I THINK WE’RE ABOUT TO GET WHATEVER YOU’D LIKE. ALRIGHT, WE’RE ABOUT 30 SECONDS AWAY.
>> WE ACTUALLY STARTED THIS
SEGMENT. KSAT Q AND A TO SORT
OF SEPARATE THE FACT FROM THE
FICTION WHEN IT COMES TO
COVID-19. THAT WAS SOME 2 YEARS
AGO WHEN WE STARTED THE
SEGMENT, WE’RE GOING TO GET
BACK TO OUR ROOTS RIGHT NOW AND
TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE FACT AND
THE FICTION WHEN IT COMES TO
CURRENT COVID-19 VARIANTS THAT
ARE OUT THERE AND THE VACCINE.
DOCTOR LARRY SLUSH INJURED,
JOINS US. HE IS THE PRESIDENT
AND CEO OF TEXAS BIOMEDICAL
RESEARCH INSTITUTE. DOCTOR,
IT’S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO HAVE
YOU ON. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT A
JOHNS HOPKINS REPORT THAT WAS
RELEASED YESTERDAY. THAT COVID
IS STILL THE 3RD LEADING CAUSE
OF DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES.
MORE THAN A MILLION PEOPLE HAVE
DIED FROM COVID SINCE IT HIT
THE COUNTRY. ARE WE BEING TOO
NONCHALANT WHEN IT COMES TO
THIS AND SOME OF THE VARIANTS
THAT WE’RE SEEING? SHOULD WE
MASK UP? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
STEPS WE SHOULD BE TAKING WHEN
IT COMES TO COVID?
>> IT’S A GREAT QUESTION.
GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.
ABSOLUTELY. COVID-19. CONTINUES
TO BE A VERY SERIOUS INFECTION.
WE CONSTANTLY TALK ABOUT IN
AND OUT OF THE PANDEMIC OR A
TRIPLE DEMIC. THE TRUTH IS WE
HAVE A SERIOUS RESPIRATORY
VIRAL INFECTION TRAVELING THE
COUNTRY. STILL, IT’S ESTIMATED
THERE ARE ABOUT 4 OR 500 DEATHS
DUE TO COVID-19 DUE TO COVID-19
EACH DAY. IF YOU ARE AN EU
ALLIES THAT AND THAT’S ACTUALLY
A RATE OF DEAT
IYER THAT EVEN A SERIOUS FLU
EPIDEMIC. SO WE STILL HAVE A
SERIOUS PROBLEM RELATED TO
COVID-19. AND I THINK WE NEED
TO BE CAREFUL. WE NEED TO USE
OUR JUDGMENT IF WE’RE TO
CONGREGATE SETTING WITH THE
HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF EXPOSURE, WE
BETTER BE CAREFUL, FOR OUR
IMMUNE SYSTEMS ARE NOT NORMAL.
SO I THINK IT’S SOMETHING WE
NEED TO TAKE CARE OF IT.
ONE OF THE ASPECT OF THIS IS
THE NEWEST, A VACCINE THAT BY
FAILING VACCINE, WHICH IS THE
ONE THAT HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE
THE BEST PROTECTION AGAINST
SOME OF THESE NEW VARIANTS AND
THE UPTAKE OF THAT VACCINE IS
ONLY ABOUT 15 OR 20%. AND SO WE
ARE NOT DOING A GOOD JOB OF
AXING UP AND THESE VACCINES
HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT
IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19.
I COULD TALK MORE ABOUT THAT.
>> AND LET’S TALK ABOUT SOME
OF THE MYTHS. THE
MISCONCEPTIONS THAT CURRENTLY
EXIST WERE NEARLY 3 YEARS INTO
LIVING WITH COVID-19 AND A
RECENT SURVEY FROM RASMUSSEN
REPORTS SAID THAT NEARLY HALF
OF AMERICANS, I BELIEVE THAT
COVID VACCINES HAVE PROBABLY
CAUSED A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER
OF UNEXPLAINED DEATHS. IS THERE
ANY EVIDENCE TO BACK THAT UP?
>> THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO BACK
THAT UP. AND I HAVE TO SAY WE
CONTINUE TO HAVE MISINFORMATION
REGARDING THIS VACCINE IN
COULD, INCLUDING SOME RECENT
DEATHS THAT HAVE OCCURRED
THERE. FOOTBALL PLAYER STORY
>> THERE’S NO EVIDENCE THAT
THIS WAS CAUSED BY COVID-19.
LOOK, HERE ARE THE FACTS.
THE DATA ARE OUT NOW. 1.1
MILLION PEOPLE IN THE UNITED
STATES HAVE DIED FROM COVID.
THE VACCINE IS ESTIMATED TO
HAVE PREVENTED OVER 3 MILLION
DEATHS DUE TO COVID-19. THE
VACCINES PREVENTED NEARLY
20 MILLION HOSPITALIZATIONS
AND OVER A TRILLION DOLLARS OF
COST TO THE U.S. ECONOMY
WORLDWIDE. THE ESTIMATES ARE
ABOUT THE VACCINES HAVE
PROTECTED. ABOUT 20 MILLION
PEOPLE. AND GUESS WHAT? THAT’S
WHAT VACCINES TO HISTORICALLY
VACCINES AGAINST THE NUMBER
OF INFECTIONS HAS SAVED
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF LIVES.
SO THESE VACCINES WORK, THEY
DON’T COMPLETELY PREVENT
INFECTION. WE KNOW THAT
ALREADY. BUT WE’RE TALKING
ABOUT SERIOUS LIFE-THREATENING
INFECTION, PARTICULARLY IN
VULNERABLE PEOPLE. OTHER
VACCINES ARE PERFORMING WELL,
BUT US INCREASE THAT BIVALENT
VACCINE.
>> I KNOW TEXAS BIOMED A KEY
ROLE IN THE PFIZER VACCINE AND
YOU’RE WORKING ON SOMETHING
NOW CALLED AND I WILL MAKE SURE
YOU GET THIS RIGHT.
A LIVE ATTENUATED APPROACH TO
VACCINE. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
>> RIGHT. RIGHT NOW WE HAVE
THE N WORD IN A VACCINE AND
THEY’RE VERY POWERFUL. BUT
THERE’S STILL SOME QUESTION
ABOUT THEIR SO-CALLED
DURABILITY. THEY SEEM TO LIVES
ONLY A PERIOD OF PERHAPS FOR
6 MONTHS. AND SO EVERYONE IS
ASKING THE QUESTION WHAT IS
MEANS DOCTORS LAST YEAR?
DO YOU NEED TO TAKE OF DO WE
NEED TO TAKE VACCINES 4 TIMES
A YEAR. SO GOING FORWARD, WE
NEED MORE DURABLE VACCINES OR
PERHAPS WEST THE YEAR. JUST
LIKE THE INFLUENZA VACCINE.
AND WE NEED VACCINES THAT
STIMULATE OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
TO PROTECTED AGAINST MORE OF
THESE
BORDER PROTECTION. ONE OF THAT
TIME HONORED APPROACHES FOR
ACHIEVING DURING BILITY AND
BROAD PROTECTION OR SO-CALLED A
LIVE ATTENUATED VACCINES FOR
SMALLPOX VACCINE CHICKENPOX,
YELLOW FEVER. THESE ARE
ESTABLISHED VACCINE STRATEGIES
AND AT TEXAS BY MIT, SCIENTISTS
ARE PRODUCING USING NEW
TECHNOLOGY, A FORM OF LIFE.
BUT ANYWAY, THE VACCINE THAT’S
PERFORMING VERY WELL IN THE
SOCAL PRECLINICAL ARENA.
WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
TECHNOLOGY IS ONE OF THE FEW
THAT ARE OUT THERE NOW IN TERMS
OF INCREASING THAT DURATION AND
THAT PROTECTION. SO WHAT WE
NEED NOW IS TO CONTINUE TO FUEL
THE RESEARCH ENGINE GOING
FORWARD SO THAT WE CAN BRING
THESE NEWER TECHNOLOGIES THAT
WOULD BE MORE POWERFUL AND
PROTECT HUMANS. AND I’M AFRAID
WE’RE AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS
CITY WHERE IT’S PEOPLE ARE
TALKING ABOUT IT LESS. AND
GUESS WHAT? THE MONEY STARTS
GETTING TIGHTER AND WE CAN’T
MOVE THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES
FORWARD. I THINK THAT’S OUR
CHALLENGE GOING FORWARD.
