CERTAINLY BE TWO DAYS BEFORE
THANKSGIVING.
MEANWHILE WITH, FOLKS --
MEANWHILE, FOLKS, THE CHIEFS OF
OPERATION WARP SPEED SAYING
THEY’RE READY AT THE DROP OF A
HAT TO GET THE VACCINE TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, RELAYING THE
CONFIDENCE THAT THEY CAN ROLL
OUT DOSES WEEK AFTER WEEK
WITHOUT STOPPING.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE’RE ALSO
GETTING MORE GOOD NEWS FROM THE
ASTRAZENECA/OXFORD VACCINE THAT
THEIR TRIAL HERE IN THE STATES
IS GOING VERY WELL.
BUT WHERE DO WE STAND ON
BRINGING LIFE BACK TO NORMAL?
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
SECRETARY ALEX AZAR JOINS US
NOW, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THE FIRST QUESTION IS ALWAYS
ABOUT WHO GETS THE VACCINE FIRST
SINCE WE NO THERE WILL BE A
LIMITED AMOUNT.
THATHAS THAT BEEN WORKED OUT?
>> WE’RE STILL WORKING ON THE
PRIORITIZATION, BUT YOU SHOULD
BE THINKING ABOUT GROUPS THAT
ARE MOST VULNERABLE WHETHER IT’S
SENIORS IN NURSING HOMES OR
THOSE WITH CO-MORBID CONDITIONS
THAT MAKE THEM VULNERABLE TO
COMPLICATIONS OR OUR FRONT-LINE
HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND FIRST
RESPONDERS.
THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF GROUPS
THAT WE HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT AS IN
THOSE FIRST TRANCHES OF
DISTRIBUTION.
BUT THAT PRODUCT IS JUST GOING
TO KEEP COMING OFF THE
MANUFACTURING LINES, AND WE’LL
JUST KEEP EXPANDING THE GROUPS
AND AVAILABILITY OF VACCINE WEEK
AFTER WEEK AS GENERAL PERNA FROM
THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT HAS
TALKED ABOUT.
CHARLES: THE CONCERN IS NOW SORT
OF FOCUSED ON THE NITTY-GRITTY,
THE NUANCES OF REALLY GETTING
THAT VEHICLE SEEN OUT FROM
THE -- VACCINE OUT FROM THE
REFRIGERATION REQUIREMENTS,
SPECIAL GLOVES, IS THE
MANUFACTURING HAPPENING?
IS THE MONEY THERE?
>> IT’S ALL THERE THANKS TO
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S OPERATION WARP
SPEED.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE BUILT THIS
SYSTEM BACK EARLIER THIS YEAR
AND PARTNERED WITH THE DEFENSE
DEPARTMENT TO LEAD IT RIGHT
AWAY, THE GENERAL AND THE OWS
TEAM CONTRACTED FOR NEEDLES AND
SYRINGES AND DRY ICE AND MIXING
THE VACCINE, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT.
WE NOW HAVE 100 MILLION KITS
ALREADY PREPARED AND READY TO
MARRY UP WITH APPROVED VACCINE
TO GET OUT THERE, AND IS WE’RE
BUILDING MORE AS WE SPEAK.
SO ALL OF THOSE COMPLICATIONS,
ALL OF THOSE DETAILS HAVE BEEN
WORKED OUT BY THE INCREDIBLE
LOGISTICS, OPERATIONS AND
DISTRIBUTION TEAM THAT WE HAVE
AT OPERATION WARP SPEED.
YOU KNOW, THE CORE TO IT,
CHARLES, IS WE’RE RELYING ON
EXISTING TRIED AND TRUE SYSTEMS.
WE’RE USING THE PRIVATE SECTOR,
WE’RE USING THE INFRASTRUCTURE
TO GET THE VACCINE OUT THERE NOT
JUST EVERY DAY, BUT EVERY YEAR
WHETHER IT’S FLU OR OTHER
VACCINES TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
CHARLES: YEAH.
THE FLU SHOT, EVERYONE IN THIS
COUNTRY’S ENCOURAGED TO GET IT,
IT’S ALWAYS AVAILABLE.
ALTHOUGH I THINK THERE MIGHT BE
GREAT OR CHALLENGES CONSIDERING
THE COMPOSITION OF SOME OF THESE
EARLY VACCINES THAT ARE SEEKING
APPROVAL, YOU KNOW?
I GUESS AT SOME POINT WE’LL HAVE
THEM RIGHT IN THE SYRINGE.
BUT WHEN YOU START TALKING ABOUT
DISTRIBUTION ALSO, WHAT I’M
CURIOUS ABOUT IS I KNOW THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OPERATION
WARP SPEED HAS BEEN EXTREMELY
SUCCESSFUL.
BUT WHAT ABOUT STATES IS?
WHAT RESPONSIBILITY FALLS ON
THEM ONCE THE STATE GETS ITS
HANDS ON THE VACCINE?
