>> THANKS SO MUCH. IT'S BEEN 2
YEARS. EXACTLY. 2 YEARS SINCE
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
DECLARED COVID-19 A GLOBAL
PANDEMIC QUICKLY. THE WORLD
CAME TO A HALT AS LEADERS RACE
TO CONTROL THE SPREAD OF THE
VIRUS OVER 6 MILLION PEOPLE
ACROSS THE WORLD LOST THEIR
LIVES AND ANOTHER 453 MILLION
HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH THE
VIRUS. MANY OF THEM STILL
SUFFERING SYMPTOMS. THESE
YEARS LATER ADVOCATES IN THE
U.S. ARE NOW CALLING FOR A DAY
OF MEMORIAL TO REMEMBER THOSE.
>> WHO DIED BECAUSE OF COVID
AND THE FAMILIES, OF COURSE,
WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. THE
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION HAD
THIS TO SAY ABOUT OUR
CONTINUED FIGHT AGAINST THE
VIRUS.
>> THE VIRUS CONTINUES TO AND
WE CONTINUE TO FACE MAJOR
OBSTACLES IN DISTRIBUTING
VACCINES AND TREATMENTS
EVERYWHERE THAT NEED TO FIND
THAT HE IS FROM OVER. AND IT
WILL NOT BE ALL THAT ANYWHERE
UNTIL IT'S OVER. EVERYONE.
>> THERE IS HOPE ON THE
HORIZON CASES AND
HOSPITALIZATION RATES ARE
DROPPING IN THE U.S. PROMPTING
MANY STATES TO RE EVALUATE
THEIR COVID PROTOCOLS DROPPING
MANDATES THAT HAVE BEEN IN
PLACE SINCE 2020 NBC NEWS
MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR DOCTOR
NATALIE AZAR JOINS US NOW TO
LOOK BACK ON THESE LAST 2
YEARS. GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH
US. ANY REMIND US HOW FAR
WE'VE COME IN THE LAST 2
YEARS. HOW MUCH WE'VE LEARNED.
>> AND ALSO HOW MUCH WE'VE
LOST. YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU
CAN CATEGORIZE IT 2 WAYS. YOU
GUYS. I THINK THERE ARE THINGS
THAT WE DID REALLY WELL AND
THERE THINGS THAT WE CLEARLY
MESSED UP ON, YOU KNOW,
PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS IS IS HE
COMPOSED OF A LOT OF DIFFERENT
COMPONENTS, EPIDEMIOLOGY
THERAPEUTICS PREVENTION. YOU
KNOW, I THINK WE DID A GREAT
JOB MOBILIZING THE SCIENTIFIC
WORLD COMMUNITY, RIGHT. THE
COLLABORATION BETWEEN
GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY
OPERATION WARP SPEED. THOSE
ARE ALL GREAT THINGS THINGS
WHERE WE CLEARLY HAD
DEFICIENCIES EXPOSED THE
DEFICIENCIES IN OUR PUBLIC
HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE
MESSAGING WAS AN ISSUE. EQUITY
HAS BEEN A HUGE ISSUE AND I
THINK WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT
IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT
RIGHT NOW. HIS FUNDING RIGHT.
WE HAD A 22 BILLION DOLLAR ASK
FROM CONGRESS. WE HAD
15 BILLION DOLLARS STRIPPED
FROM THE NEXT PACKAGE. YOU
KNOW WHAT THEY'RE ANTICIPATING
IN ONE MONTH'S TIME. WE'RE
GOING TO HAVE AN ADEQUATE
MONEY FOR TESTING BY MAY FOR
MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES FURTHER
THAN THAT FOR PAXLOVID THE
ANTIVIRALS, THE FUNDING THAT
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT IS DOCTOR
TADROS SAID IT'S NOT OVER
ANYWHERE UNTIL IT'S OVER
EVERYWHERE. ONLY 14% OF FOLKS
IN LOW INCOME COUNTRIES HAVE
HAD ONE DOSE OF VACCINE. SO
WHILE WE'VE MADE GREAT STRIDES
HERE IN THE U.S. SKIES. IT
GLOBALLY. WE ARE. THIS IS NOT
BEHIND US YET. IT'S NOT
ABSOLUTELY. LET'S TALK ABOUT
TURNING POINTS. OF COURSE, THE
VACCINE. WHAT STANDS OUT TO
YOU WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT THIS
YEAR'S OH, MY GOODNESS. I
WOULD SAY THE VACCINE, RIGHT.
