AND I BELIEVE THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE SHOULD, AS WELL.
>> WELL, WE WANT IT TO BE SAFE.
THERE’S A LOT TO BREAK DOWN WITH
THIS VACCINE AND THE ROLLOUT
PLAN.
FOR THAT, WE TURN TO OUR
EXPERTS.
NBC’S TOM COSTELLO.
NBC NEWS MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR DR.
BEN GUPTA.
AND SENIOR HEALTH AND SCIENCE
CORRESPONDENT MEG TERRELLE.
GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT THE MEETING
WITH THE FDA AND THE ADD SKRIEZV
COMMITTEE?
>> THIS IS AN OUTSIDE PANEL OF
15 EXPERTS, MDs, PhDs, AND
LAWYERS.
THEIR JOB IS TO LOOK AT THE DATA
AND DETERMINE WHETHER IT MEETS
THE CRITERIA FOR EMERGENCY USE
AUTHORIZATION.
THAT’S NOT THE SAME AS THE SAME
BAR FOR A NORMAL FDA APPROVAL.
THIS IS FOR EMERGENCY USE, AND
WE EXPECT THAT THEY ARE GOING TO
SAY YES, WE ADVISE TO GO AHEAD.
THE FDA THEN, WITHIN 24, 48
HOURS, THEY’LL DECIDE, WE EXPECT
TO GO AHEAD, ADDS WELLS WELL.
ONCE THEY DO, WE TALKED TO THE
COMMANDER OF OPERATION WARP
SPEED.
WITHIN 24 HOURS OF THE FDA GO
AHEAD, WE EXPECT THE TRUCKS WILL
START ROLLING.
WHAT’S INTERESTING, THE TRUCKS
WILL ROLL OUT OF THE PFIZER
DISTRIBUTION CENTERS, THEIR
FREEZER FARMS THAT ARE IN
MICHIGAN AND WISCONSIN.
THEY WILL BE, WE EXPECT, UNDER
POLICE ESCORT IN BIG TRAILERS.
UPS AND FEDEX TAKING THESE
FREEZER SHIPMENTS DOWN TO THEIR
HUBS IN MEMPHIS AND LOUISVILLE.
THEN LOADED ONTO THEIR CARGO
PLANES FOR DISTRIBUTION ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
KEEP IN MIND, WE’RE NOT JUST
TALKING ABOUT GOING TO BIG
CITIES.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE FURTHEST
OUTREACHES OF ALASKA, INTO THE
SWAMPS OF LOUISIANA.
I MEAN, THIS IS A MASSIVE
DISTRIBUTION CHALLENGE, TO BE
ABLE TO REACH EVERY POINT IN THE
COUNTRY AND EVERY TERRITORY, AS
WELL, WITHIN 24 HOURS, AND
KEEPING THESE ICEBOXES
APPROPRIATELY COLD.
THEY BELIEVE THEY’VE GOT THE
PLAN IN PLACE.
YOU’RE NOT GOING TO SEE MILITARY
TRUCKS ON THE ROAD.
IT’S UPS AND FEDEX CUTTING THE
COUNTRY IN HALF.
FEDEX TAKES THE WEST.
UPS TAKES THE EAST.
ALL PART OF A COORDINATED EFFORT
TO EXPEDITE ALL OF THESE
SHIPMENTS.
INTERESTINGLY, WE TALKED TO UPS
YESTERDAY, AND THEY SAID, "YEAH,
YOU KNOW WHAT, OUR VACCINE
SHIPMENTS ARE GOING TO BE
PRIORITIZED, BUT ON THE SAME
TRUCKS, CARRYING YOUR HOLIDAY
GIFTS."
THEY SAY THAT’S NOT GOING TO BE
A PROBLEM.
THEY EXPECT IT CAN HANDLE ALL OF
THAT APPROPRIATELY.
>> TOM COSTELLO, I WILL SAY,
EVERY MORNING IT SEEMS WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT CORONAVIRUS.
AT LEAST IT SOUNDS LIKE WE’RE
MAKING PROGRESS.
>> THANK YOU, TOM.
>> LET’S TURN TO DR. BEN GUPTA,
WHO HAS BEEN TREATING COVID
PATIENTS IN SEATTLE.
OFFICIALS IN THE UK WARNING
PEOPLE WHO HAVE A HISTORY OF
SIGNIFICANT ALLERGIC REACTIONS
NOT TO GET THE VACCINE.
THIS MORNING, FDA COMMISSIONER
HAHN TOLD SAVANNAH, OUR LABEL ON
THE VACCINE WON’T JUST SAY WHO
SHOULD GET IT BUT ALSO WHO
SHOULDN’T RECEIVE THE VACCINE.
WHAT MORE DO WE KNOW ABOUT
THARKSTHAT,
AND IS THIS UNUSUAL?
>> GOOD MORNING, AL.
WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT THERE
WAS TWO CASES IN THE UK.
HEALTH CARE WORKERS WHO HAD
SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTIONS TO THE
PFIZER VACCINE.
THESE APPEAR TO BE HIGHLY
UNUSUAL AND VERY RARE.
BUT THEY ARE CONCERNING.
THIS IS WHY WHATEVER GUIDELINES
ARE ISSUED IN THE PRODUCT INSERT
FOR THESE VACCINES WILL LIKELY
MAKE THEICS SEPGS EXCEPTION IF S
HAS HAD AN ALLERGIC, SEVERE
REACTION.
