MOST WATCHED STATION.
THIS IS WCCO 4 NEWS.
WELCOME BACK.
WE WANT YOU TO HAVE THE
INFORMATION YOU NEED ON COVID-
19.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE ASKING
QUESTIONS FOR YOU, TONIGHT I
FACE TIMED WITH DR. GEORGE
MORRIS.
IN ST. CLOUD.
AND HE ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS
YOU ASKED ABOUT THE DAYS AHEAD.
FIRST OF ALL, JUST KIND OF
SETTING THE SCENE WITH YOUR OWN
HOSPITAL.
DO YOU BELIEVE YOUR HOSPITAL IS
PREPARED WHEN THE PEAK
HAPPENED.
AND IF YOU CAN TALK ABOUT YOUR
HOSPITAL'S PPE AND TESTING
SUPPLIES.
WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB OF
GETTING READY.
IN OUR REGION, WE KNOW WE'RE A
LARGE TERTIARY LEVEL FACILITY
IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA.
WE FEEL WE'RE PREPARED FOR THE
CRITICAL CARE PATIENTS AND THE
PREVENTATIVE SIDE FOR THE
COMMUNITY ASPECTS OF RESPONSE.
WE'RE WORKING WITH A BROAD
RANGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND
COMMUNITIES AND AT THIS POINT,
WE DO HAVE ENOUGH PPE IN
ANTICIPATION OF THE SURGE.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT
YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT MOVING
FORWARD, DOCTOR.
YOUR BIGGEST CONCERNS WOULD YOU
SAY AT THIS POINT.
OUR BIG CONCERNS ARE
PROBABLY WHAT IS GOING TO
HAPPEN AS WE DIAL UP OUR
EXPOSURES ? GETTING OUT A
LITTLE BIT MORE.
AS WE DIAL UP SOME OF OUR
MEDICAL INTERACTIONS.
WE KNOW THAT AS THE STATE AND
LOCAL BUSINESSES OPEN UP, IF WE
FORGET TO DO FACE COVERINGS OR
UNIVERSAL MASKING OR FORGET TO
STAY SIX FEET APART AND FORGET
TO STAY IN SMALL GROUPS OF OUR
PRIMARY HOUSEHOLD OR FAMILIES,
WE WILL INCREASE EXPOSURE, AND
THAT'S A BIG CONCERN.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT.
THERE'S A BACK AND FORTH ABOUT
OPENING UP THE ECONOMY AGAIN.
WHERE DO YOU STAND WITH THAT
ISSUE?
YOU DID TALK ABOUT YOU ARE
WORRIED ABOUT THE DAYS AHEAD.
YEAH, I THINK IT'S
UNDERSTANDABLE THAT WE WANT TO
DO MORE RIGHT NOW.
IT'S A LITTLE QUIET.
AND I THINK THE CHALLENGE WILL
BE HOW DO WE DO A LETTING BIT
MORE SAFELY -- LITTLE BIT MORE
SAFELY AND THEN REALIZE AS THE
SURGE HITS, WE MAY HAVE TO DIAL
IT BACK.
THIS IS ALSO A CASE WHERE AS WE
LOOK MORE AT THE MODELS, WE
COULD SEE A SERIES OF SURGES.
ONE BIG ONE, AND THEN A FEW
MORE RIPPLES OR SURGES AS THIS
GOES ALONG.
I KNOW OUR COMMISSIONER,
MALCOLM, AND THE GOVERNOR HAVE
SPOKEN ABOUT THIS.
WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR A 12
OR 18 MONTH PROCESS.
TALK ABOUT JUST YOUR AREA IN
ST. CLOUD THERE.
WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN WHEN IT
COMES TODAYS NUMBERS IN THAT
PART OF MINNESOTA?
WE'RE SEEING THE ONES
REPORTED ON THE WEBSITE.
WE KNOW OUR COUNTIES COVER A
BROAD AREA.
WE'RE VERY RURAL.
ST. CLOUD IS A LARGE CITY.
OTHER CITIES, MONTICELLO, AND
OTHER AREAS, BUT MOSTLY WE SEE
THE RURAL FAMILIES.
WE SEE GENERALLY PEOPLE THAT
ARE ABLE TO BE CARED FOR AT
HOME.
AND WE DO KNOW THAT IT'S A WIDE
RANGE.
WE'RE SEEING SOME OF THE
YOUNGER ADULTS ALONG WITH THE
OLDER ADULTS THAT ARE MOST AT
RISK FOR THIS.
I WANT TO GET TO SOME VIEWER
QUESTIONS NOW.
FIRST FROM JANET.
SHE SAYS SHE'S SURE SHE HAD THE
VIRUS.
SHE HAD ALL THE SYMPTOMS EXCEPT
FOR A FEVER.
SHE'S WONDERING DO YOU ALWAYS
RUN A FEVER WITH COVID-19?
ONE OF THE MORE COMMON ONES,
WHAT WE DO SEE THOUGH IS SOME
PEOPLE'S TEMPERATURE IS ALWAYS
A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
SO WE LIKE TO SEE THE NUMBER OF
ABOVE 100.
BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE FEVER
CAN BE SUBJECTIVE OR PERSONAL.
