>>> AS VACCINATIONS START TO
ROLL OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, YOU
PROBABLY HAVE A LOT OF
QUESTIONS, SO TODAY WE’RE HAPPY
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE SOME ANSWERS
ON THAT, AND ALSO SOME
ENCOURAGING NEWS ON BRAIN
HEALTH
>> WE HAVE JUST THE PERSON
NBC’S MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR
NATALIE AZAR WHO JUST GOT HER
SECOND SHOT OF THE VACCINE
YESTERDAY.
HI, NATALIE!
>> FIRST OF ALL, WE’RE HAPPY YOU
GOT BOTH DOSES
I WAS JUST THINKING MOST PEOPLE
RIGHT NOW ARE DESPERATE.
THEY ARE LITERALLY GETTING ON
WEBSITES, CALLING THEIR DOCTORS,
GOING TO URGENT CARES TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT HOW THEY CAN GET A
VACCINE, AND I’M TALKING ABOUT
PEOPLE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TODAY.
I DON’T KNOW IF THIS IS YOUR
LANE OF EXPERTISE, BUT HOW CAN
PEOPLE FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY
SHOULD DO?
>> SO THIS WON’T SURPRISE YOU AT
ALL FOR ME TO TELL YOU THAT
THERE IS DEFINITELY NOT A
UNIVERSAL ANSWER TO THIS
QUESTION, BECAUSE PRIMARILY WE
HAVE 50 STATES WHO ARE ALL DOING
IT 50 DIFFERENT WAYS AND, AND EV
BEYOND THAT, MANY STATES HAVE
DECENTRALIZED THIS CONTROL TO
THE LOCAL LEVEL.
SO DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE
AND WHERE YOU FALL ON THE
PRIORITY LIST WILL LARGELY
DETERMINE WHEN AND WHERE YOU CAN
GET YOUR VACCINE
BUT THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT,
THERE’S SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION
ISSUES
WHAT I’VE BEEN TELLING MY
PATIENTS IS THIS
DEFINITELY REACH OUT TO YOUR
STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
WEBSITE, BECAUSE THAT IS AT
LEAST WHERE YOU COULD FIND OUT
WHERE A CONVENTION CENTER MIGHT
BE OPEN FOR YOU OR CAMPUSES THAT
ARE BEING CONVERTED TO
ADMINISTRATION SITES
IT JUST KIND OF GIVES YOU A BIG
PICTURE OF WHERE YOU MIGHT BE
ABLE TO GO
IF YOU’RE A TEACHER, CONTACT
YOUR TEACHERS UNION, YOU CAN
CERTAINLY REACH OUT TO YOUR
EMPLOYER
WHEN IT COMES TO BEING A
PATIENT, I THINK THERE IS ALSO A
DIFFERENCE IF YOU’RE A PATIENT
OF A DOCTOR WHO IS ASSOCIATED OR
AFFILIATED WITH A LARGE
HOSPITAL, OR IF YOUR DOCTOR IS
IN A SMALL, RURAL COMMUNITY.
CERTAINLY YOU CAN REACH OUT TO
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER AS A
FIRST PASS, BECAUSE IT’S LIKELY
WE HAVE SOME INFORMATION, THOUGH
MAYBE NOT ALL THE INFORMATION
THAT YOU WANT RIGHT NOW BECAUSE
WE DON’T EVEN KNOW
>> SO, DR. NATALIE, FOR HODA AND
I, WHEN DO YOU THINK WE WILL GET
OUR VACCINATIONS
WHEN DO YOU THINK THE MAJORITY
OF THE COUNTRY WILL BE
VACCINATED
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I WOULD LOVE
TO GIVE YOU SORT OF A BALLPARK,
AND I’M GOING TO KIND OF USE DR.
FAUCI’S ESTIMATES AS MINE.
YOU KNOW, HE’S THINKING THAT BY
APRIL, YOU KNOW, THE VACCINE --
A VACCINE SHOULD BE AVAILABLE
FOR ANYONE IN THE COUNTRY WHO
WANTS ONE.
THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT
AMBITIOUS GIVEN HOW WE’RE
HEARING ABOUT ONE HICCUP AFTER
ANOTHER IN TERMS OF THE ROLLOUT.
BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW,
OPTIMISTICALLY, SPRING/SUMMER IS
WHEN THE GENERAL POPULATION WILL
START TO BE ABLE TO GET
VACCINATED IF YOU AREN’T ALREADY
IN ONE OF THOSE HIGHER PRIORITY
GROUPS
>> YEAH.
