DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR FROM NEW JERSEY, AND SHARING YOUR VIEWS.
I APPRECIATE IT.
>> THANKS FOR HAVE MEEG, CHUCK.
>> AND JOINING ME NOW IS
DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, THE
DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR
INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND
POLICY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA.
MINNESOTA.
AND I WANT TO BEGIN,
DR. OSTERHOLM, WITH YOU TO RESPOND TO SOMETHING DR. BIRX
SAID EARLIER ON THE SHOW.
SHE ESSENTIALLY SEEMED TO IMPLY
THAT WE CANT RAMP UP TESTING AS
WE KNOW IT AND THAT THE ONLY WAY
WERE GOING TO SOLVE OUR TESTING
PROBLEM IS WITH ESSENTIALLY A
BREAKTHROUGH.
BREAKTHROUGH.
IS SHE RIGHT? IS THAT THROWING IN THE TOWEL ON
TESTING TOO EARLY?
>> WELL, SHES PARTIALLY RIGHT,
BUT LETS BE REALLY CLEAR.
THERE ARE THREE MAJOR PROBLEMS
WITH TESTING RIGHT NOW.
ONE, WE DONT HAVE THE REAGENTS.
OUR GOVERNOR IS NOT WORKING WITH
PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES AS ALL
THE OTHER GOVERNMENTS OF THE
WORLD ARE SEEKING TESTING TO
BEST RAMP UP THE REAGENTS WE DO
NEED.
NEED.
NUMBER TWO IS WE HAVE THE WILD, WILD WEST FOR TESTING.THE WILD,
WILD WEST FOR TESTING. THE FDA HAS ALL BUT GIVEN UP ITS
OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITY FOR
TESTS WE HAVE ON THE MARKET.
MANY ARE NOTHING SHORT OF A
DISASTER, AND WE GOT INTO THAT
PLACE BECAUSE OF HAD FACT ONCE
CDC HAD A PROBLEM, THE FDA JUST
OPENED THE GATE, AND WE HAVE A
LOT OF BAD TESTS ON THE MARKET
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW.
THE THIRD THING IS THESE TESTS JUST DONT PERFORM WELL IN LOWS
JUST DONT PERFORM WELL IN LOW PREVALENT POPULATIONS MEANING
THAT RIGHT NOW, IF YOU WERE TO
TEST FOR ANTIBODY IN MOST PLACES
IN THE UNITED STATES, OVER HALF
THE TESTS WOULD BE FALSE
POSITIVES.
POSITIVES.
SO WHAT WE NEED IS A MAJOR NEW
INITIATIVE ON TESTING THAT GETS AWAY FROM EVERY DAY JUST SAYING
HOW MANY PEOPLE GOT TESTS.
WERE MISSES THE MARK IN A BIG
WAY RIGHT NOW.
>> IS THIS, GIVEN WHAT WE HAVE
NOW, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE --
DOES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT,
DOES THE PRESIDENT NEED TO USE
THIS DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT IN
ORDER TO FORCE THESE PRIVATE
COMPANIES TO MAKE THESE
REAGENTS?
REAGENTS?
>> WELL, THATS PART OF THE ANSWER, BUT REMEMBER, THE WHOLE
WORLD WANTS THESE REAGENTS RIGHT
NOW, NOT JUST THE UNITED STATES.
SO WERE COMPETING AGAINST THE
WORLD.
WORLD.
WHAT WE HAVENT DONE IS REALLY
JUST BEEN CLEAR WITH THE PUBLIC OR WITH IN MANY CASES THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE MAKING THESE TESTS WHAT
WE WANT.
WE WANT. YOU KNOW, THERES FAR TOO MUCH
HAPPY TALK, NOT ENOUGH WHAT DO
WE NEED, WHAT IS IT GOING TO
TAKE TO GET US THERE AND HOW ARE
WE GOING DO IT, SO EVEN TODAY,
ITS ALL ABOUT EXCUSES ABOUT
WHAT WERE DOING FOR TESTING OR
NOT.
NOT.
WHERE IS OUR STRATEGIC PLAN THAT
LAYS OUT WHY WERE GOING TO USE
THE TEST, HOW WERE GOING TO USE THE TEST, WHEN WILL IT BETO USE
THE TEST, WHEN WILL IT BE AVAILABLE, AND WE DONT HAVE
THAT.
