MIKE, THANK YOU FOR SOME VERY
GOOD NEWS.
AND JOINING US NOW, OPERATION
WARP SPEED CHIEF ADVISOR,
DR. MONCEF SLAOUI.
DOCTOR, I WANT TO BEGIN BY
SAYING CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU
AND YOUR TEAM FOR THIS
REMARKABLE ACCOMPLISHMENT.
>> Dr. Slaoui: GOOD MORNING,
CHRIS, AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING
ME AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR NICE
WORDS.
OF COURSE THOUSANDS AND TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE
PARTICIPATED TO THIS FIRST
CRITICAL MILESTONE.
WANT TO CONGRATULATE PFIZER AND
[INDISCERNIBLE], WERE REALLY THE
KEY PLAYERS IN DELIVERING THIS
VACCINE AND IT’S A VERY GOOD DAY
FOR AMERICA AND FOR THE WORLD.
>> Chris: WANT TO ASK YOU
QUESTIONS ABOUT BOTH THE
SHORT-TERM AND THE LONG-TERM.
HOW LONG BEFORE YOUR FIRST TWO
TOP PRIORITY GROUPS, HEALTH CARE
WORKERS ON THE FRONT LINE AND
NURSING HOME RESIDENTS, BEFORE
THEY ARE FULLY VACCINATED, GET
BOTH OF THEIR DOSES OF THE
PFIZER VACCINE?
>> Dr. Slaoui: SO WE PLAN TO
HAVE ABOUT 14 MILLION DOSES OF
VACCINE AVAILABLE TO US AND
DISTRIBUTED IN THE U.S. BY THE
END OF THIS YEAR, SO BY THE END
OF DECEMBER.
THOSE WOULD BE BOTH PFIZER
VACCINE AND THE MODERNA VACCINE
IN THE NEXT MONTH WE WILL HAVE
ABOUT 50 MILLION TO MAC
18 MILLION DOSES DISTRIBUTED IN
JANUARY AND ANOTHER SAME NUMBER
IN FEBRUARY, SO ALL IN ALL, WE
HOPE TO HAVE IMMUNIZED
100 MILLION PEOPLE, WHICH WOULD
BE OF THE LONG-TERM CARE
FACILITY PEOPLE, THE ELDERLY
PEOPLE WITH COMORBIDITIES, THE
FIRST LINE WORKERS, THE
HEALTH CARE WORKERS, ABOUT
120 MILLION PEOPLE.
100 BILLION PEOPLE BY THE FIRST
QUARTER OF 2021.
>> Chris: NOW MY LONG-TERM
QUESTION.
HOW LONG BEFORE WE HAVE HERD
IMMUNITY FROM THE VACCINE WERE
ENOUGH PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
VACCINATED THAT WE REALLY FEEL
THAT THE PANDEMIC HAS TURNED A
CORNER AND YOU AND I WILL FEEL
SAFE GOING OUT IN A CROWD?
>> Dr. Slaoui: SO WE NEED TO
HAVE IMMUNIZED ABOUT 75 OR 80%
OF THE U.S. POPULATION BEFORE
HERD IMMUNITY CAN REALLY BE
ESTABLISHED.
IF WE HOPE TO REACH THAT POINT
BETWEEN THE MONTH OF MAY AND THE
MONTH OF JUNE.
IT IS HOWEVER CRITICAL THAT MOST
OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DECIDE
AND ACCEPT TO TAKE THE VACCINE.
WE ARE VERY CONCERNED BY THE
HESITANCY THAT WE SEE, THE LEVEL
OF HESITANCY THAT WE SEE, BUT WE
HOPE THAT NOW THAT ALL THE DATA
IS OUT AND AVAILABLE TO BE
DISCUSSED IN DETAIL, THAT PEOPLE
WILL KEEP THEIR MIND OPEN TO
LISTEN TO THE DATA AND HOPEFULLY
AGREE THAT THIS IS A VERY
EFFECTIVE AND SAFE VACCINE AND
THEREFORE TAKE IT.
>> Chris: I WANT TO GET TO
THESE QUESTIONS OF PUBLIC DOUBT
IN A MOMENT, BUT I WANT TO FIRST
TALK ABOUT QUESTIONS ABOUT
SUPPLIES.