LET’S GO ON TO ANOTHER HEADLINE
BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS
IMPORTANT, TOO
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT BRAIN HEALTH
AND HOW IT’S CONNECTED TO EXERCISE
I’VE HEARD PEOPLE IN THE ALWAYS
ALZHEIMER SPACE TALKING ABOUT
WHAT’S GOOD FOR YOUR BODY IS
ALSO GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN
>> YEAH.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS STUDY IS
IT LOOKED AT INDIVIDUALS IN
THEIR MIDDLE AGE
THE AVERAGE STARTING AGE OF
PARTICIPANTS WAS 53, AND THEY
FOLLOWED THEM FOR 25 YEARS
WHAT THEY DID AT THE END OF THE
25 YEARS IS THAT THEY PERFORMED
BRAIN SCANS ON THEM TO LOOK AT
AREAS OF BRAIN DAMAGE OR CHANGES
THAT COULD BE CORRELATED WITH
YOUR COGNITIVE HEALTH.
WHAT THEY FOUND IS THAT PEOPLE
WHO ENGAGED IN REGULAR MODERATE
TO VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY,
AT LEAST AN HOUR AND 15 MINUTES
TO TWO HOURS PER WEEK, WERE LESS
LIKELY TO SHOW THOSE CHANGES ON
A BRAIN SCAN
SO WHAT’S THE DEFINITION OF
MODERATE EXERCISE?
IT’S EXERCISE YOU CAN ENGAGE IN
BUT STILL MAINTAIN A
CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE, SO A
BRISK WALK OR A BIKE RIDE.
VIGOROUS ACTIVITY, ON THE OTHER
HAND, IS WHEN YOU’RE WORKING SO
HARD THAT YOU CAN’T SUSTAIN A
CONVERSATION
TO ME THE TAKE-HOME IS EVEN IF
YOU’RE 60 YEARS OLD OR 58 YEARS
OLD OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, GET
UP AND START MOVING.
IT’S NOT TOO LATE.
IT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR
BRAIN HEALTH
>> THAT’S GOOD ADVICE.
FINALLY, DR. AZAR, THERE IS ONE
STUDY THAT FOUND A SHARP
DECREASE IN CANCER SCREENINGS
AND DIAGNOSIS IN THE FIRST PEAK
OF THE COVID-19 WHICH IS NO
SURPRISE, BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE
AFRAID OF GOING TO THE DOCTOR.
SO WHAT ARE THOSE IMPLICATIONS
>> NOT ONLY WERE PEOPLE AFRAID
TO GO TO THE DOCTOR, MANY PEOPLE
LOST THEIR JOBS AND DIDN’T HAVE
INSURANCE.
THERE IS NUMEROUS REASONS WHY
THIS HAPPENED.
SO RESEARCHERS AT DANA FARBER
ANALYZED HOW MANY PEOPLE WENT
FOR CANCER SCREENINGS DURING THE
MONTHS OF MARCH AND JUNE
THEY FOUND THAT ABOUT 25% OF
PEOPLE WENT FOR THEIR SCREENINGS
AS OPPOSED TO THE SAME TIME A
YEAR BEFORE, AND THEY CALCULATED
THAT CLOSE TO 2,000 DIAGNOSES OF
CANCER OR PRE-CANCER WERE
PROBABLY MISSED BECAUSE PEOPLE
DIDN’T GO.
AND, OF COURSE, I DON’T NEED TO
STATE THE OBVIOUS, THAT THE
EARLIER YOUR CANCER IS
DIAGNOSED, THE BETTER OFF YOU
ARE.
SO, YOU KNOW, I’VE HAD PEOPLE
REACH OUT, PATIENTS AND PEOPLE
ON INSTAGRAM HAVE REACHED OUT
AND SAID I’M SCHEDULED FOR AN
MRI NEXT WEEK AND I’M IN A HIGH
AREA OF TRANSMISSION, WHAT
SHOULD I DO?
MY ANSWER IS ALWAYS THIS
IF IT’S SOMETHING THAT HAS TO DO
WITH, IF IT’S A BREAST MRI FOR
SCREENING OR SOME SORT OF
PREVENTION LIKE THAT OR CANCER
SCREENING, YOU DO EVERYTHING YOU
CAN TO KEEP THAT APPOINTMENT
IF IT’S SOMETHING LIKE MY KNEE
HAS BEEN HURTING, THAT KIND OF
THING CAN WAIT
BUT DON’T PUT OFF CANCER
SCREENING, TO TO THE BEST OF YOU
ABILITY TO DO SO
IT REALLY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE