WE’RE SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU WITH
US.
REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
>> HARBPPY NEW YEAR.
>> THANKS SO MUCH.
NOW TO YOUR HEALTH IN THE YEAR
AHEAD.
THE COUNTRY, REALLY THE WORLD AS
A WHOLE, LOOKING TO HOPEFULLY
END THE PANDEMIC AND START THE
RECOVERY IN 2021.
NBC’S MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT
DR. JOHN TORRES JOINS US WITH
THE THREE THINGS WE NEED TO
KNOW.
FIRST OF ALL, GOOD MORNING AND
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY NEW
YEAR, HODA.
>> SO THE GOOD NEWS AT THE END
OF 2020 WHAT WE GOT THE VACCINE.
NOW THE BIG QUESTION FOR 2021 IS
WHEN DO YOU THINK MOST AMERICANS
WILL HAVE RECEIVED THE VACCINE?
>> HODA, I THINK MOST AMERICANS
WILL HAVE RECEIVED THE VACCINE
BY COME LATE SPRINGTIME, EARLY
SUMMERTIME, AND THAT’S WHERE YOU
SEE A BIG TURN IN THE PANDEMIC.
AS BAD AS 2020 WAS FOR MOST OF
US, I THINK 2021 IS GOING TO BE
A FANTASTIC YEAR.
WE’RE GOING TO START OFF WORKING
THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, GETTING IT
UNDER CONTROL AND END UP
CELEBRATING.
>> HOPEFULLY THAT WILL COME LATE
IN THE YEAR.
DO YOU THINK BEFORE THAT TIME
WE’LL GET TO SEE A LITTLE BIT OF
NORMALCY.
WILL PEOPLE BE ABLE TO EAT
DINNER TOGETHER OR GO TO SMALL
GATHERINGS TOGETHER?
>> I DEFINITELY THINK WE WILL.
A LOT OF THIS IS CONTINGENT ON
HOW MANY PEOPLE GET THE VACCINE
AND HOW FAST THEY GET IT.
WE KNOW VACCINES ARE ROLLING OUT
VERY, VERY QUICKLY, MORE TO COME
OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AND
MONTHS.
BUT GETTING IT INTO PEOPLE’S
ARMS IS GOING TO BE THE
IMPORTANT POINT.
AND THE SOONER WE CAN DO THAT,
THE SOONER WE CAN GET BACK TO
THAT SENSE OF NORMALCY, BUT IT’S
GOING TO BE A SLOW ROLL.
I THINK YOU CAN START LOOKING
SPRINGTIME, SUMMERTIME, PEOPLE
BEING ABLE TO GET TOGETHER WITH
THOSE, EXPAND THEIR BUBBLE TO A
CERTAIN EXTENT, AND MORE THINGS
OPENING UP.
MORE SPORTING EVENTS, MORE
CONCERTS.
BY THE END OF THE YEAR, I THINK
YOU’LL SEE US BACK TO FAIRLY
NORMAL, MAYBE NOT COMPLETELY,
BUT CLOSE TO NORMAL.
>> IF WE FAST FORWARD TO THE END
OF 2021, DECEMBER, DO YOU THINK
DURING THAT YEAR WE WILL HAVE
BEEN WEARING MASKS FOR MOST OF
THE YEAR?
DO YOU THINK WE’LL BE RID OF
THEM BEFORE THE END?
>> HODA, I DON’T KNOW IF WE’RE
EVER GOING TO TRULY GET RID OF
MASKS BECAUSE I THINK THAT’S
GOING TO BE PART OF THE NEW
NORMAL, LOOKING AT THE WAY MASKS
ARE USED IN OTHER COUNTRIES
WHERE IN PARTICULAR, IN ASIAN
COUNTRIES WHERE IF THEY HAVE
COLD AND FLU SEASON AND PEOPLE
START GETTING SICK, OUR NEW
NORMAL MAY BE, LET’S START
WEARING MASKS.
THAT WAY WE CAN KEEP THINGS
UNDER CONTROL BECAUSE THE TRUTH
IS CORONAVIRUS IS NOT GOING TO
GO AWAY, BUT WITH VACCINES WE’RE
GOING TO KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL.
THERE MIGHT BE POP-UPS, FLURRIES
EVERY NOW AND THEN OF
CORONAVIRUS CASES.
IN CASES LIKE THAT, WE MIGHT
NEED TO GO BACK TO THE MASK.
