WEBVTT 00:01.440 --> 00:03.273 Hello , everyone . Thank you for 00:03.273 --> 00:06.350 joining us today . I am Kathy RAA , CK 00:06.350 --> 00:09.030 co founder and CEO here . A Blue star . 00:09.030 --> 00:12.900 Families were a national military and 00:12.900 --> 00:15.122 veteran family serving nonprofit that's 00:15.122 --> 00:17.830 both grassroots to grass tops . We're 00:17.830 --> 00:19.997 committed to bringing you the programs 00:19.997 --> 00:21.941 and insights you need to help your 00:21.941 --> 00:24.050 family thrive . Since March of last 00:24.050 --> 00:25.830 year , we've been dedicated to 00:25.830 --> 00:28.020 providing you the transparency and the 00:28.020 --> 00:30.187 access to experts to help you navigate 00:30.187 --> 00:32.960 the pandemic . We're delighted now to 00:32.960 --> 00:35.127 partner with the American Red Cross on 00:35.127 --> 00:38.550 a new campaign team up to be Cove in 19 00:38.650 --> 00:40.650 to help military connected families 00:40.650 --> 00:42.790 understand and get access to the 00:42.790 --> 00:46.330 vaccine . Thanks , Kathy , So 00:46.330 --> 00:48.910 much . The American Red Cross is super 00:48.910 --> 00:51.132 excited to join Blue Star families as a 00:51.132 --> 00:53.188 partner in this important and timely 00:53.188 --> 00:54.799 campaign . We have much more 00:54.799 --> 00:57.021 information to you today , but first we 00:57.021 --> 00:59.021 have an exciting special guest . We 00:59.021 --> 01:01.243 want to kick off today's event with her 01:01.243 --> 01:03.370 heartfelt and encouraging words for a 01:03.370 --> 01:06.060 military connected community . Together , 01:06.440 --> 01:08.496 the American Red Cross and Blue Star 01:08.496 --> 01:10.690 families are excited to welcome first 01:10.690 --> 01:13.340 lady Jill Biden , joining us today from 01:13.340 --> 01:15.618 the White House . Thank you , Dr Biden , 01:15.618 --> 01:19.050 for being with us . Yeah . 01:22.940 --> 01:25.000 A few months ago I met with a mom 01:25.000 --> 01:27.420 dealing with the chaos so many parents 01:27.420 --> 01:30.280 have faced over this . Last year , she 01:30.280 --> 01:32.058 had two kids who were trying to 01:32.058 --> 01:34.180 navigate remote learning while she 01:34.180 --> 01:36.630 worked from home . She was worried 01:36.630 --> 01:39.710 about keeping them all safe far away 01:39.710 --> 01:42.730 from the help of her family , and all 01:42.730 --> 01:45.290 the while , her husband was deployed 01:45.300 --> 01:48.490 overseas with his homecoming delayed 01:48.500 --> 01:51.690 because of co vid . This last year has 01:51.690 --> 01:55.330 been tough on all Americans , but many 01:55.340 --> 01:58.300 in our military communities are facing 01:58.300 --> 02:00.550 these challenges through deployment 02:01.140 --> 02:04.760 while adjusting to a new town or school 02:05.240 --> 02:07.520 and without a bubble of friends and 02:07.520 --> 02:11.330 family . The president and I know that 02:11.330 --> 02:14.430 our military families are strong and 02:14.430 --> 02:17.520 resilient . You may not wear uniforms , 02:17.940 --> 02:20.170 but you serve in your own way , 02:20.500 --> 02:23.170 sacrificing for our country alongside 02:23.170 --> 02:26.250 your service member . Making sure you 02:26.250 --> 02:28.472 have what you need to thrive isn't just 02:28.472 --> 02:31.400 a nice thing to do . It's a matter of 02:31.410 --> 02:34.810 national security , and that's 02:34.820 --> 02:37.610 especially true . As we tackle this 02:37.610 --> 02:41.240 virus , you need to feel confident in 02:41.240 --> 02:43.520 the health decisions you make for your 02:43.520 --> 02:46.470 family . That's why it's so important 02:46.470 --> 02:49.390 for us that you have the direct access 02:49.390 --> 02:52.390 to the experts to have an honest and 02:52.390 --> 02:55.240 transparent conversation . Your 02:55.240 --> 02:58.890 questions matter and Dr Fauci and his 02:58.890 --> 03:02.370 team are excited to answer them . The 03:02.370 --> 03:05.300 fight against Cove It is a battle we 03:05.300 --> 03:09.020 can win , and brighter days are close , 03:10.040 --> 03:12.650 but we need your help . That's why 03:12.650 --> 03:16.380 we're encouraging everyone to mask 03:16.390 --> 03:20.100 up socially distance and get the 03:20.100 --> 03:23.700 vaccine . When it's your turn , we can 03:23.700 --> 03:26.850 beat this together . So thank you for 03:26.850 --> 03:30.180 your questions today and most of all , 03:30.190 --> 03:33.660 for your service to our country . Stay 03:33.660 --> 03:37.320 safe and God bless our service members 03:37.630 --> 03:39.650 and their families . Thank you . 03:45.940 --> 03:48.280 Thank you , Dr Biden , for being such 03:48.280 --> 03:50.280 an extraordinary friend to military 03:50.280 --> 03:52.370 families were honored that you 03:52.370 --> 03:55.100 prioritizes today . It means so much to 03:55.100 --> 03:57.322 our military connected families and our 03:57.322 --> 03:59.690 whole community . We look forward to 03:59.690 --> 04:02.010 continuing to work with you to support 04:02.020 --> 04:04.242 this community with your joining forces 04:04.242 --> 04:06.409 initiative and throughout your time is 04:06.409 --> 04:08.990 first lady . Dr . Biden's remarks 04:09.040 --> 04:11.600 reflect Blue Star families belief that 04:11.610 --> 04:13.690 our military force is really a total 04:13.690 --> 04:16.250 family force and we're strongest when 04:16.250 --> 04:18.306 our military families air strong too 04:19.340 --> 04:21.396 based on Blue Star families , recent 04:21.396 --> 04:23.396 pulse check . We know that military 04:23.396 --> 04:25.284 families have really concerns and 04:25.284 --> 04:27.560 questions about the cove in 19 vaccine 04:28.040 --> 04:30.262 and that that's why we're here today to 04:30.262 --> 04:32.596 let people talk directly to the experts . 04:32.596 --> 04:34.762 Over half of our respondents said that 04:34.762 --> 04:36.873 they did not feel comfortable at this 04:36.873 --> 04:38.873 time getting the vaccine , and many 04:38.873 --> 04:41.096 remain undecided . Their concerns range 04:41.096 --> 04:42.762 from distrust of the vaccines 04:42.762 --> 04:44.810 development process to its safety 04:44.810 --> 04:47.280 overall effect , efficacy and to the 04:47.280 --> 04:49.336 potential for unknown side effects . 04:49.640 --> 04:51.900 The concerns that you shared with us 04:51.910 --> 04:54.260 are what led us to convene this group 04:54.270 --> 04:56.830 of medical experts today . We share 04:56.830 --> 04:58.941 those concerns with Dr Fauci's team , 04:58.941 --> 05:01.760 and he immediately agreed to join us 05:02.140 --> 05:04.362 throughout today's event . We encourage 05:04.362 --> 05:06.529 you to share your thoughts , questions 05:06.529 --> 05:08.751 and concerns in the chat we're eager to 05:08.751 --> 05:10.807 hear from you . We'll do our best to 05:10.807 --> 05:12.862 answer as many questions as we can . 05:13.140 --> 05:15.251 It's my hope that during today's town 05:15.251 --> 05:18.010 hall will get you the answers you need 05:18.020 --> 05:20.820 to make the best safest decisions for 05:20.820 --> 05:23.970 your family , and now it's my true 05:23.970 --> 05:26.560 honor to welcome Dr Anthony Fauci to 05:26.560 --> 05:28.930 join us today . As you all know , Dr 05:28.930 --> 05:31.190 Fauci has been at the front line of 05:31.190 --> 05:33.190 infectious disease research for the 05:33.190 --> 05:35.412 past three decades , and he's a leading 05:35.412 --> 05:37.550 voice on Cove in 19 Pandemic here in 05:37.550 --> 05:40.490 America . Dr . Fauci , we are humbled , 05:40.500 --> 05:42.830 Excited to have you with us today . We 05:42.830 --> 05:44.997 have tens of thousands of military and 05:44.997 --> 05:47.160 veteran families watching right now . 05:47.170 --> 05:49.226 Thank you for sharing your knowledge 05:49.226 --> 05:52.650 and your expertise . Welcome . Yes , 05:53.540 --> 05:55.596 thank you very much . Kathy . It's a 05:55.596 --> 05:57.929 real pleasure to be here with you today . 