THE WORLD.
>> PARIS, ABOUT 46% OF THE
UNITED STATES POPULATION IS
FULLY VACCINATED.
BUT MANY COUNTRIES HAVE SHOWN
LAGGING VACCINATION RATES.
AS THE DEMAND FOR VACCINES WANES
IN THE UNITED STATES PRESIDENT
JOE BIDEN ANNOUNCED A PLAN TO
DISTRIBUTE VACCINES WORLDWIDE.
>> WE'RE TAKING A MAJOR STEP
THAT WILL SUPER CHARGE THE
GLOBAL FIGHT AGAINST THIS
PANDEMIC.
AT MY DIRECTION, THE UNITED
STATES WILL PURCHASE AN
ADDITIONAL HALF BILLION DOSES
FROM PFIZER, PFIZER VACCINE THAT
WILL DONATE NEARLY 100 LOW AND
LOWER MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES
THEY WILL BE THE BENEFICIARIES.
>> JOINING US IS IS TOM HOPE
PROFESSOR OF CELL AND
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY AT
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY.
WELCOME PROFESSOR HOPE.
WE KNOW THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN'S
PLAN CALLS FOR DISTRIBUTING 200
MILLION COVID-19 VACCINES BY THE
END OF 2021.
500 MILLION VACCINES TO BE
DISTRIBUTED BY JUNE 2022.
AND AS HE SAID, THAT IS TO 92
COUNTRIES WITH LOW TO LOWER TO
MIDDLE INCOME LEVELS.
PROFESSOR HOPE, WHAT MORE CAN
THE ADMINISTRATION DO?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THEY
HAVE TO TRY TO COME UP WITH
CREATIVE WAYS TO GET THIS DONE.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT BILLIONS OF PEOPLE
AND THE NUMBERS WE WERE JUST
TALKING ABOUT WERE AROUND 100
MILLION OR HALF A BILLION.
BUT WE HAVE TO GET THIS DONE
QUICKLY.
WE GOT TO SEE THIS AMAZING
DISPLAY HOW THE VACCINE SPOTS
THE VIRUS RIGHT HERE IN THE U.S.
WE'VE GOT TO FINISH THAT JOB AND
NOW WE HAVE TO VACCINATE THE
WORLD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THIS DELTA VARIANT IS PROBABLY
TRANSMITTING 10 TIMES MORE
EFFICIENTLY THAN THE ORIGINAL
VIRUS.
IF WE LET THE VIRUS HAVE CHANCES
TO MUTATE IT COULD STARTED TO
EVADE THE VACCINE.
>> WHAT AREAS OF THE WORLD ARE
LACKING MOST IN VACCINATIONS?
>> IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT
FOR INSTANCE IN AFRICA THEY HAVE
VACCINATED 1 OR 2%.
AND THEY ARE STRUGGLING TO FIND
PLACES TO TRY TO GET THE
VACCINES IF THEY CAN FIND THE
RESOURCES TO COLLECT THEM.
AFRICA IS A PLACE THAT IT'S BEEN
A BLESSING THAT THE VIRUS REALLY
HASN'T TAKEN OFF THERE.
BUT WE'RE SEEING THE VIRUS
TAKING OFF IN PLACES WHERE IT
DIDN'T REALLY GET A HOLD OVER
THE PAST YEAR.
AND SO AGAIN, WE JUST HAVE TO
COME UP WITH WAYS TO GET THE
RESOURCES TO GET THIS DONE WE
HAVE TO DO IT AS A POPULATION.
>> WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS OR
WHAT IS CAUSING THE BARRIERS IN
GETTING ACCESS TO THE VACCINES
FOR THOSE COUNTRIES?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK PART OF IS
JUST BEING ABLE TO PRODUCE
ENOUGH.
I THINK THEY ARE PRODUCING A
LOT.
AND I THINK THAT UNFORTUNATELY,
A LOT OF TIMES IT COMES DOWN TO
RESOURCES, COMES DOWN TO MONEY.
AND REALLY, THAT SHOULD NOT BE
THE QUESTION AT THIS POINT.
