HE IS THE CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT FOR CNN AND THE

HOST OF THE PODCAST "CORONAVIRUS: FACT VS. FICTION."

AND HE HAS JUST WRITTEN A NEW BOOK: "KEEP SHARP: BUILD A

BETTER BRAIN AT ANY AGE."

PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW," DR. SANJAY GUPTA!

SANJAY, GOOD TO SEE YOU GAIN.

>> STEPHEN THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME HERE.

>> Stephen: HAPPY NEW YEAR.

WE HAVE NOT SEEN YOU SINCE THE FALL, THE FALL.

YOU HAVE BEEN HERE SEVERAL TIMES UNDER COVID.

YOU'RE, OBVIOUSLY, A BRAIN EXPERT.

WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF FOOTAGE HERE OF YOUR FRIEND ANDERSON

COOPER.

THIS IS FROM THE ANDERSON AND ANDY NEW YEAR'S EVE BROADCAST

THEY DID LAST WEEK.

JIM, CAN WE SHOW THE CLIP OF THIS, PLEASE.

>> HAVE YOU GOTTEN HIGH ON CNN?

>> NO, BUT IN FRONT OF THE CNN BUILDING ON SUNSET BOULEVARD, I

HAVE.

( LAUGHTER ) >> SNOOP, LET ME ASK YOU THIS,

AND THEN I'M GOING TO RAP OUT OF THIS GAME: HAVE YOU GOTTEN HIGH

AT A BRIS?

( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: NOW, THAT BEHAVIOR

SEEMED SLIGHTLY OUT OF CHARACTER FOR ANDERSON COOPER.

AND ON BEHALF OF A WORRIED NATION, AS A BRAIN EXPERT,

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH HIS BRAIN THERE?

>> UH, WELL-- WELL, CLEARLY, HIS ORBITAL FRONTAL CORTEX HAS BEEN

AFFECTED BY THIS.

YOU LOSE YOUR JUDGMENT.

YOU LOSE YOUR INHIBITION.

I THINK CLEARLY HE'S LOST BOTH THERE.

THE GIGGLING, OR THE LAUGHTER THERE, PROBABLY THE SUPERIOR

FRONTAL WAS AFFECTED.

BASICALLY, THE ALCOHOL, STEPHEN, IS AFFECTING ALL THE NEURAL

PATHWAYS IN THE BRAIN.

THE BRITS CALL IT BEING PISSED.

THE SCOTTS CALL IT PISHED, INTOXICATED, 19RIATEED, DRUNK

WASTED.

BUT NEVER SLOPPY.

ANDERSON COOPER IS NEVER SLOPPY.

>> Stephen: NEAT, THE SILVER SURFER OF CABLE NEWS.

FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE, DOCTOR, WHICH WILL

BE A HAPPIER NEW YEAR?

>> YEAH, I THINK-- I THINK, STEPHEN, IT WILL BE A HAPPIER

NEW YEAR.

BUT IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO GET THERE.

I MEAN, IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN RIGHT AWAY.

PEOPLE THOUGHT AS SOON AS THE CALENDAR YEAR TURNS, EVERYTHING

IS GOING TO CHANGE.

THE VIRUS DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE CALENDAR.

PEOPLE ARE SORT OF IN THE STATE OF WHIPLASH, I THINK.

BECAUSE THEY'RE, UNDERSTANDABLY-- AND I THINK FOR

GOOD REASON-- CELEBRATING THE VACCINES.

WE'RE HEARING A LOT ABOUT THAT.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE

IN THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW WITH COVID, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO

ARE DYING EVERY DAY AND BECOMING NEWLY INFECTED, I MEAN, YOU

KNOW, WE KEPT TALKING ABOUT WORST-CASE SCENARIOS.

AND WE WOULD ALWAYS PUT THOSE IN THE BACK OF THE NOTES BECAUSE WE

WANTED TO JUST SORT OF GIVE THE MORE MIDRANGE SORT OF

LIKELIHOODS, WHY UNNECESSARILY BRING UP WORST-CASE SCENARIOS?

WE'RE SORT OF THERE.

I MEAN, A PERSON IS DYING NEARLY EVERY 33 SECONDS RIGHTNOW IN

THIS COUNTRY.

