Effective Friday at 5:00 PM, Wel
be executing a stay at home order for
Guilford County through April 1.
All right, it's been exactly
three years since we heard that.
The day that Guilford County residents
and most really of the Piedmont,
were ordered to just simply stay home,
it was the first big step to stop COVID-19
from spreading at a time when vaccines
were still months and months aw.
Today, things look very differe.
Normal life has resumed for man.
COVID numbers are trending
in the right direction,
the number of statewide cases has dropped.
Hospitalizations and transmissin
rates are also going down.
So what can we do to keep it that way,
and what?
Is changing that is making thins
even more normal than than when
what we've seen that's our focun
today's to your well-being segm.
Dr. Cynthia Snyder,
infection Prevention medical director
at Cone Health is joining us.
All right.
So first let's just talk about
numbers because we like to,
you know have the foundation of the data.
How are the numbers now compared
to just a few months ago
that they are definitely much improved
like every week we're seeing eay
at 10 to 20% decline in cases.
And especially within hospitalid
patients and so across the stat,
you know we're seeing that transmission
level going from exceedingly high down
to like moderate and but we anticipate
that to continue to go down fur,
okay. And I'm sure you would say
this does not mean that you dont
have to worry about COVID anymo,
but we can worry about it
maybe in a different way than
we would then we did before,
correct even if you think of us
up where we were six months ago.
We know that you know many peope
have had immunity from the vaccine or
natural immunity from catching D
once or maybe twice or more andr
even the combination of both ano
we we really feel that the essentially
that herd immunity that immunitn
the community is is much highern
it has ever been and the fact t.
And the cases are low,
so that we feel that it is safe to go
into a different phase of of th,
of this pandemic and it's more f
kind of this endemic phase and e
feel that masking can be option.
All right. Yeah, let's talk about that
because this is the big news from today.
Many area health systems,
including cone health are movino
optional masks starting tomorro.
So what does that mean for the patients,
for the visitors and all of tha.
Right. So we are stepping away
from universal masking and we're
giving that choice up to patien,
visitors and staff members.
However, there is some responsibility
to to the patient and the
visitor and the staff member.
So you know anybody that's been
exposed to COVID or has any
symptoms concerning for COVID,
we still want you to wear a mask
patients that are immunocompromd
be it with cancer or other.
Other disease processes,
we are still masking around those folks
and and the key thing too is that we're,
we're not saying forget it.
Like everything that we've learned in the
last three years doesn't mean anything.
It still does.
We still want people to get vaccinated.
We know that a lot of people are asking
us and like should I get the vaccine,
the vaccine booster.
I'm like if you have not
had that bivalent vaccine,
this is a great time to get it
if you have any symptoms though.
Don't come visit your friends,
you know,
because there's we got to know
what those symptoms are about i.
You still should get tested
for COVID illness
with the lower transition rates
and masks becoming optional in t
healthcare settings starting tomorrow.
I mean, some people may think tt
the vaccinations and boosters at
needed anymore, but that is not
the message that you're sending,
correct? We want everybody to be
responsible knowing that we're giving,
you know, folks options because
we feel it is safe to go under.
To being mask optional.
But also we want people to be vy
respectful of those that still,
you know, choose to wear a mask.
You know, be it for personal
reasons for, you know,
if they've had exposure or or or just.
Right now, not everybody is reay
to completely abandon the mask.
Yeah. And if you want to wear the mask,
that's OK, exactly. OK.
Is there anything else that we should
be doing to make sure that these
numbers stay in the right direc.
So I I think just the key thing is that you
know it does sound like a broken record.
We always are a big fan of the f
of getting the vaccine booster.
We will find out I I bet you over in the
month's time what that means in the fall
if another booster vaccine is required.
But for the time being we're really knowing
that not many people have received the.
Most recent bivalent that's the choice
to go to if you're going to be a
crowded area with poor ventilatn
and and you may be at risk for severe
disease that should be a recommendation
to wear a mask at that time.
All right. So Easter gathering,
spring break, all this stuff is coming
up within the next couple of we.
How concerned are we with seeing
those numbers creep back up just
because of that event? Yeah
you know I I don't doubt that se
numbers will bounce back up a th
that what I'm hoping is that.
You know with the current trends
that you know all the a lot of people
have immunity from the latest strain.
You know, so many people who even avoided
getting COVID those first couplf
years ended up getting the most recent
strain because it was so transmissible.
So we we suspect that still peoe
are quite protected from that ad
another way also to boost that
immune level is to get that vac.
Right. And if you're traveling r
spring break, I'm guessing whatu
were just talking about like he,
mask up if you're going to be in
a crowded space. So you know,
if you're traveling by airplane,
probably not a bad idea,
correct? I'm a big fan of weari.
We know that transmission has occurred
on planes and so being able to r
well fitting mask while you're on the
airplane makes the best sense. l
right? And should we be testing
ourselves before traveling?
I would say if you are starting to have
symptoms it makes sense to get tested.
And if you feel like you've had
exposure to COVID and are in th,
you know between that day five ,
seven period, if you can use the
antigen test to get tested or aR
test to get tested as well at that time.
OK, and if someone does get COVID-19,
let's just kind of regroup,
should they? What should they do
to prevent others from getting ?
And what should they be doing?
Like how long should they be staying at home?
So that part of the message hast
changed anybody who's had COVID.
You need to, you know,
you need to isolate yourself
from your family members.
Do not come to work, you know,
at least stay home for five day.
And then if you're going back to work,
even if your workplace is masked optional,
you need to be wearing a mask to
finish out that 10 days of isolation.
OK. All right. Well, stick it.
Stick right here with Doctor
Snyder and myself will be
answering your COVID-19 questios
after the break. You can send them in and
this is how you send in your question.
You can text that number on your screen,
336-379-5775. You get to ask yor
question anonymously and you
get them answered in real time.
We'll be right back.