OF COURSE, THE OTHER STORY WE’RE
FOLLOWING, THE CORONAVIRUS.
MEANWHILE, WITH THE INAUGURATION
JUST EIGHT DAYS AWAY,
PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN
SHIFTING HIS FOCUS TO THE
CORONAVIRUS VACCINATION EFFORTS.
PRESIDENT-ELECT RECEIVING HIS
SECOND DOSE ON MONDAY.
NOW PLANS FOR MASS VACCINATION
SITES ROLLING OUT ALL ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
JOINING US WITH MORE ON THE
VACCINATION EFFORTS, NBC NEWS
MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. NATALIE
AZAR.
DR. NATALIE, GOOD SEETO SEE YOU
THIS MORNING.
>> HI THERE.
>> IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY STATE HAS
THEIR OWN GUIDELINES, AS WE MOVE
INTO THEIR NEXT PHASE.
HOW DO PEOPLE KNOW, ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL
STATES, WHEN THEY’RE GOING TO BE
ELIGIBLE?
>> WELL, AL, YES, AS YOU
MENTIONED, IT CERTAINLY HAS BEEN
CONFUSING, EVEN A LITTLE BIT
CHAOTIC.
I DON’T THINK THAT WOULD BE AN
UNDERSTATEMENT.
I THINK THERE’S AT LEAST FOUR
DIFFERENT FACTORS AT PLAY HERE.
ONE IS THAT WHEN YOU ARE UP FOR
A VACCINE OR WHEN YOU WILL GET
THE VACCINE DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU
LIVE.
IT DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU ARE ON
THE PRIORITY LIST.
IT DEPENDS ON SUPPLY, AND IT
DEPENDS ON DISTRIBUTION.
THE STATE GUIDELINES ARE VERY
FLUID.
THEY’RE CHANGING A LOT.
EVERY SINGLE DAY, REALLY.
ALSO, STATES HAVE SOMETIMES
DECENTRALIZED CONTROL, EVEN TO
THE LOCAL LEVEL.
SO IT’S BECOME REALLY ALMOST
LABYRINTHINE.
WHAT I THINK WE’LL SEE MORE OF
ARE BIG CONVENTION CENTERS,
STADIUMS, FOR EXAMPLE, BEING
TRANSFORMED INTO VACCINE
ADMINISTRATION SITES.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN NEW YORK, THE
JAVITS CENTER CAMPUSES WILL BE
USED FOR THIS.
CALIFORNIA, DODGER STADIUM, FOR
EXAMPLE.
I THINK IN THE MEANTIME, IF
YOU’RE A TEACHER, YOU CONTACT
YOUR TEACHERS’ UNION.
YOU CAN CERTAINLY CONTACT YOUR
EMPLOYER.
YOU CAN CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR.
WE MAY NOT ALWAYS HAVE THE
ANSWER, FOR EXAMPLE, IN LESS
THAN AN HOUR WE’LL BE HAVING A
BIG TOWN HALL HERE, WHERE WE’RE
GOING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHEN
ALLOCATION TO OUR PATIENTS
REALLY CAN BEGIN IN EARNEST.
>> DR. NATALIE, SO MANY OF US
TRY TO BOOST OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM,
ESPECIALLY DURING THE WINTER
MONTHS.
DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE ACTUALLY
SAW A SPIKE IN VITAMIN D SALES.
IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE THAT SHOWS
SUPPLEMENTS LIKE THIS COULD HELP
FIGHT COVID?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I THINK LET
ME START BY JUST A NOTE ON WHY
WE’RE EVEN TALKING ABOUT VITAMIN
D.
WE’VE KNOWN, OF COURSE, IT IS
IMPORTANT FOR YOUR BONE HEALTH,
BUT IT ALSO PLAYS A ROLE IN YOUR
IMMUNE FUNCTION.
TWO SPECIFIC WAYS.
ONE IS THAT IT CAN DIRECTLY
PROTECT YOU AGAINST BUGS OR PATH
AGAINS, S
PATHOGENS, BUT IT CAN DAMPEN AND
MODULATE THE INFLAMMATORY
RESPONSE.
THAT’S WHY IT IS OF INTEREST.
WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, THERE IS
A LOT OF EMERGING RESEARCH THAT
DOES SUGGEST A CONNECTION
BETWEEN VITAMIN D AND COVID-19.
BUT EXPERTS SAY THERE’S NOT
SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE YET AT THIS
POINT TO RECOMMEND VITAMIN D AS
A TREATMENT OR PREVENTION.
WHAT I WOULD SAY TO FOLKS AS A
TAKE HOME IS THAT IF YOU ARE
DEFICIENT AND YOU’RE TAKING
VITAMIN D, CERTAINLY CONTINUE
YOUR SUPPLEMENT.
IF YOU’RE CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT
YOUR VITAMIN D LEVEL IS, YOU
SHOULD ASK YOUR DOCTOR FOR A
BLOOD LEVEL.
SUPPLEMENT IF YOU’RE DEFICIENT.
>> GOOD RESPONSE.
JAPANESE HEALTH OFFICIALS ALSO
SAID ON SUNDAY NOW ANOTHER
VARIANT OF THE CORONAVIRUS HAD
BEEN DETECTED IN TRAVELERS
COMING FROM BRAZIL.
THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE
STRAINS WE TALKED WITH YOU
ABOUT, FOUND IN THE UK AND SOUTH
AFRICA.
SHOULD PEOPLE WILLBE CONCERNED?
>> SO, YOU KNOW, A POINT ABOUT
MUTATIONS, AND I KNOW WE’VE SAID
THIS A LOT, IS THAT THEY ARE
COMMON, NOT UNUSUAL AT ALL, VERY
MUCH EXPECTED WITH VIRUSES OF
THIS TYPE.
WHETHER OR NOT THEY ACTUALLY
RESULT IN WHAT’S CALLED A
FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENCE OR IMPACT,
A TERM DR. FAUCI LIKES TO USE,
AKA, DOES IT MAKE THE VIRUS MORE
TRANSMISS ONLY R ABLEZSABLE OR A
MORE DISEASE?
WE HAVE LITTLE INFORMATION ON
THE JAPANESE VARIANT, PER THEIR
INFECTIOUS DISEASE SOCIETY.
THERE ARE GENETIC MUTATIONS
SIMILAR TO THE ONES FOUND IN THE
UK AND SOUTH AFRICAN VARIANT,
WHICH WOULD THEORETICALLY MAKE
IT MORE TRANSMISSABLE.
ALL MUTATIONS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT