ALL THE DOSES THEY WERE
EXPECTING.
BUT THEY HAVE THEM NOW.
>> ELLISON BARBER, THANK YOU.
JOINING ME NOW, DR. FRANCIS
COLLINS, HEAD OF THE NATIONAL
INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.
DR. COLLINS, GOOD TO SEE YOU,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING ON
THE PROGRAM.
WE SAW YOU GET YOUR VACCINATION
THIS MORNING LIVE ON TELEVISION.
HOW WAS IT, HOW DO YOU FEEL?
>> I FEEL JUST FINE.
I’M NOT EVEN SORE.
IT WAS AN EASY ADMINISTRATION
AND I’M DELIGHTED TO HAVE BEEN
ABLE TO BE PART OF THAT THIS
MORNING ALONG WITH TONY FAUCI
AND SECRETARY AZAR AND A BUNCH
OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS AT OUR
HOSPITAL HERE AT NIH, THE
CLINICAL CENTER, FOR TAKING CARE
OF PATIENTS WITH COVID.
WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE THIS A
SPECIAL DAY BECAUSE THE MODERNA
VACCINE, WHICH IS THE ONE THAT
WE RECEIVED, WAS ACTUALLY
STARTED AT NIH, RIGHT HERE WHERE
I AM, AS A DESIGN PROCESS THAT
KICKED IN IMMEDIATELY AFTER WE
LEARNED ABOUT THIS VIRUS COMING
OUT OF WUHAN, AND WHICH LED THEN
JUST 11 MONTHS LATER TO SEE THIS
VACCINE GOING INTO PEOPLE’S
ARMS, INCLUDING RIGHT NOW, MINE.
WE’RE THRILLED TO HAVE REACHED
THIS POINT EVEN AS WE’RE REALLY
TROUBLED ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING
IN OUR COUNTRY AND WE NEED TO
GET THOSE VACCINES OUT THERE AS
FAST AS WE CAN.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT GETTING
THOSE VACCINES OUT QUICKLY.
FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT WE JUST HEARD
FROM ELLISON BARBER ABOUT THE
SNAFU, THEY WERE EXPECTING
THOUSANDS OF DOSES, THEY DIDN’T
GET THEM.
WE HAVE HEARD STATE AFTER STATE,
PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAID, WE THOUGHT
WE WERE GETTING THIS MANY BUT WE
GOT FEWER.
THAT HAS BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED BY
THE ADMINISTRATION.
BUT OVERALL, ARE YOU CONCERNED
ABOUT THE EARLY PHASES OF THIS
ROLLOUT?
COULD IT HAVE GONE MORE SMOOTHLY
OR IS WHAT WE ARE SEEING TO HAVE
BEEN EXPECTED, SOME OF THE
PROBLEMS?
>> YEAH, WHEN YOU CONSIDER
MILLIONS OF DOSES NEEDING TO BE
SHIPPED OUT WITHIN 24 HOURS
AFTER AN EMERGENCY USE
AUTHORIZATION BY FDA, I’M
ASTOUNDED WE’VE NOT HAD MORE
GLITCHES THAN WE HAVE.
AND GENERAL GUS PERNA, THE
PERSON OVERSEEING THIS FOR
OPERATION WARP SPEED, IS A VERY
EXPERIENCED MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
GUY.
YEAH, I’M SORRY SPRINGFIELD HAD
TO WAIT THEIR EXTRA DAY BUT THEY
GOT THEIR 7,000 DOSES, FROM WHAT
I HEARD.
SO EVERYBODY TAKE A BREATH HERE,
THIS IS WORKING OUT ACTUALLY
PRETTY WELL CONSIDERING WHAT THE
LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES ARE ON
SUCH SHORT NOTICE.
IF WE HADN’T DONE WHAT WE DID
WITH WARP SPEED TO MANUFACTURE
ALL THESE DOSES EVEN BEFORE WE
KNEW THE VACCINE WAS SAFE AND
EFFECTIVE, THEN EVERYBODY WOULD
BE WAITING FOR MONTHS TO GET
THEIR IMMUNIZATION.
THERE’S A LOT ABOUT THIS THAT’S
DOWNRIGHT AMAZING, LET’S LOOK AT
THE POSITIVE SIDE.
>> THE POSITIVE SIDE TOO IS
THERE ARE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS
WAITING AND HOPING TO GET THE
VACCINE.
