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Vice President Mike Pence Receives First Dose of Coronavirus Vaccine; Vice President Mike Pence Speaks about Combatting Coronavirus Spread in U.S; Vice President Mike Pence, Surgeon General Get Vaccinated. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired December 18, 2020 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This is something that's good for all of us to see. Obviously, scientists say that the vast majority of Americans need to get vaccinated in order to crush the virus.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: And we need to crush that virus because this important moment comes as the U.S. just suffered its third deadliest day of the pandemic. Hospitalizations hitting yet another record high. And just looking at California, that state struggling with a crippling surge. The mayor of Los Angeles warning about a systemwide crisis as ICU capacity in the county falls to zero percent.

BERMAN: Joining us now, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins. We're about two minutes away from Vice President Pence getting the vaccine. So Sanjay, very quickly, what will he go through that you just went through?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's going to feel, I think, pretty mundane for him. I have got to tell you, I've gotten a lot of shots, we probably all have throughout our lives. But there was a lot of anticipation around this, I think, for obvious reasons. So I didn't quite know what to expect, but I think it's going to be sort of a very comfortable sort of thing. It didn't hurt at all. It's a small needle. I just was actually looking at the size of the needle. It's a little smaller than even one they use for the flu shot.

So I think it's going to be a very quick moment for the vice president and the surgeon general and Mrs. Pence. I don't think they will be monitored for 15 minutes afterwards just to make sure there's no allergic reactions, which are occurring but very rare. But that's about it. It's this juxtaposition, just all the -- all the amazing science leading to this very simple act, just a shot in the arm.

BERMAN: All right, here they come, they're walking into the room right now. Dr. Fauci is in the room as well. The people administering the shot from Walter Reed Hospital. Let's watch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Backstage we have confirmed that you are not feeling any symptoms of COVID-19 this morning and have read all educational materials pertaining to this vaccine. Before, I have a couple questions for you. Have you ever had a serious reaction to any previous vaccines?

MIKE PENCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And are you taking any blood thinners or have any blood disorders?

PENCE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you pregnant or breast-feeding?

PENCE: No.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are any of you immunocompromised or on immunosuppressant?

PENCE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Good to go good to go.

PENCE: That's great. Great job. Great job.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So before you guys leave today you will be getting a shot record proving that you received the vaccine from us today. and this vaccine is a two-dose series, so that means you'll need to come back in 21 days for the second one. Again, with any vaccine you could have a pretty sore arm at the injection site, maybe some redness, but if anything else happens, make sure to contact a medical provider or go seek medical care, OK?

PENCE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

[08:05:12]

PENCE: Well, good morning and thank you all for being here. I want to thank my wonderful wife, our second lady, Karen Pence, the surgeon general, and Dr. Tony Fauci, and members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force who are joining us here today. I especially want to thank the fine medical team at Walter Reed Hospital that administered our vaccine today. I didn't feel a thing. Well done. And we appreciate your service to the country.

As the Christmas holiday approaches, this is always a season of hope. We gather here today at the end of a historic week to affirm to the American people that hope is on the way. And Karen and I were more than happy to step forward before this week was out to take this safe and effective coronavirus vaccine that we have secured and produced for the American people. It's truly an inspiring day.

As the people of this country witnessed this past week under Operation Warp Speed, the first coronavirus vaccine is literally being administered in states across the country to millions of Americans. Make no mistake about it, it's a medical miracle. The average vaccine I'm told by our experts usually takes between eight and 12 years to develop and then manufacture and distribute, but we're on track here in the United States to administer millions of doses to the American people in less than one year. It is a miracle indeed.

And I also believe that history will record that this week was the beginning of the end of the coronavirus pandemic. But with cases rising across the country, hospitalizations rising across the country, we have a ways to go. And I want to assure the American people that we're going to continue to make sure that our health care providers have all the support and resources they need to meet this moment.

But vigilance and the vaccine is our way through, and building confidence in the vaccine is what brings us here this morning. Ever since I was asked by President Trump to lead the White House Coronavirus Task Force, I have been inspired by the diligence and energy of our researchers in this country. Early on the president brought some of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world together in the cabinet room and said that we needed medicines, we needed therapeutics, and we needed vaccines, and we needed them in record time. I watched the historic pace with which the dedicated men and women at the FDA worked.

But today Karen and I wanted to step forward and take this vaccine to assure the American people that while we cut red tape, we cut no corners. And thanks to Operation Warp Speed, thanks to incredible research companies, thanks to the great work at the National Institute of Health and the great and careful work of the FDA and the leadership of our president in Operation Warp Speed, the American people can be confident. We have one and perhaps within hours two safe and effective coronavirus vaccines for you and for your family.