THAT.
>> LAY OUT THE NEXT 12 MONTHS. YOU HAVE BEEN BASICALLY ANTHS.
YOU HAVE BEEN BASICALLY A REALITY CHECK FOR A LOT OF US
OVER THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS.
ON AS YOU JUST CALLED IT, HAPPY
TALK.
TALK.
SO VICE PRESIDENT PENCE SAID THIS IS GOING TO BE BEHIND US
LARGELY BY MEMORIAL DAY.
MY INITIAL INSTINCT WAS,
MEMORIAL DAY 2021 OR 2020?
WHAT IS YOUR INSTINCT?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LETS
JUST TAKE THE NUMBERS.
AT MOST, 5% TO 15% OF THE UNITED
STATES HAS BEEN INFECTED TO
DATE, WITH ALL THE EXPERIENCE WE
HAD SO FAR, THIS VIRUS IS GOING
TO KEEP TRANSMITTING.
ITS GOING TO KEEP TRYING TO
FIND HUMANS TO DO WHAT IT DOES,
UNTIL WE GET AT LEAST 60% OR 70%
OF THE PEOPLE INFECTED.
THATS WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO GET
HERD IMMUNITY.
HERD IMMUNITY. WERE IN THE VERY EARLIEST DAYS
OF THIS SITUATION RIGHT NOW.
YOU KNOW, IF I COULD JUST
BRIEFLY SAY ONE STORY HERE.
RIGHT AFTER 9/11, I SPENT A
NUMBER OF DAYS UP AT YOUR
STUDIOS DOING FILMING AROUND THE
ISSUE OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
AND YOUR -- THE PREDECESSOR
HERE, THE LATE TIM RUSTERT USED
TO SAY TO ME ALL THE TIME, HI,
DOC.
DOC.
HOW YOU DOING?
IS THE BIG ONE HERE YET?
I WOULD ALWAYS SAY, NO, TIM,
ITS NOT.
IF HE WOULD ASK ME IS THE BIG
ONE HERE, IS IT COMING?
I WOULD SAY THIS IS THE BIG ONE
AND ITS GOING TO BE HERE FOR 16
TO 18 MONTHS.
PEOPLE DONT GET THAT YET.
WERE JUST ON THE VERY FIRST
STAGES.
WHEN I HEAR NEW YORK TALK ABOUT THEYRE NOW ON THE BACK SIDE OFT
THEYRE NOW ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, I KNOW THEY HAVE
BEEN THROUGH HELL, AND THATS AN
IMPORTANT STATEMENT.
IMPORTANT STATEMENT.
BUT THEY HAVE TO UNDERSTAND,
THATS NOT THE MOUNTAIN.
THATS THE FOOTHILLS.
THEY HAVE MOUNTAINS TO GO YET.
WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE TO GET INFECTED BEFORE THIS IS OVER.T
INFECTED BEFORE THIS IS OVER. >> VACCINE OR HERD IMMUNITY,
WHATS MORE LIKELY?
>> WELL, HERD IMMUNITY IS
CLEARLY GOING TO HAPPEN IF WE
DONT HAVE A VACCINE.
I DO THINK THAT WE HAVE A BETTER
CHANCE OF A VACCINE THAN SOME.
THE STATEMENT THAT CAME OUT
YESTERDAY FROM THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION SUGGESTED THERE
MIGHT NOT BE IMMUNITY WAS
MISINTERPRETED TO MEAN WE DONT
HAVE EVIDENCE THAT YOURE
PROTECTED FROM HUMANS, BUT WE
HAVE MONKEYS THAT HAVE BEEN
INFECTED INFENGZALLYTENTIONALLY
INFECTED INFENGZALLYTENTIONALLY HAD A NEW STUDY THAT SHOWED
VACCINE PROTECTED THEM.
I THINK WELL HAVE IT, I JUST
DONT THINK IT WILL BE SOON.
WERE ON VIRUS TIME NOW, NOT
HUMAN TIME.
HUMAN TIME.
WHAT WE CAN GET DONE IN THE NEXT
16 TO 18 MONTH, GREAT, BUT IF WE DONT, WE WONT HAVE A VACCINEF WE
DONT, WE WONT HAVE A VACCINE IN TIME TO PROTECT MOST OF THE
PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.
>> DR. OSTERHOLM, THANK YOU FOR