CURVE
CURVE OF
CURVE OF COVID-19? WE CHECK IN WITH ST LUKE'S CHIEF MEDICAL
OFFICER.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM
YOU... WHETHER IT'S A
QUESTION, A COMMENT
ABOUT TODAY'S SHOW,
OR MAYBE JUST A PICTURE
OF YOUR DOG...ACTUALLY
PLEASE DONT TEXT US A
PICTURE OF YOUR DOG
BUT JUST LET US KNOW
YOUR THOUGHTS.
321-5614.
MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE
YOUR NAME.
WE'LL READ SOME OF
YOUR RESPONSES AT THE
END OF THE SHOW.
WITH NINE DAYS LEFT IN
A FIVE WEEK STAY AT
HOME ORDER...WE
WANTED TO SEE
MEDICALLY, WHERE WE
STAND IN HOW WE'VE
HANDLED THIS VIRUS
CRISIS
THE STATE'S COVID-19
WEBSITE REPORTS WE'VE
TESTED ABOUT 17-
THOUSAND, FIVE
HUNDRED IDAHOANS FOR
CORONAVIRUS.
ABOUT 10-PERCENT HAVE
COME BACK POSITIVE.
THAT
THAT ACTUAL INFECTIOUS RATE IN IDAHO...IS LIKELY A LOT HIGHER BECAUSE OF
ASYMPTOMATIC PEOPLE
NOT GETTING TESTED.
SO DOCTOR JAMES
SOUZA DIDN'T EXACTLY
GO OUT ON A LIMB WHEN
HE TOLD US TODAY WE'RE
NOT TESTING ENOUGH
FOR COVID-19.
DR. SOUZA IS A
PULMONARY DISEASE
SPECIALIST WITH A
DEGREE IN CELL
BIOLOGY...AND HE'S THE
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER
FOR ST LUKE'S HEALTH
SYSTEMS.
THEY SERVE 20
COMMUNITIES FROM
BAKER CITY TO
BURLEY...INCLUDING
BLAINE COUNTY...WHERE
FOR A BRIEF MOMENT
WAS ONE OF THE
HOTTEST SPOTS FOR
CORONAVIRUS IN THE
COUNTRY.
RIGHT NOW THEY ARE
KEEPING TRACK OF
PATIENTS, CONFIRMED
CASES, ICU AND
VENTILATOR NEEDS, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, AND
STAFFING.
HERE'S HOW DOCTOR
SOUZA SAYS ST LUKE'S
AND THE STATE ARE
DOING.
"INSIDE OUR HEALTH
SYSTEM
SYSTEM WE
SYSTEM WE ARE SEEING OUR INPATIENT NUMBERS GO DOWN, TWO TO THREE
WEEKS AGO WE WERE
SEEING 90-100 PATIENTS
ON ANY GIVEN
DAY...THAT'S NOW DOWN IN THE HIGH 20S AND LOW 30S...WE'RE STILL
DIAGNOSING CASES BUT
THE RATE AT WHICH WE
ARE DIAGNOSING CASES IS
GOING DOWN."
"IN THE SAME WAY WE
ARE ALSO SEEING THE
NUMBER OF PATIENTS
WITH COVID IN AN
INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
ALSO COMING DOWN.
TODAY I THINK WE HAD 7
OR 8 ICU PATIENTS
ACROSS OUR HEALTH
SYSTEM WITH A COVID
DIAGNOSIS...TWO OR THREE WEEKS AGO WHERE WE HAD 22,23."
"HAVE YOU HEARD
ANYTHING OUT THERE,
SEEN ANYTHING ON TV
THAT IS JUST COMPLETELY
INACCURATE?"
"FIRST OF ALL RELATIVE
TO PATIENT SAFETY, HIGH
DOSING
DOSING ON
DOSING ON HYDROXYCHLORAQUINE OR USING A BLEACH
GARGLES...THERE'S JUST A
LOT OF BAD INFO THAT'S
NOT SAFE."
"I'VE ALSO HEARD THAT
THIS IS JUST LIKE THE FLU,
THAT'S JUST WRONG THIS
IS 50 TIMES MORE LETHAL
THAN THE FLU, THAT'S
JUST WRONG."
"I'VE HEARD THAT THE
REASON WE'RE IN GOOD
SHAPE
SHAPE HERE IN IDAHO IS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE
TO
TO TAKE
TO TAKE THE STEPS THAT THE GOVERNOR TOOK, THAT'S WRONG WE WERE
STARTING TO MANAGE AN
ACTUAL SPIKE IN TWIN
FALLS. THERE WAS AN
OUTBREAK IN BLAINE
COUNTY
COUNTY AND A MAJORITY OF THOSE FOLKS WENT TO TWIN FALLS AND OVER A
PERIOD OF 5-7 DAYS WE
SAW OUT INTENSIVE CARE
BASICALLY AT CAPACITY."
"THE REASON WE'RE
DOING OK NOW IS
BECAUSE OF THE ACTION
THAT WAS TAKEN AND
WHILE IT WAS KIND OF A
BLUNT INSTRUMENT, IT
WORKED AND
FORTUNATELY IT'S GIVEN
US THE TIME TO PLAN
AND COME UP WITH A
WAY TO REOPEN THAT'S
GOING TO BE ARMED
WITH INTELLIGENCE."
"YOU MENTIONED HERD
IMMUNITY, IS THAT THE
ULTIMATE GOAL HERE?"
"YES I THINK IT WOULD BE
WHETHER ACQUIRED
NATURALLY BECAUSE IT
CONTINUES TO SPREAD
OR IDEALLY WE ARE ABLE
TO CONTROL IT LONG
ENOUGH TO GET AN
EFFECTIVE VACCINE TO
ARTIFICIALLY CREATE THAT
HERD IMMUNITY
THROUGH VACCINATION
PROGRAM."
PROGRAM."
"HOW
"HOW QUICKLY CAN THAT HAPPEN?" "WELL IN TERMS OF A
VACCINE IT'S NOT UNTIL
2021 WHICH MEANS FOR
THE NEXT YEAR WE NEED
TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO
LIVE WITH COVID 19 BEING
IN OUR COMMUNITIES."
"AND WE CAN IT'S JUST A
VIRUS, WE'VE GOT KNOW
HOW THAT WE CAN APPLY
TO MANAGING THIS
VIRUS."
VIRUS."
JUST
JUST LIKE
JUST LIKE ANY OTHER VIRUS...DOCTOR SOUZA SAYS THERE ISN'T A
HEALTHCARE WORKER
THAT BELIEVES
FLATTENING THE CURVE
WILL BRING COVID CASES
DOWN TO ZERO.
IT'S ABOUT MONITORING
IT, RESPONDING TO FLARE
UPS AND TAMPING THEM
DOWN UNTIL WE GET A
VACCINE AND GET THAT
HERD IMMUNITY.
AND THAY MAY MEAN
LOCKING DOWN AN AREA
THAT SEES ANOTHER
ABUNDANCE OF CASES.
BUT THAT COULD GO ON
WELL