YEAH. COMING YEAH, GREAT. ALL RIGHT. WE’RE ABOUT 30 SECONDS AWAY.
>> ALL RIGHT. IT’S ABOUT THAT
TIME ON TOP OF BACK-TO-SCHOOL
SHOPPING. GETTING YOUR KIDS ON
A REGULAR SLEEP SCHEDULE.
IT’S A VERY BUSY TIME FOR
PARENTS. YOU KNOW, YOU’RE BUSY
SORTING THINGS OUT, BUT HERE’S
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
AND THAT’S VACCINES. YEAH,
THEY’RE NECESSARY TO PROTECT
YOUR KIDS BEFORE THEY RE-ENTER
THE CLASSROOM THIS FALL.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT WAY MORE
THAN JUST THE COVID VACCINE.
JOINING US LIVE TO TALK ABOUT
ALL THAT FROM THE LONG SCHOOL
OF MEDICINE AT UT HEALTH, SAN
ANTONIO ALWAYS PLEASED TO BE
JOINED BY DOCTOR RUTH BERGGREN.
SHE’S AN INFECTIOUS
DISEASE SPECIALIST DOCTOR DREW.
I WANT TO START WITH MONKEYPOX
BECAUSE WE HAD A PHONE BANK
YESTERDAY WITH UNIVERSITY
HEALTH AND A LOT OF THE
QUESTIONS THAT WE GOT YESTERDAY
FROM PEOPLE CALLING IN WERE.
WHAT SHOULD I DO ABOUT
MONKEYPOX? WHAT ARE DO? I NEED
TO GET THE MONKEYPOX VACCINE
AND SHOULD I BE CONCERNED ABOUT
MY KIDS AND MONKEYPOX?
>> WHAT SHOULD I DO ABOUT
MONKEYPOX? SHOULD I BE
CONCERNED IF THE VACCINE?
WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT THIS
VIRUS, WHICH IS A COUSIN OF
SMALLPOX, A MILDER VERSION OF
SMALLPOX CAN BE TRANSMITTED
FROM HUMAN TO HUMAN. BUT THE
PEOPLE WHO SEEM TO BE GETTING
IT ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE HAVING
CLOSE PERSONAL SKIN TO SKIN
CONTACT. SO IT’S NOT ONLY
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED. YOU CAN
GET IT FROM CLOSE UP CLOSE AND
PERSONAL SKIN TO SKIN CONTACT
FROM SOMEBODY ELSE WHO’S HAVING
LESIONS. AND IN SOME CASES,
THERE MAY BE RESPIRATORY
PARTICLES, NOT AIRBORNE
RESPIRATORY DROPLETS. THAT MAY
TRANSMIT. SO THOSE ARE THE RISK
UP UNTIL NOW, WE’VE HEARD ABOUT
13 CASES IN BEXAR COUNTY.
SO IT IS LEGITIMATE TO BE A
LITTLE BIT CONCERNED AND BE
PAYING ATTENTION. BUT WHO ARE
THE FOLKS THAT ARE GETTING IT
IS PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING
RELATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE
MONKEYPOX OR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
HAVING MULTIPLE PARTNERS.
THAT’S WHERE WE’RE PRIMARILY
SEEING MONKEYPOX RIGHT NOW IN
THE WORLD. IT CERTAINLY HAS
ALSO BEEN TRANSMITTED TO JUST
FOM BEING IN CLOSE PHYSICAL
CONTACT SO CHILDREN COULD GET
INFECTED. BUT WE WOULDN’T
EXPECT TO SEE THAT SORT OF
THING HAPPENING UNLESS WE HAD
A MUCH HIGHER PREVALENCE OF
MONKEYPOX IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO FOR NOW, THE WAY THAT WE
CONTROL THIS DISEASE IS THAT
PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED
TO A CASE I KEEP ROCKS CAN GET
VACCINATED. AND THAT VACCINE
NEEDS TO BE GIVEN WITHIN 4 TO
14 DAYS OF THE KNOWN EXPOSURE
AND IT CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE
THE SYMPTOMS THAT MAY NOT
PREVENT INFECTION BUT IT IT’S
GIVEN TIMELY. YOU CAN PREVENT
THE DURATION OF THE SYMPTOMS.
