>>> MSNBC IS HOSTING A SPECIAL
TOWN HALL MEETING ON VACCINATING
AMERICA.
THE CAMPAIGN IS SLOWING DOWN.
WHAT IS THE WHITE HOUSE’S PLAN
TO GET MORE SHOTS INTO ARMS?
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN WILL BE
JOINING MY COLLEAGUE LAWRENCE
O’DONNELL AT 10:00 EASTERN AND
LAWRENCE WILL BE JOINED BY DR.
ANTHONY FAUCI, SURGEON GENERAL
MURTHI, XAVIER BECCERA WILL ALL
BE ANSWERING AUDIENCE QUESTIONS.
TO PREVIEW THE BIG EVENT WE ARE
TACKLING THE MYTHS AND OUR
DOCTORS WILL SEPARATE FACT FROM
FICTION.
JOINING US NOW DR. PATELL, OUR
MEDICAL ADVISER FOR THE TOWN
HALL TONIGHT, A FORMER WHITE
HOUSE HEALTH POLICY DIRECTOR TO
PRESIDENT OBAMA, AND DR.
EMANUEL, THE PRO-VOST AND A
FORMER MEMBER OF THE BIDEN
TRANSITION COVID-19 ADVISORY
BOARD.
WE HAVE GREAT DOCTORS HERE.
LET’S START SORTING OUT SOME OF
THE MYTHS STARTING WITH MYTH
NUMBER ONE.
LET’S SAY PEOPLE WILL SAY I HAD
COVID-19 SO I DON’T NODE TOEED T
A FALSE.
TRUE OR FALSE?
>> FALSE, ANDREA.
IT IS RECOMMENDED IF YOU’VE HAD
COVID-19, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO
GET A VACCINE FOR A SIMPLE
REASON.
WE DON’T KNOW HOW LONG YOUR
IMMUNITY FROM COVID-19 LASTS
AND, FURTHERMORE, THE VACCINES
HAVE BEEN PROVEN TO BOOST
IMMUNITY IF YOU’VE HAD COVID-19
AND HELP PROTECT AGAINST THE
CONCERNING VARIANTS WHICH
PROBABLY CROPPED UP AFTER YOUR
INFECTION AND COULD BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR FUTURE
INFECTIONS.
>> AND SO LET’S TALK ABOUT MYTH
NUMBER TWO, PEOPLE ARE WORRIED
ABOUT LONG-TERM EFFECTS.
THE MYTH IS WHAT’S THE FACT ON
THIS?
>> WE’VE ADMINISTERED 1.3
BILLION DOSES WORLDWIDE AND OVER
320 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN
BOTH DOSES.
AND WE’VE SEEN VERY, VERY FEW
SIDE EFFECTS.
THE MOST SERIOUS SIDE EFFECT WAS
THE CLOTTING FROM THE J&J AND
THE ASTRAZENECA VACCINE AND
THOSE OCCUR VERY SHORTLY AFTER
PEOPLE WERE VACCINATED, WITHIN
TWO WEEKS.
WE HAVE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO
HAVE BEEN OUT SIX MONTHS AND
WERE SIMPLY NOT SEEING A LOT OF
SIDE EFFECTS.
CONTRAST THAT WITH GETTING
COVID, WHICH WE KNOW HAS LOTS OF
LONG-TERM SIDE EFFECTS.
WE CALL THOSE LONG-HAULERS.
THE VACCINES ARE MUCH, MUCH
SAFER IN THE SHORT TERM AND LONG
TERM COMPARED TO GETTING A COVID
INFECTION.
>> OKAY.
MYTH NUMBER THREE, DR. PATEL,
WOMEN WORRY ABOUT HOW THE
VACCINE WILL IMPACT THEIR
FERTILITY OR THEIR PREGNANCY.
>> ALL THE VACCINES REALLY DO IS
CREATE YOUR OWN BODY TO DEVELOP
THE ANTIBODIES AND THE IMMUNITY
AGAINST COVID-19.
PEOPLE ARE WORRIED THAT SOMEHOW
THESE ARE SUBSTANCES BEING
INJECTED THAT WILL ALTER THEIR
CELLS OR PREVENT THEM FROM
GETTING PREGNANT.
SIMPLY NOT TRUE.
THERE’S BEEN NO EFFECTS ON
FERTILITY AND, IN FACT, JUST TO
DR. EMANUEL’S POINT IF YOU’RE
PREGNANT OR TRYING TO GET
PREGNANT, COVID-19 ITSELF CAN
CAUSE MORE DEVASTATING EFFECTS,
AND WE KNOW THAT.
SO VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOUNG
WOMEN, WOMEN OF ANY AGE, TO
REMEMBER IT’S A VERY SAFE
VACCINE, DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH
PREGNANCY AND CAN, IN FACT, HEM
YOU IF YOU ARE PREGNANT OR WANT
TO GET PREGNANT FROM GETTING
COVID-19 WHICH IS FAR WORSE.
>> AND DR. EMANUEL --
>> CAN I GET ON THAT?
>> SURE.
>> MORE THAN 100,000 WOMEN WHO
HAVE BEEN PREGNANT HAVE GOTTEN
THIS VACCINE, AND EACHWE HAVE NO
SEEN ANY SIDE EFFECTS IN
PREGNANCY.
IN ADDITION, WOMEN WHO ARE
PREGNANT GENERATE ANTIBODIES AND
THOSE ANTIBODIES GO TO THE FETUS
AND ALSO WHEN THEY BEGIN TO
BREAST-FEED THE BABY AFTER
DELIVERY THEY GO TO THE BABY
PROTECTING THE BABY FROM THIS
DEVASTATING VIRUS.
>> IT’S A PLUS, PLUS, PLUS, PLUS
WHEN IT COMES TO PREGNANCY.