PFIZER SAYS YES, IT IS GOING TO
KEEP ITS COMMITMENT AND DELIVER
100 MILLION DOSES OF THE VACCINE
IN SHORT ORDER, BUT THAT IT
CAN’T DELIVER IT ANYMORE DOSES,
ANOTHER HUNDRED MILLION OR MORE
UNTIL THE SUMMER BECAUSE OF
CONTRACTS IT HAS WITH OTHER
COUNTRIES, AND THE MAIN COMPANY,
THE ONE THAT WE WERE BETTING ON
MOST, ASTRAZENECA, IS WELL
BEHIND SCHEDULE IN ITS TESTS, SO
THE QUESTION I HAVE IS IS THERE
A POSSIBILITY THAT COME SPRING,
WE ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE ENOUGH
SUPPLIES TO GO AROUND TO
CONTINUE THIS VERY AMBITIOUS
DISTRIBUTION LAND THAT YOU JUST
TALKED ABOUT?
>> Dr. Slaoui: WELL I THINK --
THE SHORT ANSWER IS MOST LIKELY
NO AND THE REASON IS REALLY OUR
PLAN FROM DAY ONE HAS BEEN TO
HAVE A PORTFOLIO OF PRODUCTS.
WE HAVE SIX DIFFERENT PRODUCTS
BEING DEVELOPED.
PFIZER IS ONE OF THEM.
MODERNA, WHICH LIKELY WOULD BE
APPROVED BY FRIDAY OF THIS
COMING WEEK, IS ABLE TO PRODUCE
100 MILLION DOSES IN THE FIRST
QUARTER AND WE JUST ANNOUNCED ON
FRIDAY THAT WE COMMITTED TO
ACQUIRE ANOTHER HUNDRED MILLION
DOSES, THIS WILL BE DELIVERED IN
THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2021.
JOHNSON & JOHNSON COMPANY IS IN
THE LAST STAGES OF CONDUCTING
THEIR PHASE THREE TRIAL WITH
THEIR VACCINE.
A ONE STOP VACCINE.
THAT VACCINE IS LIKELY TO BE
READY FOR AUTHORIZATION LATE IN
JANUARY OR EARLY IN FEBRUARY AND
BY THEN WE WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE
ANYWHERE BETWEEN 20 AND
60 MILLION DOSES ALREADY IN THE
MONTH OF FEBRUARY AVAILABLE TO
START IMMUNIZING AND THEN GOING
FORWARD, MANY MORE DOSES ON A
MONTHLY BASIS.
ASTRAZENECA IS ONE OF THEM.
WE EXPECT THEM TO POTENTIALLY BE
APPROVABLE SOMEWHERE LATE IN
FEBRUARY AND THEN WE HAVE TWO
MORE COMING AFTERWARDS.
SO PFIZER IS NOT THE SOLE
SUPPLIER, BUT HAVING SAID THAT,
WE ARE WORKING WITH PFIZER TO
CONTINUE HELPING THEM AND
SUPPORTING THEM ACHIEVE THE
OBJECTIVE OF PROVIDING US WITH
ANOTHER HUNDRED MILLION DOSES IN
THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2021.
>> Chris: I WANT TO PICK UP,
DOCTOR, ON THE ISSUE THAT YOU
RAISED JUST BEFORE THIS.
WHILE OPERATION WARP SPEED HAS
HAD SOME REMARKABLE
BREAKTHROUGHS, THERE IS THIS
QUESTION OF PUBLIC DOUBT ABOUT
TAKING THE VACCINE.
I WANT TO PUT THESE NUMBERS UP
ON THE SCREEN.
IN A RECENT POLL, 27% OF
AMERICANS SAID THEY ARE "NOT
SURE" THEY WILL GET THE VACCINE
AND 26% SAID THEY WILL NOT GET
IT.
I UNDERSTAND IT’S EARLY IN
PEOPLE’S MINDS MAY CHANGE, BUT
IF MORE THAN HALF OF AMERICANS
DIDN’T GET THE VACCINE, WHAT
WOULD THAT MEAN FOR THE
PANDEMIC?
WOULD IT CONTINUE?
>> Dr. Slaoui: UNFORTUNATELY I
THINK IT WOULD AND I THINK THERE
WILL BE STILL A LOT OF PEOPLE
DYING, A LOT OF PEOPLE IN
HOSPITALS.
I THINK WOULD BE A VERY, VERY
UNFORTUNATE OUTCOME.
FRANKLY I’M VERY CONCERNED AT
THIS LEVEL OF HESITANCY THAT IS
NOT ANCHORED IN ANY FACTS OR
DATA.
FORTUNATELY THERE WAS SO MUCH
POLITICS AROUND IN THE CONTEXT
OF THIS VACCINE THAT THERE’S
BEEN A CONFUSION BETWEEN HOW
THOROUGH AND SCIENTIFIC AND
FACTUAL THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN
DONE IS IN THE PERCEPTION THAT
PEOPLE ARE THINKING AS WE CUT
CORNERS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT NO SUCH
THINGS HAVE HAPPENED.