IF THEY CARRY AN EPIPEN OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THAT WILL LIKELY WILL DO
EXCEPTION TO THE NORM.
THIS IS A VASTLY SAFE VACCINE.
WE NEED TO CAUTION THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE, THERE MIGHT BE RARE
EXCEPTIONS, BUT FOR THE VAST
MAJORITY OF INDIVIDUALS, THIS
VACCINE WILL BE SAFE AND
EFFECTIVE.
>> DR. GUPTA IS A VACCINE DOCTOR
ON THE FRONT LINES.
YOU’VE SEEN FIRSTHAND WHAT THIS
DISEASE HAS DONE.
YET, WE’RE HEARING ABOUT PEOPLE
BEING HESITANT ABOUT TAKING THE
VACCINE.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THOSE
FOLKS WHO ARE SAYING, "YEAH,
MAYBE I’M GOING TO WAIT"?
>> WELL, I’LL SAY THAT IN THE
COURSE OF TREATING PATIENTS,
WHAT MY COLLEAGUES AND I HAVE
SEEN, ALL THE WAY BACK TO MARCH,
IS THAT INDIVIDUALS AS YOUNG AS
18 TO THOSE AS OLD AS 88 CAN END
UP IN THE ICU WITH A VA RYERIETY
SYMPTOMS.
STROKE-LIKE SYMPTOMS LIKE A
BLOOD CLOT TO SEVERE PNEUMONIA,
AND YOU END UP ON A VEND LATERTI
YOU CAN’T TAKE THIS LIGHTLY.
YOU CAN INADVERTENTLY GET IT
FROM SOMETHINGONE WHO IS
ASYMPTOMATIC.
IT IS VITAL THE MAJORITY OF
AMERICANS RECEIVE THE VACCINE.
>> DR. GUPTA, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> NOW, MEG TERRELLE.
FEDEX AND UPS CAN DO NEXT-DAY
DELIVERY, BUT IS DISTRIBUTION
GOING TO BE THAT QUICK, AND HOW
DO THEY DECIDE WHICH STATES GET
HOW MUCH?
>> YEAH, SO AS TOM WAS
OUTLINING, OPERATION WARP SPEED
SAID THEY’RE READY TO GO WITHIN
24 HOURS OF THE FDA GIVING
EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION.
THEY HAVE TO GET ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY.
THEY’RE GOING TO DELIVER TO ALL
THE STATES AND TERRITORIES.
THERE ARE, THOUGH, TWO
JURISDICTIONS IN SOUTH PACIFIC
ISLANDS, APPARENTLY, THAT DON’T
HAVE THE COLD STORAGE THEY NEED
FOR THE PFIZER VACCINE.
THEY WON’T GET IT IMMEDIATELY,
BUT, OTHERWISE, 636 DIFFERENT
LOCATIONS HAVE TO BE SHIPPED TO
BASED ON THE STATE’S ORDERS.
WE’RE TOLD THAT THE ALLOCATIONS
FOR MADE BASED ON THE STATE’S
POPULATION.
SO BIG STATES LIKE CALIFORNIA,
THEY GET THE MOST DOSES, 327,000
DOSES IN THEIR FIRST SHIPMENT.
MEDIUM-SIZED STATES WILL GET,
YOU KNOW, 50,000 DOSES, LIKE
MARYLAND.
SMALLER STATES, IN TERMS OF THE
NUMBERS OF PEOPLE THEY HAVE,
LIKE NORTH DAKOTA, THEY GET LESS
THAN 7,000 DOSES IN THE FIRST
SHIPMENT, GUYS.
>> I KNOW I JUST RECEIVED THE
EMAIL THAT IF MY SON DOES NOT
GET THE FLU VACCINE, WHICH HE’S
ALREADY DONE, BY THE END OF THE
YEAR, THEN HE CAN’T GO TO SCHOOL
IN JANUARY AFTER WINTER BREAK.
ARE SCHOOLS, COMPANIES, GOING TO
REQUIRE THAT EMPLOYEES AND KIDS
GET THESE VACCINES?
>> THIS IS A MAJOR DEBATE THAT’S
GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
WHAT I’M HEARING FROM FOLKS IS
IT COULD BE COMPLICATED.
IT’S NOT ILLEGAL, BUT WHAT WE’RE
EXPECTING IS, AS TOM WAS SAYING,
PERHAPS EMERGENCY USE
AUTHORIZATION FROM THE FDA.
THAT IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM
FULL APPROVAL.
DOESN’T MEAN THE VACCINE IS LESS
SAFE, IT JUST MEANS SOMETHING
DIFFERENT LEGALLY.
IT COULD BE DIFFICULT FOR
EMPLOYERS REALLY TO MANDATE THIS
ON EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION.
AS FOR SCHOOLS, THIS WILL BE A
QUESTION THAT PERHAPS WE’LL BE
ASKING NEXT FALL.
MODERNA HAS JUST STARTED TESTING
ITS VACCINE IN KIDS AGES 12 TO
17, WS HOPEITH THE HOPES THAT AT
FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS AND HIGH
SCHOOLERS, A VACCINE COULD BE
CLEARED FOR THEM FOR BACK TO
SCHOOL NEXT YEAR.
>> WOW.
>> SO MUCH TO DISCUSS.
MEG, DR. VIN GUPTA, TOM
COSTELLO, THANK YOU FOR GREAT
INFORMATION.
>> MOVING FORWARD, YOU KNOW WHAT
I MEAN?
SERIOUSLY, SOMETIMES WE SIT IN
THIS CHAIR --