DOCTOR, IM REALLY GLAD YOURE
WITH US THIS MORNING.
THERES A LOT OF PEOPLE CONFUSED
OUT THERE.
WERE HEARING SOME HEALTH
EXPERTS DESCRIBING WHAT WE ARE
FACING TODAY AS A CATEGORY 5
HURRICANE, BUT THAT DOESNT SEEM
TO MAKE SINCE SINCE HALF THE
COUNTRY IS VACCINATED, VACCINES
WORK.
ARE EXPERTS MAKING TOO MUCH OF
THIS SURGE IN CASES?
THEY MAKE IT SOUND LIKE WERE
GOING BACK TO WHERE WE WERE LAST
MARCH.
IS IT A CATEGORY 5 FOR THE
COUNTRY OR JUST FOR THE
UNVACCINATED?
>> YOUVE GOT IT RIGHT THERE.
THIS IS A PANDEMIC OF THE
UNVACCINATED.
BUT THAT IS STILL 100 MILLION
ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA AND THOUGHSE NUMBERS YOU
JUST BEEN GOING OVER ARE TRULY
DISTRESSING.
THERES A WORLD OF HURT
HAPPENING NOW THAT COULD HAVE
BEEN PREVENTED IF WE HAD SIMPLY
BEEN NOR SUCCESSFUL IN
CONVINCING EVERYONE TO HAVE
CONFIDENCE IN THE VACCINE TO
HELP THEM.
ITS HEARTBREAKING NOW.
THESE STORIES OF PEOPLE IN THE
ICU SAYING, I WISH ID GOTTEN
VACCINATED
VACCINATED, A FINAL TEXT MESSAGE
FROM A 39-YEAR-OLD FATHER TO HIS
WIFE SAYING, I WISH ID GOTTEN
THE VACCINE JUST BEFORE HE DIED.
ISNT THAT ENOUGH TO WAKE PEOPLE
UP?
WE KNOW VACCINES ARE SAFE AND
EFFECTIVE.
THEY WORK AGAINST THE DELTA
VARIANT.
THIS IS THE MOMENT TO STEP ASIDE
FROM ALL OF THE MISINFORMATION
AND FRANKLY DISINFORMATION
THATS BEEN OUT OUT THERE AND
LOOK AT THE DATA AND ROLL UP
YOUR SLEEVE AND PROTECT YOURSELF
AND YOUR FAMILY.
YOU CANT COUNT ON THE
VACCINATED PEOPLE TO SAVE YOU.
YOUVE GOT TO BECOME ONE OF
THEM.
>> FOR THOSE OF US THAT ARE
VACCINATED, FOR THE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS, IS THIS DEVASTATING
AMERICANS, IS THIS DEVASTATING
AND DISTRESSING, ARE WE SAFE?
>> WE ARE MOSTLY IN VERY GOOD
SHAPE, BECAUSE THE VACCINE IS
VERY EFFECTIVE AND THAT INCLUDES
AGAINST DELTA.
WE DID LEARN IN THE COURSE OF
THE EXPERIENCES IN PROVINCETOWN,
MASSACHUSETTS, THAT FULLY
VACCINATED PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE,
IN FAIRLY RARE INSTANCES OF
GETTING THE VIRUS, HAVING MILD
SYMPTOMS OR NO SYMPTOMS AT ALL,
AND PASSING IT ON POTENTIALLY TO
OTHERS.
WHICH IS WHY CDC HAD TO CHANGE
THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT
MASKING TO INCLUDE US VACCINATED
FOLKS IN YOURE INDOORS IN A
CROWDED SPACE, BECAUSE YOU MIGHT
UNWITTINGLY BE PASSING THIS
ALONG.
THAT JUST MAKES SENSE.
IM SORRY IF PEOPLE THINK THATS
A CHANGE IN THE DPINSGUIDANCE.
THATS A CHANGE BECAUSE OF NEW
DATA.
ISNT WHAT YOU WANT YOUR PUBLIC
HEALTH EXPERTS TO DO?
IS LOOK AT THE DATA AND TELL YOU
WHAT THE BEST THING IS TO DO?
AND I FIND IFTT FRUSTRATING THAT
THE WHOLE IDEA OF MASKING HAS
BECOME SUCH AN EMOTIONAL AND
POLITICAL SITUATION.
WE KNOW THAT MASKS WORK.
THEYRE NOT PERFECT, BUT THEY
SURE HELP.
IF WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT WE NEED
TO PUT THOSE BACK ON AGAIN IN
CERTAIN SITUATIONS, LETS JUST
DO THAT.
>> BUT LETS STAY ON THAT.
BECAUSE I WANT TO SHARE WHAT THE
CDC DIRECTOR SAID ON THIS
NETWORK THREE MONTHS AGO, WHEN
THE MASK MANDATE WAS DROPPED.
LISTEN.
>> HOW SURE ARE YOU?
BECAUSE THIS FEELS LIKE REALLY
BIG CHANGE?
>> WERE SURE.
THERES AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT
OF EVIDENCE NOW THAT
DEMONSTRATES THAT THE VACCINES
ARE WORKING IN THE REAL WORLD.
IMPORTANTLY, THERES ALSO NEW
DATA, JUST EVEN IN THE LAST TWO
WEEKS, THAT DEMONSTRATES THAT
THESE VACCINES ARE WORKING IN --
AGAINST THE VARIANTS THAT WE
HAVE CIRCULATING HERE IN THE
UNITED STATES.
>> I ABSOLUTELY GET IT.
SCIENCE EVOLVES.
THATS IMPORTANT.
WE LEARN NEW THINGS.
BUT SHE DIDNT SAY THAT.
SHE SAID, WERE SURE.
WERE SURE IS WHAT GOT SO MANY
PEOPLE TO GO OUT SKPAND GET
VACCINATED.
