>> WELCOME BACK TO CHEDDAR IS
OPENING BELL NOW LISTEN THE
FDA'S FULL APPROVAL OF THE
PFIZER BIONTECH VACCINE IS
BEING SEEN AS A CRUCIAL STEP IN
CONVINCING THOSE HAVEN'T YET
GOTTEN THEIR SHOTS TO GO AHEAD
AND DO IT THE MOVE HAS ALREADY
SET OFF A STRING OF
ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM BUSINESSES
SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND MORE
REQUIRING EMPLOYEES TO BE
VACCINATED TURNING US NOW IS
NOW THE CURB AND RHODE ISLAND
SECRETARY OF STATE AND RHODE
ISLAND GOVERNOR TENNELL
GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE.
SECRETARY WHAT'S YOUR INITIAL
REACTION TO THE NEWS.
>> I THINK THIS IS GREAT
BECAUSE WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE
THAT AS MANY PEOPLE AS
POSSIBLE.
GET VACCINATED IN RHODE ISLAND
WE'VE DONE A PRETTY GOOD JOB
WE'VE GOT ABOUT 83% OF ADULTS,
18 OR OVER THAT ARE AT LEAST
PARTIALLY VACCINATED AND WE
KNOW THAT THE BACK SEEN IS THE
BEST WAY TO KEEP YOU OUT OF THE
HOSPITAL IF YOU DO GET COVID
AND OUT OF POSSIBLY DYING
FROM IT. SO WE HAVE TO
ENCOURAGE YOU HAVE TO TAKE THIS
OPPORTUNITY TO ENCOURAGE
EVERYBODY OUT THERE TO GO AHEAD
AND GET VACCINATED.
>> NOW A GROWING NUMBER OF
CHILDREN ARE TESTING POSITIVE
FOR COVID AND SCHOOLS ALREADY
IN SESSION IN MANY PLACES
ACROSS
THE COUNTRY. DO YOU ANTICIPATE
THIS PROBLEM TO GET WORSE IN DO
YOU THINK THE FDA'S
ANNOUNCEMENT WILL HAVE AN
IMPACT AT ALL.
>> I EXPECT THAT THEY WILL HELP
CONVINCE PEOPLE THAT THIS IS A
SAFE AND SECURE
A VACCINE. I HAPPENED TO HAVE
ACTUALLY TAKEN THE VIBE OF THE
PFIZER VACCINE, MYSELF AND IT'S
THE ONE THAT MY WAS ABLE
TO GET AND YOU KNOW WE WE NEED
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THE
RIGHT INFORMATION OUT THERE'S A
LOT OF MISINFORMATION
ABOUT VACCINATIONS THAT WE NEED
TO COME BACK AND HIS PUBLIC
ALERT AND ELECTED OFFICIALS
WE NEED TO BE COMMUNICATING
CONSTANTLY WITH THE PUBLIC TO
MAKE SURE THAT OUR HOSPITALS
OUR FIRST RESPONDERS ARE
ARE DOCTORS ARE NOT SWAMPED TO
SUCH A POINT WHERE WERE NOT
ABLE TO GET AHEAD OF THIS
DISEASE.
>> HOW DO YOU THINK THERE
SHOULD BE MASK MANDATES IN
SCHOOL.
>> ABSOLUTELY IN FACT I LEAD
THE WAY HERE IN RHODE ISLAND IN
CALLING FOR.
>> SCHOOLS
>> B B FOR THERE TO BE A
MASK MANDATE IN SCHOOLS AND
THEY DID THAT BECAUSE
PERSONALLY I ACTUALLY HAVE A
KID WHO CAN'T GET VACCINATED
BECAUSE SHE'S
TOO YOUNG BUT ALSO BECAUSE THE
DATA AND THE SCIENCE SHOWS THAT
MASKING INCE SCHOOLS WHERE
THERE'S A LARGE POPULATION
OF UNVACCINATED CHILDREN IS THE
BEST WAY THAT WE CAN THE
DISEASE AT BAY. MASKING
IS VERY SOLID PREVENTIVE
MEASURE THAT WE CAN TAKE IF
PEOPLE CAN'T
GET VACCINATED.
>> NOW THE RIGHT ROAD ISLAND
ACCORDING TO THE DATA ONE 0.3
MILLION PEOPLE HAVE BEEN GIVEN
A DOSE MORE THAN 600,000 HAVE
BEEN FULLY VACCINATED AND
RIGHT NOW MANY CORPORATIONS
HOSPITALS AND ORGANIZATIONS
HAVE ANNOUNCED VACCINE
REQUIREMENTS IN THE PAST
24 HOURS. HAVE YOU SEEN A
CHANGE IN VACCINE VACCINE
MANDATES IN YOUR STATE.
>> SO WE'RE
ONLY MANDATING MASKS
THIS AT THE SCHOOLS HAVING SAID
THAT WE ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGING
ANYBODY WHO'S
GOING INDOORS TO GO AHEAD AND
MASK AND IN FACT I'VE TAKEN THE
HABIT MYSELF AND ANY TIME I GO
TO THE GROCERY STORE I'M IN A
GOVERNMENT BUILDING.
