>> WELCOME BACK TO THE NEWS
WRAP EVERYBODY THE U.S. IS
AVERAGING LESS THAN A 120,000
NEW COVID-19 CASES PER DAY
THAT'S A NEARLY 20% DROP OVER
THE
LAST WEEK. HOWEVER, THE CDC
WARNING THAT THE SPREAD OF NEW
VARIANTS COULD REVERSE THIS
TREND. SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN
FOR THE RACE TO VACCINATE
MILLIONS. AMERICANS HERE TO
DISCUSS IS DOCTOR TAMMY LYNN
STORM INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT
SPP INTO MEDICAL OFFICER AT
TRINITY HEALTH DOCTOR WELCOME
BACK TO THE SHOW AT
OUR CURVE PACE IT WOULD TAKE
ALMOST A YEAR TO VACCINATE
ENOUGH AMERICANS TO ACHIEVE
HERD IMMUNITY. SO WHAT IS THE
LIKELIHOOD THAT THESE VARIANTS
COULD PUSH BACK THE TIMELINE
EVEN FURTHER.
>> I THINK IT'S IT'S WORRISOME
DEFINITELY BUT I DO THINK WE'VE
BEEN
ABLE TO RAMP UP VACCINATION
ALMOST ONE AND ONE 0.4 MILLION
PEOPLE A GIVING BACK
DID SO I THINK WE'LL CONTINUE
TO RAMP UP
AS PARTNERSHIPS ARE DEVELOPING
BETWEEN PUBLIC HEALTH.
>> HEALTH CARE
INSTITUTIONS TO REALLY DO VERY
LARGE MASS VACCINATION CLINICS
AND
THE SUPPLY IT IS IMPROVING AS
WELL ALL ALL ARE GOOD NEWS.
>> THAT IS GOOD NEWS DOCTOR
FAUCI SAYING QUICK VACCINATIONS
IS NEEDED TO SLOW THE VARIANCE
DOWN DOCTOR DO AGREE AND HOW DO
WE SPEED UP THIS ROLE OUT IN
YOUR OPINION.
>> I AGAIN
SO EVERYBODY IS WORKING
TOGETHER ON THESE MASS
VACCINATION SITES TO GET SHOTS
IN ARMS AS QUICKLY
AS POSSIBLE. AND THE OTHER
THING IS WE CAN'T FORGET ABOUT
THE MEASURES THAT WE KNOW WORK
ERIC TO SLOW
SPREAD. SO WEARING A MASK
CONSISTENTLY, AVOIDING CROWDS.
WASHING
YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY SO
MAINTAINING PHYSICAL
DISTANCING. THOSE ARE CRUCIALLY
IMPORTANT MORE
THAN EVER. WITH THE NEW
VARIANTS TO BE ABLE TO SLOW THE
SPREAD ENOUGH TO GET ENOUGH
SHOTS IN ARMS TO MAKE A REAL
DIFFERENCE.
>> I DO WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT
THE LATEST INFORMATION COMING
OUT FROM ASTRAZENECA THEY'RE
UPDATING THEIR COVID-19 VACCINE
AFTER A STUDY SHOWED VERY
LITTLE PROTECTION WHEN HE CAME
TO THE SOUTH
AFRICAN VARIANT IS IT LIKELY
THAT PFIZER AND MODERNA WOULD
NEED TO UP THEIR THEIR VACCINES
AS WELL DOCTOR.
>> WELL THEY'RE
EXPLORING THAT NOW BUT FROM THE
DATA THAT'S AT LEAST CURRENTLY
AVAILABLE IT LOOKS LIKE
ALTHOUGH THAT EFFECTIVENESS IS
IS LOWER. IT'S VERY EFFECTIVE
CURRENT HOSPITALIZATIONS
AND DEATHS, SO THAT IS
EXTREMELY GOOD NEWS. SO EVEN IF
IT DOESN'T PREVENT YOU FROM
GETTING MILD OR MODERATE
ILLNESS IF IT CAN PREVENT
HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATH.
THAT WILL BE A MAJOR IMPACT.
SO GOOD NEWS AND
WAITING FOR FOR MORE WAITING TO
SEE JOHNSON AND JOHNSON THE
STATE OF NEXT WEEK.
