ALL RIGHT. WE’LL SEE IN JUST A FEW. ALL RIGHT. THANKS SO MUCH. THANKS, DOCTOR.
IT IS THURSDAY. SO THAT MEANS
WE ARE JOINED IN OUR KSAT Q AND
A SECTION BY DOCTOR RUTH
BERGGREN FROM THE LONG SCHOOL
OF MEDICINE AT UT HEALTH, SAN
ANTONIO. OF COURSE, WE’RE GOING
TO TALK ALL THINGS COVID-19.
THANKS FOR JOINING US AGAIN,
A DOCTOR AND I THINK THE BIG
QUESTION I HAVE THE WE’VE SEEN
THE CDC START TO SOME OF ITS
GUIDELINES, MAINLY ON MASKING.
I WAS OUT AT SOME BIG BOX TODAY
IN THE LAST FEW DAYS IN A LOT
OF PEOPLE NOT WEARING THE MASK
ANYMORE. IS THAT WHERE WE
SHOULD SEE IT? SHOULD PEOPLE
FEEL PRETTY COMFORTABLE ABOUT
THIS POINT GOING AROUND WITHOUT
MASKS?
>> SO I’M REALLY, REALLY
DELIGHTED TO REPORT THAT WE ARE
FINALLY BELOW 5% ON OUR
COMMUNITY POSITIVITY RATE.
THAT’S A HUGE STEP. AND SO THE
RISK TRULY IS MILD IN OUR
REGION RIGHT AND THE NUMBER
OF CASES PER 100,000 IS DOWN TO
ABOUT 13. THAT’S A LOW LEVEL.
AND IT IS REASONABLE TO RELAX
MASKING WHEN THE RISK IS MILD.
>> AND I HAVE A KIND OF YEAH,
IF YOU ARE AN UNVACCINATED
PERSON, IF YOU’RE A PERSON AT
HIGH RISK FOR COVID
COMPLICATIONS AND WE KNOW THAT
THAT THAT INCLUDES PEOPLE OVER
65.
>> YOU WANT TO BE STILL A
LITTLE CAUTIOUS BY MASKING WHEN
YOU’RE IN INDOOR, CROWDED
PLACES, I MYSELF WILL CONTINUE
TO WEAR A MASK WHEN I AM IN AN
INDOOR CROWDED PLACE SUCH AS IN
A CHURCH OR A CONCERT HALL OR
AN AIRPLANE
WHEN OR WHEN INDOORS IN PLACES
THAT ARE VERY CROWDED, WHERE
YOU HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THAT
MOST PEOPLE ARE VACCINATED.
IT’S OK TO BE UNMASKED THERE.
AND THAT’S WHAT I WOULD
RECOMMEND TO OTHERS AS WELL.
>> DOCTOR BERGER IN WITH THE
VARIANCE. OBVIOUSLY, WE JUST
DEALT WITH OMICRON. ARE THERE
OTHER VARIANTS AROUND THE WORLD
THAT WE REALLY SHOULD BE
KEEPING AN EYE ON?
>> SO IT COULD HAPPEN AT ANY
TIME. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE
HEARD ALREADY 2 SUBVARIANT.
THE SUN BEING CALLED THE
STEALTH OMICRON VARIANT.
AND WHILE IT IS EVEN MORE
INFECTIOUS AND HI MORE HIGHLY
TANSMISSIBLE THAN OMICRON
ITSELF. IT REALLY DOESN’T SEEM
TO BE THAT BIG OF A CONCERN FOR
US IN TERMS OF ITS DEADLINESS.
AND FORTUNATELY PRIOR
VACCINATION AND OR PRIOR
INFECTION WITH THE ORIGINAL
OMICRON VARIANT SEEM TO BE
PROVIDING PROTECTION AGAINST
THIS VARIANT SO THAT TOGETHER
WITH THE FACT THAT WE HAVE NEW
ANTIVIRAL DRUGS THAT ARE
AVAILABLE TO US AND MORE
PLENTIFUL SUPPLY. I MEAN, TO
ME THAT WE SHOULDN’T BE
FRIGHTENED OF THE STEALTH
VARIANT. AND OF COURSE, WE ALSO
ALWAYS NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON
IT AND ANY OTHER VARIANTS THAT
MIGHT EMERGE AND THEY COULD
ALWAYS EMERGE FROM PLACES IN
THE WORLD WOULD LET VACCINATION
RATES ARE LOW AND POPULATION
DENSITY IS HIGH.
>> SO A LOT OF PEOPLE HIT HERE
NOW ARE ABLE TO GET THE
VACCINE, BUT WE STILL HAVE THAT
AGE GROUP OF 5 AND UNDER A LOT
OF PARENTS STILL CONCERNED
ABOUT THAT AGE GROUP NOT BEING
ABLE TO GET THE VACCINE.
WHAT ARE WE HEARING ON THAT
FRONT? ARE WE GETTING ANY
CLOSER TO APPROVAL FOR THE
SHOTS FOR 5 AND UNDER?
>> RIGHT. SO THAT’S BEING
STUDIED. BUT UNFORTUNATELY,
WE HAVE NO CLEAR TIMELINE FOR
THE 2 TO 5 THE DATA WERE NOT
VERY GOOD FOR THE SHOTS.