OR AN UNACCOMPANIED A BUSINESS
I GO ASK THE GOVERNOR DID A
MANDATE MASK MASKS TO BE WORN
INSIDE OF STATE BUILDINGS WHICH
I THINK IS A IS A STEP IN THE
RIGHT DIRECTION AND I THINK
WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVE TO
SEE THIS FOR THE FORESEEABLE
FUTURE IT'S NOT FOREVER.
IT'S NOT FOREVER, NOBODY LIKES
WEARING THEM MASKS, BUT DURING
THIS TIME PERIOD WHEN WE SEE
THE
DELTA VARIANT. INFECTION RATE
SO QUICKLY IN SO MANY PLACES
LET STORE HART AND GO ASK
OURSELVES. INDOORS.
>> NOW IN YOUR CONVERSATIONS
WITH UNVACCINATED PEOPLE ONE OF
THE TOP FOR REASONS YOU HEAR
FOR WHY PEOPLE HAVEN'T AND
THEIR SHOTS YET.
>> A LOT OF IT HAD
TO DO THE
FACT THAT THE TOURISTS ARE VERY
SKEPTICAL OF THE GOVERNMENT
WHICH IS VERY UNFORTUNATE LIKE
WE SAID EARLIER IN THIS
CONVERSATION. WE HAVE A LOT
ACTORS OUT THERE THAT ARE USING
THE INTERNET TO SOW
DISTRUST IN IN OUR ELECTED
OFFICIALS IN OUR GOVERNMENT I
KNOW THIS PERSONALLY SECRETARY
OF STATE SO I SAW IT ALREADY IN
THE ELECTIONS.
CYCLE AND I'M SEEING IT MORE
AND MORE IN PUBLIC HEALTH SO I
THINK THAT THAT THE BIGGEST
PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE IS ALL
OF THIS CONTRARY AND FALSE
INFORMATION THAT'S PUT ALL OVER
THE THERE ARE A FEW PEOPLE WILL
ALSO RELIGIOUS OBJECTIONS.
BUT BUT THE BULK OF IT IS BASED
ON REAL MISINFORMATION ABOUT
WHAT THIS VACCINE IS WHAT IT
MEANS WHERE IT
CAME FROM AND REALLY THE
VACCINE IS THE BEST WAY TO
PROTECT YOURSELF. FROM THE
BEING HOSPITALIZED OR FROM FROM
DYING POSSIBLY FROM THE
DISEASE. SO LET'S TRY TO GET AS
MANY PEOPLE VACCINATED AS
POSSIBLE.
>> NOW PRESIDENT BIDEN
YESTERDAY CALLED ON BUSINESSES
NONPROFITS PRIVATE CORPORATIONS
AS WELL AS STATE AND LOCAL
LEADERS TO REQUIRE VACCINATIONS
DO YOU AGREE. THIS IS THE BEST
PATH FORWARD TO PUTTING AN END
TO THE PANDEMIC.
>> LOOK WE'VE MANDATED VACCINES
AND OTHER DISEASES BEFORE THIS
IS
NOT NEW AND WITH GREAT SUCCESS.
WE WERE ABLE TO ERADICATE
MANDATING VACCINES FOR
COVID-19 IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION IN THAT WE'RE TRYING
TO GET RID. COVID-19 AND ALL
THE DIFFERENT VARIANTS THAT
MIGHT
COME ACROSS AND I KNOW IT SEEMS
LIKE IT'S A LONG HAUL, BUT IT'S
NOT IN THE CONTEXT SO HISTORY
AND SO LET'S DO OUR PART AND
GET VACCINATED LET'S DO OUR
PART AND WEAR MASKS INDOORS AND
WE'LL BE ABLE
TO BE.
>> THIS DISEASE QUICKLY WHAT
WOULD YOU SAY IS THE BIGGEST
OBSTACLE YOU'RE FACING RIGHT
NOW FOLLOWING THIS FDA APPROVAL
THAT YOU WANT TO GET RIGHT OR
JUST YOU KNOW CORRECT IN THE
NEXT WEEK OR SO.
>> I THINK THE
PIECE IS COMMUNICATIONS WE NEED
TO HAVE STRONG COMMUNICATIONS
FROM GOVERNMENT. CHURCH LEADERS
FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS FROM
BUSINESS LEADERS TO ENCOURAGE
PEOPLE TO BOTH
GET VACCINATED AND TO WEAR
THEIR
MASKS INDOORS. THAT IS WHAT WE
CAN USE TO COMBAT THE
MISINFORMATION THAT BEING
THROWN AROUND ALL OVER
THE INTERNET IN CONVERSATIONS
THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY.
>> AGAIN NO 64% OF THOSE WHO
LIVE IN RHODE ISLAND ARE FULLY