MORNING RUSH, BUT NO MAJOR CONCERNS AT THIS TIME. AS YOU KEEP YOUR SON TOYOTA TIME
SAVER TRAFFIC.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: THANK YOU,
LEADER. THE NUMBER OF
COVID-19, INFECTIONS HERE IN
THE UNITED STATES INCREASED
47% LAST WEEK COMPARED TO THE
PREVIOUS WEEK DESPITE A PAUSE
IN TESTING DURING THE HOLIDAY.
THAT’S ACCORDING TO JOHNS
HOPKINS UNIVERSITY. 47%. THE
OMICRON VARIANT IS NOW
RESPONSIBLE FOR 73% OF ALL NEW
INFECTIONS. JOINING US NOW VIA
ZOOM IS DOCTOR SUNIL JOSHI.
HE’S THE PRESIDENT OF THE
DUVAL COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY
FOUNDATION. GOOD MORNING.
THANKS FOR BEING WITH US. GOOD
MORNING, DAN. I FEEL LIKE
THERE’S A LITTLE OVER LOAD UP
FOR SO MANY PEOPLE ABOUT THESE
DIFFERENT VARIANTS. WOULD YOU
EXPLAIN WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT
OMICRON RATE OF SPREAD, FOR
EXAMPLE, CHANCE OF SEVERITY
AMONG THOSE UNVACCINATED?
>> FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, I
THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW
WE TALK ABOUT HOW
TRANSMISSIBLE THIS PARTICULAR
VARIANT IS. IF YOU LOOK BACK
AT THE COVID-19 VIRUS THAT WE
HAVE COMING THROUGH, IF
SOMEBODY HAD THAT PERSON IS
LIKELY TO SPREAD ITS ABOUT 2
TO 3 DIFFERENT PEOPLE. BUT THE
DELTA SOMEONE COULD SPREAD.
IT’S ABOUT 7 DIFFERENT PEOPLE
WITH THE OMICRON VARIANT.
RIGHT NOW, THE DATA SUGGEST
THE LEAST OUT OF SOUTH AFRICA
AND THAT ONE PERSON CAN SPREAD
IT TO ABOUT 10 DIFFERENT
PEOPLE. SO IT DOES HAVE A
SIGNIFICANT TRANSMISSABILITY
IS THAT DOESN’T GO FROM ONE
PERSON TO THE NEXT RELATIVELY
QUICKLY COMPARED TO WHAT WE’VE
SEEN ORIGINALLY BUT IN. BUT
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT DOES NOT
APPEAR TO BE AS SEVERE AS THE
DELTA VARIANT WAS IN TERMS OF
CAUSING HOSPITALIZATIONS, A
MORE SEVERE ILLNESS. BUT
AGAIN, WE’VE GOT TO KEEP IN
MIND. A LOT OF THAT DATA IS
FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
AND MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE THE
CASE HERE. AND THE MORE AND
MORE PEOPLE WHO ARE INFECTED,
THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE TO SEE
AN UPTICK IN HOSPITALIZATIONS.
BUT BUT RIGHT NOW THAT THAT IS
ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT MORE
PROMISING.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WHAT ABOUT
THE CASES? BECAUSE WE ARE
HEARING THAT THERE HAVE BEEN A
NUMBER OF BREAKTHROUGH CASES.
>> YES, AND DEFINITELY THERE
CAN BE BREAKTHROUGH CASES WITH
THIS VARIANT JUST LIKE WITH
ANY OTHER VARIANT, WHETHER
YOU’RE VACCINATED OR HAVE A
NATURAL IMMUNITY TO KEEP IN
MIND, FOLKS WHO ARE VACCINATED
AND HAVE RECEIVED A BOOST ARE
SIGNIFICANTLY LESS LIKELY TO
REQUIRE HOSPITALIZATION, YOU
KNOW, OR HAVE SEVERE ILLNESS
THAT EVEN IF THEY DO OMICRON.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WOULD YOU
EXPLAIN WHO SHOULD RECEIVE
MONOCLONAL TREATMENT? AND
WHEN?
