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WELCOME BACK. GIVE IT UP FOR LOUIS CATO AND
THE LATE SHOW BAND. LOUIS, WHO DO WE HAVE JOINING US
ON THE BASS HERE? I RECOGNIZE THAT FACE.
>> Louis: YOU RECOGNIZE THAT FACE.
THAT'S SEASON ONE FACE. >> Stephen: SEASON ONE?
I HAVE NOT SEEN YOU IN SEVEN YEARS.
>> IT'S LITERALLY BEEN SEVEN YEARS.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU, MAN. >> Stephen: YOU LOOK-- YOU'VE
WEATHERED SEVEN YEARS MUCH BETTER THAN I HAVE.
>> YOU LOOK GREAT. >> Stephen: MICHAEL, THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. >> GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> Stephen: THANKS FOR PLUCKING THE STRINGS.
LOUIS, IN JUST A MINUTE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE CODY KEENAN WHO IS
THE FORMER CHIEF WHITE HOUSE SPEECHWRITER FOR BARACK OBAMA.
>> Louis: RIGHT. >> Stephen: HE'S GOT A BOOK.
HE'S GOT A BOOK CALLED "GRACE. THE.
HE'LL BE OUT HERE IN JUST A MINUTE.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BEFORE WE DO ANY OF THAT,s MY FIRST
GUEST IS THE CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT WHOSE
LEVEL-HEADED GUIDANCE HAS TAKEN US THROUGH THE PANDEMIC.
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," DR. ANTHONY FAUCI!
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>> THANK YOU, THANK YOU. >> Stephen: DOCTOR.
>> THANK YOU. >> Stephen: IT'S GOOD-- IT'S
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. >> THANK YOU, IT'S GOOD TO BE
HERE. >> Stephen: I'VE HAD AN
OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO YOU BUT NEVER IN PERSON.
THIS IS NICE. >> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: ONLY OVER ZOOM. >> WE'VE BECOME A ZOOM SOCIETY.
>> Stephen: NOTHING BEATS THE TACTILE SENSATION.
SOMEBODY WORKS OUT! THERE YOU GO.
THE FAUCI GUNS. FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR YOUR 54 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND OUR
HEALTH SYSTEM.
>> Stephen: I KNOW IT'S GOING TO COME TO AN END.
AT LEAST YOUR FEDERAL SERVICE IS COMING TO AN END.
WHILE WE'VE GOT YOU HERE, WE CAN STILL PICK YOUR BRAIN, I WANT TO
ASK YOU SOME THINGS ABOUT THIS PANDEMIC WE'VE HEARD SO MUCH
ABOUT. PRESIDENT BIDEN SAID RECENTLY
THE PANDEMIC IS OVER. IT DOESN'T FEEL OVER.
FOR INSTANCE, JIMMIE, CAN WE GET A SHOT OF THIS?
THIS AUDIENCE RIGHT HERE, EVERYBODY HERE IS STILL IN THEIR
MASKS RIGHT HERE, JUST FOR AN ABUNDANCE OF SAFETY.
AS YOU CAN SEE, EVERY NIGHT I COME OUT HERE, IT DOESN'T FEEL
OVER TO ME. WHEN WILL IT FEEL OVER?
>> IT WILL FEEL OVER IN A REAL SENSE WHEN IT GETS TO SUCH A LOW
LEVEL IN SOCIETY THAT IT DOESN'T DISRUPT THE SOCIAL ORDER, THE
WAY IT IS HERE, REQUIRING PEOPLE TO WEAR MASKS, ALL KINDS OF
THINGS LIKE THAT. WHAT THE PRESIDENT WAS REFERRING
TO IS THAT THE VERY ACUTE STAGE OF THE OUTBREAK, WHETHER WE WERE
GETTING 900,000 CASES A DAY AND 3,000 TO 4,000 DEATHS, THAT'S
NOT WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW. WE'RE WAY DOWN IN CASES, BUT
WE'RE ALSO WAY DOWN IN DEATHS. BUT THE LEVEL THAT WE'RE AT,
STEPHEN, IS NOT REALLY ACCEPTABLE.
I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE AT ALL WITH SAYING WE CAN LIVE WITH 400
DEATHS A DAY. WE HAVE GOT TO GET THE LEVEL OF
INFECTION AND THE LEVEL OF DEATHS AND HOSPITALIZATIONS FAR,
FAR LOWER SO THAT IT IS NOT ERADICATED -- WE'RE NOT GOING TO
COMPLETELY GET RID OF THIS. BUT WE WANT TO GET IT TO A LEVEL
THAT'S SO LOW IT JUST DOESN'T DISRUPT SOCIETY.
>> Stephen: NOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALL NOTICED
OVER THE LAST TWO, THREE YEARS IS THAT BASICALLY, IT'S LIKE TWO
MONTHS OF BADNESS, TWO MONTHS OF A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
TWO MONTHS OF BADNESS. I FEEL LIKE WE'RE GOING BACK
INTO A TWO MONTHS OF BADNESS. >> YEAH.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE OUT AT THE SHOW.
WE STILL TEST HERE AND TRY TO KEEP A SAFE ENVIRONMENT.
