UP THE WALL ON THE BEGINNING OF MY FULL WEATHER IS THAT POSSIBLE.
>> SEASONAL FLU SEASON IS UPON US THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SAYS FLU CASES ARE
STILL LOW RIGHT
NOW BUT DUVAL COUNTY IS ONE OF
11 IN THE STATE IS ACTUALLY
SEEING A BIT OF A RISE
RIGHT NOW AT THE THREAT OF THE
CORONAVIRUS AND EXPERTS SAY YOU
HAVE A POTENTIAL FOR A
TWINDEMIC OFFICIALS ADD IT’S
MORE IMPORTANT THIS YEAR THAN
EVER TO GET THAT FLU VACCINE.
THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE IS
PARTNERING WITH THE DUVAL
MEDICAL SOCIETY FOR FLU
VACCINES JAX IT’S A PROGRAM TO
HELP PEOPLE GET VACCINATED AND
JOINING US NOW IS DOCTOR
SUNIL JOSHI AND IMMUNOLOGIST
WITH THE DUVAL MEDICAL SOCIETY
AND GOOD MORNING, IT’S GREAT TO
SEE THIS MORNING. GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU HAVING ME
YOU KNOW COMMON SENSE TELLS US
THAT WE’RE ALL BEING SO CAREFUL
ABOUT GERMS THAT WE WOULDN’T
HAVE AS BAD AS SEASONAL FLU
SEASON IS THAT THE CASE WELL
THAT’S WHAT WE’RE HOPING YOU
KNOW THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
WE’VE
REALLY HAD.
>> YOU KNOW I CONCERTED EFFORT
TO TRY TO MINIMIZE
EXPOSURE TO VIRUSES OF COURSE
THIS IS MAINLY BECAUSE OF
COVID-19 THAT WEARING MASKS
SOCIALLY DISTANCING HAND
WASHING NOT GOING OUT IN
BIG CROWDS. OR WHETHER THEY’RE
INDOORS OR OUTDOORS ALL COULD
HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT
ON THE SPREAD OF ALL
RESPIRATORY VIRUSES, INCLUDING
THE FLU AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE
HOPING WE’RE GOING
TO SEE.
>> AND IT WOULD REALLY BE
IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHETHER YOU
HAD THE
SEASONAL FLU.
>> OR THE CORONAVIRUS SO YOU
MIGHT AS WELL GET THE VACCINE
RIGHT. I MEAN IS IT IS ALMOST
IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL THE
DIFFERENCE UNTIL YOU GET TESTED
FOR ONE OR
THE OTHER. IT IS CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT TO GET THE FLU
VACCINE. THIS YEAR AS MUCH AS
ANY
OTHER YEAR, MAINLY BECAUSE WE
WANT TO KEEP PEOPLE OUT OF THE
HOSPITAL, YOU KNOW THIS IS THE
TIME OF THE WE TEND
TO SEE RISES AND FLU NUMBERS
AND WHEN PEOPLE ARE GETTING
INFECTED WITH THE FLU WHETHER
THEIR CHILDREN ARE
OLDER ADULTS, THERE’S A
TENDENCY FOR THESE FOLKS TO
HAVE TO VISIT THE EMERGENCY
ROOM OR EVEN
BE HOSPITALIZED. AND THE
BIGGEST CONCERN IS THAT WE ARE
STARTING TO SEE THAT UPTICK IN
COVID-19 CASES THROUGHOUT THE
COUNTRY
AS WELL AND YOU START TO ADD
THOSE FOLKS INTO THE
HOSPITAL ALSO YOU’LL START TO
SEE OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS
OVERWHELMED LIKE THEY WERE IN
NEW YORK CITY EARLIER THIS YEAR
AND THAT’S ULTIMATELY
THE GOAL.
>> IS TO NOT LET THAT YEAH
THAT’S A
NIGHTMARE SCENARIO. HOW ARE WE
DOING IN TERMS OF NUMBER OF
PEOPLE WHO HAVE
BEEN VACCINATED.