05:57.929 --> 06:00.096 Um , let me first start off by echoing 06:00.096 --> 06:03.240 those eloquent words of Dr Biden and to 06:03.240 --> 06:07.050 express my extraordinary respect 06:07.440 --> 06:09.662 for the Blue Star families and the Blue 06:09.662 --> 06:12.010 Star Family Project . Thank you very 06:12.010 --> 06:14.121 much for giving me the opportunity to 06:14.121 --> 06:16.550 be with you . Uh , because of this 06:16.550 --> 06:18.717 extraordinary respect I have , I would 06:18.717 --> 06:21.770 do this any time that you asked me for 06:21.770 --> 06:23.850 it . Let me just spend a couple of 06:23.850 --> 06:26.270 minutes just making some general 06:26.270 --> 06:28.500 statements on I know we'll have a lot 06:28.500 --> 06:31.000 of questions that relate to the issue 06:31.000 --> 06:33.660 of vaccines , but we here in the United 06:33.660 --> 06:36.420 States and globally are living through 06:36.430 --> 06:39.860 truly historic and devastating Pandemic , 06:40.340 --> 06:42.229 which has already killed over two 06:42.229 --> 06:44.660 million people worldwide , has infected 06:44.660 --> 06:46.604 more than 20 million people in the 06:46.604 --> 06:49.120 United States , leading to about 06:49.120 --> 06:53.120 430,000 deaths This is 06:53.120 --> 06:55.510 truly historic , the worst of a 06:55.510 --> 06:57.566 respiratory disease pandemic that we 06:57.566 --> 07:00.620 have seen in over 102 years . We right 07:00.620 --> 07:03.040 now as I speak to you , are still 07:03.040 --> 07:05.040 within the grips of this , though , 07:05.040 --> 07:07.790 even though things begin to plateau and 07:07.790 --> 07:09.901 are looking like they're going in the 07:09.901 --> 07:12.234 right direction over the last few weeks , 07:12.234 --> 07:15.050 we still have between one and 200,000 07:15.060 --> 07:17.710 new infections each day , and we have 07:17.710 --> 07:21.050 anywhere between three and 4000 deaths 07:21.440 --> 07:24.780 per day . That is the sobering and sad 07:24.780 --> 07:27.100 news . But the light at the end of the 07:27.100 --> 07:29.920 tunnel is the extraordinary success 07:30.340 --> 07:32.118 that we've had with the Vaccine 07:32.118 --> 07:34.284 Development Program , where the United 07:34.284 --> 07:37.440 States government has been responsible 07:37.440 --> 07:40.090 for and heavily invested in , the 07:40.090 --> 07:41.701 development of Andorra . The 07:41.701 --> 07:44.180 facilitation of the testing of six 07:44.180 --> 07:46.910 vaccine candidates , two of which have 07:46.910 --> 07:49.460 already received emergency use 07:49.840 --> 07:52.610 authorization and by emergency use 07:52.610 --> 07:55.300 authorization means that the vaccines 07:55.300 --> 07:57.320 air now available and are being 07:57.320 --> 07:59.620 administered two people in the United 07:59.620 --> 08:02.840 States . 32 million injections of 08:02.840 --> 08:05.230 vaccine have already been given . I 08:05.230 --> 08:07.286 might just say very briefly and then 08:07.286 --> 08:09.341 we'll open up for questions . People 08:09.341 --> 08:11.520 always ask . Well , how do you know 08:11.520 --> 08:13.409 that this is a safe and effective 08:13.409 --> 08:15.464 vaccine . And what was the process ? 08:15.464 --> 08:17.353 Well , the two vaccines that have 08:17.353 --> 08:19.576 already been approved for emergency use 08:19.740 --> 08:22.050 often the company Moderna and Pfizer , 08:22.540 --> 08:24.900 and it's what's called a messenger RNA 08:24.910 --> 08:28.200 platform . It was tested in 08:28.200 --> 08:30.700 30,000 people in the Madonna trouble , 08:30.700 --> 08:34.560 the trial and in 44,000 people in 08:34.560 --> 08:37.080 the Pfizer trial . And the results was 08:37.080 --> 08:41.020 striking in the positive sense . A 94 08:41.030 --> 08:44.890 to 95% efficacy against clinically 08:44.890 --> 08:48.760 recognizable disease . And in fact , ah , 08:48.760 --> 08:52.110 very strong , almost 100% protection 08:52.120 --> 08:55.760 against severe disease leading to death . 08:56.240 --> 08:58.407 So the results are extraordinary . But 08:58.407 --> 09:00.960 people ask Well , wait a minute . You 09:00.960 --> 09:03.440 develop this vaccine literally in less 09:03.440 --> 09:05.384 than a year from the time you knew 09:05.384 --> 09:08.020 about this new virus . So you always 09:08.020 --> 09:11.300 tell us that it takes 5 to 7 to 10 09:11.300 --> 09:14.220 years . How did that happen ? Were you 09:14.220 --> 09:16.331 reckless ? Did you rush ? Did you cut 09:16.331 --> 09:19.930 corners ? And the answer is the speed 09:19.930 --> 09:22.900 is completely related to the 09:22.900 --> 09:25.960 extraordinary advances in scientific 09:25.960 --> 09:29.040 platform technology . For vaccines . 09:29.350 --> 09:31.710 There were no corners cut . We did not 09:31.710 --> 09:34.840 sacrifice safety , nor do we sacrifice 09:34.840 --> 09:37.860 scientific integrity and the decision 09:38.340 --> 09:41.240 to determine that the vaccine was safe 09:41.240 --> 09:44.440 and effective was made by independent 09:44.440 --> 09:48.370 bodies of vaccine ologists scientist , 09:48.690 --> 09:51.970 immunologist , statisticians , 09:51.990 --> 09:54.900 ethicists that we're beholden not to 09:54.900 --> 09:57.100 the federal government nor to the 09:57.100 --> 10:00.330 companies , but to you , the American 10:00.330 --> 10:02.670 public . And that's really important 10:02.670 --> 10:04.790 for people to understand . And the 10:04.790 --> 10:08.080 decision to decide to administer it was 10:08.080 --> 10:10.970 again made by professional career 10:10.970 --> 10:13.880 scientists at the FDA in 10:13.880 --> 10:17.290 association with their own independent 10:17.300 --> 10:20.300 advisory board . So those decisions 10:20.310 --> 10:23.060 were both independent and transparent . 10:23.440 --> 10:25.551 And that's the reason why many of you 10:25.551 --> 10:28.380 here me every day in the media , saying , 10:28.380 --> 10:31.380 When your turn comes up , please get 10:31.380 --> 10:34.620 vaccinated both for your own safety for 10:34.620 --> 10:36.930 that of your family and that for the 10:36.930 --> 10:39.390 American community in general . So , 10:39.390 --> 10:41.390 Kathy , I'll stop there and be very 10:41.390 --> 10:43.612 happy to answer questions . Thank you . 10:43.612 --> 10:45.723 I have a great many for you , so I'll 10:45.723 --> 10:47.557 try to go through them quickly . 10:47.740 --> 10:50.250 Probably one of the most questions 10:50.250 --> 10:52.306 we're asked the most is the one that 10:52.306 --> 10:54.417 you just talked about now , which was 10:54.417 --> 10:56.250 about the vaccine safety and the 10:56.250 --> 10:58.500 development process . Did part of this 10:58.500 --> 11:00.530 process start earlier than March of 11:00.530 --> 11:02.530 last year ? Oh , absolutely . And I 11:02.530 --> 11:04.863 think that that's a good question Kathy . 11:04.863 --> 11:07.030 That's the reason why people sometimes 11:07.030 --> 11:09.790 getting misinterpretation . The science 11:09.850 --> 11:11.920 behind the development of this 11:11.920 --> 11:15.250 extraordinary new technology dates back 11:15.250 --> 11:18.700 well over a decade . And the people at 11:18.700 --> 11:22.480 the Who were working on this particular 11:22.480 --> 11:24.910 technology had been doing it for a 11:24.920 --> 11:28.060 least the last 10 years . And it was 11:28.060 --> 11:30.116 just so happened that by the time we 11:30.116 --> 11:34.100 actually needed it for the vaccine for 11:34.100 --> 11:36.610 covert 19 , it just happened to 11:36.610 --> 11:39.260 coincide with the scientific 11:39.270 --> 11:41.970 culmination of work that had been going 11:41.970 --> 11:45.390 on for so long . And I think one of 11:45.390 --> 11:47.446 those doctors is my neighbor , Libby 11:47.446 --> 11:49.557 Higgs . So I have to give her a shout 11:49.557 --> 11:51.610 out That part of the team 11:51.620 --> 11:55.520 way had a lot of questions about side 11:55.520 --> 11:57.576 effects . Should people be concerned 11:57.576 --> 11:59.798 about side effects for this ? Well , in 11:59.798 --> 12:01.964 general , if you look at the safety of 12:01.964 --> 12:04.320 vaccines in general , any vaccine the 12:04.320 --> 12:07.660 risk benefit ratio of safety is about 12:07.670 --> 12:09.790 as good as you could get with any 12:09.790 --> 12:12.530 medical intervention that you give to 12:12.540 --> 12:15.550 anyone . The safety record for this , 12:15.940 --> 12:19.090 even though it's just been one year , 12:19.100 --> 12:21.710 has been really quite good . There have 12:21.710 --> 12:23.900 been some allergic reactions ranging 12:23.900 --> 12:26.590 from anywhere from 1 to 6 per million 12:26.600 --> 12:29.630 off people who have a very strong 12:29.640 --> 12:32.650 history of severe allergic reactions . 12:33.040 --> 12:36.220 And what we tell those people is that a 12:36.220 --> 12:38.850 you should get vaccinated . But if you 12:38.850 --> 12:41.660 do , which we were strongly recommend , 12:41.670 --> 12:43.960 that you do it in a place that has the 12:43.960 --> 12:46.670 capability of treating an allergic 12:46.680 --> 12:49.120 reaction , namely in a clinic of some 12:49.120 --> 12:51.342 sort , where you could get vaccinated . 