1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,720 Good afternoon everybody . So let me 3 00:00:10,730 --> 00:00:13,020 just start off by saying what an 4 00:00:13,020 --> 00:00:15,700 absolute honor and a privilege it has 5 00:00:15,700 --> 00:00:18,090 been to support the department's 6 00:00:18,090 --> 00:00:20,480 response to the covid pandemic over 7 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:23,170 this past year . I have the utmost 8 00:00:23,170 --> 00:00:25,180 regard for our people in uniform 9 00:00:25,190 --> 00:00:27,640 civilians , contractors who have worked 10 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:29,973 tirelessly to get through this pandemic , 11 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:33,100 from testing , to providing medical 12 00:00:33,100 --> 00:00:35,790 care to vaccinations . The men and 13 00:00:35,790 --> 00:00:37,980 women of the Department of Defense 14 00:00:38,140 --> 00:00:40,500 around the world . They've answered the 15 00:00:40,500 --> 00:00:43,910 call and they really lead the way in 16 00:00:43,910 --> 00:00:45,910 terms of moving our country through 17 00:00:45,910 --> 00:00:48,132 this pandemic . You know , on Secretary 18 00:00:48,132 --> 00:00:50,810 Austin's first day , he delivered a 19 00:00:50,820 --> 00:00:53,660 very clear message . It's not just me , 20 00:00:53,660 --> 00:00:56,660 but to the entire department . Covid 19 21 00:00:57,040 --> 00:00:59,270 was the greatest proximate challenge to 22 00:00:59,270 --> 00:01:01,326 our nation's security . And we would 23 00:01:01,326 --> 00:01:03,810 act boldly . We would act quickly to 24 00:01:03,810 --> 00:01:05,810 support the federal response and to 25 00:01:05,810 --> 00:01:08,580 bring an end to this pandemic with 26 00:01:08,580 --> 00:01:11,410 Deputy Secretary Hicks and the vice 27 00:01:11,410 --> 00:01:13,632 chairman general heightens leadership . 28 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:15,360 They're absolutely tremendous 29 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:17,890 leadership Of the COVID-19 task force 30 00:01:17,900 --> 00:01:20,190 and the people who supported this 31 00:01:20,190 --> 00:01:22,700 effort . We've remained steadfast in 32 00:01:22,700 --> 00:01:24,256 our commitment to meet this 33 00:01:24,256 --> 00:01:27,040 unprecedented task and to accomplish 34 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,540 many milestones along the way , some of 35 00:01:29,540 --> 00:01:31,596 which I'm honored to be sharing with 36 00:01:31,596 --> 00:01:35,280 you today . As I stated , our people 37 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:37,391 are at so many of the different front 38 00:01:37,391 --> 00:01:39,502 lines of the pandemic . They continue 39 00:01:39,502 --> 00:01:41,613 to be at those front lines today from 40 00:01:41,613 --> 00:01:43,391 development and distribution of 41 00:01:43,391 --> 00:01:46,030 lifesaving vaccines to administering 42 00:01:46,030 --> 00:01:48,252 those vaccines all around the country . 43 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:50,751 Specifically , I would like to take a 44 00:01:50,751 --> 00:01:54,450 moment to express our appreciation 45 00:01:54,450 --> 00:01:56,410 for General Gus Partner and his 46 00:01:56,410 --> 00:01:58,632 leadership and his extraordinary team . 47 00:01:59,340 --> 00:02:02,340 Millions upon millions of doses of safe 48 00:02:02,350 --> 00:02:04,572 and effective vaccines and therapeutics 49 00:02:04,572 --> 00:02:06,350 have been made available to the 50 00:02:06,350 --> 00:02:08,461 american people and in support of the 51 00:02:08,461 --> 00:02:10,517 country's global donations thanks to 52 00:02:10,517 --> 00:02:13,100 him and his team . Secretary Austin's 53 00:02:13,110 --> 00:02:14,850 leadership and of course the 54 00:02:14,850 --> 00:02:17,180 President's leadership . We wish him a 55 00:02:17,180 --> 00:02:19,280 happy retirement and are forever 56 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:21,447 grateful for his incredible service to 57 00:02:21,447 --> 00:02:24,140 the nation and for his historic role in 58 00:02:24,140 --> 00:02:26,870 this fight and for the thousands of 59 00:02:26,870 --> 00:02:29,220 others including the Active duty and 60 00:02:29,220 --> 00:02:31,400 the National Guard , tens of thousands 61 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:33,951 who have answered the call to support 62 00:02:33,951 --> 00:02:36,350 vaccination efforts and to get a shot 63 00:02:36,350 --> 00:02:40,320 themselves as a department today . Over 64 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,880 68% of our active duty service members 65 00:02:43,890 --> 00:02:46,470 have received at least one dose , over 66 00:02:46,470 --> 00:02:49,930 68% . This is an amazing 67 00:02:49,930 --> 00:02:52,520 feat considering that the majority of 68 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:54,940 our people represent a younger and 69 00:02:54,940 --> 00:02:56,850 healthier demographic as well as 70 00:02:56,850 --> 00:03:00,260 considering the complex global position 71 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:03,330 Of our forces and our D . O . D . 72 00:03:03,330 --> 00:03:05,730 personnel in over 40 different 73 00:03:05,730 --> 00:03:08,820 countries . For the nation as a whole , 74 00:03:08,830 --> 00:03:11,190 we've supported over 17 million 75 00:03:11,190 --> 00:03:13,490 vaccinations to the american people as 76 00:03:13,490 --> 00:03:15,800 well as on top of that an additional 77 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,460 4,000,002 D . O . D . Personnel . 78 00:03:18,790 --> 00:03:21,860 That's over 21 million shots and arms 79 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,018 towards the president's goal of 80 00:03:24,018 --> 00:03:26,296 vaccinating as many people as possible . 81 00:03:27,140 --> 00:03:29,251 You know , I visited several of these 82 00:03:29,251 --> 00:03:32,800 sites from L . A . To new york city and 83 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:34,911 let me just tell you that these sites 84 00:03:34,911 --> 00:03:38,050 were true hole of country feats in 85 00:03:38,050 --> 00:03:40,630 collaboration with fema and so many 86 00:03:40,630 --> 00:03:42,700 other entities . One Colonel , I 87 00:03:42,700 --> 00:03:44,922 remember remarked to Secretary Austin , 88 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:47,662 he was a leader at one of these sites . 89 00:03:47,662 --> 00:03:49,773 He said , sir , it's not lost on us . 