I’M NOT SURE EVERY PHYSICIAN
WOULD RECOMMEND PAXLOVID.
>> Bill: WE JUST GOT A
CONNECTION WITH ADMIRAL BRETT
GIROIR.
IF YOU CAN HEAR US AND YOU HAVE
THE NEWS, I SEE YOU RIGHT NOW,
SIR, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
DR. MAKARY IS SUGGESTING THAT
EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY IN THE
END AND HE IS GETTING THE RIGHT
TREATMENT.
HOW DO YOU VIEW THIS IN THE
EARLY STAGES, SIR?
>> I THINK WE NEED TO BE QUITE
CAREFUL BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT
IS AT ADVANCED AGE.
HE ALSO HAS UNDERLYING HEALTH
CONDITIONS AND A-FIB AND
PREVIOUS ANEURYSMS AND STOKES.
I WOULDN’T BE AS ROSIE THAT
EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE.
HE IS AT RISK.
THE OTHER ISSUE I WOULD SAY IS
PAXLOVID IS A VERY GOOD DRUG
BUT IT HAS DRUG/DRUG
INTERACTIONS WITH MANY OF THE
DRUGS I BELIEVE THE PRESIDENT
IS ON INCLUDING BLOOD THINERS
AND IT COULD CAUSE DANGEROUS
CHANGES IN THAT.
I’M SURE THE WHITE HOUSE
MEDICAL UNIT IS MONITORING THAT.
BUT THAT IS ONE ISSUE WITH
PAXLOVID IN THE IN ADDITION
REBOUND I WOULD LOOK FOR IN THE
PRESIDENT.
>> Sandra: HE HAS JUST BEEN
ADMINISTERED THIS ANTIVIRAL.
WHAT’S THE RISK TO DR. MAKARY’S
POINT IF HE IS ONLY
EXPERIENCING MILD SYMPTOMS,
EXPERIENCED FATIGUE, WHICH IS
INVOLVED IN MANY OF THE CASES.
WHAT IS THE RISK TO
ADMINISTERING THE ANTIVIRAL IF
IT ISN’T ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY
BASED ON THE SYMPTOMS?
>> WELL, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT
THE RISKS.
FOR PAXLOVID IS AN EFFECTIVE
DRUG BUT THE MAIN RISK IS
DRUG/DRUG INTERACTIONS.
WHAT IT DOES TO THE OTHER DRUGS
YOU’RE ON.
THERE IS A DANGEROUS
INTERACTION WITH BLOOD THINERS
AND I’M NOT THE PRESIDENT’S
DOCTOR BUT WITH HIS CONDITIONS
I BELIEVE HE COULD BE ON THEM.
THE WHITE HOUSE MEDICAL UNIT.
THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING I WOULD
ASK THEM.
ARE THEY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.
I DON’T THINK THERE ARE MANY
OTHER RISKS.
THE OTHER DRUG CAN BE GIVEN
WITH OTHER DRUGS SO I’M SURE
THE WHITE HOUSE MEDICAL UNIT
WILL BE LOOKING FOR THAT.
I WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE THE
PRESIDENT ON AN ANTIVIRAL DRUG
EITHER PAXLOVID OR ANOTHER ONE.
THEY WERE AUTHORIZED IN
PATIENTS NOT VACCINATED.
THAT’S THE WAY THE TRIAL WAS
DONE.
THERE IS EVERY REASON TO
BELIEVE THAT PAXLOVID OR THE
OTHER DRUG WOULD REDUCE THE
VIRAL LOAD IN EVERY PATIENT AND
CERTAINLY SOMEONE AS ELDERLY
AND HIGH RISK.
I THINK IT’S VERY APPROPRIATE
WHAT THEY’RE DOING WITH THE
PRESIDENT.
>> DR. MARC SIEGEL, YOU ARE
LISTENING AND WE PUT THE
CONDITIONS ON THE SCREEN.
PAXLOVID COMING NOW.
WENT TO BED, FELT FINE.
DIDN’T SLEEP WELL AND TESTED
POSITIVE THIS MORNING.
DOES IT SOUND LIKE A TYPICAL
CASE TO YOU.
>> VERY TYPICAL FOR THE SUB
VARIANT.
HE PROBABLY HAS THE VA.5 THAT
WE SEE A LOT OF.
MOSTLY UPPER RESPIRATORY.
DRY COUGH AND FATIGUE FITS THAT.
THE ONE THING I WANT TO AGREE
WITH THE ADMIRAL IS THIS.
79 YEARS OLD WITH HEART DISEASE
AND A-FIB MAY HAVE MILD
SYMPTOMS BUT IT CAN TURN MORE
SEVERE LATER ON QUICKLY.
HE HAD THE BOOSTER, THE FOURTH
SHOT BUT IT WAS IN MARCH AND
ONLY TENDS TO LAST POWERFULLY
FOR A MONTH OR TWO AND STARTS
TO WANE.
THE IDEA OF GIVING PAXLOVID
WILL BE AUTOMATIC AND SMART.
THE REBOUND, THERE IS NO POINT
THAT IT IS THE DRUG CAUSING
THAT.
DR. FAUCI HAVE THAT.
GIVE A SECOND ROUND OF PAXLOVID.
SMART IDEA BECAUSE HE IS HIGH
RISK.
I AGREE WITH THE ADMIRAL.
>> Bill: WHAT ABOUT WHAT
ADMIRAL GIROIR SAID ABOUT THE
MEDICATIONS HE IS CURRENTLY ON
AND THE POSSIBILITY THEY COULD
COUNTERACT WITH PAXLOVID.