12:51.342 --> 12:54.920 But that's a very rare adverse event 12:54.930 --> 12:57.520 for everybody else . The vaccine looks 12:57.520 --> 13:01.270 quite safe . Great . Um , 13:01.280 --> 13:03.200 other current recommendations for 13:03.200 --> 13:05.740 Children under 18 and especially we're 13:05.740 --> 13:07.962 having a lot of concerns about pregnant 13:07.962 --> 13:09.962 women , whether the recommendations 13:09.962 --> 13:12.820 there . Okay , so in one trial , 13:12.830 --> 13:15.460 individuals as young as 16 and then 13:15.460 --> 13:17.730 down to 12 have been tested , and the 13:17.730 --> 13:21.310 other it was 18 , but not below . In 13:21.310 --> 13:24.210 general , when you do vaccine studies , 13:24.220 --> 13:27.480 you don't put Children right into the 13:27.480 --> 13:29.170 trialing because Children are 13:29.170 --> 13:32.220 vulnerable . So you wait until you get 13:32.230 --> 13:34.760 pretty confident that you're dealing 13:34.760 --> 13:38.090 with a safe and effective vaccine , and 13:38.090 --> 13:40.720 then you could start trials in Children , 13:40.720 --> 13:42.887 which we have already done , and we'll 13:42.887 --> 13:45.053 be doing over the next month or two in 13:45.053 --> 13:48.400 what's called an age de escalation 13:48.400 --> 13:50.580 study . So you start off with older 13:50.580 --> 13:52.691 Children , and then you work you down 13:52.691 --> 13:55.140 toe less old , younger and then really 13:55.140 --> 13:57.251 young Children . And then what you do 13:57.251 --> 13:59.980 is you get safety and in indigenous ity 13:59.980 --> 14:02.100 data And you , Bridget , to the 14:02.100 --> 14:04.044 efficacy data from the big trial , 14:04.044 --> 14:06.060 which means you don't have to test 14:06.070 --> 14:09.830 30,000 or 44,000 Children . You can get 14:09.830 --> 14:12.700 enough data from a smaller trial with 14:12.700 --> 14:15.460 regard to pregnant women . Pregnant 14:15.460 --> 14:17.690 women were not allowed in the initial 14:17.700 --> 14:21.290 tri ALS again because pregnancy has a 14:21.290 --> 14:24.020 degree of vulnerability . So we did not 14:24.020 --> 14:27.190 do that . We're going to start tests in 14:27.190 --> 14:29.523 pregnant women literally . Now . I mean , 14:29.523 --> 14:31.579 as I'm speaking there , starting and 14:31.579 --> 14:34.700 we'll go into February and March . One 14:34.700 --> 14:38.450 good news item is that after the EU 14:38.450 --> 14:41.760 A was was delivered and namely until 14:41.760 --> 14:43.760 people started getting vaccinated . 14:43.840 --> 14:46.430 They have been about 10,000 pregnant 14:46.430 --> 14:50.150 women out of the 32 million people , or 14:50.150 --> 14:52.250 vaccinations that were given , and 14:52.250 --> 14:55.130 there have been no red flag signals . 14:55.200 --> 14:58.390 The FDA is monitoring that so thus far 14:58.400 --> 15:00.780 it looks quite safe for pregnant women . 15:00.780 --> 15:02.950 In fact , many of the pregnant women 15:03.740 --> 15:06.250 who were who decided they wanted to get 15:06.250 --> 15:08.472 vaccinated even though they were not in 15:08.472 --> 15:10.306 the clinical trial were actually 15:10.306 --> 15:13.800 healthcare providers , deciding that 15:13.800 --> 15:16.880 the risk of getting co vid from their 15:16.880 --> 15:19.580 patients was far greater than any 15:19.580 --> 15:21.691 potential for adverse events from the 15:21.691 --> 15:24.240 vaccine . And in doing so . As I said 15:24.240 --> 15:26.930 thus far , there have been no red flags 15:26.930 --> 15:29.890 of adverse events . So here's a 15:29.890 --> 15:32.001 question . Do we know if the pregnant 15:32.001 --> 15:34.440 mother got the vaccine ? Is the baby 15:34.450 --> 15:37.370 have some community ? Well , I mean , 15:37.380 --> 15:40.050 if it happens the way it happens with 15:40.060 --> 15:43.390 any type of vaccination that the 15:43.400 --> 15:45.567 mother's antibodies , particularly the 15:45.567 --> 15:48.580 i g anybody's , are passed to to the 15:48.580 --> 15:50.940 baby so that the baby , for a certain 15:50.940 --> 15:53.320 amount of time measured generally in 15:53.330 --> 15:55.790 months will have immunity because of 15:55.790 --> 15:58.280 the passive transfer from the through 15:58.280 --> 16:00.990 the percenter into the baby and also by 16:00.990 --> 16:04.360 breastfeeding . That's very interesting . 16:04.740 --> 16:07.630 Eso right now , 18 year olds . If the 16:07.630 --> 16:09.797 vaccine becomes available to them , we 16:09.797 --> 16:12.900 it's safe from 18 up . Absolutely great 16:12.910 --> 16:16.040 had some questions about how does m r n 16:16.040 --> 16:18.430 a vaccine work in specific What does 16:18.430 --> 16:22.380 that mean ? Okay , so RNA 16:22.450 --> 16:26.090 is the general molecular mechanism 16:26.100 --> 16:29.710 whereby we make all of the proteins and 16:29.710 --> 16:32.540 cells in our body what it is is that 16:32.550 --> 16:35.600 Mara and M stands for messenger , so 16:35.600 --> 16:38.720 it's a message to tell the body to make 16:38.730 --> 16:41.810 a protein . So when you get an M R N a 16:41.810 --> 16:45.440 vaccine , you stick in the coding 16:45.440 --> 16:49.270 sequence to make one of the components 16:49.640 --> 16:52.360 of SARS cov , too . And it's called the 16:52.360 --> 16:56.010 spike protein spike . Protein is the 16:56.010 --> 16:58.121 part that sticks out from the virus , 16:58.121 --> 17:00.460 which makes it look like a crown . 17:00.470 --> 17:03.810 That's why they call it Corona virus , 17:03.810 --> 17:07.520 because Corona stands for crown . And 17:07.520 --> 17:10.010 what happens is that when the Mariana 17:10.010 --> 17:12.110 codes for that protein , when you 17:12.110 --> 17:14.960 inject the M R N A into your muscle , 17:15.540 --> 17:18.110 it starts the code for a protein . The 17:18.110 --> 17:21.980 body sees the spike protein and 17:21.980 --> 17:25.580 thinks it's the virus , but it's not 17:25.580 --> 17:28.650 the virus . It's one harmless 17:28.660 --> 17:31.600 component of the virus , so the body 17:31.600 --> 17:34.960 makes a nice response so that when the 17:34.960 --> 17:38.450 rial virus tries to enter your body , 17:38.840 --> 17:40.840 you have a bunch of proteins called 17:40.840 --> 17:43.410 antibodies that jump all over that 17:43.410 --> 17:46.380 virus and prevent it from infecting you . 17:46.480 --> 17:48.730 So that's how it works . So when people 17:48.730 --> 17:50.674 are concerned that they're getting 17:50.674 --> 17:52.730 something harmful with the vaccine , 17:52.730 --> 17:55.063 they really aren't . They're getting ah , 17:55.063 --> 17:58.140 foe coronavirus Oh , absolutely . It's 17:58.140 --> 18:01.620 impossible to get infected with 18:01.620 --> 18:04.020 coronavirus from the vaccine because 18:04.020 --> 18:07.770 the vaccine codes for a soluble 18:07.770 --> 18:10.410 protein that introduces the buddy . The 18:10.410 --> 18:12.466 other thing . That's a question that 18:12.466 --> 18:14.799 everybody asks . Well , this is our n A . 18:14.799 --> 18:17.360 Is that going to get into my jeans and 18:17.370 --> 18:19.259 something to my And the answer is 18:19.259 --> 18:22.850 absolutely not . This is a messenger 18:22.850 --> 18:26.380 RNA that decays after a couple of days , 18:26.380 --> 18:28.810 and then it's gone forever . You don't 18:28.810 --> 18:31.550 have to worry about it . That's good . 18:31.940 --> 18:34.730 Eso Will this be administered annually ? 18:34.730 --> 18:36.952 Do we think ? Is this gonna be a yearly 18:36.952 --> 18:39.119 shot like the flu vaccine ? Well , you 18:39.119 --> 18:41.119 know , honestly , we don't know the 18:41.119 --> 18:43.174 answer to that because we don't know 18:43.174 --> 18:45.286 what the durability of the vaccine of 18:45.286 --> 18:47.397 the immune response to the vaccine is 18:47.397 --> 18:49.508 gonna be . We hope it's longer than a 18:49.508 --> 18:52.310 year , and we hope that we get control 18:52.310 --> 18:54.480 of these variants or these mutations 18:54.480 --> 18:57.610 that occur so they don't obligate us 18:57.620 --> 19:00.380 toe , have to upgrade the vaccine every 19:00.380 --> 19:03.320 year . But if we have to do that , if 19:03.320 --> 19:05.376 we have to do that , which I hope we 19:05.376 --> 19:08.000 don't , then that is not very difficult 19:08.000 --> 19:10.960 to do . It could easily be done 19:11.640 --> 19:14.240 good . Um , have someone saying I've 19:14.250 --> 19:16.380 got an auto immune disease . Should I 19:16.390 --> 19:19.970 avoid the vaccine ? No . In fact , 19:20.010 --> 19:22.177 that's one of the good reasons why you 19:22.177 --> 19:24.343 should get vaccinated . Because if you 19:24.343 --> 19:26.290 have an auto immune disease , the 19:26.290 --> 19:28.457 likelihood is that you're on some form 19:28.457 --> 19:31.360 of therapy , like glucocorticoids or 19:31.360 --> 19:33.960 prednisone , as it were to suppress 19:33.970 --> 19:37.440 three auto immunity . If you are , then 19:37.440 --> 19:40.020 your body is immune compromised , which 19:40.020 --> 19:42.590 means you are more vulnerable to the 19:42.590 --> 19:45.630 serious outcome . If , in fact you do 19:45.630 --> 19:48.460 get infected with SARS . Kobe , too . 19:48.840 --> 19:51.930 So even though your immune response may 19:51.930 --> 19:55.790 not be as robust as someone who has a 19:55.790 --> 19:58.650 normal immune response and is not 19:58.650 --> 20:01.930 imminent suppressed still , some 20:01.940 --> 20:05.300 response is always better than no 20:05.310 --> 20:07.660 response . So for the people who have 20:07.660 --> 20:10.970 underlying conditions , they often ask 20:10.970 --> 20:12.914 me the question . Does that mean I 20:12.914 --> 20:14.859 should not get vaccinated ? And my 20:14.859 --> 20:17.360 response is , on the contrary , That's 20:17.360 --> 20:19.700 mawr reason why you should get 20:19.700 --> 20:23.460 vaccinated , right ? Good . Um , 20:23.940 --> 20:26.260 can you still be contagious after 20:26.270 --> 20:28.214 receiving the vaccine ? You know , 20:28.214 --> 20:31.570 theoretically , we haven't proven that 20:31.570 --> 20:34.540 you cannot be . You might be contagious , 20:34.550 --> 20:37.300 and the reason is that the endpoint of 20:37.300 --> 20:40.380 the study was efficacy against 20:40.390 --> 20:43.320 clinically relevant clinically apparent 20:43.330 --> 20:46.310 disease . It is conceivable that 20:46.310 --> 20:48.254 because you're vaccinated that you 20:48.254 --> 20:51.170 could get infected but have no symptoms . 