BANK. IF YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE A NEGATIVE. OKAY. WE’RE ABOUT 20 SECONDS AWAY.
>> FROM THE VERY LATEST ON
OMICRON TO EXPANDED ELIGIBILITY
FOR BOOSTER SHOTS AT HOME
TESTING. LET’S TALK COVID-19
WITH DOCTOR RUTH BERGGREN
INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST
AT THE LONG SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
AT UT HEALTH, SAN ANTONIO.
GOOD TO SEE YOU, DOCTOR.
LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE, WE
KNOW THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF
UNCERTAINTY ABOUT OMICRON.
THERE’S BEEN LOTS OF REPORTS
SAYING PERHAPS MORE
TRANSMISSIBLE. WHAT WE KNOW
AT THIS STAGE.
>> WE CONTINUALLY GET THE SAME
CONSISTENT REPORTS OF INCREASED
SEVERAL TIMES MORE INFECTIOUS.
THEN DELTA AND GENERALLY
SPEAKING, WE CONTINUE TO HEAR
THAT WHEN PEOPLE GET OMICRON,
ESPECIALLY IF THEY’RE
VACCINATED, THAT SEEMS TO BE A
MILDER VERSION OF DISEASE.
IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE MORE
SEVERE. IT DOES SEEM TO BE MORE
INFECTIOUS AND AN INTERESTING
TIDBIT THAT WAS ON THE NEWS
WIRES, STAY IN THE MEDICAL
NEWSPAPERS IS PEOPLE ARE
THEORIZING THAT THE OMICRON.
VARIANT HAS PICKED UP A SNIPPET
OF MATERIAL FROM THE COMMON
COLD AND PERHAPS THAT’S WHAT’S
HELPING IT HAVE ITS ADVANTAGE
IN BEING MORE INFECTIOUS
DISEASE LIKE COMMON COLDS OR SO
INFECTIOUS. WHEN WE SAY MORE
INFECTIOUS, IT ARE WE COMPARING
IT TO DELTA AND THE DELTA
VERSION OF COVID-19.
>> RIGHT. JUST MORE PEOPLE PER
PER PERSON INFECTED MORE OTHER
PEOPLE. SECONDARY CASES ARE
HAPPENING. HOW CONFIDENT ARE
YOU IN THE EARLY FINDINGS RIGHT
NOW THAT IT IS LESS SEVERE?
I MEAN, IS THERE STILL SOME
QUESTION OUT THERE ABOUT THAT?
WELL, I THINK WE NEED MORE TIME
TO REALLY STUDY THE REASON
PEOPLE ARE HESITATING IS THAT.
>> THE MOST REPORTS ARE COMING
FROM WHERE IT WAS FIRST
DISCOVERED, RIGHT, WHICH IS
SOUTH AFRICA. THAT’S A
DEMOGRAPHICALLY, VERY DIFFERENT
POPULATION. AND WE HAVE HERE IN
THE UNITED STATES AND IT’S A
VERY UNDERVACCINATED
POPULATIONS. SO DRAWING A LOT
OF CONCLUSIONS ABOUT WHAT
OMICRON WOULD LOOK LIKE IN
TERMS OF SEVERITY HERE IS NOT A
WISE THING TO DO AND WE NEED
TO SEE WHAT IT WHAT IT ACTUALLY
DOES DO WHEN YOU GET INTO THE
UNITED STATES OR COUNTRIES THAT
ARE LIKE THE UNITED STATES
DEMOGRAPHICALLY AS WELL WITH
NUMBER OF PEOPLE PER CENT OF
PEOPLE VACCINATED.
>> SPEAKING OF VACCINES, THE
FDA GREEN-LIGHTING TODAY
BOOSTER SHOTS FOR PEOPLE AS
YOUNG AS 16 FOR THE PFIZER,
A BOOSTER. YOUR REACTION TO
THAT?
>> I THINK THAT’S REALLY
WELCOME WE KNOW THAT BOOSTERS
RAISE ANTIBODY LEVELS. WE KNOW
THAT WITH TIME ANTIBODY LEVELS
BEGIN TO DECLINE AND WE START
TO SEE BREAKTHROUGHS. SO
GETTING THIS DONE, THIS
AUTHORIZATION IN ADVANCE OF
THE OMICRON VARIANT REALLY
HITTING THE UNITED STATES IS A
WHOLE LOT OF COMMON SENSE AND
IT WILL PREVENT CASES AND IT
WILL PREVENT SERIOUS ILLNESSES.
I I WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY
THAT PEOPLE ARE STILL DYING
OF COVID-19 IN THIS COUNTRY.