>> THAT IS AN EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT POINT DOCTOR HOW CAN
WE ESTABLISH BETTER MONITORING
AND TESTING WHEN IT COMES TO
THESE NEW MUTATIONS THAT WE'RE
SEEING FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE
WORLD.
>> WELL I THINK THE CDC HAS
REALLY RAMPED UP THE ABILITY TO
DO
GENETIC TESTING THAT HAS
GONE FROM. I LITERALLY 300 A
WEEK ALMOST TO THE 7,000 A SO
THAT IS CRUCIAL. I DO THINK WE
HAVE TO AND I AGREE WITH DOCTOR
FAUCI ON THIS POINT THAT WE
HAVE TO ASSUME THAT THEY'RE
ALREADY HERE IN LARGER NUMBERS
THAN WE THAT
WE KNOW CURRENTLY SO WE HAVE
TO CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING WE
CAN TO TRY TO PREVENT SPREAD.
WELL WE'RE TRYING TO GET SHOTS
IN ARMS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
>> WE TOUCHED ON THIS A MOMENT
AGO HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATH
RATES ARE DECLINING NATIONWIDE.
I BELIEVE YOU ARE IN MICHIGAN
BEVERLY HILLS, MICHIGAN TO BE
EXACT HOW ARE THE CONDITIONS AT
YOUR HOSPITAL.
>> OUR OUR HOSPITALS WE
90
PLUS HOSPITALS IN 22 STATES,
GOOD NEWS IS IT'S TOUGH
FINDING EVERYWHERE. WE DON'T
KNOW YET WHAT THE EFFECT ALL
THE EFFECT OF THE VARIANTS WILL
BE AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE
>> SUPER WILL BE ONE OF MANY
GATHERED IN LARGE
WE HAVE SO JUST CONTINUE TO DO
EVERYTHING WE CAN WAITING FOR
MORE BACK SEEING SUPPLY WAITING
FOR MORE PEOPLE TO GET
VACCINATED TO TRY TO PREVENT
SPREAD. THE OTHER THING
THAT WE'RE WE NEED TO DO AND
THE REASON WE NEED TO DO IS
THE MORE. NEW CASES ARE OUT
THERE THE MORE OPPORTUNITY
THERE IS FOR
CONTINUED MUTATIONS. ALL OF
THESE THINGS IF WE DO THEM
CORRECTLY WILL
HELP US JUST DROP THE RATES AND
ALLOW THE VACCINE TO CATCH UP.
>> EARLIER TODAY, NEW YORK
GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO ANNOUNCED
A PLAN TO OPEN BROADWAY
HOPEFULLY BY THE END OF
MAY WITH STRICT COVID TESTING A
CAP ON AUDIENCES AND OTHER
MEASURES.
>> DO YOU THINK THIS IS A SAFE
PLAN DOCTOR ON STORM.
>> I THINK IT'S IT'S HARD TO
SAY THE COURSE OF THE HIT THE
PANDEMIC HAS CHANGED WEEK BY
WEEK MONTH
BY MONTH SEEMS A LONG TIME AWAY
CONTINUING TO VACCINATE AND
THEN WITH THE HELP OF
JOHNSON JOHNSON MAXINE I THINK
THERE'S A VERY GOOD
OPPORTUNITY THAT SOMEWHERE IN
THE MAY TO JULY TIME FRAME WE
CAN DOING SOME OF THE
THINGS THAT WE ALL ENJOY
INCLUDING GATHERING IN LARGER
GROUPS.
>> NOT THE LAST THERE ABOUT 30
SECONDS WITH YOU AND YOU DID
TOUCH ON THIS A FEW MOMENTS AGO
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT A SPIKE
AFTER SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.
>> ABSOLUTELY SAW A LOT OF
MEDIA REPORTS OF LARGE
GATHERINGS AND PARTIES AND
PEOPLE ENJOYING THE
OPENING UP RESTAURANTS AND BARS
AND SOME AREAS SO IT IS
VERY CONCERNING. WE'LL WAIT AND
SEE WHAT HAPPENS WATCH CLOSELY
OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AND
CONTINUE TO VACCINATE AS