POSSIBLE. YOU COULD WAIT LONGER AT THE HOSPITAL LIVE THIS MORNING. ASHLEY HARDING CHANNEL
4 THE LOCAL STATION.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: SO YOU JUST
SAW FLORIDA HAS A GRIM
DISTINCTION WHEN IT COMES TO
THE SPREAD
OF CORONAVIRUS EVERY ONE OF THE
STATE’S COUNTIES IS NOW LISTED
AS HAVING HIGH LEVELS OF
COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION. THE
ONLY OTHER STATE WITH THAT
DUBIOUS DISTINCTION, ARKANSAS
DOCTOR SUNIL JOSHI PRESIDENT OF
THE DUVAL COUNTY MEDICAL
SOCIETY FOUNDATION TWEETED
IS IT TIME FOR GOVERNOR
DESANTIS TO DECLARE A STATE OF
EMERGENCY PUBLIC HEALTH
EMERGENCY IN FLORIDA REGARDING
COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS WITH
WHAT WE’RE SEEING HERE.
YES SO WE CAN GET SOME FEDERAL
HELP AND MAYBE SOME EXTRA STAFF
TO ASSIST IN THE HOSPITALS.
YES, THIS IS SERIOUS FOLKS.
DOCTOR JOSHI JOINS ME NOW IN
THE MORNING SHOW NOT GOING TO
MINCE WORDS HERE DOCTOR JOSHI
THE GOVERNOR SAID HIS WORDS,
THIS IS A SEASONAL THING TIME
FOR HIM TO OPEN HIS EYES TO
REALITY.
>> WELL THERE IS I MEAN I THINK
IT’S TIME FOR ALL OF US TO OPEN
OUR EYES TO REALITY, YOU KNOW
TO
SOME EXTENT YOU KNOW WE’VE KIND
OF BEEN UNSCATHED HERE IN
NORTHEAST FLORIDA OR THROUGH
THROUGHOUT OUR REGION
SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS
PANDEMIC WE NEVER SAW OUR
HOSPITAL NUMBERS INCREASE AS
DRAMATICALLY AS THEY HAVE NOW
AND THIS IS WHAT WAS HAPPENING
IN NEW YORK AND SAN FRANCISCO
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
PANDEMIC BACK IN THE SPRING OF
2020 AND WE’RE SEEING THAT HERE NOW AND YOU CAN SEE ONE OF BURDEN THIS PUTS ON OUR HEALTH
CARE SYSTEM. AND THE EFFECTS IT
HAS ALL THE WAY DOWNSTREAM.
FOR PATIENTS WHO MAY BE JUST
GOING TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM FOR
COMMON AILMENTS OR FOR 4 OTHER
ISSUES THAT ARE URGENT
AND THEY’RE NOT BEING ABLE TO
GET INTO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OR
BE SEEN IN
A TIMELY MANNER AND SO IT’S AN
AMAZING. CASCADE OF EVENTS THAT
HAVE BEEN IF WE’RE NOT TAKING
THIS SERIOUSLY.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: SO WITH US
CATHOLIC CASTIGATING OF EVENTS
ARE WE GOING TO GET TO A POINT
WHERE HEART ATTACK OR
STROKE VICTIMS CAN’T GET THE
CRITICAL QUICK RESPONSE THEY
NEED IF SOMETHING ISN’T DONE
AND
DONE QUICKLY.
>> AND THAT’S BEEN THE CONCERN
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF THIS
PANDEMIC HITS. YES IS IT MAINLY CAUSE COMMON FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS IN MOST PEOPLE SURE, BUT IT’S
THOSE FOLKS AND IN THE HOSPITAL
AND CRIPPLING THE HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN THE
BIGGEST CONCERN FROM THE
BEGINNING AND TO SEE THESE
NUMBERS INCREASE. I’M NOT
GRADUATE LIKE LAST YEAR YOU
KNOW REMEMBER THE TERM
FLATTENING THE CURVE
YOU KNOW WE DID A VERY GOOD JOB
HERE KEEPING THE CURVE FROM
REALLY SPIKING TO THE POINT
WHERE IT’S BEEN TOO MUCH OF A
STRAIN ON OUR HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM. WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW AS
YOU SAW WITH ALL THAT DATA FROM
NASA’S REPORT. THE NUMBERS ARE GOING UP VERY QUICKLY THAT THE SLOPE IS INTENSE AT
THIS POINT. AND SO IF IT
CONTINUES TO GO ABOVE THAT
LEVEL THE HOSPITALS WILL BE
FALL. AND YES, YOU’RE RIGHT FOR
YEARS. YOU KNOW THE 65 YEAR-OLD
MAN WITH A HEART ATTACK THE
70 YEAR-OLD PERSON WITH THE G I
BELIEVE 18 YEAR-OLD
APPENDICITIS WHERE ARE THESE
FOLKS GOING TO GO.
YOU KNOW WE HAVE TO BE VERY
CONCERNED ABOUT THAT AS WE MOVE
FORWARD AND THAT’S WHY WE MAY
NEED
SOME HELP.
