TEXAS.
TEXAS. >>> ARE YOU PLANNING TO VOTE BY
MAIL.
MAIL.
MAIL. WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU
DO
DO
DO >>>
DO >>> COMING TO YOU FROM DOWNTOWN
DALLAS, I AM JASON WHEELER, IN
FOR JASON WHITELY THIS WEEK.
BEFORE WE FIT IN WITH THE FIRST
GUESS, WE ARE GETTING YOU
CAUGHT UP ON THE POLITICAL
HIGHLIGHTS WE ARE WATCHING
TODAY.
TODAY.
TODAY. GOVERNOR ABBOTT IS CONSIDERING
A STATE TAKEOVER OF THE AUSTIN
POLICE DEPARTMENT.
POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE GOVERNOR TWEETED ON FRIDAY
THOMAS INCOME OF THIS IN
RESPONSE TO THE CITY DECISION
TO MOVE MONEY AWAY FROM THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT TO COME OUT
TO OTHER SERVICES.
UNDER THE GOVERNORS PLAN,
AUSTIN POLICE COULD BE
CONSOLIDATED UNDER EDPS, BUT
THAT PROPOSAL WAS STILL NEEDED
TO PASS THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
>>> THE CHAIRMAN OF AGB IS
STEPPING INTO THE CONTROVERSY
OVER MAIL IN BALLOTS.
CHARLES BOLDE WROTE A LETTER TO
THE SUPREME COURT OF TEXAS
FIGHTING WITH THE HARRIS COUNTY
CLERK WHO WANTED TO SEND MAIL
IN APPLICATIONS TO EVERY
ELIGIBLE VOTER IN THE COUNTY.
REPUGNANCE AND ATTORNEY GENERAL
KEN PAXTON SAID THE PLAN WAS
AGAINST THE LAW, AND UNSAFE AND
THAT THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT
BLOCKED AT THE PROPOSAL.
BUT CHARLES SAID IT IS A SAFE
WAY TO PROTECT PEOPLE FROM
CORONAVIRUS.
CORONAVIRUS. THE HARRIS COUNTY CLERK DOES
PLAN TO SEND MAIL IN BALLOT
APPLICATIONS TO VOTERS AGES 65
AND OLDER ADULTS WHO ARE
DISABLED.
DISABLED.
DISABLED. THOSE PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO
VOTE BY MAIL UNDER TEXAS LAW.
>>> TEXAS IS SPENDING $15
MILLION OF ON AN ADVERTISING
CAMPAIGN TO GET MORE PEOPLE TO
FILL OUT THE CENSUS.
RIGHT NOW, A LITTLE UNDER 80%
OF HOUSEHOLDS HAVE RESPONDED,
ACCOUNTING FOR THE CENSUS.
IT ENDS ON SEPTEMBER 30th.
>>> BCDC TELLING STATE TO GET
READY FOR A CORONAVIRUS VACCINE
AS EARLY AS THE WEEK OF THE
ELECTION.
ELECTION.
ELECTION. SOME EXPERTS SAY IT IS AND A
POSSIBLE TIMELINE TO DELIVER
THAT IS FULLY TESTED AND KNOWN
TO BE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE.
THERE ARE WORRIES THAT POLITICS
COULD INFLUENCE SCIENCE.
WE WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FDA
COMMISSIONER, DR. STEPHEN HAHN,
TO GET HIS TAKE ON THE
RECORD.>> WE HAVE SEEN THE
SPLASH OF HEADLINES IN RECENT
DAYS FROM BCDC TELLING
DIFFERENT STATES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY TO GET THEIR
INFRASTRUCTURE READY TO BE
READY TO DISTRIBUTE A VACCINE
BY NOVEMBER 1st.
OF COURSE THE, AND THE
AUTHORIZATION THAT HAPPENED
COMES FROM YOU.
FROM THE FDA.
IS THAT A REALISTIC TIMELINE
THAT WE COULD SEE A VACCINE
THAT EARLY.
THAT EARLY. >>> I WANT TO BE REALLY CLEAR
ABOUT THIS ONE.
AS A CANCER DOCTOR BEFORE
BECAME FDA COMMISSIONER AND I
DO NOT HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL.
AND I WILL NOT COME AND CANNOT
PREDICT WHEN THE DATA WILL COME
TO US.
TO US.
TO US. THE DATA HAS TO MATURE FROM THE
PHASE THREE TRIALS.
THEY WILL BE SENT TO US, AND WE
WILL LOOK AT THE DATA WHEN
AVAILABLE.
AVAILABLE. I JUST CANNOT FORECAST AS TO
WHEN THEY WERE AVAILABLE.
I THINK IT IS GREAT TO BE
PREPARED FOR ANY EVENTUALITY.
SELECT JUST TO PUT A FINE POINT
IT WITHOUT SEEING THE FULL SET
OF DATA YOU WOULD YOU WILLING
TO GO FORWARD WITH AN EMERGENCY
USE AUTHORIZATION IF THE
INITIAL DATA IF IT INDICATES WE
ARE LOOKING AT A SAFE OR
EFFECTIVE VACCINE
EFFECTIVE VACCINE >> WE WILL BE FLEXIBLE IN OUR
APPROACH.
APPROACH.
APPROACH. WE WILL BE CLEAR INTO IT WITH
RESPECT TO SAFETY AND EFFICACY.