90 00:03:49,773 --> 00:03:51,996 The incredible trust that the nation is 91 00:03:51,996 --> 00:03:54,940 putting in us . The D . O . D . Team 92 00:03:54,950 --> 00:03:58,030 has every single step of the way risen 93 00:03:58,030 --> 00:03:59,974 to the challenge in absolutely awe 94 00:03:59,974 --> 00:04:02,360 inspiring ways . Our Dodea schools , 95 00:04:02,740 --> 00:04:05,050 for instance , across the pacific the 96 00:04:05,050 --> 00:04:07,980 Americas europe , roughly three 97 00:04:07,980 --> 00:04:10,090 quarters of our teachers and school 98 00:04:10,090 --> 00:04:11,923 staff are vaccinated , making it 99 00:04:11,923 --> 00:04:15,250 possible to safely reopen all schools 100 00:04:15,260 --> 00:04:17,316 and child development centers for in 101 00:04:17,316 --> 00:04:19,570 person learning . The Covid task force 102 00:04:19,570 --> 00:04:21,681 has also spearheaded the department's 103 00:04:21,681 --> 00:04:24,100 efforts to accurately track covid 19 104 00:04:24,100 --> 00:04:26,700 data , including cases and later 105 00:04:26,700 --> 00:04:28,980 vaccination rates through the advantage 106 00:04:28,980 --> 00:04:31,550 system . Originally actually meant for 107 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:33,890 audit reporting , the task force has 108 00:04:33,890 --> 00:04:35,946 been able to more accurately compile 109 00:04:35,946 --> 00:04:38,490 covid data and provide timely and 110 00:04:38,490 --> 00:04:41,220 critical data to D . O . D . Leaders as 111 00:04:41,220 --> 00:04:43,940 well as to the american public On the 112 00:04:43,940 --> 00:04:46,460 testing front . Just this year alone , 113 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:50,410 D . O . D . has performed over 1.26 114 00:04:50,430 --> 00:04:53,060 million test for the novel coronavirus 115 00:04:53,060 --> 00:04:55,480 that causes COVID-19 . We have 116 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:57,313 continued to bolster our testing 117 00:04:57,313 --> 00:04:59,390 foundation to ensure that this 118 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:02,110 absolutely irreplaceable tool of public 119 00:05:02,110 --> 00:05:03,777 health surveillance and force 120 00:05:03,777 --> 00:05:05,999 protection is here to stay for the long 121 00:05:05,999 --> 00:05:08,166 term and that is to include the latest 122 00:05:08,166 --> 00:05:10,780 in genomic sequencing Secretary 123 00:05:10,780 --> 00:05:12,947 Austin's direction . We have conducted 124 00:05:12,947 --> 00:05:15,169 a full strategic review and reassurance 125 00:05:15,169 --> 00:05:17,169 of all covid 19 policy documents in 126 00:05:17,169 --> 00:05:18,947 order to ensure that all of our 127 00:05:18,947 --> 00:05:20,836 guidance , irrespective of who it 128 00:05:20,836 --> 00:05:22,891 touches from force health protection 129 00:05:22,891 --> 00:05:24,724 guidance to so much else that it 130 00:05:24,724 --> 00:05:27,430 reflects the latest in medical guidance 131 00:05:27,570 --> 00:05:29,459 and medical science , from public 132 00:05:29,459 --> 00:05:32,310 health officials , data scientists and 133 00:05:32,310 --> 00:05:34,366 laboratories . And of course , yes , 134 00:05:34,366 --> 00:05:37,550 the CDC we're proud to be offering the 135 00:05:37,550 --> 00:05:40,320 department's unprecedented unmatched 136 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:42,700 logistical expertise as part of the 137 00:05:42,710 --> 00:05:44,599 interagency effort to support our 138 00:05:44,599 --> 00:05:46,820 allies and partners by delivering 139 00:05:46,820 --> 00:05:48,598 millions of doses of vaccines , 140 00:05:48,598 --> 00:05:51,260 critical supplies like oxygen cylinders 141 00:05:51,260 --> 00:05:54,470 and regulators and 95 masks . Covid 19 142 00:05:54,470 --> 00:05:57,000 rapid diagnostic test kits , as well as 143 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,290 continuing the support the acquisition 144 00:06:00,290 --> 00:06:02,910 of billions of dollars in critical 145 00:06:02,910 --> 00:06:06,560 pandemic supplies and resources . And 146 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:08,730 as many of you have noted or have seen 147 00:06:08,730 --> 00:06:10,786 earlier this month , president biden 148 00:06:10,786 --> 00:06:12,786 announced that the United States is 149 00:06:12,786 --> 00:06:15,400 donating another 500 million vaccine 150 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:17,600 doses two nations around the world and 151 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:19,433 D . O . D . Is proud to continue 152 00:06:19,433 --> 00:06:21,489 supporting this interagency effort . 153 00:06:21,489 --> 00:06:23,990 However we can because as secretary 154 00:06:23,990 --> 00:06:26,330 Austin has said , that's what friends 155 00:06:26,330 --> 00:06:29,460 do as the department continues to 156 00:06:29,460 --> 00:06:32,300 transition to fortify its pandemic 157 00:06:32,300 --> 00:06:34,560 preparedness and to support vaccination 158 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:36,504 efforts across the country and the 159 00:06:36,504 --> 00:06:38,282 globe . I could not be any more 160 00:06:38,282 --> 00:06:41,400 confident today that we are are on as a 161 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:44,950 department . And yes , as a nation , a 162 00:06:44,950 --> 00:06:47,490 solid path . In the coming days . The 163 00:06:47,490 --> 00:06:49,830 functions of the COVID-19 task force 164 00:06:49,840 --> 00:06:53,280 will transition to normal operations by 165 00:06:53,280 --> 00:06:55,391 no sense of the word . Are we spiking 166 00:06:55,391 --> 00:06:57,558 the football right now ? Our work as a 167 00:06:57,558 --> 00:07:00,520 department will continue until we see 168 00:07:00,530 --> 00:07:03,260 this global pandemic come to an end . 169 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:06,070 It's truly been an honor and a 170 00:07:06,070 --> 00:07:08,126 privilege to serve among the men and 171 00:07:08,126 --> 00:07:10,014 women in this department . I look 172 00:07:10,014 --> 00:07:12,181 forward to supporting whatever they do 173 00:07:12,181 --> 00:07:14,348 in the future . As I will be moving on 174 00:07:14,348 --> 00:07:17,010 from my post as senior advisor to 175 00:07:17,010 --> 00:07:19,232 Secretary Defense in the coming weeks . 176 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:21,960 My sincere gratitude first and foremost 177 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:24,710 to Secretary Austin for his incredible 178 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:27,800 his incredible visionary leadership to 179 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:30,370 Deputy Secretary hicks For incredible 180 00:07:30,370 --> 00:07:32,400 fortitude and leadership of the 181 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:36,140 COVID-19 Task Force and everyone I've 182 00:07:36,140 --> 00:07:38,251 served with on the covid task force . 