>>BRUCE HAMILTON: MORE AMERICANS HAVE NOW BEEN VACCINATED FOR COVID-19 AND THE
NUMBER WHO’VE TESTED POSITIVE
FOR THE VIRUS SINCE THE
BEGINNING OF
THE PANDEMIC SO FAR MORE THAN
54 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE RECEIVED
AT LEAST ONE DOSE OF THE
COVID-19 VACCINE. 13 MILLION
HAVE BEEN FULLY VACCINATED WITH
MANY ALREADY IMMUNIZED AGAINST
THE VIRUS. THE QUESTIONS ARE
WHEN CAN WE START TO THINK
ABOUT VISITING FAMILY OR
PLANNING A SOCIAL GATHERING.
JOINING ME ON THE MORNING SHOW
DOCTOR JONATHAN KANTOR AND
EPIDEMIOLOGIST WITH THE PENN
CENTER FOR EPIDEMIOLOGY SO IS
IT SAFE TO VISIT FAMILY,
ESPECIALLY GRANDMA AND GRANDPA.
>> WELL I THINK WE’RE ALL VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF INSTAGRAM AND GRAPPA SO I
THINK THAT’S YOU KNOW THE ONE
BIG STEP IS THAT WE ARE FAR
CLOSER TO DOING THAT IN A
NORMAL WAY THAN WE’VE BEEN IN A
LONG LONG TIME AND I’M VERY
EXCITED AS YOU MENTION YOU KNOW
THIS IDEA THAT WE’RE
FINALLY GETTING TOWARDS
DEVELOPING IMMUNITY IN A
POPULATION, NOT THE PEOPLE
GETTING INFECTED WITH ALL THOSE
PROBLEMS BUT
THROUGH GETTING VACCINATIONS I
THINK IT’S A WONDERFUL AND
AMAZING
STEP IN I THINK NONE OF US
COULD HAVE PREDICTED THAT THIS
WOULD HAPPEN THIS QUICKLY SO
THAT’S FANTASTIC IN TERMS OF
YOU KNOW CAN WE GO AND HAVE THE
KIDS JUMP OVER GRANDMA AND
GRANDPA GIVE THEM LOTS OF
SHARED POPSICLES WITH THEM ALL
THOSE THINGS I THINK WE SHOULD
BE SMART ABOUT IT AND WHAT I
MEAN
BY THAT IS LET’S LOOK IS
VACCINATED TO ISN’T VACCINATED
AND THEN THINK ABOUT IT THAT
WAY FOR EXAMPLE IF THE
GRANDPARENTS ARE BOTH
VACCINATED AT BOTH FULLY AT 2
SHOTS THEY’RE BOTH 2 WEEKS OUT
FROM THE SHOTS. THEY’RE
DEFINITELY IN A LOT BETTER
PLACE AND THAT COULD HAVE BEEN
THE PROBLEM IS DEPENDING ON THE
AGE OF YOUR GRANDKIDS, IT’S
VERY LIKELY. THOSE GRANDKIDS
HAVE NOT EVEN BEEN A BIT
THERE’S NO VACCINE AVAILABLE
FOR THOSE BRACKETS YET
AND SO THAT THEY TO CONSIDER
THERE IS NUMBER ONE IS THEIR
TRANSMISSION. THE OTHER
DIRECTION IN OTHER WORDS COULD
GRANDMA AND GRANDPA ARE
TRANSMITTED VIRUS TO THE
GRANDKIDS AND THAT IS POSSIBLE.
NUMBER 2.
