Cliff Notes:
- Dr Fauci
- We all want to know when things will get back to normal but that's hard to say. Even if the virus is controlled in 1 country, if it still exists in other countries, we have to be vigilant. We hope Omicron will be the last variant, but we don't know.
- Prof Wilder-Smith (London)
- Agrees with Dr Fauci. Omicron will not be the last variant. Will the next one be more dangerous? We don't know. Typically, viruses attenuate (i.e. get weaker, less deadly, but more contagious) over time. High transmission rate but low death rate. This is what happened with Omicron. We are hopeful the next variant will be even weaker.
- That said, the world needs to be prepared for the worst case scenario. This would be a viral-recombination (? I think that's term she used) which would create a highly transmissible and also highly deadly virus. This is the worst case, and it's not likely, but we have to consider this scenario.
Mr Bancel, Moderna CEO
- They are working with Dr Fauci to plan for Fall 2022...what should the vaccine contain?
- Increasing manufacturing capacity
- Want to create a combo vax - which includes a booster + flu shot all-in-one. Fall of 2023.
Richard Hatchett, CEO - CEPI
- New variants can arise at any time, anywhere.
- Just like the flu is an endemic, meaning it continues to exist among the population, constantly changing but surviving and infecting.
- Long term, Covid will behave like the flu. It will continue to circulate, continue to infect.
- But, it appears covid has the ability to become a pandemic "at any time". This is a big concern.
- Dr Fauci
- Herd immunity for Covid is elusive because natural immunity wanes over time and also vaccine immunity is temporary, because Covid constantly has new variants.
- Herd immunity for something like measles is easy to obtain because this virus is consistent, so immunity is long term.
...This was just the first 14 minutes....I can't listen anymore to this BS. They want us all to believe that Covid can be highly contagious and multi-variant (like the flu) but then, 5 seconds later, it can *magically* become a deadly pandemic, capable of killing millions. This is utterly ridiculous.