183 00:07:38,251 --> 00:07:40,251 The urgency and precision that they 184 00:07:40,251 --> 00:07:42,084 have applied to this . Herculean 185 00:07:42,084 --> 00:07:44,196 mission is a testament to our ability 186 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:47,360 to enter a new normal way of life . 187 00:07:48,510 --> 00:07:50,510 I'm now going to turn it over to to 188 00:07:50,510 --> 00:07:52,454 absolutely incredible , incredible 189 00:07:52,454 --> 00:07:54,677 individuals who have also been critical 190 00:07:54,677 --> 00:07:56,899 to this operation every step of the way 191 00:07:56,899 --> 00:07:58,843 and who will certainly continue in 192 00:07:58,843 --> 00:08:01,010 their leadership . Public health roles 193 00:08:01,010 --> 00:08:03,290 on this mission . Dr terry Durham and 194 00:08:03,290 --> 00:08:05,401 Lieutenant General Ron . Please thank 195 00:08:05,401 --> 00:08:06,560 you again . 196 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,140 Okay , all right , thank you for 197 00:08:16,140 --> 00:08:18,400 joining us here today . We appreciate 198 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:20,570 your coverage of the issue before I 199 00:08:20,570 --> 00:08:22,514 proceed with my opening remarks on 200 00:08:22,514 --> 00:08:24,626 behalf of the entire department , but 201 00:08:24,626 --> 00:08:26,681 in particular those of us within the 202 00:08:26,681 --> 00:08:28,737 office of the Assistant Secretary of 203 00:08:28,737 --> 00:08:30,903 Defense for Health Affairs . I want to 204 00:08:30,903 --> 00:08:32,959 extend a tremendous thank you to max 205 00:08:32,959 --> 00:08:35,070 Rose Who were there max and I arrived 206 00:08:35,070 --> 00:08:37,292 on the first day of this administration 207 00:08:37,292 --> 00:08:39,348 and I've seen him work tirelessly to 208 00:08:39,348 --> 00:08:39,110 support the president's efforts to 209 00:08:39,110 --> 00:08:41,650 defeat COVID-19 . Under Max's 210 00:08:41,650 --> 00:08:43,650 leadership , the department made an 211 00:08:43,650 --> 00:08:45,483 incredible amount of progress in 212 00:08:45,483 --> 00:08:47,594 halting the spread of COVID-19 and in 213 00:08:47,594 --> 00:08:49,650 support of the department's whole of 214 00:08:49,650 --> 00:08:49,620 government approach . We are in a 215 00:08:49,620 --> 00:08:51,980 better position today to continue our 216 00:08:51,980 --> 00:08:54,560 efforts . So thank you for that . But I 217 00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:56,616 also want to acknowledge the amazing 218 00:08:56,616 --> 00:08:58,616 work over the last 16 months of our 219 00:08:58,616 --> 00:09:00,727 medical professionals or scientists , 220 00:09:00,727 --> 00:09:02,671 logisticians , data analysts , and 221 00:09:02,671 --> 00:09:04,727 public health experts in uniform and 222 00:09:04,727 --> 00:09:06,727 civilians whose works have work has 223 00:09:06,727 --> 00:09:08,893 saved lives and allowed us to complete 224 00:09:08,893 --> 00:09:11,140 our national security missions . As max 225 00:09:11,140 --> 00:09:14,670 mentioned , we're at 68% of active duty 226 00:09:14,670 --> 00:09:16,726 who are vaccinated with at least one 227 00:09:16,726 --> 00:09:18,890 dose . And we continue our efforts to 228 00:09:18,890 --> 00:09:20,668 encourage our service members , 229 00:09:20,668 --> 00:09:22,723 families and beneficiaries to become 230 00:09:22,723 --> 00:09:24,890 vaccinated and I don't want to put too 231 00:09:24,890 --> 00:09:27,550 fine a point on this . But 31% of our 232 00:09:27,560 --> 00:09:29,690 active duty or under the age of 35 , 233 00:09:29,690 --> 00:09:31,857 which is one of the populations that's 234 00:09:31,857 --> 00:09:35,530 perhaps the toughest to um , to 235 00:09:35,540 --> 00:09:39,440 have vaccinated nationally . So , 236 00:09:39,450 --> 00:09:41,640 um , this is really incredible work 237 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:44,160 that's been done by the department and 238 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:46,382 as a pediatrician , I want to note that 239 00:09:46,382 --> 00:09:48,604 our families overseas for which we have 240 00:09:48,604 --> 00:09:50,690 accurate data . Um , they've done a 241 00:09:50,690 --> 00:09:52,760 great job accepting vaccination with 242 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:56,490 77.4% of 16 to 17 year old 243 00:09:56,490 --> 00:10:00,470 vaccinated and 62.3 of 12 to 15 244 00:10:00,470 --> 00:10:02,359 year olds . Yeah , wow . I'm very 245 00:10:02,359 --> 00:10:04,910 pleased as a pediatrician . As briefed 246 00:10:04,910 --> 00:10:07,077 in our last press conference , we have 247 00:10:07,077 --> 00:10:08,966 centered our vaccination campaign 248 00:10:08,966 --> 00:10:10,966 around the principles of increasing 249 00:10:10,966 --> 00:10:13,077 accessibility to vaccines , providing 250 00:10:13,077 --> 00:10:14,743 opportunities for education , 251 00:10:14,743 --> 00:10:16,799 leveraging our active duty personnel 252 00:10:16,799 --> 00:10:18,800 policies to promote vaccination and 253 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:21,022 ensuring engagement at the lowest level 254 00:10:21,022 --> 00:10:23,133 to acknowledge and address individual 255 00:10:23,133 --> 00:10:25,750 concerns . The pandemic is not over and 256 00:10:25,750 --> 00:10:27,583 we are not done with our all out 257 00:10:27,583 --> 00:10:29,417 efforts to encourage vaccination 258 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:32,096 through the course of the pandemic . 259 00:10:32,096 --> 00:10:34,151 Our force health protection measures 260 00:10:34,151 --> 00:10:36,040 have been effective at preventing 261 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:37,929 infections , hospitalizations and 262 00:10:37,929 --> 00:10:39,873 deaths and importantly are science 263 00:10:39,873 --> 00:10:41,929 based and evidence informed approach 264 00:10:41,929 --> 00:10:43,873 has allowed our service members to 265 00:10:43,873 --> 00:10:45,929 continue their missions . Our health 266 00:10:45,929 --> 00:10:48,040 protection conditions framework . RHB 267 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:50,130 con for short has led to lower 268 00:10:50,130 --> 00:10:52,400 incidence of covid 19 and military 269 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:54,622 installations than in their surrounding 270 00:10:54,622 --> 00:10:57,160 communities with the success of the 271 00:10:57,160 --> 00:10:59,540 vaccination campaign and declining case 272 00:10:59,540 --> 00:11:01,707 counts around the country . We've seen 273 00:11:01,707 --> 00:11:03,870 many installations make their HP cons 274 00:11:03,870 --> 00:11:05,820 more permissive as we've begun to 275 00:11:05,820 --> 00:11:08,990 return to normal . However , the delta 276 00:11:08,990 --> 00:11:11,101 variant poses a threat to that return 277 00:11:11,101 --> 00:11:13,080 to normal . We are particularly 278 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:15,247 concerned with the impact of the delta 279 00:11:15,247 --> 00:11:17,460 variant on our unvaccinated or 280 00:11:17,470 --> 00:11:20,280 partially vaccinated population and its 281 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:22,510 potential spread at installations that 282 00:11:22,510 --> 00:11:24,760 are located in parts of the country 283 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:27,370 with low vaccination rates . We have an 284 00:11:27,380 --> 00:11:30,190 active whole genome sequencing program 285 00:11:30,340 --> 00:11:32,940 to identify and track variants and 286 00:11:32,940 --> 00:11:35,107 we're closely watching our D . O . D . 287 00:11:35,107 --> 00:11:37,273 Case counts , positivity rates and the 288 00:11:37,273 --> 00:11:39,384 prevalence of the delta variant among 289 00:11:39,384 --> 00:11:41,860 all the other variants of concern . We 290 00:11:41,860 --> 00:11:44,010 anticipate that health protection 291 00:11:44,010 --> 00:11:46,900 conditions could change at some of our 292 00:11:46,900 --> 00:11:49,570 installations um in the future based on 293 00:11:49,580 --> 00:11:51,880 outbreaks that result from the high 294 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:54,102 transmit ability of the delta variant , 295 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:57,830 It's spreading rapidly across 296 00:11:57,830 --> 00:11:59,774 communities with lower vaccination 297 00:11:59,774 --> 00:12:01,608 rates and will likely become the 298 00:12:01,608 --> 00:12:03,719 predominant variant . United States . 299 00:12:03,810 --> 00:12:05,990 Therefore , the delta variant poses a 300 00:12:05,990 --> 00:12:08,101 threat to our service members who are 301 00:12:08,101 --> 00:12:09,879 not fully vaccinated . There is 302 00:12:09,879 --> 00:12:11,712 emerging evidence that the delta 303 00:12:11,712 --> 00:12:13,990 variant may cause more serious disease . 304 00:12:13,990 --> 00:12:16,046 But even mild infections that do not 305 00:12:16,046 --> 00:12:18,268 result in hospitalizations are a threat 306 00:12:18,268 --> 00:12:20,434 because they can cause long term after 307 00:12:20,434 --> 00:12:22,546 effects . So the best way to beat the 308 00:12:22,546 --> 00:12:24,910 delta variant is to be fully vaccinated . 309 00:12:24,910 --> 00:12:27,132 And that's the message that I hope that 310 00:12:27,132 --> 00:12:29,430 you all convey . Studies have shown 311 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:31,710 that one dose of the MMR vaccines are 312 00:12:31,710 --> 00:12:34,820 only 33% effective against the delta 313 00:12:34,820 --> 00:12:38,120 variant , whereas two are at least 88% 314 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:40,231 effective . So we are investing great 315 00:12:40,231 --> 00:12:42,064 effort into ensuring our service 316 00:12:42,064 --> 00:12:44,064 members and other beneficiaries get 317 00:12:44,064 --> 00:12:46,240 both doses . So the bottom line is get 318 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:48,160 vaccinated . They are safe and 319 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:51,660 effective . General place . Thanks dr 320 00:12:51,670 --> 00:12:53,670 Darren , good afternoon to everyone 321 00:12:53,670 --> 00:12:56,003 here in the room and those on the phone . 322 00:12:56,003 --> 00:12:57,892 I'll briefly expand on just a few 323 00:12:57,892 --> 00:12:57,800 points first regarding the 324 00:12:57,800 --> 00:12:59,911 effectiveness of our Covid vaccines . 325 00:12:59,911 --> 00:13:02,078 I'm happy to report that the number of 326 00:13:02,078 --> 00:13:04,300 individuals hospitalized in D . O . D . 327 00:13:04,300 --> 00:13:06,467 Hospitals with covid has significantly 328 00:13:06,467 --> 00:13:08,467 declined . As of today . We have 21 329 00:13:08,467 --> 00:13:10,689 covid positive individuals hospitalized 330 00:13:10,689 --> 00:13:12,633 has demonstrated on the chart that 331 00:13:12,633 --> 00:13:14,856 you'll see over my left shoulder . This 332 00:13:14,856 --> 00:13:17,020 is a decline from a peak of 240 in 333 00:13:17,020 --> 00:13:19,300 patients on january 8th of this year , 334 00:13:19,300 --> 00:13:21,467 essentially the lowest point we've had 335 00:13:21,467 --> 00:13:23,800 since the earliest days of the pandemic . 336 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:26,070 The benefits of vaccination are 337 00:13:26,070 --> 00:13:28,320 remarkably clear . Second , if 338 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:30,376 individuals need further evidence of 339 00:13:30,376 --> 00:13:32,770 why they should get vaccinated . I have 340 00:13:32,770 --> 00:13:35,350 one additional data point of those 21 341 00:13:35,350 --> 00:13:37,350 covid positive individuals and Dont 342 00:13:37,350 --> 00:13:39,710 hospitals . Yesterday , my current 343 00:13:39,710 --> 00:13:41,488 records indicate that none were 344 00:13:41,488 --> 00:13:43,850 vaccinated . Dr Durham noted the 345 00:13:43,850 --> 00:13:45,794 increasing prevalence of the delta 346 00:13:45,794 --> 00:13:47,294 variant and the gap in the 347 00:13:47,294 --> 00:13:49,183 effectiveness of one dose of mRNA 348 00:13:49,183 --> 00:13:51,239 vaccines versus the complete to dose 349 00:13:51,239 --> 00:13:53,610 series . It's compelling evidence for 350 00:13:53,610 --> 00:13:55,777 those who received their first dose in 351 00:13:55,777 --> 00:13:57,943 our system were following up with each 352 00:13:57,943 --> 00:14:00,054 of them to ensure that they get their 353 00:14:00,054 --> 00:14:02,166 second dose or at least significantly 354 00:14:02,166 --> 00:14:04,277 offered that opportunity . Finally we 355 00:14:04,277 --> 00:14:06,388 continue to closely monitor suspected 356 00:14:06,388 --> 00:14:07,999 cases of myocardial tous and 357 00:14:07,999 --> 00:14:09,888 pericarditis associated among are 358 00:14:09,888 --> 00:14:12,221 vaccinated population . As you're aware , 359 00:14:12,221 --> 00:14:14,388 the advisory Committee on immunization 360 00:14:14,388 --> 00:14:16,499 practices met last week to review the 361 00:14:16,499 --> 00:14:18,666 issue , they concluded the benefits of 362 00:14:18,666 --> 00:14:20,690 MRNA covid 19 vaccination greatly 363 00:14:20,820 --> 00:14:23,560 outweigh the potential risks . Most 364 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:25,782 cases of myocarditis are generally mild 365 00:14:25,782 --> 00:14:27,949 and resolve quickly within the D . O . 