And now we are in the process of distributing millions of doses of a safe and effective vaccine all across the country. Working closely with our nation's governors, we have already seen the vaccine delivered to health care workers and seniors across the nation. This week 2.9 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been allocated and next week 2 million more doses will be distributed across America. And as you all know, yesterday the FDA advisory panel recommended approval of the Moderna vaccine, and when it is approved, we expect later today we'll be in a position to ship 5.9 million doses of vaccines all across the country next week. In fact, under Operation Warp Speed we are poised to have vaccine for 20 million Americans before the end of December. It is truly a medical miracle and an inspiration to people across this country.

It is a tribute as well to the dedication of all of those working at the federal level and the state level who have implemented this project. From early on President Trump gave the White House Coronavirus Task Force one mission, and that was to save lives. And in the midst of one of the most challenging years in the life of this nation, I truly do believe that despite the heartbreak and hardship that we have endured as a nation, that we have done just that.

[08:10:08]

Working with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force these last 10 months we've scaled testing, now we're doing nearly 2 million tests a day, have performed more than 200 million coronavirus tests across America, and the FDA just approved the first over the counter coronavirus test for at-home testing for the American people. Working with a great team at FEMA and with the Department of Defense we identified and distributed literally billions of medical supplies to our doctors and nurses and hospitals, and we'll continue to ensure that all of our caregivers in this country have the resources and the support they need to continue to meet this moment.

We saw to the development of therapeutics, remdesivir, monoclonal antibodies, the good use of steroids, and other methods that have literally saved lives across the country. And as we gather here today and as we celebrate this week, we secured a safe and effective vaccine that's being distributed all across America.

I would be remiss if I didn't take this moment at the end of this challenging year simply to say thanks to the men and women who served on the White House Coronavirus Task Force. You will hear from several of them in just a few moments, but let me give credit where credit is due. I want to thank Dr. Tony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx. I want to thank Dr. Robert Redfield and all the great men and women at the CDC. I want to thank Secretary Alex Azar of HHS and Seema Verma at the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services.

And I also want to thank the great team at FEMA that has stood up the greatest national mobilization since World War II. Pete Gaynor, General Sanford, and all of those who have worked to make sure that the American people and our health care workers have the supplies they need has made an extraordinary difference in the life of the nation. I'm also grateful for the steady hand and leadership of Dr. Ben Carson, who has been with us every step of the way.

I know I speak for every American when I say, and I speak for our president when I say thank you for your service in this year, and in the days to come.

The truth is the American people deserve to know that we've never been more prepared to combat the coronavirus than we are today, and even while we see cases rising and hospitalizations rising and heartbreaking losses, we will continue to marshal the resources that we have secured as a nation, including a safe and effective vaccine to meet this moment.

But that being said, it's important that every American remember that all of us have a role to play. The way through this challenging time is vigilance and a vaccine. The day will come when we put the coronavirus in the past, but it will be a combination of all the efforts that I just described, a vaccine that is safe and effective for the American people, but also the ongoing vigilance of every American.

So as we -- as we reach this extraordinary and historic moment in the life of our nation, let me urge every American to continue to do your part with the health of your family, your neighbors, and your community first. Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing or wear a mask whenever it's indicated, or whenever you are unable to practice distance. And listen to your local authorities.

As President Trump often says, we are rounding the corner. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is the light of American innovation and creativity. It is the light of lifesaving medicines and a safe and effective vaccine. After a year of heartbreak and hardship the American people can be encouraged.

And Karen and I hope this step today will be a source of confidence and of comfort to the American people, that thanks to all the men and women who have operated under Operation Warp Speed, that we have a safe and effective vaccine, and that these days of hardship and heartbreak will in a day not too far in the distance, will be put in the past.

So with gratitude for the American ingenuity of our research companies, with gratitude for the incredible health care workers who have met this moment and continue to meet this moment in the life of the nation, with gratitude for all the officials at the federal and state level, and gratitude to our president for his vision with Operation Warp Speed, I'm confident that we will get through this, we will get through this together, and we will heal our land.

So thank you all very much.

(APPLAUSE)

[08:15:15]

DR. JEROME ADAMS, MD, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Well, good morning, everyone.

Thank you, Vice President Pence, for your leadership of the Coronavirus Task Force.

And to the task force members here today, Administrator Verma, Administrator Gaynor, General Sanford, Dr. Redfield, my buddy, Ben Carson, and one of my mentors, Dr. Fauci, thank you so much for the work that you have all done.

It's been a marathon. And the last couple miles of a marathon as the vice president says are always the hardest, but by golly, the finish line is in sight. So we've just got to keep on running, the American people we need you to keep on running, we're going to get there.

We have our research community as well as the tens of thousands of study participants across the country to thank for showing us that there is a light at the end of this tunnel and I have to acknowledge the many people of color represented among the researchers who developed the vaccine.