20:51.640 --> 20:54.200 And then what happens is that if that's 20:54.200 --> 20:56.640 the case , you would have vaccine in 20:56.640 --> 20:58.770 your nasal pharynx and you could 20:58.770 --> 21:01.620 conceivably spread it to someone else . 21:01.630 --> 21:03.797 Which is one of the reasons why we say 21:03.797 --> 21:05.852 after you get vaccinated , you can't 21:05.852 --> 21:07.797 just throw your mask away . You've 21:07.797 --> 21:09.630 gotta out there in the community 21:09.630 --> 21:11.741 continue to wear a mask . You're much 21:11.741 --> 21:13.963 more protected , but you've got to make 21:13.963 --> 21:17.380 sure you protect other people . My 21:17.380 --> 21:19.380 staff is thinking me that I'm gonna 21:19.380 --> 21:21.658 have to let you go . You're busy , man . 21:21.658 --> 21:23.824 But this has been so wonderful . And I 21:23.824 --> 21:25.880 may impose on you to ask you to come 21:25.880 --> 21:28.047 back in a couple of months and talk to 21:28.047 --> 21:30.213 us again because you've been so kind . 21:30.213 --> 21:32.324 I can't thank you enough . I know all 21:32.324 --> 21:34.158 of our families , our veterans , 21:34.158 --> 21:36.269 military members and their families , 21:36.269 --> 21:38.600 uh , have learned so much from hearing 21:38.600 --> 21:40.767 from you today . Thank you for helping 21:40.767 --> 21:42.820 them make informed decisions for 21:42.820 --> 21:44.764 themselves and their families were 21:44.764 --> 21:47.130 grateful to you . Thank you . Thank you 21:47.130 --> 21:49.352 very much . Can be very good to be with 21:49.352 --> 21:51.350 you . Thank you . Okay . 21:53.140 --> 21:57.090 Wow , that's pretty amazing . Before we 21:57.090 --> 21:59.201 hear from our senior leaders from the 21:59.201 --> 22:01.368 Defense Health Agency and the Veterans 22:01.368 --> 22:03.257 Health Agency , and you'll have a 22:03.257 --> 22:05.368 chance to ask them questions specific 22:05.368 --> 22:07.423 to your situation . I am honored and 22:07.423 --> 22:10.050 excited to welcome the chairman of the 22:10.050 --> 22:12.210 Joint Chiefs of Staff , Mark Milley , 22:12.220 --> 22:14.350 and our friend Mrs Holly and Millie . 22:14.640 --> 22:17.000 General Milley has the backs not only 22:17.000 --> 22:18.944 of our service members , but their 22:18.944 --> 22:21.510 families to He's prioritized all of us , 22:21.510 --> 22:23.630 and I'm personally grateful for his 22:23.630 --> 22:26.440 leadership . Holly and Millie has been 22:26.440 --> 22:28.600 deeply committed to many military 22:28.600 --> 22:30.690 serving nonprofits , including Blue 22:30.690 --> 22:32.857 Star families in the Red Cross . She's 22:32.857 --> 22:35.079 been a leader in the Collaborative Cove 22:35.079 --> 22:37.370 in 19 Response Initiative across our 22:37.370 --> 22:39.800 community . She's headlines several of 22:39.800 --> 22:41.980 our town halls over the past year . 22:41.990 --> 22:44.590 She's a health care worker herself . So 22:44.590 --> 22:46.812 Mrs Millie brings first hand insight to 22:46.812 --> 22:49.310 the pandemic . Thank you both for 22:49.310 --> 22:51.421 sharing your personal experience with 22:51.421 --> 22:52.421 us today . 22:57.540 --> 22:59.762 Good afternoon to all of our soldiers , 22:59.762 --> 23:01.707 sailors , airman , Marines , Coast 23:01.707 --> 23:03.873 Guardsman and guardians and all of our 23:03.873 --> 23:05.929 military families . I'm here with my 23:05.929 --> 23:08.151 spouse , Holly Ann , and first we would 23:08.151 --> 23:10.207 like to thank the team and blue star 23:10.207 --> 23:12.318 families for hosting this informative 23:12.318 --> 23:14.540 town hall and for the many programs and 23:14.540 --> 23:16.373 initiatives that they sponsor to 23:16.373 --> 23:18.484 support our service members and their 23:18.484 --> 23:20.596 loved ones . Today we're here to talk 23:20.596 --> 23:22.590 about the cove in 19 vaccine and 23:22.590 --> 23:24.534 protecting the 2.3 million men and 23:24.534 --> 23:27.130 women where the cloth of our nation and , 23:27.130 --> 23:29.310 equally important , the 2.7 million 23:29.320 --> 23:31.330 military family members faithfully 23:31.330 --> 23:33.820 serving by our side . We are both 23:33.820 --> 23:36.050 committed to the health and well being 23:36.190 --> 23:39.290 of all of you . More than 33 million 23:39.290 --> 23:41.500 Americans have received at least one 23:41.500 --> 23:44.860 dose of a cove in 19 vaccine . As we 23:44.860 --> 23:46.710 all have seen , the pandemic has 23:46.710 --> 23:49.550 significantly impacted our country . To 23:49.550 --> 23:52.650 date , 26 million Americans have been 23:52.650 --> 23:55.550 infected with Koven , 19 and more than 23:55.550 --> 23:59.400 440,000 lives have been lost . We 23:59.400 --> 24:01.456 mourn alongside the families who are 24:01.456 --> 24:03.678 grieving the loss of their loved ones , 24:03.678 --> 24:06.700 and we are all as a nation committed to 24:06.710 --> 24:08.910 ending this horrible pandemic together 24:09.640 --> 24:11.751 as a currently practicing health care 24:11.751 --> 24:13.862 professional who has been a nurse for 24:13.862 --> 24:16.130 over three decades , the keys to 24:16.130 --> 24:18.380 defeating this disease are to maintain 24:18.380 --> 24:20.700 our social distance toe . Always 24:20.700 --> 24:23.110 practice personal hygiene , especially 24:23.110 --> 24:25.420 washing our hands and to continue 24:25.420 --> 24:28.290 wearing our masks when in the proximity 24:28.300 --> 24:31.440 of other people . And finally , now we 24:31.440 --> 24:33.662 are administering vaccines to those who 24:33.662 --> 24:36.010 wish to take them . According to the 24:36.010 --> 24:39.800 500 vaccines save lives and reduce the 24:39.800 --> 24:43.010 spread of disease . The data show Cove 24:43.010 --> 24:45.800 in 19 vaccine is extremely promising 24:45.800 --> 24:47.800 and immunizing a person against the 24:47.800 --> 24:50.380 disease . The National Institutes of 24:50.380 --> 24:53.310 Health state that both FDA approved 24:53.310 --> 24:55.143 vaccines currently available for 24:55.143 --> 24:57.366 emergency use in the United States have 24:57.366 --> 24:59.199 been shown to be safe and highly 24:59.199 --> 25:02.630 effective . By preventing over 19 since 25:02.630 --> 25:04.630 the beginning of the pandemic , the 25:04.630 --> 25:06.686 Joint Forces supported combating the 25:06.686 --> 25:09.490 virus by all means necessary . When 25:09.490 --> 25:11.712 called into the fight , we commissioned 25:11.712 --> 25:14.130 our best talent to aid and accelerated 25:14.130 --> 25:16.650 development , manufacturing and 25:16.650 --> 25:18.650 distribution of the vaccine through 25:18.650 --> 25:20.650 operation warp speed , the whole of 25:20.650 --> 25:23.700 nation response . And right now , more 25:23.700 --> 25:26.880 than 22,000 National Guard personnel in 25:26.880 --> 25:29.830 33 states are supporting efforts and 25:29.830 --> 25:32.170 vaccine administration . With that in 25:32.170 --> 25:34.250 mind , getting the vaccine is a 25:34.260 --> 25:36.350 personal decision , so we both 25:36.350 --> 25:38.517 encourage you toe consult your primary 25:38.517 --> 25:40.810 care physician to address any concerns 25:40.810 --> 25:43.400 about being vaccine . Arm yourself with 25:43.400 --> 25:45.567 credible information about the cove in 25:45.567 --> 25:47.456 19 vaccine . So you could be well 25:47.456 --> 25:49.678 equipped to make the right decision for 25:49.678 --> 25:52.150 you and your family . Protect yourself , 25:52.360 --> 25:54.471 protect your families and protect our 25:54.471 --> 25:57.190 communities . Together , we can all 25:57.190 --> 25:59.190 lead the way for the nation and the 25:59.190 --> 26:00.690 fight against Cove in 19 . 26:09.340 --> 26:11.240 Thank you so much , General Mrs . 26:11.240 --> 26:13.240 Millie , for sharing that inspiring 26:13.240 --> 26:15.407 message with us today . We're grateful 26:15.407 --> 26:17.462 for your leadership . Thank you . In 26:17.462 --> 26:19.629 particular to Mrs Millie , a long time 26:19.629 --> 26:21.940 Red Cross volunteer herself . And now 26:21.950 --> 26:23.894 I'd like to start off the military 26:23.894 --> 26:26.228 connected families portion of the event . 26:26.228 --> 26:28.339 In order to do that , I wanna welcome 26:28.339 --> 26:30.228 Lieutenant General Ronald Place . 26:30.228 --> 26:32.172 General Places the director at the 26:32.172 --> 26:34.117 Defense Health Agency . Lieutenant 26:34.117 --> 26:36.228 General Place has led a distinguished 26:36.228 --> 26:37.950 career in the U . S . Army and 26:37.950 --> 26:39.894 currently leads a joint integrated 26:39.894 --> 26:42.228 combat support agency enabling the Army , 26:42.228 --> 26:44.394 navy and Air Force medical Services to 26:44.394 --> 26:46.520 provide both a medically ready force 26:46.940 --> 26:48.773 and already medical force to the 26:48.773 --> 26:50.990 combatant commands . This is done in 26:50.990 --> 26:53.950 both peacetime and wartime , Lieutenant . 