SOUTH FLORIDA. >> GOOD MORNING, GLAD YOU COULD JOIN US, I’M MICHAEL PUTNEY.
>> I’M GLENNA MILLBURG, THE
PREDICTIONS OF A COVID SURGE
SEEM TO BE COMING TO FREUICIAN,
FLORIDA’S POSITIVE ITERATE IS
BACK TO ALMOST 10% TH WEEKEND.
>> FRONT LINE HEALTH CARE
PROFESSIONALS ARE UNDER THE GUN
AGAIN.
HOSPITALS HERE SEEING A SHARP
RISE IN NEW PATIENTS, POSITIVE
ITERATES ARE UP AS GLENNA SAID
AND MANY OF US ARE HAVING TO
RETHINK FAMILY PLANS FOR
THANKSGIVING.
I THINK WE ALL NEED TO SEE THE
DOCTOR ABOUT THIS.
AND WE’VE GOT THE RIGHT ONE FOR
YOU, DR. EILEEN MARTY, SHE IS AN
INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT
THE FIU MEDICAL SCHOOL, HAS BEEN
ON THE FOREFRONT OF THIS FIGHT
AGAINST CORONAVIRUS FROM THE
GET-GO.
AND SHE IS BACK WITH US AGAIN
TODAY.
GOOD MORNING DR. MARTY, GREAT TO
SEE YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> GREAT TO SEE YOU GLENNA,
MICHAEL.
>> THANK YOU.
DOCTOR, WE’RE SEEING THESE
NUMBERS GO UP.
WE JUST CITED A FEW OF THEM.
IS THIS THE KIND OF DREADED
SECOND SURGE THAT YOU AND OTHERS
HAD WARNED US ABOUT?
>> WELL, WE NEVER GOT ALL THE
WAY DOWN TO THE BOTTOM BUT
ABSOLUTELY.
WE’RE IN A VERY SERIOUS UPWARD
CLIMB IN THE NATION AND IN OUR
STATE IN THE NATION WE HAVE
THREE AND A HALF TIMES MORE
CASES PER DAY THAN THE NEXT
HIGHEST COUNTRY.
WE HAVE THE HIGHEST PER CAPITA
DEATH-- EXCUSE ME HIGHEST PER
CAPITA CASE RATE IN THE WORLD.
WE ARE NOT DOING WELL.
AND WE SHOULD BE DOING A LOT
BETTER BECAUSE WE DO HAVE THE
EXPERTISE AND THE PERSONNEL TO
DO BETTER.
>> DR. MARTY, LET’S BRING IT
DOWN LOCAL, WE’RE WATCHING THE
NATIONAL HEADLINES, TO YOUR
POINT, LEGALLY I’M WATCHING THE
DASH BOARD BECAUSE USUALLY THE
DAILY NUMBERS ARE OUT AT ABOUT
11:30 OR SO.
BUT THIS WEEKEND AT ALMOST 10
PERCENT POSITIVE ITERATE IN THE
STATE OF THOR DARKS I’M NOT SURE
IF YOU CAN SEE THE PICTURE WE’RE
PUTTING UP FROM THAT DASH BOARD,
MIAMI DADE, BROWARD, PALM BEACH
COUNTY IS IN DEEP DEEP BLUE,
HIGH CASE TERRITORY.
YOU CAN’T REALLY SEE MONROE
COUNTY BUT THE NORTHERN AND
SOUTHERN PART OF THE KEYS AS
WELL.
LACKS LAKE ALL THE METRO AREAS
OF FLORIDA, DUVALL, HIS BORO, I
BELIEVE ORANGE COUNTY IN THE
MIDDLE.
IF GOVERNOR DESANTIS IN LATE
SEPTEMBER LIFTED RESTRICTIONS
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVICE NOW AS
WE BALANCE OF COURSE THE
ECONOMIC FALLOUT OF WHAT
CLOSURES WOULD DO.
WHAT WOULD BE WITH WHAT ARE YOU
SEEING, YOUR VUS TO THE STATE OF
FOR DA?
>> I THINK THE STATE OF FLORIDA
NEEDS TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THE
NUMBERS AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF
NOT HAVING THE PROPER ATTITUDE
TOWARDS IMALTING THIS
PARTICULAR-- COMBATING THIS
PARTICULAR HORRIFIC VIRUS.
