FOR THE HOLIDAYS, NO PROBLEMS AT THIS TIME. AS YOU KEEP YOUR SON TOYOTA TIME SAVER TRAFFIC.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: THE
PRESIDENT WENT BEFORE THE
NATION TALKING ABOUT THE
ADMINISTRATION’S APPROACH TO
FIGHTING THE VIRAL BLIZZARD
CAUSED BY THE SPREAD OF THE
OMICRON VARIANT. HIS ADDRESS
SOUGHT TO STRIKE A BALANCE
BETWEEN CONCERN AND
REASSURANCE. JOINING ME ON THE
MORNING SHOW DOCTOR SUNIL
JOSHI PRESIDENT OF THE DUVAL
COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY
FOUNDATION. GOOD MORNING. AND
MORNING BURR’S. SO THE
PRESIDENT OFFERED A PLAN TO
INCREASE TESTING SPEED UP THE
VACCINATION EFFORT AND BOOST
THE CAPACITY OF HOSPITALS THAT
MIGHT BE INUNDATED IN THE
COMING WEEKS AT THE
CORNERSTONE OF THAT EFFORT.
ARE THE PLANS TO PURCHASE HALF
A 1 BILLION 500 MILLION RAPID
COVID-19 TESTS TO DISTRIBUTE
FREE TO ANYONE WHO WANTS ONE
HOME TESTING KITS A TURNAROUND
FOR LAB-BASED TESTS. TIMES IS
GROWING AND TEST LINES ARE
LONGER AND EFFECTIVE APPROACH
IN YOUR IN YOUR MIND.
>> YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THIS
HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE VERY
EFFECTIVE BECAUSE KEEP IN
MIND, IT IS CHALLENGING FOR
PEOPLE TO FIND SOMETIMES THE
TESTING KIDS AT AN OVER THE
COUNTER PHARMACY OR IN
PARTICULAR TO STAND IN LONG
LINES TO BE TESTED. YOU’VE
SEEN THE LINES IN NEW YORK
CITY AND SOME OTHER PLACES. I
MEAN, WE DEAL WITH COLD
WEATHER HERE WE ARE BOTHERED
BY THE MATCH THEIR WORDS, COLD
AND SNOWY AND ICY WAITING
OUTSIDE TO GET TESTED AND JUST
JUST DOESN’T SEEM PRACTICAL.
THIS GIVES A LARGER PERCENTAGE
OF OUR POPULATION, AN
OPPORTUNITY TO BE TESTED FOR
FREE. I MEAN, PARTICULAR OPENS
IT OUT TO POST IN A LOWER
SOCIOECONOMIC GROUPS. IT MAY
NOT HAVE THE TIME TO GO TO TO
GET TESTED BECAUSE OF THEIR
WORK SCHEDULE OR THE ABILITY
TO PAY FOR THE
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: SO THE
PRESIDENT WE AS A NATION, ARE
IN A FAR DIFFERENT PLACE THAN
WE WERE A YEAR AGO. BUT HE
ALSO SAID IT WAS A FAIRLY
STARK WARNING. BUT FOR THOSE
WHO DON’T HAVE THE VACCINATION
THAT YOU MAY NOT BE IN A
DIFFERENT PLACE.
>> I WE ARE IN CLEARLY A
DIFFERENT PLACE THAN WE WERE A
YEAR AGO. THIS TIME LAST YEAR.
THIS TIME VACCINE HAD JUST
BEEN ROLLED OUT. WE NOW HAVE
OVER 204 MILLION PEOPLE FULLY
VACCINATED IN THE UNITED
STATES. ABOUT 66% OF THE
ELIGIBLE POPULATION. AND SO
THOSE WHO ARE VACCINATED AND
RECEIVED THE BOOSTER ARE IN A
MUCH BETTER POSITION THAN THEY
WERE A YEAR AGO GOING INTO THE
HOLIDAYS. BUT HE’S ABSOLUTELY
RIGHT. THE UNVACCINATED FOLKS,
THE FOLKS WHO HAVE NOT YET
RECEIVE THE VACCINE, INCLUDING
THOSE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO
RECEIVE THE VACCINE AT THIS
POINT ARE STILL AT RISK. THIS
DOES APPEAR TO BE A PANDEMIC
OF THE FOLKS WHO HAVE NOT BEEN
VACCINATED IN PARTICULAR.
