOST, IT’S NOT GOING TO SURVIVE.
COULD THIS BE LESS VIRULENT THAN
THE ORIGINAL STRAIN OF COVID-19?
>> A REALLY SMART POINT, JOHN.
THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS A LOT.
THAT’S WHAT THEY SHOULD LOOK
FOR.
IN FACT, THE VIRUS DOESN’T -- IT
DOESN’T THINK, THE VIRUS.
THERE’S AN ADVANTAGE FOR A VIRUS
TO NOT BE AS DEADLY.
THERE’S AN ADVANTAGE FOR IT TO
JUMP FROM HOST TO HOST WITHOUT
KILLING THE HOST.
THAT IS WHAT TENDS TO HAPPEN IN
THE PANDEMIC.
MAY VERY WELL BE LESS DEADLY.
THE BIG CONCERN I HAVE HERE --
BY THE WAY, I HAVE NO PROBLEM
WITH GOVERNOR CUOMO’S POINT
ABOUT A TEST-IN STRATEGY.
AS WE GET MORE RAPID TESTS
GOING, THERE’S NO REASON WE
COULDN’T TEST PEOPLE FROM THE
U.K. OR RESTRICTING TRAVEL.
I’M CONCERNED ABOUT THE FEAR
THIS SPREADS.
YOU HEAR THE WORD "MUTATION" OR
SHAPE SHIFTING AND SUDDENLY
YOU’RE IN A SCI FI MOVIE.
WE HAVE ENOUGH FEAR ALREADY,
THIS IS A NEW STRAIN TO TAKE
SERIOUSLY, BUT WE SHOULDN’T BE
PANICKING ABOUT IT.
>> OKAY.
IN TERMS OF A TRAVEL BAN, WE
KNOW THIS IS ALREADY IN ITALY.
SUSPECTED IT COULD BE HERE IN
THE UNITED STATES.
IF YOU CLAMP DOWN TRAVEL NOW
FROM THE U.K., COULD YOU STOP IT
IN ITS TRACKS OR IF IT’S ALREADY
IN ITALY, WILL IT SPREAD
THROUGHOUT ITALY AND THE REST OF
EUROPE AND IF IT’S ALREADY HERE,
HOW QUICKLY COULD IT SPREAD BY
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE
IT IN THIS COUNTRY.
>> INDEED, JOHN.
AS USUAL, YOU ANSWER YOUR
QUESTION.
IN THE QUESTION IS THE ANSWER.
IF IT’S ALREADY HERE AND SPREAD
BEYOND THE U.K. BORDERS AND
ALREADY PARTLY IN THE UNITED
STATES, WE WON’T BE AABLE TO
STOP IT IN ITS TRACKS BY CUTTING
OFF TRAVEL.
WE HAVE TO IDENTIFY IT AND TRY
TO CONTACT TRACE FASTER.
I LIKE THE IDEA OF MORE TESTING.
YOU’RE PROBABLY RIGHT THAT IT’S
HERE ALREADY AND CERTAINLY IN
ITALY ALREADY.
IT HAS A SURVIVAL ADVANTAGE.
IF IT SPREADS FASTER AND
FURTHER, WE WON’T STOP IT IN ITS
TRACKS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
THE LASTEST VACCINE TRACKING.
WE’RE IN 1 A, WHICH IS
HEALTHCARE PERSONNEL.
WE’RE MOVING TO 1 B, PERSONING
75 AND ORDER AND FRONT LINE
ESSENTIAL WORKERS AND SEEN TO C,
OTHER ESSENTIAL WORKERS.
WHAT CONSTITUTES A HIGH RISK
MEDICAL CONDITION THAT WOULD
CONSTITUTE SOMEONE FOR A VACCINE
AND WHO CONSTITUTES OTHER
ESSENTIAL WORKERS?
>> I’M HAPPY WITH THE CDC’S
GUIDELINES.
I LIKE HOW THEY IDENTIFIED THIS.
IN 1 B, YOU HAVE THE FIREMEN AND
POLICE OFFICERS AND TEACHERS AND
MOVE INTO POSTAL WORKERS AND
TRANSIT WORKERS WHICH ARE REALLY
IMPORTANT.
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS ARE
NUMBER 1 IS OBESITY.
THAT GIVES YOU THE HIGHEST RISK.
I LIKE THAT THEY IDENTIFIED OVER
THE AGE OF 75.
THAT IS 25% OF THE
HOSPITALIZATIONS.
AND THEN YOU’RE LOOKING AT
DIABETES AND CHRONIC LUNG AND
HEART DISEASE.
THOSE ARE BIG PLAYERS IN THIS.