WITH ONE SHOT BY THE FOURTH OF
JULY IS AM AMBITIOUS BUT
ATTAINABLE GOAL.
>> JOINING US WITH MORE INSIGHT,
FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE
CDC AND PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE
ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION,
DR. RICHARD BESSER.
DR. BESSER, ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE
YOU ON WITH US.
DR. BESSER, I WANT TO START WITH
WHERE DR. FAUCI LEFT OFF.
THIS IDEA OF HERD IMMUNITY.
SHOULD WE ELIMINATE THAT FROM
THE LEXICON NOW?
SHOULD WE STOP TALKING ABOUT
THIS IDEA OF REACHING HERD
IMMUNITY IN THIS COUNTRY AND,
SKIN ED, FOCUS ON GETTING THE
MOST SHOTS IN THE NUMBER OF ARMS
AS WE CAN?
>> SIMPLE ANSWER TO THAT IS YES.
I DON’T FIND THE CONVERSATION
AROUND HERD IMMUNITY TO BE VERY
HELPFUL.
IT IS CLEAR FROM DATA IN OTHER
COUNTRIES, AS WELL AS WHAT WE
KNOW ABOUT INFECTIOUS DISEASES,
IS THE MORE PEOPLE WHO GET
VACCINATED, THE LESS
TRANSMISSION THERE IS GOING TO
BE IN COMMUNITIES.
THE IDEA WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE
TO GET EVERY COMMUNITY TO THE
80% OR WHATEVER THE THRESHOLD
NEEDS TO BE LEVEL, SO THAT THERE
IS NO MORE COMMUNITY
TRANSMISSION, ESPECIALLY AT A
TIME WHEN THERE IS NO VACCINES
FOR CHILDREN, DOESN’T REALLY
HELP.
IT TAKES AWAY THE VALUE PEOPLE
MAY SEE IN THEMSELVES GETTING
THAT DOSE.
IF YOU CAN’T REACH HERD
IMMUNITY, IS THERE ANY REASON?
THERE IS.
EVERY PERSON WHO GETS VACCINATED
WILL HELP REDUCE TRANSMISSION IN
THIS COUNTRY.
>> THE FDA IS PREPARING TO
PROVIDE EMERGENCY USE
AUTHORIZATION FOR THE PFIZER
VACCINE IN CHILDREN 12 TO 15 AS
EARLY AS NEXT WEEK.
YOU’RE A PEDIATRICIAN.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ROLLOUT
WILL LOOK LIKE ONCE APPROVED?
>> I WANT TO SEE THE FDA
ANALYSIS OF THAT.
WE’VE ONLY HEARD THE RELEASE
FROM THE COMPANY.
ASSUMING THEY DETERMINE IT IS
SAFE AND IT IS EFFECTIVE, THE
ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE CDC
WILL MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS,
WHETHER ALL CHILDREN 12 AND
OLDER SHOULD GET IT, HOW IT
SHOULD BE GIVEN.
HOPEFULLY, THEY’RE GOING TO USE
CHILDREN’S DOCTORS OFFICES,
PLACES WHERE THERE’S A HIGH
LEVEL OF TRUST TO GET IT OUT
THERE.
PEDIATRICIANS, FAMILY DOCTORS.
I’M REALLY EXCITED BECAUSE
ADOLESCENTS, OUR PART OF THE
TRANSMISSION CHAIN, THEY ARE AT
LOWER RISK THAN ADULTS FOR
SEVERE DISEASE.
IF WE CAN GET OUR MIDDLE
SCHOOLERS OR HIGH SCHOOLERS
VACCINATED BY THIS FALL, THAT’D
BE HUGE.
MAJOR WEIGHT OFF PARENTS’ MINDS,
KNOWING THEIR CHILDREN ARE
POSITIVE TECT ED
PROTECTED.
>> YES.
>> AS WELL AS A VALUE TO
TEACHERS AND STAFFS IN THE
SCHOOLS DOING THEIR JOBS.
>> THE NEXT AGE GROUP, 2 TO 11
YEAR OLDS, MAYBE BY SEPTEMBER,
PFIZER COULD SEE CLEARANCE FOR
THOSE AGED CHILDREN.
DO YOU THINK WE’RE GOING TO GET
TO A POINT WHERE GETTING THE
VACCINE WILL BE MANDATORY FOR
THEM TO GO TO SCHOOL?
I HAVE TO HAVE PROOF OF A FLU
VACCINE BEFORE MY SON CAN GO TO
SCHOOL.
>> YEAH.
YOU KNOW, WE’LL HAVE TO SEE ON
THAT.
I THINK IT IS GOING TO DEPEND
SOMEWHAT ON WHAT HAPPENS TO THE
ONGOING TRANSMISSION IN THE
COUNTRY.
THERE’S JUST GREAT NEWS ON THAT
FRONT, IN TERMS OF MOST STATES
SEEING BIG DECLINES.
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO SEE WHAT
HAPPENS IN TERMS OF THE
MUTATIONS IN THE VIRUS, WHETHER
THERE’S STILL SIGNIFICANT
TRANSMISSION AND CONCERN ABOUT
VARIANTS.
THEN IT IS IMPORTANT FOR VIEWERS
TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR VACCINES ARE ON
A STATE BY STATE BASIS.
CDC MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT
EACH STATE DETERMINES IT FOR
THEMSELVES, WHETHER THEY THINK
IT SHOULD BE REQUIRED.
>> DR. BESSER, I WANT TO GET
YOUR TAKE ON SOMETHING WHILE WE
HAVE YOU HERE.
AS YOU KNOW, THE NEW YORK
CONFIRMING ON TUESDAY THAT
GOVERNORS, SOME GOVERNORS, ARE
GOING TO BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY
TURN DOWN VACCINE DOSES IF THEIR
STATE DOESN’T NEED THEM,
ALLOWING THE UNORDERED SUPPLY TO
BE ALLOCATED TO OTHER STATES.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT
DECISION?
>> I THINK IT’S THE RIGHT
DECISION.
WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS DOING,
THEY’RE CONTINUING TO ALLOCATE
BY POPULATION, BUT IF THERE ARE
STATES WHERE THE VACCINE ISN’T
BEING USED, LET’S GET IT TO
PLACES WHERE THERE IS THAT
DEMAND.
I HOPE IT GOES FURTHER THAN
THAT.
IF WE’VE GOT SUPPLIES OF VACCINE
IN THIS COUNTRY THAT WE’RE NOT
USING, THERE ARE SO MANY
COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD THAT
NEED VACCINE, THAT HAVEN’T BEEN
ABLE TO VACCINATE HEALTH CARE
WORKERS OR ELDERLY PEOPLE WHO
ARE AT MUCH GREATER RISK THAN
VERY YOUNG PEOPLE.
IT WOULD BE, I THINK, SHAMEFUL
FOR VACCINE TO BE SITTING IN
WAREHOUSES THAT COULD BE SAVING
LIVES.
>> COUNTRIES LIKE INDIA
SPECIFICALLY COME TO MIND.