THANK YOU.
>> Sandra: THANK YOU, TRACE,
PRESIDENT TRUMP PLANNING TO
SIGN AN EXECUTIVE ORDER AT THIS
AFTERNOON’S VACCINE SUMMIT THAT
WOULD PRIORITIZE AMERICAN’S
ACCESS TO THE COVID VACCINES
BEFORE THE U.S. HELPS OUT OTHER
COUNTRIES.
ALL THIS COMING TWO DAYS BEFORE
A PANEL OF FDA ADVISORS MEET
WOULD DISCUSS EMERGENCY VACCINE
APPROVAL.
JOINING US NOW WHITE HOUSE
VACCINE CZAR DR. MONCEF SLAOUI.
GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE THIS
MORNING.
AS FAR AS THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER
THAT IS INTENDED TO INSURE THAT
AMERICANS GET ACCESS TO THE
VACCINE AHEAD OF OTHER FOREIGN
NATIONS, WHAT IS THE GOAL WITH
THIS AND WHAT ARE WE EXPECTING
TO SEE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE ON
THAT FRONT TODAY?
>> WELL, LISTEN, WHAT THE WHITE
HOUSE IS DOING IS WHAT THE
WHITE HOUSE IS DOING.
WE AT THE OPERATION ARE WORKING
VERY HARD ON MAKING SURE THAT
WE HAVE AS MANY VACCINE DOSES
FROM AS MANY VACCINES AS
POSSIBLE FROM OUR PORTFOLIO
AVAILABLE TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
WE HAVE COMMITTED TO HAVING
VACCINE DOSES TO IMMUNIZE THE
FULL POPULATION BY THE MIDDLE
OF THE YEAR 2021.
WE REMAIN CONFIDENT THIS WILL
BE THE CASE.
WE ARE ALSO REMEMBERING THAT ON
MAY 15 THE PRESIDENT HAS SAID
THAT ONCE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
WILL BE VACCINATED IN A
SUPPLEMENTAL VACCINE DOSES
AVAILABLE TO US COULD BE MADE
AVAILABLE TO THE WORLD.
I ASSUME THAT WHATEVER MAY BE
ANNOUNCED THIS AFTERNOON WOULD
BE IN LINE WITH THAT.
IN THE MEANTIME WE’RE FOCUSED
ON MAKING THESE DOSES AVAILABLE
FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
>> Sandra: OKAY.
SO WE HAD ADMIRAL GIRARD ON
YESTERDAY AND WE WERE TALKING
ABOUT HOW DO WE GET BACK TO
NORMAL LIFE?
AT THE END OF THE DAY WE ALL
SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE
TUNNEL TALKING ABOUT THE
VACCINE, DOCTOR.
HE HAD SUGGESTED THAT WE NEED
TO SEE ABOUT 70 TO 80% OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVING HAD THIS
VACCINE, BOTH DOSES OF IT,
BEFORE WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE A
RETURN TO THAT NORMAL LIFE WE
ALL ONCE HAD.
LISTEN TO THIS.
>> BY THE TIME WE IMMUNIZE 50
OR 60 MILLION PEOPLE WE CAN
HAVE ALL THE LONG-TERM CARE
FACILITY.
A LOT OF THE AT-RISK PEOPLE AND
WE’LL GET A LOT OF THE BENEFIT.
WE WILL NOT END THE PANDEMIC,
REALLY END THE DISEASE
TRANSMISSION UNTIL WE HAVE AT
LEAST ABOUT 70 TO 80% OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO HAVE EITHER
BEEN IMMUNIZED OR HAVE GOTTEN
THE VIRUS.
>> Sandra: BEING SO INTIMATELY
PART OF THIS VACCINE ROLL-OUT,
DOCTOR, IS THAT POSSIBLE?
ARE WE GOING TO HAVE ENOUGH OF
THE VACCINE TO COVER 70 TO 80%
OF THE POPULATION?
>> YES, THAT’S ABSOLUTELY
POSSIBLE.
THAT’S OUR PLAN AND WE FEEL
VERY CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL BE
DELIVERING ON THEM.
PROBABLY BY THE TIME 70 TO 80%
OF PEOPLE ARE IMMUNIZED WE WILL
BE SOMEWHERE IN THE MONTH OF
MAY.
