Feb 24, 2021

In context

A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.

1. 2021-02-24 00:00 Anthony S. Fauci open
   February 24, 2021 - Global - 111,800,000/2,500,000; USA - 28,100,000/501,200 The PBS team is here today filming their documentary. Received the 2021 Larry Foster Award for Integrity in Public Communication from the Arthur W. Page Center (Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications of Pennsylvania State University PRESS: -- 28,000,000/503,600 iid.nih.gov>
2. 2021-02-24 00:00 Anthony S. Fauci open
   Feb. 24, 2021 at 9:36 p.m. UTC
3. 2021-02-24 00:00 Anthony S. Fauci open
   Feb 24, 2021
4. 2021-02-24 00:00 Anthony S. Fauci open
   Feb 24, 2021
5. 2021-02-24 00:00 Anthony S. Fauci
   Feb 24, 2021
6. 2021-02-24 00:00 Anthony S. Fauci open
   Feb 24, 2021
7. 2021-02-25 00:00 Anthony S. Fauci open
   February 25, 2021 - Global - 112,200,000/2,500,000 USA - 28,000,000/503,600 Cases continue to come down, but yesterday was 1st day that cases actually started to back up a little. Could be artifact. Variants gaining much attention. The B1.427/429 in California is spreading in CA and seems to be somewhat more transmissible. The new B.1. 526 in NYC is also troublesome and spreading. Issue with J & J. VRBPAC will meet on Feb. 26 (tomorrow). Big Day at the White House - Met with POTUS and VPOTUS in the Oval office for our weekly briefing on COVID. In Oval with us was Jeff Z, Natalie Q; on screen weas Rochelle and Marcella. I presented the options for the upcoming ruling on J & J for EUA. Data on >60 WITH comorbidities doers not look good. Overall USA efficacy 72%. I also described the Moderna efforts to do with NIAID Phase 1 trials with a boost to previously vaccinated and prime/boost for previously not vaccinated people using the B.1.531 (South African variant). Then went with the POTUS and VPOTUS to South Court auditorium to watch NIH OMS nurse Elizabeth Galloway administer mRNA (Moderna) to 4 volunteers to celebrate before a packed press the 50 millionth vaccine within 37 days of Biden Presidency Then went to do PSAs with the White House digital Comms team. They all wanted selfies with me. Had 5:00PM call with Janet Woodcock, Francis Collins, John Mascola, Cliff lane, Peter Marks, and we decided that it would be best to recommend and EUA for people younger that 60 years old because the >60 years with co-morbidities had only a 42% efficacy. Had 6:30 PM talk led by Bechara Choucar and including me, Rochelle and Marcella at the request of Jeff Z to discuss what two vaccinated people can do together. We were getting criticism that we were not using common sense to tell people that they can now relax a bit and enjoy each other. Example I give in being able to hug Jenny now that we are both vaccinated. Th right wing crazies at FOX have been criticizing me for not recommending loosening up. I have true to not get ahead of the CDC sine I feel stringy that two vaccinated people can act together like there is no outbreak. However, in society, this would be different. My point is that the risk is very small and each person should evaluate the level of risk they are willing to take to start getting back to normal. I will give my professional judgment while we are waiting for the CDC to come out with some guidance. I will be on all the Sunday Shows this weekend and this is what I will say. Rochelle agrees and says that the CDC will be coming out with some professional judgment guidelines soon. E-mail from Leon Panetta:
8. 2021-02-26 00:00 Anthony S. Fauci open
   February 26, 2021 - Global - 112,600,000/2,500,000; USA - 28,200,000/506,800 Cases continue to fall however we're paying considerable attention to the possibility of surges associated with the variants. Of note, Pfizer is planning to do a boost at about six months in order to increase the level of neutralizing antibodies that could cover indirectly the variants. OK put together a zoom meeting for me to talk to members of the RED organization to discuss the global aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were people from all over the world whom I did not recognize but several of them were apparently famous artists and entertainers. One of them was Larry Gagosian who is a very famous art dealer. The tone of the discussion and the questions was the importance of a global response to a global pandemic. In this regard I stressed, and they totally resonated with me, the importance of making vaccine available to the entire world since an outbreak in any part of the world is threatening to every part of the world. There was some nice warm interchange between Bono and I at the beginning of the discussion and throughout. He mentioned that his son has started a rock band and since his son has asthma they called the band the inhalers. Unfortunate and sad situation - Received a call from Tony DiNovi, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Regis High School, that Father Dan LaHart has been removed indefinitely from the Presidency of Regis High School. Apparently, he was involved in sexual impropriety with adult male members of the Regis community. There is also an issue of alcohol abuse. He is currently secluded in a treatment center. Tony called me because the story will likely be in the New York -- 28,300,000/509,000 Times on Monday and the press might be calling me since it is widely known that I am strongly connected with Regis PRESS: We had the usual White House press conference on the Monday , Wednesday, Friday schedule; CBS 60 Minutes PLUS (taped); MSNBC Town Hall with Joy Reid.