WHAT I WOULD SAY IS FOR THE
PEOPLE THAT ARE HOSPITALIZED,
MOST SEVERE HI ILL, ALMOST ALL
OF THEM GET A FEVER AT SOME
POINT.
I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, FOR
JANET, IF YOU'RE CONCERNED
BEING TOUCHED WITH YOUR
CLINICIAN AND GET TESTING IF
YOU'RE HAVING SYMPTOMS.
IS THE FLU MORE DEADLY FOR
COVID-19 CONSIDERING THERE'S A
VACCINE FOR THE FLU AND IT
STILL KILLS PEOPLE EVERY YEAR.
THEY'RE BOTH PRETTY DEADLY.
THE RATE OF DEATHS, AND THAT'S
KIND OF HARD TO DESCRIBE.
BUT THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE MIGHT
BE PRETTY SIMILAR BUT RIGHT NOW
THE RATE OF DEATH OF COVID IS
MUCH HIGHER THAN INFLUENZA.
AND I BELIEVE THE STATISTICS
ARE SHOWING FOUR TIMES IF NOT
TEN TIMES AS DEADLY AS
INFLUENZA.
SO THAT'S PROBABLY THE BIG
FACTOR IS IT JUST KIMS AT A
HIGHER RATE -- KILLS AT A
HIGHER RATE.
PEOPLE WANT TO COMPARE THE
VIRUS TO SOMETHING.
BUT THE POINT WE'RE HEARING IS
IT CAN'T BE COMPARED.
IT'S IN A CLASS ALL ITS OWN.
THIS IS A NEW ONE.
IT'S CALLED NOVEL CORONAVIRUS.
IT'S A NEW EXPERIENCE FOR ALL
OF US.
AND WE'RE SEEING A NEW WAY FOR
HOW IT'S SPREAD.
HOW PEOPLE ARE SUSCEPTIBLE.
AND WE STILL AREN'T FULLY
FIGURED OUT HOW THE IMMUNITY IS
GOING -- IS IT GOING TO BE A
LONG LASTING IMMUNITY?
OR IS IT GOING TO BE SHORT-TERM
WHERE YOU COULD GET IT AGAIN?
MUCH LIKE INFLUENZA.
YOU KNOW YOU CAN GET INFLUENZA
EVERY YEAR.
AND SO I THINK WE HAVE TO SEE
WHAT THE CORONAVIRUS KIND OF
HOLDS IN STORE.
TAMMY SAYS SHE'S BEEN SICK,
UNCONFIRMED THAT IT'S COVID-19.
BUT WITHOUT A TEMPERATURE NOW
FOR THREE DAYS.
SHE IS WONDERING IF SHE CAN
GIVE BLOOD, IS THAT A GOOD
IDEA?
I THINK AT THIS POINT, THE
RED CROSS AS A GOOD PROTOCOL
FOR TESTING PEOPLE AND
SCREENING.
AFTER THREE DAYS OF SYMPTOMS, I
MIGHT TRY TO WAIT A LITTLE BIT.
IF YOU'RE DOING OKAY, STAY AT
HOME.
KIND OF WAIT FOR A LITTLE
WHILE.
AND SEE.
RED CROSS, WE DO KNOW THAT WE
WANT BLOOD DONORS.
AT THIS POINT, I WOULD MAYBE
HOLD TIGHT.
BUT I'D LOOK AT THE LOCAL RED
CROSS TO BE SURE.
WHAT'S THE TRUTH ABOUT
HAVING ANTIBODIES AFTER YOU
RECOVER FROM THE VIRUS.
HOW SAFE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE
RECOVERED?
THAT'S A HARD ONE TO SAY.
THE TESTING FOR ANTIBODIES IS
STILL VERY NEW.
WE'RE TRYING TO FIND OUT HOW
GOOD IT IS.
HOW ACCURATE IT IS.
ALONG WITH HOW LONG THOSE
ANTIBODIES LAST.
WE'RE SEEING, YOU KNOW, WE
POURED BOTH MEDICAL AND USUAL
MEDIA ABOUT RECURRENCES OR
REPEAT EPISODES OF COVID-19 OR
CORONAVIRUS.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SEE WHAT
THE ANTIBODY TESTING REALLY
SHOWS.
CINDY SAYS CAN YOU GET
INFLUENZA A OR B AND COVID AT
THE SAME TIME.
UNFORTUNATELY, YES.
WE SAW THAT EARLY ON.
WE THOUGHT THAT INFLUENZA, IF
YOU JUST HAD THAT THAT PROBABLY
PUT YOU OUT OF THE COVID KIND
OF PATHWAY.
BUT WE DEFINITELY ARE SEEING
PEOPLE THAT HAD BOTH.
RIGHT NOW, THE INFLUENZA SEASON
REALLY HAS ALMOST STOPPED IN
MINNESOTA.
THAT WAS ALMOST, YOU MIGHT SAY
A SIDE BENEFITED OF ALL THE
SOCIAL DISTANCING, HYGIENE AND
CLEANING THAT WE DID.
WE REALLY STOPPED INFLUENZA IN
ITS TRACKS FOR MINNESOTA.
I THINK THAT POTENTIALLY ALSO
SAVED LIVES.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS
ABOUT COVID-19?
LETTED US FIND THE ANSWERS,
SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO
TIPS@WCCO.COM.