I GUESS IT’S JUST KNOWING WHEN
YOU’VE BEEN EXPOSED, WHICH IS
THE OTHER THING.
>> THE SO YESTERDAY. SO STEVE
MENTIONED THAT YESTERDAY WE
HAD WE HAD THAT PHONE BANK
HERE. THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT
PARENTS WANT TO KNOW ABOUT WAS
COVID BOOSTER IS REGARDING
THEIR CHILDREN. SO COULD YOU
TELL US ABOUT THAT? THE
DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS AND WHEN
IT IS APPROPRIATE FOR KIDS TO
GET THEIR BOOSTERS?
>> LOSS OF GUIDELINES ABOUT
THAT EXIST AND LOTS AND LOTS
OF A VACCINATION RESOURCES ARE
OUT THERE. I WAS ACTUALLY
CONTACTED BY SA ISD EARLIER
THIS WEEK, AN ESSAY ESTES
GETTING ORGANIZED TO HAVE
VACCINE CLINICS AT VARIOUS
SCHOOL VENUES. AND IF YOU
HAVEN’T HAD YOUR CHILD
VACCINATED.
DO SO NOW REALIZE THAT IT TAKES
WEEKS BEFORE THE CHILD WILL BE
PROTECTED BECAUSE IT’S A SERIES
OF VACCINES WEEKS APART.
AND SO IF YOU WAIT TILL THE
DAY SCHOOL WAS STARTING, YOUR
CHILD WILL BE GOING TO SCHOOL
OUT THE FULL PROTECTION.
SO YOU’D BE REALLY SMART TO
GET YOUR CHILD’S SCHEDULE.
NOW FOR THEIR FIRST COVID
VACCINE AND THE GIVEN
INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT THE
FOLLOW-UP VACCINES TO COMPLETE
THE SERIES. DOCTOR BURGERT.
HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU ABOUT
PARENTS?
>> JUST THINKING THEY DON’T
NEED TO GET THEIR KIDS
VACCINATED. I MEAN, HOW ARE
HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU THAT
THERE THAT THE THE
ANTI-VACCINATION MOVEMENT
THAT’S KIND OF SEEMS TO HAVE
COME TO THE FORE. MOST NOTABLY
WITH COVID MAY SPREAD TO OTHER
VACCINES THAT KIDS REALLY NEED
TO GET BEFORE THEY GO BACK TO
SCHOOL.
>> OF COURSE, THERE THERE ARE
RUMORS AND THERE’S RUMORS BE ON
RUMORS AND THEY’RE PROBLEMATIC.
I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO TRY TO
GO TO THEIR PRIMARY CARE
DOCTORS, THEIR TRUSTED SOURCE
OF MEDICAL INFORMATION TO BE
ADVISED ABOUT VACCINES. AND
WHILE THE RISK TO CHILDREN AS
HAVING A TERRIBLE OUTCOME FROM
COVID-19, HAS ALWAYS BEEN LOW.
THERE’S THIS TO THINK ABOUT
CHILDREN ARE CAPABLE OF GETTING
LONG COVID. THEY ARE VULNERABLE
TO LONG COVID AND THIS HAS
IMPEDED ANY NUMBER OF KIDS FROM
BEING ABLE TO FULLY PARTICIPATE
IN SPORTS ARE TO EXCEL AT
SCHOOL. THEY NORMALLY WOULD.
