EXPAND THE PROGRAM.
>> ALL RIGHT, RICHARD, THANK YOU
SO MUCH.
JOINING US NOW LIVE IS BRITAIN’S
FOREIGN MINISTER, DOMINIC ROBB,
ONE OF THE LEADERS OF THE UNITED
KINGDOM’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19
AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE
VACCINE.
MR. FOREIGN SECRETARY, GOOD
MORNING, SIR, IT’S NICE TO HAVE
YOU WITH US.
>> GREAT TO BE ON THE SHOW.
THANK YOU.
>> MR. SECRETARY, I’M SURE
THERE’S GREAT PRIDE IN THIS
MOMENT.
THERE’S ALSO GREAT PRESSURE.
THE EYES OF THE WORLD ARE UPON
YOU.
HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU THAT YOU
CAN SUCCESSFULLY INOCULATE THE
BRITISH PUBLIC?
>> WELL, IT’S BEEN A REAL
CHALLENGE.
WE’VE ALL GONE THROUGH THIS
PANDEMIC IN DIFFERENT WAYS, BUT
IT’S AFFECTED US ALL IN TERMS OF
LOSS OF LIFE AND HEALTH FACTORS,
SO THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT
DAY AND WE RECOGNIZE IT’S AN
IMPORTANT DAY FOR THE UK BUT
ALSO THE WORLD.
WE GOT THE REGULATORY APPROVAL
FROM THE NHRA, OUR REGULATORY
BODY, TO THE VERY HIGHEST
STANDARD SO WE’RE CONFIDENT THAT
IT’S SAFE.
THEN IT REQUIRES A BIG
DISTRIBUTION EFFORT, WHICH YOU
TOUCHED UPON THAT, DISTRIBUTING
THE VACCINE AND MAKING SURE WE
CAN GET THE NEEDLES IN ARMS AS
WE PUT IT.
WE ARE PRIORITIZING THE ELDERLY,
THOSE OVER 80, THOSE IN CARE
HOMES, BOTH STAFF AND RESIDENTS,
AND THEN OVER TIME OTHER PEOPLE
ABOVE THE AGE OF 50 AND THOSE
WITH VULNERABILITY OR A
PARTICULAR HEALTH CONDITION.
AND THAT’S THE WAY THE STRATEGY
IS TO GET US THROUGH TO THE
SPRING WHERE WE CAN HAVE ENOUGH
PEOPLE VACCINATED THAT WE CAN
START TO MOVE INTO A WHOLE
DIFFERENT PLACE, SOMETHING A BIT
CLOSER TO NORMAL LIFE.
THERE’S STILL SOME WORK TO GO.
AS YOU RIGHTLY SAID, IT’S A
MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT, BUT
THERE’S A LIGHT AT THE END OF
THE TUNNEL AND NOT JUST FOR
BRITS BUT FOR THE WORLD TOO.
>> SOME AMERICANS ARE WAKING UP
AND SEEING THAT THE BRITS HAVE
STARTED, THERE ARE SHOTS IN THE
ARM AND ARE THINKING WHAT’S
TAKING US SO LONG.
OVER THERE DO YOU HAVE THE
OPPOSITE PROBLEM?
DO SOME OF YOUR CITIZENS SAY,
WAIT A MINUTE, WHY ARE WE GOING
SO FAST?
HOW COME THE AMERICANS HAVEN’T
YET APPROVED THIS?
ARE YOU BATTLING VACCINE
SKEPTICISM OR WORRY THERE?
>> I THINK THERE’S ALWAYS SOME
PEOPLE THAT WILL BE CONCERNED
ABOUT THIS.
BUT YOU HEARD FROM MARGARET
KEENAN TELLING PEOPLE TO GO FOR
IT, IT IS SAFE.
I THINK OUR REGULATORY BODY, THE
MRHRA HAS A WORLD RENOWNED
REPUTATION FOR THE VERY HIGHEST
STANDARDS.
OF COURSE IF YOU LOOK AT THIS
PFIZER/BIONTECH VACCINE, IT WAS
A GERMAN/U.S. RESEARCH PROJECT
MANUFACTURED IN BELGIUM AND
DISTRIBUTED IN THE UK.
I THINK THAT GIVES YOU A SENSE
TO WHICH THIS IS NOT JUST AN
INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE BUT THE
SOLUTIONS ARE GOING TO BE
INTERNATIONAL, WHICH IS WHY
WE’RE NOT JUST FOCUSED ON, YES,
OF COURSE VACCINATING OUR PEOPLE
MATTERS TO US, WE WANT TO GET
LIFE BACK TO NORMAL IN THE UK
AND PROTECT LIVES, BUT WE’VE
ALSO BEEN WORKING WITH
INTERNATIONALLY GABBY SUMMIT,
THE SO-CALLED COVAX FACILITY
MAKING SURE WE CAN GET EQUITABLE
DISTRIBUTION AROUND THE WORLD,
PARTICULARLY TO THE MOST
VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN THE MOST
VULNERABLE COUNTRIES.
