PREVENTABLE THE INSIDE STORY OF
HOW LEADERSHIP FAILURES,
POLITICS, AND SELFISHNESS DOOMED
U.S. CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE.
ANDY, PRESIDENT BIDEN WANTED 70%
OF ADULTS TO GET AT LEAST ONE
SHOT BY JULY 4th.
HE IS GOING TO FALL SHORT, BEAR
BARELY SHORT.
WHERE ARE WE IN THE FIGHT RIGHT
NOW?
>> STEPHANIE, GOOD MORNING, LOOK
WE HAVE COME QUITE A DISTANCE
FROM WHEN PRESIDENT BIDEN AND WE
HAD LESS THAN 2% OF AMERICANS
WITH A FIRST SHOT.
NOWER WITH CLOSE TO 67% AS YOU
JUST SHOWED.
I DONT THINK WE SHOULD BE
WORRIED ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN 67 AND 70% AS MUCH AS WE
SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT THE FACT
THAT THERE ARE PARTS OF THE
COUNTRY THAT HAVE 40 TO 50% OF
ADULTS WITH THEIR FIRST SHOT AND
OTHER PARTS ARE IN BETTER SHAPE.
WITH THE DELTA VARIANT COMING
THE PARTS OF THE COUNTRY AND THE
PEOPLE THAT ARE VACCINATE READY
IN RELATIVELY GOOD SHAPE.
I THINK THEY SHOULD BE RELAXED
ABOUT THE DELTA VARIANT.
BUT PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN
COMMUNITIES WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE
WHEN ARE UNVACCINATED OR WHO
THEMSELVES ARE UNVACCINATED, THE
DELTA VARIANT IS A REAL CONCERN.
>> WHAT KEEPS A LOT OF PEOPLE
UNVACCINATED OR AT LEAST
CONFUSED IS MIXED MESSAGING.
AND WE ARE STILL GETTING IT.
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION IS
NOW SAYING WE SHOULD STILL WEAR
MASKS EVEN IF WE ARE VACCINATED.
CDC SAYS THE OPPOSITE.
WHY ARE THEY NOT ON THE SAME
PAGE?
>> SUCH A SCIENCE.
WE ARE WITNESSES SCIENCE REAL
TIME, WHICH IS TO SAY THAT
SOMETIMES THERE ARE ANSWERS THAT
ARE DEFINITIVE AND EVERYONE
AGREES ON.
AND OTHER TIMES WHEN THERE IS
NOT ENOUGH DATA PEOPLE DIFFER.
THE TRUTH IS THAT WE SHOULD VIEW
BOTH OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, THE
W.H.O. AND THE CDC AS PROVIDING
US GUIDELINES AND WE OURSELVES
NEED TO MAKE OUR OWN COMFORT ON
TOP OF THAT.
I PERSONALLY THINK THAT THE
CDCS GUIDANCE IS THE RIGHT
GUIDANCE.
IF YOU HAVE BEEN VACCINATED,
YOUR RISK OF GETTING COVID, EVEN
WITH THE DELTA VARIANT, INDOORS,
IS VERY, VERY, VERY LOW.
ITS NOT ZERO BUT IT IS VERY
LOW.
THAT DOESNT MEAN THAT IT
DOESNT MAKE SENSE FOR SOME
PEOPLE TO CHOOSE TO WEAR MASKS.
PEOPLE WHO ARE A LITTLE BIT
NERVOUS OR THEMSELVES SEE THE
RISK AS HIGHER.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
WRONG WITH THAT.
BUT THE SCIENCE SAYS IF YOU HAVE
BEEN
IF YOU HAVENT BEEN VACCINATED,
YOU SHOULD BE WEARING A MASK AND
STRONGLY CONSIDER GETTING
VACCINATED.
>> OKAY, BUT THATS WHY WERE
CONFUSED.
THE AVERAGE PERSON DOESNT KNOW
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CDC
AND W.H.O.
NOT ONE GROUP SAYS YES, ONE
GROUP SAYS NO.
AND FOR MOST OF US, WERE NOT
WEARING MASKS ANYMORE.
WERE VACCINATED.
YOU CANT PUT THE GENIE BACK IN
THE BOTTLE.
YOUR JOB AT THE WHITE HOUSE
DOESNT EVEN EXIST ANYMORE.
THE PRESIDENT SAID VERY CLEARLY,
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
DO YOU SEE WHERE YOU CAN GET
AMERICAN PEOPLE TO START WEARING
MASKS AGAIN?
>> I THINK THATS NOT THE TASK
RIGHT NOW.
THE TASK RIGHT NOW IS TO GET
AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO HAVENT BEEN
VACCINATED TO BE VACCINATED.
I THINK PEOPLES MASKS ON THEIR
OWN INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCES AND
DIFFERENT BODIES UNFORTUNATELY
THAT HAVE SAID SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT THINGS.
BUT, LOOK, THAT IS THE REALITY
ABOUT SCIENCE.
SOMETIMES SCIENCE ISNT CLEAR.
IT DOESNT MEAN ITS NOT
SCIENCE.
UNFORTUNATELY, WERE LIVING
THROUGH A PERIOD OF TIME WHERE
PEOPLE ARENT EXACTLY SURE.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE CDC,
THEIR VIEW IS BASED UPON DATA
AND THEIR VIEW STRONGLY SAYS YOU
ARE MUCH, MUCH BETTER OFF IF
YOUVE BEEN VACCINATED.
IF YOURE IN THE HOSPITAL WITH
COVID OR YOURE SUCCUMBING TO
COVID, ITS ALMOST ENTIRELY THE
CASE THAT YOU HAVENT BEEN
VACCINATED.
IF YOU GET VACCINATED, YOURE
MUCH, MUCH, OF SAFER.
THATS THE MESSAGE THAT PEOPLE
SHOULD FOCUS ON.
IF WE DO, WELL BE IN A VERY
FORTUNATE POSITION.
IF PEOPLE CONTINUE TO NOT BE
VACCINATED, THEYLL BE AT RISK.
>> YOU OBVIOUSLY NEVER WANT TO
SEE ANYONE GET COVID.
HOWEVER, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
UNVACCINATED, THE EXCEPTION OF
CHILDREN RIGHT NOW, ARE WITHOUT
A DOUBT CHOOSING NOT TO BE
VACCINATED.
THE AVERAGE NEW DAILY CASES IS
STUCK AROUND 10,000.
WE KNOW WERE GOING TO ALWAYS
HAVE SOME SPREAD.
REALISTICALLY, HOW MUCH ARE YOU
OKAY WITH?
>> WELL, LOOK, I THINK WE HAVE
NOW WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER TO BE
A MANAGEABLE CHALLENGE AS
OPPOSED TO A BIG EMERGENCY.
AND ITS A MANAGEABLE CHALLENGE
BECAUSE WE HAVE THE TOOLS TO
PROTECT OURSELVES.
IT DOESNT MEAN WE ALWAYS
PROTECT OURSELVES.
PEOPLE DONT ALWAYS WEAR SEAT
BELTS.
WHATS IMPORTANT, EVEN THOUGH
ITS AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE, EVEN
THOUGH YOURE, QUOTE, UNQUOTE,
BEING IRRESPONSIBLE, NOT
VACCINATED, NOT WEARING A MASK,