WELCOME BACK TO OUR QUARANNIVERSARY SPECIAL HERE AT

"A LATE SHOW."

LET'S SAY HELLO TO A MAN I'VE MISSED FOR A YEAR, JON BATISTE.

HELLO, JON.

>> Jon: HELLO, YINDEED, STEPHEN, HOW ARE YOU FEELING?

>> Stephen: YOU KNOW WHAT, HOPEFUL.

I'M HOPEFUL, WHICH IS A DANGEROUS FEELING BECAUSE YOU

DON'T WANT TO GET BURNED, BUT I MEAN, THINGS ARE LOOKING UP.

EVIDENTLY, ALL ADULTS ELIGIBLE FOR SHOTS BY THE TIME WE GET TO

MAY, STARTING MAY 1-- AM I RIGHT WITH THAT?

IS THAT WHAT BIDEN SAID LAST NIGHT?

THAT'S GOT TO GIVE YOU A LITTLEERATE OF HOPE RIGHT THERE.

I'M TRYING TO LOOK ON THE THE BRIGHT SIDE.

>> Jon: PULL YOURSELF UP ON THE ROPE OF YOUR HOPE.

COME ON.

LET'S GET IT.

>> Stephen: I-- I'M JUST WONDERING IF THERE'S ANYTHING

ABOUT THIS ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATING YEAR THAT WE'VE JUST

GONE THROUGH, IS THERE ANYTHING OUT OF IT THAT WAS A POSITIVE

FOR YOU IN YOUR OWN LIFE?

>> Jon: I THINK FACING THE INTERNAL, THE THINGS THAT IN OUR

BUSY LIVES WE MAY NOT GET A CHANCE TO SIT AND DEAL WITH.

WE'RE FORCED TO DEAL WITH THEM IN THIS TIMES.

I THINK THAT'S A POSITIVE, ACTUALLY.

>> Stephen: THAT OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE STOCK?

>> Jon: YUP, YUP, YUP.

AND BE WITH THOSE-- IF WE WERE TRAPPED WITH THOSE WE LOVE, IT'S

ALSO A PLUS, AND I WAS.

SO THAT'S A GOOD THING.

>> Stephen: THAT'S TRUE.

AND YOU DID IT WITHOUT DRINKING ( LAUGHS )

>> Jon: THAT'S RIGHT.

>> Stephen: THAT'S DARE-- THAT'S DAREDEVIL BEHAVIOR IN MY

OPINION.

GOOD FOR YOU.

GOOD FOR YOU, EVILICA NEVELE.

>> Jon: HEY, RIDE THEM!

>> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE ANY HOPEFUL MUSIC FOR US TONIGHT?

>> Jon: YES, YES, LET'S SEE.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: THANK YOU, JON.

JON BATISTE, EVERYBODY.

THE.

>> Jon: YES, INDEED.

>> Stephen: MY GUEST TONIGHT IS THE CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER TO

THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE VOICE OF REASON WHO GUIDED US THROUGH THE

PAST YEAR.

PLEASE WELCOME TO "A LATE SHOW, DR. ANTHONY FAUCI.

DR. FAUCI, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, STEPHEN.

I APPRECIATE IT.

>> Stephen: I'VE WANTED TO HAVE YOU ON FOR A YEAR.

WE'VE TRIED TO HAVE YOU ON ALMOST EVERY WEEK FOR A YEAR.

WE COULD NEVER GET YOU.

AROUND JANUARY 20, YOUR SCHEDULE REALLY OPENED UP.

WHAT CHANGED?

( LAUGHS ) >> EVERYTHING.

>> Stephen: GOOD.

I HOPE IT KEEPS CHANGING.

NOW, I'VE GOT A LOT I WANT TO ASK YOU, BUT THE FIRST THING I

HAVE TO ASK YOU IS ABOUT WHAT PRESIDENT BIDEN ANNOUNCED LAST

NIGHT, IS THAT BY MAY 1, ALL ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES WILL

BE ELIGIBLE FOR COVID-19 VACCINES.

HOW-- HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT SO QUICKLY?

THAT'S MUCH SOONER THAN WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.

