Thursday, February 4, 2021

Global – 104,000,000/2,3200,000; USA – 26,400,000/449,000 Discussions last night and prior evenings regarding the use of the excess J & J vaccine of clinical trial grade. Move to donate this to RSA to vaccinate their HCWs. RSA has been pleading with the USA to help them get vaccines since they are being ravaged by the B.1.351 variant. Phone call last night with David Kessler, Beth Cameron/Hilary Marston (NSC), me and Cliff Lane to figure out a mechanism to get this to them since it is only clinical trial grade. And we want to avoid the optics that we are either a) giving away vaccine meant for USA to RSA or b) we are “experimenting” on black Africans. • Gave one of several plenary addresses at a Brookings -Tsinghua University Roundtable of US-China Collaboration on COVID-19. Chinese Speakers included Zhong Nanshan, Wang Chen, Gao Fu Had nice conversation with the MLB Players Association with Tony Clark (Exec Director), Bruce Meyer (Senior Director, Collective Bargaining and Legal), Ian Penny (General Counsel), Kevin Slowey (Director Player Services), Matthew Nessbaum (Deputy General Counsel), Robert Lenaghan (Assistant General Counsel) and Max Scherzer (member, Exec. Comm.). They asked great questions about vaccines. I emphasized that I did not want to get in the middle of a dispute between MLB and players regarding when to start the season. They understood perfectly. I had some nice back and forth with Max Scherzer. PRESS: BBC Radio with Tim Harford; NBC TV Boston – LaToya Edwards; MSNBC with Ari Melber; NBC TV “off the record” discussion with the entire NBC TV team; CNN with Chris Cuomo.