MAY
MAY RESPOND TO YOUR TEXT AT THE END OF THE SHOW.
SHOW.
NO
NO THE
NO THE PANDEMIC IS NOT OVER. BUT HAVE YOU BEEN
PAYING ATTENTION TO
THE COVID-19 NUMBERS
LATELY?
573 NEW CONFIRMED
AND PROBABLE CASES
REPORTED ACROSS THE
STATE YESTERDAY.
17 DEATHS.
THAT DEATH
NUMBER...STILL WAY TOO
HIGH.
BUT THE DAILY CASE
NUMBERS HAVE
CERTAINLY DROPPED IN
2021.
COMPARED TO WHERE WE
WERE
COVID REALLY STARTED
RAMPING UP IN
NOVEMBER...TO THE TUNE
OF NEARLY 30 THOUSAND
LAB
LAB CONFIRMED CASES FOR THE MONTH. AND ALMOST 250 DEATHS.
WE BROKE THAT 30-
THOUSAND BARRIER IN
DECEMBER.
WHICH WAS ALSO OUR
DEADLIEST MONTH...WITH
501 IDAHOANS DYING
FROM COVID
COMPLICATIONS.
BUT JANUARY...WE SEEM
TO HAVE SLOWED A BIT.
JUST UNDER 14-
THOUSAND CONFIRMED
CASES...AND HALF THE
NUMBER OF DEATHS.
.
BUT THAT DROP...IS STILL
KIND OF OPPOSITE OF
WHAT WE EXPECTED TO
HAPPEN.
ESPECIALLY AFTER WHAT
WE SAW HAPPEN AFTER
THANKSGIVING...WITH
CASES PEAKING ON
DECEMBER10TH WITH
2229 CONFIRMED AND
PROBABLE CASES.
WHICH LEAD TO THIS
QUESTION SENT TO US...
"IF THE INCUBATION
PERIOD IS 2-3 WEEKS,
THEN SHOULDN'T WE
HAVE SEEN A SPIKE AFTER
BOTH CHRISTMAS AND
NEW YEARS? I THINK
12/10 WAS AROUND THE
TIME WE SAW THE
HIGHEST NUMBER OF
CASES. WHICH IS EXACTLY
2 WEEKS AFTER
THANKSGIVING. SO WHY
DIDN'T THE PATTERN
REPEAT?"
.
REPEAT?" . OF COURSE...THE STATE
HAS ADMINISTERED MORE
THAN 93-THOUSAND
DOSES OF THE VACCINE
SINCE MID-DECEMBER.
AND TESTING HAS
DROPPED OFF
SIGNIFICANTLY, TOO.
FROM MORE THAN 45-
THOUSAND IN THE WEEK
BEFORE
THANKSGIVING...TO LESS
THAN 30-THOUSAND
TESTS IN THE SECOND
WEEK OF JANUARY.
BUT WHY?
FOR THAT ANSWER...OR AT
LEAST A POSSIBLE
ANSWER...WE WANTED TO
REVISIT COLE
DIAGNOSTICS...A TESTING
LAB IN GARDEN CITY
WHICH...WHEN WE LAST SPOKE ON DECEMBER 17TH...JUST DID 1800
TESTS IN A 24-HOUR
PERIOD.
THAT WASN'T ALL
DRRYANCOLE TOLD US
LAST MONTH THAT
STOOD OUT TO US.