AND I HATE TO SAY IT-- IN SOME WAYS I FEEL LIKE I HAVE FAILED

MY JOB BECAUSE I'M A MEDICAL REPORTER IN THE MIDDLEAVE

PANDEMIC, AND HERE WE ARE.

BUT WE WILL GET BETTER.

I'M CONFIDENT.

I'M OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THAT.

BUT IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME WORK TO GET THERE.

>> Stephen: NOW, THE VACCINE ROLLOUT, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT

THAT FOR A SECOND.

YOU ACTUALLY WERE VACCINATED ON CAMERA.

DID YOU HAVE ANY REACTION TO THE SHOT YOURSELF?

>> NO, I FELT PRETTY GOOD.

I MEAN, THAT NIGHT, A FEW HOURS AFTER I GOT THE SHOT, I GOT IT

IN MY LEFT ARM-- YOU ALWAYS GET THE SHOT IN YOUR NONDOMINANT

ARM.

IT WAS A LITTLE SORE.

I COULD STILL THROW A IF I HAD TO.

I GET ANOTHER SHOT THIS FRIDAY.

BUT I FELT GOOD.

>> Stephen: WE WERE TALKING IN THE FIRST ACT OF THE SHOW

TONIGHT ABOUT SOME OF THE CONCERNS ABOUT HOW THE ROLLOUT

AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE VACCINE IS GOING.

ARE THOSE CONCERNS OVERBLOWN?

OR ARE THERE REALLY SOME REASONS TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN THE

ABILITY SO FAR TO COORDINATE THE DISTRIBUTION?

>> I THINK THERE IS REASON TO BE-- TO BE DISAPPOINTED.

I MEAN, AGAIN, THE IDEA OF HAVING TWO AUTHORIZED VACCINES

BY THE END OF LAST YEAR, WAS A REMARKABLE SCIENTIFIC

ACHIEVEMENT, AND I DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING TO THROW COLD WATER

ON THAT.

BUT VACCINES DON'T WORK.

VACCINATIONS DO.

AND RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 28%.

WE JUST LOOKED THIS UP BEFORE COMING ON THE SHOW TONIGHT.

28% OF THE VACCINES THAT ARE OUT THERE HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN

UTILIZED, HAVE ACTUALLY BECOME SHOTS THAT HAVE GONE INTO ARMS.

THAT'S NOT ANYWHERE NEAR WHERE WE SHOULD BE.

AND THE IDEA OF HOW YOU GET A VACCINE-- MOST PEOPLE HAVE NO

IDEA.

IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST COMMON QUESTIONS I GET.

"THE VACCINES ARE OUT THERE, HOW DO I GET MINE?"

MY PARENTS, THEY LIVE IN FLORIDA, STEPHEN, THEY LIVE IN

LEE COUNTY, AND THEY BASICALLY WENT ON GOOGLE AND THEY LOOKED

UP AVAILABILITY OF VACCINES IN THEIR AREA, AND I'M JUST TELLING

YOU-- I'LL TELL YOU THE STORY OF HOW IT PLAYED OUT.

THEY FOUND THAT THE LOCAL LIBRARY, THE LEE COUNTY LIBRARY

WAS GOING TO HAVE 300 DOSES AND THEY WERE GOING TO BE GIVEN OUT

AT 9:00 A.M. ON A WEDNESDAY.

SO MY PARENTS, WHO ARE BOTH IN THEIR LATE 70s, WENT TO THE

LIBRARY, CAMPED OUT AT 1:30 IN THE MORNING TO GET THEIR

VACCINES, WERE CAMPING OUT, LIKE GETTING TICKETS TO A GRATEFUL

DEAD CONCERT OR SOMETHING-- AND MY PARENTS DON'T GO TO THE

GRATEFUL DEAD.

THEY WERE IN THE LAST 70s -- >> Stephen: I THINK THAT IS

ACTUALLY YOUNGER THAN THE GRATEFUL DEAD, BUT GO AHEAD.

>> THAT'S A GOOD POINT.

THAT'S TRUE.

THEY ENDED UP GETTING THESE TICKETS.

300 DOSES WERE GIVEN OUT, AND MY PARENTS WERE GIVEN THESE TICKETS

BASICALLY NUMBERS 288 AND 289.

