>> Mary: NEXT WEEK THE COVID NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY COMES TO AN END BUT THE DISEASE PERSISTS, KILLING 1,000 AMERICANS A WEEK.

THE END OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY WILL MEAN THAT SOME COVID TESTS AND SERVICES WILL NO LONGER BE FREE.

HERE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THIS CHANGE MEANS, MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, HE HEADS THE U OF M'S CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY.

GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

SO LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT THIS REALLY MEANS FOR AVERAGE PEOPLE, THE END OF THIS EMERGENCY.

>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT IN THE MINDS OF MOST AMERICANS AND FOR THAT MATTER PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD, THE EMERGENCY ENDED SOME MONTHS AGO.

AND WE'RE REALLY BACK OUT THERE DOING ALL THE THINGS WE DID BEFORE 2020.

IN TERMS OF WHAT THIS REALLY MEANS IMMEDIATELY IS THERE ARE GOING TO BE 20 TO 30 MILLION AMERICANS WHO WILL LOSE THEIR HEALTH CARE WHO HAVE BEEN ON MEDICAID DURING THIS TIME BECAUSE OF SPECIAL APPROVAL UNDER THE EMERGENCY ACT.

THAT'S GOING TO BE A BIG ISSUE.

AND THERE WILL BE SOME WHO WON'T HAVE ACCESS TO FREE VACCINE -- OR TO FREE TESTING.

THEY SHOULD ALL HAVE ACCESS YET TO FREE VACCINES.

>> Mary: OKAY.

>> Eric: WHAT IF THERE WAS A QUICK REGENERATION OF THE VIRUS OR A STRAIN OF SOME SORT?

HOW QUICK COULD YOU GEAR UP AGAIN NOW THAT THE CRISIS IS OVER?

>> WELL, THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE JUST WAITING FOR ME TO SAY OH, MY GOD, THE SKY IS FALLING, OKAY?

BECAUSE THEY EXPECT ME TO SAY THAT AND I'M NOT GOING TO SAY THAT.

I'M GOING TO SAY RIGHT NOW WE ARE IN THE BEST PLACE WE'VE BEEN SINCE 2020.

HOWEVER, AND THIS IS THE HARD PART, THIS VIRUS HAS CONTINUED TO THROW 210-MILE AN HOUR CURVEBALLS AT US AND JUST IN THE LAST WEEK AND A HALF A GROUP OF VIROLOGISTS GOT TOGETHER WHO DO LOT OF THE GENETICS OF THIS VIRUS AND THEY SAID HERE'S UP TO 30% HANCE WE COULD SEE ANOTHER WAVE WORSE THAN OMICRON.

AND SO I DON'T CONSIDER THIS PANDEMIC OVER UNTIL I GET A YEAR OUT AND LOOK BACK AND SAY, YEP, IT WAS OVER A YEAR AGO AND I THINK THAT'S CHALLENGE.

>> Mary: SO YOU'RE IN-PERSON, WITHOUT A MASK, IS HIS PERMANENT OR TEMPORARY FOR YOU?

>> THIS IS TEMPORARY FOR ME.

SOME OF THE PEOPLE ALREADY KNOW I HAD COVID IN THE FIRST PART OF MARCH AND I PROBABLY HAVE TWO TO THREE MONTHS OF PRETTY GOOD PROTECTION NOW.

BUT I ACTUALLY HAVE THREE COLLEAGUES RIGHT NOW AS I SPEAK WHO ARE NOW EXPERIENCING THEIR SECOND INFECTIONS AND THEY ARE VERY ILL.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE REALIZE THAT PREVIOUS INFECTION DOESN'T PROTECT YOU NECESSARILY AGAINST GETTING INFECTED AGAIN AND IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN VACCINATED WITHIN SIX MONTHS WITH THE BOOSTER DOSE YOU CAN GET INFECTED AGAIN.

THAT'S WHY WE CONTINUE TO URGE PEOPLE IN THE OPENING YOU NOTED 1,000 PEOPLE A WEEK ARE DYING IN THIS COUNTRY FROM COVID YET.

IF YOU LOOK AT THAT, IF YOU HAVE BOTH DOSES OF VACCINE AND YOUR BOOSTER YOU HAVE 13 TIMES LOWER RISK OF DYING THAN SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE ANY VACCINATION AT ALL.

>> BOOSTERS HAVE FALLEN OFF, HAVEN'T THEY?

PRECIPITOUSLY?

>> NOT EVEN FALLEN OFF, THEY JUST STOPPED.

IN MOST CASES 40% OF THOSE 65 AND OVER HAVE GOTTEN IT.

PLEASE GET IT.

AND NOW THE FDA AUTHORIZED ANOTHER BOOSTER.

IF YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE AT RISK FOR SERIOUS ILLNESS, HOSPITALIZATION OR DEATH AND GET BOOSTED EVERY SIX MONTHS WE CAN PROBABLY KEEP YOU OUT OF THE HOSPITAL.

>> Eric: WHAT IS THE OFFICE OF PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE AT THE FEDERAL AND WHAT'S ITS MISSION?

>> WELL, THIS IS A NEW OFFICE LITERALLY STOOD UP BY CONGRESS FOR THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE WHITE HOUSE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE MUCH TO SAY ABOUT IT AT THE TIME.

AND NOW THEY'RE TRYING TO STAFF THAT UP AS THE STAFF WHO HAVE BEEN ON BOARD ARE ALL LEAVING AND SO WE HAVE A NUMBER OF OPEN POSITIONS IN THE ADMINISTRATION RIGHT NOW.

AND WITH THIS GROUP IS SUPPOSED TO BE DO COORDINATE ANY OF THE ACTIVITIES IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RIGHT NOW WITH COVID.