I THINK THE STATE OF FOR DA
NEEDS TO BE ACUTELY AWARE, NOT
JUST OF THE PERCENT OF PEOPLE
WHO DIE, AND BY THE WAY, YOU
WANT TO TALK LOCALLY, MIAMI DADE
HAS THE SEVENTH HIGHEST NUMBERS
OF DEATHS IN ALL COUNTIES IN THE
UNITED STATES.
AND WE’RE THE THIRD HIGHEST
COUNTY FOR CASES.
SO THIS IS EXTREMELY SERIOUS IN
FLORIDA.
AND WE HAVE TO ENACT THOSE
PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES AND HAVE
THE PROPER ATTITUDE TOWARDS THIS
DISEASE THAT WILL BRING OUR
NUMBERS BACK DOWN BEFORE WE GET
INTO AN OVERCROWDED SITUATION IN
OUR HOSPITALS, AND MIND YOU, OUR
HOSPITAL RATES HAVE BEEN GOING
UP.
OUR ADMISSIONS HAVE BEEN GOING
UP.
WE ARE ABSOLUTELY GOING IN THE
WRONG DIRECTION RIGHT NOW.
>> LET ME JUST UNDERSCORE WHAT
YOU JUST SAID DR. MARTY.
3700, A FEW MORE THAN 3700
PEOPLE IN MIAMI DADE COUNTY HAVE
DIED FROM CORONAVIRUS FROM
COVID-19 AND MORE THAN 200,000
HAVE BEEN INFECTED.
YOU MEAN THESE ARE REALLY
STAGGERING NUMBERS AND I GUESS
THE QUESTION I WOULD ASK IS WITH
THESE NEW, THE NEW INCREASE IS
THIS DUE TO RECKLESSNESS, PEOPLE
NOT OBSERVING SOCIAL DISTANCING,
PEOPLE REFUSING TO WEAR MASKS?
WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THESE NUMBERS?
>> THERE IS A NUMBER OF THINGS
THAT ACCOUNT FOR THAT.
THERE IS VERY INTERESTING
STUDIES DEMONSTRATING ONCE AGAIN
WHAT WE HAD SUSPECTED WHICH IS
PROBLEMS WITH FAMILY GATHERINGS
AS WELL AS PROBLEMS WITH INDOOR
DINING AS A HUGE CONTRIBUTOR.
BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, IT
BOILS DOWN TO PEOPLE NOT
ADHERING TO THE BASIC PUBLIC
HEALTH REQUESTS AND A FALSE
SENSE OF SECURITY THAT A NUMBER
OF VERY SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF
OUR POPULATION HAS REGARDING
TESTING.
A FALSE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW
TESTING WORKS.
AND WHEN CERTAIN TEST RESULTS,
THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, A LOT OF
CONFUSION.
>> LET ME INTERRUPT YOU TO SAY
WHAT IS THIS MISCONCEPTION THAT
PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT TESTING THAT
IF YOU COME BACK NEGATIVE, THEN
THEY NEVER HAVE TO BE TESTED
AGAIN.
OR WHAT IS THE MISCONCEPTION YOU
ARE REFERRING TO.
>> THERE IS A WHOLE SERIES OF
MISCONCEPTIONS.
THERE ARE MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT
WHAT A BLOOD TEST MEANS.
THERE ARE MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT
TIMING OF THE TESTINGS.
THERE ARE MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT
ANTI-AGAIN TEST ANTIGEN TESTS
VERSUS MOLECULAR, THEIR TESTING.
THERE ARE SO MANY
MISCONCEPTIONS.
IT TALLLY BLOWS MY MIND.
>> SO WHEN WE LOOK AT A POSITIVE
ITERATE PER DAY, BECAUSE THAT IS
HOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
REPORTING THESE THINGS, IS THAT
A TRUE MEASURE, DOES THAT REALLY
GIVE PEOPLE AN UNDERSTANDING OF
WHERE COVID IS IN THE COMMUNITY?
BECAUSE A DAY, SOMETHING IS
REPORTED PER DAY, THOSE PEOPLE
TESTING POSITIVE COULD HAVE BEEN
INFECTED THREE DAYS, SEVEN DAYS,
TEN DAYS AGO.
HOW DO WE AS THE PUBLIC GET A
HANDLE ON THE TRUE PICTURE OF
WHERE COVID IS IN THE COMMUNITY?
>> SO PROBABLY THE EASIEST READY
LOOK IS TO LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
OF PEOPLE PRESENTING WITH COVID
TYPE SYMPTOMS TO CLINICAL CARE.