WE FOLLOW THE SIGNS.
IT’S ACTUALLY A REMARKABLE
ACHIEVEMENT OF SCIENCE,
ACADEMIA, THE INDUSTRY ECOSYSTEM
AND THE U.S. GOVERNMENT WORKING
TOGETHER RELENTLESSLY THAT HAS
ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN AND
PLEASE, JUST KEEP YOUR MIND
OPEN, LOOK AT THE DATA.
LOOK AT THE PEOPLE WHO GET THE
VACCINE AND HOW THEY WILL BE
PROTECTED AND BE SAFE AND HOPE
MOST PEOPLE WILL FINALLY DECIDE
TO TAKE THIS VACCINE.
>> Chris: BUT LET ME PICK UP
ON THAT, DOCTOR.
YOU RIGHTLY SAY ONE OF THE
CONCERNS PEOPLE HAVE IS THAT
THIS VACCINE WAS PUSHED THROUGH
FOR POLITICAL REASONS AND THERE
WAS SOME -- A NEW DATA POINT, IF
YOU WILL, ON THAT JUST THIS
WEEK.
ON FRIDAY THE WHITE HOUSE CHIEF
OF STAFF MARK MEADOWS CALLED IN
THE FDA COMMISSIONER, STEPHEN
HAHN, AND REPORTEDLY SAID TO
HIM, APPROVE THE VACCINE BY THE
END OF THE DAY OR AT LEAST RAISE
THE POSSIBILITY THAT HE MIGHT
LOSE HIS JOB, AND THAT SAME DAY
FRIDAY, PRESIDENT TRUMP TWEETED
THIS.
"GET THE VACCINES OUT NOW,
DR. HAHN.
STOP PLAYING GAMES AND START
SAVING LIVES."
A QUESTION, IS THAT HELPFUL IN
PERSUADING PEOPLE THAT THIS
VACCINE IS ALL ABOUT THE SCIENCE
AND NOT ABOUT POLITICS?
>> I THINK FIRST THOSE ARE
RUMORS, I CAN’T KNOW IF THEY ARE
RIGHT, TRUE OR NOT.
I DO THINK IT’S NOT HELPFUL
BECAUSE IT’S NOT NEEDED.
THE DAY BEFORE ON THURSDAY THIS
PAST WEEK, IT WAS ACTUALLY A
REMARKABLY TRANSPARENT
DISCUSSION OVER THE WHOLE DAY ON
TV LIVE OF ALL THE DATA OF THE
PFIZER VACCINE.
THERE WAS A VOTE BY INDEPENDENT
EXPERTS WHO SAID YES, THIS
VACCINE IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE
AND SHOULD BE USED IN PEOPLE
THAT ARE 60 YEARS OF AGE AND
OLDER IN THE NEXT DAY THE FDA
WAS GOING TO LOOK SPECIFICALLY
IN SOME MORE POINTS AND MORE
IMPORTANTLY, ADMINISTRATIVE
STEPS.
IF THE FOCAL HAPPENED, I THINK
IT WAS USELESS AND UNFORTUNATE.
AND SO ARE SOME OF THE TWEETS.
>> Chris: SO -- FINALLY, AS A
DOCTOR, YOUR PRESCRIPTION FOR
GETTING THIS VACCINE OUT AND
PEOPLE TAKING IT WOULD BE TELL
THE POLITICIANS TO KEEP QUIET?
>> Dr. Slaoui: I WOULD SAY SO,
OR JUST DON’T PAY ATTENTION TO
THAT.
I COULD TELL YOU THAT FOR THE
LAST SEVEN MONTHS WE HAVE WORKED
SUPER HARD IN THE OPERATION WITH
THE COMPANIES, WITH SCIENTISTS,
WITH EVERYBODY INVOLVED.
THERE WAS A LOT OF NOISE ON TOP
OF US IN TERMS OF THE POLITICS
AND THE TWEETS AND, YOU KNOW,
THE CAMPAIGNS, ET CETERA, ON ALL
PARTIES, BUT THAT NEVER
TRANSLATE INTO ANY KIND OF
INTERFERENCE OF ANY SORT AND I
WOULD ASSUME THAT THE FDA
BEHAVED EXACTLY THE SAME WAY.
PEOPLE CAN TALK ON TOP OF THE
NEWS, ET CETERA, BUT THE EXPERTS
ARE WORKING AND DOING THEIR WORK
IN THE RELENTLESS WAY, JUST
FOCUSING ON THE SIGNS IN THE
DATA.
>> Chris: DR. SLAOUI,
THANK YOU, ASK FOR TAKING THE