besser. could be available in just a few days, it's not been tested on humans, are you confident it will work? >> i'm confident. you know what we've seen throughout this pandemic is that these vaccines, these mrna vaccines are extremely effective against covid. in making this change, a pretty small change to the vaccine, will allow this vaccine to target the strain that's in our communities right now. we need to make sure that everyone wants that vaccine has the ability to get that vaccine. >> but how much more effective is it's supposed to be, so many breakthrough cases before even people who were vaccinated and booster and is it coming out just in time for the next variant? >> well, you know, we'll have to see, but one of the things that's really important to keep in mind is that the vaccines were developed to save lives and prevent severe infection and they remain very effective at that, they're not as good at preventing mild infection, not as good at preventing those illnesses that are re

richard besser. thanks for being here. it's nice to see you again, dr. besser.e rather than full trials with people. any concerns there? what do you say to someone who might be worried about their safety? >> yeah, thanks for having me, ana. when you think about vaccine safety, it's important that you have a deep belief and understanding that no corners were cut. and here when we're looking at these new boosters that are coming from both moderna and pfizer the fda took a different approach than they took with previous vaccine approvals. and what they said was these companies are making a very small change in these vaccines, they're changing slightly the strain of covid that's being covered but the rest of the vaccine is all the same. and because it's so important to have these vaccines available quickly when we are expecting to see an increase in transmission as people come together, we are going to move forward with these vaccines without further doing human trials. that's not something that is new. that's what's done each year for influenza. but it is something

besser good to have you, thanks for your time this morning. let's start with the two new boosters could get approved as soon as today. who should be in the front of the line to get the shots, dr. besser >> thanks, craig i'll watch closely to see what the advisory committee to the cdc says but one of the things that's clear is covid is not over more than 400 people every day in america are dying from this people's risks varies, elderly individuals are at greater risk of disease, hospitalization, and death. and people with certain medical conditions that put them at increased risk i expect if the cdc is supportive of what the fda has now authorized that they're going to recommend this for high risk individuals i'll be interested to see what they say in terms of people who are at lower risk. we don't want, craig, people to be living in fear but we want people to have what they need to reduce their risk. >> to that point if i had the primary vaccine and i've had two boosters already, do you think i'll even need to get this one >> well, you know, t

richard besser on earlier today. >> one of my big concerns, craig, though, is that the government lacks resources to get these vaccines out into every community. as we've seen so far in covid, the impact of this has varied by community, and they need the resources to make sure that whoever wants this vaccine is really able to get it. >> and right now fewer than half the people who were eligible for the original boosters have even gotten them. >>> up next, travel transparency. there is nothing worse than a cancelled flight or a delay, especially around the labor day weekend. the new tool that could help you avoid that travel nightmare this weekend. this is "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ make your home totally you. i did with wayfair. sometimes i'm a homebody. can never have too many pillows. sometimes i'm all business. wooo! i'm a momma 24/7. seriously with the marker? i'm a bit of a foodie. perfect. but not much of a chef. yes! ♪ wayfair you've got just what i need. ♪ >>> just in time for labor day, the nation's largest airlines are taking some new steps startin

dr rich besser lead our center for emergency preparedness and response. when i was at the cdc and we went deep on preparedness in terms of planning and exercising and investing and so forth. but i think looking back on it, we thought of it as a health crisis and we approached it as a health crisis. we concentrated on the medical and the public health dimensions of it. we didn't think so much about the economic crisis and we didn't think so much about the social consequences and in equities that were part of what we're experiencing right now in the context of this pandemic, what that really says to me is it's a whole of government responsibility. and so i guess part of the issue is how does cdc fit into this much broader governmental context and how do you negotiate your unique role and yet at the same time participate in the intra-agency process. >> yeah. that i think has been something that i have to learn quickly and is so key because we will say we lead with science and we do lead with science but as we make policies we can't ignore the fact that these