THAT REALLY GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN TERMS OF
THE VIRAL BURDEN IN OUR
COMMUNITY.
THEAS NUMBERS PER DAY VARY FOR
ALL, A HOST OF REASONS THAT ARE
VERY INDIRECT.
SOMETIMES THERE’S BEEN NO
TESTING BECAUSE WE WERE WORRIED
ABOUT A HURRICANE OR THERE WAS A
HOLIDAY, THEAS SORTS OF THINGS
ALTER THE PERCENT POSITIVITY AND
GIVE US FALSE SENSES OF
SECURITY.
THE BOTTOMLINE IS WE HAVE TO BE
VERY VIGILANT WITH THIS VIRUS.
AS YOU NOTED WE’RE NEAR 10
PERCENT AGAIN, AND WE’VE BEEN IN
THE UPPER NINE PERCENTS FOR A
COUPLE OF DAYS NOW WHICH IS
AGAIN TRENDING VERY, VERY POORLY
FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND IT IS JUST VERY IMPORTANT
THAT WE ALL GET A GRIP AS TO
WHAT IS GOING ON BECAUSE IT
ISN’T JUST ABOUT PEOPLE DYING
FROM THIS, WHICH IS HORRIFIC IN
AND OF ITSELF, IT’S ALSO WHAT
THE IMPACT IS ON OUR HOSPITAL
SYSTEMS, OF HAVING THESE VERY
CHALLENGING INDIVIDUALS TO
TREAT, HOW THAT IMPACTS ON OTHER
HEALTH CARE AND MORE OVER, THE
LONG HAULERS.
WE’VE SEEN SO MANY ISSUES WITH
PEOPLE WITHOUT DIDN’T EVEN HAVE
TO BE HOSPITALIZED THAT ARE
SUFFERING SIGNIFICANT
CONSEQUENCES FROM COVID-19 AND
EVEN MORE SO AMONG PEOPLE WITH
WHO WERE HOSPITALIZED.
SO THIS DISEASE GOES WAY BEYOND
WHAT HAS BEEN COVERED ABOUT IT.
>> YEAH.
DR. MARTY, LET ME NOT MAKE THIS
TOO PERSONAL.
OUR FAMILY WAS PLANNING TO HAVE
KIDS FLAI IN FROM L.A. AND NEW
YORK AND I’M SURE THAT THERE ARE
ALL KINDS OF FAMILIES WHO ARE
LISTENING AND WATCHING THIS
CONVERSATION WHO ALSO HAVE BIG
THANKSGIVING PLANS WHETHER
FAMILY WAS COMING FROM OUT OF
STATE OR JUST COMING LOCALLY.
AND WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVICE TO
ANY KIND OF A FAMILY GATHERING
FOR THANKSGIVING.
>> FAMILY GATHERINGS RIGHT NOW
ARE RISKY BUSINESS THROUGHOUT
THE COUNTRY.
BUT LAKE ALL THESE SORTS OF
THINGS YOU HAVE TO ESSENTIALLY
DO A RISK ASSESSMENT FOR YOUR
PARTICULAR FAMILY.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD BE COMING
FROM DIFFERENT HOUSEHOLDS.
WHERE ARE THEY COMING FROM.
WHAT IS THE RATE OF POSITIVITY
WHERE THEY ARE COMING FROM, HAVE
ALL OF THE INDIVIDUALS BEEN IN
SOME KIND OF PERSONAL QUARANTINE
IN ORDER TO ALLOW FOR THE
THANKSGIVING MEAL TOGETHER.
AND THEN IF YOU DO HAVE MORE
THAN ONE HOUSEHOLD AT A
THANKSGIVING EAL, CONSIDER
DOING APPROPRIATE TESTING BEFORE
HAVING THE MEAL AND ALSO PLACE
PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT HOUSEHOLDS
IN DURCH TABLES.
AND INSIST ON THE USE OF MASKS
WHEN YOU’RE NOT SITED AT YOUR
PARTICULAR TABLE CONSUMING THE
FOOD.
AND ALSO DON’T HAVE PEOPLE FROM
DIFFERENT HOUSEHOLDS GOING TO
SERVE THEMSELVES AT THE SAME
TIME.
>> THE RULES OF THANKSGIVING
2020, WOW.
DR. EILEEN MARTY, ALWAYS GREAT
TO HAVE YOU WITH US, THANKSES
FOR THE GREAT INFORMATION.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR. MARTY,