AND WE ARE STICKING TO THE
CRITERIA.
CRITERIA.
CRITERIA. >> AS A DECISION TIME FOR THIS
DRAWS NEAR, BUT MAYBE PRESSURE
GETS INTENSE ARE YOU WILLING TO
PUT YOUR POSITION ON THE LINE
TO MAKE SURE THE VACCINE DOES
NOT HAPPEN UNTIL IT IS SAFE AND
EFFECTIVE.
EFFECTIVE. >> I'M GOING TO BE REALLY CLEAR
AND HAVE BEEN BEFORE.
WE WILL ONLY MAKE A DECISION ON
THE BASIS OF THE SIGNED ANTI-
DATA.
DATA.
DATA. AND
DATA. AND NO OTHER CRITERIA WOULD BE
USED.>> WE HAVE A DIVERSITY OF
TEXAS POLITICS PROJECT IN JUNE.
THEY FOUND EVEN IF A VACCINE
WERE AVAILABLE, 21% OF PEOPLE
IN THE SURVEY THAT THEY WOULD
NOT GET THE VACCINE AND ANOTHER
20% ON TOP OF THAT SAID THEY
WERE UNSURE HOW BIG OF A
CONCERN PRESENTED TO YOU.
>> THIS IS A CONCERN FOR ME AND
THE AGENCY BECAUSE WE WANT TO
THE AMERICAN PUBLIC TO HAVE
CONFIDENCE IN THE FACT THAT WE
WILL USE OUR RIGOROUS CRITERIA
TO JUDGE THE SAFETY AND
EFFICACY OF A VACCINE.
I THINK A COUPLE OF THINGS.
IT IS A GOOD QUESTION.
ONE IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOW THE
PROCESS HAS BEEN ASKED BUT I, A
COUPLE OF THINGS GO INTO THAT.
THE ESTATE HAS BEEN DOING A
ROLLING REVIEW.
ROLLING REVIEW. WE ARE NOT WHAT JUST WAITING
FOR PART OF THIS TO BE DONE AND
WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT IT IN
REAL TIME AND THAT CUTS DOWN
THE REVIEW TIME.
WITHOUT CUTTING CORNERS.
THE SECOND THING IS, AS YOU
KNOW, MANUFACTURERS AND THE
GOVERNMENT HAVE BEEN
MANUFACTURING AT RISK.
THEY ARE ALREADY IN THE PROCESS
OF GOING THROUGH THE
MANUFACTURING PROCESS SO THE
VACCINE CAN BE AVAILABLE, IF A
VACCINE IS EITHER APPROVED OR
AUTHORIZED.
AUTHORIZED. >> Reporter: IF YOU THOUGHT IT
MIGHT ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO BE
MORE CONFIDENT IN A VACCINE, IF
THEY ARE SKITTISH ABOUT
VACCINES IN GENERAL, WOULD YOU
BE WILLING TO BE ONE OF THE
FIRST TO GET ONE OF THESE TO
SHOW, I PUT MY MONEY WHERE MY
MOUTH IS.
MOUTH IS.
MOUTH IS. BUT BASED UPON THE DECISION OF
OUR FDA SCIENTISTS, THEY
DETERMINED THIS WAS SAFETY AND
EFFICACY, I WOULD ABSOLUTELY DO
SO.
SO.
SO. TALK
SO. TALK LET ME ASK ABOUT
CONVALESCENT PLASMA.
CONVALESCENT PLASMA. YOU CAME OUT ALONGSIDE OF THE
PRESIDENT WHO HELD THIS AS A
HUGE BREAK THERE AND THEN THERE
WAS CRITICISM THAT FOLLOWED
FROM SOME SCIENTISTS STATING
THAT ALL OF THE DATA WAS NOT
THERE YET.
THERE YET. HE WENT ON TWITTER AND SAID,
CRITICISM JUSTIFIED.
CRITICISM JUSTIFIED. AND NOW WE ARE IN THE STATE OF
LOOKING AT MORE DATA.
DO WE NEED A LOT MORE DATA
BEFORE CONVALESCENT PLASMA IS
APPROVED FOR WIDESPREAD USE AS
A TREATMENT FOR TERESA WOODARD?
-- THERE IS AN INCREDIBLE
DEMAND FOR CONVALESCENT PLASMA
AND IT CONTINUES.
OUR DECISION AROUND THE
EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION,
AND I SAID THIS AT THE PRESS
CONFERENCE, SHOWS PROMISING
RESULTS.
RESULTS.
RESULTS. THEY'RE NOT DEFINITIVE RESULTS
BUT THEY ARE PROMISING
RESULTS.>> YOU HAVE A BIG JOB.
BEFORE YOU TOOK AS I WERE THE
CHIEF MEDICAL EXECUTIVE AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AND
ANDERSON CANCER CENTER IN
HOUSTON.
HOUSTON.
HOUSTON. A RENOWNED INSTITUTION.
I AM CURIOUS, WHAT DID YOU PICK
UP A DEPOSITION BECAUSE THAT IS
A BIG JOB.
WHAT DID YOU PICK UP AND THAT
POSITION THAT IS HELPING TO
INFORM HOW YOU GO FORWARD IN
THE JOB YOU ARE IN NOW.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE
LEARNED IN MY PREVIOUS JOB WAS
TO TRUST DOCTORS AND