THOSE ARE INVESTMENTS WE HAVE TO
MAKE FOR THE WORLD FOR
OURSELVES.
AND WE'VE GOT TO GET OTHER
VACCINES THAT ARE BEING
DEVELOPED AND OPTIMIZED ON-LINE
AND OUT TO PEOPLE.
THERE IS A LOT OF WORK TO BE
DONE.
>> WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT
COUNTRIES AS THEY FALL BEHIND IN
VACCINATING AGAINST THE VIRUS
THAT THE VIRUS MUTATES FURTHER
AS WE KNOW THIS DELTA VARIANT IS
SPREADING?
>> SO MY PRIMARY CONCERN IS THAT
THE VARIANTS WE'RE SEEING THEY
POP-UP AND THEY TAKEOVER BECAUSE
THEY ARE THEY CAN RUN FASTER
THAN THE NEXT VIRUS AND SPREAD
FASTER THEY CAN OVERTAKE IT AND
SO THAT SORT OF A PRESSURE THE
VIRUS' HAVE WITH EACH OTHER.
AS WE ROLL OUT THE VACCINE, AND
THE VIRUS HAS A CHANCE TO BUMP
INTO SOMEBODY THAT IS VACCINATED
AND ALSO SOMEBODY ELSE THAT
ISN'T AND CAN START TO GO BACK
AND FORTH BETWEEN A VACCINATED
INDIVIDUAL AND NON-VACCINATED
INDIVIDUAL THAT'S THE
CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CAN LEAD TO A
VARIANT COMING UP THAT THEN SEES
IT HAS AN ADVANTAGE AND CAN
INFECT VACCINATED PEOPLE.
>> WHAT IS THIS VACCINATION GAP
SAY ABOUT THE GLOBAL PUBLIC
HEALTH INEQUITIES THAT EXIST?
>> I THINK IT PUTS IT ON THE
TABLE FOR ALL OF US TO SEE
WITHOUT ANY FANCY DRESSINGS.
THIS UNFORTUNATELY HAS BEEN
SOMETHING THAT IS PART OF THE
WORLD.
MAYBE GETTING A LITTLE BETTER
BUT DURING THE PANDEMIC IT WAS
VERY SORT OF VERY OBVIOUS AND I
KNOW MYSELF MANY PEOPLE WERE
HOPING THAT SOME OF THE LESSONS
WE LEARNED WE HAVE A CHANCE TO
STOP AND THINK, A CHANCE TO
ORGANIZE THINGS BETTER AND MAKE
THINGS MORE EFFICIENT.
AND WE STILL HAVE A CHANCE TO DO
THAT.
AND THIS COULD BE A GOOD REASON
TO DO IT.
BUT IT WILL BE SAD IF WE GO BACK
TO SOME OF THE BAD HABITS AND
UNFORTUNATE THINGS THAT WERE
COMMON IN OUR LIVES BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC.
>> TO THAT END IS THIS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN AND PREVENT
THIS VACCINATION GAP FROM
HAPPENING WITH FUTURE GLOBAL
VACCINATION EFFORTS?
>> MY ANSWER TO THAT IS YES.
THIS HAS BEEN THE MOST
REMARKABLE EYE-OPENING LEARNING
EXPERIENCE FOR SOMEONE THAT HAS
BEEN STUDYING VIRUSES FOR 30
YEARS.
THIS IS TO WATCH IT ALL
UNFOLDING IN REALTIME IS
SOMETHING ELSE.
AND IT'S KIND OF AMAZING THAT WE
DIDN'T KNOW THIS VIRUS EXISTED A
YEAR-AND-A-HALF AGO AND THE
COUNTRY IS NOW VACCINATED PRETTY
MUCH.
WE HAVE TO FINISH THAT JOB BUT
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS QUITE
REMARKABLE AND WHAT WE LEARN
FROM THAT IS NEXT TIME WE WILL
BE ABLE TO DO BETTER.
WE HAVE TO STOP THESE THINGS
EARLIER.
THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO
KEEP IT FROM BECOMING THE BIG
PROBLEM THAT IT BECAME.