PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING SCIENCE
WRITER WHO HAS BEEN A KIND OF
VOICE OF REASON OVER THE COURSE
OF THIS CRISIS.
LAURIE, THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE.
WE GOT HINTS OF THIS THE OTHER
DAY WHEN THE INCOMING
ADMINISTRATION SUGGESTED THAT
THE -- OR AT LEAST DOCTORS
ADVISING THE INCOMING BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION WARNED THAT THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S PLANS AND
PROJECTIONS ABOUT HOW THIS
VACCINE IS GETTING OUT HERE DO
NOT SEEM TO BE ACCURATE.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS
SITUATION?
>> ALI, I THINK THERE’S A LOT
GOING ON HERE, AND IT’S MANY
DIFFERENT LEVELS, AND IT MAY NOT
BE QUITE AS POLITICALLY
MOTIVATED AS IT SEEMS, THOUGH WE
CAN’T UTTERLY DISCOUNT THAT.
FIRST OF ALL, GENERAL GUSTAVE
PERNA IS IN CHARGE OF OPERATION
WARP SPEED, AND HE TOLD
REPORTERS THREE DAYS AGO THAT
BECAUSE OF THE BIG NOR’EASTER
THAT WAS COMING IN TO SLAM THE
EASTERN AND MIDWESTERN STATES
WITH SNOW AND HIGH WINDS, THAT
IT WAS LIKELY THERE WERE GOING
TO BE AIRPLANE DISRUPTIONS AND
TRANSPORTATION DISRUPTIONS.
AND AS A RESULT, HE WAS GOING TO
HOLD BACK SOME OF THE PROMISED
VACCINE AS A SECURITY
PRECAUTION.
HE DIDN’T SAY EXACTLY HOW MUCH,
BUT IT APPEARS THAT DID OCCUR
AND THAT THAT WAS, IN PART,
BECAUSE OF CONCERNS THAT FEDEX
AND UPS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO
MAKE ALL THEIR DELIVERIES.
AND INDEED FEDEX AND UPS DID
HAVE A LOT OF FLIGHT DELAYS.
LOTS OF AIRPORTS WERE SHUT DOWN,
AT LEAST TEMPORARILY, OVER THE
LAST FEW DAYS.
AND SO THAT I ALL HAVE BEEN SOME
LEGITIMATE SNAFUS AND CONCERNED,
AND OBVIOUSLY GIVEN HOW PRECIOUS
A CARGO OF PFIZER VACCINE IS AT
THIS POINT, LOSING A FLIGHT LOAD
OR HAVING A PLANE SIT ON THE
TARMAC AND THE VACCINE GOES BAD
WOULD BE A HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE
THING TO HAVE HAPPEN.
SO YOU CAN SORT OF UNDERSTAND
THAT.
BUT THERE’S BEEN NO CLARITY
BEYOND THE INITIAL COMMENTS MADE
BY GOVERNOR PERNA THREE DAYS AGO
ON THIS.
AND ALL THE STATES HAVE EITHER
BEEN TOLD, YOU KNOW, YOU’VE
MISREAD THE INSTRUCTIONS, YOU’VE
MISREAD THE INVOICES, OR
NOTHING, JUST NOTHING, JUST WALL
OF SILENCE.
AND THE REAL CRISIS WITH THIS,
ALI, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE’RE
STILL AT VERY EARLY STAGES WITH
VERY SMALL AMOUNTS OF VACCINE
THAT WE’RE TRYING TO ROLL OUT.
WE HAVEN’T EVEN COME CLOSE TO
GETTING TO THE POINT OF TRYING
TO ROLL OUT 20 MILLION DOSES A
DAY, 30 MILLION DOSES A DAY
AROUND AMERICA.
AND FOR THAT SCALE AND WHAT’S
SUPPOSEDLY COMING, ASSUMING THE
VACCINES REALLY DO ROLL OUT OF
THOSE WAREHOUSES AND ARE REALLY
PRODUCED AND FILL THE
WAREHOUSES, WHAT’S COMING UP IS
GOING TO BE A SCALE OF ACTIVITY
THAT THE NATIONAL GOVERNORS
ASSOCIATION SAID ON NOVEMBER
25th WOULD REQUIRE $8 BILLION OF
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR THE
STATES BECAUSE ALL OF THE STATE
PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTS ARE
NOW COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED.