THOSE ARE THE FOLKS THAT IN
LARGER PERCENTAGES REQUIRING
HOSPITALIZATION, SEVERE
ILLNESS FROM THE VIRUS, WHICH
HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST ISSUE
FROM THE VERY ALSO FOUND IT
INTERESTING THE PRESIDENT MADE
A CONCERTED EFFORT TO
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: TAKE THE
POLITICS OUT OF THE
VACCINATION DRIVE. HE MADE IT
A POINT TO SAY THAT PRESIDENT
TRUMP PUBLICLY TALKED ABOUT
GETTING THE BOOSTER MIGHT THAT
REGISTER WITH SOME WHO HAVE SO
FAR BEEN HESITANT.
>> I CERTAINLY HOPE SO.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, PUTTING
POLITICS AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH
WAS REALLY NEVER A GOOD IDEA
TO BEGIN WITH. BUT THERE’S
CLEARLY A STARK CONTRAST INTO
THE FOLKS WHO ARE PURSUING THE
VACCINE AND THAT SMALL GROUP
OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE YET TO
PURSUE IT. AND AND MAYBE BY
THROWING THAT OUT THERE MY
POLITICIANS BUT THINGS IN
SPEECHES FOR REASON. I THINK
HE WAS REACHING OUT TO A GROUP
OF PEOPLE WHO MADE THIS TRIES
WERE DESTROYED. HIS POLICIES
AS A LOT. EVEN THE FORMER
PRESIDENT HAS BEEN VACCINATED,
RECEIVED THE BOOSTER AS A WAY
TO KEEP HIMSELF AND HIS FAMILY
SAFE AND HEALTHY. AND
HOPEFULLY THAT WILL REGISTER
WITH PEOPLE IN OF IT IS JUST A
SMALL PERCENTAGE THAT WILL BE
A SMALL PERCENTAGE THAT GETS
VACCINATED AND HOPEFULLY SERVE
AS WELL. AND THERE’S THAT THE
BIDEN PLAN GOES FAR ENOUGH.
THE HOME TESTING KITS WON’T BE
AVAILABLE TILL SOMETIME IN
JANUARY.
>> YOU’VE GOT HOLIDAY TRAVEL
GOING ON NOW. AND SOME
SCIENTISTS SAID, HEY, LOOK,
MAYBE IT’S TIME TO TEST PEOPLE
DOMESTICALLY BEFORE THEY THEY
TRAVEL. YOUR THOUGHTS?
>> YEAH, I THINK THAT’S THAT’S
TRICKY. YOU KNOW, I THINK, YOU
KNOW, WE HAVE 66% OF OUR
POPULATION VACCINATED
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SITUATION
THAN WE WERE IN LAST YEAR. I
THINK FOLLOWING THE MITIGATION
WEARING A MASK IN AIRPORTS AND
AIRPLANES, SOCIALLY,
DISTANCING YOURSELF, WASHING
YOUR HANDS WILL HOPEFULLY BE
GOOD ENOUGH AS THEY GO THROUGH
THE HOLIDAY SEASON. THE
TESTING EVERY SINGLE PERSON
WHO TRAVELS DOESN’T SEEM AS
PRACTICAL HERE DOMESTICALLY
COMPARED INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: SO WE’RE AT
A CRUCIAL TIME WITH THE
HOLIDAYS HERE. PEOPLE WORRY
YOUR DOCTOR. YOU’RE ALSO A DAD
FROM THAT STANDPOINT, THE
PRESIDENT OFFERED HIS ADVICE.
WHAT’S YOURS?
>> I MEAN, I I DO. THAT’S A
GREAT QUESTION. I THINK, YOU
KNOW, NOT PANICKING IS THE
NUMBER ONE THING. YOU KNOW, WE
KNEW IT WOULD BE SHOULD NOT
HOPEFULLY YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS
ARE VACCINATED. AND THEN IN
THAT SCENARIO, JUST COMMON
SENSE WEARING YOUR MASK IN
INDOOR ARENAS, ESPECIALLY IN
CROWDED PLACES, WASHING YOUR
HANDS, BEING SOCIALLY DISTANT,
TRYING TO ENJOY YOURSELF
DURING THE HOLIDAYS WITH THEIR
LOVED AND PROTECT THOSE WHO
ARE NOT VACCINATED. AND IN
PARTICULAR HAVING SYMPTOMS,
YOU KNOW, GO ABOUT THE
COMMENTS THAT STRATEGIES
PREVENT SPREADING IT TO
OTHERS. AND THIS SHOULD BE A
MUCH EASIER HOLIDAY FOR MOST
OF THAT THAN IT WAS LAST YEAR,
ESPECIALLY SINCE FOR
VACCINATED AND TRY TO ENJOY IT
WITHOUT PANICKING. SO ENJOY
THE HOLIDAYS TO PRACTICAL USE
COMMON SENSE AND BE SMART.