366 00:14:27,949 --> 00:14:30,690 D . Our experience is that all 367 00:14:30,690 --> 00:14:32,857 individuals who experience myocarditis 368 00:14:32,857 --> 00:14:34,579 or pericarditis received brief 369 00:14:34,579 --> 00:14:37,370 supportive care and have recovered or 370 00:14:37,380 --> 00:14:39,970 are recovering now . As we approach 371 00:14:39,970 --> 00:14:41,859 Independence Day , all indicators 372 00:14:41,859 --> 00:14:43,914 within the Department of Defense are 373 00:14:43,914 --> 00:14:45,914 moving in a positive direction . We 374 00:14:45,914 --> 00:14:48,248 thank our service members and D . O . D . 375 00:14:48,248 --> 00:14:50,414 Personnel who have been vaccinated and 376 00:14:50,414 --> 00:14:52,359 continue to strongly encourage our 377 00:14:52,359 --> 00:14:54,248 remaining service members diode , 378 00:14:54,248 --> 00:14:56,680 retirees , all of their families and 379 00:14:56,680 --> 00:14:59,870 duty staff to get vaccinated for 380 00:14:59,870 --> 00:15:02,092 themselves , for their families and for 381 00:15:02,092 --> 00:15:03,926 the community . Thanks again for 382 00:15:03,926 --> 00:15:06,037 joining us today and together with Mr 383 00:15:06,037 --> 00:15:08,092 Rose and Dr Dear , I look forward to 384 00:15:08,092 --> 00:15:10,259 your questions . Thank you very much . 385 00:15:10,259 --> 00:15:12,481 So , first question , let's go to Megan 386 00:15:12,481 --> 00:15:15,160 Meier's . So in light of your concerns 387 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:17,327 about the delta variant and this could 388 00:15:17,327 --> 00:15:19,493 be for either of you guys , is there a 389 00:15:19,493 --> 00:15:21,493 possibility that more installations 390 00:15:21,493 --> 00:15:23,660 could start going into lockdowns based 391 00:15:23,660 --> 00:15:23,530 on what's going on in their areas , 392 00:15:23,540 --> 00:15:26,480 even if people on base are largely 393 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:28,870 vaccinated ? Yeah , I would be careful 394 00:15:28,870 --> 00:15:30,981 about using the term lockdown because 395 00:15:30,981 --> 00:15:33,203 we're not we're not doing lockdowns but 396 00:15:33,203 --> 00:15:36,700 we do have an HP con framework that is 397 00:15:36,700 --> 00:15:38,870 used at the local level and it's based 398 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:41,560 on what is going on at the local level , 399 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:43,780 that an installation commander could 400 00:15:43,780 --> 00:15:46,410 either increase or decrease um where 401 00:15:46,410 --> 00:15:48,910 they are . So a lot of installations 402 00:15:48,910 --> 00:15:52,900 right now are at HP con b bravo 403 00:15:52,910 --> 00:15:54,743 bravo . Thank you . Keep getting 404 00:15:54,743 --> 00:15:57,780 themselves bravo . Um but if they're in 405 00:15:57,780 --> 00:16:00,610 a state or county that is seeing , you 406 00:16:00,610 --> 00:16:03,690 know , increase numbers of cases , they 407 00:16:03,700 --> 00:16:07,560 could then increase the uh HP con 408 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:11,500 level . So to answer your question , we 409 00:16:11,500 --> 00:16:14,000 have a system in place that helps guide 410 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:15,944 local communities and making those 411 00:16:15,944 --> 00:16:18,167 decisions . Sure , but the correct . So 412 00:16:18,167 --> 00:16:20,222 my question is , if there are , most 413 00:16:20,222 --> 00:16:22,333 people are the predominance of people 414 00:16:22,333 --> 00:16:24,500 on base are vaccinated , how does that 415 00:16:24,500 --> 00:16:26,444 play into whether they're going to 416 00:16:26,444 --> 00:16:28,611 change a health protection level based 417 00:16:28,611 --> 00:16:28,470 on what's going on ? If they're in a 418 00:16:28,470 --> 00:16:30,470 town that is under vaccinated , for 419 00:16:30,470 --> 00:16:32,803 instance . Right , Well , the community , 420 00:16:32,803 --> 00:16:34,470 it's really based on what the 421 00:16:34,470 --> 00:16:36,803 conditions are in the community . Right ? 422 00:16:36,803 --> 00:16:39,026 So if we're at 68% of active duty being 423 00:16:39,026 --> 00:16:42,070 vaccinated , then there's 32% that are 424 00:16:42,070 --> 00:16:44,292 not vaccinated . So those people are at 425 00:16:44,292 --> 00:16:47,570 risk . So again , it's based on what 426 00:16:47,570 --> 00:16:49,480 the conditions are in the local 427 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:52,690 community in the county . And you know , 428 00:16:52,690 --> 00:16:55,350 a commander could make a decision about 429 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:58,460 um what kind of uh 430 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:01,480 protection that's needed . If I could 431 00:17:01,690 --> 00:17:03,301 have just a bit more to that 432 00:17:03,301 --> 00:17:05,412 vaccination , just one of the factors 433 00:17:05,412 --> 00:17:07,412 that the local commander would take 434 00:17:07,412 --> 00:17:07,110 into consideration . As you've already 435 00:17:07,110 --> 00:17:09,388 mentioned , What's the positivity rate ? 436 00:17:09,388 --> 00:17:11,499 What's the total numbers ? What's the 437 00:17:11,499 --> 00:17:13,388 vaccination rate in the community 438 00:17:13,388 --> 00:17:15,221 versus that that's that's on the 439 00:17:15,221 --> 00:17:15,000 installation . It's a multifactorial 440 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:17,170 decision . The health protection 441 00:17:17,180 --> 00:17:19,260 condition , guidance . That health 442 00:17:19,260 --> 00:17:21,482 affairs has written in policy gives all 443 00:17:21,482 --> 00:17:23,204 of those factors for the local 444 00:17:23,204 --> 00:17:25,093 commander to use in that decision 445 00:17:25,093 --> 00:17:26,871 making process . Forget Caitlin 446 00:17:26,871 --> 00:17:29,260 straight strips . Yes . Thank you about 447 00:17:29,260 --> 00:17:31,760 that data . You mentioned earlier that 448 00:17:31,770 --> 00:17:33,937 those installations that were under HP 449 00:17:33,937 --> 00:17:37,800 conditions um had significantly lower 450 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:39,967 rates in some cases in the surrounding 451 00:17:39,967 --> 00:17:42,078 communities . Do you have any of that 452 00:17:42,078 --> 00:17:45,190 data available for us to show the 453 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:48,430 difference ? Um , There's a lot of 454 00:17:48,430 --> 00:17:51,580 local communities , so I'm 455 00:17:51,580 --> 00:17:54,780 sure you mentioned that though . So I 456 00:17:54,780 --> 00:17:57,590 mean , I mean the installations have 457 00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:00,360 this information on their websites , so . 