LEARNING.
BACK TO YOU.
>> ABSOLUTELY, SAM.
THANK YOU.
THAT SETS US UP NICELY FOR OUR
MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. JOSEPH
FEHR.
GOOD MORNING.
IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS SURGE IN
CASES.
OF COURSE WHEN YOU START
REOPENING, YOU KNOW THAT YOU’RE
GOING TO GET MORE CASES.
AND WE’RE SEEING THAT.
HOW DO WE KNOW IF THE SURGE IS
SOMETHING THAT COULD LEAD TO AN
OUTBREAK THAT COULD BE A REAL
CONCERN?
>> THAT’S DEFINITELY WHAT WE’RE
SEEING IN THESE STATES.
THE ANALOGY OR, YOU KNOW, THE
POINT EARLIER ABOUT HAVING MORE
TESTS IS GOING TO YIELD MORE
CASES.
THAT’S ACTUALLY TRUE.
WHAT WE GO BY IS A
DIFFERENTIATOR HERE IS HOW MANY
HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE YOU SEEING.
SO THAT WOULD INDICATE NEW CASES
THAT YOU WOULDN’T HAVE PICKED UP
EVEN IF YOU DID -- SORRY, IF YOU
DIDN’T HAVE THE DIAGNOSTICS OR
DID THERE.
THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE GETTING
ACUTELY ILL.
THAT INDICATES IT’S A BIGGER
PROBLEM THAN WHAT WE THOUGHT IT
WAS.
WE’RE SEEING RECORD
HOSPITALIZATIONS IN THE STATES
THAT HAVE OPENED UP REALLY
EARLY, THAT MAYBE HAVE BEEN SOME
SOMEWHAT LAXED.
AND WE’RE SEEING JUMPS IN THOSE
STATES AS THEY RUSHED TO OPEN
UP.
>> AND WE REMEMBER, OF COURSE,
FROM WHEN THIS WAS ACUTELY
HAPPENING IN MARCH, IN APRIL,
THAT CONCERN IF YOU HAVE THAT
SURGE OF CASES SUDDENLY YOU’RE
OVERRUNNING HOSPITALS, STRAINING
RESOURCES.
IS THAT THE SITUATION THAT’S
SETTING ITSELF UP IN SOME OF
THESE SOUTHERN AND SUN BELT
STATES?
OR ARE THEY BETTER EQUIPPED TO
HANDLE THIS SURGE?
>> I WOULD SAY THEY’RE LITTLE
BETTER EQUIPPED THAN THEY WERE
TWO TO THREE MONTHS AGO OTHER
THAN EXPERIENCE WITH TREATING
PARENTS.
THERE’S STILL GOING TO BE
PROBLEMS WITH PPE.
THERE’S GOING TO BE A PROBLEM TO
HAVE ENOUGH DIAGNOSTICS.
SAY IF THERE’S A MASSIVE SURGE
COMING IN.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT IS
ACCOUNTING FOR THE NUMBER OF
CASES WE HAD.
NOT NECESSARILY FOR THE NUMBER
OF CASES WE WILL HAVE.
ANDO IF THOSE NUMBERS SURGE,
WE’RE GOING TO FACE AN
ADDITIONAL STRAIN ON THE SYSTEM.
RIGHT NOW WE REALLY HAVEN’T SEEN
A DIP IN THE CASES.
WE SAW A FLATTENING OF THE
CURVE, IF YOU WILL.
MAYBE WE SHOULDN’T HAVE USED
THAT TERM EARLY ON.
WE WANT TO SEE A DROP IN THE
CURVE.
SO WE’VE SEEN A PLATEAU.
SO TECHNICALLY WE ARE STILL IN
THE FIRST WAVE AND THE SECOND
SPIENG
SPIKE THAT WE’RE SEEING IS
INDUCED BY OURSELVES.
IT’S US OPENING UP EARLY AND
MOVING ON FROM THE PROBLEM
BEFORE THE PROBLEM MOVED ON FROM
US.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS HOPEFUL
SIGN.
A DRUG THAT IS IN AS I
UNDERSTAND IT, EVERY PHARMACY.
IT’S CHEAP.
IT’S AVAILABLE.
AND IT’S SHOWING REAL PROMISE IN
TREATING THE MOST SEVERE
COVID-19 CASES.
TELL US ABOUT IT.
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL I WANT TO
SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE HAVE FROM
THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE ABOUT
THE DATA.
WE HAVEN’T ACTUALLY SEEN THE
DATA YET.
BUT IF THE DATA HOLDS UP, IT IS
EXTREMELY PROMISING.
AS YOU SAID, IT’S A CHEAP
READILY AVAILABLE DRUG THAT’S
BEEN IN USE FOR A LONG TIME.
IT’S A COMMONLY USED STEROID
THAT WOULD DAMPEN THE IMMUNE
RESPONSE.
A LOT OF WHAT WE SEE IN THE MOST
CRITICALLY ILL CASES OF COVID-19
IS YOUR OWN IMMUNE SYSTEM
OVERREACTING TO A PATHOGEN THAT
IT’S NEVER ENCOUNTERED.
A VIRUS OR BACTERIA IT’S NEVER
ENCOUNTERED.
WHAT YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM DOES IS
THROW EVERY TOOL IN ITS ARSENAL
OUT.
ON A NORMAL FLU OR COLD, YOU
WOULDN’T DO THAT.
SO YOU GET MODERATELY ILL.
WHEN YOU DO ALL THAT AT THE SAME
TIME, YOU GET EXTREMELY ILL.
THAT’S WHAT WE SEE CONTRIBUTING
TO DEATHS.
THIS DRUG ITSELF DAMPENS THAT
IMMUNE RESPONSE AND ALLOWS YOU
TO HANDLE IT.
>> AND THE RESEARCHERS SAY THEY
ARE GOING TO PUT FORTH A MORE
FORMAL STUDY BUT WANTED TO GET
THE INFORMATION OUT THERE
BECAUSE OF ITS POTENTIAL
IMPLICATIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE
SICK RIGHT NOW.