EUGENE ROBINSON IS STILL WITH US
AND MIKE BARNICLE JOINS THE
DISCUSSION.
70% OF AMERICANS HAVE NOW ROLLED
UP THEIR SLEEVES FOR A COVID
VACCINE.
BUT ITS NOT ENOUGH.
THE LATEST ON THE DEADLY
MUTATIONS FUELLING THE SERGE.
PLUS COVID BREAKS THROUGH THE
U.S. SENATE.
LINDSEY GRAHAM IS POSITIVE FOR
THE VIRUS.
DAYS AFTER SHARING THE SAME
SPACE WITH SEVERAL OF HIS
COLLEAGUES.
NOW HES CREDITING GETTING
VACCINATED FOR NOT BEING MORE
SICK.
JOINING US NOW THE DIRECTOR OF
THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF
HEALTH DR. FRANCIS COLLINS.
DR. COLLINS THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR BEING ON WITH US THIS
MORNING.
ID LIKE TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE
UNVACCINATED POPULATION, WHAT
THE NUMBERS LOOK LIKE TO YOU IN
TERMS OF THE DANGER THAT
MUTATIONS COULD START BEING
CREATED FROM THE DELTA VARIANT
MUTATIONS THAT ARE WORSE THAN
THE DELTA BECAUSE PERHAPS THEY
BREAK THROUGH MORE TO PEOPLE WHO
ARE VACCINATED.
>> WELL, THERES AN IMMEDIATE
CONCERN, EVEN BEFORE WE THINK
ABOUT NEW MUTATIONS.
THE CURRENT ONE, THE DELTA
VARIANT, IS A BIG THREAT.
TO THOSE UNVACCINATED PEOPLE.
AS HAS NOW BEEN SAID, THIS IS A
PANDEMIC OF THE UNVACCINATED.
WHERE WE ARE SEEING CASES RISE
NOW, OVER 100,000 A DAY, WHICH
WE HAVE NOT SEEN IN MANY MONTHS.
BUT YOURE RIGHT.
EACH ONE OF THOSE NEW INFECTIONS
IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS VIRUS
TO PICK UP ADDITIONAL MUTATIONS.
AND WHILE RIGHT NOW THE VACCINES
WORK REALLY WELL AGAINST DELTA,
MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT THAT, THE
VACCINES ARE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE,
IF IN THE FUTURE SOME ADDITIONAL
MUTATIONS PILE ON HERE, SO THAT
THE VIRUS IS REALLY TURNING OUT
TO BE QUITE DIFFERENT THAN WHERE
WE STARTED LAST YEAR IN THE
WUHAN OUTBREAK, THEN WE COULD
FACE A MOMENT WHERE THE VACCINES
ARE NO LONGER AS EFFECTIVE AND
THAT WOULD BE A WORLD OF HURT.
SO ALL THE MORE REASON WHY IT IS
CRITICAL NOW FOR VACCINE LEVELS
TO GO UP AND IM GLAD TO SEE
THEY ARE, ESPECIALLY IN PLACES
HARD HIT LIKE LOUISIANA WHICH
HAS TRIPLED THEIR VACCINATION
RATES BUT WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO
GO THERE AND SOME OF THE PLACES
ARE ONLY AT ABOUT 30% COVERAGE.
>> COULD YOU REINFORCE TO OUR
VIEWERS THE IMPACT THE DELTA
VARIANT HAS ON THE YOUNGER
POPULATION, ON BABIES AND
CHILDREN, HOW DANGEROUS IS IT
FOR THEM?
>> THANK YOU FOR RAISING THAT.
I THINK THERE HAS BEEN THIS
GENERAL SENSE OVER THE LAST YEAR
AND A HALF THAT YOUNG PEOPLE
DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS.
LOOK AT WHATS HAPPENING NOW.
WE HAVE MANY 18 AND 20-YEAR-OLDS
IN ICUs ON VENTILATORS, EVEN
BABIES IN PEDIATRIC ICUs IN
LOUISIANA.
SO WHILE THE ATTACK RATE FOR
YOUNGER PEOPLE IS LOWER, IT IS
NOT ZERO.
AND ALL THE MORE REASON
THEREFORE THAT ANYBODY WHO HAS
ACCESS TO THE VACCINE, WHICH IS
ANYBODY OVER 12 OUGHT TO BE
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF IT.
AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE KIDS AT HOME
WHO CANT BE VACCINATED BECAUSE
THEYRE TOO YOUNG NEED TO BE
THINKING ABOUT HOW TO PROTECTING
THEM WITH THE UNPLEASANTNESS BUT
NECESSARY STEP OF MASK WEARING.
