LOOKING AT VACCINATION RATES. >> OK, GREAT. WE’RE ABOUT 25 SECONDS AWAY.
SHE’S BEEN A FREQUENT GUEST
WITH US SINCE THE BEGINNING
OF THE PANDEMIC, A DISEASE
DOCTOR AND EPIDEMIOLOGIST.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT SRI SPUR
OR ALLEGRINI. SHE JOINS US NOW.
SHIRI’S, THANK YOU FOR JOINING
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT COVID
RIGHT OFF THE TOP OF THE NIGHT.
IT SEEMS AS IF WE’RE HAVING A
HIGH NUMBERS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE
COMING DOWN WITH COVID. ARE WE
CORRECT
TO SAY IT’S MORE TRANSMISSIBLE
BUT NOT AS SEVERE.
>> THAT THAT’S CORRECT. WE’RE
DEFINITELY SEEING MORE CASES
THAN WE’VE SEEN IN A WHILE.
WE WERE VERY HOPEFUL IN LATE
MARCH TO APRIL NUMBERS WERE
DOWN APRIL. THEY AM SAY THEY
STARTED TO INCREASE AND WE’RE
AT LEVELS THAT WE DIDN’T SEE
SINCE LATE FEBRUARY. SO THAT’S
CONCERNING. OUR
HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE
INCREASING. AND THAT’S OUR WAY
TO JUDGE FOR SEVERITY. I’M
STILL FAIRLY LOW AND INSTILL
OK, BUT THAT THAT IS
CONCERNING.
>> TALK TO ME ABOUT THE RE
INFECTION RATE OF THOSE WHO
HAVE THE BOOSTER SHOT OR MAYBE
ARE OVERDUE FOR ANOTHER BOOSTER
SHOT.
>> RIGHT. SO THE RECOMMENDATION
IS TO DEFINITELY HAVE YOUR 3
DOSES. NOW, IF YOU ARE AT
HIGHER RISK, THE RECOMMENDATION
IS FOR 4 THERE. CERTAINLY I’M
ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO GET THAT
4TH. AND THAT’S NOT UNUSUAL FOR
ANY VACCINE. THERE’S A LOT OF
VACCINES WHERE YOU NEED FOR
5 DOSES TO BE AND WE DO SEE
THAT RE INFECTION HAPPENS.
BUT THE SEVERITY IS MUCH LOWER.
TRANSMISSIBILITY IS MUCH SLOWER
AND MORE DOSES OF VACCINE THAT
YOU HAVE.
>> DO YOU THINK IT’S IT’S
BECAUSE WE HAVE I MEAN, WE
STILL DON’T HAVE A LOT OF
PEOPLE THAT ARE GETTING THE
SHOTS THAT THEY SHOULD GET.
IS THAT WHAT’S DRIVING THIS
LATEST SURGE? YOU YOU BELIEVE
THAT THAT’S PART OF IT. SO ARE
VACCINATION LEVELS. HAVEN’T
CHANGED MUCH MORE THAN ABOUT
ONE PERCENT IN THE LAST 2
MONTHS.
>> AND THAT’S FOR MOST AGE
GROUPS. SO THAT’S REALLY
CONCERNING. WE HAVE A GOOD
READ. A VACCINATION AT ABOUT 68
SAYS 75% DEPENDING ON YOUR AGE
GROUP. BUT WE REALLY NEED TO
GET UPWARDS OF 80 IN. AND
THAT’S CONCERNING. AND I DID
QUICKLY LOOK AT THE
ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY ABOUT THE
NEW VACCINE. AND THAT’S VERY,
VERY PROMISING. IT’S NOT
AVAILABLE YET, BUT IT IS VERY
PROMISING. BUT REALLY, IF YOU
KNOW, IF WE GET ENOUGH, PEOPLE
VACCINATED WILL HAVE LESS VIRUS
GOING AROUND LESS
TRANSMISSIBILITY AND WE’LL BE
IN BETTER SHAPE.
>> I’M TALKING ABOUT THAT NEW
VACCINE AT AND AS WELL. WHAT
WE’RE ABOUT TO FACE IN THE
FALL. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
POTENTIALLY HAVING A NEXT
GENERATION VACCINES. SO A NEW
TYPE OF VACCINATION IN THE FALL
COULD FROM MODERNA. BUT ALSO WE
NEED TO THINK ABOUT THE FLU
SHOT AS WELL. WE HAVE HOW MANY
SHOTS ARE WE GOING TO BE
RECOMMENDING IN THE FALL?
>> SO ANOTHER DOSE OF THE
COVID. I’M SURE IS THAT THAT
WAS ESPECIALLY IF WE GET THE
NEW VACCINE IS GOING TO BE
LIKELY. AND WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND
THE FLU SHOT IN THE FALL.
THE LAST 2 YEARS, FLU HAS BEEN
VERY THIS YEAR. FLU IS REALLY
PEAKED IN MAY, WHICH IS ABOUT
3 OR 4 MONTHS LATER THAN
NORMAL. AND I REALLY THINK THAT
HAS TO DO WITH US TAKING
PRECAUTIONS FOR THOSE 2 YEARS
DURING THE WHAT WOULD BE THE
PEAK OF FLU SEASON AND THEN
RELAXING THOSE IN THE LAST
COUPLE OF MONTHS. SO DEFINITELY
WE’RE GOING TO NEED TO GET A
FLU SHOT. WE WILL PROBABLY NEED
TO GET ANOTHER COVID BOOSTER,
WHICH MEANS THAT THOSE FOLKS
THAT HAVEN’T GOTTEN THEIR SHOTS
YET, WE REALLY NEED TO GET THEM
UP TO DATE. SO WE’RE STILL
SEEING FLU CASES RIGHT NOW.
IS THAT WHAT YOU’RE TELLING US?
>> ABSOLUTELY. SO MAYBE HAD A
SURPRISING NUMBER OF FLU CASES
IN SAN ANTONIO AND ACROSS THE
COUNTRY. NORMALLY OF FLU WILL
PEAK A DECEMBER JANUARY.
WE’LL SEE SOME INTO FEBRUARY
AND IT REALLY STARTS TO DROP BY
MARCH, SEEING FLU CASES IN
APRIL AND MAY IS GENERALLY
RARE. BUT WE’RE SEEING A LOT
ITS THAT NOT AS MUCH AS WE
WOULD NORMALLY SEE IN THE
WINTER, BUT DEFINITELY MUCH
HIGHER THAN WE NORMALLY SEE
THIS TIME OF YEAR. AND IT’S NOT
THAT THERE’S ANYTHING
SPECTACULARLY DIFFERENT ABOUT
THE FLU THAT’S CIRCULATING.
IT’S MOSTLY THAT I THINK WE
WERE TAKING SO MANY PRECAUTIONS
UP UNTIL RECENTLY THAT KEPT
THE FLU AT BAY. AND NOW THAT
WE’VE RELAXES PRECAUTIONS, FLU
IS HAVING A CHANCE TO SPREAD.
>> IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT
THEY’RE GOING TO MOVE UP THE
TIME THAT THEY’RE GOING TO WANT
US TO TAKE A NEW FLU VACCINE.
>> BUT TYPICALLY IT’S GETS
RELEASED IN AND WE PUSH IT
AUGUST THROUGH NOVEMBER.
THAT’S THE IDEAL TIME BECAUSE
THAT’S THE THAT’S WHEN FLU
SEASON OCCURS. I’M NOT SURE
YET IF THEY’RE GOING TO WANT TO
DO IT EVEN EARLIER THAN NOT.
