>>BRUCE HAMILTON: THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 IS BAD AND GETTING WORSE. THE NUMBERS ARE QUITE
DIRE,
HOW THAT. WELL THIS IS DOWN
DOCTOR, PETER HOTEZ DEAN OF THE
NATIONAL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL
MEDICINE AT BAYLOR COLLEGE OF
MEDICINE DESCRIBE THE
SITUATION. THIS IS A SCREAMING
LEVEL OF TRANSMISSION ACROSS
THE UNITED STATES AND PEOPLE
ARE SCARED PEOPLE ARE UPSET.
THERE IS AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF
WORK THAT’S GOING TO HAVE TO
HAPPEN STARTING JANUARY 20TH.
THAT’S TOMORROW. THAT’S A
REFERENCE TO THE WORK THAT
NEEDS TO BE DONE BY THE
INCOMING
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION. DOCTOR
JONATHAN KANTOR AND
EPIDEMIOLOGIST WITH THE PENN
CENTER FOR EPIDEMIOLOGY JOINS
US HERE IN THE MORNING SHOW.
NOW A STAGGERING 3.9 MILLION
CASES ADDED THE FIRST 2 WEEKS
OF JANUARY ALONE. A MILLION NEW
CASES A DAY AND WE HAVE NOT
SEEN THE IMPACT OF HOLIDAY
TRAVEL YET DARKER WEEK STILL
AHEAD DOCTOR KATTER.
>> WELL I THINK YOU KNOW THIS UNFORTUNATELY IS REALLY SHOWING THAT SOME OF THE MODELS THAT WE
HAD AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT
DOCTOR FAUCI HAS BEEN TALKING
ABOUT REALLY FOR MONTHS NOW
REALLY EMPHASIZING US BACK FROM
THE SPRING. ARE UNFORTUNATELY
COMING TO FRUITION. YOU
KNOW WE’RE REALLY SEEING AN
INCREASE IN THE CASE AND I MEAN
TO HAVE THESE NUMBERS EVERY
SINGLE DAY AND IF WE THINK
BACK, YOU KNOW BACK IN MARCH
APRIL AND MAY YOU KNOW WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT YOU KNOW 10’S OF
THOUSANDS OF CASES THAT DOING
THAT WAS MASSIVE AND
NOW WE DON’T BLINK AN EYE WHEN
WE TALK ABOUT A QUARTER OF A
MILLION CASES A DAY IF YOU
NOTICE, WE DON’T EVEN REALLY
SPEAK ABOUT THE NUMBER OF NEW
CASES IN EACH STATE PER DAY AND
MORE BECAUSE THOSE NUMBERS ARE
SO HUGE. SO
I THINK THOSE NUMBERS ARE
REALLY REALLY SCARY
UNFORTUNATELY THEY DON’T SEEM
TO BE GETTING BETTER ON THEIR
OWN ANY TIME SOON SO REAL REAL
AREA OF CONCERN AND JUST
HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF
ALL OF US DOING
OUR PART.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: TALK ABOUT
FRIGHTENING NUMBERS THE SAYING
THAT THE NUMBER OF COVID
RELATED DEATHS BY FEBRUARY ARE
EXPECTED TO REACH HALF
A MILLION AND THAT DOESN’T TAKE
INTO ACCOUNT. THE UK VARIANT
THE BACKSTOP AGAINST THAT IS
THE ROLE OF BIN A LOT OF
INFECTION AND A LOT OF PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN VACCINATED BUT MANY
HEALTH EXPERTS SAY THERE’S
REALLY CHANGES THE EQUATION,
ESPECIALLY MOVING FORWARD
TOWARD SPRING YOUR TAKE.
