THE VACCINE SHOULD BE EFFECTIVE.
CRAIG?
>> MEGANAGAN FITZGERALD, THANK Y
>>> JOINING US NOW, DR. ANTHONY
FAUCI, THE DIRECTOR OF THE
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY
AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
DR. FAUCI, GOOD MORNING TO YOU,
SIR.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> LET’S START WITH THAT MUTATED
STRAIN.
FIRST FOUND IN COLORADO, NOW
APPARENTLY IN SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA.
A LOT OF FOLKS CONCERNED ABOUT
THIS MUTATED STRAIN, DR. FAUCI.
HOW WORRIED SHOULD WE BE, AND
SHOULD WE ASSUME, AT THIS POINT,
THAT THAT MUTATED STRAIN IS
LIKELY ALREADY WIDESPREAD IN
THIS COUNTRY?
>> WELL, IT’S HERE, NO DOUBT.
WE PREDICTED IT WOULD BE, WHEN
YOU HAVE SO MUCH OF IT IN THE
UK, WHICH THEN SPREAD TO OTHER
COUNTRIES IN EUROPE AND CANADA,
IT WAS INEVITABLE IT’D BE HERE.
YOU’LL BE HEARING REPORTS FROM
OTHER STATES AND MORE CASES IN
THE STATE THAT IS ALREADY
REPORTED.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT’S JUST THE
REALITY OF THE WAY THESE VIRUSES
SPREAD.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT
SERIOUSLY.
OUR BRITISH COLLEAGUES HAVE
SHOWN, CLEARLY, THAT IT IS MUCH
MORE EFFICIENT IN SPREADING FROM
PERSON TO PERSON.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IT DOES
NOT APPEAR TO BE MORE VIRULENT,
NAMELY, MAKING PEOPLE MORE SICK
AND LEADING TO MORE DEATH.
THAT IS A GOOD THING.
OBVIOUSLY, WE DON’T WANT TO SEE
A VIRUS THAT HAS A GREATER
CAPABILITY OF SPREADING.
THE OTHER THING THAT IS
IMPORTANT AND A FAVORABLE THING,
IT DOES NOT SEEM TO EVADE THE
PROTECTION THAT’S AFFORDED BY
VACCINES THAT ARE CURRENTLY
BEING USED.
BUT THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE A
VIRUS THAT SPREADS MORE E
EFFICIENTLY IS SOMETHING THAT’S
IMPORTANT AND NEEDS TO BE TAKEN
SERIOUSLY.
THIS JUST UNDERSCORES THE NEED
TO CONTINUE TO PUT OUR FOOT TO
THE FLOOR AND THE PEDAL, ABOUT
MAKING SURE WE DO THE PUBLIC
HEALTH MEASURES THAT WE TALK
ABOUT ALL THE TIME.
THE WEARING OF MASKS, THE
PHYSICAL DISTANCING, THE AE
AVOIDING CROWDS IN CONGREGANT
SETTINGS.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS WILL THE
PREVENT THIS NEW STRAIN FROM
SPREADING EVEN FURTHER.
>> DR. FAUCI, LET’S TALK ABOUT
VACCINATIONS FOR A MOMENT AND
THE ROLLOUT HERE IN IN COUNTRY.
I WANT TO PUT THESE NUMBERS ON
THE SCREEN FOR VIEWERS AT HOME
SORKS THEY CAN SEE THE NUMBERS.
ACCORDING TO THE CDC, JUST OVER
14 MILLION VACCINES HAVE BEEN
DISTRIBUTED TO THE STATES.
PEOPLE VACCINATED ABOUT 2.8
MILLION.
THE GOAL FOR THE END OF THE
MONTH, AS YOU KNOW, WAS 20
MILLION VACCINATED.
FOR MONTHS, WE’VE KNOWN THESE
VACCINES WERE COMING.
WHAT HAPPENED, DR. FAUCI?
>> WELL, WHENEVER YOU HAVE A
MASSIVE PROGRAM SUCH AS THIS, I
MEAN, THIS IS THE MOST -- THE
LARGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT
VACCINE PROGRAM THAT WE’VE EVER
UNDERTAKEN -- I MEAN, WE WOULD
HAVE LIKED TO HAVE SEEN IT RUN
SMOOTHLY AND HAVE 20 MILLION
DOSES INTO PEOPLE TODAY, BY THE
END OF THE 2020, WHICH WAS THE
PROJECTION
PROJECTION.
OBVIOUSLY, IT DIDN’T HAPPEN, AND
THAT’S DISAPPOINTING.
HOPEFULLY, AS YOU GET INTO THE
FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS IN
JANUARY, THE GAINING OF MOMENTUM
WILL GET US TO THE POINT WHERE
WE WANT TO BE.
BUT THERE REALLY HAS TO BE A LOT
MORE EFFORT IN THE SENSE OF
RESOURCES FOR THE LOCALS,
NAMELY, THE STATES, THE CITIES,
THE COUNTIES, THE PLACES WHERE
THE VACCINE IS ACTUALLY GOING
INTO THE ARMS OF INDIVIDUALS.
YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL
GROUPS, THE STATES AND THE
CITIES, TO HELP THEM TO GET THIS
TASK DONE, WHICH IS A VERY PRE
PREDIGITOUS TASK.
>> THE CASH-STRAPPED STATES IN
MANY CASES, CASH-STRAPPED HEALTH
DEPARTMENTS ESPECIALLY IN MANY
STATES, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A
THREAT TO OUR NATIONAL SECURITY.
WOULD IT BE BET FERTER IF THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STEPPED IN
AND TOOK OVER THE EFFORT TO GET
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS VACCINATE
SND
VACCINATED?
>> RATHER THAN STEPPING IN AND
TAKING OVER, I THINK IT’D BE
BETTER TO GIVE MORE RESOURCES
AND TO WORK WITH THEM, IN TANDEM
WITH THEM.
IN OTHER WORDS, NOT SAYING,
"WE’RE TAKING OVER, WE’RE GOING
TO DO YOUR JOB," BUT SAYING,
"WE’RE GOING TO REALLY HELP YOU
TO DO YOUR JOB, PARTICULARLY BY
GIVING YOU MANY MORE RESOURCES."
>> WHILE I HAVE YOU, I WANT TO
ASK YOU ABOUT THIS APPROACH
BEING TAKEN IN OTHER PARTS OF
THE WORLD.
FOR INSTANCE, IN THE UNITED
KINGDOM, SOME PROVINCES IN
CANADA, AS YOU KNOW, AFTER THE
FIRST DOSE, THEY’RE LETTING
PEOPLE WALK AROUND AND,
APPARENTLY, REPORTEDLY, THAT
PROVIDES, PERHAPS, UP TO 40%
PROTECTION AGAINST INFECTION,
UNLIKE WHAT WE’RE DOING,
RESERVING BOTH DOSES FOR
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS.
SHOULD WE CHANGE OUR APPROACH,
PERHAPS?
>> WELL, I MEAN, THAT’S UNDER
CONSIDERATION.
I STILL THINK, IF DONE PROPERLY,
YOU CAN DO A SINGLE DOSE,
RESERVE DOSES FOR THE SECOND
DOSE, AND STILL GET THE JOB
DONE.
BUT THERE’S A LOT OF DISCUSSION
ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT TO
SPREAD OUT THE INITIAL
VACCINATION, BY GETTING MORE
PEOPLE VACCINATED ON THE FIRST
ROUND.
NOW, YOU COULD DEBATE EITHER WAY
ON THAT.
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS OF DOING
THAT IS IF YOU DON’T THEN GET
THE SECOND DOSE IN TIME, YOU’RE
GOING TO HAVE A LAG PERIOD.
WE KNOW FROM THE CLINICAL TRIAL
THAT THE OPTIMAL TIME IS TO GIVE
IT ON ONE DAY, AND THEN, FOR
MODERNA, 28 DAYS LATER, AND FOR
PFIZER 2RKS1 DAYS LATER.
THAT’S WHAT THE DATA TELLS US IS
THE BEST WAY TO DO IT.
SO IF YOU WANT TO STICK WITH THE
DATA, THAT’S THE WAY YOU SHOULD
DO IT.
BUT YOU CAN MAKE AN ARGUMENT,
AND SOME PEOPLE ARE, ABOUT
STRETCHING OUT THE DOSES BY
GIVING A SINGLE DOSE ACROSS THE
BOARD, AND HOPING YOU’RE GOING
TO GET THE SECOND DOSE IN TIME
TO GIVE TO INDIVIDUALS.
>> DR. FAUCI, LAST QUESTION.
HERE WE ARE ON THE LAST DAY OF A
YEAR THAT NO ONE COULD HAVE
IMAGINED.
YEARS FROM NOW, WHEN HISTORIANS
WRITE ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR
CHAPTER IN AMERICA’S STORY, WHAT
DO YOU HOPE THEY WRITE?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, IT’S BEEN A
VERY, VERY TOUGH YEAR.
THIS IS A WORST THAT WE’VE HAD,
LITERALLY IN 102 YEARS.
SO WHEN HISTORIANS WRITE ABOUT
THIS, THEY’RE GOING TO WRITE
ABOUT THINGS SIMILAR TO WHAT
HAPPENED IN 1918.
I MEAN, FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH
STANDPOINT, WE REALLY GOT INTO
SOME SIGNIFICANT PAIN AND
SUFFERING AND DEATH.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT SCIENCE
HAS AND WILL COME TO THE RESCUE,
BY GETTING US VACCINES, MORE
THAN ONE VACCINE, HOPEFULLY
FIVE, SIX, SEVEN OR MORE
VACCINES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD,
THAT WILL GET US OUT OF THIS AND
PUT THIS IN THE REAR-VIEW
MIRROR, BEHIND US.
HOPEFULLY, AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO
2021, AS WE GET WELL INTO THE
YEAR, WITH A COMBINATION OF
VACCINES AND PROPER ADHERENCE TO
PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES, WE CAN
END THIS THING AND CRUSH IT, THE
SAME WAY WE HAVE DONE TO OTHER
OUTBREAKS LIKE POLIO, MEASLES,
AND OTHER IMPORTANT DISEASES.