I THINK AT THIS MOMENT THE
HIGHEST CONCERN I HAVE IS THE
LEVEL OF HESITANCY WITHIN THE
POPULATION AS TO ACCEPTING
WHETHER THEY WILL BE IMMUNIZEED
OR NOT.
WE’RE WORKING VERY HARD TO MAKE
SURE ALL THE DATA ABOUT THIS
VACCINE’S PERFORMANCE, SAFETY
AND EFFICACY WILL BE
TRANSPARENTLY DISCUSSED THROUGH
THE FDA PROCESS WITH THE
ADVISORY INDEPENDENT EXPERTS
ADVISING THE FDA AND MORE
EXPERTS HAVE ACCESS TO THE DATA
AND HOPE TO RELAY TO THE
POPULATION INDEPENDENTLY HOW
EFFECTIVE THESE VACCINES ARE.
I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO SAY THAT
WE HAVE THESE TWO VACCINES, THE
PFIZER AND MODERNA WILL BE
REVIEWED.
BUT THERE ARE TWO MORE COMING
THAT ARE IN PHASE THREE TRIALS
LIKELY TO READ OUT IN EARLY
JANUARY AND BECOME AVAILABLE,
WE HOPE, IN FEBRUARY TO FURTHER
INCREASE THE NUMBER OF DOSES WE
HAVE.
THAT’S WHY WE FEEL CONFIDENT WE
WILL BE ABLE TO IMMUNIZE THE
U.S. POPULATION AS A WHOLE.
>> Sandra: DR. SLAOUI, HOW DO
YOU ADDRESS THAT PUBLIC FEAR?
AS THE DOCTOR HEADING UP WARP
SPEED AND MAKING SURE THIS
VACCINE IS AVAILABLE, THAT’S AN
ENORMOUS TASK YOU HAVE
UNDERTAKEN.
DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE PUBLIC
FEAR SIDE OF THIS?
YOU WALK DOWN THE STREET AND
ASK PEOPLE WILL YOU GET IT IF
IT’S AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL
DOCTOR’S OFFICE?
IT IS SHOCKING TO HEAR AND SEE
SOME OF THESE STUDIES THAT SAY
50% OF PEOPLE SAY THEY DON’T
WANT TO BE FIRST IN LINE.
TO THEM YOU SAY WHAT?
>> IT’S VERY CONCERNING.
I SAY A FEW THINGS.
FIRST EXPLAIN WHY WE WENT FAST.
WE WENT FAST NOT BY CUTTING ANY
CORNERS.
WE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES THAT
HAPPENED OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS
AND TOOK FINANCIAL RISK AND
OPERATIONAL RISKS.
WE DID LARGER TRIALS THAN WHAT
IS NEEDED.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT HAVE
ALLOWED US TO GO VERY FAST,
NUMBER ONE.
NUMBER TWO, WE WILL MAKE ALL
DATA AVAILABLE AND EXPLAIN IT
AND HAVE INDEPENDENT EXPERTS
LOOK INTO IT AND EXPLAIN IT TO
THE POPULATION.
HOPEFULLY PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT
EXPERTS THAT THEY MAY TRUST.
I ASK PEOPLE TO JUST KEEP YOUR
MIND OPEN, PLEASE.
DON’T COME TO A CONCLUSION
BEFORE YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO
THE DATA.
THEN THE THIRD THING I SAY IS
PERSONAL EXAMPLE.
I HAVE AN 8-YEAR-OLD KID, AS
SOON AS THIS VACCINE BECOMES
AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN.
IT IS NOT YET NOW, I WILL MAKE
SURE HE HAS IT.
I WILL TAKE THE VACCINE AS SOON
AS IT IS APPROVED IF I’M
AUTHORIZED TO DO SO.
AND THOSE ARE THE LEVEL OF
CONFIDENCE I HAVE FOR THE
PEOPLE I LOVE MOST ON THE EARTH
TO MAKE SURE THEY GET THE
VACCINE BECAUSE I KNOW THE DATA
AND I KNOW IT’S SAFE AND
EFFECTIVE.
>> Sandra: OKAY, DOCTOR, IT WAS
SOMETHING TO SEE THE
90-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WHO TOOK THE