SO WE REALLY WANT TO HELP OUR
CHILDREN HAVE THE BEST POSSIBLE
CHANCE AND GETTING VACCINATED
AGAINST COVID-19. HELPS YOU
DO THAT. THIS VACCINE IS REALLY
SAFE. PEOPLE HAVE HEARD ABOUT
RISK OF MYOCARDITIS. THAT’S IN
A FAIRLY PARTICULAR AGE GROUP
OF ADOLESCENT BOYS. BUT EVEN
IN THOSE THE RISK OF GETTING A
HEART INFLAMMATION RESPONSE
FROM THE VACCINE IS ACTUALLY
FAR LOWER THAN THE RISK OF
GETTING SOME SORT OF HEART
INFLAMMATION FROM COVID-19.
INFECTION ITSELF. SO THIS IS
A SAFE WILL PROTECT YOUR KIDS
FROM GETTING LONG COVID.
AND FURTHERMORE, THERE MAY BE
PEOPLE IN FAMILIES WHERE THERE
ARE ELDERLY OR
IMMUNOCOMPROMISED FOLKS.
AND EVEN THOUGH THE CHILES
CONTRACTS COVID-19 MAY DO GREAT
WITH IT. THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES
FOR THE PEOPLE AROUND THAT
CHILD. SO THOSE ARE ALL GOOD
REASONS TO GET YOUR KIDS
VACCINATED BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS
BEFORE WE LET YOU GO, DOCTOR,
TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE SEEING
WITH THE LOCAL COVID NUMBERS
AND WHAT YOU’RE SEEING IN THE
HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW. AS FAR AS
COVID GOES.
>> RIGHT. SO OUR LOCAL COVID
NUMBERS ARE HIGH. OKAY. THEY WE
ARE IN A HIGH-RISK GROUP.
THAT’S NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT
PEOPLE AT METROHEALTH ARE
PUTTING OUT THERE. WE MEET THE
CRITERIA BASED ON WHAT THE CDC
HAS RECOMMENDED FOR HOW YOU
>> EVALUATE COMMUNITY LEVELS.
AND SO WE HAVE GREATER THAN
200 NEW CASES PER 100,000
PEOPLE PER WEEK IN SAN ANTONIO
ARE AT 320 FOR THE GREATER THAN
200 PUTS YOU AT HIGH,
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU COMBINE IT
WITH NEW HOSPITALIZATIONS DUE
TO COVID AND WE’RE AT 20.6 WITH
THE CUT OFF FOR HIDING 10.
SO WE’RE DOUBLE AT AND WE’RE
RIGHT AROUND THAT PERCENT OF
HOSPITALIZATIONS BEING OCCUPIED
BY COVID-19 PATIENTS PRETTY
CLOSE TO 10%. SO WE ARE
LEGITIMATELY BY THAT DEFINITION
AT HIGH RISK. AND THAT HAS
IMPLICATIONS FOR WHAT WE SHOULD
DO. AND THE CDC SPELLS THAT OUT
FOR US. AND IT IS RECOMMENDED
THAT WHEN YOU ARE IN NEED
PUBLIC PLACE, CREDIT OR NOT,
YOU’RE IN A PUBLIC PLACE.
YOU WEAR A MASK WHERE THE BEST
MASK YOU CAN FIGHT. IDEALLY I
KN 95 MASK.
AND WANTS TO AVOID NON
ESSENTIAL INDOOR, CROWDED
ACTIVITIES WHERE POSSIBLE.
AND, OF COURSE, EVERYBODY NEEDS
TO COMPLETE THEIR VACCINE
SERIES AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT
BEEN BOOSTED NEED TO GET
BOOSTED. AND WE KNOW, OF COURSE
THAT EVERYBODY OVER THE AGE
OF 50 IS RECOMMENDED TO GET
THAT 4TH A LOT OF US WERE SLOW
OUT OF THE BLOCKS TO GET THAT
4TH BOOSTER. BUT NOW IS TRULY
THE TIME TO GET IT. WHEN OUR
COMMUNITY IS AT A HIGH RISK
LEVEL. NOW IS THE TIME. ALL
RIGHT. DOCTOR RUTH BERGGREN,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US TODAY. WE SO VALUE YOUR
INSIGHT AND WE LOOK FORWARD
TO SEEING YOU AGAIN NEXT WEEK.