WE ARE SEEING MANY CASES IN
FOR 17 WEEKS IN A ROW. WE’VE
HAD MORE THAN 100,000 CASES
PER WEEK IN KIDS. SO WHEN YOU
TALK ABOUT LOWERING THE
BOOSTING AGE FROM 18 TO 16,
IT’S A GOOD STEP. BUT WE REALLY
WANT TO FOCUS ON GETTING
EVERYBODY FULLY VACCINATED DOWN
TO THE 5 YEAR-OLDS OR TALK
ABOUT HOME COVID THERE BEEN A
LOT OF ADVERTISING, A LOT OF
PEOPLE ADVERTISING THEM AS
>> GOOD TOOLS TO USE BEFORE YOU
GO SOMEWHERE FOR THE HOLIDAY.
WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR WHEN
YOU GO TO THE PHARMACY OR THE
GROCERY STORE WHEN IT COMES
TO SOME OF THESE HOME COVID
TESTS.
>> RIGHT. WELL, I THINK IT’S
ALWAYS WISE TO MAKE SURE THAT
WHATEVER YOU’RE PICKING WHAT
WHATEVER IT MAY SAY ON THE
LABEL WANT YOU VERIFY ONLINE
THAT THAT IS ONE OF THE
EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZED HOME
TESTS. AND THERE ARE AT LEAST
3 OR 4 OF THEM RIGHT NOW.
NOBODY’S DONE ANY SUPER CAREFUL
HEAD TO HEAD STUDIES ABOUT
WHICH ONE IS BETTER THAN THE
OTHER. AND THERE THERE HASN’T
NECESSARILY BEEN A WHOLE LOT OF
CHOICE WHEN YOU GO TO THE
STORE. SO GETTING A
RECOGNIZABLE BRAND IS WELL
KNOWN TO BE AUTHORIZED SUCH AS
THE BINAX NOW MADE BY ABBOTT
JUST TO NAME ONE EXAMPLE.
JUST MAKE SURE THAT WHAT YOU’RE
BUYING IS ON THE LIST OF
EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZED TESTS,
REALIZE THAT YOU CAN HAVE FALSE
POSITIVES AND FALSE NEGATIVES,
BUT IT’S MUCH MORE LIKELY TO
HAVE A FALSE NEGATIVE AND FALSE
POSITIVE. THAT MEANS THAT IF
YOU GET A POSITIVE TEST, YOU
SHOULD BELIEVE IT. AND YOU
SHOULD QUARANTINE YOURSELF AND
YOU MAY ALSO GET A PCR TEST.
A MOLECULAR TEST AS A FOLLOW UP
TO CONFIRM IT. BUT YOU SHOULD
BEHAVE FROM THE MOMENT YOU SEE
A POSITIVE HOME TEST AS IF YOU
REALLY HAVE COVID.
>> SO IF IT IS A HIGHER CHANCE
OF YOU GETTING A FALSE
NEGATIVE, IF YOU’VE GOT
SYMPTOMS, LET’S SAY, BUT YOU
STILL GET A NEGATIVE TEST
RESULT. WHAT DO YOU DO THEN?
>> IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS THAT
ARE TYPICAL FOR COVID,
ESPECIALLY IF YOU’VE GOT A LOSS
OF YOUR SENSE OF SMELL OR
TOGETHER WITH THE BODY ACHES
AND ALL THOSE SYMPTOMS THAT
HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED SO WELL,
YOU SHOULD CONTINUE TO
QUARANTINE EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE
A NEGATIVE HOME TEST AND THAT
WOULD BE A REASON TO GO AND
SEEK A PCR TEST, WHICH YOU CAN
GET AT MANY LOCATIONS
THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND JUST
AS THE GOOD MEASURE OF COMMON
SENSE TO TO KEEP YOURSELF AWAY
FROM OTHERS. DON’T GO TO WORK.
DON’T GO TO THE GROCERY STORE.
STAY HOME UNTIL YOU’RE FEELING
BETTER AND TRY TO GET CAN
CONFIRMATION FROM ANOTHER TEST.
>> YOU KNOW, OUR OUR LOCAL RATE
HAS GONE FROM LOW TO TO AS FAR
AS THE RISK LEVEL FOR FOR
COVID. ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT
THE HOLIDAYS THAT WE’RE GOING
TO SEE A SPIKE POST HOLIDAYS
BECAUSE OF PEOPLE WHO HAVEN’T
GOT THE VACCINE YET.
ABSOLUTELY.
>> AND YOU’RE EXACTLY RIGHT.
ANY SPIKE THAT WE WILL SEE WILL
BE IN THE UNVACCINATED
POPULATION. AND PLEASE GOT GET
VACCINATED.
>> ALL RIGHT, DOCTOR RUTH
BERGGREN, ALWAYS APPRECIATE
YOUR TIME. THANKS SO MUCH FOR