THEY’RE DONE PROPERLY. YEAH, BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT, OK, THANK YOU.
>> WE ARE DEALING WITH YET
ANOTHER SURGE IN COVID CASES.
IT DOES FEEL ON COMFORTABLY
FAMILIAR BUT SOME THINGS HAVE
CHANGED. THAT’S RIGHT. MORE
PEOPLE ARE VACCINATED,
INCLUDING KIDS AS YOUNG AS 5
BOOSTER. SHOTS ARE NOW
AVAILABLE. BUT WE ALSO KNOW
THAT OMICRON THIS VARIANT
ITSELF IS ALSO VERY DIFFERENT
TO TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED TO
KNOW ABOUT THIS VARIANT AND
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THIS SURGE
SO FAR IN OUR KSAT QNA. TODAY,
WE’RE JOINED BY
LOCAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST SHOW REESE
ROAR. ALLEGRI SHOW REESE ALWAYS
A PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU HERE.
WE LIKE TO CALL YOU THE DISEASE
DETECTIVES BECAUSE YOU STUDY
THESE THINGS. YOU KNOW HOW
THESE TRENDS WORK. SO LET’S
TALK ABOUT THE SEVERITY.
I’VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY, WELL,
OMICRON NOT AS BAD AS DELTA.
IS IT SOMETHING WE NEED TO BE
CONCERNED ABOUT?
WELL, IT’S NOT AS BAD AS DELTA,
BUT IT’S MORE CONTAGIOUS.
THAT MEANS YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE
MORE PEOPLE AFFECTED BY IT.
AND WE KNOW THAT THE 2 DOSES OF
THE VACCINE ARE NOT QUITE GOOD
ENOUGH. WE.
>> WE NEED TO GET THAT 3RD
DOSE. AND BUT IT IS MORE
CONTAGIOUS AND IT’S JUST A
NUMBERS GAME. THE MORE PEOPLE
YOU HAVE INFECTED, THE MORE
LIKELY THAT YOU’RE GOING TO
HAVE FOLKS THAT HAVE SEVERE
DISEASE BECAUSE IT’S OUT
WHEREAS BEFORE IT WASN’T AS
CONTAGIOUS. SO IT’S GOOD NEWS
AND BAD NEWS.
>> OKAY. NOW WE HAVE THAT THE
RAPID TEST A PCR TEST. WE HAVE
THOSE AT-HOME TESTING KITS AND
A LOT OF OUR VIEWERS HAVE BEEN
ASKING WHETHER THE AT-HOME
KITS, FOR INSTANCE, ARE
SENSITIVE ENOUGH TO PICK UP
THE OMICRON VARIANT. IT’S
SOMETHING A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
WORRIED ABOUT. AND YOU’RE
SAYING THAT.
>> IT IS. YEAH, RIGHT? THAT’S
OK, KIDS ARE THEY ARE
SENSITIVE. THEY’RE NOT AS
SENSITIVE AS THE PCR TEST FOR
SURE, BUT THEY ARE SENSITIVE.
AND IF THEY’RE DONE PROPERLY,
WHICH MEANS YOU REALLY GET THAT
Q TIP UP IN YOUR NOSE, RUB IT
AROUND AT LEAST 5 TIMES ON EACH
SIDE AND YOU DO IT PROPERLY.
THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE IT’S
GOING TO DETECT IF YOU’RE
INFECTIOUS AT THAT MOMENT, IT’S
NOT GOING TO DETECT IF YOU’VE
GOT A VERY SMALL LEVELS OF A
VIRUS THAT HAVEN’T REALLY
BECOME INFECTIOUS YET. BUT IT
IS A GOOD INDICATOR THAT YOU’RE
CONTAGIOUS RIGHT NOW.
>> YOU KNOW, THIS SURGE DOES
FEEL DIFFERENT THAN THE DELTA
SURGE BE. I THINK, OF COURSE,
BECAUSE SYMPTOMS AREN’T AS
SEVERE. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT
TE POSITIVITY RATE, IT’S OVER
27% IN OUR COMMUNITY. THAT IS
VERY HIGH. SO I KNOW, YOU KNOW,
OMICRON WAS FIRST DISCOVERED IN
SOUTH AFRICA, BUT WHEN IT
PEAKED, THEIR CASES SEEM TO
REALLY FALL OFF AFTER THAT.
WERE YOU EXPECTING SOMETHING
SIMILAR HERE?
>> SO I’M REALLY HOPING THAT
I’M GOING TO SEE THE SAME THING
THAT THAT THE PEAK IS NOT GOING
TO LAST VERY LONG. IT WILL DROP
OFF QUICKLY. ONE THING TO NOTE
ABOUT THE POSITIVITY RATE IS
YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE
DENOMINATOR. I JUST LOOKED AT
THE THE NUMBER OF TESTS WHAT
WE’VE GOT, THAT 27% SO AND
DECEMBER. WE’RE TESTING BETWEEN
50 60,000 A WEEK THAT 27% IS
BASED ON LESS THAN 30,000
TESTS. SO THAT’S GOING TO SHOOT
A LITTLE BIT. BUT WE STILL HAVE
OVER 1000 THAT WE SHOULD WORK
WITH TESTING POSITIVE. SO THAT
IS THAT IS VERY CONCERNING.