>> WELL I THINK ANYTIME YOU HAVE A SITUATION WHERE YOU’VE GOT A VARIANT OF THE VIRUS THAT
IS GOING TO BE MORE INFECTIOUS,
IT’S VERY VERY CONCERNING THE
IMPORTANT THING TO KEEP IN MIND
AS YOU KNOW IF A VIRUS IS 50%
MORE INFECTIOUS THAT DOES NOT
MEAN THAT JUST 50% MORE
PEOPLE GET THE VIRUS YOU KNOW
THAT COMPOUND THIS LIKE
COMPOUND IF YOU HAVE TO YOU
KNOW INTEREST. ON ON A MORTGAGE
OR MORE IMPORTANTLY IF YOU’RE
EARNING INTEREST IN THE STOCK
MARKET RIGHT IF YOU’RE ALREADY
10% A YEAR THAT DOESN’T MEAN
THAT AFTER YOU KNOW 10 YEARS
YOU’VE GOT 10% MORE THAN YOUR
NEIGHBOR, IT MEANS THAT THAT
10% COMPOUNDS EVERY YEAR AND SO
IT’S THE SAME THING HERE WITH
THE VACCINE YOU REALLY GOT
THOSE NUMBERS INCREASING
SIGNIFICANTLY THAT MEANS
TRANSMISSIBILITY IS HIGHER AND
IF WE’RE NOT DOING OUR PART
THAT REALLY MEAN TRANSLATES
INTO SCARY NUMBERS IN TERMS OF
NUMBER OF INFECTIONS. THE
NUMBERS OF DEATHS.
>> TALK ABOUT NUMBERS BUT A
GREAT DEAL OF CONTROVERSY
CONCERNING HOW MUCH SUPPLY OF
THE VACCINE HAS ACTUALLY BEEN
MADE AVAILABLE BY THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION AND THE NUMBER
WAS EXAGGERATED THAT SAID THE
INCOMING ADMINISTRATION
PROMISES. 100 MILLION VACCINES
IN 100 DAYS.
DOCTOR FAUCI SAYS HE THINKS
THAT’S DOABLE
IF SO AND 70 TO 85% OF THE
COUNTRY GET VACCINATED HOW SOON
DO REALISTICALLY REACH THAT
HERD IMMUNITY AND RETURN TO
SOME SEMBLANCE OF NORMALCY.
>> YOU KNOW UNFORTUNATELY HAVE A WAY TO GO YOU KNOW WE ARE IN THIS REALLY REALLY YOU KNOW
TERRIBLE SITUATION IN SOME WAYS
WHAT NUMBERS OF CASES EVERY DAY
BUT IN
SOME WAYS WE ARE NOT ONLY
SEEING THE LIGHT AT THE END OF
THE TUNNEL WE’RE ON OUR WAY OUT
OF THE TUNNEL RIGHT NOW WE JUST
GOT TO STAY IN OUR CARS WITH
THE WINDOWS CLOSED UNTIL WE GET
OUT OF THIS TUNNEL AND THAT’S
REALLY THE SITUATION THAT WE’RE
IN
RIGHT NOW. SO YOU KNOW THE KEY
ISSUE HERE IS GOING TO BE
NUMBER ONE VACCINE AVAILABILITY
RIGHT IS THE VACCINE OUT THERE
DO WE HAVE SYSTEM SET UP IN
ORDER TO DELIVER DEFICIENT LEE.
AND NUMBER 2 IT’S GOING TO BE
ARE PEOPLE WILLING TO TAKE THE
VACCINE AND I THINK CERTAINLY
YOU KNOW SOME OF THE
REPORTS LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE
REPORTS COMING OUT OF NORWAY
WHICH FRANKLY ARE BALDERDASH
FROM WHAT I
CAN TELL REALLY SCARING PEOPLE
ABOUT THINGS THAT THEY DON’T
NEED TO BE
SCARED ABOUT YOU KNOW TALKING
YOU KNOW ELDERLY PATIENTS SAID.