AND NO SIDE EFFECTS.
DR. ZEKE, WHAT I WANTED TO ASK
YOU ABOUT IS CONCERNS ABOUT THE
NEW MRNA TECHNOLOGY.
CAN YOU ADDRESS THAT?
>> YES.
FIRST OF ALL, THIS MRNA
TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN IN
DEVELOPMENT FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS.
IT’S NOT AS IT WERE NEW.
INITIALLY THERE WERE
INFLAMMATORY SIDE EFFECTS THAT
PREVENT IT HAD FROM BEING USED
AS A VACCINE OR THERAPEUTIC.
NOW IT’S VERY SAFE.
IT DOESN’T GET INCORPORATED INTO
THE DNA OF A PERSON.
IT’S USED TO MAKE ANTIGEN -- OR
TO MAKE A PROTEIN THAT THE
BODY’S IMMUNE RESPONSE GOES TO.
IT HAS BEEN USED A LOT.
IT JUST HASN’T BEEN USED IN THIS
VACCINE CASE.
BUT, AS I MENTIONED, 1.3 BILLION
DOSES OF THESE VACCINES HAVE
ALREADY BEEN GIVEN.
WE HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH
THIS MRNA VACCINE.
>> AND DR. PATEL, WHAT ABOUT
PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY JUST DON’T
WANT TO TAKE A VACCINE?
THEY’RE ANTI-VAXXERS, SUSPICIOUS
ABOUT PUTTING ANYTHING INTO
THEIR BODIES.
>> YEAH, I THINK THIS IS A
CONCERN THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE
HAVE AND REALLY WHAT THEY NEED
TO DO IS HAVE THESE
CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR HEALTH
CARE PRACTITIONERS.
I’VE TOLD MY PATIENTS THAT
GETTING COVID-19 AND BEING A
PART OF NEVER HAVING TO WORRY
ABOUT DYING OR HAVING A
HOSPITALIZATION FROM THIS IS
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT EVEN AS
WE’RE STILL SEEING DEATHS EACH
DAY, ANDREA.
I THINK ANOTHER IMPORTANT POINT
ABOUT PUTTING FOREIGN SUBSTANCES
IN YOUR BODY, THESE ARE NOT
FOREIGN SUBSTANCES THAT IN ANY
WAY ALTER ANYTHING OTHER THAN
PROVOKING YOUR OWN IMMUNE SYSTEM
TO DEVELOP RESPONSES TO DEAL
WITH THE VIRUSES.
AND, IN A WAY, I TRY TO EXPLAIN
THESE VIRUSES THEMSELVES CAN
CAUSE MORE HARM BY BEING IN YOUR
BODY.
WE ARE STILL TRYING TO UNPACK
THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF
COVID-19, AND IT’S LIKELY IT
WILL BE YEARS BEFORE WE
UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS REALLY
MEANS.
SO, IN SHORT, GET YOUR VACCINE
AND, NUMBER TWO, IF YOU HAVE
THESE CONCERNS DON’T DELAY IN
HAVING A CONVERSATION.
WE’RE ALL TAKING THESE
CONVERSATIONS VERY SERIOUSLY AND
SPENDING A LOT OF TIME TO TRY TO
COUNSEL PEOPLE WITHOUT THEM
FEELING THEY’RE PUSHED INTO A
CORNER.
WATCHING HOW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
RESPONDING AND EVEN PEOPLE WITH
COVID WHO HAVE GOTTEN VACCINATED
HAVE SEEN SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS
THEY HAD IMPROVE OR GO AWAY.
SO IT’S A REALLY COMPELLING
REASON.
AND YOU CAN DO YOUR PART, NOT
JUST FOR YOURSELF WITH THE
VACCINE, BUT YOU WILL PLAY A
PART IN SOCIETY RETURNING TO
NORMAL BECAUSE YOU’RE ACTUALLY
GOING TO HELP YOUR COMMUNITY
REACH IMMUNITY.
AND THAT’S SOMETHING HARD TO
GRASP.
AN INDIVIDUAL GETTING VACCINATED
CAN HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE
PEOPLE AROUND THEM WHO YOU
PROBABLY DON’T EVEN KNOW, BUT IT
WILL HELP US GET BACK TO NORMAL.
>> A GREAT MESSAGE --
>> MAY I SAY ONE OTHER THING?
>> SURE.
YOU BET.
>> CLEVELAND CLINIC DID A STUDY
WHICH WAS JUST RECENTLY
PUBLISHED, AND MORE THAN 99% OF
THE PEOPLE WHO GOT ADMITTED TO
THE HOSPITAL WITH COVID WERE NOT
VACCINATED.
IN OTHER WORDS, THE VACCINATED
PEOPLE REALLY ARE ALMOST
COMPLETELY PROTECTED FROM BEING
HOSPITALIZED OR, GOD FORBID,
DYING FROM THIS INFECTION.
THAT SHOULD BE COMPELLING REASON
ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS THE
OPPORTUNITY TO GET VACCINATED TO
AVOID HOSPITALIZATION AND, GOD
FORBID, AVOID DEATH.
WE HAVE VERY, VERY SOLID DATA
THAT HAVINGVACCINES PREVENT THOS
OUTCOMES.
>> AND NOT ONLY PROTECT
YOURSELF, YOU CAN HAVE A MORE
NORMAL LIFE AND PROTECTING THE
PEOPLE AROUND YOU AND GETTING
THE SOCIETY BACK TO NORMAL AS
DR. PATEL SAID.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO
TONIGHT.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US
ON THIS.
MAKE SURE TO TUNE IN FOR
"VACCINATING AMERICA" AN MSNBC
TOWN HALL EVENT AS LAWRENCE
O’DONNELL SITS DOWN TO ANSWER