>>BRUCE HAMILTON: WE KNOW THE DELTA VARIANT OF COVID CONTINUES TO SURGE, WE KNOW
THAT YOUNGER PEOPLE ARE AT RISK
HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE GROWING
AND DALLAS AND
SO BAD. THE ICUS ARE FULL IF A
CHILD’S IN A TRAGIC ACCIDENT.
THEY HAVE TO BE TRANSPORTED BY
HELICOPTER TO OTHER CITIES CAN
THINGS GET THAT BAD HERE.
JOINING ME ON THE MORNING SHOW
EPIDEMIOLOGIST DOCTOR JONATHAN
KANTOR WITH THE PENN CENTER FOR
EPIDEMIOLOGY SO SCHOOLS BACK IN
SESSION, THE DELTA VARIANT IS
UNRELENTING IS THIS THE MOST
DANGEROUS TIME IN THE PANDEMIC
FOR OUR KIDS.
>> I THINK IT’S DEFINITELY ONE OF YOU KNOW, IT’S VERY DIFFICULT TO GAUGE WHETHER NOW
WITH THE
DELTA VARIANT. IT’S A SCARY
THING THEN RIGHT EARLY ON WHEN
WE HAD JUST PLAIN VARIETY COVID
BECAUSE THEN WE HAD NO
VACCINES AVAILABLE. SO WHEN WE
LOOK AT THE COMMUNITY AS A
WHOLE OF COURSE WHEN A BETTER
POSITION NOW BECAUSE WE’VE GOT
VACCINES. THE PROBLEM IS THE
DEPLOYMENT OF THOSE VACCINES
HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN AS BROAD AS
WE WOULD LIKE PARTICULARLY IN
FLORIDA AND OTHER STATES.
SO THE QUESTION IS GOING TO BE
HOW WELL
IS THAT VACCINE DEPLOYMENT IN
OLDER ADULTS AND YOUNGER ADULTS
AS WELL GOING TO HELP PROTECT
OUR KIDS CERTAINLY WITH THE
ABILITY OF THE NEW DELTA
VARIANT TO SPREAD MUCH MORE
AGGRESSIVELY IT DEFINITELY
RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT OUR KIDS
ABOUT HOW WELL THEY CAN DO IN
SCHOOL AND HOW SAFE WE CAN KEEP
THEM.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: MEDICAL
EXPERTS HAVE SHARED THE BEST
PRACTICES TO KEEP OUR KIDS
SAFE. BUT SWATHS OF KIDS REMAIN
UNMASKED UNVACCINATED A GOOD
SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION
WONDERS ARE WE FAILING OUR KIDS
ARE WE.
>> YEAH, YOU KNOW IT IS A CHALLENGE AND IT’S A DIFFICULT DIFFICULT SITUATION. I MEAN YOU
COULD CERTAINLY ARGUE THAT THE
ROLLOUT OF A VACCINE FOR
CHILDREN HAS BEEN SLOWER THAN
WE WOULD LIKE THAT SAID
UNFORTUNATELY THAT HAS TO GO
THROUGH THE SAFETY STEPS THAT
ARE REQUIRED RIGHT KIDS ARE NOT
JUST SMALL ADULTS, WE CAN’T
SIMPLY SAY THE VACCINE WORKS IN
ADULTS, LET’S GO AHEAD AND HEAD
TO GET A SMALLER DOSE TO OUR
KIDS THAT’S NOT THE SAFE WAY TO
DO
IT SO DEFINITELY WANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT WHATEVER WE’RE GOING
TO GIVE OUR KIDS IS GOING TO
BE SAFE. THE OTHER THING TO
KEEP IN MIND IS THAT WE’VE GOT
TO BALANCE THAT RIGHT KIDS OVER
12 HAVE HAD ACCESS TO THE
PFIZER VACCINE. NOW FOR MONTHS
AND SO SOME OF THEM HAVE
RECEIVED THAT A LOT OF THEM
HAVE NOT BUT THOSE YOUNGER KIDS
THAT’S WHAT’S PARTICULARLY
CONCERNING WE’RE IN A REALLY
REALLY DIFFICULT POSITION.
WE REALLY NEED TO HELP TO RE
EMPHASIZE TO OUR KIDS
THAT YOU KNOW IT’S NOT FUN TO
WEAR A MASK, BUT AT THE SAME
TIME KIDS
ARE RESILIENT KIDS CAN GET USED
TO ANYTHING AND GETTING USED TO
WEARING A MASK IS A HECK OF A
LOT BETTER AND GETTING USED TO
DEALING WITH DOWNSTREAM EFFECT
OF GETTING LONG COVID OR EVEN
WORSE AND NOW NUMBER OF EXPERTS
ARE SAYING THE DELTA VARIANT.
>> MAY JUST BE THE BEGINNING
YOU GOT
THE EPSILON AND LAND A VARIANCE
THAT ARE LOOMING AND THERE’S
CONCERN THEY MAY
EVADE VACCINES AND THAT
INFORMATION COMES FROM A STUDY
THAT’S NOT PEER REVIEWED YET IS
THERE CAUSE FOR ADDITIONAL
CONCERN.
>> I THINK THERE’S DEFINITELY CAUSE FOR YOU KNOW ANTHONY FAUCI IS RAISE CONCERNS ABOUT
WHETHER OR NOT YOU’RE TALKING
ABOUT LAND ARE JUST ANY OTHER
FUTURE VARIANTS WHEN YOU HAVE
A VIRUS THAT IS SPREADING SO
AGGRESSIVELY THROUGH A
POPULATION YOU ALWAYS GET THESE
VARIANTS WHO ALWAYS GET THESE
MUTATIONS AND SOME OF THOSE
MUTATIONS MAY SELECTIVELY
ALLOWED THE VIRUS
TO BE MORE TRANSMISSIBLE AND OR
TO HAVE A VACCINE SO THERE’S
DEFINITELY CONCERN EARLY
CONCERT FROM SOUTH AMERICA WITH
LAMBDA SHOW THAT IT DID TAKE
OVER VERY AGGRESSIVELY THERE.
SO THE QUESTION IS GOING TO BE
HOW EFFECTIVE OUR VACCINES
GOING TO BE AGAINST THAT WHAT
WE DO KNOW RIGHT NOW IS THE
BEST THING WE CAN DO TO PROTECT
OURSELVES OUR FAMILIES AND OUR
COMMUNITIES IS TO GET OURSELVES
AND OUR FAMILIES VACCINATED
AND TO WEAR MASKS CERTAINLY
AWARE INDOORS FOLLOW CDC
GUIDELINES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
JUST TO BE SMART ABOUT THINGS.
BUT AGAIN WE DON’T KNOW WHAT
THE FUTURE’S GOING TO HOLD THIS
ANYTHING EVERYONE’S LIVE FROM
THE PANDEMIC IS THAT IT IS VERY
DIFFICULT TO PREDICT WHICH WAY
THINGS ARE GOING TO GO JUST A
COUPLE MONTHS AGO WE WERE ALL
VERY EXCITED. WE WERE NOT
WEARING MASKS WE’RE HAVING A
REALLY GREAT TIME AND NOW READY
LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE SO WE
DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO
HAPPEN NEXT. IT’S GOOD TO JUST
DO THE
RIGHT THING FOLLOW CDC
GUIDELINES AND DO WHATEVER YOU