BUT I’M EXCITED ABOUT THIS NEW
TECHNOLOGY AND THERE’S NEW
THERAPIES ALSO IN THE PIPELINE.
THE TEXAS BY MIT IS WE TALKED A
LOT A LOT ABOUT A LIVE
ATTENUATED VACCINE RIGHT HERE
ON MONDAY. AND A KSAT EXPLAINS
WITH THE HELP OF SOME OF YOUR
YOUR RESEARCH OR SO. THAT WAS.
>> THAT WAS REALLY HELPFUL TO
DISTINGUISH. THE DIFFERENCE IS
BEFORE WE LET YOU GO, I WANT TO
ASK ABOUT
>> THE VARIANTS THAT WE SEE
THAT THEY KEEP ON COMING WHEN
IT COMES TO COVID-19. THERE’S
BEEN ANOTHER MISCONCEPTION THAT
MORE BOOSTERS MEAN MORE
VARIANTS. EXPLAIN WHY WE
CONTINUE TO SEE DIFFERENT
VARIATIONS OF THIS VIRUS.
THAT IS ONE CAUSE ANOTHER.
>> ALL RIGHT. SO VACCINES AND
THERAPIES CAN PUT SOME PRESSURE
ON
THE VIRUS CAN ULTIMATELY HELP
INVOLVES THE VIRUS. HOWEVER,
THE FAST MAJORITY OF THESE
VARIANTS ARE BEING CAUSED BY
THE FACT THAT THE VIRUS IS
CIRCULATING, WHETHER YOU’RE
VACCINATED, YOU’RE NOT ENOUGH.
AND THIS VIRUS WILL CONTINUE
TO MUTATE. SO TO ANSWER YOUR
QUESTION, IT IS NOT THE
VACCINE. THAT WAS THE NEW
STRAIN. FOR EXAMPLE, THE XP BE
1.5, WHICH REALLY THE VERY NOW
IN THE NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 2015
TO 20% OF CASES IN TEXAS
STUDENT IS FAIR IS NOT CAUSED
BY
THE VACCINE. THE SUSPECTS AND
THE VARIANTS ARE BECAUSE THE
VIRUS CONTINUES TO CIRCULATE
THE POPULATION OF WHAT INVITES
IS DO THEY INVOLVED IN YOU AND
ME.
THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THE
SAFETY PROFILE OF THE VACCINE.
YES, IT’S NOT 100%. NO VACCINE
IS. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE
SO-CALLED SIDE EFFECTS THAT ARE
BEING LOOKED TO LOOK INTO FDA
AND OTHERS, THERE ARE PALE IN
COMPARISON TO ALL THE SIDE
EFFECTS OF HAVING A TRUE
COVID-19 INFECTION. 10 TO 20%
OF PEOPLE WITH COVID HAVE THIS
LONG COVID. WE’RE NOW OVER 200
SYMPTOMS HAVE BEEN OTHER FORMS
OF INFLAMMATION. SO THERE’S
MUCH WE’RE SO COME DUE TO THE
VIRUS. THEN THERE IS TO THE
VACCINE.
>> DOCTOR, LARRY SCHLESINGER.
YEAH, I AGREE THAT WE NEED TO
KEEP TALKING ABOUT THE
SERIOUSNESS OF COVID. WE ALSO
NEED TO KEEP TALKING ABOUT THE
FACT THAT WE NEED NEW
TECHNOLOGY, A NEW VIRUSES TO
FIGHT NOT ONLY COVID, BUT WHAT
WHAT ELSE MAY BE COMING DOWN
THE AND I REALLY BELIEVE TEXAS
IT IS GOING TO BE PART OF THE
SOLUTION GOING FORWARD. WE HAVE
NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY
AND GOVERNMENT THAT WILL TELL
YOU ABOUT OVER TIME THAT I
BELIEVE WE REALLY HAVE THAT
UNIQUE ENTERPRISE THAT CAN
REALLY HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEM
OF MORE PROTECTION AGAINST
THESE INCREASING INFECTIOUS
THREATS. DOCTOR, SCHLESINGER,