>> TOM COSTELLO FOR US THERE IN
OUR NATION’S CAPITAL.
THANK YOU.
>>> ONCE INAUGURATED,
PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN’S
ADMINISTRATION WILL TAKE OVER
THE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE.
IT COMES AT A TIME IN THE
PANDEMIC.
FOR MORE ON THAT, LET’S BRING IN
NBC MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR DR.
GUPTA.
>> GOOD MORNING, SHEINELLE.
>> CORONAVIRUS CASES IN THE U.S.
TOPPED 24 MILLION.
IT IS HARDCEPTUALIZE
THAT.
THE INCOMING CHIEF OF STAFF IS
WARNING THE U.S. WILL SURPASS
500,000 COVID DEATHS BY THE END
OF FEBRUARY.
WHEN DO YOU THINK WE’LL START
SEEING THE EFFECTS OF THE
VACCINE TURN THINGS AROUND?
>> SHEINELLE, IT IS GOING TO BE
IN THAT TIME PERIOD OF MARCH TO
APRIL, WE HOPE, PRESUMING THERE
IS NO HICCUPS IN THE VACCINE
DISTRIBUTION.
WE ARE EXPECTING -- PROJECTIONS
FROM THE INSTITUTE OF HEALTH
METRICS -- THAT APPROXIMATELY
570,000 SOULS WILL HAVE BEEN
LOST HERE IN AMERICA BY
APPROXIMATELY MAY 1st.
WE DO THINK VACCINATION AS IT
RAMPS UP WILL SAVE ABOUT 40,000
LIVES DURING THAT PERIOD.
THEN BY MAY 1st, HOPEFULLY WE
HAVE SOME STATES REACHING OR AT
LEAST APPROACHING HERD IMMUNITY,
WITH ABOUT 1/3 OF AMERICANS
STILL SUSCEPTIBLE AT THAT POINT
TO THE VIRUS.
THAT’S WHY IT IS STILL GOING TO
TAKE WELL INTO THE SUMMER BEFORE
WE CAN SAY, REALLY, WE CAN
BREATHE A TRUE SIGH OF RELIEF.
LOOKING FOR SIGNS WHEN THE
VACCINE WILL BEND THE NATURE OF
THIS PANDEMIC AND WE CAN THINK
TO NORMALCY, THE EARLY MAY
PERIOD WE’LL SEE THINGS SHIFT.
>> DR. GUPTA, LET’S TALK ABOUT
THE JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE.
IT’S CERTAINLY SHOWN SOME
PROMISING SIGNS, ESPECIALLY FOR
THE IMMUNE RESPONSE.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS
VACCINE?
HOW DOES IT STACK UP AND COMPARE
AGAINST THE OTHERS?
>> WELL, DYLAN, YOU KNOW, WHAT’S
INTERESTING ABOUT THIS VACCINE
IS THE ONE-DOSE REGIMEN, THE
RESULTS WERE SHOWN TO BE 90%
EFFECTIVE IN A GROUP OF
INDIVIDUALS 18 TO 55 YEARS OF
AGE.
AT ABOUT 70 DAYS AFTER THE
INITIAL VACCINE ADMINISTRATION,
THAT PROTECTION STILL WAS
PRESENT AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL.
THEY HAVEN’T TESTED PAST 70 DAYS
BECAUSE THE STUDY HAS ONLY BEEN
AT THE POINT IN WHICH THEY
PUBLISHED THE DATA, IT HAD ONLY
BEEN 70 DAYS.
THAT WAS THE FULL TIME COURSE OF
THE STUDY.
THERE’S STILL MORE TO BE
DETERMINED ABOUT DURATION OF
EFFICACY FOR THIS VACCINE, JUST
LIKE WITH ALL THE OTHER
VACCINES.
I WILL SAY THAT LATER THIS
MONTH, THEY ARE GOING TO PUBLIC
DATA ON THOSE INDIVIDUALS OLDER
THAN 65 YEARS OF AGE.
THAT’S GOING TO BE AN IMPORTANT
PIECE OF DATA TO LOOK OUT FOR.
WE’RE ENCOURAGED.
CAPABILITIES FOR JOHNSON &
JOHNSON ARE MUCH EASIER FOR
STORAGE.
YOU CAN STORE IT AT ROOM FOR,
AND IT IS ONE DOSE.
REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THESE
INITIAL RESULTS.
>> DR. GUPTA, THERE’S A NEW
REPORT OUT OF FLORIDA FROM THE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, AND IT
REVEALED MORE THAN 43,000 PEOPLE
IN THE STATE ARE OVERDUE FOR
THAT SECOND VACCINE DOSE.
THE REASON WHY APPEARS TO STILL
BE UNCLEAR, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN
SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE SIDE
EFFECTS FOR THE SECOND DOSE,
SOME CONCERNS THAT THE SIDE
EFFECTS FOR THAT DOSE MAY BE A
BIT WORSE.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO FOLKS WHO
MIGHT BE WORRIED?
>> CRAIG, GETTING THE SECOND
DOSE WITH ALL OF YOU WATCHING, I
WILL SAY IN THE INITIAL 24 HOURS
AFTER THE SECOND DOSE, I DID
FEEL WORSENING BODY ACHES.
I DID FEEL INJECTION SITE
SORENESS.
THEY WEPTNT AWAY WITHIN 24 HOURS
WHILE YOU MIGHT FEEL A LITTLE
BIT MORE FATIGUED, YOU MIGHT
HAVE SLIGHTLY WORSE BODY ACHES,
IT IS NOTHING SIGNIFICANT.
IT IS NOTHING UNUSUAL RELATIVE
TO, SAY, HOW YOU MIGHT FEEL
AFTER A FLU VACCINE.
SO THOSE SIDE EFFECTS GO AWAY
QUICKLY.
ULTIMATELY, THEY’RE MILD.
I HAVE SEEN THESE REPORTS,
CRAIG, OUT OF FLORIDA THAT
YOU’VE REFERENCING.
TO YOUR POINT, IT IS UNCLEAR, IS
THIS A REPORTING ISSUE?
ARE PEOPLE HAVING DIFFICULTIES
GETTING APPOINTMENTS?
WE DON’T KNOW YET.
I WORRY ABOUT SPECULATING.
THE SECOND DOSE IS ABSOLUTELY
VITAL.
THAT’S WHAT THE SCIENCE SAYS THE
KEY, TWO DOSES.
IN THE CASE OF PFIZER, 21 DAYS
APART.
MODERNA, 28 DAYS APART TO ENSURE
YOU HAVE FULL EFFICACY.
HOPEFULLY, LONG DURATION OF
PROTECTION.
WE’RE STILL FIGURING THAT PIECE
OUT.
>> ALL RIGHT.
>> DR. GUPTA ON THIS MLK DAY, A
LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE THIS DAY OFF,
A DAY OF SERVICE, BUT YOU’RE
STILL WORKING.
WE DON’T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED YOU