>> DR. COLLINS, LETS TALK ABOUT
PEOPLE OF FAITH FOR A MOMENT.
YOURE A MAN OF FAITH AND YOUVE
TALKED ABOUT IT PUBLICLY BEFORE.
I ACTUALLY SAW FRANKLIN GRAHAM,
A BIT SURPRISED BY HIS TWEET BUT
HE TWEETED, ENCOURAGING PEOPLE
TO GO OUT AND GET VACCINATED.
SAID HE WAS ABSOLUTELY FLUMMOXED
BY THE FACT THAT SO MANY
EVANGELICALS WERE NOT GETTING
THE VACCINE.
IM CURIOUS WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS
ARE ON WHAT RESPONSIBILITY
PASTORS MAY HAVE, NOT ONLY IN
THE WHITE EVANGELICAL COMMUNITY
BUT ALSO PASTORS WHO MAY LEAD
CHURCHES THAT ARE PREDOMINANTLY
FILLED WITH PEOPLE OF COLOR.
THOSE TWO -- THOSE TWO AREAS
SEEM TO BE, OBVIOUSLY,
SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF CONCERN FOR
US.
WHATS THE MESSAGE THAT PASTORS
SHOULD DELIVER MEMBERS OF THEIR
FLOCKS ABOUT THIS VACCINE?
>> IM GLAD YOURE BRINGING THIS
UP, JOE, BECAUSE I DO THINK
THEYRE IN A PLACE OF INCREDIBLE
IMPORTANCE AS PEOPLE WHO HAVE
RESPECT IN THE COMMUNITY, TRYING
TO DO THE RIGHT THINGS FOR THEIR
FLOCKS NOT TO BE QUIET ABOUT
THIS.
IM GLAD YOU MENTIONED FRANKLIN
GRAHAM THAT PODCAST IS UP THERE
WHERE WE HAD A GOOD CONVERSATION
ABOUT THIS.
HIS FATHERGRANDFATHER WAS A SURG
CHINA.
ILL BE ON THE CHRISTIAN
BROADCASTING NETWORK THIS
AFTERNOON TALKING ABOUT THE
SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF THE
VACCINES.
BUT IM A GUY FROM THE
GOVERNMENT SO WOULDNT IT BE
BETTER THAT THE GUY AT THE
PASTOR ROLE WAS ABLE TO COME
FORWARD FROM THE PULPIT, I
LOOKED AT THIS INFORMATION, THIS
IS A GIFT FROM GOD, YOU SHOULD
NOT THINK ABOUT THESE AS SOME
CLAIMED AS THE MARK OF THE
BEAST.
THIS IS A GIFT FROM GOD, AN
ANSWER TO PRAYER.
ITS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOVE YOUR
NEIGHBOR BY GETTING THE VACCINE.
THOSE MESSAGES ARE ALL
RELIGIOUSLY STRONG AND PASTORS
OUGHT TO BE COMFORTABLE MAKING
THEM EVEN THOUGH THEYRE GOING
TO GET PUSH BACK FROM THEIR
CONGREGATIONS.
>> IM CURIOUS WHAT YOU THINK
ABOUT THE FUTURE OF FDA PEOPLE.
WHAT WE HEARD FROM SOME PEOPLE
WHO HAVENT GOTTEN THE VACCINE,
SAID THIS ISNT APPROVED BY THE
FDA, WHEN IT IS ILL SEE IF ILL
GET IT.
I WONDER IF THAT HOLDS OUT TO BE
TRUE.
WHATS YOUR SENSE HOW SOON THAT
MAY HAPPEN?
>> I SPOKE WITH PETER MARKS, THE
PERSON THAT OVERSEES THIS AT THE
FDA IN THE LAST FEW DAYS THEY
ARE FLAT OUT PUSHING THIS
APPROVAL PROCESS.
I DONT THINK THERES DOUBT IN
ANYBODYS MIND THAT APPROVAL
WILL BE GRANTED TO PFIZER,
MODERNA AND J&J BUT THEY HAVE TO
DO IT BY A RIGOROUS PROCESS.
YOU DONT WANT SOMEBODY TO COME
BACK AND SAY THEY CUT CORNERS
HERE.
YOU WANT THE APPROVAL WHEN IT
HAPPENS TO BE AIRTIGHT.
I DONT KNOW WHAT THE TIMING IS,
THEYRE NOT MAKING A COMMITMENT
ABOUT THAT, IM HOPING IT WILL
BE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
IF YOURE ONE OF THE PEOPLE
LISTENING TO THIS, HOLDING OUT
FOR THAT, THIS IS NOT A GOOD
MOMENT TO WAIT WITH DELTA GOING
CRAZY IN SOME PARTS OF THE
COUNTRY.