THEY 2 SHOTS FROM PFIZER WAS
INSUFFICIENT TO PROTECT 2 TO
5 YEAR-OLDS FROM COVID-19.
SO PFIZER IS NOW COMPILING DATA
THAT THEY WILL HOPEFULLY SUBMIT
IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE.
LOOKING AT WHETHER 3 SHOTS WILL
NOW PROTECT THE 2 TO 5 YEAR
OLD. AND AT THE SAME TIME,
MODERNA IS LOOKING AT DATA FROM
A HIGHER DOSE ADMINISTERED IN A
2 SHOT SERIES FOR THAT AGE
GROUP. SO WE’RE WORKING ON IT
AND WE’RE WAITING FOR DATA AND
THE TIMELINE IS NOT YET CLEAR.
>> AND JUST A FOLLOW-UP ON THAT
QUESTION. REAL SINCE WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT VACCINES, BEXAR
COUNTY HAS HAD A PRETTY LOW
RATE OF THE BOOSTER SHOT TO
FOLKS GETTING THAT. HOW HOW
DANGEROUS IS IT OR WHAT ARE THE
COMPLICATIONS OF FOLKS ARE
GETTING THE VACCINE AND A
BOOSTER STILL AT THIS STAGE OF
THE PANDEMIC?
>> SO I COULD OBVIOUSLY
RECOMMEND THAT EVERYBODY FOLLOW
THE GUIDELINES AND GET THE WHAT
WE DON’T KNOW IS WHERE IN THE
WORLD ANOTHER VARIANT WILL COME
FROM AND WHEN IT MIGHT SHOW UP.
AND THE THING TO KEEP IN MIND
IS THAT JUST GOING OUT AND
GETTING A BOOSTER DOESN’T
IMMEDIATELY PROTECT TO YOU.
IT TAKES USUALLY 7 DAYS AND IT
MAY EVEN TAKE UP TO 14 DAYS FOR
YOU TO GET THE FULL PROTECTION
FROM YOUR BOOSTER. SO MY
RECOMMENDATION IS DON’T WAIT TO
THE LAST MINUTE GOING GET
BOOSTED NOW.
>> ALL RIGHT. AND FINALLY, I
KNOW IT’S KIND OF A A TOUGH
QUESTION TO ANSWER. WE TALKED
ABOUT IT IN THE BREAK. MANY
PEOPLE ARE WONDERING, WILL
THERE BE A PERIOD WHEN WE CAN
SAY WE’RE FINALLY OUT OF THIS,
NOT EVEN CLOSE AT THIS POINT.
AS FAR AS YOUR OPINION GOES.
>> YOU KNOW, THAT’S TOUGH TO
ANSWER WHAT WE ALL ARE DREAMING
OF IS CLARITY THAT WILL BE ABLE
TO PREDICT WHAT KIND OF VACCINE
WE WITHIN 6 MONTHS IN ADVANCE,
KIND OF LIKE WE DO WITH THE
FLU, RIGHT? WE’RE ALL USED TO
GETTING OUR FLU SHOT ONCE A
YEAR. WE KNOW WE START GETTING
IT IN SEPTEMBER OR SO. AND
GENERALLY THERE’S BEEN SOME
KIND OF WAY TO PREDICT WHAT’S
NEEDED IN THE FLU VACCINE.
THAT’S WHERE WE WANT TO GET.
AND WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO
BEFORE WE GET TO THAT STAGE
WITH COVID-19.
>> IS THERE ANY HURDLES RIGHT
NOW THAT HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
ARE DEALING WITH WHEN IT COMES
TO THE PANDEMIC AND STILL
EITHER TRYING TO SPREAD THE
WORD OR CONVINCE PEOPLE TO GET
OUT THERE AND GET VACCINATED.
>> YEAH, I WOULD SAY THE
BIGGEST HURDLE THAT WE HAVE
IS THAT THERE’S BEEN A BIT OF
AN UNDERMINING OF TRUST BETWEEN
THE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND
THE PUBLIC BECAUSE THE MESSAGES
HAVE BEEN SO CONFUSING,
INCLUDING FOR US. FIRST, WE’RE
TOLD A MASK AND WE’RE TOLD NOT
TO MASK THAT WERE TOLD TO MASK
AGAIN. AND SO PEOPLE FEEL LIKE
THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT TO THINK.
SO THE BIG JOB THAT I FACE AS A
HEALTH PROFESSIONAL AND A
HEALTH COMMUNICATOR IS LEARNING
BETTER HOW TO COMMUNICATE
HEALTH INFORMATION AS IT
BECOMES AVAILABLE IN A MANNER
THAT IS CLEAR AND TRUSTWORTHY.
>> ALL RIGHT. WE WILL CONTINUE
TO TO DEAL WITH THIS AND WE
WILL CONTINUE TO REACH OUT TO
YOU ON THURSDAYS FOR YOUR
EXCELLENT ADVICE. DOCTOR RUTH
BERGGREN FOR THE LONG SCHOOL
OF MEDICINE AT UT SAN ANTONIO.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR