LOCAL 4 NEWS A THE 5:0 STARTS
NOW.
>>> WHEN PEOPLE TOLD HER IT WAS
TOO HARD, SHE SAID JUST WATCH
ME.
DR. OH VETTA FULLER REACHED A
PINNACLE OF HER FIELD AND THE
NIGHT SHE IS SHARING A MESSAGE
EVERYONE SHOULD HEAR.
FULLER IS AN AUTHORITY ON
INFECTIOUS DSSS AND BY AUTHORITY
WE MEAN SHE PLAYED AN ABSOLUTELY
CRUCIAL ROLE IN GETTING A SAFE
CORONAVIRUS VACCINE INTO
AMERICANS ARMS.
>>> BUT AS OUR PALA SHOWS US IT
IS WHAT HAPPENED IN THE YEARS
LEADING UP TO THAT, THAT REALLY
MAKES HER SO VERY SPECIAL.
>>> DURING THE FDA HEARINGS ON
PFIZER COVID VACCINE, DR. OH
VEETA FULLER ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
OF MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNE NOT
GUILTY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN MEDICAL SCHOOL WITH A
SPECIALTY IN VIROLOGY WAS NOT
COMPLETELY SOLD.
>>> WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR LONG
TERM EFFECTS?
>>> DR. FULLER HAS AN INTREN
SICK UNDERSTANDING OF THE POWER
OF THE WORD "NO."
>> WHEN I WENT TO COLLEGE AT
CAROLINA I REMEMBER MY GUIDANCE
COUNSELOR SAYING, OH, YOU
SHOULDN’T -- THAT SA REALLY
REALLY HARD SCHOOL, I DON’T KNOW
IF YOU WILL DO SO WELL.
YOU SHOULDN’T EVEN APPLY THERE.
>>> A FARM GIRL FROM THE NORTH
CAROLINA, HER FATHER INSTILLED
IN HER A LOVE OF LIFE, SEEN AND
UNSEEN, BY THE NAKED EYE.
>>> MY DAD LOVED TO DO THINGS
WITH US, LIKE COLLECT LEAVES IN
OUR LEAF COLLECTION.
>>> UNBOWED AND UNDAUNTED OH
VEETA FULLER TRACKED THREE
PLACES WHERE SHE WAS EITHER THE
FIST OR NOT IMMEDIATELY WELCOME
AND THEN MADE SURE SHE WOULD NOT
BE THE LAST TO BEAR TO.
>>> SHE IS NOT ALL WHITE COAT.
WHEN SHE IS WITH HER HUSBAND,
TWIN DAUGHTERS AND SON, THERE IS
A LIGHTER SIDE TO DR. FULLER.
SHE IS WARM.
AND OPEN.
AND HER LOVE AFFAIR WITH THOSE
THINGS THAT CAN ONLY BE SEEN
UNDER A MICROSCOPE HAVE
CONTRIBUTED TO EVERYONE’S
CHANGING WORLD.
>>> IRAN MY OWN RESEARCH
LABORATORY AS AN INDEPENDENT
INVESTIGATOR ON HERPES SIMPLEX
VIRUS, WHICH IS WHAT I STUDIED
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO AND
WE STUDIED HOW VIRUSES ATTACH TO
CELLS AND GO IN, TO GET ACROSS
THE MEMBRANE WHICH THEY HAVE TO
DO.
AND INTERESTING, THAT IS WHAT
THE SPIKE PROTEIN OF COVID DOES.
IT ALLOWS THE VIRUS TO ATTACH
AND GET ACROSS, GET INTO THE
CELLS SO WE CAN DUMP ITS GENETIC
MATERIAL IN.
>>> SHE WORKED IN AFRICA ON THE
HIV VIRUS.
HER FAITH AS THE REVEREND DR. OH
VEETA FULLER, AN ORDAINED ELDER
IN THE AFRICAN MYSELFDITH
EPISCOPAL CHURCH LED HER TO WORK
WITH TRUSTING MESSENGER TO BRING
RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN SYNC WITH
SCIENCE WITH A FIRBRAND OF
SPEAKING SCIENCE TO POWER.
>>> SOME PEOPLE WANT TO SAY
PEOPLE OF COLOR,
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, ARE, HAVE THE
HIGHEST VACCINE HESITANCY AND
THE TRUTH IS THAT NOTES NOT THE
CASE IT IS ACTUALLY AMONG WHITE
REPUBLICANS.
>>> WHICH BRINGS US BACK TO HER
YVETTES FOR THE EMERGENCY USE
AUTHORIZATION, FOR THE MO TERNNA
AND JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINES,
BUT, THAT NO VOTE TO PFIZER.
WHICH SHE SAYS HAD NOTHING TO DO
WITH A LACK OF PROVEN SAFETY OR
EFFICACY, AND EVERYTHING TO DO
WITH PUTTING THE FDA ON NOTICE
FOR ITS PROCESSES, SEEKING E.U.
A’S.
>>> I BELIEVE THAT THAT NO VOTE
HELPED TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS
MORE TRANSPARENCY, AND TO HAVE
PEOPLE REALLY THINK ABOUT THIS
AND NOW I WANT PEOPLE TO SAY,
YES, WE NEED TO GET ON BOARD FOR
THE WHOLE WORLD BECAUSE WE DON’T
GET RID OF COVID OR GET IT
MANAGED, EVERY WHERE, THEN NO
WHERE ARE WE SAFE.
>>> IN FACT IT WAS A PFIZER
VACCINE SHE HAPPILY ROLLED UP
HER SLEEVE TO RECEIVE WHEN IT
WAS HER TURN.
AND SO, FOR A WOMAN, WHO
UNDERSTANDS THE POWER OF THE
WORD "NO," SHE URGES EVERYONE TO
COME TO A PLACE TO SAY YES.
>>> WE DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO GET
SICK, WE DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO
DIE.
AND THESE VACCINES DO THE JOB.
>>> YOU KNOW, THAT WORD NO CAN
DO GREAT GOOD OR GREAT HARM
DEPENDING UPON WHO IS WHEELING
IT AND WHY.
AND WHERE IT LANDS, AND WHEN I
THINK ABOUT DR. FULLER’S PLACE
IN HISTORY, I MEAN WORKING
BEHIND THE SCENES, FOR HERPES
AND THEN HIV, GLOBALLY AND NOW
MAKING SURE THESE VACCINES ARE
SAFE FOR U I JUST WONDER WHAT
WOULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD SHE
TAKEN NO FOR AN ANSWER AND HOW
MANY MORE HAVE BEEN SILENCED,
UNFAIRLY, BY THAT WORD NO?
>>>
>>> SUCH AN IMPORTANT LESSON, SO
STRONG AND SMART AND DETERMINED
AND AS YOU SAID IN YOUR PIECE,
USING HER POSITION TO HELP
OTHER, SO SHE IS NOT THE LAST