>> CONTRIBUTOR DR. NATALIE AZAR
TO HELP BREAK DOWN ALL THE
CORONAVIRUS HEADLINES FROM OVER
THE HOLIDAYS.
>> DR. NATALIE, BEFORE WE DIVE
INTO EVERYTHING, I KNOW YOU
RECEIVED YOUR FIRST VACCINE DOSE
JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
WE HAVEN’T TALKED WITH YOU
SINCE.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
HOW DID IT GO FOR YOU?
>> I’M FEELING ABSOLUTELY FINE,
SHEINELLE.
I HAD A LITTLE BIT OF SORE ARM
FOR LITERALLY LESS THAN 24
HOURS, AND NO OTHER SIDE EFFECTS
WHATSOEVER.
I DO ANTICIPATE HAVING A FEW
MORE NEXT WEEK WHEN I GET MY
SECOND DOSE.
THAT’S TYPICAL.
BUT, AGAIN, IT’S A SIGN THAT MY
IMMUNE SYSTEM IS WORKING, SO I’M
NOT NECESSARILY DREADING THAT.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE CAN DEAL WITH THE SORE ARM.
DR. AZAR, AS TOM JUST SAID,
DESPITE GUIDANCE FROM PUBLIC
HEALTH OFFICIALS TO STAY HOME,
PEOPLE MISS THEIR FAMILIES.
I THINK THAT’S JUST THE REALITY.
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS TRAVELED
OVER THE HOLIDAYS.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE
WEEKS AHEAD?
AND FOR THOSE FOLKS RETURNING
HOME, IS THERE ANYTHING THEY CAN
DO?
>> YOU KNOW WHAT, SHEINELLE, I
AM WORRIED WE’RE GOING TO SEE
THE NUMBERS GET WORSE BEFORE
THEY GET BETTER.
SURE, I UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE
WANTED TO SEE THEIR FAMILY.
PEOPLE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND,
HOWEVER, THAT THEY DON’T WANT TO
BECOME A STATISTIC THEMSELVES,
AND THEY CERTAINLY DON’T WANT TO
TRANSMIT TO OTHER VULNERABLE
PEOPLE.
IF YOU DID TRAVEL FOR THE
HOLIDAYS AND YOU RETURNED HOME
YESTERDAY OR TODAY, YOU SHOULD
ESSENTIALLY QUARANTINE YOURSELF
FOR ABOUT SEVEN DAYS AND GET
TESTED IN ABOUT THREE TO FOUR
DAYS AND CONTINUE, OF COURSE,
MASK WEARING AND SOCIAL
DISTANCING.
THAT’S THE BEST GUIDANCE RIGHT
NOW.
>> OKAY.
>> AND, DR. NATALIE, WE’VE BEEN
HEARING SO MUCH ABOUT THIS NEW
CORONAVIRUS VARIANT.
IT’S BEEN FOUND IN A FEW STATE S
COLORADO, CALIFORNIA AND
FLORIDA.
WHAT DO WE MOW ABOUT THIS NEW
STRAIN?
AND IS THE VACCINE GOING TO
PROTECT US AGAINST IT?
>> WHAT WE KNOW RIGHT NOW,
DYLAN, IS THIS. WE DO KNOW THAT IT IS MORE
WE DO KNOW THAT IT IS MORE
CONTAGIOUS, ABOUT 70% OR SO MORE
TRANSMISSIBLE.
IT DOESN’T SEEM TO BE MORE
DEADLIER.
THE VACCINE IS MORE PROTECTIVE
AND EFFECTIVE AGAINST THE
VARIANT.
IT’S IMPORTANT, HOWEVER, TO
POINT OUT JUST BECAUSE IT MAY
NOT BE DEADLIER PER SE, JUST BY
SHEER NUMBERS, THE ABSOLUTE
NUMBERS OF HOSPITALIZATIONS AND
THEN FOLLOWING THAT, DEATHS WILL
HAPPEN JUST BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE
WILL BE GETTING INFECTED.