26:53.950 --> 26:56.170 General place . Welcome . Please say a 26:56.170 --> 26:57.170 few words , 27:01.440 --> 27:03.496 Thanks to introduction , Kobe . Good 27:03.496 --> 27:05.440 afternoon to everyone at blue Star 27:05.440 --> 27:07.551 families . And thanks for inviting me 27:07.551 --> 27:09.662 to join you today . It's an honor for 27:09.662 --> 27:11.718 me to share the program with General 27:11.718 --> 27:13.940 Milley and Dr Fauci to giants in public 27:13.940 --> 27:15.773 service to our nation . I deeply 27:15.773 --> 27:17.884 appreciate that Blue Star Families is 27:17.884 --> 27:19.884 hosting such an important forum and 27:19.884 --> 27:22.107 helping us communicate on an incredibly 27:22.107 --> 27:24.051 important issue for you , for your 27:24.051 --> 27:26.107 families and for all Americans . For 27:26.107 --> 27:28.218 almost 12 long months , we've been in 27:28.218 --> 27:30.440 this battle together , and the only way 27:30.440 --> 27:32.551 out of it is together . I'll start by 27:32.551 --> 27:34.718 restating with generals . Millie , Mrs 27:34.718 --> 27:36.551 Millie and Dr Fauci have already 27:36.551 --> 27:38.662 communicated , and I'll add on in the 27:38.662 --> 27:40.718 central point by signing up for this 27:40.718 --> 27:42.329 event and hearing the latest 27:42.329 --> 27:44.384 information your ambassadors to on I 27:44.384 --> 27:46.607 hope you share what you hear today with 27:46.607 --> 27:48.607 others , because data show that the 27:48.607 --> 27:50.607 likelihood of individuals receiving 27:50.607 --> 27:52.329 this vaccine and sharing their 27:52.329 --> 27:54.250 experiences have a statistically 27:54.250 --> 27:56.660 significant effect on the likelihood of 27:56.660 --> 27:58.438 family , friends and colleagues 27:58.438 --> 28:00.382 deciding to get the vaccine . As a 28:00.382 --> 28:02.438 physician , I know that patients are 28:02.438 --> 28:04.382 likely to listen to May , but your 28:04.382 --> 28:06.604 community is likely to listen to you as 28:06.604 --> 28:08.660 well . So , however , works best for 28:08.660 --> 28:10.493 you in person , in your place of 28:10.493 --> 28:12.716 worship , on your social media sites or 28:12.716 --> 28:15.170 a simple email so thanks for having me . 28:15.180 --> 28:17.490 I'm eager to get to the Q and A over to 28:17.490 --> 28:18.490 you . Kobe . 28:22.240 --> 28:24.407 Thanks , General Place . Now we'd like 28:24.407 --> 28:26.629 to ask you a few questions submitted by 28:26.629 --> 28:28.796 the audience , and I received a lot of 28:28.796 --> 28:30.796 questions via email . Many families 28:30.796 --> 28:32.962 have questions about how to access the 28:32.962 --> 28:35.184 vaccine in their areas . So should they 28:35.184 --> 28:37.240 go to their local military treatment 28:37.240 --> 28:39.296 facility there , empty F , or should 28:39.296 --> 28:41.351 they seek out the vaccine off of the 28:41.351 --> 28:44.880 installation ? Yeah , sure . So first , 28:44.880 --> 28:47.047 no one , whether they rely on an empty 28:47.047 --> 28:49.047 F for care or not , is compelled to 28:49.047 --> 28:51.460 come to an MPF to get a vaccine . If 28:51.460 --> 28:53.460 it's available in the community and 28:53.460 --> 28:55.571 easier for you to get it there , then 28:55.571 --> 28:57.682 get it at your first opportunity . If 28:57.682 --> 28:59.738 you normally get Karen and empty F , 28:59.738 --> 29:01.627 please let us know if you get the 29:01.627 --> 29:03.849 vaccine somewhere else so we can update 29:03.849 --> 29:06.071 your records on . Our local MPs will be 29:06.071 --> 29:08.071 reaching out to individuals through 29:08.071 --> 29:10.182 call secure messages , the media . So 29:10.182 --> 29:10.120 let people know when we've reached 29:10.120 --> 29:12.342 their population group . Now we started 29:12.342 --> 29:14.540 that work for some individuals over 75 29:14.540 --> 29:16.910 years of age in some locations and hope 29:16.910 --> 29:19.270 to expand soon to individuals 65 older . 29:20.040 --> 29:23.030 Second for beneficiaries who live near 29:23.030 --> 29:26.050 an empty F . But don't rely on us for 29:26.050 --> 29:28.120 care . We're also gonna be offering 29:28.120 --> 29:30.270 vaccines to you . Now we're working 29:30.270 --> 29:32.492 with the Department of Health and Human 29:32.492 --> 29:34.492 Services and requesting vaccine for 29:34.492 --> 29:36.159 both empty if users and other 29:36.159 --> 29:38.326 beneficiaries in our local communities 29:38.326 --> 29:40.548 and in third for beneficiaries far from 29:40.548 --> 29:42.603 an empty F . And for us , that means 29:42.603 --> 29:44.714 those who live approximately 40 miles 29:44.714 --> 29:46.603 away , orm or we're doing several 29:46.603 --> 29:48.770 things were encouraging individuals to 29:48.770 --> 29:50.881 take the vaccine like this discussion 29:50.881 --> 29:53.103 today , we're directing people to their 29:53.103 --> 29:55.048 state county . Local resource is , 29:55.048 --> 29:56.770 we're working with our Tricare 29:56.770 --> 29:58.770 contractors to ensure communication 29:58.770 --> 30:00.714 flows from individual providers to 30:00.714 --> 30:02.937 their patients . And we're reaching out 30:02.937 --> 30:05.103 through military service organizations 30:05.103 --> 30:06.937 like all of you at the Blue Star 30:06.937 --> 30:09.103 families to help steer families in the 30:09.103 --> 30:11.270 right direction . In most cases , thes 30:11.270 --> 30:13.492 individuals have a civilian health care 30:13.492 --> 30:15.603 provider who's also helping them with 30:15.603 --> 30:15.270 this information . 30:20.640 --> 30:22.862 That's really great information general 30:22.862 --> 30:24.918 place . I appreciate that answer . A 30:24.918 --> 30:26.973 number of families have also asked , 30:26.973 --> 30:28.973 how will the vaccine be distributed 30:28.973 --> 30:31.084 overseas ? We have lots of families , 30:31.084 --> 30:32.918 kokonas plenty of folks that are 30:32.918 --> 30:34.918 concerned about ? How do we get the 30:34.918 --> 30:36.862 vaccine overseas ? Can you share a 30:36.862 --> 30:38.640 little bit about that process ? 30:41.240 --> 30:43.407 Well , we're shipping vaccine overseas 30:43.407 --> 30:45.710 right now and moving through a phase 30:45.710 --> 30:47.766 model , same phase model we're using 30:47.766 --> 30:49.766 here in the United States . For the 30:49.766 --> 30:51.654 most part , we've not yet reached 30:51.654 --> 30:53.543 healthy family members . Military 30:53.543 --> 30:55.154 families overseas are in the 30:55.154 --> 30:57.321 requirements we provided to Health and 30:57.321 --> 30:59.543 Human Services and the 500 . But here's 30:59.543 --> 31:01.432 the good news . We've shipped and 31:01.432 --> 31:03.321 administered vaccine for military 31:03.321 --> 31:05.890 families overseas for decades . We have 31:05.890 --> 31:08.057 processes in place to receive and then 31:08.057 --> 31:10.279 administer the covert vaccine , just as 31:10.279 --> 31:12.057 we do for every other vaccine . 31:12.057 --> 31:14.500 Obviously , for right now , we're not 31:14.500 --> 31:16.600 gonna be vaccinating anyone under 18 31:16.600 --> 31:19.850 years of age overseas because Pfizer is 31:19.850 --> 31:21.961 not shipping their vaccine overseas . 31:21.961 --> 31:23.850 So we're Onley using the modern a 31:23.850 --> 31:25.850 vaccine for overseas families . And 31:25.850 --> 31:27.794 that vaccine is Onley approved for 31:27.794 --> 31:30.128 adults so 18 years old of age and older . 31:30.640 --> 31:32.730 But to say again , both military 31:32.730 --> 31:34.619 families overseas and here in the 31:34.619 --> 31:36.730 United States are in our requirements 31:36.730 --> 31:38.397 Plan for receiving vaccines . 31:42.140 --> 31:45.180 Okay , We got it so very important 31:45.180 --> 31:47.347 information for okay . Honesty members 31:47.347 --> 31:49.458 now journal place . We'd love to know 31:49.458 --> 31:51.680 what can you tell us about distribution 31:51.680 --> 31:53.569 to the National Guard and Reserve 31:53.569 --> 31:55.624 Service members and their families ? 31:56.440 --> 31:58.551 I'm glad you asked that question . In 31:58.551 --> 32:00.718 some cases , military reserve families 32:00.718 --> 32:02.718 feel for gotten . And so when we're 32:02.718 --> 32:04.662 talking about reservists and their 32:04.662 --> 32:06.384 families , the answers can get 32:06.384 --> 32:08.440 relatively complex , so I want to be 32:08.440 --> 32:10.440 very accurate here . So first , the 32:10.440 --> 32:12.662 reserve community , both National Guard 32:12.662 --> 32:14.551 and Reserve units , are receiving 32:14.551 --> 32:16.773 vaccine , and they're part of our D O . 