OTHER SURGES.
CASES UP, THEN HOSPITALIZATIONS
UP, THEN DEATHS UP.
WELL, HERES SOMETHING INTERESTING.
THIS WEEK THE GOVERNOR OF
MICHIGAN, GRETCHEN WHITMER,
ASKED THE WHITE HOUSE TO HELP
WITH THE SURGE OF CASES IN HER
STATE FOR A NEW SURGE OF
VACCINES IN HER STATE.
THIS RAISES AN INTERESTING
QUESTION.
CAN WE FLOOD THOSE ZONES WITH
MORE VACCINES THAN THEY MIGHT
OTHERWISE GET?
I MEAN, IT MAKES SENSE, AT LEAST
IN LAYMANS TERMS, IN TRYING TO
GET AROUND THE EPIDEMIC ON THE
OTHER SIDE OF IT.
FOR TWO REASONS, RIGHT?
THE RISK OF HAVING TONS OF VIRUS
FLOATING AROUND, TONS OF COPIOUS
TRANSMISSION ANYWHERE IN THE
COUNTRY IS THE SAME AS THE RISK
WE HAD EVEN BEFORE WE HAD
VACCINES, RIGHT?
COPIOUS TRANSMISSION MEANS
PEOPLE ARE GETTING SICK AND
PEOPLE ARE DYING.
WITH VACCINES, THAT MAY BE
MITIGATED BY THE FACT THAT OLDER
PEOPLE MAY HAVE ADVANCED
IMMUNITY NOW, BUT RISE IN CASES,
RISE IN HOSPITALIZATIONS, RISE
IN DEATHS, ITS STILL HAPPENING.
ALSO, THOUGH, NOW MORE SO THAN
BEFORE, THERE IS THE ADDITIONAL
RISK OF COPIOUS TRANSMISSION
ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY. WITH ALL THE VARIANTS THAT ARE
WITH ALL THE VARIANTS THAT ARE
OUT THERE NOW, THE MORE TRANCE
MISS
-- TRANSMISSIBLE VARIANTS THAT
ARE OUT THERE, RIGHT NOW WITH
THE VARIANTS CIRCULATING,
COPIOUS VIRUS ANYWHERE IN THE
COUNTRY WITH THE THERAPIES AND
VACCINES THAT ARE CURRENTLY
WORKING AGAINST THEM.
MORE TRANSMISSION MEANS MORE
MUTATION OF THE VIRUS MEANS MORE
TRANSMISSION OF THE BAD
VARIANTS.
SO IF YOU CAN VACCINATE MORE
BECAUSE OF THE UPTICK IN CASES,
THAT MAKES SENSE, RIGHT?
VACCINATED PEOPLE DONT GET
INFECTED, MOSTLY, WHICH MEANS
THEY HELP STOP THE EXPONENTIAL
SPREAD.
THEY ALSO DONT HELP THE VIRUS
GET MORE POTENTIALLY VIRAL
MUTATIONS, THEY DONT GO TO THE
HOSPITAL AND THEY DONT DIE.
THE VACCINE ROLLOUT IS GOING
GREAT.
THE VACCINE ROLLOUT IS EXCEEDING
EXPECTATIONS IN CONSIDERABLE
WAYS.
IS IT A REASONABLE CASE THAT
MICHIGAN IS MAKING, THAT PLACES
THAT HAVE TONS OF TRANSMISSION,
MICHIGAN FACES THIS CHALLENGE.
SCIENTIFICALLY, WHAT ABOUT -- TH
WHY NOT LESSEN VIRUS
DEVELOPMENT? WHY NOT GO DOOR TO DOOR?
WHY NOT GO DOOR TO DOOR?
DR. PETER HOTEZ WORKS AT THE
TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL.
GOOD EVENING, DOCTOR.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> I WANT TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE
TO SET ME STRAIGHT.
IM TELLING HOW IM SORT OF
FEELING ABOUT THIS AS AN ISSUE
AND WHAT SEEMS LIKE MAYBE
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER.