BUT AGAIN, BECAUSE WE CA FAIRLY
GOOD RATE OF VACCINATION.
WE STILL NEED TO WORRY ABOUT
IT, BUT IT’S NOT TOO AND
BECAUSE IT’S FAIRLY MILD, I
SUSPECT THAT WE’RE GOING TO
SEE A LOT OF CASES IN THE NEXT
COUPLE WEEKS AND THEN IT
DROPPED DOWN, GET FLEECED,
HOPING WHEN WE SEE THE SURGEON
GOING BRING BACK ONE TERM THAT
I KNOW EPIDEMIOLOGIST HATE AND
THAT IS A
HERD IMMUNITY.
>> WE STOP TALKING ABOUT FOR
THE LAST FOR THE LAST FEW
MONTHS. BUT I’M WONDERING HOW
THAT WOULD APPLY TO THE OMICRON
VARIANT. IF YOU DO HAVE A LOT
OF PEOPLE WHO ARE TESTING
POSITIVE IN DO COME DOWN WITH
THE OMICRON VARIANT.
>> SO LET ME TELL YOU, WE LOVE
HERD IMMUNITY. WHAT IS ACTUAL
HERD IMMUNITY? AND THAT REALLY
IS VACCINE INDUCED OF HERD
IMMUNITY, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU
HAVE VERY FEW PEOPLE IN THE
POPULATION MORE SUSCEPTIBLE.
AND SO WITH THE OMICRON WE’RE
SEEING THAT THERE’S HIGH RATE
OF PEOPLE THAT ARE SUSCEPTIBLE
AND BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE THE
2 DOSES OF VACCINE AND THAT
IT’S JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR
THAT. THAT VARIANCE. BUT
GETTING THAT 3RD DOSE OF
VACCINE CAN REALLY MAKE A
DIFFERENCE. AND THEN WE CAN
ACTUALLY SEE HERD IMMUNITY,
WHICH MEANS THAT WE’LL HAVE
VERY FEW PEOPLE IN THE
POPULATION WAS SUSCEPTIBLE,
WHICH MEANS OUR CASES WILL GO
DOWN. YOU KNOW, I’VE HEARD
PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT WHERE WE
ARE RIGHT NOW SAYING, WELL,
THIS IS LESS SEVERE THAN DELTA.
>> HOPEFULLY THE NEXT VARIANT
AFTER OMICRON WILL BE LESS
SEVERE WILL JUST THE THREAT
LEVEL WILL GO DOWN AND DOWN AND
DOWN IS IS THAT SAFE AND
THINKING THAT THIS IS HOW
VIRUSES WORK?
>> THAT’S NOT HOW THE VIRUS TO
MARCH. YOU KNOW, RANDOMLY IT’S
BECAUSE THERE’S MUTATIONS EVERY
TIME IT MAKES A COPY INVESTMENT
HAITIANS BEING THAT THING AND
THEY DON’T CHANGE THE VIRUS
OCCASIONALLY GET A MUTATION
THAT IS EFFECTIVE FOR THE
VIRUS, GIVES IT AN ADVANTAGE
AND IT SURVIVES IN THE
POPULATION AND THAT WHETHER OR
NOT THAT’S GOING TO BE DEADLY
OR NOT, WE DON’T KNOW BECAUSE
IT’S VERY RARE AND NOW THEY’VE
LESS SEVERE OF A VIRUS IS IN
TERMS OF THE LIST BECAUSE IT’S
MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT THAT
VIRUS IS GOING TO SURVIVE.
IT BECOMES DEADLY OR UNSAFE,
KILLS PEOPLE MUCH FASTER AND
MAKES THEM VERY SICK. VERY
QUICKLY. THE FOLKS ARE GOING TO
BE TRANSMITTING THEY’RE GOING
TO GO IN THE HOSPITAL RIGHT
AWAY. THEY’RE LESS LIKELY TO BE
OUT AND ABOUT THERE NOT TO BE
THE BEST. YOU START WHEREAS IF
YOU HAVE A VERY MILD VARIANT
AND YOU’RE MORE LIKELY TO
CONTINUE ON ABOUT YOUR DAILY
LIFE AND THEN YOU’RE MORE
LIKELY TO TRANSMIT IT. BUT THAT
MEANS IT’S LESS SEVERE. BY
ADMISSION IS SUCH THAT WE CAN
SAY IT’S GOING TO DECREASE IN
SEVERITY OVER TIME. IT’S JUST
IT’S SIMPLY NOT HOW VIRAL
EVOLUTION WORKS. ALL RIGHT.
SHERRY SWORE I WOULD AGREE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US TODAY AND GIVING US THE
LATEST INFORMATION THAT, YOU
KNOW
>> ABOUT THE OMICRON VARIANT,
SOMETHING THAT WE’RE ALL
CONCERNED ABOUT. THANK YOU.