WEBVTT - Businessweek Extra- Chris Beyrer

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<v Speaker 1>This is Bloomberg Business Week from Bloomberg Radio. Hi, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Carol Masser and I'm Tim Stanivak. Welcome to the Bloomberg

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<v Speaker 1>Business Week Extra. It's our weekly podcast, and this is

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<v Speaker 1>where we highlight one of our favorite interviews, one of

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<v Speaker 1>the important interviews of the week, or just one of

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<v Speaker 1>those interviews that it's a topic that everyone has to

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<v Speaker 1>stay on top of. And one of those topics, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>is everything that is happening with COVID nineteen and the coronavirus.

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<v Speaker 1>And this week, we unfortunately saw more surges in COVID

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen cases and deaths. We hit another daily death record.

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<v Speaker 1>A voice to help talk us through it all is

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<v Speaker 1>Dr Chris Buyer, Professor in Public Health and Human Rights

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<v Speaker 1>at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. We're

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<v Speaker 1>still seeing rising cases and of course a tumultuous day

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<v Speaker 1>for our country, but also a record for COVID deaths

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<v Speaker 1>in the country. Um and we are expecting still as

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<v Speaker 1>as we had predicted, the post holiday season surge to continue.

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<v Speaker 1>We're in this very very challenging moment where we do

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<v Speaker 1>have a way forward, and that of course is the

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<v Speaker 1>COVID vaccines that have emergency use authorization now, but we're

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<v Speaker 1>not going to be able to immunize enough people to

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<v Speaker 1>start to really blunt this curve. And the next few

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<v Speaker 1>weeks and probably well into February are going to be

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<v Speaker 1>enormously challenging. You say, we're not going to be able

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<v Speaker 1>to You say, your doctor, we're not gonna be able

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<v Speaker 1>to immunize enough people. Do you mean in the next

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<v Speaker 1>few weeks do you mean this year? I mean to

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<v Speaker 1>blunt this current enormous way. So how will we see

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<v Speaker 1>this wave go down? Well, first of all, I think

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<v Speaker 1>we have to stick to the basics, right Um, we

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<v Speaker 1>have to really continue with mass wearing, with social distancing,

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<v Speaker 1>with handwashing. As hard as it is to say, vigilant

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<v Speaker 1>people are going to have to try and do that.

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<v Speaker 1>We do need to ramp up both manufacture and distribution

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<v Speaker 1>of the two approved vaccines we have, and of course

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<v Speaker 1>we have more vaccines in the pipeline. But as I'm

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<v Speaker 1>sure you know, we we've really had a slow start

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<v Speaker 1>to the immunization programs and a number of the states

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<v Speaker 1>really faced challenges. Yeah, the bottleneck is not in the

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<v Speaker 1>manufacturing of these right now. The bottleneck is in the

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<v Speaker 1>distribution we have a Bloomberg vaccine tracker, and it shows

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<v Speaker 1>that a very small portion, relatively number of vaccines that

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<v Speaker 1>have been distributed have actually been shot into the arms

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<v Speaker 1>of people. That's right too, That's absolutely right, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>it's it's an enormous tragedy really, So Dr Byro. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>this is interesting because we've talked about this a lot

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<v Speaker 1>at home to about you know, we saw this with

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<v Speaker 1>the November election. We had sports teams, you know, step

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<v Speaker 1>up and say, you know what, use our stadiums used

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<v Speaker 1>so that we can bring people in get the vote out.

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<v Speaker 1>Have you know, more polling places. I'm hearing conversations about that,

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<v Speaker 1>are already actions about that of taking some of these

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<v Speaker 1>giant places and setting them up as vaccine sites. Is

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<v Speaker 1>that what we need to kind of really get it

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<v Speaker 1>out into the system. And at the same time that

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<v Speaker 1>makes me a little nervous about large groups of people

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<v Speaker 1>that might have COVID going out there for the vaccine

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<v Speaker 1>and just got about fifty seconds and then we'll come

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<v Speaker 1>back and talk some more. Oh no, actually, I'm sorry,

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<v Speaker 1>we can keep going my bat Okay, Well, we really

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<v Speaker 1>need a coordinated effort um and of course we we

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<v Speaker 1>have an allocation strategy around healthcare workers, around the elderly,

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<v Speaker 1>in in UH congregate housing facilities, the staff of those facilities. UM.

