Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Global USA 11:00 AM call with Azar regarding the role of ACIP in the recommendation for the prioritization of the distribution of vaccine starting in December. Azar feels (with advice from Bob Charrow) that ACIP has no statuary authority of being involved in the process. Azar wants to act early to without ACIP involvement get vaccine to both HCWs and nursing home and other vulnerables (aged). This would require using all of the first supply as the prime (and not withholding half the doses for the boost), thus allowing us to vaccinate more of the high priority group and depend on the integrity of the supply chain to supply the booster doses. His intent is good, but I point out that this would be a PR disaster since we have been saying all along that an independent body (ACIP) would be very much involved in these recommendations. It would be interpreted as sidestepping a established process by political influence. My argument turns the tide to get ACIP involved with us from the beginning. They may agree with us (which is great) or they may not whereby we can say we included them in the process, but we do not accept their recommendation Ron Klain texted me last night after midnight. I was asleep. He sent me video of Joe and Jill giving Thanksgiving message to be careful over Thanksgiving. I will speak with Ron Today. Ron just texted me and said that they decided on Rochelle Walensky for CDC director on my recommendation!! PRESS: Good Morning America (ABC) with George Stephanopoulos; C-SPAN Washington Journal; WINS Radio (NYC); WGN TV (Chicago); Byron Allen and GRIO, an African-American online TV interview; Huffington Post (Jeff Young) – writing a piece on “A Day in the Life of Dr. Fauci”; McClatchy (Mike Wilner) print interview on vaccines; Kaiser News Interview (Lauren Weber); Interview with Scientific American (Charles Schmidt);

/ 8:44 PM Fauci, Harris top 'Time' 2020 Person of the Year nominees