TOMORROW, OUR FRIEND.
THANK YOU.
>>> MEANTIME, HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES WE’RE FINALLY STARTING TO
SEE A DECLINE IN THE CORONAVIRUS
CASES.
AS VACCINES ARE NOW BEING
ADMINISTERED TO MILLIONS OF US
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
BUT THESE VARNLTS THAT WE’VE
BEEN HEARING ABOUT STILL A
CONCERN.
DR. VAN GUPTA JOINING US WITH
THE LATEST VACCINE DEVELOPMENTS.
DR. GUPTA, GOOD MORNING.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
>> GOOD MORNING.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> EARLIER TODAY PFIZER
ANNOUNCED IT WOULD INITIATE A
NEW STUDY EVALUATING A THIRD
BOOSTER DOSE OF THE VACCINE TO
FIGHT AGAINST VARIANTS.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?
SHOULD WE ALL EXPECT TO GET
BOOSTER SHOTS AT SOME POINT?
>> GOOD MORNING, SHEINELLE.
I THINK WE ALL NEED TO BE
PREPARED TO RAISE UP OUR SLEEVE
FOR THAT THIRD SHOT.
POTENTIALLY LATER IN 2021.
EARLY 2022.
IT’S REALLY FOCUSING ON JUST THE
FIRST TWO SHOTS FOR AS MANY
AMERICANS AS POSSIBLE.
BUT THIS IS GOING TO BE LIKELY A
ROUTINE, BECAUSE CORONAVIRUS IS
LIKELY TO MUTATE AND CHANGE
THIS.
THAT’S JUST PART OF THEIR
NATURE.
THAT’S HOW THEY EVOLVE.
FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS AT
MINIMUM, I SUSPECT, WE’RE GOING
TO GET BOOSTERS ANNUALLY.
>> DOCTOR, WITH THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT, YOU HAVE THE FDA
THAT JOHNSON & JOHNSON’S SINGLE
DOSE VACCINE OVERALL SAFE,
OVERALL EFFECTIVE OVER THE
SEVERE OUTCOMES.
THEY’RE MEETING TOMORROW TO
DECIDE ABOUT EMERGENCY USE.
DO YOU EXPECT THIS TO PASS
EASILY?
>> WELL, AL, THE SAFETY PROFILE
FOR THIS VACCINE WAS EXCELLENT.
NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EFFECTS.
MILD INJECTION SITE SORENESS
WHERE YOU GET THE VACCINE.
MAYBE BODY ACHES.
MILD STUFF.
EFFECTIVENESS CRITICALLY WAS
ALSO OFF THE SHOTS.
8 5% AND HIGHER AT AVERTING
SERIOUS PNEUMONIA.
THIS IS A GAME-CHANGER.
IT’S ONE DOSE.
EASY TO STORE.
WE NEED MORE OF THESE DOSES FOR
MORE PEOPLE.
BECAUSE IT’S JUST ONE SHOT, EASY
TO STORE.
>> THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE
OPPOSED TO GETTING THE VACCINE
OR PERHAPS WAITING TO GET A
SPECIFIC ONE.
YOU TWEETED THIS POWERFUL PHOTO.
WE WANTED TO SHOW EVERYBODY.
WHAT COVID RAVAGED LUNGS LOOKED
LIKE COMPARED TO HEALTHY ONE.
AS WE LOOK AT THIS PICTURE,
WHAT’S YOUR MESSAGE HERE?
>> MY MESSAGE TO EVERYBODY
WATCHING RIGHT NOW IS ON THE
LEFT SIDE OF THAT PICTURE,
THAT’S A HEALTHY LUNG.
THAT’S A LUNG THAT HAS NOT BEEN
INFECTED WITH COVID-19.
OR THAT’S A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN
VACCINATED WITH ANY ONE OF THE
VACCINES THAT ARE GOING TO BE
APPROVED OR HAVE BEEN APPROVED.
THE IMAGE ON THE RIGHT, THAT’S
WHAT SEVERE PNEUMONIA FROM
COVID-19 LOOKS LIKE.
ALL THE VACCINES PREVENT THAT
FROM HAPPENING.
THEY’RE SO EFFECTIVE.
EXTRAORDINARILY EFFECTIVE AT
PREVENTING THAT FROM HAPPENING.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PERCENTAGES
AND EFFICACY, I THINK IT
CONFUSES THE VIEWER AND THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
WE JUST NEED TO FOCUS ON THAT
IMAGE THERE.
ALL THE VACCINES PREVENT AGAINST
THAT RIGHT-SIDED IMAGE FROM
HAPPENING FROM ALL THE VARIANTS.
THAT’S THE KEY THING TO DRILL IN
ON.
>> SPEAKING OF VARIANTS, DR.
GUPTA, WE’RE HEARING THERE MAY
BE A NEW ONE IN NEW YORK CITY.
DO WE NEED TO BE WORRIED ABOUT
THIS?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, AL, WHAT WE
THINK -- IT’S BEHAVING IN SOME
WAYS SIMILAR TO THE VARIANT
FIRST IDENTIFIED IN SOUTH AFRICA
IN THE SENSE THAT THEY’RE
SHARING THE SAME TYPE OF
MUTATION THAT CHANGES A KEY --
THE WAY A KEY PROTEIN LOOKS LIKE
ON THE SURFACE OF THE
CORONAVIRUS VIRUS.
THAT HOW THE CORONAVIRUS ENTERS
THE HUMAN CELL.
THIS IS WHAT WE NEED TO KEEP IN
MIND.
VACCINES ARE GOING TO BE
EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING SEVERE
DISEASE FROM THIS VARIANT.
THAT’S HOW CIRCULATING NEW YORK
CITY.
BUT TWO, YOU STILL NEED TO
REMAIN VIGILANT.
MASK, DISTANCE, AVOID
NONESSENTIAL ACTIVITY UNTIL WE
REACH HERD IMMUNITY.
IT’S A FEW MONTHS AGO.
VIGILANCE IS KEY HERE.
>> FINALLY, NEARLY 20 MILLION
AMERICANS HAVE BEEN FULLY
VACCINATED IF YOU WILL,
RECEIVING BOTH SHOTS AS OF
TUESDAY.
BUT NOW WE’VE HEARD SOME OF
THOSE PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED
SYMPTOMS AFTER THAT SECOND DOSE
LIKE SORENESS OR FEVERS.
SHOULD PEOPLE BE CONCERNED IF
THEY DON’T HAVE ANY REACTION?
WAS THAT SECOND VACCINE STILL
EFFECTIVE?
PEOPLE ARE ASKING US THAT
QUESTION.
>> I GET THAT QUESTION ALL THE
TIME. SHEINELLE, THERE’S NO LINK
SHEINELLE, THERE’S NO LINK
BETWEEN THE PROTECTIVE
ANTI-BODIES AND THE REACTION.
IF YOU HAD LIGHT SYMPTOMS,
CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY.
THAT’S A GOOD THING, THAT DOES
NOT MEAN YOU’RE ANY LESS
PROTECTED WHATSOEVER.
>> DOCTOR GUPTA, I KNOW YOU’RE
BUSY WITH YOUR DAY JOB SO THANK
YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS MORNING.
>> THANKS.
>> AGAIN, DON’T FORGET FOR MORE
ON HOW TO SIGN UP FOR YOUR