DR. BLACKSTOCK, HOW HAPPY I AM
THAT I GOT TO BE THE ONE TO
SHARE THAT NEWS WITH OUR
VIEWERS.
WELCOME TO THE MSNBC FAMILY.
YOU HEARD THE CDC DIRECTOR
TALKING ABOUT THE UK VARIANT, AS
CASES CONTINUE TO RISE IN
MICHIGAN.
IN NEW JERSEY.
THE HEADLINE IN THIS WEEKENDS
"WASHINGTON POST" WARNS THE RISE
IN VARIANTS WILL DEFINE THE NEXT
PHASE OF THE PANDEMIC.
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT IN THE
NEAR TERM?
>> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
HAVING ME ON, ALICIA.
ESPECIALLY TODAY.
YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY WE ARE AT
ANOTHER VERY CRITICAL POINT
WHERE WERE SEEING IN MICHIGAN
COULD BE A HAR BINGER OF WHAT
OTHER STATES ARE TO EXPECT, AND
ITS REALLY UNCLEAR WHY MICHIGAN
IS THE HOT SPOT RIGHT NOW.
IT MAY BE BECAUSE IT WAS ONE OF
THE FIRST STATES TO HAVE THE
B-117 VARIANT.
ALSO BECAUSE THERES RELAXATION
OF RESTRICTIONS, AS WELL AS THE
FACT THAT MICHIGAN JUST DID SO
WELL WITH THOSE RESTRICTIONS IN
PLACE THAT THEY MAY HAVE A MORE
VULNERABLE POPULATION.
SO A LOT OF DIFFERENT REASONS
WHY, AND I THINK THAT WE STILL
HAVE TO BE ON GUARD, EVEN THOUGH
WE HAVE THAT LIGHT AT THE END OF
THE TUNNEL.
I THINK ULTIMATELY, IT WILL BE
UP TO BOTH INDIVIDUAL WILL AS
WELL AS POLITICAL WILL AS TO
WHETHER LEADERS WILL PUT THOSE
RESTRICTIONS BACK IN PLACE.
>> THERE WAS A REPORT OUT
EARLIER THIS WEEK THAT WHEN I
SAW JUST KNOCKED THE WIND OUT OF
ME, SHOWING THAT BLACK CHILDREN
ACCOUNT FOR 20% OF THE KIDS WHO
LOST A PARENT TO COVID.
THEY ACCOUNT FOR 14% OF THE
TOTAL CHILD POPULATION IN THE
U.S.
YOU HAVE BEEN RINGING THE BELL
ON EQUITY SINCE THE BEGINNING OF
THIS PANDEMIC.
WHEN YOU SEE NUMBERS LIKE THIS,
WHAT DO THEY TELL YOU?
>> THIS IS JUST ABSOLUTELY
DEVASTATING.
WE KNOW THAT BLACK COMMUNITIES,
OTHER COMMUNITIES OF COLOR HAVE
BEEN DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED
BY THIS PANDEMIC HEALTH WISE,
ECONOMIC WISE, AND NOW
PSYCHOLOGICALLY.
I FEEL LIKE ALMOST WERE GOING
TO HAVE THIS LOST GENERATION OF
CHILDREN WHO HAVE NOT ONLY LOST
THEIR ELDERS BUT ALSO THEIR
PARENTS.
AND WE KNOW THAT WITH PARENTAL
TRAUMA, THERE ARE INCREASED
RISKS OF DEPRESSION, PTSD, POST
TRAUMATIC STRESS SYNDROME, AND
THOSE CHILDREN ARE MORE LIKELY
TO EXPERIENCE ECONOMIC
INSECURITY, AND SO I THINK WERE
GOING TO NEED THIS
ADMINISTRATION AS WELL AS FUTURE
ADMINISTRATIONS TO MAKE SURE
WERE TRACKING THESE CHILDREN,
PROVIDING THEM WITH BOTH THE
PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC
RESOURCES THAT THEYLL NEED TO
THRIVE IN THE FUTURE.
>> ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THIS
CRISIS IS NOT YET IN OUR REAR
VIEW.
AS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE GET THE
VACCINE, WERE ALSO HEARING
ABOUT BREAKTHROUGH INFECTIONS,
PEOPLE TESTING POSITIVE AFTER
GETTING THE SHOT.
WE KNOW THE SHOT IS NOT 100%
EFFECTIVE, THAT A BOOSTER MAY BE
NEEDED, BUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN
ABOUT OUR BEHAVIOR AND HOW WE
ALL NEED TO LOOK AT A RETURN TO
NORMAL?
>> WELL, WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT
THAT RETURN TO NORMAL MAY NOT
COME AS QUICKLY AS WE WOULD
LIKE.
HOWEVER, I THINK IT WILL COME IN
A STEP-WISE FASHION.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS WHILE
WERE VACCINATING AS MANY PEOPLE
AS POSSIBLE, WE ALSO NEED TO
CONTROL THE NUMBER OF CASES AND
THE DEGREE OF SPREAD.
SO WITH BOTH THOSE, WE CAN REACH
HERD IMMUNITY FASTER.
BUT AGAIN, WE NEED EVERYONE TO
REALIZE THAT THEY HAVE A PART IN
THIS.
AND THAT, YOU KNOW, WERE NOT
SAYING DONT DO THINGS THAT YOU
ENJOY.
BUT WERE SAYING TO AVOID HIGH
RISK ACTIVITIES, AND MAYBE JUST
DO LOW AND MEDIUM RISK.
BUT WE NEED TO REALLY GET
THROUGH THESE NEXT FEW MONTHS
UNTIL WE HAVE A MORE SIGNIFICANT
PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION
VACCINATED AS WELL AS CASES
UNDER CONTROL.
>> GEORGIA THIS WEEK BECAME THE
THIRD STATE TO SHUT DOWN A
JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE SITE
AFTER ADVERSE REACTIONS WERE
REPORTED.
NORTH CAROLINA, COLORADO HAVE
DONE THE SAME.
HOW CONCERNED SHOULD AMERICANS
BE ABOUT THESE REACTIONS?
WHAT MORE DO THEY NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT THEM?
>> WELL, WHAT I WILL SAY IS FOR
NOW, THESE REACTIONS ARE QUITE
RARE.
I KNOW THAT THEY MAY SEEM VERY
SCARY TO THE PUBLIC, BUT WHEN WE
LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO
HAVE RECEIVED THE JOHNSON &
JOHNSON VACCINE, THESE
OCCURRENCES ARE, AGAIN, QUITE
RELATIVELY RARE.
WHAT WELL NEED IS FOR THE FDA,
CDC, TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE
EFFECTS OF THESE VACCINES.
WE KNOW THAT MOST OF THE SIDE
EFFECTS OCCUR IMMEDIATELY AFTER
GETTING THEM, BUT I WILL SAY
OVERALL, THE DATA THAT WE HAVE,
AND AGAIN, ITS BEEN GIVEN TO