>> SEPARATING THE FACT FROM THE FICTION WHEN IT COMES TO COVID-19 IT’S WHAT WE TRY TO DO
WHEN WE HAVE DOCTOR RUTH
BERGGREN FROM THE LONG SCHOOL
OF MEDICINE AT UT HEALTH SAN
ANTONIO JOIN US
AS SHE IS JOINING US NOW LIVE
DOCTOR BERGER AND THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR
YOUR TIME. A LOT OF THE THINGS
THAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT TODAY
HAVE BEEN KIND OF RESURFACING
BECAUSE OF THE BUT A LOT OF THE
DEBATES THAT ARE TAKING PLACE
AT SCHOOL BOARDS
ACROSS SAN ANTONIO ACROSS SOUTH
TEXAS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
ONE OF THEM THAT I’VE HEARD ONE
OF THE ARGUMENTS IS
THAT MASKS ARE NOT EFFECTIVE OR
ONLY ABOUT 50% EFFECTIVE AND IF
YOU TOUCH SOMETHING AND THEN
TOUCH YOUR MASK. IT IS RUINED.
YOUR ANSWER TO THAT.
>> SO I SO MASKS ARE REALLY
HELPFUL. AND OF COURSE IN A
100% EFFECTIVE BUT LET ME GIVE
YOU AN ANALOGY THAT’S VERY VERY
HELPFUL WHEN YOU GET IN YOUR
CAR AND YOU GO SOMEWHERE YOU’RE
GOING TO DO 2 THINGS TO
MAXIMIZE YOUR SAFETY IN THAT
CAR YOU’RE GOING TO WEAR SEAT
BELTS AND YOU’RE GOING TO MIND
THE SPEED LIMIT
AND YOU KNOW FULL WELL THAT
DOING BOTH OF THOSE THINGS
DOESN’T HAND YOU A GUARANTEE
THAT YOU WON’T GET IN AN
ACCIDENT. WELL THAT YOU WON’T
BE HARMED OR THAT YOU WILL GET
KILLED, BUT YOU KNOW THOSE
THINGS WORK BECAUSE THEY
IMPROVE YOUR ODDS AND THEY
IMPROVE
YOUR SAFETY. WE HAVE THINGS
THAT ARE LIKE SEATBELTS AND
OBSERVING SPEED LIMITS AND IS
WEARING THAT MASK AND IT’S
GETTING VACCINATED AND YOU NEED
TO DO BOTH OF THOSE
THINGS TOO. MAXIMIZE YOUR ODDS
OF A GOOD OUTCOME AND STAYING
HEALTHY. AS FAR
HOW EFFECTIVE THE MASKS ARE
THAT DEPENDS ON A LOT OF THINGS
ARE YOU WEARING IT CORRECTLY
ARE YOU WEARING IT OVER YOUR
MOUTH AND NOSE DO YOU HAVE A
NICELY TIGHT
MASKING UP AROUND THE SIDES OF
YOUR FACE OR IS THERE A
BIG GAP ARE YOU WEARING IT
CONSISTENTLY OR ARE YOU TAKING
IT OFF TO EAT AND DRINK AND
PLAY SPORTS. WHEN YOU’RE AROUND
A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE ALL OF
THOSE THINGS WILL AFFECT HOW
AFFECTED THE MASK IS BUT THE
LONGER YOU CAN SPEND WITH YOUR
MASK PROPERLY FITTED. THE
BETTER ODDS, YOU HAVE
THAT YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE FEWER
RESPIRATORY PARTICLES INVADING
YOUR AIRWAYS AND POTENTIALLY
INFECTING YOU.
>> WE’VE BEEN AT THIS FOR 18
MONTHS NOW IS THERE ANY
THE THING THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT
THAT INDICATES THERE IS A
PHYSICAL HARM FROM WEARING
A MASK.
>> NO ABSOLUTELY NOT IN FACT WE
HAVE SOME STUDIES IN AT LEAST
ONE PEER REVIEW JOURNAL THAT
LOOKED AT THIS SPECIFICALLY.