>> ON KIND OF A TREATMENT
AGAIN, I REMEMBER IT IS FOR
THOSE WHO HAVE TESTED POSITIVE
OVER THE AGE OF 12 WHO ARE
HAVING MILD TO MODERATE
SYMPTOMS MAY BE AT RISK OF
HAVING SEVERE DISEASE IN OTHER
RESPECTS, WHO MAY BE AT RISK
OF REQUIRING HOSPITALIZATION
WERE EVEN HIGHER RISK OF DYING
FROM THE FROM THE VIRUS. AND
REMEMBER HERE IN NORTHEAST
FLORIDA, YOU DO HAVE TO HAVE
PROOF OF A POSITIVE TEST
BEFORE YOU CAN RECEIVE THE
MONOCLONAL TREATMENTS. I MEAN,
I THINK I THINK IS WORTH
NOTING IS THAT THE OMICRON
VARIANT MAY NOT BE AS
SUSCEPTIBLE. SOME OF THEM WERE
COMMENT. MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES
THAT ARE OUT THERE. AND TO
JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND, TOO,
BECAUSE SOME OF THE MUTATIONS
THAT HAVE OCCURRED. BUT THE
COMIC CON VARIANT ARE NOT
NECESSARILY MATCHING WITH THE
ANYBODY TREATMENT. THERE ARE
SOME THERE’S ONE IN
PARTICULAR. THAT’S A LITTLE
BIT BETTER FOR THE OMICRON
VARIANT. AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE
TRYING TO GET HERE IN FLORIDA.
A CASE AND WE DON’T HAVE I
JUST WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR
ABOUT THIS SO THAT IF YOU IF
YOU TEST POSITIVE, YOU’RE ON
VACCINATING, YOU DON’T HAVE
ANY SYMPTOMS. DO YOU STILL
RECOMMEND MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY
TREATMENT ARE NOW.
>> IF YOU ASYMPTOMATIC AND HE
TESTED POSITIVE AND I AND
YOU’RE UNVACCINATED NO, I
DON’T RECOMMEND THEM ON A PLAN
TO BUY TREATMENT AT THAT POINT
UNLESS, OF COURSE YOU ARE AT
RISK OF SEVERE DISEASE. THAT’S
A DIFFERENT STORY. NOT
SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE WORTH
DISCUSSING WITH THEIR HEALTH
CARE PROVIDER. OTHERWISE I
WOULD I HAVE POINT. I WOULD I
WOULD START WITH ISOLATION
PROCESS. AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE
FULLY VACCINATED, SHOULD THEY
GET MONOCLONAL IF THEY TEST
POSITIVE? YOU KNOW, SO AGAIN,
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ELIGIBLE FOR
THE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY, IT’S
NOT BASED ON VACCINATION
STATUS. SO EVEN IF YOU ARE
FULLY VACCINATED, IF YOU’RE
SYMPTOMATIC AND YOU’RE AT RISK
OF SEVERE DISEASE AS A RESULT
OF THIS VIRUS, YOU ARE STILL
ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE THEM ON A
ANYBODY TREATMENT AND YOU
SHOULD LOOK FOR IT AT THAT
POINT.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: IF YOU NEED
TO TEST ARE AT HOME TESTS AS
ACCURATE. DO YOU THINK AS THE
TESTS AVAILABLE AT TESTING
SITES?
>> PCR TESTING, WHICH IS WHAT
YOU WOULD GET AT A LOT OF THAT
CLINICS AND HOSPITALS ARE
DEFINITELY THE GOLD STANDARD
FOR TESTING. THE RAPID TESTING
IS NOT NECESSARILY AS
ACCURATE. HOWEVER, IF YOU ARE
SYMPTOMATIC AND YOU USE ONE OF
THESE AT HOME RAPID TESTS AND
THE CHANCES OF RETAKING OF THE
POSITIVE RESULT IS IS
SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER. THERE’S
A 15% FALSE NEGATIVE RATE WITH
THESE AT HOME TEST. BUT THOSE
ARE TYPICALLY SEEN AND FOES
WHO ARE ASYMPTOMATIC AND MAY
HAVE JUST BEEN EXPOSES
SOMEBODY WHO HAS COVID-19 AND
SAY YOU GET IT HAS AND IF YOUR
TEST IS NEGATIVE, IT MAY BE A
FALSE NEGATIVE, WHICH IS WHY
SHOULD TEST YOURSELF AGAIN AT
ABOUT 3 TO 5 DAYS AFTER YOUR
LAST EXPOSURE.
>>LAUREN VERNO: JUST IMPORTANT
INFORMATION. DOCTOR, JOSHI,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS
MORNING. REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU, JEFF.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND WE WANT
TO REMIND OUR VIEWERS A FEW
MONTHS AGO, CONSUMER
INVESTIGATOR LAUREN VERNO’S
PUT AN AT-HOME TEST TO THE
TEST AND SHE FOUND THAT FOR
AROUND $25. YOU CAN GET
RESULTS IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES OR
LESS. THE TEST THAT YOU FIND
IN A STORE ARE ANTIGEN TEST.
BUT THE STANDARD FOR MOST
HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAID YOU
JUST HEARD DOCTOR JOSHI
MENTION IS A PCR TEST. DOCTORS
SAY THE RESULTS ARE FAIRLY
ACCURATE IN SYMPTOMATIC
PATIENTS. BUT IF A TEST COMES
BACK NEGATIVE AND YOU HAVE
SYMPTOMS, IT WOULD BE WORTH IT
TO GO AND GET A PCR TEST. YOU