THEY DON’T HAVE A SINGLE EXTRA
HUMAN TO DO ANYTHING, MUCH LESS
BE IN CHARGE OF DISTRIBUTING
VACCINES AND SO ON.
AND THE RESPONSE FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WAS THIS WEEK
THE CDC SAID, HEY, 50 STATES
PLUS TERRITORIES, HERE’S A CHECK
FOR $227 MILLION OF THE
$8 BILLION YOU SAID YOU
ABSOLUTELY HAD TO HAVE.
>> YEAH.
JUST IN THE LAST FEW MINUTES,
LAURIE, THE GOVERNOR OF
WASHINGTON STATE, JAY INSLEE,
TWEETED SOME NEW INFORMATION
ABOUT THIS STORY THAT YOU AND I
ARE DISCUSSING, ABOUT STATES
RECEIVING FEWER VACCINES NEXT
WEEK.
HE SAID THIS, QUOTE.
I HAD A VERY PRODUCTIVE
CONVERSATION TONIGHT WITH
OPERATION WARP SPEED REGARDING
THE REDUCTION IN STATE VACCINE
ALLOCATIONS FOR NEXT WEEK.
IT APPEARS THIS IS NOT
INDICATIVE OF LONG-TERM
CHALLENGES WITH VACCINE
PRODUCTION.
GENERAL GUS PERNA, WHOSE CANDOR
I APPRECIATED, EXPLAINED THAT
PRIOR ALLOCATIONS WERE
INADVERTENTLY BASED ON VACCINE
DOSES PRODUCED, NOT ALL OF WHICH
HAVE YET COMPLETED QUALITY
CONTROL AND ARE RELEASABLE.
THIS DISCREPANCY WAS THE SOURCE
OF THE CHANGE IN ALLOCATIONS.
AT THIS TIME THERE’S NO
INDICATION FURTHER REDUCTIONS
ARE LIKELY TO OCCUR.
THAT IS GOOD NEWS.
WE CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE THE
AVAILABILITY OF THIS VACCINE AND
WHAT WE HOPE TO BE A STABLE
SUPPLY GOING FORWARD.
SO THAT SPEAKS TO YOUR
SUGGESTION THAT GUS PERNA’S ON
IT AND THAT IT MAY NOT BE
POLITICAL.
IT IS A LITTLE BIT AMAZING,
THOUGH, THAT YOU HAD ALEX AZAR
ON TV SAYING NOTHING IS WRONG
WHEN, IN FACT, SOMETHING IS
WRONG, AND THE GOVERNOR OF
MICHIGAN SAYING SHE CAN’T GET A
CALL BACK FROM HIM.
IT’S SORT OF -- IT’S A
CONTINUATION OF A PICTURE YOU
AND I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
FOR A FEW MONTHS.
PUTTING POLITICS ASIDE, JUST
BEING EFFECTIVE ABOUT THIS.
>> ALI, YOU AND I HAVE TALKED
ABOUT THE GANG THAT CAN’T SHOOT
STRAIGHT, AND THIS IS CERTAINLY
WHAT WE’VE BEEN SEEING WITH THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
IT’S IRONIC THAT ON THE R&D SIDE
OF OPERATION WARP SPEED, WE HAVE
SEEN REALITY MATERIALIZE IN
RECORD SPEED WITH NOW TWO
APPROVED VACCINES AND THREE OR
FOUR IN THE NEAR PIPELINE.
SO THAT’S INCREDIBLY EXCITING.
BUT GETTING IT OUT OF THE DOOR
AND HANDLING ALL THE LOGISTICS
IS A NIGHTMARE.
AND ONE OF THE REASONS IT’S
REALLY BEEN EXACERBATED IS THAT
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S
POLICY FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS OF
THIS EPIDEMIC IN AMERICA, GOING
BACK TO FEBRUARY AND MARCH, HAS
BEEN TO SAY THE STATES ARE IN
CHARGE.
WE’RE JUST GOING TO HAND
EVERYTHING OVER TO YOU.
YOU FIND YOUR PPEs.
YOU FIND YOUR PERSONNEL.
YOU FIND THIS, THAT, AND