DOCTOR ANTHONY
THERE HE IS.
SO NICE TO SEE YOU, DR. FAUCI.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, WHERE ARE YOU ZOOMING IN FROM?
>> WASHINGTON D.C. C, NORTHWEST WASHINGTON, D.C.
>> HOW IS IT TOUT THERE, HOW IS THE WEATHER S IT OKAY?
>> IT'S REALLY NICE, IT IS A CRISP, CLEAR FALL DAY, IT IS
REALLY NICE.
>> THAT IS GREAT.
LAST NIGHT WAS HALL BEAN.
>> DID YOU GET ANY TRICK OR TREATERS?
>> WE DID, WE DIDN'T GET VERY MANY, MOSTLY VERY, VERY YOUNG
CHILDREN WITH THEIR PARENTS, YOU KNOW CUTE LITTLE KIDS BUT NOT A
LOT.
THERE WASN'T A LOT OF ACTIVITY IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> OVER THE WEEKEND IT WAS ANNOUNCED PRESS SECRETARY JEN
PSAKI TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID.
THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A BIG STORY.
HOW FRUSTRATING IS IT FOR YOU WHEN YOU SEE NEWS AND MEDIA
OUTLETS IMMEDIATELY LINK HER POSITIVE CASE TO THE FACT THAT
SHE IS DOUBLE VACCINATED?
IS THAT FRUSTRATING FOR YOU AND THE MESSAGE THAT YOU ARE TRYING
TO GET ACROSS?
>> IT MAKES THE MESSAGE MORE DIFFICULT, JAMES, BUT I THINK IF
YOU GET THE PACTS TO PEOPLE YOU CAN REALLY STEER AWAY FROM THAT.
I THINK MISGUIDED MESSAGE.
FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATA OF PEOPLE WHO ARE
VACCINATED VERSUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN VACCINATED, THE
INFECTION RATE, THE WHOLE-- INT IS ABOUT FIVE OR MORE IN
INFECTIONS, ABOUT TEN TIMES MORE PEOPLE WHO GET INTO THE HOSPITAL
ARE VACCINATED-- ARE UNVACCINATED VERSUS VACCINATED.
MORE THAN TEN TIMES MORE PEOPLE WITHOUT DIE FROM COVID-19 ARE
UNVACCINATED.
SO THE DATA ARE OVERWHELMING AS TO THE ADVANTAGE.
NOW THERE IS NO VACCINE THAT IS 100 PERCENT EFFECTIVE AGAINST
INFECTION IT IS NOT SURPRISING WHEN YOU GET SO MANY PEOPLE
VACCINATED THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SEE BREAKTHROUGH INFECTIONS LIKE
WE SAW WITH JEN PSAKI.
SHE IS DOING VERY WELL.
SHE HAS MILD SYMPTOMS.
THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THE CASE IF SHE WASN'T VACCINATED.
SO YOU MUD NOT TAKE AWAY FROM THE EXTRAORDINARY IMPORTANCE OF
VACS NAIPTION NOT ONLY FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH BUT THAT OF YOUR
FAMILY AND FOR THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE REALLY, YOU ARE RIGHT, IT IT IS A BIT FRUSTRATING WHEN
PEOPLE DISTORT THE MESSAGE AND SAY WELL LOOKINGS A PERSON WHO
WAS VACCINATED GOT INFECTED.
THEREFORE WE SHOULDN'T GET VACCINATED.
NOT SO AT ALL.
>> I CAN ONLY THINK ANY FRUSTRATION OR STRESS WILL HAVE
COME FROM MESSAGING, WHICH YOUR MESSAGING BASED IN FACTS AND
SCIENCE JUST NOT FINDING ITS WAY INTO PEOPLE'S PHONES OR
TELEVISIONS OR NEWSPAPERS THE NEXT DAY, HOW FRUSTRATING HAS
THAT BEEN, THE WAY IT HAS BEEN POLITICIZED.
>> IT IS NOT ONLY FRUSTRATING, IT IS PAINFUL BECAUSE YOU KNOW
AT THE END OF THE DAY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE AS A RESULT OF
MISINFORMATION.
