Anthony Stephen Fauci, Andrew M. Slavitt, and Rochelle Paula Walensky

“ I’m wondering if you could comment on what you see going forward, if we continue vaccinating the most high risk and elderly, with regard to the death rates versus the case rates. Are we going to see much lower death rate overall with continuing, you know, relatively high case numbers? And does that communicate your message about vaccination if the death rates decline? Assuming that’s a great thing, of course, but I wonder what kind of world we’re going to see going forward with more — as more people get the vaccine. ”

“ If you could imagine vaccination levels among younger people eventually getting too close to the levels where we are with seniors, would you imagine that having a impact on the number of cases we’re seeing? DR. WALENSKY: I imagine it would be having a massive impact. I think what we’ve seen demographically is when we vaccinate large age strata — large age demographics — that we see less cases in those — in those demographics. So that is just more and more — makes it more and more important that when the vaccine is available, regardless of your age, you roll up your sleeve. ”

“ In terms of protecting the most vulnerable — our core duty as a nation — when we came into office, 8 percent of people over 65 were vaccinated. Today, 60 percent are vaccinated. And according to the CDC’s new guidance, vaccinated parents can now visit and hug their grandchildren — and, in most circumstances, without wearing a mask.
This is an accomplishment every American going through the difficult process of waiting for the vaccine can take pride in. And as more people get vaccinated, more people will become eligible. ”

“ Whether mandated or not, as individuals and as communities, we can still take the right public health action to protect ourselves and others: wearing a well-fitting mask, avoiding travel in crowds, social distancing, and practicing good hand hygiene. Now more than ever, we must do all we can to stop the spread of the virus.
As I said on Monday, we now have a third safe and highly effective vaccine, following the emergency use authorization by the FDA and the recommendations for use by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ASIP [ACIP] , of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. ”

“ Schools that are already open should continue to provide in-person instruction, as long as cases are low and they strictly use mitigation measures to keep them low.
I hope these findings serve as a catalyst to each of us to continue to do our part to drive down the number of cases and reduce the spread of COVID-19. I know this is not easy, and so many of us are frustrated with the disruption the pandemic has had on our lives and our children’s education. But working together as a nation, we can turn the tide. ”

“ So on the final slide — next slide — getting back to what I said in the beginning, we are seeing now immune protection against COVID-19 variants when individuals are vaccinated against the wild-type strain on two mechanisms: the antibody response that has a spillover effect, as well as the cross-reactivity.
The bottom-line message to everyone is: Why it’s so important to get vaccinated? Because vaccination is not only going to protect us against the wild type, but it has the potential, to a greater or lesser degree, to also protect against a range of variants. ”