WE WERE HERE.
ABOUT 50,000 NEW COVID-19 CASES
WERE REPORTED THAT DAY ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
A SEVEN-DAY AVERAGE OF MORE THAN
48,000 NEW CASES THAT DAY AND IT
WAS GOING UP.
LOOK AT THAT INCLINE.
THAT WAS THE START OF WHAT WOULD
QUICKLY BECOME THIS COUNTRYS
SECOND PEAK IN THE PANDEMIC.
FAST FORWARD ABOUT 365 DAYS AND
WE ARE APPROACHING THE JULY 4th
WEEKEND ONCE AGAIN.
YESTERDAY ABOUT 16,500 CASES
WERE RECORDED FOR A SEVEN DAY
AVERAGE OF MORE THAN 12,8 #00.
FAR FEWER THAN THIS TIME LAST
YEAR.
CASES ARE DOWN MORE THAN 95%
FROM THE HIGHEST PEAK IN
JANUARY.
WE ARE DOING PRETTY WELL IN THE
FIGHT AGAINST THE VIRUS.
IF YOU LOOK CLOSER WHERE WE ARE
ON THE CURVE RIGHT NOW, YOU WILL
SEE THAT THE SEVEN-DAY AVERAGE
OF CASES, HARD TO SEE, YOU HAVE
TO LOOK IN THE RIGHT CORNER, IS
INCREASING ONCE AGAIN.
NEW DAILY COVID CASES ROSE 10%
SINCE LAST WEEK.
THAT MIGHT BE DUE IN PART TO THE
LAGGING VACCINATION RATES IN THE
COUNTRY.
WE ARE ON A SLIGHT INCREASE FOR
THAT RIGHT NOW.
OUR PACE OF VACCINATIONS HAS
BEEN DECLINING SINCE SPRING.
PRESIDENT BIDEN SET A GOAL TO
GET 70% OF ADULTS ONE SHOT BY
JULY 4th.
WE ARE NOT ON TRACK TO MEET THAT
GOAL.
HEADING INTO THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND
HE IS RIGHT.
THERE ARE NOW A FEWER THAN 66%
OF ADULTS WITH AT LEAST ONE
SHOT.
ANOTHER REASON CASES ARE
INCREASING EVEN IF JUST BY 10%
MIGHT BE THE DELTA VARIANT, THE
STRAIN OF COVID-19 ORIGINALLY
SEEN IN INDIA.
ITS NOW PRESENT IN ALL 50
STATES AND ACCOUNTS FOR A
QUARTER OF ALL NEW CASES.
EXPERTS LIKE DR. ANTHONY FAUCI
OF THE WHITE HOUSE COVID-19
RESPONSE TEAM SAY THE
VACCINATIONS WE HAVE ARE STILL
HIGHLY EFFECTIVE AGAINST THE
DELTA VARIANT BUT CDC DIRECTOR
ROCHELLE WALENSKY SAID YESTERDAY
THAT HEALTH OFFICIALS EXPECT
TRANSMISSION TO INCREASE IN
UNVACCINATED COMMUNITIES UNLESS
THOSE VACCINATION RATES INCREASE
RIGHT NOW.
SO THE QUESTION IS, WHEN IT
COMES TO NEW COVID CASES, ARE WE
AT AN INFLECTION POINT BECAUSE
OF THE DELTA VARIANT?
IF WE ARE, WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT
IT?
JOINING US NOW, THE DEAN OF
BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF
PUBLIC HEALTH.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US
TODAY.
YOUR TAKE ON THIS?
WHERE ARE WE RIGHT NOW?
WE ARE CLEARLY FAR BETTER THAN A
CAREER
YEAR AGO.
WE ARE IN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF CASES OR OVER 10,000 NEW
CASES EACH WEEK, AND WE HAVE THE
DELTA VARIANT.
>> YES, FIRST OF ALL, THANKS FOR
HAVING ME BACK.
A COUPLE OF THINGS.
FIRST OF ALL, A COUPLE OF
HUNDRED AMERICANS ARE STILL
DYING EVERY DAY.
THATS NOT GREAT.
WE WANT THAT NUMBER TO BE LOWER.
WHERE WE ARE AS A COUNTRY IS
MORE AND MORE WE ARE BECOMING A
NATION OF REALLY TWO AMERICAS.
WE HAVE A VACCINATED AMERICA
THATS DOING WELL THAT I THINK
IS GOING TO HAVE A SAFE JULY 4th
AND WE HAVE AN UNVACCINATED
AMERICA THAT IS AT VERY HIGH
RISK FROM THE DELTA VARIANT.
AND, UNFORTUNATELY, IM WORRIED
THAT THE UNVACCINATED AMERICA IS
GOING TO SEE A LOT OF INFECTIONS
AND HOSPITALIZATIONS IN THE
WEEKS AND MONTHS AHEAD.
>> WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT IT AT
THIS POINT?
IS IT A MESSAGING PROBLEM?
ACCESS
ACCESS PROBLEM?
IN NEW YORK CITY THEY LITERALLY
HAVE POP-UP STANDS ALL OVER THE
PLACE TOUTING VACCINATIONS.
DO WE HAVE A VACCINATION SHORT
AN IN
AGE IN THE COUNTRY OR ARE WE UP
AGAINST PEOPLE THAT DONT WANT
IT?
>> WE HAVE MORE VACCINES THAN WE
KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH.
I HAVE BEEN ARGUING WE NEED TO
SHIP MORE VACCINES ABROAD TO
PLACES THAT DONT HAVE ENOUGH.
A WHAT IS SLOWING THING DOWN IS
A COUPLE THINGS.
ONE IS A MASSIVE MISINFORMATION
CAMPAIGN THAT HAS BEEN DIRECTED
AT COMMUNITIES OF COLOR,
DIRECTED AT CONSERVATIVES, AND
THAT HAS DISSUADED SOME PEOPLE.
THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE,
YOU KNOW, WHO WORK THREE JOBS,
WHO CANT JUST TAKE A DAY OFF
AFTER THEY HAVE HAD THEIR FIRST
OR SECOND SHOT.
FOR THEM THOSE BARRIERS STILL
EXIST.
SO WEVE GOT TO DO AN ALL OF THE
ABOVE STRATEGY, BETTER
MESSAGING, MORE TRUSTED VOICES,
ALSO, YES, POLICIES THAT MAKE
EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO GET THE
SHOT.
THERE WERE WORRIES ABOUT WHAT WE
HAVE TO DO ABOUT THE DELTA
VARIANT AND WHETHER OR NOT
BOOSTERS WILL BE NEEDED.
AN ANALYSIS FROM PUBLIC HEALTH
ENGLAND RELEASED JUNE 14th FOUND
TWO DOSES OF PFIZER WERE 96%
EFFECTIVE FROM HOSPITAL
HOSPITALIZATION, ASTRAZENECA
92%, J&J ITS VACCINE EFFECTIVE
DENSE
AGAINST DELTA.
MODERNA SAYS ITS VACCINE IS
EFFECTIVE AGAINST DELTA.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
>> WHAT THAT MEANS IS I FEEL
INCREDIBLY FORTUNATE.
ALL OF OUR VACCINES ARE HOLDING
UP AGAINST THESE VARIANTS.
I DONT KNOW THAT SIX MONTHS AGO
I WOULD HAVE PREDICTED INCREDIBL
IF YOU ARE FULLY VACCINATED YOU
MAY SUFFER A BREAKTHROUGH
INFECTION IN YOU ARE AROUND A