BASICALLY WE ALL ARE LIVING IN
HIGH-RISK AREAS FOR CATCHING
THIS VIRUS.
JOINING ME NOW IS DR. MICHAEL
OSTERHOLM, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE
EXPERT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA.
WELCOME BACK TO "MEET THE
PRESS."
EARLIER THIS WEEK, YOU AND I
SPOKE ABOUT THIS CURRENT RACE
AGAINST THESE MUTANT STRAINS AND
ABOUT THE VACCINE DISTRIBUTION.
YOU SEEM TO -- YOU SAID
SOMETHING THAT REALLY STUCK WITH
ME.
SO I WANT TO SHOW THIS SCREEN.
THIS IS THE EFFICACY RATE OF THE
FIRST DOSES OF THE VACCINES,
MODERNA AT 80%, JOHNSON &
JOHNSON 72%, PFIZER AT 52%.
AGAIN, ALL THE FIRST DOSE
EFFICACY RATES.
DO YOU BELIEVE WE ARE NOW AT A
POINT WHERE WE MAY HAVE TO CALL
AN AUDIBLE HERE ON HOW WE
DISTRIBUTE THE VACCINE?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LET ME
JUST SAY THAT I HAVE BEEN ONE OF
THOSE SAYING WE NEED TO MAKE
SURE WE HAVE BOTH FIRST AND
SECOND DOSES AND FOLLOW THE FDA
APPROVAL PROCESS.
BUT LET ME SAY RIGHT NOW WE HAVE
TO CALL AN AUDIBLE.
I THINK IT’S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.
THE FACT IS THAT THE SURGE THAT
IS LIKELY TO OCCUR WITH THIS NEW
VARIANT FROM ENGLAND IS GOING TO
HAPPEN IN THE NEXT SIX TO 14
WEEKS.
IF WE SEE THAT HAPPEN, WHICH MY
45 YEARS IN THE TRENCHES TELL US
WE WILL, WE’LL SEE SOMETHING
THAT WE HAVE NOT SEEN IN THIS
COUNTRY.
ENGLAND IS HOSPITALIZING TWICE
AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE ARE AT OUR
HIGHEST NUMBER.
WE KNOW IF WE LOOK AT OUR FIRST
DOSES THAT, IN FACT, WE CAN EVEN
GET HIGHER NUMBERS THAN YOU JUST
LAID OUT BY THE TIME OF THE
THIRD WEEK AFTER VACCINATION.
SO WE STILL WANT TO GET TWO
DOSES IN EVERYONE, BUT I THINK
RIGHT NOW IN ADVANCE OF THIS
SURGE, WE NEED TO GET AS MANY
ONE DOSES AND AS MANY PEOPLE
OVER 65 AS WE POSSIBLY CAN TO
REDUCE A SERIOUS ILLNESS AND
DEATHS THAT ARE GOING TO OCCUR
OVER THE WEEKS AHEAD.
>> IF THIS DECISION -- IF THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AGREES WITH
YOUR CALL HERE, THEY BASICALLY
HAVE TO MAKE THIS DECISION RIGHT
NOW.
THE SECOND DOSE APPOINTMENTS --
>> THEY DO --
>> THE SECOND DOSE APPOINTMENTS
HAVE ALREADY BEGUN OR ARE
BEGINNING, SO THEY HAVE TO DO
THIS RIGHT NOW.
DO YOU THINK THE -- AS YOU
KNOW -- EVERYBODY IS NERVOUS
BECAUSE THERE’S NO PERFECT
SOLUTION HERE.
DO YOU THINK THEY’RE READY TO DO
THIS, OR DO YOU THINK THEY’RE
GOING TO GET COLD FEET?
>> I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE
TOUGH.
IMAGINE WHERE WE’RE AT, CHUCK.
YOU AND I ARE SITTING ON THE
BEACH, 70 DEGREES, PERFECTLY
BLUE SKIES, GENTLE BREEZE.
I SEE THAT HURRICANE CATEGORY 5
OFFSHORE.
TELLING PEOPLE TO EVACUATE IN
BLUE SKIES DAYS, IT’S GOING TO
BE HARD.