>> WELL, WHAT, AS YOU PROBABLY HAVE NOTICED OVER THE LAST

COUPLE OF WEEKS, THERE HAS BEEN A REAL CONCERTED EFFORT TO GET

MORE VACCINES AVAILABLE, FOR SIGNING CONTRACTSs, FOR

EXAMPLE, WITH MODERNA AND PFIZER TO GET AN ADDITIONAL 100 MILLION

DOSES A PIECE FROM THEM, TO GET A TOTAL OF 600 MILLION DOSES.

J&J, WHICH WE ORIGINALLY CONTRACT FOR, FOR 100 MILLION

DOSES, A DEAL WAS MADE FOR, YET AGAIN, ANOTHER 100 MILLION

DOSES.

SO IT WAS A QUESTION OF REALLY MAKING A FULL-COURT PRESS TO GET

MORE VACCINE AVAILABLE.

AND AS YOU DO, YOU GET THROUGH THE PRIORITIES SO THAT YOU GET

TO A POINT WHERE YOU REALLY HAVE ENOUGH TO GIVE TO EVERYONE.

AND THAT PUSHED IT BACK BY A COUPLE OF MONTHS, WHICH IS

REALLY GOOD NEWS, WHICH MEANS WE LIKELY WILL HAVE THE

OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION VACCINATED MUCH, MUCH

SOONER THAN WE ORIGINALLY HAD PLANNED.

>> Stephen: ONE OF THE CHANGES FROM THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION

TO THIS ONE IS A SENSE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ACTUALLY HAS

A LARGE ROLE TO PLAY IN COORDINATING HERE.

IS THAT PART OF IT, THE FACT THAT THE-- PRESIDENT BIDEN IS--

IS STATING THAT ELIGIBILITY FOR ADULTS WILL START MAY 1.

IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TAKING A LARGER ROLE IN DISTRIBUTION

AND ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS?

>> IN EVERY ASPECT OF THE ENDEAVOR, STEPHEN, IS THAT

BEFORE, EARLIER, IN THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION, A LOT OF

DISCRETION, A LOT OF AUTHORITY, A LOT OF DECISION MAKING WAS

LEFT TO THE STATES THEMSELVES, WHICH THERE STILL IS A LOT OF

THAT, TOO.

BECAUSE THE STATES INDEPENDENTLY ARE VERY IMPORTANT IN THE

IMPLEMENTATION.

YOU DON'T WANT TO BE TELLING THEM EVERYTHING TO DO.

BUT WHAT WE HAVE MORE NOW IS A COOPERATION, COLLABORATION, AND

WHAT I WOULD CALL A SINNER GEE BETWEEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

AND THE STATES TO GET THINGS DONE.

AND THAT IS REALLY, I THINK, VERY GOOD NEWS.

I HAVE ALWAYS FELT THROUGHOUT THE PREVIOUS YEAR THAT THERE

SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE INTERACTION IN THE SENSE OF SIN

JIEZING, INSTEAD OF SAYING HERE'S WHAT YOU DO AND GO DO IT.

IF YOU SUCCEED, FINE.

IF YOU FAIL THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM, WHICH IS NOT, I THINK, THE BEST

WAY TO DO IT.

>> Stephen: NOW, FOR A YEAR NOW, YOU HAVE BEEN ADVISING US

WHAT TO DO.

CAN YOU ADVISE US HOW TO FEEL?

BECAUSE I MEAN, THERE'S A-- THERE'S A CHANGE IN THE AIR.

THERE REALLY IS.

AS I WAS SAYING TO JON BATISTE EARLIER EOH, THERE'S A SENSE OF

HOPE OUT THERE, AND WE DON'T WANT TO GET BURNED.

CAN WE BE HOPEFUL THAT THIS IS GOING TO COME TO AN END SOON?

>> YES.

NOT ONLY HOPEFUL, YOU CAN BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT THIS IS

GOING TO END, AND WE WILL GET BACK TO NORMAL.

THE QUESTION IS WHEN?

AND I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON NOW,

PARTICULARLY WITH THE AVAILABILITY OF MULTIPLE, HIGHLY

EFFICACIOUS VACCINES THAT ARE SAFE AT THE SAME TIME THEY'RE

HIGHLY EFFICACIOUS, IF WE DO THAT TOGETHER WITH A GRAL

DIMINUTION OF THE STRINJENCEY OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES-- YOU

DON'T WANT TO TURN THE SWITCH ON AND OFF AND SAY, OKAY, WE'RE

DOING WELL.