32:16.773 --> 32:18.884 D requirements . Thes units are being 32:18.884 --> 32:20.884 vaccinated now . Second , ast faras 32:20.884 --> 32:23.051 reserves families go if the reserve or 32:23.051 --> 32:25.670 Guard members activated for 30 days or 32:25.670 --> 32:27.850 Mawr . Their family members are also 32:27.850 --> 32:29.961 eligible for care in every one of our 32:29.961 --> 32:33.290 MTs . However , right now we're not 32:33.290 --> 32:35.512 vaccinating healthy beneficiaries under 32:35.512 --> 32:37.346 the age of 65 beyond health care 32:37.346 --> 32:39.040 workers , first responders or 32:39.040 --> 32:40.873 individuals in critical national 32:40.873 --> 32:42.990 security position . So each location 32:42.990 --> 32:45.212 will have some variation where they are 32:45.212 --> 32:47.379 in their phase based on the population 32:47.379 --> 32:50.570 they're serving . But we will vaccinate . 32:50.670 --> 32:52.670 Families have activated reserve and 32:52.670 --> 32:54.837 guard members for everyone else . Stay 32:54.837 --> 32:56.781 tuned to your local sources on the 32:56.781 --> 32:58.670 availability of vaccine from your 32:58.670 --> 32:59.837 civilian community . 33:03.640 --> 33:05.918 Thank you , Lieutenant . General Place . 33:05.918 --> 33:07.862 I know that our military connected 33:07.862 --> 33:10.029 families that are gathered here really 33:10.029 --> 33:12.251 do appreciate your willingness to share 33:12.251 --> 33:14.473 insights also all around the world . So 33:14.473 --> 33:14.000 we look forward to continue 33:14.000 --> 33:16.056 collaboration with you and your team 33:16.056 --> 33:18.670 and the months to come . So now it's my 33:18.670 --> 33:20.726 great pleasure to welcome Dr Richard 33:20.726 --> 33:23.060 Stone . Dr . Stone is the acting 33:23.060 --> 33:24.893 undersecretary for health at the 33:24.893 --> 33:27.004 Veterans Health Administration . Dr . 33:27.004 --> 33:29.060 Stone currently directs the Veterans 33:29.060 --> 33:30.949 Health care system overseeing the 33:30.949 --> 33:32.893 delivery of care to more than nine 33:32.893 --> 33:35.060 million enrolled veterans . Dr Stone , 33:35.080 --> 33:37.413 which , like , say , a few words , Well , 33:37.413 --> 33:39.636 thank you and thank you all for joining 33:39.636 --> 33:41.710 us today and thank you to President 33:41.710 --> 33:44.100 Biden and our first lady for their 33:44.100 --> 33:46.044 commitment to military and veteran 33:46.044 --> 33:48.850 families . I'm honored to be here with 33:48.850 --> 33:51.720 my fellow civil servants and military 33:51.720 --> 33:54.520 leaders , and I'm Dr Richard Stone of a 33:54.520 --> 33:57.840 23 year Army veteran . And I'm a doctor 33:57.850 --> 34:00.530 who has practiced actively for over 40 34:00.530 --> 34:03.420 years . I finished my military career , 34:03.420 --> 34:05.476 is the deputy surgeon general of the 34:05.476 --> 34:07.309 Army , and I've been running the 34:07.309 --> 34:09.476 Veterans Health Administration for the 34:09.476 --> 34:11.910 past 2.5 years . Today I represent very 34:11.910 --> 34:15.700 proudly almost 370,000 va 34:15.700 --> 34:18.310 employees who are deeply committed to 34:18.310 --> 34:20.620 our mission of caring for America's 34:20.620 --> 34:23.700 service members and veterans , military 34:23.700 --> 34:25.589 families , air usedto leading our 34:25.589 --> 34:27.790 nation . And I want to thank you all 34:27.800 --> 34:29.720 for setting an example for all of 34:29.720 --> 34:32.360 Americans in helping us defeat Kovar . 34:32.360 --> 34:35.910 19 . Your leadership and masking and 34:35.910 --> 34:38.210 practicing physical distancing have 34:38.210 --> 34:40.377 helped slow the spread of this virus , 34:40.840 --> 34:42.840 and we're here today to answer your 34:42.840 --> 34:45.010 questions about vaccinations and to 34:45.010 --> 34:48.080 help end this pandemic . I also want to 34:48.080 --> 34:51.150 focus on our caregivers of our veterans 34:51.150 --> 34:53.380 and to ensure that they are healthy and 34:53.380 --> 34:55.670 able to continue their important work . 34:56.140 --> 34:58.480 We're going to begin offering Covad 19 34:58.480 --> 35:00.980 testing and Vaccinations , two 35:00.980 --> 35:03.020 designated family caregivers of 35:03.020 --> 35:05.690 veterans participating in what we call 35:05.690 --> 35:08.340 the program of comprehensive assistance 35:08.350 --> 35:11.630 for family caregivers . I want you to 35:11.630 --> 35:13.741 contact your facilities , caregiver , 35:13.741 --> 35:15.540 support coordinator , firm or 35:15.540 --> 35:17.762 information on this important program . 35:18.340 --> 35:20.284 Now I know that there are a lot of 35:20.284 --> 35:22.507 questions out there about the vaccine , 35:22.507 --> 35:24.451 and I want every veteran and every 35:24.451 --> 35:26.618 family member and every service member 35:26.618 --> 35:28.784 to know that they should talk to their 35:28.784 --> 35:31.050 own medical provider , either at the VA 35:31.050 --> 35:33.610 or at an M T F or elsewhere . If they 35:33.610 --> 35:37.330 have questions you . Nova yesterday 35:37.340 --> 35:40.660 delivered its one millionth dose of 35:40.660 --> 35:43.310 vaccine to veterans and employees , 35:43.740 --> 35:45.740 where I'm looking forward to taking 35:45.740 --> 35:47.620 your questions and honoring your 35:47.620 --> 35:50.390 service to the nation . Thanks so much 35:50.390 --> 35:53.590 for all you dio . Thank you , Kobe . Dr 35:53.590 --> 35:55.534 Stone . Thank you . And Department 35:55.534 --> 35:57.590 Veterans Affairs and Veterans Health 35:57.590 --> 35:59.812 Administration . We appreciate having a 35:59.812 --> 36:01.868 representative from the V A to speak 36:01.868 --> 36:01.310 with us today and to the veteran 36:01.310 --> 36:03.477 community as well . So , like , that's 36:03.477 --> 36:05.477 a couple questions submitted by our 36:05.477 --> 36:07.199 audience . We've had over 1000 36:07.199 --> 36:09.254 questions that have been emailed and 36:09.254 --> 36:11.254 submitted , and I know the audience 36:11.254 --> 36:13.477 gathered here today is also super eager 36:13.477 --> 36:15.699 to hear what you have to say . So first 36:15.699 --> 36:17.866 question . One third of veteran family 36:17.866 --> 36:20.032 respondents who say they won't receive 36:20.032 --> 36:22.032 the vaccine report that they aren't 36:22.032 --> 36:24.032 doing so because of personal health 36:24.032 --> 36:24.020 reasons , so they might be immuno 36:24.020 --> 36:26.270 compromised as an example . So what are 36:26.270 --> 36:28.437 the current recommendations for immuno 36:28.437 --> 36:30.770 compromised veterans and their families ? 36:31.730 --> 36:34.060 Well , is Dr Fauci mentioned just a few 36:34.060 --> 36:36.160 minutes ago , Immuno compromised 36:36.160 --> 36:38.271 individuals are at greater risk of co 36:38.271 --> 36:40.510 vid and severe cove it and one of the 36:40.510 --> 36:43.070 things we need to do is to recognize 36:43.070 --> 36:45.292 the fact that if you're at great risk , 36:45.430 --> 36:47.550 you should be getting the vaccine . 36:47.930 --> 36:51.020 Taking the vaccine is a very personal 36:51.020 --> 36:53.131 decision , and many of those personal 36:53.131 --> 36:55.353 decisions should be discussed with your 36:55.353 --> 36:58.000 health care provider . But , you know , 36:58.000 --> 37:01.880 our our 370,000 employees 37:01.890 --> 37:03.890 who have been on the front lines of 37:03.890 --> 37:07.320 this pandemic for the last year have 37:07.320 --> 37:10.870 lined up to get this vaccine over . 85% 37:10.880 --> 37:13.770 of a employees have now had at least 37:13.770 --> 37:15.810 their first immunization . It's an 37:15.810 --> 37:17.960 extraordinary testament to the fact 37:18.170 --> 37:20.114 that we believe it's safe and were 37:20.114 --> 37:21.892 lining up to get it ourselves . 37:23.930 --> 37:25.763 Thank you . That's super helpful 37:25.763 --> 37:27.920 information . You know , we're a part 37:27.920 --> 37:29.920 of a larger veteran military family 37:29.920 --> 37:32.087 community , I was reminded recently by 37:32.087 --> 37:33.976 some of our non profit friends in 37:33.976 --> 37:36.198 places like Mullah Taps , A U . S . A . 