CITIZENS AND LAWFUL PERMANENT
RESIDENTS TRYING TO GET HOME,
SAVANNAH.
>> GABE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
LET’S BRING IN DR. ASHISH JHA,
THE DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC
HEALTH.
GOOD MORNING.
WISH WE WERE HERE UNDER BETTER
CIRCUMSTANCES.
OVERNIGHT, CANADA ANNOUNCED IT
HAS DETECTED TWO CASES OF THIS
OMICRON VARIANT.
DO YOU ASSUME THAT THE OMICRON
VARIANT IS HERE ALREADY IN THE
U.S. AND WHY HAVEN’T U.S.
SURVEILLANCE -- WHY HASN’T IT
CAUGHT IT YET IF IT IS?
>> YEAH, SO I DO ASSUME THAT IT
IS ALREADY IN THE U.S.
AND WE WILL CATCH IT IN THE NEXT
FEW DAYS.
I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF WE MAKE
IT TO THE END OF THIS WEEK
WITHOUT IDENTIFYING IT.
WE’RE A BIG COUNTRY, WE HAVE A
LOT OF SURVEILLANCE HAPPENING.
WE COULD BE DOING MORE
SURVEILLANCE FOR THESE THINGS,
BUT I THINK WE’LL HAVE AN ANSWER
ON THE QUESTION OF WHETHER IT IS
HERE CERTAINLY IN THE NEXT FEW
DAYS.
>> THE KEY QUESTIONS ARE, HOW
TRANSMISSIBLE IS IT, HOW SEVERE
IS THE ILLNESS THAT YOU GET FROM
IT, AND MOST CRUCIALLY WILL OUR
VACCINES WORK AGAINST IT?
THEY SAY IT IS GOING TO TAKE A
COUPLE OF WEEKS TO KNOW THAT,
WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG AND HOW
DO THEY FIGURE THAT OUT?
>> YEAH, SO WE CAN LOOK AT THE
DATA FROM SOUTH AFRICA AND SEE
THE VIRUS REALLY TAKE OFF, THIS
VARIANT TAKE OFF AND
TRANSMISSIBILITY, BUT WE HAVE TO
DO MUCH MORE CAREFUL STUDIES TO
REALLY UNDERSTAND IF THAT’S THE
CASE.
I THINK BY THE END OF THIS WEEK
WE WILL HAVE SOME DATA ON
WHETHER -- AT LEAST FROM
LABORATORY DATA ON WHETHER OUR
VACCINES ARE HOLDING UP OR NOT.
BUT REALLY CAREFUL STUDIES JUST
TAKE TIME.
YOU GOT TO GROW THE VIRUS, YOU
GOT TO RUN THE TESTS, YOU GOT TO
SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING IN PEOPLE.
THERE’S NO WAY TO GO ANY FASTER
THAN THAT.
I THINK WE’LL HAVE SOME DATA
RELATIVELY SOON.
>> AND THAT SEEMS TO ME THE MOST
IMPORTANT QUESTION, THE WORST
CASE SCENARIO WOULD BE IF
SOMEHOW THIS VARIANT EVADES
VACCINES, EVADES NATIONAL --
NATURAL ANTIBODIES.
SO MY QUESTION TO YOU IS,
DR. FAUCI AND NIH DIRECTOR HAVE
SUGGESTED THAT PROBABLY THE
VACCINES WILL HAVE SOME
PROTECTION, DO YOU AGREE WITH
THAT, AND HOW WOULD YOU KNOW
THAT?
>> YEAH, I DO AGREE WITH THAT.
I THINK THE CHANCES THAT
THESE -- THIS VARIANT WILL
COMPLETELY EVADE OUR VACCINES IS
EXTREMELY UNLIKELY.
REALLY HARD FOR ME TO IMAGINE
UNDER WHAT SCENARIO THAT COULD
BE THE CASE.
I THINK THAT OUR VACCINES WILL
HOLD UP.
THE QUESTION IS HOW MUCH.
HOW MUCH?
IS IT A LITTLE LESS EFFECTIVE, A
LOT LESS EFFECTIVE?
WE WILL HAVE THAT DATA,
LABORATORY DATA AND CLINICAL
DATA IN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO AT
THE MOST.
>> ANECDOTALLY, SOME HAVE
SUGGESTED THAT PERHAPS THIS
OMICRON VARIANT ALSO IS --
DOESN’T CAUSE AS SEVERE A
DISEASE AS OTHER STRAINS HAVE.
AND THAT’S BECAUSE WE HAVEN’T
SEEN HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS REALLY
SPIKE IN SOUTH AFRICA, EVEN
THOUGH THIS VARIANT IS CERTAINLY
ON THE RISE THERE.
DOES THAT GIVE YOU ANY COMFORT
AT ALL?
>> YOU KNOW, I WISH THAT I COULD
REALLY LOOK AT THAT DATA.
I’VE SEEN THAT AND WISH THAT
THAT WAS THE CASE.
WE DON’T KNOW.
REMEMBER HOSPITALIZATIONS ALWAYS
LAG INFECTIONS.
USUALLY BY A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
AND SO WE HAVE SEEN THE SPIKE IN
THE LAST WEEK, TEN DAYS.
WE DON’T KNOW IF
HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE GOING TO
RISE OR NOT.
OBVIOUSLY I HOPE IT TURNS OUT TO
BE A MILD VARIANT, BUT WE DON’T
HAVE THAT DATA YET.
>> IT SEEMS LIKE THE WHOLE WORLD
IS SITTING HERE WITH BATED
BREATH TO FIND OUT IS THIS
ANOTHER VARIANT THAT IS
PROBLEMATIC, BUT YOU SHOULD GET
VACCINATED OR IS GOING TO BE
POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC IN THE
SENSE THAT THE VACCINES WOULDN’T
WORK AT ALL?
HOW SHOULD PEOPLE CONDUCT
THEMSELVES OVER THE NEXT FUEW
DAYS?
SHOULD WE BE WEARING OUR MASKS
MORE, DOUBLE MASKING?
WHAT DO WE DO AS WE APPROACH THE
HOLIDAYS?
>> THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND
IF YOU’RE FULLY VACCINATED AND
ESPECIALLY BOOSTED YOU’RE GOING
TO HAVE MORE PROTECTION AGAINST
THIS VARIANT.
IF YOU’RE NOT YET BOOSTED AND
CERTAINLY IF YOU’RE NOT
VACCINATED YET, YOU NEED TO GET
THE SHOT.
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MORE
URGENT TIME.
OTHER THAN THAT, I WOULD NOT DO
ANYTHING MEANINGFULLY DIFFERENT.
WE JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE AND
UNFORTUNATELY WE CAN’T GO ANY
FASTER.
BUT I THINK WE’LL HAVE DATA IN
THE NEXT WEEK OR SO AND
CERTAINLY WELL BEFORE THE
HOLIDAYS REALLY KICK IN.
I WOULDN’T MAKE ANY MAJOR
CHANGES TO PLANS.
I WOULD JUST WAIT AND MAKE SURE
YOU’RE VACCINATED AND EVERYBODY
AROUND YOU IS VACCINATED.
>> DR. JHA, YOU ALWAYS MAKE US