The next is a transcript of an interview with Dr. Scott Gottlieb that aired on Sunday, Dec. 18. 2022, on "Face the Nation."
MARGARET BRENNAN: One other factor People are watching intently: that surge of viruses inundating us this vacation season. Dr. Scott Gottlieb is a former FDA commissioner and a Pfizer board member and we welcome you again, Dr. Gottlieb.
SCOTT GOTTLIEB: Thanks quite a bit.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The White Home says that is the worst flu outbreak in a decade. RSV, COVID they're surging. 77% of ICU beds within the nation are at the moment full. How harmful are these subsequent few weeks?
GOTTLIEB: It will be a troublesome few weeks, we're proper within the thick of respiratory pathogen season. That is the worst in current reminiscence. It is being pushed largely by flu. This can be a historic 12 months for flu, in all probability the worst within the final decade, as you talked about. COVID is exacerbating that. We even have an epidemic of respiratory syncytial virus which appears to be abating proper now. Flu additionally appears to be peaking in sure elements of the nation, it is rising in different elements of the nation. It is lowering within the South, rising within the North. And COVID is contributing to that. It is urgent households, it is also urgent hospitals, as you talked about. 80% of hospital beds proper now are full, the hospitals have not been this full because the peak of the Omicron wave final winter. The distinction is that final winter 25% of these hospital beds had been crammed with COVID admissions. Proper now solely 6% are crammed with COVID admissions. So plenty of them are influenza admissions, and different respiratory pathogens like adenovirus, parainfluenza, all of the issues that plague us every winter, are coming again with a vengeance.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Loads of bugs. But when the flu vaccine is such an excellent match, as you have mentioned earlier than, to this present pressure, why are so many People getting sick?
GOTTLIEB: Nicely, lots of people don't get the vaccine, initially. And we all know the vaccine is not 100% protecting in opposition to an infection. What the vaccine does within the setting of flu is cut back your possibilities of having a symptomatic an infection and cut back your possibilities of having a extreme consequence much like how we're utilizing it with COVID. The predominant pressure of flu proper now that is circulating is H3N2. The vaccine, as you mentioned, is an excellent match for that pressure, perhaps 60 to 70% protecting. The opposite pressure that is circulating is H1N1, about 20% of infections are H1N1. The vaccine can also be an excellent match for that pressure. And the distinction between these two strains is that H3N2 sometimes peaks earlier within the winter. H1N1 could peak later. So it isn't too late for folks to get their flu vaccine. If folks exit and get it now, they will have some quick safety from it. And we may see a state of affairs as we have seen in different winters the place the predominant pressure, the H3N2, begins to say no. After which H1N1 an infection picks up.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Nicely, the opposite factor notably annoying dad and mom of younger youngsters like me is the scarcity of antibiotics. Why do not now we have sufficient provide?
GOTTLIEB: It is actually demand pushed. So distributors made estimates on how a lot demand there can be this 12 months. They've had decrease demand the previous two years as a result of there was much less bacterial infections as a result of we had been all taking sure steps to stop the unfold of illness. Demand went up this 12 months, they anticipated some improve in demand, however not as a lot as we're seeing and never this early within the season. So it isn't any sort of disruption in provide. This is not like what we had with child formulation the place producers have been taken out of the market. This can be a subtle provide chain, all of the producers are available in the market. They only did not anticipate this a lot demand this early within the season. Provide ought to meet up with demand and there are options for issues which are in scarcity, like amoxicillin, the oral suspension of Tamiflu can also be in scarcity. Docs and pharmacies can compound that from the capsules. So there are options. It is simply going to be troublesome in some cases for households to get their fingers on these options.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Sure. You understand- I do know- I do know you are saying issues are higher versus the place we had been on the COVID entrance. However Dr. Fauci was on this program a couple of weeks in the past, and he mentioned he was monitoring new COVID variants that evade the safety of monoclonal antibodies which are used for remedy and prevention. I do know there's been research on that that additionally say the identical factor in regards to the vaccine. What stage of safety is there in opposition to these new variants?
GOTTLIEB: Nicely, there was information out from the CDC on Friday that confirmed the vaccines offering good safety, notably within the older people. The brand new vaccine. This- this new bivalent booster based mostly on the brand new pressure. So it is based mostly on BA.5. What we're seeing proper now's 40% of infections are BQ. 1.1, which is a spinoff of BA.5, the pressure that the vaccine is predicated on. About 30% of infections are BQ.1. There nonetheless ought to be good safety from the vaccine in opposition to these new variants. The one we're extra apprehensive about is a variant referred to as XBB. To this point, that is not spreading within the U.S. that a lot. It is about 5% of infections. It is held regular for about 4 weeks proper now. That pressure unfold quite a bit in Asia, it did not unfold quite a bit in Europe. So it may very well be the case that BQ.1 and 1.1 crowd out XBB, however the concern is that if XBB continues to persist, you could possibly see a second wave this spring. We do not suppose that is going to occur, but it surely's a chance. However individuals are nonetheless gonna get good safety from the present vaccines, the up to date vaccine in opposition to the strains which are circulating proper now. So the examine that got here out from CDC confirmed about 80- 70 to 80% safety from hospitalization from these over the age of 65. On high of the safety that they obtained from the outdated vaccine, in order that's fairly significant for lots of people.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I need to ask you about Title 42. In March of 2020, that was when the CDC director put this in place. It is a public well being legislation to expel migrants with the intention to cease the unfold of illness. That was the premise. Is there any public well being cause to maintain it in place now?
GOTTLIEB: Nicely, look, I believe as a matter of public well being, we ought to be expiring plenty of these emergency measures that we have put in place. Not simply Title 42, but additionally the nationwide emergency that we put in place. I believe what's taking place is plenty of these are being prolonged to serve different coverage and political objectives. And that is finally going to undermine our potential to implement these public well being measures in- sooner or later. If we have to have expedited elimination of individuals crossing the border illegally, I believe that ought to be contemplated within the context of broader immigration reform and as a matter of legislation enforcement, however not as a public well being measure at this level. I believe all of those public well being emergency measures that we put in place ought to be expired.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Dr. Gottlieb, thanks a lot, and I hope you keep wholesome this vacation season.
GOTTLIEB: Thanks quite a bit.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We'll be proper again.