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<v Speaker 1>But what we've seen, unfortunately, is that the vaccines are

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<v Speaker 1>moving to the states and out to places where people

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<v Speaker 1>can be immunized too slowly to unevenly. We've we've seen,

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<v Speaker 1>unfortunately the potential for vaccines to expire without being used.

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<v Speaker 1>That's a great loss. UH. And of course we have

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<v Speaker 1>to remember that with these two messenger RNA vaccines Maderna

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<v Speaker 1>and visor UH. Viser in particular has very challenging distribution

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<v Speaker 1>UH features because it has to be kept super cold.

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<v Speaker 1>The low minus eight. The MODERNA vaccine is a little

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<v Speaker 1>easier to use, but they're both challenging to use and

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<v Speaker 1>they really do require very careful management. UM and UH.

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<v Speaker 1>And of course, you know, what we have is not

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<v Speaker 1>a national strategy, but fifty different states strategies, and many

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<v Speaker 1>of the governors are going in their own way. You

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<v Speaker 1>saw that Florida may have the decision not to prioritize

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<v Speaker 1>healthcare workers and instead go with the elderly, but without

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<v Speaker 1>preparing so long lines and people waiting overnight. That's not

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<v Speaker 1>a national strategy. So my gut says, nothing's going to

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<v Speaker 1>change until we have a new administration. What are your

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<v Speaker 1>hopes that from day one Joe Biden and team do

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<v Speaker 1>in terms of getting this out to people. Well, the

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<v Speaker 1>incoming administration Biden Harris does have a national strategy on COVID.

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<v Speaker 1>It's been up on their website. They have articulated that

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<v Speaker 1>this is the principal priority. They're putting together a great team.

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<v Speaker 1>Dr Fauci, of course, is going to stay on as

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<v Speaker 1>a senior scientific advisor. The CDC director who's proposed for

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<v Speaker 1>Shell Willinsky, is an outstanding leader. Um, So I think

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<v Speaker 1>we're we're very optimistic that this is an administration that's

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<v Speaker 1>going to let the science lead and that is going

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<v Speaker 1>to try and have a national strategy. But they're inheriting

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<v Speaker 1>a rollout that's already underway and problematic, and I think

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<v Speaker 1>it's going to be really challenging to streamline this, to

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<v Speaker 1>make it coherent, uh and and to get it working.

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<v Speaker 1>The President elect is committed to a hundred million people

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<v Speaker 1>being vaccinated in the first hundred days. So that's not

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<v Speaker 1>a hundred million doses, that's a hundred million immunizations. About

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<v Speaker 1>fifty million people with these two dose vaccines. Well, it

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<v Speaker 1>was looking realistic when he made a campaign promise. With

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<v Speaker 1>the rollout right now, I think it's going to be

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<v Speaker 1>enormously challenge. When when do you feel like things start

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<v Speaker 1>to get normal, When do we start to be able

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<v Speaker 1>to kind of reopen life as we know it and

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<v Speaker 1>love it. We will have about fifty million vaccines available,

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<v Speaker 1>so enough for twenty million people by the end of

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<v Speaker 1>this month. February, March, and April are likely to still

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<v Speaker 1>be periods where we have more people who want to

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<v Speaker 1>be immunized than we have vaccines. What we're thinking is

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<v Speaker 1>that by June or July one we will have enough

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<v Speaker 1>vaccine for every American who wants one. Uh, and that

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<v Speaker 1>that is going to mean that really by the end

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<v Speaker 1>of the second quarter of one we should really be

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<v Speaker 1>seeing a change in life getting back to normal. We

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<v Speaker 1>have trials planned for the pediatric vaccines. Right now, we

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<v Speaker 1>only have one that's the the fisor vaccine that can

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<v Speaker 1>go down to age sixteen. But we also really need

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<v Speaker 1>to do that work and be sure that we have

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<v Speaker 1>vaccines for children and infants, for pregnant women, for lactating women.

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<v Speaker 1>So we still have some work to do, but but

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<v Speaker 1>the fall of one should look a lot different than

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<v Speaker 1>the spring dr buyer. One unfortunate element that we've seen

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<v Speaker 1>with the vaccine rollout has been skepticism of the American population.

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<v Speaker 1>Not everybody, but people who say, including healthcare workers, that

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<v Speaker 1>they don't want this vaccine. Have you received a vaccine yet?