>> AND THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF
HARM FROM ASKING NOT AT ALL AND
SO THERE’S A LOT OF
MISINFORMATION THAT
IS CIRCULATING ON TIKTOK
TWITTER AND SO FORTH AND IT’S
JUST SIMPLY NOT CORROBORATED BY
SCIENTIFICALLY PUBLISHED
LITERATURE.
>> ALL RIGHT WANT TO GET TO ONE
OF THE NEXT ONE THAT HAS TO DO
WITH NATURAL COMMUNITIES.
WE CAN BUILD UP NATURAL
IMMUNITY TO COVID AND WE AREN’T
GOING TO GET VERY SICK ANYWAY
SO WE SHOULD JUST GET IT AND
GET IT OVER WITH TO BUILD
NATURAL IMMUNITIES WE DON’T
HAVE EATERIES TO THE FLU AND
OTHER THINGS I DON’T KNOW WHY
WE WOULD THE COVID BUT I’LL LET
YOU EXPLAIN. >> SO WHEN YOU GET COVID AND YOU GET OVER IT. IT IS TRUE
THAT YOU HAVE AN IMMUNE
RESPONSE AND HAVE MEASURABLE
ANTIBODIES. AND IT’S ALSO TRUE
AND WE NOW KNOW THIS FROM DATA.
AND THERE WAS A VERY
WELL DOCUMENTED. EPISODE IN
BRAZIL. IN FACT WERE LOTS OF
PEOPLE GOT COVID LOTS OF PEOPLE
GOT OVER IT. AND THEN
LATER ON WHEN A NEW VARIANT
CAME ALONG. THOSE PEOPLE GOT
COVID AGAIN AND THERE WAS NO
GUARANTEE THAT THEY WERE GOING
TO HAVE A LESS SEVERE CASE SO
WE KNOW FROM WHAT WE’RE
OBSERVING AND THE DATA THAT IS
BEING KEPT TRACK OF AROUND THE
WORLD. THAT YES
YOU CAN GET ANOTHER INFECTION
FROM COVID SO JUST RELYING ON
NATURAL IMMUNITY IS NOT ENOUGH
THERE’S BEEN
ANOTHER STUDY THAT WAS
PUBLISHED RECENTLY AND INVOLVED
DATA FROM THE UNITED STATES
THAT SHOWED THAT PEOPLE WHO HAD
BEEN.
JUST RECOVERED FROM COVID
RELYING ON THAT NATURAL
IMMUNITY WERE TWICE AS LIKELY
TO GET COVID AGAIN THEN FULLY
VACCINATED PEOPLE SO NATURAL
IMMUNITY DOES CONTRIBUTE TO AN
IMMUNE RESPONSE.
IT IS SOMEWHAT PROTECTIVE FOR
A TIME, BUT THAT NATURAL
IMMUNITY WEARS OFF AND WE KNOW
FROM AROUND THE WORLD THAT
NATURAL IMMUNITY IS NOT
SUFFICIENT TO PROTECT YOU FROM
GETTING COVID AGAIN OR EVEN FOR
PROTECTING YOU FROM DYING
OF COVID.
>> I THINK AT THIS POINT IN THE
PANDEMIC THE FOCUSES LARGELY ON
CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY SINCE
WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS
SURGE AS SCHOOL STARTS UP ONCE
AGAIN AND THERE
IS STILL THAT BELIEF THAT LIKE
WE SAW PREVIOUSLY CHILDREN
DON’T GET AS SERIOUSLY ILL
WITH COVID-19 THE DELTA VARIANT
IS IS CHANGING THAT
CONVERSATION SO WHAT DO YOU
THINK PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND
ABOUT WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THIS
DELTA VARIANT AND THE RISK TO
KIDS RIGHT.
