25 MILLION CORONAVIRUS CASES AND
STILL AN AVERAGES OF MORE THAN
3,000 TESTS OF SING THE DAY.
>>> JOINS OUR CONVERSATION IS
LAURY GARRETT, PEOPLE I THINK
FEEL RELIEVED THAT THERE IS A
MESSAGE COMING FROM THE WHITE
HOUSE THAT THEY’RE ON TOP OF IT,
THAT TONY FAUCI HAS BEEN
RELEASED WITH THE SCIENCE NEWS,
THE VIRUS NEWS IS GETTING
SCARIER BY THE DAY.
CAN YOU MAKE SENSE OF THOSE TWO
THINGS?
>> WELL, WE CLEARLY HAVE ADULTS
IN THE ROOM, SO THAT’S BRINGING
EVERYBODY A SENSE OF HOPE, AND
THE ADULTS THAT ARE IN THE ROOM,
REFERRING TO WASHINGTON AND THE
WHITE HOUSE, ARE SAYING, LOOK,
WE’RE GOING TO ROLL THIS VACCINE
OUT.
WE’RE GOING TO SOLVE THESE
PROBLEMS.
HOWEVER, LET ’BE VERY CLEAR.
WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT
INCREASING THE VOLUME OF
VACCINES REACHES THE STATES
PARTICULARLY MUCH.
WE ARE ALREADY AT 940,000 DOSES
A DAY GOING OUT THE DOOR, AND
THE PRESIDENT’S TARGET IS A
MILLION.
THAT’S NOT A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
THAT WORN GET YOU TO ANYTHING
CLOSE TO THE EASE OF SOME
SEMBLANCE OF HERD IMMUNITY
BEFORE THE FALL, IF NOT LATE
WINTER 2021.
SO WE HAVE TO INCREASE THE PACE.
NOW, WE WERE COUNTING ON SOME
NEW VACCINES AND SOLID EFFICACY
OF THE TWO EXISTING VACCINES,
ABOUT YOU WHAT WE ARE SEEING NOW
IS SOME REAL DISAPPOINTMENTS.
MERCK TODAY ANNOUNCED BOTH OF
ITS POTENTIAL COVID VACCINES
HAVE FAILED IN THE LATEST ROUND
OF STUDIES, AND THEY ARE
DROPPING THEIR EFFORTS ENTIRELY.
ASTRAZENECA IS COMING BEFORE THE
EUROPEAN MEDICINES AGENCY, WHICH
IS THE EUROPEAN VERSION OF THE
FDA, THIS WEEK, AND SUPPOSELY
WILL REVEAL THE VERY BAD NEWS
THAT LESS THAN 10% PROTECTION IS
AFFORDED BY THAT VACCINE FOR
SENIOR CITIZENS.
THAT’S NOT GOING TO BE A VIABLE
PRODUCT FOR US.
>> OH, MY GOD.
>> THE FDA HAS SAID WE’RE NOT
GOING TO APPROVE ANYTHING WITH
LESS THAN 50 PERCENT EFFICACY.
JOHNSON & JOHNSON AND NOVAVAX
ARE THE TWO REMAINING
FRONT-RUNNERS IN THE PIPELINE.
NOVAVAX PROBABLY WON’T HAVE
ENOUGH CLINICAL TRIAL DATA TO GO
BEFORE THE FAST UNTIL MARCH, BUT
JOHNSON & JOHNSON MAY VERY WELL
COME THROUGH WITH SOME STARTLING
DATA SOMETIME IN THE NEXT TWO TO
THREE WEEKS, AND WE’RE ALL EPPS
SORT OF ON TINTER HOOKS FOR THAT
ONE, BECAUSE THEY HAVE CLAIMED
THAT THEY COULD GO WITH A SINGLE
DOSE, WHICH WOULD, OF COURSE,
OBVIATE A TREMENDOUS LEVEL OF
HASSLE AND DIFFICULTY THAT WE’RE
EXPERIENCING IN TRYING TO ROLL
OUT OUR TWO-DOSE REGIMEN FOR
EITHER THE MODERNA OR PFIZER
PRODUCTS.
PROBABLY BY NOW, NICOLLE, YOU
AND ALL THE VIEWERS ARE GETTING
CONFUSED, WHO IS MAKING WHAT?
THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IS, IF OUR
CONCERN WERE THE VIRUSES THAT
WERE PRESENTED TO US THREE
MONTHS AGO, WHAT WAS CIRCULATING
IN AMERICA THREE MONTHS AGO, WE
HAVE TWO GOOD VACCINES S.
IF WE CAN GET THEM TO EVERYBODY,
WE’LL BE FINE, BUT WE’RE IN A
RACE AGAINST NEW FORMS OF THE
VIRUS THAT ARE EMERGING
EVERYWHERE WE LOOKED.
WE’VE SEEN A COUPLE EMERGE IN
OHIO.
ONE HAS EMERGED IN CALIFORNIA.
WE CLEARLY HAVE THE BRAZIL
STRAIN AND SOUTH AFRICAN AND
BRITISH VARIANTS TO WORRY ABOUT.
AS YOU NOTED UP FRONT, PRIME
MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON IS TELL
THE WORLD THAT THE BRITISH
VARIANT IS 30% DEADLIER THAT
SO-CALLED
COVID.
SO WE HAVE A LOT TO CONTEND
WITH.
AND IT’S REALLY A RACE.
IT’S A RACE AGAINST THE
EMERGENCE OF THE VARIANT
STRAINS.
CAN WE GET AMERICA VACCINATED
BEFORE THESE NEW POTENTIALLY
MUCH MORE TRANSMISSIBLE AND
POSSIBLY DEADLIER FORMS OF THE
VIRUS HIT OUR COUNTRY
WIDESPREAD?
>> LAURIE, I WANT TO SEE IF YOU
CAN EXPLAIN SOMETHING TO ME
ABOUT THE NEW VARIANTS, THE NEW
MUTATIONS.
DO MODERNA AND PFIZER, DO THEY
KEEP TESTING WHEN THE STRAIN
CHANGES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
VACCINE WORKS AGAINST THE NEW
STRAINS?
>> THEY DO, NICOLE, AND THEY’RE
USING LAB TESTS.
BUT I THINK WE ALL HAVE TO TAKE
A DEEP BREATH AND REALIZE THAT
THE WAY UNDER OPERATION WARP
SPEED, THE ACTUAL TRIALS WERE
DESIGNED TO GET VACCINES THROUGH
REALLY FAST.
THERE ISN’T ACTUALLY ANY MANDATE
THAT THE DRUGMAKERS DEMONSTRATE
THAT THEIR VACCINE PREVENTS ONE
PERSON FROM GIVING VIRUS TO
ANOTHER PERSON.
SO IN OTHER WORDS, YOU AND I
COULD BOTH GET VACCINATED.
LET’S SAY YOU GOT PFIZER AND I
GOT MODERNA.
AND WE COULD SIT DOWN IN A ROOM
TOGETHER AND FEEL LIKE MAYBE WE
DON’T NEED TO WEAR OUR MASKS,
YOU KNOW, WE DON’T NEED TO FIND
WHERE IS IT AND COVER OUR FACES
BECAUSE YOU HAVE YOUR VACCINE
AND I HAVE MINE.
BUT WE DON’T ACTUALLY HAVE PROOF
THAT THAT’S TRUE.
EVEN FOR ROUTINE FORMS OF COVID.
NOW YOU THROW IN THE NEW
VARIANTS AND WE’RE BEING
REASSURED THAT THE VACCINES WORK