9. 2021-02-27 00:00 Anthony S. Fauci open
   February 27, 2021 - Global - 113,200,000/2,500,000; USA - 28,300,000/509,000 Had good conversation with Ashish Jha. He is a good guy and he wants to understand much better why I am insisting on a single dose of the vaccine rather than adhering to what others are suggesting about giving all one doses and then worrying about the second dose three months later in order to protect as many vulnerable people as one can. I explained to him our strategy that the major concern is the evolution of mutations (variants) that would not be covered by a less than optimal level of neutralizing antibody. We know that when we look at the in vitro data the variants diminish the efficacy of the vaccine-induced antibodies; however, the high levels of antibodies induced by the 2nd dose give some degree of protection (cushion) even against the mutants. Therefore. we are concerned that if we only give first doses and we wait three months or more to give the second dose that variants may dominate and infect the suboptimally protected people. In addition, a suboptimum level of response could actually select for mutants. In addition, there was no reason why we cannot dramatically increase the administration of doses together with the markedly increased availability of vaccine such that we can have our cake and eat it, namely, we can give a lot more first doses at the same time as we keep up with the second doses. We really need the CDC or another organization to model that. I will explain this all to Ron Klain on Sunday. I had an important conversation today led by Janet Woodcock and Peter Marks of the FDA about the J & J EUA. Also on the call were Francis Collins, Cliff Lane, and Rochelle Walensky.The subject matter was that their advisory committee (VRBAP) for consideration for an EUA for the J & J product (Ad26). The committee unanimously and strongly recommended an unqualified EUA even though the data for elderly individuals older than 60 years old with comorbidities was 42%. However, there were not enough data points to be able to make a definitive statement that there is a significant diminution of efficacy in that subgroup. Janet and Peter are very concerned since they wanted the recommendation to be that the EUA would involve people younger than 60 years old. Apparently, the AC IP will go along with that recommendation. Rochelle and I in our conversation with Jeff Zients had decided that when asked by the press we would say that this is an excellent vaccine equivalent to the other two. It might become problematic if the press focuses on that group older than 60 years old with comorbidities. The fact is that the numbers are so low that you cannot say anything about the subgroup analysis. Janet and Peter will face the press tonight. We help them to get a consistent message with ours. This is critical since I will be on four of the Sunday talk shows tomorrow. Throughout the late afternoon I was on several calls with Jeff Z who kept on checking with Ron Klain regarding what the right approach would be when asked on TV about what people who had both doses of vaccine could do with each other such as having a dinner with )00; USA - 28,400,000/5 10,800 the shows and said that I was fabulous. family and a few guests all of whom were vaccinated. Ron was quite concerned that I not go too far out on a limb and say that vaccinated people can safely interact with unvaccinated people in a household setting. Ron was also concerned about the issue a vaccinated people interacting with unvaccinated children. Finally after many calls going back and forth between me and Jeff and then between Jeff and Ron and back to me again we decided to have a 3 way call among Jeff, Ron, and me. We worked it out such that I will say that I am comfortable with adults in a small gathering within the home not wearing masks as long as everyone was vaccinated. Importantly, I would stay that the CDC would be coming out with recommendations in the next couple of weeks. PRESS: On Saturday Night Live played by Kate McKinnon: Pop Culture SNL dreams up a Fauci-hosted game show where contestants vie for the vaccine Travis M. Andrews

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