u.n. did a deal with merck and emory and ridgeback so this super promising antiviral pill to save people from covid can be manufactured in dozens of countries around the world. potentially more than 100 countries around the world with merck and its partners taking nothing in terms of royalties as long as the covid emergency is still under way. i mean, the drug industry for all the things wrong with the drug industry and healthcare system in this country, the drug industry, including these big powerful american companies that throw their weight around in toxic ways, they have done amazing things in terms of the science, in terms of developing the vaccines and now developing these treatments. but getting people access to them around the world has sucked so far. no vaccine company has been willing to give other countries the formula so they can make it themselves. moderna hasn t done that. pfizer hasn t done that. they could make these vaccines for pennies on the dollar for what it costs
marty walsh said these workers are exercising their right for free speech and to try to get better working conditions not just for them, but their families and the generations of people who going to come behind them. it might be different for a secretary of labor of the united states of america to come out and stand on a picket line, but he said workers need to understand that people stand with them and i want them to know as secretary of labor i will stand with them. according to our local affiliate there in pennsylvania, secretary walsh even joined the picket line himself at one point, marching with the workers as they demanded a better deal. this recent remarkable wave of big groups of americans going out on strike and demanding better wages, better working conditions, safer working conditions, this is something the united states hasn t seen in a long time, but cabinet members from the current presidential administration openly showing up and showing support for people on strike, th
earlier this week scientists at the food and drug administration voiced some concern saying that moderna hasn t met all the criteria, but mainly because the first two doses reach such high efficacy. that s good news. an external panel of experts will provide their recommendations to the fda. they typically follow the recommendations. as for the mixing and matching, that s exciting news. the nih study released wednesday supported that the j&j had higher antibody levels if they received one of the mrna vaccines, moderna or pfizer, but it s still early, and we need more research. that s forthcoming. so we should really hold off on making any broad sweeping conclusions. this is good news if we can mix and match vaccines that are made from different mechanisms. a couple followups. talk to me about the timing of administering the j&j shot. it s actually different than
ago and highest since early march. the delta variant still spreading among and killing the unvaccinated. health officials plans to roll out booster shots has hit a hitch. pfizer has passed its study information to the fda but moderna hasn t yet. what you might see is rather than the simultaneous rolling out of the booster program of both dose products, you may be sequential by about a week or two. i don t think that that is a major issue there, but we would have liked to have seen it happen all together simultaneously. the completely avoidable resurgence of covid compounded by fallout from chaotic u.s. withdraw from afghanistan, new concerns over job growth and latest complications facing the president s sweeping infrastructure and social programs. jasmine wright is live in washington. jasmine, a tough summer for the president and the country ending on a tough note.