IS THERE SOMETHING IM NOT
UNDERSTANDING OR HAVE I GONE
ABOUT THIS THE WRONG WAY AROUND?
>> RACHEL, IT TURNS OUT YOUVE
LEARNED A LOT OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
OVER THE LAST 14 MONTHS, SO
THATS A PRETTY GOOD ASSESSMENT,
ACTUALLY.
A COUPLE THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.
THE OVERWHELMING VARIANT IS THE
B. 117 VARIANT FROM THE UNITED
KINGDOM.
YES, WE HAVE OTHER VARIANTS, THE
BRAZILIAN AND THE CALIFORNIA
VARIANT, BUT THE ONE THATS REALLY EXCELLING RIGHT NOW AND
REALLY EXCELLING RIGHT NOW AND
THE ONE KEEPING US ALL UP IS THE
B. 117 VARIANT.
THIS VARIANT IS MORE TRANCE MISS
I BELIEVE
DA -- TRANSMISSIBLE, IT HAS
HIGHER TRANSLATION AND HIGHER
HOSPITALIZATION RATES.
THE B. 117 IN MICHIGAN IS ALSO
ACROSS NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, AND
HERE IN TEXAS AND FLORIDA AND
GEORGIA IN A BIG WAY.
SO THEYRE THINKING WHATS
HAPPENING IN MICHIGAN NOW IS A
HARBORER OF WHATS TO COME IN
THE REST OF THE COUNTRY VERY
SOON.
THATS ONE ISSUE.
THE OTHER IS THE UNITED STATES
ARE UNDERPERFORMING IN TERMS OF
TESTING, SO SOME OF THAT
VARIANTS MAY REFLECT A LEVEL OF
TESTING.
FOR INSTANCE, IN KANSAS, THE
LEVEL OF TESTING IS REPORTED TO
BE QUITE LOW SO IT MIGHT BE FAR
WORSE THAN WE ACTUALLY REALIZE.
THEN THERES THE QUESTION OF
BAND WIDTH.
EVEN IF WE SUPPLIED MORE VACCINE
TO MICHIGAN, WOULD THEY HAVE THE
CAPACITY TO MANAGE IT AND BE
ABLE TO VACCINATE IT.
IT MAY BE THE CASE.
SO THERE MAY BE SOME WIGGLE ROOM
IN TERMS OF SUPPLYING EXTRA
VACCINE, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS
THE B.117 VARIANT IS JUST ABOUT
EVERYWHERE NOW.
WEVE GOT TO VACCINATE THE
COUNTRY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
BY THE WAY, THIS WAS ALL
PREDICTED AND PREDICTABLE.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION DID
RESPOND.
IF YOU REMEMBER, RACHEL, BACK IN
JANUARY AFTER THE INAUGURATION,
THEY GAVE 100 MILLION
VACCINATIONS IN 100 DAYS, AND IT
WAS LOOKING REASONABLE, BUT THEN
WE SAW THE RAPID RISE OF THE B.
117 VARIANT, AND THE COMMUNITY
SAID, HOLD ON, THIS ISNT GOING
TO WORK ANYMORE, BECAUSE WITH
THE B. 117 VARIANT, WE HAVE TO
VACCINATE BY THE END OF SPRING.
THEY RESPONDED AND PUT TOGETHER
A PLAN.
THEY ARE CLEARLY WELL RESPONSIVE
IN TERMS OF WHATS HAPPENING.
IN TERMS OF THE SPECIFICS FOR
MICHIGAN, IT MAY MAKE SENSE TO
SUPPLY SOME ADDITIONAL VACCINE,
BUT THIS IS GOING TO START GOING
UP IN EVERY STATE NOW UNTIL WE
CAN GET TO MORE THAN HALF THE
COUNTRY VACCINATED.
BY THE WAY, WERE GOING TO GET
THERE PRETTY SOON.
I THINK IN FOUR TO FIVE WEEKS,