BUT TO THE POINT OF GETTING THE
VACCINE, PUBLICLY, YOU’VE
ACKNOWLEDGED YOU’RE PROBABLY NOT
THE BEST PERSON TO CONVINCE
RELUCTANT BLACKS TO GET THE
VACCINE.
AND NOW REUTERS IS REPORTING
THAT KEY BLACK LEADERS,
PARTICULARLY PASTORS, ARE
HESITANT TO RECOMMEND THE
VACCINE, INCLUDING A.R. BERNARD,
THE HEAD OF THE LARGEST CHURCH
IN NEW YORK, HE TURNED DOWN A
REQUEST TO BE PART OF A GROUP TO
CONVINCE BLACKS TO GET THE SHOT.
HERE IS WHAT REUTERS WROTE.
"HE WORRIED SOME MEMBERS OF HIS
CONGREGATION COULD VIEW HIS
PARTICIPATION AS JOINING FORCES
WITH THE SYSTEM TO USE
AFRICAN-AMERICANS AS GUINEA PIGS
FOR VACCINES THAT HAVE BEEN
DEVELOPED IN RECORD TIME."
SO HOW IS NIH AND OTHER FACETS
OF THE GOVERNMENT ADDRESSING
THIS TRUST GAP RIGHT NOW?
>> AND IT IS A REALLY SERIOUS
TRUST GAP.
AND WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE
CAN TO TRY TO ENLIST THE VOICES
OF THOSE WHO ARE TRUSTED BY
THOSE COMMUNITIES, ESPECIALLY
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, BECAUSE YEAH,
JUST HEARING IT FROM ME IS
PROBABLY NOT GOING TO DO IT.
I HOPE PEOPLE NOTICE, IN FACT,
ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO GET
THE VACCINE WAS THE SURGEON
GENERAL, WHO IS AN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND A
WONDERFULLY DEDICATED PUBLIC
SERVANT.
I HOPE THEY NOTICE MORE AND MORE
THAT LEADERS FROM PLACES LIKE
THE NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE AND
BLACK CHURCHES ARE STEPPING
FORWARD TO SAY, BY STEPPING BACK
WE’RE DEPRIVING OURSELVES OF AN
OPPORTUNITY TO DEAL WITH THE
PANDEMIC THAT’S HAVING A BAD
EFFECT ON THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
COMMUNITY.
THIS IS A CHANCE FOR EVERY
COMMUNITY TO HAVE A BENEFIT FROM
THIS, TO SAVE LIVES.
I HOPE THAT MORE AND MORE
LEADERS WILL BEGIN TO SAY IT
THAT WAY BUT THEY’RE PROBABLY
NOT GOING TO TAKE IT FROM ME.
AGAIN, WE NEED THOSE VOICES OUT
IN THE COMMUNITY, OF CHURCH
LEADERS, OF DOCTORS LIKE THE
NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION,
WHO ARE WILLING TO STAND UP AND
SAY, HEY, PEOPLE, THIS IS FOR US
TOO.
>> BUT IF THEY’RE SAYING NO IN
THE WAY THAT I THINK IT WAS
CLOSE TO A DOZEN MAJOR BLACK
CHURCH LEADERS THAT WERE SPOKEN
TO BY REUTERS, IF THEY STILL
HAVE THESE CONCERNS, DO YOU HAVE
AN ONGOING CONVERSATION, DO YOU
HAVE AN ONGOING PROBLEM TO
ENGAGE MEMBERS OF THOSE
COMMUNITIES THAT FRANKLY ARE
SKEPTICAL AND REMAIN SKEPTICAL?
>> YES, WE DO.
AND WE’VE BEEN CERTAINLY
ORGANIZING A WHOLE HOST OF
OUTREACH EFFORTS, TOWN HALL
MEETING LAST FRIDAY NIGHT ON
CNN, REACHING OUT SPECIFICALLY
TO AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND
BRINGING IN CHURCH LEADERS AS
WELL AS SCIENTISTS AND
PHYSICIANS.
IT’S AN ONGOING EFFORT.
I WOULD JUST HOPE AND PRAY THAT
THOSE WHO ARE SKEPTICAL WOULD
KEEP THEIR MINDS OPEN TO THE
FACT THAT THERE’S INFORMATION
NOW THAT CAN PERHAPS COUNTER
WHAT MIGHT BE THOSE CONCERNS,
THOSE RUMORS, CRAZY CONSPIRACIES
OUT THERE.