Shout out to Dr. Corbett at NIH, an African-American female who helped develop these vaccines.

Thanks to the scientists and doctors who reviewed it, particularly those of color and the study participants who bravely involved to demonstrate its safety and efficacy and Dr. Fauci and I have been working for months to make sure the trials are representative of the population so that everyone can feel safe getting this vaccine.

Professionally and personally, to everyone who has made this day possible, thank you with all of my heart.

As a practicing anesthesiologist at Walter Reed Hospital and frequently deployed member of the U.S. Public Health Service Commission Corps who has helped stand up multiple COVID-19 testing sites and an individual with asthma and high blood pressure, I am acutely aware of my own increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and the comorbidities that increase my risk of complications.

And as the U.S. surgeon general and a black man, I am equally aware of the symbolic significance of my vaccination today. As I've discussed with faith leaders as recently as last night, the creation of these vaccines is a gift from above, but vaccines even ones that are 95 percent effective will not alone end this pandemic. We must now do the necessary work to go from vaccines to vaccinations.

It would truly be the greatest tragedy of all if disparities in COVID outcomes actually worsened because the people who could most benefit from this vaccine can't get it or won't take it. Working to combat mistrust and misinformation will be critical if we are to ensure the equitable protection of all Americans against COVID-19. Lack of trust, especially in communities of color, is not without good reason. The shameful Tuskegee experiments occurred within many of our lifetimes.

To truly promote confidence in these vaccines, we must start by acknowledging this history of mistreatment and exploitation of minorities by the medical community and the government, but then we need to explain and demonstrate all that has been done to correct and address these wrongs. The many protections and safeguards in place like the Office of Human Research Protections, independent institutional review boards, data and safety monitoring boards, the FDA VRBPAC and the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. These are all there to make sure tragedies like the Tuskegee syphilis experiments or the exploitation of Henrietta Lacks never ever happen again.

And finally, we've got to engage trusted voices, medical organizations like the National Medical Association and the National Hispanic Medical Association, faith leaders and minority gatekeepers like the historically black colleges and universities, the Divine Nine, tribal leaders and the National Conference of Hispanic State Legislators, all of whom I have spoken with frequently and as recently as this week. Because when these gatekeepers are informed and confident, their communities will be informed and confident.

I want to close by saying I know the importance of representation. Many of you have heard me tell the story I never believed I could be a doctor, much less the surgeon general of the United States because I had never met another black doctor, even though I had straight A's. The first doctor I met of color was Dr. Ben Carson when I was in college. It took me that long to believe that I could be it because it took me that long to see it.

And that's why I could not be more pleased or feel more called to receive this vaccine and that so many people of color had a hand in developing and testing, and that has the potential to correct at least some of the health disparities this pandemic has unveiled.

[08:20:13]

And finally, to all the people of this great nation, it is not only okay to have questions about a treatment that you're being offered, it's normal. And I want you to understand that.

But what is not normal is to let misinformation or mistrust cause you to make a decision that is bad for your health. So I promise I will keep working, I'll keep working day and night to make sure you get your questions answered and to restore your trust. I got the facts and I made a choice to protect my health.

When it's your turn, I need you to be informed and I need you to make a choice that's going to be appropriate for your health.

Thank you so much, and I will turn things over now to Dr. Fauci.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Thank you very much, Jerome. Mr. Vice president, second lady, Madam Pence, Jerome, thank you.

I really feel extraordinarily privileged and honored to be with you here today to make a few comments about the most extraordinary undertaking that you see here today culminating in something that is an actionable intervention that will get us out of the extraordinary experience that we have had over the last year.

As I was sitting here listening to the remarks of Vice President Pence and Jerome, I was looking over at Bob Redfield and recalling that it was about a year plus a few weeks that Bob called me up one evening at home and told me, I think we have a problem, I'm getting information from my sources in China that there is something very unusual going on there and I'm very concerned about it.

Literally, a week and a half later, the effort that led to where we are today to see the vice president of the United States and the surgeon general get vaccinated with a safe and effective vaccine, literally a few days after that the work began to develop the vaccine.

And what we saw was the marriage between years of fundamental, basic and clinical research that led to the extraordinary technology that have allowed us -- and when I say "us" I mean the medical community, so many people from so many different agencies in academia, in government and in industry, to do something that is truly unprecedented.

So we started literally days after that phone call that I had with Bob and over a period of months as opposed to years, we saw the development in record time of a vaccine that is shown to be safe and effective.

We want virtually everyone every eligible to get this vaccine ultimately. Two questions get asked when people have hesitancy or reluctance to get vaccinated. Did you go too quickly is the first. The answer to that is the speed was a reflection of extraordinary scientific advances and did not compromise safety, nor did it compromise scientific integrity.