SO YOU KNOW IT DOES GET A POLITICAL CONNOTATION THERE ARE
IDEALOGICAL THINGS THAT GET IN THE WAY FROM HEALTH PRACTICE.
THAT SHOULD NEVER, EVER HAPPEN.
THE COMMON ENEMY IS THE VIRUS, NOT EACH OTHER.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE DIE VICIVENESS WE SEE IN THIS
COUNTRY, ONE WOULD THINK THAT WE ARE FIGHTING WITH EACH OTHER
INSTEAD OF FIGHTING WITH THE VIRUS.
>> MUCH THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING UP.
LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE MAKING PLANS, PLANS THEY COULDN'T MAKE THIS
TIME LAST YEAR.
WHAT ARE YOUR DOS AND DON'TS TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL SAFE WHEN THEY
ARE GATHERING WITH LOVED ONES THIS YEAR?
>> WELL, THE FIRST OF ALL IS WHAT YOU MENTIONED A BIT AGO.
IT'S VACCINATION.
VACCINATION PROVIDES A VERY STRONG DEGREE OF PROTECTION
AGAINST INFECTION AND SEVERE DISEASE.
GET VACCINATED.
SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY.
THE IDEA THAT YOU CAN'T HAVE CHRISTMAS WITH YOUR FAMILY AND
YOUR LOVED ONES.
YOU DEFINITELY CAN.
ONE OF THE THINGS WHEN YOU SAY DOS AND DON'TS, THAT IS A DO.
ENJOY THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY.
ENJOY THE HOLIDAY SEASON BUT THE THINGS YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IS
WE STILL HAVE AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 70,000 INFECTIONS PER DAY.
BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU GO TO CONGREGATE SETTINGS INDOOR IN
WHICH YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH WHAT THE STATUS OF THE PEOPLE IN
THE CONGREGATE SETTING.
AND THAT IS THE REASON WHY THE CDC SAYS EVEN WHEN ARE YOU
VACCINATED, IF YOU ARE GOING TO GO TO AN UNFAMILIAR PLACE
INDOORS, NOT NECESSARILY GOOD VENTILATION, WEAR THE MASK AS A
VERY EXTRA BIT OF PRECAUTION.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO FAMILY, JAMES, THE KINDS OF THINGS WE
CHERISH, FAMILY DINNERS DURING THE HOLIDAY, GO AHEAD AND DO IT
BY ALL MEANS.
>> YOU MENTIONED THE CDC.
THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO RULE THIS WEEK ON THE VACCINE FOR
CHILDREN, AGES 5 TO 121 WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY A HUGE TALKING POINT
MORNINGS PARENTS.
I'M WRITING TO YOU TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GET THEIR CHILDREN
VACCINATED.
YOU FEEL SURE THAT THIS IS SAFE?
>> WELL, ABSOLUTELY, JAMES.
I MEAN I THINK THE BEST TESTIMONY THAT I CAN GIVE TO
THAT, I HAVE THREE ADULT DAUGHTERS, BUT IT IF MY CHILDREN
NOW WERE IN THE RANGE OF 5 TO 11, I WOULD ABSOLUTELY GET THEM
VACCINATED BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH STATISTICICALLY A CHILD WHO GETS
INFECTED DOESN'T HAVE AS MUCH CHANCE OF GETTING SEVERE DISEASE
AS AN ADULT, OR PARTICULARLY AN ELDERLY PERSON, THEY STILL CAN
GET QUITE SICK.
THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 700 DEATHS AMONG CHILDREN RIGHT NOW WITH
COVID-19.
CHILDREN CAN GET A SYNDROME FOR MULTISYSTEM INFLAMMATORY
SYMPTOMS OF CHILDREN.
YOU CAN GET LONG COVID WHICH MEANS YOU CAN RECOVER FROM A
MILD TO MODERATE INFECTION AND STILL HAVE THE LINGERING OF
SYMPTOMS AND ALSO CHILDREN CAN SPREAD TO OTHERS EVEN WITHIN THE
HOUSEHOLD SO THERE IS REALLY VERY GOOD REASON TO GET CHILDREN
VACCINATED WHICH IS THE REASON WHY I REPEAT IF MY CHILDREN WERE
IN THAT AGE RANGE I ABSOLUTELY WOULD GET THEM VACCINATED.
