.
. AROUND
. AROUND THIS TIME LAST YEAR WE WERE JUST REALLY STARTING TO
SEE HOW THE PANDEMIC WOULD
CHANGE ALL OF OUR LIVES.
IT WAS A BRAND NEW VIRUS AND
MOST OF US WEREN'T EVEN WEARING
MASKS AND SINCE WE DIDN'T HAVE
A CRYSTAL BALL WE LOOKED AT
DATA MODELING ESPECIALLY FROM
THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
HOW ACCURATE WERE THEIR
PREDICTIONS AND EVEN SCIENTISTS
COULDN'T FORESEE THE PERSONAL
LOSS THEY'D EXPERIENCE.
WE HAVE A DEADLY VIRUS THAT IS
CIRCULATING IN OUR POPULATION
AT THE START OF THE PANDEMIC
MODELS CREATED BY THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON'S
INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH METRICS
AND EVALUATION WARNED US OF THE
CHALLENGES WE FACE AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC
REQUESTED BY MEDICINE TO
PROVIDE A FORECAST SO THAT TO
PREPARE FOR THE SURGE AND
REMEMBER THOSE DAILY
CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE MEETINGS
EVEN THE WHITE HOUSE CITED
THEIR WORK SIMULTANEOUS.
THERE WAS A MODELER OUT OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON THAT
MODELED SOME CASES UP UTILIZING
THE EXPERIENCE AROUND THE
GLOBE.
THE FACT YOU WERE DOING THIS
FOR EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD
IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US
BECAUSE IT MADE OUR MODELS MUCH
BETTER THAN ANYBODY.
HOW ACCURATE WERE THEY THIS
INTERVIEW WITH MY COLLEAGUE
CHRIS DANIELS WAS DONE IN MAY
2020 WHEN THE DEATH TOLL
NATIONALLY WAS ABOUT 70000.
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR
THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTY
FIVE DEATHS BY AUGUST YES, 174
TO 500 BY AUGUST SCORES.
YES, THOSE PROJECTIONS MADE
NATIONAL HEADLINES BECAUSE IT
MEANT THE DEATH TOLL COULD
DOUBLE IN JUST THREE MONTHS AND
IT TURNED OUT WE WOULD EXCEED
THAT NUMBER SLIGHTLY WITH
NEARLY 149 THOUSAND DEATHS
NATIONWIDE BY AUGUST YUDA
MODELS BECAME MORE ACCURATE
OVER TIME WITH MORE DATA TO
WORK WITH IN DECEMBER PREDICTED
530000 AMERICANS WOULD DIE
COVID BY THIS MONTH.
AND SURE ENOUGH WE JUST PASSED
THAT NUMBER.
YOU DON'T WANT TO SCARE PEOPLE.
THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M HERE FOR.
I'M INTERESTED IN CHANGING THE
PROJECTIONS SO I WANT TO PUT A
NUMBER OUT AND SAY THIS IS WHAT
YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT THIS
SCENARIO FROM HAPPENING.
IF YOU DON'T GET THE DEAL YOU
ENTER THE MOXEE AND THEN I HAVE
TO CENSOR AND JUST HER ALL
OF THAT PART OF PREVENTION IS
GETTING PEOPLE VACCINATED.
CLINICIANS LOOK AT STATISTICS
HOW MANY CASES AND HOW MANY
PEOPLE HAVE PERISHED RIGHT NOW
IF THE VARIOUS STRAINS THESE
ARE FAMILIES THAT ARE BEING
IMPACTED NOT JUST FOR A DAY.
I MEAN THIS IS FOREVER
INFECTION CONTROL.
NURSE VIRGINIA RAMOS WORKS AT
SIMAR WHERE THEY'RE
ADMINISTERING VACCINES.
SHE'S BEEN ON THE FRONT LINES
OF THE PANDEMIC IN WHAT WOULD
BECOME ONE OF THE HARDEST YEARS
OF HER LIFE.
IT REALLY, REALLY HIT HOME AT
THAT POINT.
THE REALITY OF EVERYTHING THAT
AND IT'S NOT THE MECHANICS
OF COMING TO WORK.
IT REALLY HIT HOME.
KING 5 NEWS FIRST MET VIRGINIA
AT THIS COMMEMORATION RINGING
THE COVID BELL TO HONOR VICTIMS
OF COVID-19 WHERE IT WAS JUST A
VERY SPECIAL MOMENT TO HAVE
REVERENCE FOR MY AUNT AND AND
FOR MY COUSIN WHO PASSED AWAY.
THAT'S RIGHT.
SHE LOST TWO FAMILY MEMBERS TO
COVID AND THEY DIED WITHIN JUST
THREE WEEKS OF EACH OTHER.
HER AUNT ANGELICA MARTINEZ AND
HER COUSIN ROBERTO CASSINO.
YES.
IN DECEMBER MY AUNT PASSED FROM
COVID AND THEN IN JANUARY MY
COUSIN PASSED FROM COVID
VIRGINIA WHEREAS HER AUNT'S
PICTURE ON A PIN PLACED ABOVE
HER HEART HER AUNT WAS 75 YEARS
OLD.
I HAVE TO BE HONEST AFTER THE
END OF A REALLY BUSY YOU KNOW,
SCARY YEAR TO THEN HAVE LOST MY
AUNT THAT IT ALMOST BROKE ME
AND DR. ALI MOKDAD, THE MAN
BEHIND THOSE CHARTS.
I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN FAMILIES,
MOMS, SONS, BROTHERS AND
DAUGHTERS AND YOU KNOW WHAT?
HE HAD NO WAY OF PREDICTING WAS
THE PERSONAL LOSS HIS OWN
FAMILY WOULD EXPERIENCE LOSING
TWO OF HIS BELOVED COUSINS.
IT'S VERY HARD.
I MEAN LET ME TELL YOU ON A
PROFESSIONAL AND ON THE
PERSONAL LEVEL AND PERSONAL
LEVEL I LOST TWO COUSINS
BROTHERS.
THIS WAS IN THREE DAYS THE
COVID-19.
SO ALL OF US HAVE BEEN IMPACTED
BY THE MANY OF MY FAMILY
MEMBERS HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS.
YOU KNOW IT HAS BEEN A DISASTER
ON ALL OF