WE WANT TO GET YOUR BIGGEST COVID QUESTIONS ANSWERED SO EVERY THURSDAY WE HAVE DOCTOR
RUTH BERGGREN ON OUR KSAT QNA
INFECTIOUS DISEASE DOCTOR WITH
THE LONG SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT
U T HELP SAN ANTONIO DOCTOR
GOOD TO SEE YOU THANKS FOR
BEING WITH US HAPPY TO BE
HERE MINOR. LET’S TALK FIRST
ABOUT VOTING WE TALKED EARLIER
IN THE SHOW WE HAVE A STORY
ABOUT THE MEGA CENTER THAT’S
OPENING UP IN THE COUNTY AND
HOW
CURBSIDE VOTING WILL BE AN
OPTION YOU HAVE HAD SOME
THOUGHTS ON CURBSIDE VOTING.
I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN ADVISING THE
ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT ON THAT SO
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO VOTERS ABOUT
THE RISKS OF TAKING THAT
OPTION.
>> RIGHT SO IT’S LIKE
EVERYTHING ELSE WITH COVID IT’S
IT’S ALL ABOUT HOW YOU CARRY IT
OFF AND HOW YOU DO IT AND HOW
CLOSE PEOPLE GET TO EACH OTHER.
IF CURBSIDE VOTING WERE ONLY
ABOUT SOMEBODY PUTTING UP BOX
IN THE END OF THE STICK AND
TALK IN EXTENDING IT INTO YOUR
CAR AND THEN LEAVING ALONG THEN
THERE WOULD BE NO ISSUE
WHATSOEVER. BUT
THE VOTING. JUDGES AND ELECTION
OFFICIALS THAT I’VE SPOKEN TO
SAID THAT MORE
FREQUENTLY PEOPLE WANT TO HAVE
A LITTLE BIT MORE AT THE ELBOW
COACHING ON HOW TO USE THE
DEVICE THAT THEY ARE USING
INSIDE THEIR CAR.
AND THIS CAUSES THE ELECTION
OFFICIAL TO GET KIND
OF CLOSE TO THEIR FACE AND
MAYBE FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD OF
TIME WITH LOTS OF EXPLANATIONS
ARE NEEDED.
SO MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT
CURBSIDE VOTING SHOULD BE
CARRIED OUT FIRST OF ALL THE
VOTERS SHOULD NOT BE ILL SHOULD
NOT BE ILL WITH
COVID SYMPTOMS. AND SECONDLY UP
PLEASE DON’T ASK THE VOTING
OFFICIAL TO GET.
>> INTO YOUR CAR WITH
YOU OR VERY CLOSE AT THE ELBOW
FOR PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME
COACHING YOU YOU YOU ALL NEED
TO KEEP YOUR
PHYSICAL DISTANCE WHILE YOU’RE
CARRYING OUT THAT CURBSIDE
VOTING. BUT THERE’S NOTHING
INHERENTLY WRONG. BUT CURBSIDE
VOTING ITSELF, IT’S ALL ABOUT
HOW CLOSE ARE THE PEOPLE
GETTING TO EACH OTHER WHEN IT’S
BEING DONE.
>> DOCTOR BERGER AND WHAT DO WE
KNOW ABOUT THE RIDGE ENTERING
COCKTAIL THAT PRESIDENT DONALD
TRUMP RECEIVED. HE’S ALREADY
BACK IN THE
OVAL OFFICE.
>> YES, SO THAT IS A COCKTAIL
OF 2 DIFFERENT MONOCLONAL
ANTIBODIES.
THESE ARE PROTEINS THAT HAVE
BEEN GENERATED THAT
SPECIFICALLY GLOM ON TO THE
SPIKE PROTEIN OF THE COVID SO
WE’VE SEEN THOSE LITTLE SPIKES
ON THE COVID VERY ON THOSE
SPIKES ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE
THAT’S HOW THE VIRUS ATTACHES
TO THE CELL IT’S GOING
TO INFECT AND THESE MONOCLONAL
ANTIBODIES ARE PROTEINS AND YOU
CAN THINK OF IT LIKE A GLOB
THAT COMES ALONG AND SITS ON
TOP OF THE SPIKE AND NOW
THE SPIKE CAN’T
BE LIKE A LOCK AND KEY
MECHANISM TO LET THE VIRUS GET
IN SO IT’S PRETTY COOL ACTUALLY
PRETTY NEAT MECHANISM OF
ACTION. HOWEVER YOU NEED TO
KNOW THAT IT IS AN INJECTION
IT’S NOT A PILL YOU CAN TAKE.