YOU KNOW AGAIN, NONE OF THESE
VACCINES ARE 100% EFFECTIVE SO
I THINK THAT’S SMART THING TO
DO IS TO YOU KNOW WORK WITH IN
THE FRAMEWORK THAT YOU HAVE IN
OTHER WORDS IF YOU’RE IT WAS
VERY CLOSE WITH YOUR
GRANDCHILDREN LIVES CLOSE BY
HAS GOT THAT ABILITY I THINK
ABSOLUTELY IT’S OKAY TO TRY TO
VENTURE A LITTLE BIT CLOSER I
THINK MASK WEARING THINGS LIKE
THAT ARE STILL VERY VERY SMART
TO TRY TO MITIGATE SOME OF
THOSE ADDITIONAL RISKS AND I
THINK ONCE WE GET
THOSE KIDS AND THOSE GRANDKIDS
VACCINATED AS WELL WE’RE GOING
TO BE A LOT CLOSER TO GETTING
BACK
TO NORMALCY.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: AND THERE ARE
TESTS UNDER WAY TRIALS FOR
KIDS VACCINES. INFECTIOUS
DISEASE EXPERTS ALSO HAVE
DIFFERENT OPINIONS AS TO
WHETHER OR NOT IT’S SAFE TO
GATHER INDOORS WITH FRIENDS AND
WHAT HAVE BEEN CALLED IMMUNITY
BUBBLES WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
THAT.
>> AGAIN I THINK IT
REALLY DEPENDS THE SITUATION IF
YOU GOT TO SAY YOU KNOW IF YOU
HAVE.
SCENARIO
HAVE. SCENARIO WHERE EVERYBODY AT LET’S SAY
YOU WORK IN HEALTH CARE AND
EVERYBODY AT WORK HAS ALREADY
BEEN FULLY VACCINATED AND SO
ALL THE PEOPLE THAT USUALLY
HANG
OUT WITH HAD BEEN FULLY
VACCINATED I THINK IT’S A LOT
SAFER TO CONSIDER THAT BECAUSE
EVEN IF YOU GET INFECTED, YOU
KNOW THAT YOU’RE VERY VERY
LIKELY THAT JUST HAVE MILD
DISEASE IN THAT CASE.
IF YOU ARE IN MORE OF A TYPICAL
SITUATION WE’VE GOT A MIXTURE
OF PEOPLE HAVEN’T HAVEN’T BEEN
VACCINATED YOU KNOW THEN I
THINK IT IS TIME TO STILL BE A
LITTLE BIT WARY ABOUT THAT.
YOU CAN CERTAINLY MAYBE START
TO HANG OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE
BUT AGAIN I’D BE REALLY
PRESSING THE IDEA OF WEARING
THOSE MASKS, ESPECIALLY WHEN
YOU’RE INDOORS ACTUALLY TO HELP
REDUCE THE TRANSMISSION OF THE
VIRUS AGAIN WE KNOW THAT THE
VACCINES HELP YOU WITH GETTING
INFECTED SYMPTOMATIC LEAPING
REALLY SICK. WE DON’T REALLY
KNOW THE DETAILS YET ON HOW
MUCH THEY STOP YOU FROM
POTENTIALLY SPREADING THE VIRUS
TO OTHER PEOPLE AND THAT IS
VERY VERY IMPORTANT. IT’S AN
IMPORTANT PIECE THE PUZZLE THAT
WE’RE STILL WORKING UP YES,
WHAT I’M HEARING HERE IS WE’RE
NOT READY TO GO BACK TO PRE
PANDEMIC LIFE.
>> SO WE HEARD LAST WEEK THAT
IF YOU’VE GOTTEN BOTH DOSES OF
THE VACCINE. YOU CAN STILL SPREAD COVID INFECTION THROUGH NASAL SECRETIONS.
>> YEAH, YOU KNOW THAT’S PART OF THE CONCERN THAT REMEMBER THE OUT YOU KNOW THE THE STUDY
IS WE’RE LOOKING
NOT AT MY INFECTIOUS TO
SOMEBODY ELSE OR AM I YOU KNOW
PRODUCING VIRUS THEY WERE
LOOKING AT YOU KNOW AM I
GETTING THE SYMPTOMS OF
COVID-19 THAT’S HOW THE STUDIES
WERE DESIGNED SO EVEN HAVING BEEN BACKS AND IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU KNOW SUPERMAN OR
SUPERWOMAN AND THAT YOU ARE NOT
ONLY NOT GOING TO BE EFFECTIVE
AND NOT HIT ANYBODY ELSE AND
THAT’S WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO
STILL DO ALL THE SMART THINGS
LIKE WEAR A MASK.
EVEN WHEN YOU KNOW WE ARE
REPUBLICANS PARTICULARLY NEW
REPUBLIC OR WHEN YOU’RE IN A
SMALL ENCLOSED SPACE WITH OTHER