FOR THE MOST PART, I THINK
SUMMERTIME WE’LL SEE PEOPLE NOT
HAVING TO WEAR MASKS, GET
TOGETHER WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS
AND DO THE THINGS WE HAVE BEEN
MISSING.
>> AS WE HAVE BEEN FOCUSING ON
THE CORONAVIRUS, THERE’S A LOT
OF STUFF WE HAVEN’T BEEN
FOCUSING ON.
A LOT OF PEOPLE AREN’T GETTING
THE TESTS WE SHOULD BE,
CHECK-UPS, SCREENINGS.
WHAT DO WE LEARN THERE THE.
>> THAT’S A HUGE CONCERN.
IF YOU HEARD A FEW MONTHS AGO,
CANCER CASES WERE DOWN, WHICH IN
ANY NORMAL YEAR, THAT WOULD BE
FANTASTIC.
THIS YEAR, THAT SIMPLY MEANS
PEOPLE AREN’T GETTING SCREENS
FOR CANCERS AND GETTING SEEN
LATER.
ONCE YOU SEE THEM LATER, THEY’RE
HARDER TO TREAT AND CAN CAUSE
MORE ISSUES.
THAT’S HEALTH OVERALL.
BECAUSE OF COVID, BECAUSE EITHER
SYSTEMS SHUT DOWN, HOSPITALS
BEING TAKING CARE OF COVID
PATIENTS, PEOPLE WEREN’T ABLE TO
GET THE HEALTH CARE, OR ONCE
THEY START OPENING UP, PEOPLE
WORRIED ABOUT GOING IN AND
GETTING COVID AND NOT GETTING
THEIR HEALTH CARE NEEDS MET.
FOR CHILDREN IN PARTICULAR, BIG
CONCERNS ABOUT THEIR IMMUNE
IMMUNIZATION
IMMUNIZATIONS.
THERE’S GOING TO BE A DISTINCT
PUSH IN THE NEXT FEW MONTH TO
GET PEOPLE TO GET THESE THINGS
THEY NEED TO GET CHILDREN TO
CATCH UP ON THEIR SHOTS.
>> THE OTHER THING, DR. TORRES,
THAT STRUCK ME, AND THERE ARE
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES WITH ALL OF
US, BUT SPECIFICALLY FOR THOSE
NURSES AND DOCTORS.
I SEE THEM, THEY HAVEN’T COME UP
FOR AIR.
I WONDER ABOUT THEIR MENTAL
HEALTH AND IF IT WILL BE CARED
FOR.
IS THAT SOMETHING THEY SHOULD BE
TACKLING IN 2021?
>> I THINK THAT’S DEFINITELY
SOMETHING THEY SHOULD BE
TACKLING IN 2021 BECAUSE I KNOW
TALKING TO A LOT OF MY
COMPATRIOTS, THEY SAY WE HAVE
BEEN WORKING OVERTIME FOR THE
PAST SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT MONTHS
AND THAT’S GOING TO CONTINUE ON
FOR THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS AND
THEN YOU HEAR ABOUT PEOPLE NOT
WANTING TO TAKE THE VACCINE OR
NOT BELIEVING COVID IS A TRUE
DISEASE, AND THAT CAUSES EVEN
MORE ISSUES.
SO I THINK ONCE THIS GETS UNDER
CONTROL, THERE’S GOING TO HAVE
TO BE SOME MECHANISM IN PLACE TO
TAKE CARE OF THEIR MENTAL HEALTH
BECAUSE THIS COULD AFFECT THEM
FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE.
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER WE’RE NOT
OUT OF THE WOODS YET.
WE’RE GETTING THERE, BUT THE
SOONER WE CAN GET IT TAKEN CARE
OF AS WELL, THE SOONER WE CAN
GET THEM BACK TO NORMAL, THE
WORKFORCE DOING WHAT IT NEEDS TO
DO.
>> AND FINALLY, YOU’RE
OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 2021.
IS THAT HOW YOU FEEL?
>> I’M EXTREMELY OPTIMISTIC
ABOUT 2021.
LIKE I SAID, I THINK WE’RE GOING
TO START OFF STILL CONTROLLING
THE PANDEMIC, BUT I THINK WE’RE
GOING TO END CELEBRATING.
AS MUCH AS WE WEREN’T ABLE TO
GET WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS THIS
LAST HOLIDAY SEASON, WE’RE GOING
TO DOUBLE UP ON THIS THIS COMING
HOLIDAY SEASON AND HAVE HUGE
CELEBRATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
AND I SEE THAT HAPPENING BY THE