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<v Speaker 1>I have not because I am a researcher and I

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<v Speaker 1>don't do direct patient care at Hopkins. We're we're not prioritized. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm I'm hopeful that that I'll be in one of

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<v Speaker 1>the next groups. Uh, and I'm expecting to get get

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<v Speaker 1>a vaccine probably in February. How do we fix the

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<v Speaker 1>messaging here? I think one thing that's very encouraging. You

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<v Speaker 1>may have seen there was a recent Kaiser Family Foundation

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<v Speaker 1>poll that showed that vaccine acceptability, at least in that

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<v Speaker 1>poll was up around That's better than it's been, so

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<v Speaker 1>we're going in the right direction. I think it's very

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<v Speaker 1>important for healthcare workers, for political leaders like Biden Harris,

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<v Speaker 1>who both have been publicly immunized, to step up and

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<v Speaker 1>and model the behavior that we want to see. We also,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm working in the COVID Vaccine Prevention Network we've had

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<v Speaker 1>a big faith based initiative to try and address these

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<v Speaker 1>issues for African Americans in particular, that community unfortunately seems

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<v Speaker 1>to have some of the highest rates of vaccine hesitancy

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<v Speaker 1>and skepticism. UH and UH, and we're working hard with,

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<v Speaker 1>for example, African American physicians and networks to try and

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<v Speaker 1>improve uh people's positive sense of the benefits of these vaccines.

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<v Speaker 1>They have very high efficacy ninety four and uh, they're

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<v Speaker 1>very safe as far as we can see so far.

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<v Speaker 1>We're following everybody in the trials who has been in

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<v Speaker 1>these vaccine trials for up to two years to look

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<v Speaker 1>at longer term safety. But UH, I think you know what,

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<v Speaker 1>what we're hopeful about is that as more and more

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<v Speaker 1>people get immunized, the folks who are saying right now,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not ready, uh, will will move towards getting immunized.

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<v Speaker 1>For most Americans, it's gonna be probably May or June

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<v Speaker 1>before they really can just decide if they want a vaccine.

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<v Speaker 1>So so the folks who are hesitant should wait and look.

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<v Speaker 1>But but yeah, that's we're seeing, you know. Well, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>it's interesting to say this and I hate to do this.

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<v Speaker 1>In like our last couple of minutes. But there is

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<v Speaker 1>a story on the Bloomberg. It's an opinion piece, but

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<v Speaker 1>it asked the question who's on the hook of vaccines

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<v Speaker 1>go wrong? And it's basically, you know, given the breakneck

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<v Speaker 1>pace of production, there are very few answers about what

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<v Speaker 1>manufacturers and governments are ultimately responsible for. God forbid something

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<v Speaker 1>should go wrong. And forgive me because I'm an optimist

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<v Speaker 1>and I believe in the science of this vaccine. But

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<v Speaker 1>as you said, you guys the medical community, well, we're

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<v Speaker 1>gonna be tracking people longer term to see if there

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<v Speaker 1>is any longer term impact because we still don't, to

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<v Speaker 1>be fair, to be honest, we still don't know. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>that's right, and we need We are accumulating safety data

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<v Speaker 1>from the people in the trials and the people who've

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<v Speaker 1>been immunized. Every day. We have a vaccine adverse Events

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<v Speaker 1>reporting system that the CDC is managing. Um. Certainly everybody

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<v Speaker 1>in the healthcare systems who are getting immunized are being

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<v Speaker 1>tracked through those health systems. Uh, and we need to

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<v Speaker 1>follow this very carefully. I think it's important to remember

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<v Speaker 1>that there are always some risks associated with any medication,

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<v Speaker 1>any vaccine, any biomedical intervention. We all know that writing

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<v Speaker 1>is zero risk, but the flip side of that is

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<v Speaker 1>the risk of getting COVID. Learning more and more about

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<v Speaker 1>this disease is that that you know this, this has

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<v Speaker 1>the potential to really kill you or alter your life.

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<v Speaker 1>That was Dr Chris Buyer, Professor in Public Health and

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<v Speaker 1>Human Rights at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public

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<v Speaker 1>Health and of course the Bloomberg School of Public Health,

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<v Speaker 1>supported by Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Up and

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Philanthropy. You've been listening to Bloomberg Business Week Extra,

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<v Speaker 1>be sure to listen to Bloomberg Business Week Radio, air

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<v Speaker 1>live Monday through Friday at two pm Wall Street Time

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<v Speaker 1>on Bloomberg Radio. I'm Carol Masser and I'm Tim Stenerberg.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Bloomberg