The next question is, okay, but what about the fact is it really safe and is it really effective? Or is this something the government is trying to put over on us? Is this something that companies want to take advantage of?

Well, let's take a look at what's happened over the past few months. We've had clinical trials and thanks to the volunteers in that trial in tens of thousands who have put themselves on the line to prove to the country and the world that these are safe and effective products. The decision as to whether or not it's safe and effective was not in the hands of the company, nor was it in the hands of the administration. It was in the hands of independent body of individuals, scientists, vaccinologists, ethicists, statisticians, to examine the data independently and say it is ready to look at for approval, at which point the company submits it to the FDA and together with the advisory committee of the FDA make the decision it is now ready to go.

So the process was independent and totally transparent which brings us to where we are today. This important symbolic vaccination of the vice president of the United States and the surgeon general of the United States, which is something we want to be symbolic to tell the rest of the country the time is now to step to the plate and when your time comes to get vaccinated -- because when we are speaking to you here today, I often say it is really bittersweet.

[08:25:07]

The bitterness is the fact of what the vice president mentioned. We still are in the middle of a very difficult situation with record numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. But the sweetness is the light at the end of the tunnel, which I can tell you as we get into January, February, March and April, that light is going to get brighter and brighter, and the bitterness is going to be replaced by the sweetness.

And we all hope, and I think this is doable, that by the time we get to several months into this year we will have enough people protected that we can start thinking seriously about the return to normality, and that's up to all of us to step forward and get vaccinated.

Thank you.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We just saw the vice president of the United States, Mike Pence, his wife Karen Pence, and the surgeon general of the United States, Jerome Adams, receive the first dose, their first dose, of the coronavirus vaccine. A remarkable moment, a very specific moment, and Sanjay Gupta who is back with us, a very intentional moment.

This was, as the vice president said, an effort to build confidence in the vaccine. Explain what we just saw and why. DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, no, I think,

you know, to sort of hear the entire history of this vaccine and understand that it's gone through this remarkable development process that's happened at a really fast speed obviously, and then to see the fact that we've heard that it's safe and effective but then to also hear that it is trusted I think is really the key message here today.

To see the vice president obviously, Mrs. Pence, the surgeon general and then to hear Dr. Fauci's comments about this, to reflect on, it was just a year ago that we started to hear about this unusual cluster of pneumonia cases in China and that trajectory, that arc over this past year, pretty remarkable.

There's still a lot of vaccine hesitancy. I mean, that is the -- that is the most immediate issue, I think, with the vaccine. We have one that's authorized or likely to have another one that's authorized today, but if people don't take them, that's obviously the problem.

I think, you know, look, it's going to be tough to measure the impact of these sorts of moments, but I do think it goes away, goes a distance in terms of actually starting to convince people. Maybe it's just -- it was just easy. I had it done, it was just an easy thing, so to the extent that people think it's going to be something that's challenging or painful, it wasn't. The idea that it's trusted by someone like me, by the vice president, by obviously Dr. Fauci, looked at the data, made those determinations. It wasn't just something that felt like a gut instinct, it was really based on lots of analysis and thought over the past year.

So, you know, John, we'll see how much of a difference it makes, but I think it does make a difference.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: And, Sanjay, just to pick up on that quickly, too, what I thought was remarkable from Dr. Adams, the surgeon general, we heard him really drill down on I want to emphasize especially the people of color no worked on this vaccine. I understand the reticence specifically within the black community and I'm here to tell you here is why it's a good idea. That moment should not be lost, Sanjay.

GUPTA: No, it really shouldn't. I mean, I think Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice who got the vaccine with me sort of made these same points, that every step of the way.

Dr. Adams was talking about Dr. Corbett who is one of the scientists who worked on this vaccine. She is a 34-year-old African-American woman, black woman, who I have interviewed a few times. She was very involved from the very beginning, the development of this vaccine.

Data scientists who have been evaluating this data coming in from Pfizer and now Moderna, there was black American representation on those committees. Within the trials themselves, you know, Dr. Rice is a data scientist in addition to being an obstetrician and she was looking at the participation of people in these trials. There's -- you know, it shouldn't be minimized the history that has occurred in this country with regard to what I referred to as experimentation, I think many people would, with black Americans through many trials, not just Tuskegee.

But the idea that this trial was different because it did have adequate representation and they spent time actually making sure that people who were most affected by this disease were also recruited into these trials. There is a lot that went into this, into this moment, and hopefully, again, this hesitancy will be addressed because we are seeing it not just among the general population, but even among some health care workers.

So as people start to understand the data, they see people like the vice president, the surgeon general, Mrs. Pence, Dr. Rice getting this vaccine, I think it makes a huge difference. I'd like to believe it makes.