>> YEAH WE’RE DOING
EXCEPTIONALLY WELL YOU KNOW IN
A
TYPICAL YEAR IN NORTHEAST
FLORIDA. WE HAVE ABOUT 36.9% OF
OUR POPULATION
THAT’S VACCINATED UP TO THROUGH
LAST MONDAY WE ALREADY ARE AT
ABOUT 35% OF OUR POPULATION
VACCINATED AND THESE ARE JUST
ADULTS ARE
TALKING ABOUT. SO WE YOU KNOW
WE EXPECT THAT BY THE TIME WE
GET TO THE END OF THE FLU
VACCINE SEASON WHICH IS TO BE
AT THE END OF MARCH, WE’LL BLOW
WAY PAST OUR
TYPICAL NUMBER AND HOPEFULLY
REACH OUR GOAL NUMBER WHICH IS
ABOUT 48% OF OUR
ADULT POPULATION VACCINATED
WHICH WOULD BE A
30% INCREASE.
>> FROM THE TYPICAL FOR PART OF
THE COUNTRY AND BACK TO WHAT
YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT ICU BEDS
I THINK PEOPLE FORGET TO THAT
SEASONAL FOOD, SEASONAL
FLU ALSO KILLS PEOPLE AND CAN
MAKE THEM SICK ENOUGH TO HAVE
TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL AND
THEY’RE TAKING UP SPACES THAT
PEOPLE
WITH CORONAVIRUS.
>> MAY NEED THAT THAT’S RIGHT
AND IT’S NOT LIKE WE HAVE AN
UNLIMITED NUMBER OF HOSPITAL
BEDS IN DUVAL COUNTY OR ICU
BEDS IN
DUVAL COUNTY. WE DO THE REASON
ANOTHER REASON WHY THIS FLU
VACCINE IS SO IMPORTANT THIS
YEAR AS WE DO KNOW
THAT YOU ARE 72% LESS LIKELY TO
REQUIRE HOSPITALIZATION IF YOU
RECEIVE E FLU VACCINE VERSUS
THOSE WHO DID NOT RECEIVE THE
FLU VACCINE IN CHILDREN
AND OVER 80% LESS LIKELY THAT
REQUIRE HOSPITALIZATION IF YOU
GET THE FLU. IF YOU’VE HAD THE
FLU VACCINE SO AGAIN
BY INCREASING OUR NUMBERS BY
30% WE CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE GOING TO
THE HOSPITAL WHICH CAN THEN
FREEBIES BAD JOB
FOR THE POTENTIAL SECOND SURGE
IN COVID-19 WHICH HOPEFULLY
WON’T HAPPEN HERE IN DUVAL
COUNTY. BUT IF IT DOES WE NEED
TO BE PREPARED.
>>JENNIFER READY: AND IN THE
SHORT TIME WE HAVE LEFT I KNOW
WE’RE IN TOUGH FINANCIAL TIMES
RIGHT NOW. WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE INSURANCE TO COVER A VACCINE. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO
HELP TO GET THAT PAID FOR YEAH
THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION AND YOU
KNOW WE HAVE AN ISSUE WITH
UNINSURED HERE IN NORTHEAST
FLORIDA TO BEGIN WITH BUT THEN
WITH
THE PANDEMIC.
>> THAT THOSE NUMBERS HAVE GONE
UP SIR ESTIMATING AROUND A
100,000 PEOPLE IN NORTHEAST
FLORIDA HAVE NO HEALTH
INSURANCE
AND SO FOR THESE FOLKS GETTING
THE FLU VACCINE MAY BE COST
PROHIBITIVE AND SO WE WANT TO
TRY TO MINIMIZE THAT AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE ON OUR WEBSITE FLU
VACCINE X DOT COM. THERE’S A
PLACE TO CLICK TO
GET VACCINATED AND ON THAT IN
IN THAT SECTION AND THAT HAVE
OF OUR WEBSITE THERE’S A PLACE
FOR YOU TO GO IF YOU HAVE NO
INSURANCE WHERE YOU CAN SIGN IN
WITH YOUR EMAIL IN YOUR ZIP
CODE AND WE WILL SEND YOU A
FREE FLU VACCINE VOUCHER
AND THE NAME OF THE PHARMACY
THAT’S CLOSE YEARS OF CODE THAT
WILL BE WILLING TO OFFER THAT
TO YOU AS
WELL SO COSTS SHOULD NOT BE AN
ISSUE NOW IN TERMS OF YOU
GETTING YOUR FLU VACCINE.
THIS YEAR WE WANT TO MAKE SURE
EVERYONE GETS THAT AND KEEP IN
MIND. THE UNINSURED ARE THE
MOST LIKELY REQUIRE
HOSPITALIZATION FROM THE FLU
BECAUSE THERE ARE ALSO THE