I CAN TELL YOU THE HURRICANE IS
COMING.
WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT
BECAUSE OF THIS SURGE, WE HAVE
TO CALL AN AUDIBLE.
AGAIN, WE’RE NOT GOING TO DENY
ANYBODY THEIR SECOND DOSE.
THE DATA SHOWS THE LONGER YOU
WAIT, THE BETTER YOU MAY DO WITH
YOUR VACCINE.
WE DO KNOW, IF WE GET A NUMBER
OF FIRST DOSES IN PEOPLE,
PARTICULARLY 65 YEARS OF AGE AND
OLDER, WE CAN REALLY DO A LOT TO
REDUCE THE NUMBER OF SERIOUS
ILLNESSES AND DEATHS IN THE NEXT
BIG SURGE WHICH IS COMBING.
>> IF WE DON’T DO THIS -- LET ME
PAINT FOR YOU ONE NIGHTMARE
SCENARIO THAT I’M FEARING WHICH
IS, BY THE TIME THAT SOME OF US
GET TO THE PLACE IN LINE WHERE
WE’RE GOING TO GET A VACCINE,
THAT THE VACCINE AVAILABLE TO ME
WON’T BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH THE
STRAIN THAT IS CIRCULATING
AROUND THIS COUNTRY.
HOW LIKELY COULD WE BE IN THAT
SCENARIO, SAY, BY THE START OF
SUMMER?
>> WELL, I’M NOT SURE THAT’S THE
SCENARIO I’M MOST WORRIED ABOUT.
I THINK THE B.1.1.7 OR THE UK
STRAIN IS GOING TO BECOME THE
DOMINANT STRANGE.
FORTUNATELY THAT HAS NOT SHOWN
ITS ABILITY TO EVADE PROTECTION
FROM THE VACCINE, BUT ITS
ABILITY TO CAUSE MANY MORE
INFECTIONS AND MUCH MORE SERIOUS
ILLNESS IS THERE.
I THINK RIGHT NOW THAT’S THE
PRIORITY I WOULD LOOK AT.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATA ON THE
OTHER VARIANTS, WE’RE VERY
CONCERNED ABOUT THE ONES FROM
SOUTH AFRICA AND BRAZIL THAT MAY
LEAD TO THE EVASION OF IMMUNE
PROTECTION, FROM EITHER NATURAL
DISEASE OR VACCINE.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE VACCINE
TRIALS IN SOUTH AFRICA, FOR
EXAMPLE, WHAT WAS MISSED IN THE
J AND J TRIAL, NO ONE WHO HAD
THE VARIANT INFECTION WHO WAS
VACCINATED DIED.
SO IT MAY ACTUALLY AN AT THE
TIME ATTENUATE THE SERIOUS
ILLNESS.
WHAT WE HAVE TO CONCENTRATE ON
IS GOING TO BE THE SEARCH --
IMAGINE, CHUCK, RIGHT NOW,
120,000 TO 130,000 PEOPLE
HOSTIZED AT ONE POINT, WE SAW
OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM LITERALLY
ON THE EDGE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO
PROVIDE CARE.
IMAGINE IF WE HAVE WHAT HAS
HAPPENED IN ENGLAND, TWICE AS
MANY OF THOSE CASES.
THAT’S WHAT WE HAVE TO PREPARE
FOR NOW.
THE OTHER THING WE HAVE TO DO IS
JUST PREPARE PEOPLE.
WE’RE ALL LOOSENING UP RIGHT
NOW.
WE SEE THE CASE NUMBERS COMING
DOWN.
WE ALL WANT TO END OUR PANDEMIC
FATIGUE AND ANGER, THOSE THAT
DON’T BELIEVE THE PANDEMIC IS
ILL.
WE HAVE TO TURN THAT SHIP
AROUND, TOO.
WE’RE REALLY GOOD IN THIS
COUNTRY OF PUMPING THE BRAKES
AFTER WE WRAP THE CAR AROUND THE
TREAT TREE.
WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS ANTICIPATE
THIS AND UNDERSTAND WE’RE GOING
TO HAVE TO CHANGE DIRECTION.
