>> THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PLANS TO END THE COVID PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY IN MAY.

BUT IT'S STILL CIRCULATING, AS IS CONFUSION ABOUT WHO SHOULD GET VACCINATED AND WHEN.

IN THE LAST WEEK, MINNESOTA'S STATE-RUN COVID TESTING SITES HAVE CLOSED.

WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN?

HERE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION AND MORE, MIKE OSTERHOLM.

HE HEADS THE CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.

WELL, DOCTOR, LET'S START WITH THE ENDING OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY Y PRESIDENT BIDEN.

HELPS OR HURTS THE SITUATION, NEUTRAL, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?

>> WELL, IT SURELY IS CAUSING A GREAT DEAL OF CONFUSION.

DON'T FORGET, IT AS ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO THAT THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED THAT WE WERE OVER THE PANDEMIC.

AND I, UNFORTUNATELY, SEVERAL LINES IN THE STORY IN "THE NEW YORK TIMES" SAID, NO, THAT WASN'T THE CASE.

BUT I UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE MEANT, THAT THE PUBLIC GENERALLY WAS OVER THE PANDEMIC.

I THINK THAT'S TRUE NOW.

BUT THIS IS -- WHAT THIS IS REALLY ALL ABOUT IS CHANGING THE STRUCTURE OF SOME OF THE FUNDING PROGRAMS THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AS PART OF THE DECLARED EMERGENCY.

WE WILL STILL HAVE ACCESS TO FREE VACCINES AND DRUGS, TESTING MAY BE A CHALLENGE IN THE SENSE THAT IT'S NOT CURRENTLY COVERED AND WE'VE GOT TO LOOK AT HOW WE'RE GOING TO COVER THAT.

>> Cathy: HOW IGHT THAT REALLY MESS THINGS UP?

I MEAN, BECAUSE WE'VE JUST, AS ERIC SAID, CLOSED DOWN THE STATE TESTING CENTERS, RIGHT?

IS THE MESSAGE TO PEOPLE, WELL, GOOD LUCK, TRY TO FIND YOUR OWN TESTS, HOW IS THIS GOING TO PLAY INTO THE OVERALL PANDEMIC?

>> WELL, THERE'S A LOT OF THAT, AND IT'S NOT THE STATE'S FAULT.

IT REALLY RIGHT NOW IS AT THE FED LEVEL TRYING TO CLARIFY WHAT WILL BE SUPPORTED, WHAT WON'T BE SUPPORTED.

I'VE BEEN IN SEVERAL MEETINGS THIS PAST WEEK AT THE WHITE HOUSE ON THAT VERY ISSUE, TRYING TO GIVE THEM THE CLEAR AND COMPELLING MESSAGE, YOU'VE GOT TO LET US KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING O HAPPEN, NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

WE STILL DO HAVE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE STILL INFECTED.

I MUST TELL YOU, THIS IS A VERY UNUSUAL WEEK FOR ME, I KNOW MORE PEOPLE IN MY IMMEDIATE HOUSEHOLD, WORE PLACING -- WORKPLACE THAT HAVE COVID THIS WEEK THAN AT ANY TIME IN THE PANDEMIC.

SO IT'S NOT DONE YET.

I THINK THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT.

WE'VE GOT TO CLARIFY, WHAT IS IT YOU CAN GET FOR TESTING?

WHAT CAN YOU GET FOR DRUGS?

AND FOR CERTAIN, MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE GETS VACCINATED WITH THE BIVALENT VACC SOON F YOU'RE -- VACCINE, IF YOU'RE 50 OR OLDER FOR SURE.

>> Eric: ARE YOU TARGETING THE ELDERLY FOR A BOOSTER, THERE'S BEEN PRETTY GOOD COMPLIANCE WITH THE BOOSTER SHOTS, HOW ABOUT THE BOOSTER ACTIVITY?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, ERIC, I'VE HAD SAID FOR SOME TIME, THE REAL SUCCESS FOR COVID WOULD BE THAT IF ALL OF US GOT IT TWICE A YEAR, BUT IT WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A COMMON COLD.

WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THIS VIRUS IS GOING TO TAKE US.

IT CONTINUES TO THROW THESE 210-MILE THAN AHOUR CURVE BALLS AT US.

WE'RE AT 500 DEATHS A DAY AGAIN.

WE'VE BEEN IDING THAT HIGH PLAINS PLATEAU AS YOU KNOW FOR THE LAST EIGHT TO TEN MONTHS.

IT HASN'T SUDDENLY DROPPED, AS SOME PEOPLE MIGHT THINK.

SO WE CLEARLY HAVE TO GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS THAT IT'S STILL IMPORTANT.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE DEATHS THAT ARE OCCURRING RIGHT NOW, THE MAJORITY ARE IN THOSE OVER AGE 50.

AND, YOU KNOW, TO ME, AS SOMEBODY WHO'S ABOUT TO TURN 70, I'M HARDLY DONE WITH MY LIFE YET.

SO DON'T CONSIDER ME A DISPENSABLE BECAUSE I'M OLD.

OKAY, SO WE'VE GOT TO GET PEOPLE IN THOSE AGE GROUPS VACCINATED.

WE HAVE CLEAR AND COMPELLING DATA NOW THAT SHOWS WITH THE BOOSTERS, YOU CAN REDUCE SERIOUS INESS, HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS.

IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN VACCINATED WITH THE BOOSTER, YOU'RE IN THE AGE GROUP, GET IT.

>> Cathy: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT A SIMPLIFIED PROCESS, THE WHEN AND HOW OFTEN?

LIKE FLU SHOTS?

>> YOU KNOW, I HAVE A REAL PROBLEM WITH THE FDA'S APPROACH RIGHT NOW WITH REGARD TO SEASONAL VACCINATION FOR COVID.

AND THE REASON I SAY THAT IS BECAUSE WHEN WE HAVE A SEASONAL DISEASE, LIKE INFLEW INFLUENZA, WHICH TYPICALLY OCCURS FROM MID TO LATE DECEMBER, TO EARLY MID FEBRUARY, WELL, YOU CAN VACCINATE PEOPLE LARGELY IN THAT SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER TIME PERIOD, KNOWING THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO VACCINATE THEM TOO EARLY BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT PROTECTION WANES OVER TIME, MAYBE 15% PER WEEK.

WELL, WE DON'T HAVE A SEASON YET FOR COVID.

AND, IN FACT, IF YOU FOLLOW JUST SINCE NOVEMBER, THE NEW SOUTH WALES IN AUSTRALIA, MELBOURNE AND SYDNEY HAVE HAD EXACTLY THE SAME PIDEMIOLOGY OF DISEASES WE'VE SEEN IN THE NORTHEASTERN PART OF THE UNITED STATES.

SO IF WE DO HAVE THE SEASONAL ONCE A YEAR VACCINE IS AND I GET IT, AY, IN OCTOBER, AND IT DOESN'T TURN OUT THAT I SEE COVID IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY, BUT NOW IT'S GOING TO BE IN APRIL OR MAY, HOW GOOD'S MY VACCINE?

SO I UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW, BUT WE CAN'T JUST SIMPLIFY IT BY SAYING, IT'S A SEASONAL DISEASE.

FRANKLY, I THINK SOME OF US WOULD LIKE TO SEE AT LEAST FOR THOSE WHO ARE AT RISK OF SERIOUS ILLNESS, THOSE WHO ARE OLDER AGAIN, THOSE WITH IMMUNE-COMPROMISING CONDITIONS, MAYBE HAVE ACCESS TO IT TWICE A YEAR, KNOWING THAT MANY MANY PEOPLE YOUNGER WON'T MAKE -- TAKE IT, BUT MANY OF US OLDER WILL.