>> I MEAN THERE HAVE BEEN SOME SIGNS OF BREAKTHROUGHS AS A
RESULT OF COVID, MAN PEOPLE THINK THE MODERNA VACCINE OFFERS
HOPE FOR OTHER VACCINES, PARTICULARLY AND INCLUDING HIV.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT HIV DO YOU BELIEVE THAT IN YOUR LIFETIME
WE'LL SEE A CURE FOR THAT DISEASE?
>> WELL, I'VE DEVOTED THE LAST 40 YEARS OF MY LIFE TO LIV.
THAT HAS BEEN MY PRIMARY INVOLVEMENT IN AS A SCIENTIST
AND AS A PHYSICIAN TAKING CARE OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH HIV.
SO I CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO TANGED HOPE FOR THAT.
BUT THE POINT YOU MAKE THAT SOME OF THE SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGH SUCH
AS THE MRNA VACCINE AND THE ABILITY TO MAKE A VERY IMMOGENI
TO BE USED IN RAY VACCINE THAT WILL SPILL OVER INTO OTHER
DISEASES.
AND ALREADY PEOPLE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN VACCINE DEVELOPMENT
FOR HIV OR MALL ARIA OR TUBERCULOSIS, ALREADY ARE
JUMPING UP OVER THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY WHICH IS REALLY VERY,
VERY PROMISING.
ONE OF THE BIG SCIENTIFIC SUCCESS STORIES OF THIS WHOLE
PANDEMIC THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF
VACCINES.
AND THAT IS GOING TO SPILL OVER IT TO OTHER DISEASES FOR SURE.
>> ONE THING I NOTICED ABOUT, MYSELF AND AFTER THE-- THAT WE
SEEM TO NEED AND FOR THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, RIGHT,
IF I THINK BACK IT TO WHEN WE SHUT DOWN THIS SHOW IN MARCH IT
WAS, I THINK, WITH WARM WEATHER IT WILL BE FINE, I THINK WHEN IT
COMES TO SPRING THE NEXT YEAR WE WILL BE THIS, WHEN THERE IS A
VACCINE WE WILL DO BE DOING THAT.
HOW FAR AWAY DO YOU THINK WE ARE FROM THIS BEING EVEN A RECENT
MEMORY?
>> YOU KNOW, JAMES, FOR SURE WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH THIS.
WE CAN GET THROUGH IT NOR QUICKLY IF WE GET MORE PEOPLE
VACCINATED.
WE HAD ABOUT 64 MILLION PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY WHO ARE ELIGIBLE
TO BE.
WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO BE VACCINATED AND ARE NOT, WE HAVE
TO DO BETTER AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A GLOBAL RESPONSE
TO A GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO GET VACCINE
DOSES TO GO THERE, TO LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES THAT
DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES, APPROXIMATE WE DO THAT, WE WILL
END IT.
I GUARANTEE YOU WE WILL PUT THIS BEHIND US.
I CAN'T TELL YOU EXACTLY WHEN BECAUSE IT WILL DEPEND A LOT ON
WHAT WE DO, PARTICULARLY HOW SUCCESSFUL WE ARE IN GETTING NOT
ONLY PEOPLE IN OUR OWN COUNTRY VACCINATED BUT THE REST OF THE
WORLD.
BUT WE SHOULD LOOK AHEAD AND NOT FEEL HOPELESS OR HELPLESS.
WE CAN AND WILL GET THROUGH THIS.
GUARANTEED.
>> DR. FAUCI, THANK YOU FOR FINDING THE TIME FOR US AND
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE OVER THE PAST 18 MONTH IN
YOUR CAREER, BEFORE THAT, WE ARE ALL INDEBTED TO YOU, YOU HAVE
BEEN A SHINING LIGHT DURING DARK MOMENTS FOR ALL OF US.
WE REALLY, REALLY THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, TO FINE OUT WHERE YOU CAN GET VACCINATED
VISIT VACCINE.GOV.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH NICK KROLL AND PATTON OSWALT,
EVERYBODY.