VACCINES. YOU KNOW THAT THEY THEY’RE DEATHS TO THE VACCINE, YOU KNOW THAT WOULD SORT OF BE
LIKE SAYING THAT THEY YOU KNOW
YOU ATTRIBUTE THE INCREASED
INTEREST IN PLAYING CHESS IN
THE UNITED STATES RIGHT NOW
TO THE DELIVERY OF THE COVID
VACCINE WILL KNOW THERE ARE
OTHER THINGS GOING ON THAT ARE
DRIVING PEOPLE’S INCREASING
CHEST LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, THE
QUEEN’S GALLERY WHICH EVERYONE
IS WATCHING SO IT’S A SAFE
SITUATION KERRY, BUT AN ELDERLY
POPULATION WE’VE GOT HUNDREDS
OF DEATHS EVERY WEEK
OF COURSE THEY’RE GOING TO BE
PEOPLE DIE WHO RECEIVED THE
VACCINE. BUT YOU’VE GOT TO BE
VERY CAREFUL ABOUT ATTRIBUTING
THAT TO THE VACCINE, ESPECIALLY
WHEN YOU NOTICE THAT WE HAVEN’T
SEEN THAT IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY
SO I THINK THE KEY THING IS
GOING TO BE WE’VE GOT TO
REALIZE THAT THE VACCINE IS
SOMETHING WHICH IS AS FAR AS WE
KNOW NOW SAFE AND EFFECTIVE
THAT’S WHY ARE DOCTORS ARE
LINING UP TO GET THAT THAT’S
WHY THE NURSES ARE LINING UP TO
GET IT
AND WE’VE GOT TO GET THAT
VACCINE IN THE PEOPLE WE’VE GOT
PEOPLE TO AGREE TO GET THE
VACCINE IN ORDER TO EVEN TALK
ABOUT GETTING TO THE POINT
WHERE WE’RE GOING TO GET HERD
IMMUNITY BECAUSE GETTING HERD
IMMUNITY THROUGH MILLIONS MORE
ARE GETTING INFECTED AND THREW
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS MORE
DYING IS REALLY THE WRONG WAY
TO GO.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: AND WITH WORD
THAT THE FDA SHOULD SOON GET
THE TRIALS FROM ASTRAZENECA AND
JOHNSON AND JOHNSON,
THAT SHOULD MEAN THAT MORE
VACCINE SHOULD BE HITTING THE
MARKET PLACE SOMETIME IN THE
NEXT MONTH MONTH AND A HALF.
>> ABSOLUTELY YOU KNOW MORE VACCINE AVAILABILITY IS GOING TO BE YOU KNOW RIGHT NOW
WE’RE ONLY WORKING TO
MANUFACTURERS WE ONLY HAVE THE
MODERNA AND PFIZER VACCINES IN
THE U.S.
RIGHT NOW SO INCREASING THAT
WILL BE GREAT. THE JOHNSON
JOHNSON SHOULD BE A GAME
CHANGER WITH ONLY ONE SHOT AT
LEAST AS IT’S PLANNED
RIGHT NOW SO HAVING MORE
OPTIONS OUT THERE IS GOING TO
BE VERY VERY HELPFUL. THE KEY
IS GOING TO BE PEOPLE WILLING
TO GO AND GET IT AND THE KEY IS
ALSO GOING TO BE HAVING SYSTEMS
IN PLACE TO DELIVER DEFICIENT
LEE AND THAT’S WHERE A LOT OF
THE CHALLENGES LIE AHEAD.
>> AND THE THING WITH THE
JOHNSON JOHNSON IS YOU DON’T
HAVE THE STORAGE ISSUES LIKE
YOU DO WITH MODERNA AND THE
PFIZER BECAUSE IT DOESN’T HAVE
TO BE KEPT
AT CERTAIN SUBZERO FREEZING
TEMPERATURES WHICH MEANS THAT
MORE MAINSTREAM PLACES LIKE
YOU KNOW WORK OR DRUGS OR CVS
WALGREENS AND PUBLIX CAN
PROBABLY MORE EFFICIENTLY
ADMINISTER THAT RIGHT.
>> YEAH, ALTHOUGH I WOULD SAY THAT YOU KNOW SOME OF THE VACCINES FOR EXAMPLE, THE
PFIZER IS GOING TO BE DELIVERED
BY SOME OF THOSE PLACES BECAUSE
THEY HAVE ACTUALLY PUT INTO
PLACE WAYS TO STORE THE KEEP IN
MIND. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE
STORED AT THOSE TEMPERATURES UP
TO THE POINT IT GOES INTO YOUR
ARM. THAT’S FOR THE LONG TERM
STORAGE SO YOU KNOW A LOT OF
THOSE THINGS ARE IN THE WORKS
RIGHT NOW IN ORDER TO SOLVE
THEM. BUT ABSOLUTELY HAVING
MORE AVAILABILITY HAVING
VACCINE CAN BE STORED IN A MORE
STRAIGHTFORWARD FASHION IS KEY.
BUT WE’VE GOT TO GET THE
VACCINE TO THE PEOPLE WHO CAN
INJECT THAT WE’VE GOT TO GET
FROM THE PEOPLE WHO CAN INJECT
IT INTO PUBLIC
AND THAT IS THE CHALLENGE RIGHT
NOW AND THAT’S A CHALLENGE THAT
REALLY NEED TO SEE MEDICINE AS
POSSIBLE AND WE EXPECT TO HEAR
MORE ABOUT THAT FROM A
MAYOR CURRY.
>> A LITTLE LATER THIS
AFTERNOON WHO IS WORKING ON A
PLAN