458 00:18:00,370 --> 00:18:03,270 Right . Um , I don't know if they do . 459 00:18:03,640 --> 00:18:05,418 For instance , I just came from 460 00:18:05,418 --> 00:18:09,160 Yokosuka japan . What would be the 461 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:12,450 insulation difference between on base 462 00:18:12,450 --> 00:18:14,650 versus in that surrounding community ? 463 00:18:15,020 --> 00:18:17,242 That's not something that they would be 464 00:18:17,242 --> 00:18:19,730 forthcoming with and they were banned 465 00:18:19,730 --> 00:18:21,920 from sharing that information so that 466 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:24,680 the local . So we do have that 467 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:27,080 information internally . We have not 468 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:29,910 shared it . We continue to monitor it 469 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:33,040 on a weekly basis . The overall 470 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:36,180 communities have largely over the last 471 00:18:36,180 --> 00:18:38,720 five months been declining . But within 472 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:40,609 that you can tell from the little 473 00:18:40,609 --> 00:18:42,831 spikes on the charts . Not up anymore , 474 00:18:42,831 --> 00:18:44,998 but on the little spikes in the charts 475 00:18:44,998 --> 00:18:47,164 that even though the general direction 476 00:18:47,164 --> 00:18:49,164 is down , there are some increasing 477 00:18:49,164 --> 00:18:48,770 little spikes even while the direction 478 00:18:48,770 --> 00:18:50,714 is down . And and sometimes that's 479 00:18:50,714 --> 00:18:52,770 because a community has a particular 480 00:18:52,770 --> 00:18:55,560 challenge . So we do follow the local 481 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:57,616 community , we make that information 482 00:18:57,616 --> 00:18:59,500 available to the local leaders , 483 00:18:59,500 --> 00:19:02,310 whether they choose to share broadly or 484 00:19:02,310 --> 00:19:04,532 just with the public health community . 485 00:19:04,532 --> 00:19:06,532 That's up to the local leaders , it 486 00:19:06,532 --> 00:19:08,421 would be great to be able to show 487 00:19:08,421 --> 00:19:10,421 whether or not those conditions are 488 00:19:10,421 --> 00:19:12,588 actually making a difference with data 489 00:19:12,588 --> 00:19:14,754 or if there's a example like Clean had 490 00:19:14,754 --> 00:19:16,810 a huge spike . But Fort Hood did not 491 00:19:16,810 --> 00:19:19,290 have that same spike . So just sort of 492 00:19:19,300 --> 00:19:23,290 busting . You can take we'll take it 493 00:19:23,290 --> 00:19:25,401 to see what's what we can release and 494 00:19:25,401 --> 00:19:27,940 what we can base is like you know look 495 00:19:27,940 --> 00:19:30,107 at five of the bigger bases in the U . 496 00:19:30,107 --> 00:19:33,070 S . And the numbers possible . We'll 497 00:19:33,070 --> 00:19:35,070 see how we can do it to answer your 498 00:19:35,070 --> 00:19:37,181 question and yet still be with what's 499 00:19:37,181 --> 00:19:39,850 releasable . Let's let's go to the 500 00:19:39,860 --> 00:19:43,490 phone to paul Shenkman us news . Yeah . 501 00:19:43,490 --> 00:19:45,550 Hi thanks for doing this . Um Army 502 00:19:45,550 --> 00:19:47,606 Secretary Warmth said yesterday that 503 00:19:47,606 --> 00:19:51,390 only 55% of the army has has 504 00:19:51,390 --> 00:19:54,550 received the Covid vaccine Which is 505 00:19:54,550 --> 00:19:56,661 pretty far below the national average 506 00:19:56,661 --> 00:20:00,550 for Americans who are eligible . Do you 507 00:20:00,550 --> 00:20:02,880 have those percentages for each of the 508 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:05,047 services that you can provide us ? And 509 00:20:05,047 --> 00:20:07,540 then follow up questions that 55% did 510 00:20:07,540 --> 00:20:10,320 she say active duty all service members 511 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:14,060 are all army service members employees . 512 00:20:14,070 --> 00:20:17,430 So we have to know what that is . Yeah , 513 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:20,200 I don't have that right now . Do you , 514 00:20:20,210 --> 00:20:22,377 do you have that you can provide to us 515 00:20:22,377 --> 00:20:24,543 at least just the active duty for each 516 00:20:24,543 --> 00:20:28,340 of the services ? Mhm . Yeah . 517 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:31,262 So I don't want to speak for any of the 518 00:20:31,262 --> 00:20:34,260 services . My best uh conjecture based 519 00:20:34,260 --> 00:20:38,050 on the data that we have is that for 520 00:20:38,060 --> 00:20:41,270 active duty army , 521 00:20:41,940 --> 00:20:44,800 70% have received at least one does 522 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:48,570 my suspicion . Although I don't want to 523 00:20:48,570 --> 00:20:50,410 speculate that she may have been 524 00:20:50,410 --> 00:20:53,520 talking about either uh total right 525 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:55,631 full vaccination of the active armory 526 00:20:55,631 --> 00:20:58,200 or perhaps some semblance of the total 527 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:00,200 army . But without the context , we 528 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:03,460 really can't help reframe her statement . 529 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:06,407 Yeah , fair enough . Can you just give 530 00:21:06,407 --> 00:21:08,629 us what the active duty percentages are 531 00:21:08,629 --> 00:21:10,796 for each of the services ? Do you have 532 00:21:10,796 --> 00:21:13,129 that now or can you get that back to us ? 533 00:21:13,129 --> 00:21:15,129 Yeah , well , I can give you the at 534 00:21:15,129 --> 00:21:17,129 least one dose data . That's what I 535 00:21:17,129 --> 00:21:19,351 track every single day and the at least 536 00:21:19,351 --> 00:21:21,900 one dose of the active duty force for 537 00:21:21,900 --> 00:21:24,280 the Navy . Active duty navy at least 538 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:27,510 one dose , 77% . At least one dose 539 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:31,270 active duty army is 70% at least one 540 00:21:31,270 --> 00:21:34,770 dose . Active duty air force is 61 541 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:37,580 At least one dose . Active duty Marine 542 00:21:37,580 --> 00:21:41,440 Corps is 58% . I'll 543 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:43,930 ask for your indulgence is as we're 544 00:21:43,940 --> 00:21:46,360 managing who's in the space Force and 545 00:21:46,370 --> 00:21:48,537 how do we manage that ? We don't track 546 00:21:48,537 --> 00:21:50,690 that on an everyday basis so I don't 547 00:21:50,690 --> 00:21:53,670 have that one . I apologize . Mhm . 