>> SO THE DELTA VARIANT IS JUST
HIGHLY HIGHLY INFECTIOUS IT’S
AS INFECTIOUS AS CHICKEN POX
IT’S FAR MORE INFECTIOUS THAN
THE EARLIER STRAINS OF COVID
THAT WE WERE
DEALING WITH WHICH MEANS THAT
IT’S HARDER TO PREVENT PEOPLE
FROM GETTING IT AND KIDS ARE
ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE BECAUSE
WE CAN IMMUNIZE THAT WELL THE
UNDER 12 YEAR-OLD
YET AND SO WE’RE SEEING
PROPORTIONALLY ACROSS THE
COUNTRY. MORE KIDS COMING IN
WITH COVID AND
FILLING UP PEDIATRIC HOSPITALS
AND PEDIATRIC ICUS I’M NOT
A PEDIATRICIAN, BUT I SPEAK
REGULARLY TO PEDIATRIC
INFECTIOUS
DISEASE SPECIALISTS AND I WE
HAVE BEEN SEEING THIS AROUND
TEXAS AND YOU KNOW IN IN A
COUPLE OF MORE MONTHS WE’RE
GOING TO HAVE ALL OF THE
NUMBERS
FOR YOU. IT IS STILL
GENERALLY TRUE THAT THEY YOU
KNOW YOUNGER PEOPLE ARE NOT
GOING TO GET AS SEVERELY ILL AS
OLD FOLKS AND FOLKS WHO
HAVE MULTIPLE COLD WAR, BUT
CONDITIONS SUCH AS DIABETES AND
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART
FAILURE AND LUNG DISEASE KIDS
DON’T HAVE AS MANY OF THOSE
THINGS SO IT’S TRUE THAT THERE
ARE ADS ARE BETTER THAN AN 80
YEAR-OLD WITH A BUNCH OF
DISEASES. BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT
WE ARE SEEING CHILDREN THAT ARE
HAVING VERY SEVERE CASES
AND WE HATE TO SEE THAT BECAUSE
WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A
PREVENTABLE DISEASE.
>> I KNOW THAT WE ALL WISH WE
HAD A ROADMAP OF WHERE WE ARE
HEADED AND LOOKING AT THE
NUMBERS WE’RE SEEING HERE LATE
LATE THE POSITIVITY RATE HAS
DROPPED IN SAN ANTONIO
HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE DOWN
HOWEVER STILL OVER 1300 PEOPLE
HOSPITALIZED. TO THOSE
DECREASES TO YOU SIGNAL THAT
THIS CURVE IS HEADED DOWNWARD
OR ARE WE NOT THE AREA.
>> YOU KNOW I WAS JUST LOOKING
AT THOSE NUMBERS TODAY MEYER
AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE KIND OF
PEEKED 3 DAYS AGO,
BUT WE HAVEN’T COME DOWN VERY
FAR IT WENT UP UP UP AND NOW
IT’S KIND OF
HOVERING AND IT’S NOT COMING
THAT FAR DOWN OTHER THINGS
PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW IS THAT THE
HOSPITALS ARE EXTREMELY FULL
RIGHT NOW. THE EMERGENCY ROOMS
AND OUR
MEDICINE BEDS ARE EXPERIENCING
RECORD NUMBERS SO IT LOOKS
LIKE YOU KNOW THAT PEOPLE THAT
ARE SICK FROM OTHER THINGS ARE
COMING IN AND GETTING
THEIR ON MANAGE DIABETES AND
THEIR DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS AND
THOSE KINDS OF INFECTIONS AND
COMPLICATIONS TAKEN CARE OF SO
THE HOSPITALS ARE SUPER SUPER
FULL. IT’S NOT A GOOD TIME TO
COME TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM,
IT’S JUST ONE MORE REASON
TO TAKE THAT STEP AND GO AHEAD
AND GET YOUR VACCINE AGAINST
COVID-19 IF YOU HAVEN’T DONE SO
ALREADY BECAUSE YOU DON’T WANT
TO HAVE TO BE THE ONE THAT’S
GOING INTO THE EMERGENCY ROOM
FEELING SHORT OF BREATH.
>> THAT’S THE BEST WAY TO SAY
THANK YOU TO OUR HEALTH CARE
WORKERS TO GET THE VACCINE