>> Eric: YOU'VE HAD TALKED ABOUT A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW, MAYBE AN OVERALL OF -- OVERHAUL OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY.

I WONDER WHAT IF, ANYTHING MIGHT BE GAINED BY CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ON THAT SUBJECT?

>> WELL, RIGHT NOW, I THINK THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE WITH MOST OF THE CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS THAT WE'RE AWARE OF IS DO NO HARM.

I THINK THAT THERE'S A TREMENDOUS EFFORT BEING MADE TO GET INTO THE ISSUES AROUND WHERE DID THE VIRUS COME FROM, FOR WHICH WE WILL NEVER KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.

ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS IT'S OT A MAN-MADE VIRUS, WHETHER IT LEAKED OUT OF A LABORATORY OR DIRECTLY FROM AN ANIMAL, I DON'T THINK WE'RE EVER GOING TO KNOW.

IT WOULD BE REALLY WONDERFUL IF WE'D CONCENTRATE ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET NEW AND BETTER VACCINES, IN JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS, OUR CENTER IS GOING TO BE RELEASING A MAJOR NEW ROAD MAP FOR GETTING BETTER CORONAVIRUS VACCINES, IT'S BEEN SUPPORTED BY THE GATES FOUNDATION AND THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION AND IT'S INVOLVED MORE THAN 60 INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS.

WE NEED TO CONCENTRATE ON THAT.

HOW CAN WE GET BETTER VACCINES?

SO THAT WE DON'T FIND OURSELVES WITH THIS NEED TO VACCINATE POTENTIALLY EVERY SIX MONTHS.

I HOPE THEY WOULD DO THAT.

I'M NOT OPTIMISTIC THEY'LL DO THAT.

I'M AFRAID IT'S GOING TO BE MORE DRAMA AND TRAUMA THAN IT'S GOING TO BE ACTUAL REAL WORK.

>> Cathy: SAY, THIS QUESTION MIGHT COME OUT OF LEFT FIELD.

WE KNOW WE HAVE THE NEW VARIANT CIRCULATING, THE XBB, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT DEER, WHITE-TAILED DEER, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, MINNESOTA'S LOUSY WITH WHITE-TAILED DEER, ARE LIKE RESERVOIRS OF OLD VARIANTS.

YOU KNOW?

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

>> YOU KNOW, ATHY, WE DON'T KNOW.

IT'S CONCERNING.

AND I SAY IT'S CONCERNING BECAUSE MANY OF THESE STRAINS OF THE VIRUS THAT WE'RE SEEING IN WHITE-TAILED DEER ARE NOT ONES WE COMMONLY SEE IN HUMANS.

AND THAT MAY BE THE ACTUAL PLACE THAT SOME OF THE MAJOR GENETIC CHANGES OCCUR AND ONE DAY, BAM, WE'RE NOW HIT WITH THIS NEW VIRUS THAT'S COME OUT OF THE ANIMAL.

JUST LIKE THE ORIGINAL VIRUS FROM WUHAN DID.

ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, IT CAME FROM AN ANIMAL.

SO I THINK THAT THIS IS A REAL CHALLENGE.

WE'RE NOT CERTAIN JUST HOW MANY OTHER ANIMAL SPECIES ARE INFECTED WITH THE SARS CoV-2 VIRUS, THE VIRUS THAT CAUSES COVID.

SO THIS IS A REAL CONCERN.

I DON'T THINK AT THIS POINT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE PEOPLE SEE DEER IN THEIR YARD OR THEY'RE AROUND HUNTED DEER THAT THEY HAVE ANY CONCERNS THERE.

BUT WITH TIME, THIS COULD BE THE SOURCE OF NEW VARIANTS, IT COULD BE VERY VERY AINFUL.

>> Cathy: ALL RIGHT.

ALWAYS A PLEASURE.

THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

>>