AND, BY THE WAY, ON THAT NOTE,
HAS NEW YORK FORMALLY REQUESTED
THE VACCINE YET?
>> SO NEW YORK HASN’T
NECESSARILY FORMALLY REQUESTED
IT.
WE’RE GOING TO WORK TO MAKE SURE
NEW YORKERS GET ACCESS TO THE
VACCINE UNLESS THERE’S SOME
BARRIER IMPOSED BY THE
GOVERNMENT OF NEW YORK.
BUT THIS VACCINE’S GOING TO BE
AVAILABLE TO ALL AMERICANS WHO
ARE PRIORITIZED.
WE’RE WORKING IN CLOSE
COLLABORATION WITH THE NEW YORK
TEAM THAT HAVE AN EXCELLENT
DISTRIBUTION PLAN THAT THEY’VE
SUBMITTED TO US AND WORKED WITH
US ON UNDER THEIR HEALTH
COMMISSIONER’S GUIDANCE.
SO WE’RE DOING THAT IN ALL 64
JURISDICTIONS WE WORK WITH HERE
IN THE UNITED STATES.
THE ROLL OF THE STATES HERE --
THE ROLE OF THE STATES HERE IS
THINK OF IT MORE AS AN AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROLLER, TELLING US
WHERE DO YOU WANT THE VACCINE
SENT TO.
THAT CAN BE ONE PLACE, IT CAN BE
5,000 PLACES.
THEY JUST HAVE TO BE ENROLLED IN
THE SYSTEM.
IN ADDITION, WE RELY ON THE
ASTRONAUTS TO MAKE SURE THEIR
I..
THE SYSTEMS ARE UP TO DATE, AND
WE’VE PROVIDED THE DATA SYSTEMS
TO DO THIS BECAUSE WE NEED TO
MAKE SURE IF SOMEBODY GETS A
PFIZER VACCINE FIRST, THEY GET
THAT SECOND WHETHER THEY’RE IN
NEW YORK OR THEY’VE GONE DOWN
THE FLORIDA, THEY ALWAYS GET THE
PSALM FROM THE PROTECTION OF
PATIENT SAFETY.
WE BOUGHT THE VACCINE, THE
ADVANTAGE VACCINE’S FREE, AS I
SAID, WE BUILT THE KITS IN TERMS
OF SYRINGES AND NEEDLES AND THE
EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO VACCINATE.
WE’VE SET UP THE PARTNERSHIPS
WITH CVS AND WALGREENS AND
AMERICA’S COMMUNITY PHARMACIES,
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS,
HOSPITALS TO MAKE THIS FEEL AS
MUCH LIKE THE FLU VACCINE
EXPERIENCE AS IT CAN BE.
CHARLES: I KNOW THERE ARE
ANYWHERE FROM 120-160 COMPANIES
WORKING ON VACCINES.
THE MRNA HAS BEEN MOST
SUCCESSFUL SO FAR, BUT THERE ARE
ALSO OTHER APPROACHES TOO.
ARE THEY ALL BENEFITING FROM THE
SAME CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE
AT THE FDA TO EXE PERIODUATE
SOMETHING THAT MIGHT NORMALLY
HAVE TAKEN THREE YEARS?
>> THEY ARE.
AND, IN FACT, THAT WAS ONE OF
THE GENIUSES OF OPERATION WARP
SPEED WAS WE INVESTED IN
MULTIPLE PLATFORMS.
THE MESSENGER RNA ONES, THE
PFIZER AND MODERNA, BUT THE
ASTRAZENECA, JOHNSON & JOHNSON
AND THEN THE SUBUNIT PLATFORMS
WHICH WE HOPE WILL ENTER INTO
PHASE THREE CLINICAL TRIALS
SOON.
SO WE SPREAD OUR BETS AROUND
WITH MULTIPLE PLATFORMS.
FORTUNATELY, THE MRNA ONES SEEM
TO HAVE PAID OFF AND VERY
POSITIVE NEWS OUT OF THE U.K.
AND BRAZIL STUDIES JUST ON
MONDAY FOR ASTRAZENECA.
CHARLES: WELL, SECRETARY AZAR, I
DO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
CONGRATULATIONS.
NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, HISTORY
SHOULD LOOK AT OPTION WARP SPEED
AND HOW THE ADMINISTRATION AND
YOURSELF, THE INVOLVEMENT YOU’VE
HAD, BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT’S BEEN DONE TO THE BENEFIT
OF ALL MAN KIND.
SO I JUST WANT TO SAW THANK YOU.
>> WELL, CHARLES, AND I WANT TO,
ON THIS THANKSGIVING, I WANT TO
EXPRESS MY THANKS TO PRESIDENT
TRUMP FOR HIS UNQUALIFIED
SUPPORT OF OPERATION WARP SPEED
AND THEN FOR THE AMERICAN HEROS
WHO ARE LEADING IT AND AMERICA’S
BIOPHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY AND
ESPECIALLY TO ALL OF OUR