AND THE BEST PROTECTION IS WHAT
WE’VE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG.
I DON’T NEED TO REPEAT MYSELF.
YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.
>> AND GOING BACK TO THE
VACCINE, WE ARE STARTING TO SEE
MORE GROUPS BEYOND HEALTH CARE
WORKERS GETTING VACCINATED.
WHAT DO WE DO AT THIS POINT?
ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BE CALLING UP
OUR DOCTORS AND FINDING OUT WHEN
WE CAN GET THE VACCINE?
HOW SHOULD THIS NEXT PHASE WORK?
>> SO I KNOW IT’S CAUSED A LOT
OF CONFUSION, AND IT FEELS A
LITTLE BIT CHAOTIC.
AND IT DOES FOR US AS WELL.
I HAVE PATIENTS WHO ARE REACHING
OUT TO ME, ASKING WHEN, YOU
KNOW, THEIR LINE IN THE QUEUE IS
UP.
WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT IF YOU
ARE PART OF A BIGGER HOSPITAL
SYSTEM, NOTIFICATIONS PROBABLY
ALREADY WENT OUT TO YOU, THAT
YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED WHEN IT’S
YOUR TURN.
I HAVE TO SAY THAT THERE IS NO
REAL FORMAL BLUEPRINT FOR THIS.
THE STATES ARE ALLOWED TO MAKE
THESE ALLOCATION DECISIONS
THEMSELVES.
SO, CERTAINLY, I WOULD SAY, YES,
ROOCH OUT TO YOUR DOCTOR BUT HE
OR SHE MAY NOT ACTUALLY HAVE AN
ANSWER FOR YOU AT THE MOMENT.
JUST KNOW WE ARE ALL WORKING ON
IT, AND PATIENTS WILL BE
NOTIFIED WHEN IT IS THEIR TURN
TO GET THE VACCINE.
>> TIME FOR ONE MORE QUESTION.
YESTERDAY ON ANOTHER MORNING
PROGRAM, A TOP OFFICIAL OF
OPERATION WARP SPEED SAID THAT
HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE CONSIDERING
ADMINISTERING HALF OF THE DOSE
FOR THE MODERNA VACCINE TO SPEED
UP THE ROLLOUT TO MORE
AMERICANS.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN EXACTLY?
AND HOW WOULD THAT, PER SE, HELP
RAMP UP DISTRIBUTION?
>> WELL, TO ANSWER THAT PART,
SHEINELLE, IT WOULDN’T HELP TO
RAMP UP DISTRIBUTION, WHICH IS
WHY CERTAIN EXPERTS, YOU KNOW,
SUCH AS DR. FAUCI, HAVE SAID
THAT MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE THE
SOLUTION.
THIS IS PREDICATED ON
INFORMATION AND DATA WE HAVE
FROM THE EARLIER PHASES OF THE
MODERNA TRIAL WHICH SHOWED THAT
HALF OF A DOSE WAS AS EFFICIENT
AS THE FULL DOSE IN ELICITING
THE IMMUNE RESPONSE BUT IN THE
LABORATORY.
THIS WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WAS
STUDIED IN THE BIG PHASE THREE
TRIALS THAT WE’RE ALWAYS TALKING
ABOUT.
I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT THERE IS A
VERY LIVELY AND ROBUST
DISCUSSION ON TWITTER ABOUT THIS
RIGHT NOW BETWEEN AND AMONGST
VIROLOGISTS AND IT IS VERY
UNLIKELY TO BE SANCTIONED BY THE
FDA WITHOUT A THOROUGH REVIEW.
RIGHT NOW IT’S PRETTY MUCH A
WAIT AND SEE.
>> THAT MAKES SENSE.
DR. AZAR, AFTER TALKING TO YOU
AND HEARING FROM TOM COSTELLO