>>> WELCOME BACK.
FINALLY SOME GOOD NEWS ON THE
COVID FRONT.
EVEN THOUGH NEW CASES ARE AT AN
APPALLING LIE LEVEL, IN THE PAST
FEW WEEKS, THEY’RE AT THEIR
LOWEST RATE SINCE EARLY
NOVEMBER.
THE FEAR IS THE NEW, MORE
TRANSMISSIBLE VARIANTS COULD
CAUSE A SPIKE IN CASES IN A FEW
WEEKS.
THERE ARE VERY REAL QUESTIONS
ABOUT WHEN SCHOOLS SHOULD AND
CAN OPEN.
JOINING ME NOW IS A MAN WHO
EVERY VIEWER KNOWS VERY WELL AT
THIS POINT, DR. ANTHONY FAUCI,
THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL
INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
DR. FAUCI, WELCOME BACK TO "MEET
THE PRESS."
VACCINES AND SCHOOLS.
LET ME START WITH VACCINES.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST ROAD BLOCK
IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF
THESE VACCINES, IN GETTING
VACCINES QUICKER?
THE DISTRIBUTION PROBLEMS WE’RE
HAVING I HAVE A FEELING WOULD
SEEM SMALL IF WE HAD MORE
SUPPLY.
WHAT HOLDS US UP IN HAVING MORE
SUPPLY?
>> WELL, IT’S JUST THAT, THE
DEMAND CLEARLY OUT SLOOET STRIPS
THE SUPPLY RIGHT NOW.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE ESCALATION OF
AVAILABILITY OF DOSES PURELY ON
THE ABILITY AND THE CAPABILITY
OF MANUFACTURING THAT, IT’S
GOING TO ESCALATE AND WILL
CONTINUE TO ESCALATE AS WE GO
FROM FEBRUARY TO MARCH TO APRIL
AND BEYOND.
SO EVEN THOUGH THERE’S A CLEAR,
CLEAR DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE
DEMAND AND THE SUPPLY, THAT WILL
GET BETTER AS WE GET THROUGH
FEBRUARY AND INTO MARCH.
BUT THAT IS THE LIMITING FACTOR,
CHUCK.
IT’S THE SUPPLY/DEMAND ISSUE.
>> IS THIS BECAUSE -- IS THERE
ANY WAY THIS MOMENT COULD HAVE
BEEN PREVENTED SIX MONTHS AGO?
SHOULD WE HAVE EXPANDED
MANUFACTURING CAPACITY AND WE
DIDN’T?
IS THAT WHY WE’RE HERE, OR WAS
THIS INEVITABLE?
>> IN SOME RESPECTS, CHUCK, WITH
ALL DUE RESPECT AND FAIRNESS,
IT’S A BIT INEVITABLE.
WE CERTAINLY COULD HAVE
CONTRACTED A LITTLE BIT MORE
AGGRESSIVELY WITH THE COMPANIES
TO GET MORE DOSES, BUT RIGHT NOW
THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE.
THESE ARE THE CONTRACTUAL
ARRANGEMENTS.
THEY’RE COMING OFF THE LINE AS
QUICKLY AS WE CAN.
AS I MENTIONED, NOT ONLY WILL
THERE BE MORE MODERNA AND PFIZER
DOSES AS WE GET THROUGH MARCH
AND APRIL, BUT THEN WE’LL GET J.
AND J. ONLINE.
THAT’S A SINGLE DOSE VACCINE.
THINGS WILL CONTINUE TO GET
BETTER.
>> OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF
WEEKS, A LOT OF FOLKS WHO HAVE
GOTTEN FIRST DOSES ARE SCHEDULED
TO GET THEIR SECOND DOSE.
I KNOW YOU’RE AWARE OF DR.
MICHAEL OSTERHOLM WHO WAS ON
LAST WEEK, HE’S AN ADVOCATE OF
STUDYING THE ISSUE OF DELAYING
THE SECOND DOSE.
WE’RE IN A RACE WITH THESE
VARIANTS, AND GETTING MORE
PEOPLE OBVIOUSLY WITH THIS
VACCINATION IS SOMETHING A LOT
OF PEOPLE THINK WOULD BE
HELPFUL.
WHERE ARE YOU ON THIS, AND ARE
WE IN THE MIDDLE OF STUDYING
WHETHER THIS IS A VIABLE OPTION?
>> WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS --
MICHAEL AND I HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT
THIS A FAIR AMOUNT AS RECENTLY
AS YESTERDAY.
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS, CHUCK, IS
IF YOU WANT TO REALLY STUDY IT
TO SEE THAT, THE AMOUNT OF TIME
IT WILL TAKE, THE AMOUNT OF
PEOPLE YOU WOULD HAVE TO PUT
INTO THE STUDY, BY THAT TIME WE
WILL ALREADY BE IN THE ARENA OF
HAVING ENOUGH VACCINES TO GO
AROUND ANYWAY.
FROM A THEORETICAL STANDPOINT,
IT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW, IF YOU
JUST GIVE ONE DOSE, HOW LONG THE
DURABILITY LASTS AND WHAT IS THE
LEVEL OF EFFECT.
BUT WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW AND
WHAT WE MUST GO WITH IS THE
SCIENTIFIC DATA WE’VE
ACCUMULATED.
IT’S REALLY VERY SOLID.
WE KNOW THAT WITH EACH OF THESE,
IT’S EITHER 21 DAYS OR 28 DAYS.
YOU CAN DO BOTH.
YOU CAN GET AS MANY PEOPLE IN
THEIR FIRST DOSE AT THE SAME
TIME AS ADHERING WITHIN REASON
TO THE TIMETABLE OF THE SECOND
DOSE.
SO IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE THE
STUDY BUT I DON’T THINK WE CAN
DO IT IN TIME, CHUCK.
>> THERE’S NOT ENOUGH DATA OUT
THERE NOW WITH MAYBE FOLKS THAT
HAVEN’T GOTTEN A SECOND DOSE,
BUT BASICALLY WE’VE CREATED A
TLIEL GROUP BY ACCIDENT, THERE’S
NOT ENOUGH DATA OUT THERE?
>> NO, CHUCK.
IT DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY.
THE N OF PEOPLE, THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE WHO MISSED THE SECOND
DOSE, TO DETERMINE IF THEY ARE
AS PROTECTED AS WE SHOWED IN THE
TRIAL WHICH WAS 94 TO 95%
PROTECTION WHEN YOU GET IT AFTER
THE SECOND DOSE, THERE’S NOT
ENOUGH PEOPLE AND NOT ENOUGH
TIME.
IT’S NOT A REASONABLE ENOUGH
IDEA, I’M NOT PUTTING THE IDEA
DOWN.
BUT IT’S VERY IMPRACTICAL TO DO.
>> FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
CALLS YOU UP TODAY AND SAYS CAN
WE OPEN UP, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
IF NOT, HOW WOULD YOU TELL THEM
TO OPEN UP?
>> WELL, THAT’S A SIMPLE
QUESTION, BUT WITH A COMPLICATED
ANSWER.
IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE LEVEL
OF INFECTION IN THE COMMUNITY.
THE ONE PRINCIPLE WE STAND BY
AND THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS
SAID THAT, WE WANT TO GET THE
SCHOOLS K-8 OPEN WITHIN THE NEXT
100 DAYS, ALL OF THEM.
YOU WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO
OPEN, THE LAST TO CLOSE.
WHAT THEY NEED IS THEY’RE GOING
TO NEED SOME HELP.
THAT’S WHY WE WANT THE AMERICAN
RESCUE PLAN -- THE AMERICAN
RESCUE ACT TO GET THROUGH, SO
THAT THE SCHOOLS CAN HAVE THE
CAPABILITY WITH MASKS, WITH THE
ABILITY TO GET BETTER
VENTILATION, ALL THE THINGS YOU
WANT TO DO.
OF COURSE, VACCINATION HELPS,
CHUCK
IT WOULD BE GREAT TO GET ALL THE
TEACHERS VACCINATED AS QUICKLY
AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.
THAT’S THE REASON WHY THEY’RE IN
THE GROUP THAT IS THE NECESSARY
COMPONENTS OF SOCIETY, NAMELY
ESSENTIAL WORKERS.
>> YOU SAID K-8 AS THE LINE
HERE.
I THINK THERE’S BEEN -- IS THERE
MORE CONFIDENCE ON THE
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL OF THE
SAFETY VERSUS MIDDLE AND HIGH
SCHOOL, AND THAT’S WHY WE SORT
OF DRAW THE LINE AT EIGHTH GRADE
HERE?
>> WELL, YEAH.
IT’S DATA -- IT ISN’T
OVERWHELMING BUT STRONGLY
SUGGESTIVE.
THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF
STUDIES TO SHOW THAT WHEN YOU
HAVE CHILDREN THAT ARE A CERTAIN
AGE, NAMELY ABOVE EIGHTH GRADE
AND HIGHER, THAT THEY TRANSMIT
AS EASILY AS ADULTS TRANSMIT,
WHEREAS YOUNGER CHILDREN, EVEN
THOUGH THEY HAVE VIRUS IN THEIR
NASAL PHARYNX WHEN THEY GET
INFECTED, THEY DON’T TRANSMIT AS
READILY.
FOR THAT REASON, YOU WANT TO
FOCUS ON THAT GROUP, THE K-8
GROUP.
THERE ARE SOME DATA THAT SUGGEST
THAT.
>> FINALLY, LET ME COME BACK TO
VACCINES.
LESS ABOUT THE MANUFACTURING AND
MORE ABOUT THE DISTRIBUTION
PROCESS ITSELF.
I’M GOING TO READ A QUOTE FROM
ANN APPLEBAUM IN THE ATLANTIC,
THE PEOPLE GETTING THE VACCINES
RIGHT ARE THE ONES IN THE RIGHT
HEALTH CARE OR HOSPITAL GROUPS,
THE ONES WHO CAN SPEND THE DAY
CLICKING LINKS.
ANYONE WOULD A COMPUTER OR
INTERNET CONNECTION IS IN BIG
TROUBLE.
THE RESULT IS NO MORE FAIR OR
IMPARTIAL THAN AN
OLD-FASHIONED --
>> MY MOTHER GOES TO PUBLIX
EVERY DAY TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO GET IN A LINE.
SHE CAN’T SEE HOW TO GET ONE IN
HER STATE OF FLORIDA.
IT IS SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.
IT FEELS A LITTLE DARWINISTIC.
>> THERE IS A KERNEL OF TRUTH,
MORE THAN JUST A KOOERNL.
THERE ARE WAYS TO GET AROUND
THAT.
FIRST OF ALL, THE PRESIDENT’S
PLAN, THE STRATEGIC PLAN CALLS
FOR A FOLLOWING, THE
DEVELOPMENT, AND THEY’RE LINING
UP AND PUTTING INTO EFFECT
COMMUNITY VACCINE CENTERS,
NUMBER ONE.
GETTING VACCINE TO THE
PHARMACIES, NUMBER TWO.
GETTING MOBILE UNITS TO GET OUT
INTO THE COMMUNITY TO GET IT TO
PEOPLE WHO, AS ANN APPLEBAUM
SAID, HAVE TROUBLE NEGOTIATING A
COMPUTER OR GETTING THINGS
ONLINE.
THAT’S REALLY VERY IMPORTANT.
THE OTHER THING THAT’S IMPORTANT
IS THAT WE KNOW HAVE AN EQUITY
TASK FORCE THAT IS LOOKING
SPECIFICALLY AT WHAT I THINK
YOU’RE REFERRING TO, NAMELY
PEOPLE WHO, BECAUSE OF A VARIETY
OF REASONS, ECONOMIC STATUS,
WHERE THEY LIVE, WHO THEY ARE,
WHICH HAVE DIFFICULTY GETTING
ACCESSIBILITY TO VACCINES.
WE ARE AWARE OF THAT, AND THAT’S
THE REASON WHY THE TASK FORCE IS
WORKING HARD TO ELIMINATE THAT
INEQUITY
INEQUITY.
>> WHEN SHOULD OUR PATIENCE RUN
OUT?
IN A MONTH, TWO MONTHS?
WHEN SHOULD WE COME BACK TO YOU
AND SAY, HEY, WHEN ARE WE GOING
TO GET THIS FIXED?
>> CHUCK, I CAN’T GIVE YOU A
DATE.
YOU CAN ALWAYS COME BACK TO ME
AND PUT MY FEET TO THE FIRE.
I’M NOT AFRAID OF THAT.
I CAN TELL YOU THINGS ARE GOING
TO GET BETTER AS WE GET FROM
FEBRUARY INTO MARCH, INTO APRIL
BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF VACCINE
DOSES THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE
WILL INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY IN
ADDITION TO OTHER CANDIDATES
LIKE THE J&J WHICH WILL BE
COMING ONLINE SOON I THINK.
>> DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, A MAN WHO
THESE DAYS NEEDS NO