WE HAVE PEOPLE OUT THIS WEEK THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD IN A LONG
TIME. ARE WE GOING TO SEE THIS COLD
WEATHER WAVE AGAIN THIS YEAR? >> YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT.
I HAVE TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST WITH YOU.
WE MIGHT, HOPEFULLY -- >> Stephen: YOU COULD LIE AND
MAKE ME FEEL BETTER. IT WORKS FOR POLITICIANS.
( LAUGHTER ).
INFECTED, PLUS THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN VACCINATED, AND WE
HOPE THEY'LL GET THEIR UPDATED BA.5 BIVALIENT SOON FOR PEOPLE
ELIGIBLE, AND ALMOST EVERYBODY IS ELIGIBLE FOR IT, THAT YOU
WILL GET A DAMPENING OF EFFECT. THIS VIRUS IS SO UNIQUE, UNLIKE
ANYTHING WE'VE EXPERIENCED, WHERE YOU GET THE CONTINUED
EMERGENCE OF VARIANTS THAT TEND TO ELUDE THE GENERAL PROTECTION
THAT YOU WOULD GET FROM A VACCINE OR FROM A PRIOR INFECTS.
NOT COMPLETELY, BUT JUST ENOUGH TO DIMINISH THE LEVEL OF
PROTECTION. THEN YOU WIND UP GOING INTO A
WINTER SEASON WHEN MOST PEOPLE WOULD SPEND A LOT OF TIME
INDOORS, AND ANY RESPIRATORY INFECTION, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS,
ALWAYS DOES BETTER FOR THE VIRUS WHEN YOU'RE INDOORS IN THE COLD
WEATHER. THE WAY WE CAN MOLLIFY THAT,
MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T GET OUT OF HAND, IS JUST GO OUT AND GET
VACCINATED. WE HAVE 68% OF OUR POPULATION IS
VACCINATED, AND ONLY ONE-HALF OF THOSE HAVE GOTTEN AT LEAST ONE
BOOST. IF YOU COMPARE US TO THE OTHER
COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD, WE ARE DOWN IN THE RANKING OF
VACCINATION,s EVEN BELOW SOME LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME
COUNTRIES. SO WE HAVE TO DO BETTER IF WE
WANT TO GET BACK TO A NORMALITY. >> Stephen: YOU'VE BEEN AT THE
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES FOR 40
YEARS NOW, SOMETHING LIKE THAT? >> 54, BUT --
>> Stephen: 54 AT N.I.A.D.? >> AND I'VE BEEN THE DIRECTOR
FOR 38. >> Stephen: THE DIRECTOR FOR
38 YEARS. IN 2020, YOU WENT THROUGH SOME
VERY TUMULTUOUS TIMES. YOU WERE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE
UNITED STATES TRYING TO CONFRONT THE AIDS EPIDEMIC IN THE 1980s
AND THE 1990s. BUT 2020 WAS DIFFERENT THAN
ANYTHING ELSE. >> ABSOLUTELY YOU.
>> Stephen: BECAME THE CENTER OF A MEDIA AND POLITICAL
FIRESTORM FOR WHAT SEEMED COVERAGENT ADVICE TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE. HOW DO YOU WEATHER THAT KIND OF
MAELSTROM? >> STEPHEN, YOU JUST HAVE TO
FOCUS ON WHAT YOUR JOB IS. AND MY IS JOB AS A SCIENTIST AND
A PHYSICIAN AND A PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIAL WAS TO DO WHATEVER WE
CAN FROM A SCIENTIFIC STANDPOINT, LIKE DEVELOPING THE
VACCINE, TO GETTING THE MESSAGES TO PEOPLE ABOUT GETTING
VACCINATED. AND WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS JUST
FOCUS LIKE A LASER ON WHAT YOUR JOB IS OPINION AND MY JOB IS TO
DO WHAT I CAN TO PROTECT THE HEALTH AND THE WELFARE OF THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC, AND INDIRECTLY FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD,
BECAUSE WE'RE A LEADER IN PUBLIC HEALTH.
AND ALL THAT OTHER STUFF IS NOISE.
I MEAN, THE SLINGS AND THE ARROWS AND ALL THAT KIND OF
THING, YOU JUST HAVE TO PUT THAT ASIDE AS NOISE AND NOT PAY
ATTENTION TO IT. >> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT
SOME OF THE SORT OF CONFUSION THAT CAME OUT OVER LAST FEW
YEARS. I THINK I'VE ASKED YOU ABOUT
THIS, BUT I WANT TO CHECK IN ONE MORE TIME.
DID IVERMECTIN DO ANYTHING? >> NO.
>> Stephen: HUMANS DO TAKE IT BUT NOT FOR THIS PURPOSE?
>> IT DOES NOT HELP WITH COVID. >> HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE, DID IT DO
ANYTHING? >> NO.
>> Stephen: PEOPLE WHO HORDED THAT, NO REASON TO HAVE DONE
THAT. JUST CHECKING.
>> Stephen: YOU GOT IT. >> Stephen: FOR A FRIEND.
>> YOU GOT IT RIGHT. >> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A
QUICK BREAK. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, EVERYBODY, STICK AROUND.
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