>>> FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE
THAN 15 MONTHS, THOUSANDS OF
FANS PACKED THE ICONIC MADISON
SQUARE GARDEN ARENA IN NEW YORK
CITY FOR A ROCK CONCERT AT FULL
CAPACITY.
BUT BEFORE ANYONE COULD GET IN
TO SEE THE FOO FIGHTERS, THEY
WERE ASKED TO SHOW PROOF OF
VACCINATION.
OVERALL, AN ENCOURAGING SIGN IN
A CITY THAT WAS ONCE THE
EPICENTER OF THE OUTBREAK.
BUT AS MORE AMERICANS CELEBRATE
REOPENINGS, THE HIGHLY
CONTAGIOUS DELTA VARIANT
CONTINUES TO SPREAD.
THE FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER
WARNS COVID VARIANTS AND STALLED
VACCINATIONS COULD FUEL A FALL
SURGE, PARTICULARLY AMONG YOUNG
CHILDREN.
>> I THINK THE REALITY IS THAT
KIDS ARE BECOMING MORE LIKELY TO
BE VECTORS OF THESE NEW
VARIANTS.
I THINK THE OLD ASSUMPTIONS
ABOUT CHILDREN AND CHILDREN
DRIVING COMMUNITY SPREAD WERE
BASED ON THE ORIGINAL STRAIN OF
THIS VIRUS.
I THINK WERE GOING TO SEE THAT
CHILDREN AND SCHOOLS DO BECOME
MORE OF A FOCAL POINT OF SPREAD.
>> WITH US TONIGHT, CLINICAL
PHYSICIAN AND FORMER SENIOR
POLICY AID DURING THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION.
SHES ALSO AMONG OUR PUBLIC
HEALTH EXPERTS.
SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.
I MEAN, ITS SCARY STUFF WHEN
YOU HEAR THEM TALKING ABOUT A
SPREAD AMONG KIDS.
HOW DO WE GET YOUNGER PEOPLE
VACCINATED?
AND WHAT IS THE REAL THREAT IF
WE DONT?
>> YEAH, CHRIS.
IT IS INTERESTING.
SEVERAL STUDIED SHOWED THAT
ABOUT 25% OF YOUNG ADULTS AGED
18 TO 39 SAID THAT THEY WOULD
DEFINITELY OR PROBABLY NOT GET
VACCINATED, JUST FULL STOP.
AND SO RIGHT THERE WERE ALREADY
OPERATING WITH ONE IN FOUR YOUNG
ADULTS.
AND THEN WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
CHILDREN 12 TO 17 AND THEN
HOPEFULLY WELL HAVE A VACCINE
UNDER 12 AVAILABLE SOON, CHRIS,
WE START TO HEAR MORE CONCERNS.
AND, SO, THIS OFFERS AN
OPPORTUNITY.
THE VIRUS DOESNT KNOW ANY
BOUNDARIES AS YOU KNOW.
AS MORE OLDER ADULTS ARE
VACCINATED, ITS GOING TO GO
WHERE IT CAN TO REPLICATE.
THAT MEANS THAT YOUNGER CHILDREN
WILL BE MORE VULNERABLE.
THATS WHAT WERE SEEING IN
ISRAEL WERE THEY WERE ABLE TO
VACCINATE YOUNGER ADOLESCENTS.
BUT THEY HAD SEVERAL OUTBREAKS
PRIMARILY DRIVEN BY CHILDREN IN
A HIGH VACCINATED COUNTRY.
>> YEAH.
THE WAY THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION PUT IT, PRETTY
STRIKING.
THEY SAY THE DELTA VARIANT IS
THE FASTEST AND FITTEST COVID
STRAIN YET.
SO, I MEAN, THERE IS A LOT OF
FOLKS OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, THEY
SEE MSG FULL OF FOLKS, THEYRE
GETTING OUT, PEOPLE ARENT
WEARING MASKS.
SO WHAT SHOULD BE THEIR LEVEL OF
CONCERN?
WHAT NEEDS TO BE ALL OF OUR
LEVEL OF CONCERN ABOUT THIS?
>> YEAH, CHRIS, ITS -- IF YOU
ARE NOT VACCINATED, I REALLY DO
URGE YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU
WILL GET INFECTED.
NOT IF YOU WILL GET INFECTED.
THATS BECAUSE, AS YOU
MENTIONED, THE DELTA VARIANT,
WHICH IS OUR VARIANT NOW.
WE DIDNT HAVE A VARIANT MONTHS
AGO IN THE UNITED STATES.
60% MORE INFECTIONS THAN THE
ALPHA VARIANT THAT WAS 40% MORE
INFECTIOUS THAN WHAT WAS REALLY
WHIPPING US AROUND THE COUNTRY
LAST YEAR.
SO THATS WHAT I SAY TO PEOPLE,
THAT THIS IS A SIMPLE
MATHEMATICAL ISSUE.
IF YOU ARE UNVACCINATED, YOU
WILL ONE OF THEM.
WE NEED TO BREAK THESE CHAINS OF
TRANSMISSION.
WE STILL HAVE 35 TO 40% ONLY
VACCINATED, LEAVING THE MAJORITY
OF PEOPLE UNVACCINATED.
>> YEAH.
AND I HAVE BEEN TO ANY NUMBER OF
THOSE PLACES, AND YOU DONT
NECESSARILY SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE
WEARING MASKS EITHER.
AND THEN YOU HAVE THE BIG
PICTURE ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL
CONCERN.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION JUST
OUTLINED WHICH COUNTRIES ARE
GOING TO RECEIVE THAT 55 MILLION
DOSES OF VACCINE.
YOU KNOW, THEY WANT TO FULFILL
THEIR PLEDGE TO SHARE 80 MILLION
GLOBALLY BY THE END OF JUNE.
BUT THE PRESS SECRETARY, JEN
PSAKI, WAS PRESSED ON THE PACE
OF DISTRIBUTION.
AND I WANT TO PLAY WHAT SHE
SAID.
>> YOU HAVE PROMISED TO
DISTRIBUTE THOSE 80 MILLION BY
THE END OF THE MONTH, BUT HES
OBVIOUSLY FALLING SHORT OF THAT
GOAL.
WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG?
>> FIRST LET ME SAY WERE
COMMITTED TO ALLOCATING THOSE
DOSES.
WE HAVE DONE EXACTLY THAT.
WHAT WE FOUND TO BE THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGE IS NOT ACTUALLY THE
SUPPLY.
WE HAVE PLENTY OF DOSES TO SHARE
WITH THE WORLD, BUT THIS IS A
HUGE LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO ANNOUNCE AS
THEY LAND ON THE GROUND AND AS
THEY ARE BEING SHIPPED AND WERE
LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING THAT AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
>> IN OUR FINAL 30 SECONDS, CAN
YOU HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW
COMPLICATED IT IS TO DISTRIBUTE
VACCINES GLOBALLY?
>> YEAH.
EVERYTHING FROM HAVING THE RIGHT
SUPPLIES ON THE GROUND TO THE
RIGHT PERSONNEL ON THE GROUND
AND A STRATEGY TO GET
VACCINATED.
YOU DONT DUMP A PLANEFUL OF
VACCINES AND HOPE INTENTIONALLY
IT GETS INTO PEOPLES ARMS.
SO IT IS LOGISTICALLY
COMPLICATED.
HAVING SAID THAT, IT IS AN
INCREDIBLE PRIORITY.