ANDREA?
>> PRISCILLA THOMPSON IN RIO
GRANDE CITY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND JOINING US NOW, DR. ASHISH
JHA, THE DEAN OF COURSE OF THE
BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF
PUBLIC HEALTH.
DR. JHA, IT’S SORT OF GOOD
NEWS/BAD NEWS.
WE’VE GOT THE TREND DOWN IN THE
PANDEMIC.
THE PLATEAU IS FINALLY TRENDING
DOWNWARD AGAIN.
BUT CONCERN ABOUT VARIANTS.
AND NOW YOU SEE THESE STATES
LIKE TEXAS OPENING TO 100%
RESTAURANT CAPACITY.
WHAT CONCERNS YOU ABOUT THAT?
>> YES, ANDREA, THANKS FOR
HAVING ME ON.
THIS IS JUST THE WRONG TIME TO
DO IT.
AND I THINK WE HEARD THAT IN
THAT LAST REPORT.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS
THAT REALLY WORRY ME RIGHT NOW.
A LOT OF HIGH-RISK PEOPLE LIKE
JOSE’S GRANDMOTHER FROM THE
PREVIOUS REPORT, A LOT OF
HIGH-RISK PEOPLE ARE NOT YET
VACCINATED.
AND UNTIL THEY ARE VACCINATED I
THINK WE ABSOLUTELY NEED TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE KEEP PUBLIC HEALTH
MEASURES IN PLACE.
AND THEN THIS B.1.1.7, THE
VARIANT FROM THE UK, IS STILL
OUT THERE.
IT’S GROWING IN NUMBERS.
AND I’M HAPPY TO SEE THE OVERALL
INFECTION NUMBERS COMING DOWN,
BUT WE’RE PROBABLY A COUPLE OF
WEEKS AWAY FROM THAT INFECTION,
THAT VIRUS BECOMING DOMINANT IN
THE UNITED STATES.
AGAIN, WRONG TIME TO OPEN UP
RIGHT NOW.
WE REALLY DO NEED A FEW MORE
WEEKS, FOUR, SIX WEEKS AT THE
MOST, IN TERMS OF REALLY PUBLIC
HEALTH MEASURES UNTIL WE’RE IN
BETTER SHAPE.
>> AND TODAY PRESIDENT BIDEN IS
GOING TO ANNOUNCE A NEW DEAL
SECURING AN ADDITIONAL 100
MILLION J&J DOSES.
THAT WILL ENSURE WE’RE GOING TO
HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH VACCINE
FOR EVERY ADULT.
SO WHERE DOES THIS POSITION THE
COUNTRY IN THIS RACE TO HERD
IMMUNITY AGAINST THOSE
CONCERNING VARIANTS?
>> YEAH.
SO I THINK THERE ARE TWO THINGS
HERE.
ONE IS THERE’S A SHORT-TERM
RACE.
REALLY THE NEXT FOUR TO SIX
WEEKS AS I MENTIONED.
WHERE WE’VE GOT TO GET AS MANY
HIGH-RISK PEOPLE VACCINATED AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
I THINK WE’LL HAVE THE VACCINES.
I LOVE THE IDEA OF MORE J&J
VACCINES.
THE ISSUE WILL BE WE WILL BE
PROBABLY AT SOME POINT IN MAY,
JUNE AT THE LATEST, AT A POINT
WHERE WE HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH
VACCINES FOR EVERY AMERICAN
ADULT AND MORE VACCINES COMING.
AND THE QUESTION IS WHAT ARE WE
GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
AND MY HOPE IS THAT WE START
BEING ABLE TO SHARE THOSE
VACCINES WITH THE GLOBAL
COMMUNITY BECAUSE THERE ARE A
LOT OF PEOPLE, HIGH-RISK PEOPLE
AROUND THE WORLD WHO HAVE NOT
YET STARTED GETTING VACCINATED.
SO I’D LIKE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO
GET THESE VACCINES OUT TO MORE
PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD AS WELL.
>> I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THAT
BECAUSE THAT IS A HIGH PRIORITY
AMONG ALL THE FOREIGN POLICY
PEOPLE I TALKED TO.
BUT THERE STILL IS RESISTANCE
AND LACK OF ACCESS PROBLEMS
HERE.
SO YOU’VE GOT COMMUNITIES THAT
AREN’T ON BROADBAND, HAVEN’T
BEEN ABLE TO SIGN UP, THE
DISTRIBUTION IS VERY DISPARATE
DIFFERENT STATES, LACK OF
EQUITY, PROFOUND LACK OF EQUITY
IN THE NUMBER OF STATE
LOCATIONS.
SO HOW DO YOU BEGIN TO
DISTRIBUTE, QUOTE, EXCESS
VACCINES AROUND THE WORLD IF YOU
HAVE NOT PROPERLY VACCINATED ALL
AMERICANS?
>> YEAH, NO, ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK RIGHT NOW WHERE WE ARE,
WE STILL HAVE A SUPPLY PROBLEM.
DEMAND IS STILL OUTPACING
SUPPLY.
THE ISSUES OF EQUITY IN MY MIND
ARE REALLY DIFFERENT IN THE
SENSE THAT THEY’RE NOT A SUPPLY
PROBLEM.
THEY ARE WE HAVE NOT DONE A GOOD
ENOUGH JOB OF PLACING
VACCINATION SITES IN THESE
COMMUNITIES.
WE HAVE NOT MADE IT EASY FOR
PEOPLE TO SIGN UP.
THOSE ARE THINGS WE’RE GOING TO
HAVE TO CONTINUE WORKING ON FOR
WEEKS AND MONTHS.
BUT I DO THINK AT SOME POINT,
ANDREA, AS I SAID, PROBABLY
APRIL -- I’M SORRY, PROBABLY
MAY, MAYBE JUNE, WE WILL HAVE
PLENTY OF VACCINES AND THAT WILL
NO LONGER BE A CONSTRAINT FOR
US.
AT THAT MOMENT I’D LIKE TO US
SHIFT TO A MORE GLOBAL STANCE
AND REALLY START PUSHING THESE
VACCINES OUT, KEEPING ENOUGH FOR
EVERY ADULT IN AMERICA SURELY.
>> AND TOP HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE
INDICATED THAT MORE, ADDITIONAL
CDC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
VACCINATED PEOPLE ARE COMING
SOON.
DO YOU THINK THIS WILL LOOSEN UP
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS?
BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE SAY THEY
WERE TOO CONSERVATIVE REGARDING
TRAVEL.
>> YEAH, I DO.
AGAIN, I DON’T KNOW -- I DON’T
HAVE ANY INSIDE TRACK ON WHAT
THE CDC’S GOING TO SAY.
BUT I DO EXPECT TRAVEL TO BE --
THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS TO GET
LOOSENED UP BECAUSE I THINK FOR
PEOPLE WHO ARE FULLY VACCINATED
TRAVEL IS REASONABLY SAFE TO DO,
ESPECIALLY IF WE CONTINUE TO
MEASURE -- KIND OF KEEP THE
MITIGATION MEASURES LIKE MASK
WEARING AND ALL OF THAT THAT’S
SO IMPORTANT.
SO I EXPECT NEW GUIDANCE FROM