>> Eric: ARE YOU SKEPTICAL?

>> I'M SKEPTICAL, FOR EXAMPLE, AND THIS IS A TWO APART SKEPTICISM, THE WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCED SIX WEEKS AGO THERE WOULD BE A NEW PROGRAM CALLED NEXT GEN, BASICALLY NEXT GENERATION OF VACCINES BUT THEY'RE GOING TO THROW $5 BILLION VER 18 MONTHS.

THAT WOULD BE LIKE GIVING SOMEONE MONEY AND TELL THEM TO BUILD THE IDS TOWER IN TWO WEEKS.

CAN'T BE DONE.

WELL, NOW THAT MAY NOT EVEN BE A REALIZATION BECAUSE CONGRESS IS CLAWING BACK THE 5 BILLION AND WE'RE NOT SURE THE ADMINISTRATION WHICH BASICALLY TOOK THAT FROM OTHER APPROPRIATIONS FOR COVID WITHIN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO PUT INTO THIS MAY NOT EVEN HAVE IT.

>> Eric: JUST TODAY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION TODAY DECLARED THE GLOBAL CRISIS OVER.

>> AND AGAIN, I AGREE WITH THAT IN THE ENSE OF WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW.

BUT IF THIS VIRUS HAS TAUGHT US NOTHING IS DON'T BE SURPRISED.

ING YOU KNOW, AND I'VE SAID THAT TO YOU MANY MANY TIMES ON THIS SHOW AND LOOK AT HOW MANY TIMES WE HAVE BEEN SURPRISED.

AND SO I CAN ONLY HOPE KNOWING THAT HOPE'S NOT A STRATEGY, I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT THE VIRUS DOESN'T RETURN LIKE AN OMICRON-LIKE WAVE DOWN THE ROAD BUT AS I POINTED OUT TO THERE'S OTHERS WHO THINK IT COULD.

AND WE'VE ALREADY ESTABLISHED IT'S NOT GOING TO GO AWAY.

WE MAY HAVE A LOT FEWER SEVERE ILLNESSES DOWN THE ROAD BUT RIGHT NOW I MEAN YOU ARE AT RISK WHEN YOU ASK ME ABOUT MY MASK, I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE I HAVE MY N95 ON IF TWO TO THREE MONTHS.

>> Mary: THAT WAS MY NEXT QUESTION, YOU ADVOCATED VACCINES, WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO VIEWERS ON MASKING?

>> FIRST OF ALL, USE ADEQUATE MASKING, TO USE PROCEDURES MASKS LIKE MOST OF OUR HOSPITALS ARE USING IT'S LIKE FIXING THREE OF FIVE SCREENS IN YOUR SUBMARINE.

WHAT GOOD IS THAT?

MASKS YOU SEE PEOPLE WEAR IF YOU HAVE SPACE ON THE SIDE OR DOESN'T HAVE ELECTRO STATIC CHARGE, THEY'RE REALLY NOT HELPFUL.

WEAR THE N95, THE TIGHT FITTED RESPIRATOR.

THAT CAN MAKE ALL HE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD AND THERE'S KN94S.

>> AND WHERE IS IS IT FLYING, CROWDED, INDOORS, PEOPLE AREN'T GOING TO MASK ALL THE TIME ANYMORE.

WHAT ARE THE SELECT PLACES YOU'D LIKE THEM TO MASK?

>> I GOT MINE IN AN ELEVATOR WHEN I DIDN'T HAVE MY N95 ON WHICH I SHOULD HAVE.

WE HAVE AN APPROACH AT OUR HOUSE BASICALLY YOU CAN NOT HAVE HAD ANY EXPOSURE TO ANYBODY IN THE PREVIOUS WEEK KNOWN TO HAVE COVID.

YOU CAN'T HAVE PREVIOUS SYMPTOMS DAY OF, NOT EVEN SNIFFLES AND WE DID THAT FOR MULTIPLE MONTHS AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM.

I THINK THAT THERE ARE STILL THINGS YOU CAN DO THAT WAY.

>> Eric: HAS THIS XPOSED THE WHOLE PANDEMIC, WHAT HAS IT EXPOSED ABOUT PROBLEMS IN THE AMERICAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM?

>> WE ARE LITERALLY ON THE EDGE OF BREAKING IN THIS COUNTRY.

PEOPLE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT.

WE DON'T HAVE NEARLY ENOUGH HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND WE BURNT OUT A LOT THAT WE HAD.

WE DON'T HAVE NEARLY ENOUGH CAPACITY.

IF YOU LOOKED AT THE HOSPITALS IN THE UNITED STATES JUST IN THE PAST WEEK ON DIVERSION STATUS MEANING THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY BEDS OPEN, YOU HAVE TO GO TO SOMEPLACE ELSE WE DON'T HAVE A CRISIS GOING ON, IT'S BECAUSE REIMBURSEMENT HAS HAS BEEN SUCH WE HAVE BASICALLY ELIMINATED SO MUCH CAPACITY IN OUR SYSTEM.

AND SO THIS IS REALLY WHAT THIS PANDEMIC EXPOSED WAS ONE OF THE REALLY, REALLY MAJOR CONCERNS WE SHOULD HAVE IN THIS COUNTRY AND MORE IMPORTANTLY CAUSED US TO ACCELERATE THAT CONCERN BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE LEFT, THEY COULDN'T TAKE IT AND I UNDERSTAND WHY.

>> Eric: WHAT DO YOU DO ALL SUMMER NOW THAT THE CRISIS IS OVER?

PLAY GOLF OR RIDE A HORSE?

>> Eric: >> MAYBE WRITE