I THINK WHAT WE DO IS WE REALLY
LOOK AT WHAT’S CIRCULATING IN
THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE RIGHT
TO DO ANY TWEAKS THAT WE NEED
TO DO. BUT WHAT
WE HAVE PLANNED FOR THE FALL
FOR FLU IS IS WHAT WE’RE
EXPECTING. BECAUSE, AGAIN, OUR
CAUTIONS THAT WE’VE BEEN
TAKING, I THINK WE’RE LESS
LIKELY TO TAKE THIS FALL, WHICH
MEANS WE’RE GOING TO HAVE FLU
SEASON AT THE NORMAL TIME,
NOVEMBER DECEMBER, WHICH IS
CONCERNING OF COVID IS STILL
PRETTY SIGNIFICANT.
>> WANT TO SWITCH GEARS AND
TALK ABOUT MONKEYPOX RIGHT NOW.
A LOT OF STORIES HAVE BEEN DONE
ABOUT IT ABOUT THE CONCERNS
THAT ARE OUT THERE. WHAT WE
KNOW ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW AND HOW
CONCERNED SHOULD PEOPLE BE
ABOUT IT?
>> WELL, IT’S ALWAYS A TODAY.
THERE’S ONLY BEEN 35 CASES IN
THE U.S. NOW THAT’S WAY MORE
THAN NORMAL. SO DEFINITELY IT’S
A CONCERN, BUT IT’S NOT HIGHLY
TRANSMISSIBLE. YOU NEED TO BE
IN VERY CLOSE IT IS IN DROPLETS
SO IT CAN BE IN YOUR SALIVA AND
WHAT YOU BUT THE DROPLETS ARE
QUITE BIG AND HEAVY SO THEY
DON’T TRAVEL FAR. THE OTHER
WAY GETS TRANSMITTED HIS SKIN
TO SKIN CONTACT AND THAT’S MORE
LIKELY. SO HAVING CONTACT WITH
THE STORES IS PROBLEMATIC.
AND, YOU KNOW, MOST OF US ARE
NOT IN THAT SITUATION. SO WE I
DON’T THINK THE AVERAGE NEEDS
TO BE CONCERNED TOO MUCH OTHER
THAN KEEPING AN EYE OUT FOR.
BUT IT’S NOT GOING TO SPREAD
LIKE COVID OR OR EVEN FLU OR
SOME OTHER RESPIRATORY VIRUSES.
>> I THINK THERE WAS A LITTLE
BIT OF CONFUSION BECAUSE I
BELIEVE IT WAS YESTERDAY THE
DAY BEFORE THE CDC CAME OUT AND
SAID RECOMMENDED THAT TRAVELERS
USE MASKS BECAUSE OF MONKEYPOX
THEN THEY TOOK IT OFF THE WEB
SITE AND KIND OF PUT IT BACK A
FEW HOURS LATER. SO THERE’S A
LITTLE BIT OF CONFUSION AS TO
THAT AIRBORNE ISSUE. IT IS.
IT ISN’T DROPLETS IT SINCE
ALIVE BY TO COME OUT OF YOUR
SO GET MASK WILL CERTAINLY HELP
YOU, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE IN
A CROWDED BE IN CLOSE CONTACT
WITH OTHERS AND ON A PLANE.
YOU’RE IN A CROWDED SPACE.
I WAS JUST ON A PLANE AND WE’RE
PACKED AND EXPECT BEING SO
>> THAT IS THAT IS DEFINITELY
AN ISSUE. BUT IT’S NOT LIKE
IT’S TRAVELING THROUGH THE IT
SAYS THEIR SKIN TO SKIN
CONTACT. THERE IS RESPIRATORY,
BUT IT’S NOT TRAVELING LIKE
COVID IS OR SOME OF THE OTHER
THINGS THAT WERE USED TO.
I STILL RECOMMEND WEARING A
MASK WHEN BECAUSE OF COVID
BECAUSE OF FLU BECAUSE OF A
NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS THAT ARE
IN THE AIR.
>> GREAT ADVICE.
YES. STREETS OR ALLEGRINI
EPIDEMIOLOGIST WITH THE SAN