37:36.198 --> 37:38.420 And Armed Forces Y M C . A . And , they 37:38.420 --> 37:40.531 asked , lost a lot of questions . One 37:40.531 --> 37:42.698 of the consistent questions we get are 37:42.698 --> 37:44.531 the fact that many people in our 37:44.531 --> 37:46.753 veteran military family community don't 37:46.753 --> 37:48.864 receive their medical care from M T F 37:48.864 --> 37:50.976 or even from a VA health clinic , and 37:50.976 --> 37:53.142 sometimes they don't live particularly 37:53.142 --> 37:55.198 close to those locations either . So 37:55.198 --> 37:56.920 how can they access up to date 37:56.920 --> 37:59.087 information or even sign up to receive 37:59.087 --> 38:01.309 the vaccine ? We know that over half of 38:01.309 --> 38:04.910 our veterans , half of our are enrolled 38:04.910 --> 38:08.040 population live in rural areas a long 38:08.040 --> 38:11.960 way from even our 1700 sites of care 38:11.960 --> 38:14.750 delivery . We have over 215 sites 38:14.750 --> 38:16.980 delivering vaccine today , and we'll 38:16.980 --> 38:20.410 expand it . But we would encourage all 38:20.410 --> 38:22.770 veterans or interested families to go 38:22.770 --> 38:26.620 to va gov . And if you look at that 38:26.620 --> 38:28.564 website , if you go to the top and 38:28.564 --> 38:30.600 you'll see a site that says keep me 38:30.600 --> 38:32.600 informed and it'll give you all the 38:32.600 --> 38:35.530 information you need or go to their 38:36.020 --> 38:38.370 their local VA Medical Center closest 38:38.370 --> 38:40.850 VA Medical Center website and do the 38:40.850 --> 38:43.110 same thing and it will help keep you 38:43.110 --> 38:45.710 informed . We've also been reaching out 38:45.710 --> 38:47.877 in some pretty unique ways . In fact , 38:47.877 --> 38:50.930 yesterday way immunized 38:50.930 --> 38:54.830 500 veterans in rural Montana , where 38:54.830 --> 38:57.530 we literally flew in the vaccine to 38:57.530 --> 39:01.340 that community on a small airplane 39:01.520 --> 39:03.742 in the midst of the winner . In order , 39:03.742 --> 39:06.020 Thio reach veterans and their families . 39:06.020 --> 39:08.187 We're working hard to get this vaccine 39:08.187 --> 39:11.110 out to as many people as we can , and 39:11.110 --> 39:13.280 I'm really encouraged that so many of 39:13.280 --> 39:15.700 our veterans have expressed an interest 39:15.700 --> 39:17.900 in being vaccinated . We're still 39:17.900 --> 39:19.678 getting through our high risk . 39:19.678 --> 39:22.390 Individuals are over 75 years old or 39:22.390 --> 39:24.720 over 65 years old , depending on the 39:24.720 --> 39:26.776 area of the country that you're in . 39:26.776 --> 39:28.887 But we're trying to get toe everybody 39:28.887 --> 39:30.980 that wants the vaccine as quickly as 39:30.980 --> 39:34.820 possible . Thanks , Dr Stone and via 39:34.820 --> 39:37.140 dot gov sign up for the updates . I 39:37.140 --> 39:39.251 actually signed up myself , and I can 39:39.251 --> 39:41.307 testify that it works . I'm a combat 39:41.307 --> 39:43.362 veteran myself and I did sign up for 39:43.362 --> 39:45.418 the update , so we really appreciate 39:45.418 --> 39:47.084 that's a fantastic way to get 39:47.084 --> 39:47.060 information about the vaccine . For a 39:47.060 --> 39:49.171 veteran community , the next question 39:49.171 --> 39:51.116 is really about how family members 39:51.116 --> 39:53.282 receive the vaccine . And the question 39:53.282 --> 39:55.338 is , can family members received the 39:55.338 --> 39:57.338 vaccine through the local community 39:57.338 --> 39:59.560 health care provider or at M , T , F or 39:59.570 --> 40:02.340 V A facility ? Well , family members , 40:02.340 --> 40:04.760 unless they're engaged in our our 40:04.760 --> 40:07.630 caregiver program , will need to go to 40:07.630 --> 40:10.000 their local community in order to get 40:10.000 --> 40:12.190 the vaccine delivered , and at this 40:12.190 --> 40:14.280 time we have enough vaccine toe 40:14.290 --> 40:17.750 vaccinate are high risk veterans , but 40:17.750 --> 40:20.360 not the family members and just as 40:20.360 --> 40:22.660 General Place had discussed . We'll 40:22.660 --> 40:25.450 need to depend on the commercial or the 40:25.450 --> 40:28.250 civilian deliver system to help support 40:28.250 --> 40:30.083 that . And so contact your local 40:30.083 --> 40:32.840 community health department and see if 40:32.840 --> 40:34.507 you can get on the list to be 40:34.507 --> 40:37.380 vaccinated . I know this could be 40:37.380 --> 40:39.740 really frustrating , Kobe , and there's 40:39.740 --> 40:41.900 a lot of people that want this . You 40:41.900 --> 40:44.067 know , most of our research shows that 40:44.067 --> 40:46.290 a smudge is 85% of people want the 40:46.290 --> 40:48.710 vaccine , and of the people that are 40:48.710 --> 40:50.766 concerned about it , they may really 40:50.766 --> 40:52.932 want to see that it's safe before they 40:52.932 --> 40:55.099 decide toe actually take the vaccine . 40:55.099 --> 40:57.530 But the vast majority of them once they 40:57.530 --> 41:00.460 are convinced that it's safe , we'll go 41:00.460 --> 41:02.516 ahead and get the vaccine . And it's 41:02.516 --> 41:05.430 why this effort is so important to just 41:05.430 --> 41:07.430 allow people a chance to have their 41:07.430 --> 41:10.550 questions answered , uh , in this kind 41:10.550 --> 41:12.880 of forum . And I congratulate the Red 41:12.880 --> 41:15.380 Cross and Blue Star families for really 41:15.380 --> 41:18.620 conducting this kind of forum . Thanks , 41:18.620 --> 41:22.620 Dr Stone . So my dad's a veteran 41:22.620 --> 41:25.230 and Army veteran . He's in his eighties , 41:25.230 --> 41:27.820 and he recently got this vaccine , but 41:27.820 --> 41:29.987 that was the big question until he got 41:29.987 --> 41:32.209 it . And the question that he had in so 41:32.209 --> 41:34.431 many other family members have is , you 41:34.431 --> 41:36.542 know , when do you think your average 41:36.542 --> 41:38.876 family member middle aged , good health ? 41:38.876 --> 41:40.876 You know , when when can we get the 41:40.876 --> 41:43.700 vaccine ? Well , it's the big question , 41:43.710 --> 41:45.877 and the question really relates to how 41:45.877 --> 41:47.770 much vaccine we have and we're 41:47.770 --> 41:51.470 prioritizing based on risk . And 41:51.480 --> 41:53.900 right now , I would tell you I can't 41:53.910 --> 41:56.880 predict exactly when that will be 41:56.880 --> 41:59.400 available . What I can tell you is that 41:59.400 --> 42:01.950 the manufacturers air telling us that 42:01.950 --> 42:04.006 they will continue to increase their 42:04.006 --> 42:07.190 production of vaccine Azaz . We go 42:07.190 --> 42:09.301 through the next few weeks , and it's 42:09.301 --> 42:11.523 our hope that as we reach the months of 42:11.523 --> 42:13.746 March and the end of March , that we'll 42:13.746 --> 42:15.968 see dramatic increases in the amount of 42:15.968 --> 42:17.968 vaccine that's available and we can 42:17.968 --> 42:20.030 begin to approach some of the lower 42:20.030 --> 42:22.520 risk populations . But what's 42:22.520 --> 42:24.520 encouraging is how many people have 42:24.520 --> 42:27.930 signed up to stay informed , to call , 42:27.930 --> 42:29.986 to talk to their providers and say , 42:29.986 --> 42:32.152 Where am I on the list and when do you 42:32.152 --> 42:34.152 think this will reach me ? That's a 42:34.152 --> 42:36.263 very good sign . You know , all of us 42:36.263 --> 42:38.374 want to get through this last mile of 42:38.374 --> 42:40.430 this pandemic and It's going to seem 42:40.430 --> 42:43.360 like an awful long mile waiting for the 42:43.370 --> 42:45.880 vaccine to come . But none of us are 42:45.880 --> 42:47.936 going to be able to resume our lives 42:48.040 --> 42:49.929 and be able to get out and do the 42:49.929 --> 42:52.200 things we want to dio until we get to 42:52.200 --> 42:55.170 the point of it . Least six years . 70% 42:55.170 --> 42:57.920 of the American population immunized . 42:58.300 --> 43:00.467 How long the immunization will last is 43:00.467 --> 43:02.689 something that Dr Fauci will answer for 43:02.689 --> 43:06.010 us with his team . Until then , our job 43:06.010 --> 43:08.066 is to get his much information as we 43:08.066 --> 43:11.200 can and then making unformed decision 43:11.200 --> 43:13.256 for ourselves and for our families . 43:14.900 --> 43:18.150 Thanks , Dr Stone patients . So it is a 43:18.150 --> 43:20.428 log last mile . But we will be patient , 43:20.428 --> 43:23.190 and we will wait our turn and continue 43:23.190 --> 43:25.790 to provide , uh , the safety and secure 43:25.800 --> 43:27.689 environment that we all deserve . 43:27.689 --> 43:29.633 Wearing our mass washing our hands 43:29.633 --> 43:31.744 socially distanced Thank you for your 43:31.744 --> 43:33.911 time today and your expertise . I know 43:33.911 --> 43:35.800 that those that are gathered here 43:35.800 --> 43:35.540 appreciate your willingness to share 43:35.540 --> 43:37.262 your insights on the vaccine's 43:37.262 --> 43:39.318 effectiveness as well as the rollout 43:39.318 --> 43:41.262 within the veterans community . So 43:41.262 --> 43:43.373 we'll keep in touch with you and your 43:43.373 --> 43:45.596 team in the coming weeks and months and 43:45.596 --> 43:47.818 continue to share important information 43:47.818 --> 43:47.030 and updates from the department , 43:47.030 --> 43:48.919 Veterans Affairs and the Veterans 43:48.919 --> 43:50.974 Health Administration . Dr . Stone , 43:50.974 --> 43:53.141 thank you so much . Thank you , Kobe . 43:56.600 --> 43:59.600 Okay , so now it's my honor to welcome 43:59.600 --> 44:02.120 senior enlisted advisor to the Chairman 44:02.130 --> 44:06.080 Ramon Colin Lopez and Janet Cone . The 44:06.080 --> 44:08.430 SEAQ and Mrs Cologne have been integral 44:08.430 --> 44:10.652 to both the readiness and morale of our 44:10.652 --> 44:12.708 service members and their families . 44:12.790 --> 44:14.957 Throughout the pandemic . The SEAQ has 44:14.957 --> 44:17.290 served as a key advisor to the chairman . 44:17.290 --> 44:19.290 So thank you both for your time and 44:19.290 --> 44:21.568 taking the time to share with us today . 44:25.390 --> 44:27.390 Thank you to Blue Star families for 44:27.390 --> 44:29.640 giving us the opportunity to speak on 44:29.640 --> 44:32.000 this important issue . My wife , Janet , 44:32.000 --> 44:34.056 and I would like to take a moment to 44:34.056 --> 44:36.560 emphasize how much would genuinely care 44:36.570 --> 44:38.800 about the health and well being off all 44:38.800 --> 44:40.633 of our service members and their 44:40.633 --> 44:41.633 families . 44:48.390 --> 44:51.900 Focus . I'm sorry . It seems that we 44:51.900 --> 44:55.010 have some technical difficulties with 44:55.390 --> 44:57.612 the SEAQ and Mrs Cullen's feed , and if 44:57.612 --> 44:59.834 we can get them back , we'll bring them 44:59.834 --> 45:02.720 back to the onto the group with us . 45:04.190 --> 45:06.301 We've been so fortunate to share this 45:06.301 --> 45:08.890 hour with our Panelists and with all of 45:08.890 --> 45:10.946 you , I want to let you know that we 45:10.946 --> 45:12.779 remain committed to bringing you 45:12.779 --> 45:14.723 information such as information we 45:14.723 --> 45:16.834 brought you today and to dig into how 45:16.834 --> 45:20.230 we can help all of us safely get access 45:20.240 --> 45:22.710 to the vaccine so that we can continue 45:22.710 --> 45:25.170 on our mission of protecting this 45:25.170 --> 45:28.800 country that we all love so much . Kobe , 45:42.890 --> 45:46.210 I'm back . Kathy , thank you so much . 45:46.210 --> 45:48.680 This has been fantastic . Um , and and 45:48.680 --> 45:50.736 hopefully we'll be able to hear from 45:50.736 --> 45:52.958 the SEAQ . He's so inspiring to so many 45:52.958 --> 45:55.013 of us . You know , when I was in the 45:55.013 --> 45:57.013 military as an officer , you know , 45:57.013 --> 45:59.069 it's it's the enlisted advisors that 45:59.069 --> 46:00.736 keep you straight and and the 46:00.736 --> 46:02.736 information that they share it's so 46:02.736 --> 46:04.791 critical for our junior enlisted and 46:04.791 --> 46:06.958 are listed and our officer corps to be 46:06.958 --> 46:09.013 completely frank with you . Um , you 46:09.013 --> 46:11.180 know , thanks for for joining us , you 46:11.180 --> 46:13.347 know , on the webinar . I just want to 46:13.347 --> 46:15.569 say thank you to everybody . We do hope 46:15.569 --> 46:14.960 that the experts that have gathered 46:14.960 --> 46:17.127 gathered here today to help provide us 46:17.127 --> 46:19.238 with this information . And hopefully 46:19.238 --> 46:21.293 this information will help everybody 46:21.293 --> 46:23.404 make the best decisions for their own 46:23.404 --> 46:23.390 families as it relates to the code 19 46:23.390 --> 46:25.970 vaccine you know , over the last year , 46:26.010 --> 46:28.090 more than 70,000 people across the 46:28.090 --> 46:30.490 country joined the Red Cross volunteers . 46:30.980 --> 46:32.758 Volunteerism is extraordinarily 46:32.758 --> 46:34.813 important to our community mission . 46:34.813 --> 46:36.591 And if you'd like to help other 46:36.591 --> 46:38.758 nonprofits like Blue Star Families and 46:38.758 --> 46:40.813 the American Red Cross , deliver its 46:40.813 --> 46:40.760 life saving mission to military 46:40.760 --> 46:42.649 connected communities during this 46:42.649 --> 46:44.482 public health emergency , please 46:44.482 --> 46:46.593 consider volunteering . You can visit 46:46.593 --> 46:48.593 many sites like serve dot gov , and 46:48.593 --> 46:50.760 they'll help you get connected with an 46:50.760 --> 46:53.093 important community service opportunity . 46:55.180 --> 46:58.060 Kobe , Thank you for joining me today 46:58.060 --> 47:00.282 and thank you to the American Red Cross 47:00.282 --> 47:02.338 for co sponsoring this event and the 47:02.338 --> 47:05.050 coming campaign with us . I would like 47:05.050 --> 47:07.050 to take a moment to thank our event 47:07.050 --> 47:09.720 sponsors both for this town hall , 47:09.720 --> 47:12.020 Siri's homefront on the front lines and 47:12.020 --> 47:14.580 for our new campaign team Up against 47:14.580 --> 47:17.400 Cove in 19 , uh , in partnership with 47:17.400 --> 47:21.400 the American Red Cross , today's uh , 47:21.410 --> 47:23.490 town hall will be available online 47:23.490 --> 47:25.940 through Blue Star Families website ESO 47:25.940 --> 47:28.140 Please share it with others , and if 47:28.140 --> 47:30.362 you did come in at the beginning , come 47:30.362 --> 47:33.890 to us now see the post event email for 47:33.890 --> 47:35.723 Link for Resource is provided by 47:35.723 --> 47:37.779 today's participant and to watch the 47:37.779 --> 47:40.360 event recording . Thank you again for 47:40.360 --> 47:42.304 joining us today . Everyone have a 47:42.304 --> 47:43.304 great afternoon , 47:51.180 --> 47:53.180 thank you to Blue Star families for 47:53.180 --> 47:55.370 giving us the opportunity to speak on 47:55.370 --> 47:57.730 this important issue . My wife , Janet , 47:57.730 --> 47:59.786 and I would like to take a moment to 47:59.786 --> 48:02.290 emphasize how much were genuinely care 48:02.300 --> 48:04.530 about the health and well being off all 48:04.530 --> 48:06.363 of our service members and their 48:06.363 --> 48:08.197 families . It is because of your 48:08.197 --> 48:10.419 commitment and your family's unwavering 48:10.419 --> 48:12.474 support that we have the freedoms we 48:12.474 --> 48:14.641 share in this great nation . Also , we 48:14.641 --> 48:17.130 would like to thank the 22,000 National 48:17.130 --> 48:19.241 Guard personnel that are on the front 48:19.241 --> 48:21.297 lines , providing support during the 48:21.297 --> 48:23.297 pandemic and all of the health care 48:23.297 --> 48:25.650 workers across the nation . All of the 48:25.650 --> 48:27.428 speakers at this town hall have 48:27.428 --> 48:29.372 provided some great information on 48:29.372 --> 48:31.780 vaccinations on the importance for each 48:31.780 --> 48:34.100 of you to research factual information 48:34.110 --> 48:36.160 on make the best decisions for your 48:36.160 --> 48:38.820 family's . You are our top priority , 48:38.820 --> 48:40.987 and we pledge to always get the fax to 48:40.987 --> 48:42.987 you . First we ask that you keep an 48:42.987 --> 48:45.042 open mind about the vaccine . Do not 48:45.042 --> 48:47.098 let social media drive your decision 48:47.098 --> 48:49.153 and stay updated . We understand the 48:49.153 --> 48:51.376 struggle with this vaccine decision and 48:51.376 --> 48:53.431 we have had the same conversation in 48:53.431 --> 48:55.431 our home . We encourage you to work 48:55.431 --> 48:57.264 with your primary care doctor to 48:57.264 --> 48:59.264 address concerns you may have about 48:59.264 --> 49:01.320 getting vaccinated . While Janet has 49:01.320 --> 49:03.542 yet to receive her vaccine , I recently 49:03.542 --> 49:05.764 received my second does off the Cove it 49:05.764 --> 49:07.987 19 vaccination . I'm glad to say that I 49:07.987 --> 49:10.098 had a sore arm that subsided within a 49:10.098 --> 49:12.098 day as the only side effect , and I 49:12.098 --> 49:14.264 credit much of that to staying healthy 49:14.264 --> 49:16.320 and fit . Healthy immune system is a 49:16.320 --> 49:18.320 great first line of defense against 49:18.320 --> 49:20.264 illness . Do not let quarantines , 49:20.264 --> 49:22.431 lockdowns and social distance and keep 49:22.431 --> 49:24.598 you from staying active , get creative 49:24.598 --> 49:26.653 and develop the right habits to stay 49:26.653 --> 49:28.876 fit all while staying safe . Throughout 49:28.876 --> 49:30.931 history , our country has repeatedly 49:30.931 --> 49:32.431 demonstrated toughness and 49:32.431 --> 49:34.709 determination in the face of adversity . 49:34.709 --> 49:36.598 This battle covert 19 has been no 49:36.598 --> 49:38.598 different . Our service members and 49:38.598 --> 49:40.931 their families have continued to endure , 49:40.931 --> 49:43.200 continues training deployments and have 49:43.200 --> 49:45.089 provided step that support to our 49:45.089 --> 49:47.370 communities . While we hope all the 49:47.370 --> 49:49.520 risks and consequences of this virus 49:49.520 --> 49:51.830 will soon subside , we're very much 49:51.840 --> 49:53.970 still in the fight . Do not become 49:53.970 --> 49:56.640 complacent and do not lose focus , stay 49:56.640 --> 49:58.696 vigilant and continue engage in this 49:58.696 --> 50:01.310 enemy we call Covert 19 with a 50:01.310 --> 50:03.588 concerted effort from the entire force , 50:03.588 --> 50:06.400 we can and will effectively combat 50:06.410 --> 50:09.990 covert 19 . Thank you . Rely on the fax 50:10.470 --> 50:11.580 and stay healthy . 50:14.870 --> 50:17.750 Thank you . To the SEAQ and toe . Mrs 50:17.750 --> 50:20.060 Lopez . So glad you came back with us . 50:20.070 --> 50:22.910 For all of you who stayed on the zoo . 50:22.920 --> 50:25.031 Thio , get us to the end . We're glad 50:25.031 --> 50:27.198 you stuck with us . We look forward to 50:27.198 --> 50:29.420 seeing you again . Thank you for all of 50:29.420 --> 50:30.500 the questions on God Bless .