LAST
LAST WEEK
LAST WEEK OR SO WE WERE BETWEEN 400 AND 600 A DAY NOW SO IT'S
NOT LIKE WE'RE NOT
TESTING
BUT I THINK THE DEMAND
HAS GONE DOWN
BECAUSE I THINK THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE SICK
HAS ACTUALLY GONE
DOWN AS WELL
400 TO 600 PATIENTS A
DAY THAT'S STILL BUSY
DON'T GET ME WRONG
BUT NOW I GET TO GO
HOME AND SLEEP IN MY
OWN BED FOR A CHANGE
WHICH IS KIND OF NICE
THE LAST TIME WE SPOKE
YOU HAD JUST FINISHED A
27 HOUR SHIFT
AND I ASKED IF YOU SEE
AN END TO THOSE AHEAD
OF YOU AND YOU SAID
YEAH
I THINK RIGHT NOW
IDAHO WE'RE KIND OF AT
OUR PEAK PLATEAU WE
MAY GO UP A LITTLE BIT
AFTER CHRISTMAS BUT
AFTER THAT I REALLY SEE
US COMING DOWN
JANUARY INTO FEBRUARY
AND BACK TO BASICALLY
AN ENDEMIC LEVEL
I'M GOING TO SAY YOU'RE
NOT SURPRISED BY THIS
NOT AT ALL AND IT STILL
GOES TO THAT NATURAL
HISTORY OF THIS FAMILY
OF VIRUSES, AND SO TO
THAT POINT, WE'RE
STARTING TO SEE THAT
SEASONAL SHIFT AND
THEN
THEN THE
THEN THE OTHER IMPORTANT THING ONCE THE VIRUS HAS
PENETRATED A SET PART
OF POPULATION IN SOME
AREAS OF THE WORLD IT'S
20 PERCENT OTHERS IT'S
THRITY PERCENT, SOME
PLACES MAYBE A LITTLE
HIGHER, BUT ANY GIVEN
YEAR THE CORNOAVIRUS
CAN ACCOUNT FOR
MAYBE 10 PERCENT TO 25
PERCENT OF THE
COMMON
COMMON COLD THAT WE SEE, SO OVER THE LAST 10 TO 15 YEARS, A LOT OF
PEOPLE HAVE JUST HAD
AN ALPHA CORNOAVIRUS,
A COMMON COLD
CORONAVIRUS, SO
BECAUSE OF THAT A LOT
OF US HAVE AN IMMUNE
MEMORY, EVEN THOUGH
IT WASN'T SARS COV2, IT
SAYS, 'GREAT, I RECOGNIZE
THIS' SO PART OF THAT
DROP IN THE CURVE THE
VIRUS IS LOOKING FOR
SOMEBODY TO INFECT
AND AS IT TRIES TO
INFECT PEOPLE THAT HAVE
A CROSS-IMMUNITY,THE
VIRUS CAN'T DO IT
ANYMORE, SO THE VIRUS
DOESN'T HAVE A HOST
THAT CAN CARRY IT
OK JUST SO I
UNDERSTAND WHAT
YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT AS
THIS HAS PROGRESSED
AND MORE PEOPLE HAVE
CONTRACTED THE
CORONAVIRUS AND
THROUGH THE YEARS
WE'VE HAD SOME FORM
OF THE CORONAVIRUS
WHEN IT COMES TO THE
COMMON COLD, THERE'S
FEWER PLACE FOR THIS
VIRUS TO GO
CORRECT, IT DOESN'T
HAVE A HOST IN WHICH IT
CAN PROLIFERATE AND
DIVIDE AND GO ON TO
INFECT ADDITIONAL
PEOPLE BECAUSE THE
BODY RIGHT AWAY SAYS, 'I
RECOGNIZE THIS' AND IT
BLOCKS
BLOCKS IT
BLOCKS IT FROM PROLIFERATING AND SO THAT PART OF THE
POPULATION JUST WON'T
GET IT AT ALL
I DON'T WANT TO SAY WE
SHOULDN'T BE CAUTIOUS
BUT I DO THINK WE
SHOULD BE OPTIMISTIC BY
THE FACT THAT WE'RE IN A
GOOD POSITION AND
WE'RE HEADING IN A
GOOD DIRECTION AT THIS
MOMENT
DR COLE LIKENS THIS
DROP TO A NATURAL
HERD IMMUNITY...WHERE
WE DON'T NEED 60 OR 70
OR 80-PERCENT OF THE
POPULATION TO GET
COVID.
JUST THAT 20-30
PERCENT...COUPLED WITH
THOSE WHO HAVE HAD
SOME FORM OF IT IN THE
PAST.
HE SAID T-CELL RESEARCH
BACKS UP HIS OPINION.
HOWEVER, THAT IS JUST
ONE OPINION.
SOME EXPECT WE WILL
SEE ANOTHER SPIKE
SOON.
THERE ARE SO MANY
VARIABLES TO THIS
PANDEMIC...LIKE MAYBE
WE JUST LEARNED OUR
LESSON AFTER
THANKSGIVING?
THAT IT'S HARD TO
REALIZE THE FOREST
WHEN YOUR STARING AT
WHAT SEEMS LIKE SO
MANY TREES.
BUT AT LEAST FOR
NOW...IT DOES LOOK
LIKE...WITH VACCINATIONS
AND DECREASING
NUMBERS...WE ARE
STARTING TO SEE SOME