>> HOW BLIND DO YOU FEEL RIGHT
NOW TO THE VARIOUS STRAINS THAT
MIGHT BE CIRCULATING?
I’VE SEEN SOME EPIDEMIOLOGISTS
SAY WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE DON’T
KNOW BECAUSE WE’VE DONE SUCH A
POOR JOB OF SURVEILLANCE.
I KNOW THERE’S FEARS THAT WE
THINK THERE’S A SOUTH AFRICAN
STRAIN AND BRAZIL STRAIN.
PEOPLE ARE WORRIED ABOUT A
CHICAGO STRAIN AND A LOS ANGELES
STRANGE.
HOW WORRIED ARE YOU ABOUT WHAT
WE DON’T KNOW AND CAN’T SEE
RIGHT NOW?
>> I’M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT
THAT.
I THINK THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT I
ACTUALLY SEE ACTION BEING TAKEN
WITH THIS NEW ADMINISTRATION,
UNLIKE WE’VE SEEN BEFORE.
SO THERE REALLY ARE EFFORTS
RIGHT NOW TO, IN FACT, GET US
THAT KIND OF SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM
IN PLACE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
FRANKLY, WE NEED CONGRESS TO
PASS THE PRESIDENT’S RELIEF ACT
BECAUSE THAT WILL HELP US, ALSO,
DO MORE OF THIS KIND OF WORK.
RIGHT NOW WE’RE FLYING BLIND.
I’M MORE OPTIMISTIC WE’LL HAVE
THE DATA.
AS YOU HAVE SEEN, THESE VIRUSES
HAVE COME UP QUICKLY AND CAUSED
US MORE AND MORE SURPRISES AND
JUST EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED IN
THE DAYS AHEAD.
>> IF YOU CAN’T HAVE A K 95 MASK
OR N95 MASK, WOULD YOU DOUBLE
MASK?
I KNOW YOU’RE A LITTLE CONCERNED
ABOUT SOME OF THE DOUBLE MASKING
IDEAS.
WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU DON’T HAVE
A K95 MASK TO USE?
>> WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DOUBLE
MASKING, WHAT WE’RE REALLY
TALKING ABOUT IS TRYING TO
PREVENT THE VIRUS OF BEING
EXCRETED BY ME INTO THE AIR OR
ME INHALING THE VIRUS FROM
SOMEONE ELSE IN THE AIR.
IT’S BOTH A FUNCTION OF FACE FIT
AND FACE FILTRATION.
THINK ABOUT YOUR SWIM GOGGLES.
WHEN IS ANY OF THEM LEAK AT THE
LENSES?
THEY LEAK AT THE FIT.
WHAT WE OR CONCERNED ABOUT MANY
OF THESE CLOTH FACE COVERINGS,
IF YOU ADD ANOTHER MASK, YOU MAY
MAKE IT TOUGHER FOR THE AIR TO
MOVE THROUGH THE TWO-CLOTH AREA.
AT THAT POINT IT CAUSES MORE AIR
TO ACTUALLY LEAK AROUND THE
SIDES WHICH ACTUALLY ENHANCES
YOUR ABILITY TO GET INFECTED.
I’M NOT SAYING THAT SOME
COULDN’T BE USED IN A BETTER
WAY.
AT THE SAME TIME, THERE ARE MANY
THAT MAY DO MORE HARM.
LET ME SAY RIGHT NOW ONE THING
THAT’S REALLY TO ME VERY
IMPORTANT, WE SEE UP TO 25% OF
PEOPLE WHO WEAR IT UNDER THEIR
NOSE.
THAT’S LIKE FIXING THREE OF THE
FIVE DOORS IN YOUR SUBMARINE.
WE HAVE TO GET PEOPLE TO START
USING THESE RIGHT.
THAT WOULD HELP TREMENDOUSLY.
>> IF YOU’VE WATCHED ANY
FOOTBALL GAMES IN PARTICULAR, A
LOT OF THESE COACHES ARE THE
BIGGEST ONES WHO FORGET TO PUT