WE RECOGNIZE A GLOBAL PANDEMIC
REQUIRES A GLOBAL SOLUTION.
>> YOU MENTIONED THIS IS A
MARATHON AND NOT A SPRINT.
IN THE MEANTIME IT WILL TAKE
TIME FOR THE ENTIRE POPULATION
TO BE VACCINATED.
WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO THE
BRITISH PUBLIC.
AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THEY ARE AS
PANDEMIC WEARY AS WE AMERICANS
ARE.
BUT IN TERMS OF MASKS AND SOCIAL
DISTANCING, EVEN AS THE BRITS
ARE BEING VACCINATED, WHAT ARE
YOU TELLING THEM IN TERMS OF
THOSE KINDS OF BEHAVIORS?
>> SO WE WON’T GET TO A STAGE
WHERE WE CAN RELAX INTO A
DIFFERENT WORLD OF MUCH LIGHTER
RESTRICTIONS UNTIL THE SPRING
AND THAT REQUIRES US TO GO
THROUGH THE PROCESS OF MAKING
SURE WE VACCINATED THE MOST
VULNERABLE PEOPLE, THE ELDERLY
AND THOSE WITH LATENT
CONDITIONS.
THE REAL AIM OF THE VACCINE IS
TO TAKE THE FATALITY RATE OUT OF
IT SO IT’S MUCH MORE AKIN TO
SOMETHING LIKE A NORMAL FLU, IF
I CAN PUT IT THAT WAY.
IN THE MEANTIME WE’VE GOT A
TIERED SET OF RESTRICTIONS IN
PLACE, DEPENDING ON THE
LOCALITY, DEPENDING ON WHERE THE
VIRUS IS MOST PREVALENT AND ALL
SORTS OF RESTRICTIONS.
YOU MENTIONED MASKS, OTHER
THINGS, SOCIAL DISTANCING,
LIMITS TO BUSINESSES THAT CAN
OPEN AND HOW THEY CAN FUNCTION
ARE ALL IN PLACE AND WE’VE
REALLY RAMPED UP OUR TESTING.
WE’VE GOT THE FASTEST TESTING
RATE IN EUROPE, ONE OF THE
LEADING IN THE WORLD.
SO THOSE TWO MEASURES, THE
TIERED RESTRICTIONS AND THE
TESTING ARE THE IMPORTANT BRIDGE
TO GET US THROUGH TO THE SPRING
WHEN VACCINATION AND THE
COMPLETION OF THE VACCINATIONS
THAT WE NEED TO MOVE OUT OF THE
CURRENT SET OF RESTRICTIONS INTO
A BETTER PLACE MORE LIKE NORMAL,
THAT’S THE STRATEGY.
AND I THINK PEOPLE UNDERSTAND
IT.
WE’VE LOST OVER 60,000 PEOPLE IN
THIS COUNTRY AS A RESULT OF THIS
APPALLING VIRUS.
IT’S AFFECTED ALL COUNTRIES.
BUT WE’VE SUFFERED OUR FAIR
SHARE, THAT’S FOR SURE.
AND SO I THINK PEOPLE WANT THE
CONFIDENCE AND THE REASSURANCE
THAT, A, WE’VE GOT A PLAN AND,
B, THAT WE CAN TAKE THE
SENSIBLE, SURE-FOOTED STEPS TO
DELIVER IT AND THAT’S WHAT I
THINK TODAY SHOWS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WELL, CONGRATULATIONS, SIR.
GOOD LUCK WITH THIS IMPORTANT
WORK VERY QUICKLY.
DID THE QUEEN, PRINCE PHILIP, DO
YOU EXPECT THEM TO GET
VACCINATED AND MIGHT THEY DO IT
ON CAMERA?
>> I’M NOT SURE WHETHER THEY’LL
DO IT ON CAMERA BUT I’M SURE
ARRANGEMENTS WILL BE MADE
ACCORDING TO THE PHASED APPROACH
THAT I SET OUT AND LIKE ANY
FAMILY, YOU KNOW, THEY WILL HAVE
FELT THE PRESSURES AND ALL OF
THE WORRIES THAT SURROUND THIS
PANDEMIC AS WELL.
>> YEAH, BRITISH FOREIGN