LOTS OF NEWS DEVELOPING.
LOTS OF VERY SERIOUS MATTERS.
ON COVID I THINK TODAY MAY, IN
RETROSPECT, LOOK LIKE A LANDMARK
DAY FOR WHAT APPEARS TO BE A NEW
PHASE OF THE COVID RESPONSE IN
OUR COUNTRY.
WEVE BEEN WATCHING REALLY
WORRYING HEADLINES OVER THE PAST
COUPLE OF WEEKS OUT OF
SOUTHWEST, MISSOURI,
PARTICULARLY SPRINGFIELD,
MISSOURI.
MISSOURI HAS 40% OF ITS
POPULATION VACCINATED.
THAT HAS HAD CONSEQUENCES.
THEYVE GOT A RIP ROARING COVID
EPIDEMIC RIGHT FOU HAD IN SOUTH
WESTERN MISSOURI THANKS TO LOW
VACCINATION RATES AND THANKS IN
SIGNIFICANT PART TO THIS DELTA
VARIANT, WHICH THE VACCINES
APPARENTLY DO WORK AGAINST, BUT
IT DOESNT HELP YOU IF YOURE
NOT VACCINATED.
AND THE DELTA VARIANT APPEARS TO
BE SO MUCH MORE TRANSMISSIBLE
THAN THE INITIAL VARIANTS OF
COVID WERE, AGAIN FOR PEOPLE WHO
HAVENT HAD THE VACCINE.
AND THIS IS A PART OF THE
COUNTRY WHERE NOT VERY MANY
PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE VACCINE.
MULTIPLE HOSPITALS IN THE
PHYSICIAN SUPPORT BEING
ARRANGED.
HE SAYS, IF YOU ARE A
RESPIRATORY THERAPIST, CALL US.
SO, THE SITUATION WEVE BEEN
WATCHING -- AND THERES BEEN
PUBLIC CALLS FOR HELP OUT OF THE
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN SOUTHWEST,
MISSOURI, SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI.
NOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS
RESPONDING AS WELL.
THEYRE DEPLOYING WHAT THEYRE
CALLING A COVID SURGE TEAM FROM
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO HELP
IN THAT PART OF THE COUNTRY.
THIS IS PERSONNEL FROM CDC,
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES, FEMA.
THEYRE APPARENTLY SENDING AN
EPIDEMIOLOGIST AND RESEARCH
ASSISTANTS AND CONTACT TRACERS
TO GET THEIR ARMS AROUND THIS
RAPID SPREAD AND BIG SURGE IN
MISSOURI.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, THE COUNTRYS
TOP INFECTIOUS DISEASE DOCTOR
KEEPS SAYING IN PUBLIC REMARKS
THESE DAYS THAT HE THINKS WE ARE
HEADING INTO A REAL BIFURCATED
RESPONSE NOW AS A COUNTRY.
PARTS OF THE COUNTRY WITH HIGH
VACCINATION RATES RETURNING TO
SOMETHING APPROACHING NORMAL IN
TERMS OF LIFESTYLE AND
RESTRICTIONS AND HEALTH CARE
UTILIZATION.
WHILE ON THE OTHER HAND
SIMULTANEOUSLY PARTS OF THE
COUNTRY WITH LOW VACCINATION
RATES ARE SLIDING BACK INTO
POTENTIALLY SOME OF THE WORST OF
WHAT WE SAW LAST YEAR,
PARTICULARLY NOW THAT WEVE GOT
THE RISING PRESENCE OF THIS
EXTRA CONTAGIOUS VARIANT, THIS
DELTA VARIANT THAT IS JUST
RIPPING THROUGH UNVACCINATED
POPULATIONS NOW.
AGAIN, THE VACCINES ALL APPEAR
TO BE EFFECTIVE AGAINST THE
DELTA VARIANT, AT LEAST INITIAL
CLINICAL TRIALS -- EXCUSE ME,
INITIAL STUDIES OF THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE VACCINES
VERSUS THE DELTA VARIANTS SHOW
THAT ALL OF THEM ARE EFFECTIVE
AGAINST DELTA.
BUT IF YOURE NOT VACCINATED,
THE DELTA VARIANT IS MORE
TRANSMISSIBLE THAN WHAT BROUGHT
THE COUNTRY TO ITS KNEES LAST
YEAR.
AND SO THATS A DANGEROUS PLACE
TO BE FOR PARTS OF THE COUNTRY
THAT HAVE LOWER VACCINATION
RATES.
AND IF THAT MEANS THIS IS WHAT
WERE GOING TO SEE NOW, FEDERAL
SURGE TEAMS FANNING OUT TO
UNVACCINATED POCKETS OF THE
COUNTRY TO TRY TO STOP
SITUATIONS LIKE WHAT WEVE GOT
RIGHT NOW IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI,
THEN, INDEED, ITS GOOD THAT
THEYRE INNOVATING NEW
RESPONSES.
BUT, INDEED, THIS LOOKS LIKE A
NEW PHASE OF COVID IN AMERICA, A
NEW TEST FOR OUR NATIONAL
ABILITY TO RESPOND TO COVID.
AND DEPENDING ON HOW THIS GOES
AND WHETHER THIS BECOMES THE NEW
SORT OF CONTOURS OF THE AMERICAN
RESPONSE, WE MAY LOOK BACK ON
THIS WEEK AND EVEN TODAY AS A
SORT OF LANDMARK NEWS
DEVELOPMENT FOR COVID AND FOR
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATIONS
ABILITY TO ADJUST AND ADAPT AND
REACT AND INNOVATE NEW