LET'S STOP EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING REGARDING PUBLIC HEALTH.

WE DON'T WANT TO DO THAT -- >> Stephen: BUT THAT'S

HAPPENING.

>> YES IT IS.

>> Stephen: ALL OVER THE COUNTRY IN VARIOUS STATES.

PEOPLE ARE GOING, "OKAY!

EVERYBODY BACK IN THE POOL."

LIKE WHAT-- WHAT IS THE CALMEST WAY YOU COULD SPEAK TO THE

STATES THAT DECIDED IT'S OVER, AT LEAST THERE'S NOTHING MORE TO

BE DONE ON THEIR END IN TERMS OF MITIGATION-- MITIGATING THE

SPREAD?

>> WELL, I'VE SAID THAT PUBLICLY MANY TIMES, ALMOST ON A DAILY

BASIS, STEPHEN, IS THAT IT IS REALLY RISKY.

RIGHT NOW, EVEN THOUGH THE CASES ARE COMING DOWN IN A VERY SHARP

DECLINE, OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, IT STARTED TO PLATEAU A

BIT.

AND IT IT PLATEAUS, IT'S PLATEAUING AT AN UNACCEPTABLE

HIGH LEVEL-- ABOUT 50,000 TO 60,000 NEW INFECTIONS PER DAY.

AND EVERY TIME WE'VE SEEN A PLATEAU AT THAT LEVEL, THERE'S

ALWAYS BEEN THE RISK OF GETTING YET AGAIN ANOTHER SURGE.

AND WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO DO IS GET ANOTHER SURGE.

WE WANT TO KEEP IT COMING DOWN-- IT MAY NOT BE AS SHARP AS IT HAS

BEEN OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS OR SO, BUT IF-- A MONTH

OR TWO.

IF WE CAN GET IT TO COME AND CONTINUE TO GO DOWN, AS WE GET

MORE AND MORE PEOPLE VACCINATED, EVERY DAY OVER TWO MILLION

PEOPLE ARE BEING VACCINATED.

IF WE KEEP DOING THAT, AT THE SAME TIME AS WE KEEP A CERTAIN

AMOUNT OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES GOING, SUCH AS EVERYONE

CONTINUING TO WEAR A MASK AND NOT JUST SAYING, "HEY, THINGS

LOOK GOOD.

LET'S JUST GO RIGHT BACK TO WHERE WE THINK WE SHOULD BE,"

WHICH EVERYONE IS EMPATHETIC WITH THAT NEED TO START TO GET

BACK TO NORMAL.

EVERYBODY WANTS TO DO THAT.

EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET ALL THE KIDS BACK TO SCHOOL.

EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET BACK TO WORK IN THE WORKPLACE AND NOT BE

WORKING FROM HOME SO THAT YOU CAN GET THE ECONOMY GOING.

IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, STEPHEN.

IT IS, GUARANTEED, IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

BUT WE'VE GOT TO DO IT PRUDENTLY AND CAREFULLY.

>> Stephen: NOW, I HAVE BEEN A FAN OF YOURS SINCE BEFORE IT WAS

COOL BECAUSE I INTERVIEWED YOU ALMOST EXACTLY 10 YEARS AGO.

IT WAS IN MARCH OF 2011, AND I WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS

CLIP.

JIM.

WHAT'S GOING TO BE THE NEXT BIG, YOU KNOW, HOT NEW DISEASE?

WE HAVE SARS, WE HAD SWINE FLU.

AND WE HAD BIRD FLU.

AND I WANT TO GET MY GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT WORKING ON THE NEXT

THING THAT'S GOING TO SCARE THE POOP OUT OF THESE PEOPLE.

TURKEY HERPES.

WHAT'S IT GOING TO BE?

>> THE INTERESTING THING IS WE DON'T KNOW.

THERE IS ALWAYS A THREAT OF EMERGING AND RE-EMERGING

INFECTIONS.

AND ONE OF THE FEARS WE FACE IS NATURE IS THE WORST IN THAT

RESPECT.

IT COMES OUT OF NOWHERE, A LOT OF TIMES JUMPING SPECIES FROM

ANIMALS TO HUMANS.

