"THE 11TH HOUR" WITH BRIAN
WILLIAMS BEGINS RIGHT NOW.
>>> WELL, GOOD EVENING ONCE
AGAIN.
THIS WAS DAY 150 OF THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION.
TODAY THE WHITE HOUSE ISSUED A
NEW WARNING TO AMERICANS AS THIS
COVID-19 DELTA VARIANT NOW TAKES
HOLD ACROSS THE GLOBE AND IS
STARTING TO ARRIVE HERE AT HOME.
FEDERAL VACCINATION EFFORTS HAS
BEEN GOING FULL SPEED.
300 MILLION SHOTS HAVE BEEN
ADMINISTERED IN 150 DAYS.
MAKE NO MISTAKE THAT IS NOTHING
SHORT OF A REMARKABLE PUBLIC
HEALTH ACHIEVEMENT.
BUT OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS
THERE HAS BEEN A STEADY DECLINE
IN DEMAND FOR THE VACCINE.
NOW THE NATION MAY FALL SHORT OF
BIDENS GOAL OF AT LEAST ONE
SHOT FOR 70% OF ADULTS BY THE
FOURTH OF JULY.
TONIGHT ABOUT 65% OF AMERICANS
HAVE RECEIVED ONE DOSE.
ABOUT 55% FULLY VACCINATED.
THIS AFTERNOON PRESIDENT BIDEN
NOTED THE DANGER POSED BY THIS
NEW VARIANT, AND HE URGED
AMERICANS TO GET THAT SHOT.
>> THE NEW VARIANT WILL LEAVE
UNVACCINATED PEOPLE EVEN MORE
VULNERABLE THAN THEY ARE A MONTH
AGO OR A MONTH AGO.
THIS IS A SERIOUS CONCERN
ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF WHAT
EXPERTS ARE CALLING THE DELTA
VARIANT.
ITS A VARIANT THAT IS MORE
EASILY TRANSMISSIBLE,
POTENTIALLY DEADLIER AND
PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS FOR YOUNG
PEOPLE.
>> COULD THE DELTA VARIANT FORCE
US BACK INTO LOCKDOWN?
>> I DONT THINK SO BECAUSE SO
MANY PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY BEEN
VACCINATED.
>> WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
SAYS THIS DELTA VARIANT IS
BECOMING THE DOMINANT COVID
STRAIN ACROSS OUR WORLD.
CDC SAYS IT WILL LIKELY BECOME
THE DOMINANT STRAIN HERE WITHIN
A FEW MONTHS.
EXPERTS ARE PARTICULARLY WORRIED
ABOUT WHAT IT COULD MEAN COME
FALL, WHAT IT COULD MEAN IN
PARTS OF THE SOUTH WHERE
VACCINATION RATES HAVE LAGGED
WAY BEHIND THE REST OF OUR
COUNTRY.
>> WERE GOING TO SEE REGIONAL
SURGES IN PLACES LIKE THE SOUTH,
THE SOUTHEAST OF THE UNITED
STATES.
LOW VACCINE UPTAKE RATES.
ONCE WE HIT THE FALL WERE GOING
TO GET COLD, DRY AIR.
THATS WHAT COVID LIKES.
ITS REALLY COMBATING THIS
CONCEPTION THAT BACK IN 2020
YOUNG PEOPLE THOUGHT, WELL, ITS
MY PARENTS THAT ARE GOING TO END
UP IN INTENSIVE CARE.
CALLED "THE BURY."
AND KEITH MAYS, AUTHOR OF
AFRICAN STUDIES.
AS A GREAT MAN ONCE SAID SOME
DAYS ITS LIKE ONE STEP UP AND
TWO STEPS BACK.
ON THE PANDEMIC FRONT JUST WHEN
WE HAVE A GOOD STRETCH ALONG
COMES A REMINDER THAT THERES
STILL WORK TO DO.
WHATS THE REAL LEVEL OF CONCERN
AT THE INSTITUTION YOU COVER ON
THIS DELTA VARIANT?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT THE
CONCERN IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
A WAY TO GET TO THE PEOPLE WHO
STILL HAVENT GOTTEN VACCINATED.
OBVIOUSLY ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIALS KNEW THERE WAS THIS
LOW HANGING FRUIT AT THE VERY
BEGINNING, THE PEOPLE WHO WERE
SUPER EAGER TO GET VACCINATED
LINING UP RIGHT AWAY.
THEN THERE WAS THE SECOND TIER
ABOUT PEOPLE WHO, YEAH, THEY
WERENT NECESSARILY OPPOSED TO
THE VACCINE BUT THEY HADNT
GOTTEN AROUND TO IT, THEY JUST
NEEDED THAT LITTLE NUDGE, AND
THATS WHERE YOU SAW THINGS LIKE
THE OHIO LOTTERY PROGRAM OR YOU
SAW THE ADMINISTRATION
ENCOURAGING EMPLOYERS TO GIVE
PEOPLE PAID TIME OFF AND FREE
BEER, AND THESE LITTLE
INCENTIVES TO NUDGE PEOPLE.
WELL, THERES BEEN ABOUT A MONTH
OF PEOPLE GETTING NUDGED, AND
YOU STILL SEE A LOT OF GROUPS,
DEMOGRAPHICS, EVEN ENTIRE STATES
WHERE THE VACCINATION RATES ARE
STILL REALLY LOW.
THEYRE STUCK AROUND 50% IN A
NUMBER OF STATES IN THE SOUTH.
WHILE YOU HAVE PEOPLE OVER 40
WITH ABOUT 74% HAVING GOTTEN
THEIR FIRST SHOT, YOUVE GOT
PEOPLE 18 TO 24 IN SOME PLACES
WHERE ITS JUST A QUARTER OF
THAT AGE GROUP HAVE GOTTEN THE
SHOT.
THE ADMINISTRATION HAS KIND OF
DEPLOYED ALMOST ALL OF THE TOOLS
IN THEIR TOOL BAG TO TRY AND
DRIVE PEOPLE OUT AND THEYRE
STILL HITTING AGAINST THIS WALL.
AND WHAT YOU ARE HEARING FROM
THE PRESIDENT TODAY IN THAT CLIP
YOU PLAYED EARLIER IS SORT OF
THE NEXT LEVEL OF THIS IN TRYING
TO DRIVE HOME THE FACT THAT
THERES A NEW VARIANT OUT THERE
THAT IS PARTICULARLY HARMFUL TO
YOUNG PEOPLE AND THAT THIS IS NO
LONGER JUST A QUESTION ABOUT
TRYING TO GET YOUNG PEOPLE OUT
THERE TO GET VACCINATED SO THEY
DONT INFECT THEIR GRANDPARENTS
OR THEY DONT INFECT SOMEONE
IMMUNOCOMPROMISED WHO CANT GET
THE VACCINE.
ITS NOW TRYING TO GET THE
MESSAGE OUT THERE THAT THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT COULD POSE A REAL
SERIOUS HEALTH RISK TO YOUNG
PEOPLE WHICH IS CERTAINLY WHAT
THE DATA SHOWS US AND WHAT WERE
SEEING IN A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES.
I THINK THATS WHERE YOURE
STARTING TO SEE THINGS SHIFT
NOW.
AND THE ADMINISTRATION IS
WARNING IN PLACES WHERE THE
VACCINATION RATE IS LOW, THE