THEY’VE ALREADY BOUGHT.
BASICALLY TRYING TO OFFSET
POTENTIALLY A VACCINE SHORTAGE
COMING UP.
OUR NATALIE AZAR GOT HER VACCINE
EARLIER ON THE "TODAY SHOW"
LIVE.
CHECK IT OUT.
>> IT GOES INTO THE MUSCLE.
IT’S GOING TO FEEL JUST LIKE A
FLU SHOT.
>> WHAT IS LIFE GOING TO LOOK
LIKE FOR YOU TOMORROW?
ARE YOU LOOKING AT THE MASKS?
SOCIAL DISTANCING?
>> LIFE IS NOT GOING TO LOOK ANY
DIFFERENT FOR ME.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY
WANT TO COMMUNICATE VERY CLEARLY
TO FOLKS.
EVEN AFTER YOU ARE ABLE TO GET A
VACCINE, YOU’RE STILL DOING
EVERYTHING SANE.
YOU’RE WEARING MASK WHEN YOU’RE
NOT IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD, KEEPING
YOUR DISTANCE, WASHING YOUR
HANDS.
ONE OF THE BIG UNKNOWNS IS
WHETHER OR NOT IF YOU HAD THE
VACCINE CAN YOU STILL TRANSMIT
TO SOMEBODY.
>> NBC NEWS MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR
NATALIE ADAR, THANK YOU FOR
BEING WITH US LIVE AT THE
HOSPITAL.
I WANT TO GET TO HOW YOU’RE
FEELING IN A SECOND.
FIRST, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE DEAL
WITH PFIZER FOR 100 MILLION MORE
VACCINES.
HOW BIG OF A DEAL IS THIS?
>> WELL, IT’S A HUGE DEAL.
WE’VE SORT OF HAD A COMMITMENT
FROM PFIZER AND MODERNA THAT
WE’LL GET 20 MILLION DOSES, 30
MILLION DOSES, 50 MILLION DOSES
IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS.
WE HAVE MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS
OF INDIVIDUALS WHO NEED TO BE
VACCINATED IN THIS COUNTRY.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS.
I HOPE THIS WORKS OUT.
I THINK THUS FAR IT APPEARS THAT
DEMAND WILL AT LEAST MEET THE
SUPPLY AND WE HOPE TO EXCEED
THAT.
WE GET THE FOLKS WE IMMEDIATE TO
GET VACCINATED, WE GET TO THE
HERD IMMUNITY.
>> DOES THIS ELIMINATE ANY
CONCERNS ABOUT THAT?
IN OTHER WORDS, ARE WE AT THE
POINT WHEN WE DON’T HAVE TO FEEL
NERVOUS ABOUT RUNNING OUT OF
VACCINE COME THE SPRING?
>> WELL, LOOK, IF YOU THINK
ABOUT WHERE WE ARE WITH THE
NUMBER OF VACCINES AVAILABLE,
AND THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO
NEED TO GET IT, WE HAVE ABOUT
21, 24 MILLION IN PHASE ONE.
PHASE ONE B IS ABOUT 49 MILLION
PEOPLE.
AND PHASE 1 C IS ABOUT 129
MILLION PEOPLE.
AND THAT’S BEFORE WE GET TO THE
GENERAL POPULATION.
SO ANY AMOUNT OF VACCINE ABOVE
WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE FROM
PFIZER WILL BE MORE THAN
WELCOMED, BUT IT IS ABSOLUTELY
NECESSARY.
>> DOCTOR AZAR, WE SAW YOU
GETTING YOUR SHOT LIVE THIS
MORNING ON THE "TODAY SHOW."
I THINK YOU’RE STILL AT THE
HOSPITAL.
I CAN SEE A LOT OF ACTIVITY
BEHIND YOU.
IT’S ONLY BEEN AN HOUR AND A
HALF, BUT YOU FEELING OKAY?
WHAT ARE YOU ANTICIPATING AS FAR
AS SIDE EFFECTS?
>> YEP.
SO FAR I FEEL ABSOLUTELY FINE.
IT WAS FUNNY.
MY COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND SENT ME
A TEXT THIS MORNING.
SHE GOT HERS LAST EVENING AND
SAID MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ADVIL.
YOUR ARM IS GOING TO GET SORE IN
A COUPLE HOURS.
I ANTICIPATE THAT, AND TO ME,
THAT’S A WELCOME SIGN.
IT MEANS MY IMMUNE SYSTEM IS
WORKING IN RESPRONS TO THE
VACCINE.
I MIGHT GET A LITTLE BIT OF A
LOW GRADE FEVER, MAYBE A
HEADACHE OR ACHINESS.
I EXPECT THAT MORE AFTER THE
SECOND SHOT, BUT TO ME THAT’S A
SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR THE
BENEFIT IT’S DOING.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE’VE
SEEN AS WE HEAD INTO NOW
CHRISTMAS EVE, CHRISTMAS NEW
YEARS OVER THE NEXT WEEK OR SO,
PEOPLE TRAVELING.
RIGHT?
YES, THE GUIDELINES HAVE BEEN
TRY TO LIMIT THE CELEBRATIONS.
BUT PEOPLE HAVE AN
UNDERSTANDABLE NEED TO BE WITH
PEOPLE THEY LOVE.
THEY’RE TRYING TO RISK MITIGATE.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE FOR
SOMEBODY HELL BENT ON SEEING
THEIR FAMILY THIS HOLIDAY
SEASON?
>> RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, ON MY WAY IN THIS
MORNING, THERE WAS A LINE THAT
WAS WRAPPING AROUND TWO CITY
BLOCKS.
I WAS LIKE WHERE IS THIS GOING
TO?
IT WAS GOING TO A CITY MD.
PEOPLE WERE PREPARING TO TRAVEL,
AND PER THE GUIDANCE, THEY WERE
PLANNING ON GETTING TESTED.
I WAS HAPPY TO SEE THAT.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I THOUGHT IT
WAS UNFORTUNATE THAT WE STILL
HAD LINES THAT LONG AS OPPOSED
TO HAVING RAPID AT HOME TESTS
THAT WERE MORE WIDELY AVAILABLE.
BUT IF YOU CAN, PLEASE GET
TESTED BEFORE YOU TRAVEL.
YOU SHOULD TEST AGAIN ABOUT
THREE OR SO DAYS AFTER YOU REACH
YOUR DESTINATION AND WHEN YOU’RE
TRAVELING HOME, THE SAME THING
APPLIES.
EVEN IF YOU’RE VISITING FAMILY,
YOU CAN’T BE COMPLACENT.
IF IT’S NOT SOMEONE IN YOUR
HOUSEHOLD
HOUSEHOLD, YOU SHOULD WEAR MASKS
INDOORS.
>> DOCTOR NATALIE AZAR LIVE FOR