Fauci & CDC Warn About Thanksgiving Gatherings
CABRERA: It pains me to say it but nation's top voice on the pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is sounding alarm about the risks of holiday gathering, saying Thanksgiving needs to look a lot different this year. As you start making plans for your family, here's what you need to know. The CDC recommends celebrating Thanksgiving in your own home with members of your own household. And when it comes to neighbors or perhaps extended family, either celebrating virtually or dropping off meals with no contact delivery. Joining us now, CNN Medical Analyst and former New York City Assistant Commissioner of Health, Dr. Celine Gounder. Dr. Gounder, we know what the CDC wants but we know some families will risk it anyway and invite neighbors or extended families. So what precautions can they take?</s>DR. CELINE GOUNDER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: This goes back to the basics of how we control coronavirus, which is wearing masks, trying to remain at least six feet apart from others, and being outside versus inside as much as possible. Granted, the weather is going to be getting colder. Being outside may not be as possible in some places. But perhaps keeping windows open and really encouraging everyone to wear a mask as much as possible. That's going to make a huge difference here.</s>CABRERA: One big part of the holidays season is travel for a lot of people. There was a study this week that the Department of Defense in conjunction with United Airlines. And it found that the ventilation system on planes were able to quickly filter the air and suck away particles that could transmit the virus. So much so that it would take an infected passenger 54 hours to spread the virus to others on board. We should not it didn't take into account other ways, breathing and coughing directly on them or for potential exposure at the airport. But what did you think of this study? Should people feel confident to get on a plane?</s>GOUNDER: This isn't really groundbreaking research. We've known for a long time that the HVAC systems on airplanes are robust. They were designed in the old days when people still smoked on airlines. So the risk is really the people sitting within a couple of rows on the plane or you're around in the airport. That's where your risk of transmission lies, especially if people are not wearing masks.</s>CABRERA: We got some disappointing news on Remdesivir, the only drug explicitly authorized to treat COVID in the U.S. This week, the World Health Organization presented new data and says it has little or no effect on mortality for hospitalized patients. How big of a setback is this?</s>GOUNDER: Well, the NIH trial published in "The New England Journal of Medicine" earlier this year has similar results. Basically, we found that there was no reduction in mortality, maybe a slight reduction in length or time in the hospital. But it's important to note that both of these studies really focused on sicker patients. And based on what we know about how Remdesivir works, at a molecular, cellular level, it would stand to reason it would work better for people earlier in the course of illness who maybe have not been hospitalized yet. So that remains to be seen. That remains to be studied.</s>CABRERA: Other big headline, Pfizer plans to seek emergency authorization for its vaccine in mid-November, so not before the election as the president had hoped. A lot of people saying life will just return to normal once we have a vaccine. But what's the reality?</s>GOUNDER: This is a major manufacturing and distribution challenge. So Pfizer has said their initial delivery of doses might be around 15 million doses by the end of the year. They're hoping for 100 million doses. But it's not just the U.S. that's vying for this. We've put in a preorder for 100 million, the European Union for 200 million, Japan for another 160 million, and the U.K. and others. So there's many of us competing for the unlimited doses. It's a vaccine that requires two doses, that needs to be frozen at very, very low temperatures. So all of this will make the distribution of the vaccine to the broader population quite challenging.</s>CABRERA: In fact, I think it was Dr. Fauci who said maybe April 2021 is when it will be more widespread, as far as availability of the vaccine, and even, you know, later for people who are lower risk. Dr. Celine Gounder, thank you as always. Coming up, campaign ad wars. Biden outspends Trump by more than $50 million. Who the campaigns are targeting, plus, the message they think will win it all for them.