DO YOU THINK GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS HAVE STRUGGLED IN
COMMUNICATING WHY AND HOW THINGS
HAVE CHANGED?
AND IN DOING SO, COMBINED THAT
WITH ALL OF THE ACTUAL
MISINFORMATION OUT THERE.
AND IT ENDS UP UNDERMINING
CREDIBILITY.
>> IT IS A STRUGGLE.
AND I THINK PEOPLE HAVE TENDED
TO SAY IF THE GOVERNMENT PUBLIC
HEALTH OFFICIALS CHANGE THEIR
RECOMMENDATION, THAT THEY MUST
HAVE BEEN WRONG TO BEGIN WITH.
ROCHELLE WAS NOT WRONG IN PAY.
WE HAD VERY LITTLE DELTA VARIANT
AT THAT POINT.
THINGS WERE ON A VERY GOOD
PATHWAY.
THERE WAS NO REASON TO ACTUALLY
PROJECT THAT BY AUGUST IT WOULD
LOOK LIKE IT DOES.
YOU KNOW, I MADE THIS POINT
YESTERDAY WITH ALI VELSHI.
IF YOURE IN THE STOCK MARKET
AND YOUR STOCK BROKERS TOLD YOU
LAST WEEK TO BUY AND THIS WEEK
TO SELL, YOU DONT SAY, OH,
YOURE A FLIP-FLOPPER, MAKE UP
YOUR MIND.
YOU SAY, OKAY, WHAT HAPPENED,
WHAT ARE THE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
THAT CAUSED THAT TO CHANGE?
THATS WHAT HAPPENS WITH PUBLIC
HEALTH.
SO GIVE THEM A BREAK.
THEYRE TRYING TO LOOK AT THE
CIRCUMSTANCES THROUGH A CLOUDY
CRYSTAL BALL AND TELL YOU WHAT
MAKES THE MOST SENSE TO SAVE
LIVES.
AND TO HAVE THAT TURNED INTO ONE
MORE REASON FOR POLITICAL
CRITICISMS JUST NOT HELPING AT
ALL.
>> NO, THE CONCERN IS THAT ITS
MAKING PEOPLE TUNE OUT.
BECAUSE WHILE STOCKS ARE
IMPORTANT, THEYRE NOT LIVES.
THE DELTA VARIANT MADE UP JUST
3% OF COVID STRAINS IN THE
UNITED STATES BACK IN MAY.
TODAY ITS 80%.
TO BE CLEAR, TO THE MILLIONS OF
PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING, IF WE
ARE VACCINATED, WHAT IS THE RISK
FOR US, FROM THIS DELTA VARIANT?
HOW SICK CAN WE GET?
>> WELL, THERES THE GOOD NEWS
IN THE MIDST OF ALL OF THIS
TROUBLING NEWS.
THE VACCINES THAT ARE APPROVED
IN THE U.S. ARE INCREDIBLY
EFFECTIVE AGAINST SEVERE ILLNESS
FROM THE DELTA VARIANT.
YOU HAVE A 25-FOLD INCREASE IN
YOUR PROTECTION COMPARED TO AN
UNVACCINATED PERSON.
YOU CAN STILL GET INFECTED AND
MAYBE PASS IT ON TO SOMEBODY
ELSE WITHOUT ANY SYMPTOMS.
THATS WHAT WE LEARNED FROM
PROVINCETOWN.
BUT YOU ARE PROTECTED AGAINST
THE THING THAT PEOPLE ARE REALLY
WORRIED ABOUT, BEING IN THE
HOSPITAL, GETTING IN THE ICU, OR
DYING OF THIS DISEASE.
THESE VACCINES ARE WORKING.
PLEASE, PEOPLE, DONT MAKE A
MISTAKE HERE IN MIXING UP THE
NEWS OF THE LAST WEEK TO THINK
THAT SOMEHOW OUR VACCINES ARE
NOT SUCCESSFUL.
THEY ARE INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE
AND SAFE.
>> YOU JUST HAVE TO TAKE THEM.
ONE THING THATS CONCERNING SO
MANY OF US THAT ARE VACCINATED,
PEOPLE IN OUR FAMILY, OUR KIDS,
UNDER TEENAGE OF 12.
WHEN DO YOU THINK THOSE KIDS
WILL START BEING ABLE TO GET
VACCINATED.
WE WANT THEM TO, SAFELY.
>> WELL, BOTH PFIZER AND MODERNA
STARTED THEIR TRIALS ON KIDS
UNDER AGE 12 BACK IN MARCH, BUT
YOU NEED TO HAVE SAFETY DATA
OVER SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE YOU
CAN MAKE A ADJUSTMENT.
SO THAT DATA IS PROBABLY GOING
TO BE IN HAND BY SEPTEMBER, BUT
THEN THE FDA WILL NEED TO REVIEW
IT.
SO SOME TIME IN THE LATE
FALL/WINTER IS PROBABLY WHAT
WERE TALKING ABOUT.
I KNOW THATS NOT THE ANSWER
PEOPLE WANT.
BUT FOR KIDS, EVERYONE ELSE WANT
US TO BE REALLY SURE THIS IS
WORKING THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO.
BECAUSE CHILDREN ARENT JUST
SMALL ADULTS, THEYRE A LITTLE
DIFFERENT.
YOUVE GOT TO GET THE DOSE
RIGHT.
IN THE MEANTIME, KIDS UNDER 12
CONTINUE TO BE VULNERABLE, WHICH
IS WHY THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE
GOING TO BE VERY MUCH THERE THAT
SCHOOLS WILL NEED TO BE IN
SESSION.
THATS CRITICAL AND KIDS WILL
NEED TO BE MASKED IF THEYRE