I MEAN, AND AND ALL THE CREDIT
GOES TO TO THE FORMER
ADMINISTRATION FOR OPERATION
WARP SPEED IN THE CREDIT GOES
TO THIS ADMINISTRATION FOR FOR
FOR BEING ABLE TO DEPLOY
VACCINATION ACROSS THE
COUNTRY. BUT AS AS I MENTIONED
AND AS WE ALL KNOW, THERE HAVE
BEEN INCREDIBLE HINDRANCES TO
GETTING WHAT WE HAVE THE
MAJORITY OF OUR POPULATION
VACCINATED BUT STILL
POPULATIONS A SIGNIFICANT
PERCENTAGE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN
VACCINATED. YOU KNOW, I LIKE I
I ALWAYS SAY WE JUST CAN'T
LOOK AT THIS PANDEMIC FROM,
YOU KNOW, FROM JUST THE THE
UNITED STATES. I FROM THE
WESTERN HEMISPHERE'S I THIS IS
A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. AND SO, YOU
KNOW, WE REALLY HAVE TO KEEP
OUR EYES WIDE OPEN MOVING
FORWARD EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS
GOOD HERE LOOKS GREAT IN NEW
YORK CITY WHERE WE'RE SITTING
TOGETHER WERE NOT WEARING
MASKS. AND I HOPE THAT BUT YOU
KNOW, THE VIRUS IS TRICKY IT
STRUCK JUST BEFORE AN OMICRON
US HOW QUICKLY THINGS CAN
CHANGE AND ACTUALLY WRAPPED
LIBERALLY FROM A WEEK TO THAT
AND WE WEREN'T READY. SO WITH
THAT, I ASK YOU, WHAT DO YOU
THINK IS NEXT FOR COVID AND.
>> ARE WE PREPARED IF
SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS
AGAIN. DID WE LEARN A LESSON
IN THESE LAST 2 WARMER. THAT'S
THE THING, WHICH IS WHY THE
FUNDING ISSUE IS SO
FRUSTRATING BECAUSE YOU HAVE
TO BE LOOKING AT WITH WITH
YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN AND IT'S
SHOCKING TO ME THAT ANYONE IN
THIS COUNTRY WOULD ASSUME THAT
WE HAVE IT ALL BEHIND US.
GIVEN WHAT'S HAPPENED YOU
KNOW, LOOK, I I'M I'M VERY
ENCOURAGED THAT THE
VACCINATIONS WE HAVE ARE STILL
HOLDING UP AND ARE STILL
EFFECTIVE AGAINST THE NEW
VARIANTS THAT CALM. BUT, YOU
KNOW, AGAIN, LIKE WE'VE SAID
BEFORE, IT'S A SNEAKY VIRUS. I
HOPE IT DOESN'T THROW WAS A
LOT OF NEW CURVE. I THINK THE
UNITED STATES AND CERTAIN
AREAS OF EUROPE ARE HEADED AND
ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT
DIRECTION.
>> BUT WE JUST CAN'T STRIP
EVERYTHING AWAY, INCLUDING
MONEY ALL AT ONE TIME. I THINK
WE'RE REALLY GOING WHERE WE'RE
GOING TO SURPRISE OURSELVES IN
AN UNFORTUNATE WAY IN A COUPLE
OF WEEKS TO MONTHS. IF THAT'S
THE CASE, LET'S HOPE THAT THAT
IS NOT THE CASE. AND THANK YOU
SO MUCH. I MEAN, WHAT AN WHAT
A MILESTONE FOR US ALL TO LESS
2 YEARS LATER, A LOT OF US ARE
REFLECTING ON WHERE WE WERE 2
YEARS AGO YOU REMEMBER BEING
THE CHANGING POINT FOR YOU NBA
NUMBER WATCHING THAT GAME AND
GOING UP A LOT OF PEOPLE
PROBABLY DO. ALL RIGHT. DOCTOR
IS OUR THANK YOU SO MUCH.