>> Stephen: I KNOW ANIMALS ARE DANGEROUS.

THAT'S WHY I BELIEVE IN POLLUTION.

HIT THEM FIRST UPON KILL OR BE KILLED.

NOW, HOW DID THE NIGHTMARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT COMPARE TO THE

REALITY OF COVID?

>> YOU KNOW, IT MATERIALIZED, STEPHEN, UNFORTUNATELY FOR ALL

OF US, YOU KNOW A CONTINUATION OF THAT CONVERSATION WOULD HAVE

BEEN MY WORST NIGHTMARE IS WHAT I INITIALLY HINTED AT IN MY

DISCUSSION WITH YOU IS A BRAND-NEW VIRAL INFECTION THAT

JUMPS SPECIES FROM AN ANIMAL RESERVOIR TO A HUMAN, THAT'S

RESPIRATORY BORNE, THAT HAS TWO FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS --

ONE, IT SPREADS EXTRAORDINARILY EFFICIENTLY FROM HUMAN TO HUMAN.

AND, TWO, IT HAS THE CAPABILITY OF A HIGH DEGREE OF MORBIDITY

AND MORTALITY.

AND, UNFORTUNATELY FOR ALL OF US, THAT'S COVID-19, WITH

ALREADY A HALF A MILLION PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE DIED,

525 MILLION, WITH 28 MILLION INFECTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN

DOCUMENTED.

>> Stephen: WELL, AS WE SHOWED, YOU'RE A-- A VOICE-- NOT

CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, BUT CERTAINLY CRYING IN WHAT CAN BE

THE WILDERNESS OF POLITICS.

FOR YEARS OVER PREPARING FOR A PANDEMIC LIKE THIS.

WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE, AS A MAN OF SCIENCE, WHAT HAS IT BEEN

LIKE OVER THE PAST YEAR TO SEE FACTS, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH,

SCIENTIFIC MEDICAL ADVICE POLITICIZED, RATHER THAN

UTILIZED?

>> WELL, IT'S BEEN VERY DISTRESSFUL.

AND IT'S IN MANY RESPECTS VERY PAINFUL, BECAUSE AS A PHYSICIAN,

A SCIENTIST, AND A PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIAL, WHEN YOU'RE DEALING

WITH A FORMIDABLE ENEMY-- IF YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE IT

METAPHORIC-- THE ENEMY BEING THE VIRUS, THE ONE THING YOU NEED

SUNEED EVERYONE PULLING TOGETHER, REALIZING THAT THE

ENEMY IS THE VIRUS, NOT EACH OTHER.

AND THE WORST POSSIBLE THING-- AND I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING

LIKE IT BEFORE, STEPHEN.

I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN A NUMBER OF OUTBREAKS OVER THE 37 YEARS

THAT I'VE BEEN THE DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE, AND I-- I'VE

NEVER SEEN A SITUATION WHERE THERE WAS SUCH INTENSE

DIVISIVENESS WHERE SIMPLE, COMMONSENSE, NO-BRAINER PUBLIC

HEALTH ISSUES TAKE ON A POLITICAL CONNOTATION.

IF YOU WEAR A MASK, YOU'RE ON THIS SIDE.

IF YOU DON'T WEAR A MASK, YOU'RE ON THAT SIDE.

IF YOU WANT TO CONGREGATE, YOU'RE ON THIS SIDE.

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO CONGREGATE, YOU'RE ON THE OTHER SIDE.

IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE BECAUSE THE VIRUS IS GOING TO DO

WHAT THE VIRUS IS GOING TO DO, REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOUR

POLITICAL PERSUASION IS, REGARDLESS OF HOW DIVISIVE YOU

ARE.

AND THAT WAS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING TO SEE THAT.

IT WAS NOT HELPFUL-- IN FACT, IT WAS QUITE HARMFUL.

>> Stephen: YOU'VE WORKED FOR SEVEN PRESIDENTS, SO IT'S NOT

THE FIRST TIME THAT YOU HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH POLITICAL

CONSIDERATIONS, NOT OF YOUR OWN BUT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE

WORKING FOR.

I UNDERSTAND YOU'VE USED THE GODFATHER AS A MODEL OF