548 00:21:54,340 --> 00:21:56,451 Very good thanks . Let's go back here 549 00:21:56,451 --> 00:21:58,673 in the room , Courtney . NBC . Do you , 550 00:21:58,673 --> 00:22:01,470 is there any way is there any way to 551 00:22:01,470 --> 00:22:05,120 know how many of how many 552 00:22:05,130 --> 00:22:07,297 active duty service members have had ? 553 00:22:07,297 --> 00:22:09,463 The first dose and not the second ? Is 554 00:22:09,463 --> 00:22:11,930 there a big gulf a big break and the 555 00:22:11,930 --> 00:22:14,041 ones who are not getting their second 556 00:22:14,041 --> 00:22:16,208 dose numbers on that ? We do have that 557 00:22:16,208 --> 00:22:18,374 data . Um Yeah , the challenge with it 558 00:22:18,374 --> 00:22:22,260 is right . So for 559 00:22:22,260 --> 00:22:24,316 all service members we do have it on 560 00:22:24,316 --> 00:22:28,240 the site . The challenge there's 561 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:30,520 fully impartially right for those who 562 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:32,576 are who are in a vaccine series that 563 00:22:32,576 --> 00:22:34,742 requires to those are the ones that we 564 00:22:34,742 --> 00:22:36,853 drag is partially vaccinated . Um and 565 00:22:36,853 --> 00:22:38,798 it is in the tens of thousands for 566 00:22:38,798 --> 00:22:41,150 those who are due for a second dose , 567 00:22:41,150 --> 00:22:43,483 who have not yet received a second dose . 568 00:22:43,483 --> 00:22:45,539 And in my prepared comments , that's 569 00:22:45,539 --> 00:22:47,594 the delta that I was talking about . 570 00:22:47,594 --> 00:22:49,428 Those are the ones were actively 571 00:22:49,428 --> 00:22:49,260 communicating with . Was there a 572 00:22:49,260 --> 00:22:51,593 barrier ? Was there , were you deployed ? 573 00:22:51,593 --> 00:22:53,704 Were you given another mission ? Were 574 00:22:53,704 --> 00:22:55,927 you sick ? What was the reason for it ? 575 00:22:55,927 --> 00:22:58,149 And is there anything that we can do to 576 00:22:58,149 --> 00:22:58,010 help facilitate you getting your second 577 00:22:58,010 --> 00:23:00,660 dose ? And then two other numbers 578 00:23:00,660 --> 00:23:04,180 questions . Um Do you have , how many 579 00:23:04,190 --> 00:23:07,320 activities service members have Got ? 580 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:09,940 My car dinosaur ? Is it pericarditis or 581 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:12,960 both ? I've gotten you know how many 582 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:15,071 have gotten it and can be tied to the 583 00:23:15,071 --> 00:23:18,090 vaccine ? Well the numbers that we have 584 00:23:18,090 --> 00:23:20,860 as of June 9th we're 30 , it's active 585 00:23:20,860 --> 00:23:23,190 duty and retirees and I don't have the 586 00:23:23,190 --> 00:23:25,301 break out of that particular number . 587 00:23:25,301 --> 00:23:28,800 In the Jama cardiology paper , it was 588 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:32,310 23 between january and april . Um And 589 00:23:32,310 --> 00:23:34,920 it was all but one were active duty . 590 00:23:34,930 --> 00:23:38,520 Um The we work with and 591 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:41,170 collaborate with the C . D . C . Um on 592 00:23:41,170 --> 00:23:43,790 this particular issue . Um And they're 593 00:23:43,790 --> 00:23:45,901 the ones who make the determination , 594 00:23:45,901 --> 00:23:48,123 you know the investigation to determine 595 00:23:48,123 --> 00:23:49,790 whether or not it was just an 596 00:23:49,790 --> 00:23:52,960 association versus causation . So we're 597 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:55,960 calling it an association . Um the good 598 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:58,180 news is that all of those service 599 00:23:58,180 --> 00:24:00,650 members have either fully recovered or 600 00:24:00,650 --> 00:24:03,280 recovered and was a fairly benign um 601 00:24:03,290 --> 00:24:06,420 short lived condition . But any cases 602 00:24:06,420 --> 00:24:08,400 that come to our attention we do 603 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:11,580 investigate and I think it demonstrates 604 00:24:11,580 --> 00:24:13,636 that we have very sensitive and very 605 00:24:13,636 --> 00:24:16,650 good safety systems in place , not only 606 00:24:16,650 --> 00:24:19,170 within D . O . D , but within CDC as 607 00:24:19,170 --> 00:24:21,960 well . And the number of service 608 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:23,960 members who tested positive for the 609 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:25,960 delta variant , Do you have that as 610 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:28,640 well ? Well , for those that Remember , 611 00:24:28,650 --> 00:24:31,120 the number that we do genomic 612 00:24:31,120 --> 00:24:33,342 sequencing on is a very small number so 613 00:24:33,342 --> 00:24:35,453 far through the pandemic . We've done 614 00:24:35,453 --> 00:24:37,509 genomic sequencing at least a report 615 00:24:37,509 --> 00:24:40,030 that I got on Friday of 6,409 different 616 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:42,940 cases . Of those , 6,409 different 617 00:24:42,940 --> 00:24:45,200 cases , there have been 25 that were 618 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:47,660 the delta variant . Of those , 619 00:24:47,670 --> 00:24:50,900 6,409 , just over 1800 were a variant 620 00:24:50,900 --> 00:24:52,733 of concern by far and away . The 621 00:24:52,733 --> 00:24:54,844 majority were the alpha variant which 622 00:24:54,844 --> 00:24:57,830 is the UK variant . But I'll give you a 623 00:24:57,830 --> 00:25:01,120 caveat to this . 22 of those , 25 were 624 00:25:01,120 --> 00:25:03,510 positive deltas in the last two weeks 625 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:05,990 and it takes approximately two weeks to 626 00:25:05,990 --> 00:25:08,710 do genomic sequencing . So we're always 627 00:25:08,710 --> 00:25:10,877 going to have a little bit of data lag 628 00:25:10,877 --> 00:25:13,043 when it comes to variants of concern . 