AND IT HAS BEEN STUDIED IN OVER
275 PEOPLE
AND THESE WERE ALL PEOPLE THAT
WERE NOT SICK ENOUGH TO BE IN
THE HOSPITAL. THERE’S A ANOTHER
TRIAL ONGOING NOW LOOKING AT
SICKER PEOPLE I DO THINK THIS
IS GOING TO BE AN IMPORTANT
ADVANCE THE SCIENCE IS SHOWING
THAT PEOPLE WHO GET
THIS DRUG. WE’LL HAVE A RAPIDLY
DECREASING AMOUNT OF VIRUS IN
THEIR BODY AS A RESULT OF THIS
MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY I JUST WISH
IT WAS
A PILL THAT PEOPLE COULD TAKE
FROM HOME, IT’S NOT IT’S AN
INTRAVENOUS INJECTION.
>> I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF
QUESTIONS ABOUT RETESTING ONCE
A PERSON TESTS POSITIVE
FOR COVID-19 THAT THEY NEED TO
GET RETESTED IF SO WHEN SHOULD
THEY BE DOING THAT.
>> RIGHT SO WE’RE SEEING LOTS
AND LOTS OF
CALLING UP WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT
WHAT DOES IT MEAN I’M STILL
COVID POSITIVE AFTER 25 DAYS
AFTER EVEN 60 DAYS
HAVE I BEEN REINFECTED DO I
HAVE LONG HAUL COVID MY
INFECTIOUS TO OTHERS AND HERE’S
THE DEAL.
MOST PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SHED
THIS VIRUS FOR A COUPLE OF
WEEKS. BUT
MANY PEOPLE WILL SHED IT FOR 20
DAYS THE MEDIAN HER.
>> 20 DAYS OF VIRAL SHEDDING.
SO BACK TO
IN THE EARLY DAYS OF COVID WE
KNOW WE HAD THESE TEST BASED
RETURN TO WORK OR RELAXATION OF
RESTRICTION GET OUT OF
QUARANTINE RULES. IF YOU COULD
HAVE TO TEST NEGATIVE 24 HOURS
APART, YOU’RE GOOD TO GO.
WELL IF YOU WANT TO WAIT 20 DAY
TOUR AND THAT’S A LONG TIME AND
SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE. VIRAL
SHUTTING ITS
NOT MEANINGFUL. HIS THERE WAS A
STUDY DONE THAT SHOWS THAT
AFTER THE FIRST WEEK OF VIRAL
SHUTTING WE’RE NOT ABLE TO
CULTURE THAT VIRUS ANYMORE IN
OTHER WORDS, IT SEEMS TO BE
DEAD VIRUS LINGERING KNOWS.
>> BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE ARE
PROLONG SHATTERS. IF YOU WANT
TO
AVOID CONFUSION. DON’T RETEST
UNTIL AT LEAST 90 DAYS HAVE
ELAPSED WE HAVEN’T YET SEEN
ANYBODY SHED.
>> 4 MORE THAN 90 DAYS IF THAT
WERE TO HAPPEN THAT POSITIVE AT
A 100 DAYS AFTER INITIAL
POSITIVE TEST. THIS WOULD BE
CONSIDERED A RE INFECTION.
WHICH IS A PHENOMENON THAT HAS
BEEN DESCRIBED, BUT IT’S NOT
COMMENT.
>> SO WHEN YOU SAY SHUTTING THE
VIRUS THAT DOESN’T NECESSARILY
MEAN CONTAGIOUS BECAUSE YOU’RE
SAYING IT COULD STILL BE
DETECTED. AT THE 20 DAY MARK
BUT REALLY ITS IMPACT THAT TIME
WHEN PEOPLE WOULD STILL BE
CONTAGIOUS IS THAT RIGHT.
RIGHT SO.
>> SO VIRUS CAN BE DETECTED AND
NOT AND NOT BE INFECTIOUS
ANYMORE. IT’S KIND OF IMAGINE
IT BEING JUST A LITTLE DEAD
PARTICLES A VIRUS THAT ARE
LYING AROUND IN
YOUR NOSE IN IN YOUR CELLS AND
IT TAKES A LONG TIME FOR YOUR
BODY TO CLEAR ALL THAT STUFF
OUT AND REALLY THUS THE
EARLIEST STUDIES SHOWED.
AFTER ONE WEEK. AFTER
ONE WEEK. YOU’RE VIRUS IS NOT
ABLE TO BE CULTURED WHICH MEANS
YOU WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO INFECT
OTHER PEOPLE WITH YOUR VIRUS,
IT’S JUST DEAD.
>> ALL RIGHT DOCTOR RUTH
BERGGREN FROM THE LONG SCHOOL
OF MEDICINE AS ALWAYS THANK YOU