>> Stephen: I THINK I HAVE IT RIGHT HERE.

THERE THEY ARE.

>> 1:30 IN THE MORNING THEY GOT THERE.

>> Stephen: JUST BARELY GOT IN UNDER THE WIRE.

WIRE.

>> YEAH, AND THEY HAD TO WAIT 10 HOURS UNTIL THEY GOSS THEIR

VACCINE.

>> Stephen: MY QUESTION IS, I PAY ATTENTION TO THIS STUFF.

I KNOW THAT I'M NOT, YOU KNOW, FIRST-LINE, YOU KNOW, RECEIVER

OF A VACCINE.

I KNOW-- I WAIT MY TIME.

I'M A YOUNGER FELLA.

I DON'T HAVE ANY COMORBIDITIES, SO I'M HAPPY TO WAIT.

BUT I'VE GOT FAMILY MEMBERS-- I HAVE A 91-YEAR-OLD

FATHER-IN-LAW.

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO ADVISE HIM.

I DON'T WHERE HE GOES.

I DON'T KNOW IF THESE THINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN SOUTH CAROLINA OR

WHERE YOU WOULD CALL TO FIND OUT.

IT'S THE COMMUNICATION THEY FIND SO-- SO-- WELL, UPSETTING, IS

THAT WE JUST AREN'T BEING TOLD "A," WHAT THE TIMETABLE IS, OR

"B," WHERE THE RESOURCES ARE TO FIND OUT WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW.

>> YEAH, NO, I MEAN, THAT'S THE-- THAT'S BEEN THE PROBLEM

EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

SINCE YOU AND I SPOKE BACK IN MARCH, I THINK THAT'S BEEN THE

PROBLEM.

WE DON'T-- THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE A NATIONAL

STRATEGY.

IT MEANS YOU DON'T HAVE A NATIONAL MESSAGE.

IN FLORIDA, YOU COULD BE IN ONE COUNTY AND TOTALLY QUALIFY AND

HAVE A SMOOTH EXPERIENCE-- GET THE VACCINE, BE IN AND OUT IN A

FEW MINUTES.

IN ANOTHER PLACE YOU HAVE TO CAMP OUT, LITERALLY, OVERNIGHT

IN ORDER TO GET A TICKET AND POSSIBLY GET A VACCINE.

I MEAN, THAT IS NOT THE WAY -- >> Stephen: IS THERE NO

CENTRAL SILO FOR THIS INFORMATION?

>> NOT ONLY IS THERE NOT A CENTRAL FEDERAL SILO, THERE'S

NOT EVEN A FEDERAL STATE SILO.

SO EACH COMMUNITY IS SORT OF HANDLING THIS ON THEIR OWN.

IN FLORIDA, THEY SAID, "OKAY, HERE'S HOW MANY VACCINES ARE

GOING TO THIS COUNTY.

HERE'S HOW MANY ARE GOING TO THIS COUNTY."

AND THE COUNTIES SORT OF:FIGURED IT OUT.

IN SOME PLACES, AGAIN, IT WENT WELL.

MOUNT SINAI IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY THEY CREATE AID VACCINE

DISTRIBUTION CENTER AND BY ALL ACCOUNTS IT WENT WELL.

AND MY PARENTS IN LEE COUNTY HAD TO CAMP OUT.

THAT'S THE PROBLEM.

WE'RE NOT TREATING THIS LIKE THE BIGGEST PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY

OF OUR LIFETIME THAT IT IS.

WE SHOULD BE.

WE'RE NOT DOING THAT THAT.

>> Stephen: YOU HAVE RECEIVED ONE OR TWO SHOTS?

HAVE YOU RECEIVED BOTH SHOTS?

>> NO, I'VE JUST GOTTEN THE FIRST.

I'M GETTING THE SECOND ONE THIS FRIDAY.

>> Stephen: AND ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN FULLY VACCINATED WHAT IS--

WELL WHAT, IS YOUR ABILITY TO MOVE AT LIBERTY?

ARE YOU STILL GOING TO HAVE TO STAY MASKED OR ARE YOU BACK TO

NORMAL?

>> WELL, NO, I WILL STILL HAVE TO STAY MASKED.

AND I THINK THAT THIS IS A FUNDAMENTAL POINT ABOUT THE

VACCINE, STEPHEN.