629 00:25:13,043 --> 00:25:15,043 But so far the majority are not the 630 00:25:15,043 --> 00:25:17,154 delta variant but we are now starting 631 00:25:17,154 --> 00:25:19,266 to see it in our popular right and we 632 00:25:19,266 --> 00:25:21,950 do monitor just all um of the whole 633 00:25:21,950 --> 00:25:23,839 genomic sequencing , you know the 634 00:25:23,839 --> 00:25:26,710 numbers um and where um the delta 635 00:25:26,710 --> 00:25:29,120 variant seems to be transmitted . Um 636 00:25:29,130 --> 00:25:31,186 It's super important that people get 637 00:25:31,186 --> 00:25:33,352 vaccinated to stop that transmission . 638 00:25:33,352 --> 00:25:35,408 So where it's transmitting while the 639 00:25:35,408 --> 00:25:37,408 CDC has that data for active duty , 640 00:25:37,408 --> 00:25:39,630 they have active duty available . I 641 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:41,970 don't , yeah I don't know how many of 642 00:25:41,970 --> 00:25:44,910 those 25 were active component versus 643 00:25:44,910 --> 00:25:47,021 family members versus retirees . This 644 00:25:47,021 --> 00:25:49,077 is the total of everybody that we're 645 00:25:49,077 --> 00:25:51,300 sequencing . We do a certain percent of 646 00:25:51,310 --> 00:25:54,930 the positive covid pcR tests um 647 00:25:54,940 --> 00:25:58,510 you know and uh and then do the whole 648 00:25:58,510 --> 00:26:01,470 genomic sequencing . So not all on one 649 00:26:01,470 --> 00:26:04,190 site either . Even though the number is 650 00:26:04,190 --> 00:26:06,190 very very small . We're seeing very 651 00:26:06,190 --> 00:26:08,910 small numbers one or two or maybe three 652 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:10,920 at several different locations . So 653 00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:12,753 we're not seeing spikes of delta 654 00:26:12,753 --> 00:26:15,120 anywhere . Again , data lag this that 655 00:26:15,120 --> 00:26:17,287 there are at least two weeks old these 656 00:26:17,287 --> 00:26:19,287 data points . And if I could add an 657 00:26:19,287 --> 00:26:21,176 additional point to the uh Doctor 658 00:26:21,176 --> 00:26:23,342 Durham's answer to your question about 659 00:26:23,342 --> 00:26:25,342 pericarditis and myocarditis , I'll 660 00:26:25,342 --> 00:26:27,564 remind all of us that we've seen in the 661 00:26:27,564 --> 00:26:29,731 D . O . D . At least hundreds of cases 662 00:26:29,731 --> 00:26:31,731 of myocarditis and pericarditis for 663 00:26:31,731 --> 00:26:33,676 those who were covid infected . So 664 00:26:33,676 --> 00:26:35,842 we're talking about relative risk here 665 00:26:35,842 --> 00:26:38,130 that risk to the heart is markedly 666 00:26:38,130 --> 00:26:40,760 higher from an infection than it is 667 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:42,927 from a vaccination . And anybody who's 668 00:26:42,927 --> 00:26:45,149 going to be doing a risk based decision 669 00:26:45,149 --> 00:26:47,316 making should have both pieces of that 670 00:26:47,316 --> 00:26:47,250 information . And I would add to that . 671 00:26:47,260 --> 00:26:49,490 The ill effects of covid overall not 672 00:26:49,490 --> 00:26:51,550 just the heart effects of covid are 673 00:26:51,550 --> 00:26:53,720 just far greater than the tiny numbers 674 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:57,060 that we're seeing post vaccination to . 675 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:02,220 Okay any any additional questions to 676 00:27:02,220 --> 00:27:05,260 come back to those . There's pediatric 677 00:27:05,260 --> 00:27:07,427 numbers that you mentioned earlier . I 678 00:27:07,427 --> 00:27:10,310 was impressed by those . Um Or do you 679 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:12,431 think it's because they're overseas ? 680 00:27:12,431 --> 00:27:14,487 Do you have any understanding of why 681 00:27:14,487 --> 00:27:16,653 it's so high ? I don't think we really 682 00:27:16,653 --> 00:27:19,210 know exactly why . Um And we really 683 00:27:19,210 --> 00:27:21,210 don't have the numbers Conus either 684 00:27:21,210 --> 00:27:23,432 because people can get vaccinated , you 685 00:27:23,432 --> 00:27:25,488 know , at Walgreens , right ? We may 686 00:27:25,488 --> 00:27:27,850 not have that data , but um so I don't 687 00:27:27,850 --> 00:27:31,010 think we can really say why . I'm just 688 00:27:31,010 --> 00:27:33,121 glad that they are getting vaccinated 689 00:27:33,121 --> 00:27:35,343 really higher than the national rate of 690 00:27:35,343 --> 00:27:35,280 teams . I don't know if you know that 691 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:37,760 information . I don't think I have that 692 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:40,450 off the top of my head . Yeah . Yeah . 693 00:27:40,460 --> 00:27:42,571 No , that's a great question though . 694 00:27:42,571 --> 00:27:45,000 Yeah . Okay . Todd Lopez . 695 00:27:46,100 --> 00:27:50,080 Good afternoon . I assume that service 696 00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:52,191 members on installations would prefer 697 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:54,650 that the the health protection 698 00:27:54,650 --> 00:27:57,000 condition doesn't go up because it 699 00:27:57,010 --> 00:28:00,260 reduces their freedom of movement . 700 00:28:00,930 --> 00:28:04,000 Is it fair to say that a service 701 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:05,944 member's failure to get vaccinated 702 00:28:05,944 --> 00:28:08,056 increases the chances that the health 703 00:28:08,056 --> 00:28:10,330 protection condition might go up for 704 00:28:10,330 --> 00:28:14,000 their fellow service members ? I would 705 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,860 say increasing increasing rates of 706 00:28:17,860 --> 00:28:21,620 covid 19 infection um increases , you 707 00:28:21,620 --> 00:28:23,842 know , in a local community , increases 708 00:28:23,842 --> 00:28:25,953 the chance that a local commander , a 709 00:28:25,953 --> 00:28:27,898 local installation commander would 710 00:28:27,898 --> 00:28:31,690 decide to change the HP con uh 711 00:28:31,700 --> 00:28:34,830 level um getting vaccinated prevents 712 00:28:34,830 --> 00:28:36,800 that transmission . So I wouldn't 713 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:39,078 directly say one individual , you know , 714 00:28:39,078 --> 00:28:41,670 is at fault , but so . 715 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,920 Okay . Okay . I think that's it for 716 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:48,920 questions . So uh general place dr 717 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:51,087 Aguirre Mr Rose , thank you all very , 718 00:28:51,087 --> 00:28:53,253 very much . And this concludes today's 719 00:28:53,253 --> 00:28:56,440 briefing . Mhm . Yeah .