THE FACTS OF THE MATTER, IF
PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO LOOK AT IT
AND HAVE THAT CLOSELY EXAMINED,
ARE THAT THESE VACCINES ARE
GOING TO SAVE LIVES, THEY’RE
SAFE, THEY’RE EFFECTIVE, THEY’RE
THE KIND OF THING THAT YOU WANT
FOR YOUR FAMILY REGARDLESS OF
YOUR SKIN COLOR.
THAT’S WHAT THE EVIDENCE WOULD
SUPPORT.
I KNOW THERE’S A LOT OF HISTORY
HERE AND I’M NOT TRYING TO SAY
THAT THAT’S NOT A HARD THING TO
OVERCOME.
BUT I THINK IT CAN BE OVERCOME
IF WE JUST KEEP TALKING TO EACH
OTHER, AND ESPECIALLY IF THERE
ARE TRUSTED VOICES INVOLVED IN
THAT CONVERSATION.
>> SO LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THE
NEW MUTATION IN THE UK.
THERE ARE NOW 120 COUNTRIES THAT
HAVE A REQUIREMENT THAT THERE
HAS TO BE TESTING BEFORE ANYBODY
CAN COME IN FROM THE UK.
GOVERNOR CUOMO WAS VERY UNHAPPY
THAT WE’RE NOT LIMITING TRAVEL
INTO JFK.
HE’S BASICALLY SAID, LOOK,
DIDN’T WE LEARN BACK IN MARCH,
JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH, THAT
WE NEEDED TO SHUT THIS DOWN
RIGHT AWAY?
AND IN FACT HE HAS CONVINCED
THREE AIRLINES TO VOLUNTARILY
TEST BEFORE THEIR FLIGHTS COME
IN FROM LONDON.
BUT IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU
THINK SHOULD BE RULED OUT?
IS THERE AN ONGOING CONVERSATION
ABOUT PERHAPS WHETHER THAT
SHOULD HAPPEN?
OR IS IT A CASE OF, YOU THINK,
THE TOOTHPASTE IS ALREADY OUT OF
THE TUBE, IT’S PROBABLY HERE AND
THERE ISN’T MUCH WE CAN DO ABOUT
IT?
>> A NUMBER OF THINGS.
FIRST OF ALL, WE REALLY DON’T
KNOW WHAT THE STORY IS WITH THIS
NEW MUTANT VERSION.
IT LOOKS AS IF IT’S MORE
CONTAGIOUS, IT SPREADS MORE
READILY FROM PERSON TO PERSON.
THERE’S NO EVIDENCE, THOUGH,
THAT IT’S MORE SEVERE IF YOU GET
INFECTED WITH THIS.
IT JUST MAY BE BETTER AT PASSING
ITSELF ALONG.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME
THAT’S HAPPENED.
THE ORIGINAL STRAIN THAT CAME
OUT OF WUHAN HAS BEEN TOTALLY
REPLACED ACROSS THE WORLD NOW BY
A DIFFERENT ONE THAT HAPPENED
PRETTY QUICKLY BACK IN THE
SPRING, AND PROBABLY WE DIDN’T
KNOW AS MUCH THEN AS WE DO NOW.
SO NOW WE’RE SEEING ANOTHER
EXAMPLE OF THAT SORT.
I DON’T THINK THIS IS A REASON
FOR PEOPLE TO PANIC AT ALL.
I WOULD SAY IT’S PROBABLY A GOOD
IDEA FOR ANYBODY GETTING ON AN
AIRPLANE TO GET TESTED BEFORE
THEY GO SOMEWHERE.
SO LET’S TRY TO SAY THAT’S AN
IMPORTANT THING TO BEGIN TO PAY
ATTENTION TO.
WHETHER OR NOT THERE’S SOME NEW
STRAIN AROUND.
I WOULD BE VERY SURPRISED IF
THIS UK STRAIN IS NOT SOMEWHERE
IN THE U.S. AT THIS POINT
BECAUSE THEY’VE SEEN IT AS FAR
BACK AS SEPTEMBER.
AND WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE
GOING BACK AND FORTH.
BUT AGAIN, WE EXPECT THIS.
RNA VIRUSES CHANGE THEIR
PARTICULAR RNA SEQUENCE ALL THE
TIME.
IT’S SORT OF HOW THEY OPERATE.