WHEN WE SAY THE VACCINE IS 95% EFFECTIVE, I THINK A FAIR

QUESTION IS 95% EFFECTIVE AT WHAT?

WELL, IT'S 95% EFFECTIVE AT KEEPING ME FROM GETTING SICK

WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND DOES GIVE ME A SENSE OF COMFORT

THAT I WON'T GET SICK.

BUT I COULD BECOME INFECTED AND CARRY THE VIRUS IN MY MOUTH, MY

NOSE, AND I COULD POTENTIALLY TRANSMIT IT.

THEREIN LIES THE ISSUE.

IT'S GREAT THAT IT WILL KEEP ME FROM GETTING SICK, DO A VERY

GOOD JOB AT THAT, BUT I WILL STILL WEAR MASKS UNTIL ENOUGH

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN VACCINATED THAT THEY ALSO WONT GET SICK.

AND THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN IN DAYS AND WEEKS.

THAT'S WHAT TAKES MONTHS.

>> Stephen: NOW, WE HEAR NEWS STORIES-- ACTUALLY, JUST FOUND

OUT A FEW HOURS AGO THAT IN GEORGIA, IT'S DISCOVERED THERE

IS THIS NEW STRAIN FIRST IDENTIFIED IN THE U.K., AND THEN

IN COLORADO AND CALIFORNIA AND NOW IN GEORGIA, AND PROBABLY

EVERYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES.

THERE IS THIS NEW STRAIN OF A CONSIDERABLY MORE CONTAGIOUS

VERSION OF THIS VIRUS.

SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT?

BECAUSE IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN EVEN, TALKING TO YOU LAST SPRING, THAT

I HEARD THAT THERE WOULD BE-- THERE WOULD BE EXPECTED

MUTATIONS OF THE VIRUS, BUT THEY WOULDN'T NECESSARILY BE MORE

LETHAL JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE MORE CONTAGIOUS.

>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.

I MEAN, WE EXPECT THESE VIRUSES AS THEY SPREAD MORE AND MORE

THROUGH PEOPLE TO JUST ACCUMULATE SOME MUTATIONS.

THAT DOES HAPPEN.

AND WHAT'S INTERESTING-- AND, YOU KNOW, I-- I DON'T WANT TO

SIGN A PERSONALITY TO VIRUSES.

VIRUSES AREN'T A LIVING THING.

YOU CAN'T KILL THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT ALIVE.

BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE TRAJECTORY OF THESE MUTATIONS

WHAT A VIRUS WANTS TO DO IS BE ABLE TO SPREAD MORE EASILY, FIND

LOTS OF HOSTS, HOMES-- WHICH IS WHAT WE ARE, HUMANS ARE-- BUT

NOT NECESSARILY KILLER HOSTS BECAUSE YOU LOSE YOUR HOME.

THE IDEA THAT THE VIRUSASPREADS MORE EASILY AS A RESULT OF THE

MUTATIONS BUT DOES NOT BECOME MORE LETHAL, MAYBE BECOMES LESS

LETHAL IS A POSSIBILITY.

WE HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON IT, HOW MANY MUTATIONS AND HOW

SIGNIFICANT THEY ARE.

BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S WORRISOME IN TERMS OF THIS IS A DEADLIER

VIRUS, SOMETHING WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BECAUSE OF THAT.

>> Stephen: YOU HAVE THE NEW BOOK, "KEEP SHARP: BUILD A

BETTER BRAIN AT ANY AGE," SANJAY GUPTA.

AT ANY AGE?

REALLY?

I'M IN MY MID-50s.

I STILL HAVE MY MOMENTS OF SHARPNESS, BUT I CERTAINLY DON'T

FEEL LIKE I HAVE THE MEMORY I HAD WHEN I WAS 25.

IS THAT-- IS THAT BECAUSE I'M IN MY MID-50s?

OR IS IT BECAUSE I TAKE LETHAL DOSES OF TWITTER THAT IS ROTTING

MY SKULL?

>> WELL I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR TWITTER, YOU KNOW,

SORT OF TOXICITY, STEPHEN.

BUT I CAN GIVE YOU GOOD NEWS IN THAT I DON'T THINK THE MEMORY