>> YOU KNOW ONE OF THE PROBLEMS
IS WE’RE NOT GETTING THE
MESSAGE FROM THE HOSPITALS ON A
REGULAR BASIS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE
THE GOVERNOR SAID DON’T ISSUE
THE REPORT IS THAT PROBLEM.
>> I MEAN IT IS A PROBLEM
BECAUSE IT’S HARD FOR US ALL OF
US WHO ARE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE HOSPITAL
SYSTEMS TOO TO REPORT THIS ACCURATELY IN FOR OUR CITIZENS HERE IN NORTHEAST FLORIDA
UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT’S
HAPPENING IN THE HOSPITALS
WHEN YOU’RE NOT ABLE TO SEE THE
PERCENT CAPACITY AT
EACH LOCATION. IT BECOMES THAT
TO DEBATE YOU KNOW I DIDN’T SAY
THEN YOU HAVE THE PEOPLE WHO
DON’T BELIEVE THAT
THIS PANDEMIC IS REAL OR THAT
IT’S CAUSING A STRAIN ON THE
HOSPITAL GIVES THEM MORE
MORE AMMUNITION TO SAY HOW DO
WE KNOW WHERE IS THE DATA WELL
GUESS WHAT WE DON’T HAVE THE
DATA WE’RE VERY MUCH DEPENDENT
ON EVERY HOSPITAL TO GET TO AS
AND AND YOU KNOW THE HOSPITAL’S
HAPPEN TO BE VERY BUSY DOING
OTHER THINGS AT
THIS POINT.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: AND LOOK WE
WERE TOLD THAT FLORIDA GOT IT
RIGHT WITH THE INITIAL
OUTBREAK, YEAH, MAYBE WASN’T SO
BAD HERE IN DUVAL COUNTY IT WAS
REALLY BAD DOWN IN SOUTH
FLORIDA. SO DID WE GET IT RIGHT
PIE IN THE SKY.
>> WELL, I MEAN YOU KNOW THAT’S
THE IT’S WITH PANDEMICS IS
SOMETHING THAT WE HAVEN’T SEEN
IN OVER A
100 YEARS. IT BECOMES VERY
DIFFICULT TO SPIKE THE BALL THE
5 YARD LINE HERE WITH THIS
PANDEMIC IS CHANGING AND THE
VIRUS
IS CHANGING. SO WHAT LOOKS GOOD
6 WEEKS AGO MAY NOT LOOK GOOD 6
WEEKS FROM NOW. THAT’S WHY YOU
KEEP GETTING THEIR FRIEND.
ADVICE FROM THE CDC AND SOME OF
THE LEADERS AND HEALTH CARE BECAUSE WE DON’T ALWAYS KNOW WHAT’S THE RIGHT THING TO
ADVISE AND SAID TO ASSUME THAT
WE GOT THROUGH IT AND WE DID IT
RIGHT IS NOT IS NOT I DON’T
THINK IS THE WAY TO LOOK AT IT
I THINK WE SHOULD WAIT UNTIL
THE PANDEMIC IS OVER AND DONE
THROUGH IT. AND THEN WE WILL
LEARN WHAT WE DID RIGHT WHAT WE
DID WRONG. SO THAT THE NEXT
TIME WHERE WHERE WE COME INTO A
SITUATION LIKE THIS WE HAVE
A PLAN.
>> THAT’S MORE LIKE IT OR WRITE
THAT SAID TO HIM RATHER THAN
REACTIVE. I MEAN SAVANNAH JUST
IMPOSED YESTERDAY AND INDOOR
MASK MANDATE. GOVERNOR DESANTIS
SAYS NO MANDATES MAYOR CURRY
SAYS NO MASK MANDATES. DOCTOR
FAUCI SAYS THEY ARE BEING
SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED PEOPLE ARE
RESPONDING A BIT TO THE CALL
FOR VACCINATIONS WHAT DO YOU
THINK ABOUT THE NEED TO MASK UP
RIGHT NOW. >> I MEAN I THINK THAT’S A THAT’S A GREAT POINT TOO IS
THAT YOU KNOW WHEN THE CDC
LUCENT THE
MASK MANDATE. IT WAS FOR THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE VACCINATED OKAY,
IT PEOPLE WHO ARE
FULLY VACCINATED NOT FOR THE
UNVACCINATED FOES, WHAT HAS
HAPPENED HERE IS THOSE SAME
FOLKS WHO DECIDED THAT THEY ARE
NOT GOING TO GET THE VACCINE
HAVE ALSO DECIDED THAT THEY ARE
NOT GOING TO WEAR A MASK AND
THAT’S PART OF THE PROBLEM THAT
WE HAVE
HERE SO IF YOU ARE DEAD SET
AGAINST GETTING THE VACCINE.
PLEASE DO THE REST OF US
A FAVOR AND AT LEAST WEAR A
MASK SO THAT YOU’RE LESS LIKELY
TO SPREAD THIS VIRUS OTHER
PEOPLE WHO MAY END UP IN
THE HOSPITAL AND AT SOME POINT
WE MAY NEED TO BE LOOKING AT
ALL OF THOSE
WEARING MASK AND WE’RE GOING TO