Tony's Diary Package — page 631

-- 28,000,000/503,600 iid.nih.gov> 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: From: Panetta Institute <info@panettainstitute.org> Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2021 8:15 PM To: Conrad, Patricia (NIH/NIAID) [E] <conradpa@niaid.nih.gov> Subject: From Leon E. Panetta to Anthony Fauci