>> VERY GOOD POINT.
FOR SURE THE WHITE HOUSE
DOCTORS ARE ON THIS.
HE WILL STOP THE CHOLESTEROL
LOWERING DRUG.
YOU DON’T TAKE A STATIN AND AS
FAR AS THE BLOOD THINNER, HE
SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE ON THAT.
THEY’LL LOOK AT IT.
COVID CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS WITH
BLOOD CLOTS, YOU WANT TO WATCH
THAT.
THEY’LL GO OVER EVERY
MEDICATION HE IS ON AND SEE IF
THERE IS AN INTERACTION.
IT’S A KNEE JERK SITUATION THAT
YOU STOP.
YOU ONLY STOP IT FOR FIVE DAYS
ON THE MEDICATION AND THEN YOU
RESTART IT AGAIN.
>> Bill: BACK WITH YOU NOW.
WE’RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE
EXPERTISE OF BOTH OF YOU RIGHT
NOW.
ADMIRAL, I JUST WONDER 2 1/2
YEARS DOWN THE ROAD HERE.
WE’VE COME A LONG WAY.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE
REACTION NOW AS COMPARED TO
WOW, THE DARK DAYS OF MARCH
2020.
>> IT’S REMARKABLE THE TOOLS WE
HAVE.
THE VIRUS HAS BEEN VERY
FORMIDABLE.
WE KNOW THE DIFFERENT VARIANTS
EVADING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM BUT
VACCINES DO HELP THE PRESIDENT.
IT DOESN’T PROTECT WELL AGAINST
GETTING THE VIRUS BUT PROVIDES
PROTECTION AGAINST
HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATH.
TESTING IS UBIQUITOUS.
800 MILLION TESTS AVAILABLE
THIS MONTH IN THE UNITED STATES
BASED ON THE WORK WE DID IN THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, HOME
TESTS, RAPID TESTS, MOLECULAR
TESTS ARE THERE AND VERY
IMPORTANTLY AND SOMETHING WE’VE
UNDEREMPHASIZED IS THE
TREATMENT.
PAXLOVID AND THE OTHER DRUG ARE
HIGHLY EFFECTIVE.
WHEN WE GET TO A POINT NOW.
EVEN VACCINATED AND TESTED
PEOPLE AT RISK NEED TO BE
TREATED WITH ANTIVIRALS.
WE HAVE ENORMOUS WEAPONS
DEVELOPED AGAINST THIS VIRUS.
STILL A BATTLE.
I THINK THE PRESIDENT
EPITOMIZES AND IS AN EXAMPLE OF
EVERYTHING WE SHOULD BE DOING.
MONITORING, TESTING AND GETTING
THOSE AT RISK TWEETED.
>> Sandra: GOING BACK TO YOUR
INITIAL WORD OF CAUTION THAT IT
IS STILL EARLY ON AND JUST
BEGAN THE ANTIVIRAL AND EARLY
ON IN SYMPTOMS IT APPEARS.
JUST EXPERIENCING THEM FOR THE
FIRST TIME THIS MORNING.
HE WENT TO BED FEELING FINE AND
TESTED POSITIVE THIS MORNING
AFTER THE MILD SYMPTOMS.
BASED ON ALL OF THAT WHAT WOULD
YOUR RECOMMENDATION BE FOR
SOMEONE OF HIS AGE AND RISK
CATEGORY?
THE WHITE HOUSE IS SAYING THAT
HE IS GOING TO CONTINUE WORKING
IN FULL CAPACITY, PARTICIPATING
IN ZOOM MEETINGS.
HE IS NOT GOING TO BACK OFF THE
WHITE HOUSE SAYS ANY OF HIS
DAILY OBLIGATIONS AS THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND MORE REST
FOR SOMEONE OF HIS AGE AND RISK
CATEGORY?
>> LET ME FIRST SAY I HAVE THE
HIGHEST RESPECT FOR THE WHITE
HOUSE MEDICAL UNIT.
WE WORK WITH THEM ON A DAILY
BASIS SUPPLYING TESTS AND
UNDERSTANDING PROTOCOLS AND
WORKING WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP.
WE’RE DIFFERENT BUT WORK
TOGETHER.
I WOULD JUST BE VERY CAREFUL
WITH THE PRESIDENT.
LOOK, WE ALL WANT HIM TO
RECOVER.
WE NEED HIM TO HAVE CONTINUITY
OF LEADERSHIP.
I WOULDN’T RUSH IT.
HE IS IN A HIGH RISK GROUP WITH
HIS AGE AND UNDERLYING
CONDITIONS AND HE SHOULD FEEL
FREE TO TAKE IT EASY, RIGHT?
MANY OF US HAVE HAD COVID.
YOU DON’T FEEL WELL.
I’M JUST -- I WOULD SAY CAUTION
IS WHAT I SHOULD DO AND HE
SHOULD ONLY DO WHAT HE REALLY
FEELS LIKE DOING.
REMEMBER, IT IS IMPORTANT TO
GET PLENTY OF FLUIDS AND HAVE
PROPER KNEW -- NUTRITION.
I WOULD BE CAUTIOUS.
>> Bill: THANK YOU FOR YOUR
EXPERTISE.
THANK YOU FOR COMING ON.
ONE LAST THING HERE THE
SYMPTOMS STARTED YESTERDAY SO
THAT WAS WEDNESDAY.
DID NOT ANTICIPATE THAT
BREAKING NEWS.
GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.