WISCONSIN BROKE ITS THREE-DAY
STREAK WITH 770 CONFIRMED CASES.
AS CASES SURGE ACROSS THE
COUNTRY THE QUESTION BECOMES IS
THIS THE SECOND WAVE HEALTH
EXPERTS HAVE BEEN WARNING
OBSESSIVE PANDEMIC BEGAN?
TONIGHT I ASKED OUR CHIEF
MEDICAL OFFICER FOR HIS TAKE.
FIRST QUESTION, WHAT ARE THE
CASES LOOKING LIKE TO YOU POST
JULY 4?
IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THERE HAS
BEEN AN UPTICK IN THE NUMBER OF
CASES AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THE
BEHAVIOR OF CASES AS IT TURNS
INTO HOSPITALIZATIONS AND INTO
ICU UTILIZATION,
HOSPITALIZATIONS AND ICU
UTILIZATION ARE INDICATORS SO
WE NEED TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON
THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF
CASES SINCE THE FOURTH OF JULY.
IT EMPHASIZES YOU HAVE TO
CONTINUE TO FOLLOW OUR PUBLIC
HEALTH POLICIES THAT GOT US TO
WHERE WE ARE NOW AND KEEP US ON
THE RIGHT PATH.
CASES HAVE BEEN GOING UP IN
MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN BUT
WISCONSIN ESPECIALLY SET SOME
DAILY RECORD HIGHS IN THE PAST
WEEK OR SO.
Reporter: COULD THAT HAVE
SOMETHING TO DO WITH WISCONSIN
OPENING EARLIER IN TERMS OF A
REOPENING PLAN IN MINNESOTA?
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO IS
LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCE
AROUND THE WORLD AND OUR COUNTRY
SINCE THE END OF 2019.
THERE SEEM TO BE EXAMPLES WHERE
OPENING WITHOUT STRICTLY
FOLLOWING PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES
, ASSOCIATED WITH A REAL
ACCELERATION IN THE NUMBER OF
CASES, AND THAT IS NOW IN
ARIZONA, HOUSTON, TEXAS,
FLORIDA, IT IS NOW TRANSLATING
INTO MORE HOSPITALIZATIONS AND
STRESSING THEIR HEALTHCARE
SYSTEMS MORE THAN BEFORE SO I
THINK IT IS VERY POSSIBLE AND
THAT IS WHY MINNESOTANS NEED TO
FOLLOW THE PUBLIC HEALTH
GUIDANCE THAT IS KEPT US OUT OF
THAT CRISIS SITUATION THAT WE
ARE SEEING ELSEWHERE.
MONTHS EARLIER WE WERE
TALKING ABOUT THE SECOND WAVE,
MAYBE IN THE SUMMER OR FALL.
DO WE CONSIDER WHAT IS
HAPPENING RIGHT NOW THE SECOND
WAVE?
I'M NOT POSITIVE WE GOT OUT
OF THE FIRST WAVE I WOULD SAY
WE HAVE SO SIGNIFICANTLY
FLATTENED THE CURVE BY VIRTUE
OF OUR EXCELLENT PUBLIC HEALTH
MEASURES, AS MINNESOTANS, THAT
WE NEVER REALLY SAW THAT SPIKE
LIKE WE SAW IN NEW YORK CITY OR
ITALY AND OTHER PARTS OF THE
WORLD.
WE HAVE REALLY, TRULY FLATTEN
THE CURVE.
BUT FLATTENING THE CURVE IS A
LONG-TERM PROCESS.
WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
SUMMERS HERE PEOPLE WANT TO
GET OUT AND ABOUT.
WE ARE SEEING IT EVER SINCE THE
FOURTH.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR
SUGGESTIONS FOR PEOPLE TO STILL
GO OUT AND ENJOY THEMSELVES BUT
TO DO SO SAFELY?
ABSOLUTELY.
IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO TAKE
CARE OF YOURSELF HOLISTICALLY,
TAKE CARE OF YOUR FAMILY AND
COMMUNITY IN A SIMILAR MANNER.
BEING OUTSIDE IS PART OF THAT.
IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE, IT IS STILL
A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE A MASK
AVAILABLE AND IF YOU ARE IN
CLOSE PROXIMITY TO OTHERS,
ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE IN CLOSE
PROXIMITY TO OTHERS FOR AN
EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, FIVE
OR 10 MINUTES, WHERE YOU ARE
NOT ABLE TO KEEP YOUR PHYSICAL
DISTANCE.
THOSE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE
IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO WEAR A
MASK.
Reporter: SOME CITIES HAVE
MANDATES ON WEARING FACE
COVERINGS AND SOME BUSINESSES
HAVE MANDATES ON WEARING FACE
COVERINGS WITH MANY PEOPLE
GOING OUT AND ABOUT THIS SUMMER.
WHAT WOULD YOUR SUGGESTIONS BE
ABOUT FACE COVERINGS?
I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE THE
FACE COVERINGS ARE A GREAT IDEA
AND IN OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM WE
MANDATE THE PEOPLE WHERE FACE
COVERINGS.
IN OUR HOSPITALS AND CLINICS
SETTINGS, FACE COVERINGS ARE A
REALLY GOOD IDEA.
ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE IN CLOSE
CONTACT WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT
IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD AND IF YOU
ARE IN'S CONTACT FOR AN
EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME,
ESPECIALLY IF IT IS THOSE TWO
THINGS AND YOU ARE IN AN
ENCLOSED ENVIRONMENT, THOSE OF
THE REALLY HIGH RISK EXAMPLES
OF AND ABILITY TO TRANSMIT OR
TO ACQUIRE COVID.
WE ARE EXPECTING IN THIS
NEXT WEEK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
THE FUTURE OF SCHOOLS HERE IN
MINNESOTA GOING INTO THE FALL.
A LOT OF PLACES ARE TALKING
ABOUT GOING BACK INTO THE
CLASSROOM OR TALK OF CONTINUING
DISTANCE LEARNING.
MAYBE SOME FORM OF A HYBRID.
WHERE DO YOU THINK THE STATE IS
IN TERMS OF APPROACHING WHAT WE
DO IN THE FALL?
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IS
LOOKING AT A VARIETY OF
DIFFERENT SCENARIOS.
I THINK THERE ARE EXAMPLES
ACROSS THE WORLD WHERE SCHOOLS
HAVE OPENED UP AND THERE ARE
SOME LESSONS WERE THINGS DID
NOT GO AS WELL AS THEY HAD
HOPED AND WERE THEY TO GO WELL.
I AM POSITIVE THE DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION IS LOOKING AT ALL OF
THAT INFORMATION.
WITH THE ASPECT OF SCHOOL
COMING INTO PLAY, ORGANIZED
SPORTS AND EVERYTHING, IS THERE
A POTENTIAL FOR A SECOND WAVE
IF WE WERE TO SAY THE FIRST ONE
ALREADY HAPPENED OR JUST A
CONTINUATION AND RISE IN
INFECTIONS?
YEAH, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO
FOLLOW OUR PUBLIC HEALTH
MEASURES AND THAT IS WHAT IS
GOING TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS
OF A SECOND WAVE IF THAT WERE
TO COME.
AS IT GETS COLDER AND PEOPLE
ARE INSIDE MORE AND ARE LESS
ABLE TO DISTANCE THAT I HAVE
BEEN BEFORE, THAT WOULD
INCREASE THE RISK OF ACQUIRING
OR TRANSMITTING COVID
INFECTIONS.
AND WE ALSO KNOW THERE ARE
TACTICS THAT WILL MITIGATE
THOSE RISKS. MASK WEARING AND
DISTANCING, ETC., ARE THE WAYS
TO DO THAT.
THOSE ARE QUESTIONS -- I