COVERAGE HERE ON NBC BEGINNING
AT 9:00 P.M. EASTERN.
>>> A MEDICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE
DEBATE PRECAUTIONS AND HELPING
US MAKE SENSE OF THE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN COVID AND THE FLU.
FOR THAT, WE WANT TO BRING IN
NBC MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR DR.
NATALIE AZAR.
DR. NAT, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> AS PETER SAID, 18 POSITIVE
CASES THEY KNOW RIGHT NOW WITHIN
THE WHITE HOUSE.
MORE STAFFERS EXPOSED TESTING
NEGATIVE.
IS IT IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO
QUARANTINE, EVEN IF THEY GOT A
NEGATIVE TEST?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THIS IS PART OF THE CONTAINMENT
PHASE.
IT’S NOT JUST ONE THING.
IT’S A PILLAR.
IT’S TESTING.
IT’S ISOLATING.
IT’S QUARANTINING AND IT’S
TRACING.
THERE’S AN ISSUE HERE THAT
THEY’RE CONFLATING MASK WEARING
AS A PREVENTION STRATEGY, YOU
NEED TO DO ALL OF THESE THINGS.
DESPITY NEGATIVE TEST IF YOU’RE
EXPOSED YOU NEED TO QUARANTINE
FOR A FULL 14 DAYS.
>> NATALIE, PRESIDENT TRUMP DID
SAY HE PLANS TO ATTEND THAT
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE NEXT WEEK.
IS THAT MEDICALLY ADVISABLE?
>> THE PROBLEM WITH GIVING YOU
AN EXPERT ANSWER ON THIS, CRAIG,
THERE HASN’T BEEN GOOD ENOUGH
CLARITY ON THE SEVERITY OF THE
PRESIDENT’S SYMPTOMS OR THE
TIMELINE OF WHEN HIS SYMPTOMS
BEGAN.
PER THE CDC, MILD ILLNESS, YOU
NEED TO ISOLATE TEN DAYS AFTER
SYMPTOM ONSET.
ON THE OTHER HAND IF YOU HAVE
SEVERE DISEASE, THAT NUMBER GOES
UP TO 20.
ARE WE SPLITTING THE DIFFERENCE
AND SAYING HE HAD MODERATE
ILLNESS?
PERHAPS.
IS THAT REALLY THE APPROPRIATE
THING TO DO IN THIS INSTANCE?
WOULDN’T YOU WANT TO ERR ON THE
SIDE OF CAUTION?
WE HEARD HE WILL BE GETTING
SWABBED.
WILL THERE BE A VIRAL LOAD
CUTOFF THAT WILL INDICATE TO HIS
MEDICAL TEAM THAT HE IS NO
LONGER INFECTIOUS?
THIS IS THE KIND OF INFORMATION
THAT I WANT TO KNOW AND THE
PUBLIC HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW AS
WELL.
>> CAN I ASK YOU ABOUT THE TWEET
FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP THAT WAS
REMOVED, ACTUALLY, BY FACEBOOK
AND TWITTER, FLAGGED FOR
MISINFORMATION IN WHICH THE
PRESIDENT COMPARES COVID-19 TO
THE FLU.
IT’S AN IMPORTANT QUESTION.
WE’RE IN COLD AND FLU SEASON.
WHAT MAKES COVID-19 AND THE FLU
DIFFERENT?
>> SIMILARITY, THEY’RE BOTH
RESPIRATORY VIRUSES, CAN CAUSE
VIRAL PNEUMONIA, PREDOMINANTLY
SPREAD BY RESPIRATORY DROPLETS.
OLDER INDIVIDUALS WITH
UNDERLYING RISK FACTORS ARE AT
GREATEST RISK.
SYMPTOM WISE LOTS OF OVERLAP.
THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IS THAT
LOSS OF TASTE AND SMELL AS WELL
AS SEVERE HEADACHE THAT IS SO
PROMINENT IN COVID-19.
HOW DO THEY DIFFER?
TO DOUBLE DOWN ON WHAT PETER
SAID, THERE HAVE BEEN MORE
DEATHS IN LESS THAN A YEAR FROM
COVID-19 THAN IN ALL FIVE FLU
SEASONS IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
THAT IS REMARKABLE.
COVID-19 IS ALSO MORE
CONTAGIOUS.
THERE IS, AS WE KNOW, A VACCINE
FOR FLU.
AND PROBABLY, I THINK, ONE OF
THE MOST STRIKING DIFFERENCES
RIGHT NOW IS THAT FOR THE MOST
PART, WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS, MOST
PEOPLE RECOVER FROM THE FLU
AFTER A FEW WEEKS WITHOUT ANY
LONG-
LONG-TERM PROBLEMS.
IN ADDITION TO CHRONIC LUNG AND
HEART ISSUES, WE’VE HEARD ABOUT
THE LONG HAUL OR LONG COVID
THAT’S MORE DRAMATIC AND
DEVASTATING AND INCAPACITATING,
LONG, DRAWN OUT SYSTEMIC ILLNESS
THAT PATIENTS ARE SUFFERING.
>> DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR
PEOPLE LOOKING TO BOOST
THEIR OWN IMMUNE SYSTEMS WITH
VITAMINS OR SUPPLEMENTS?
>> DYLAN, WE’LL DO A BIT OF A
DEEPER DIVE ON THIS.
WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT, YOU
KNOW, HEALTHY DIET FOR THE MOST
PART MOST OF US RECOMMEND RATHER
THAN TAKING SUPPLEMENTS UNLESS
YOU’RE TRULY DEFICIENT, TO EAT A
WELL-BALANCED DIET.
THAT’S THE BEST WAY TO MAINTAIN
OR BOOST YOUR OWN IMMUNE SYSTEM.
THERE’S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT
VITAMIN C, ZINC OR VITAMIN D AS
SPECIFIC SUPPLEMENTS THAT MAY
NOT HAVE ANY EFFICACY IN
COVID-19.
THE EVIDENCE RIGHT NOW DOES NOT
PROVE ANY CAUSE AND EFFECT IN
TERMS OF DEFICIENCIES AND
WORSENING COVID OUTCOMES.
THERE’S OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES
THAT SUGGEST PERHAPS BENEFICIAL
EFFECTS PARTICULARLY FOR VITAMIN
D.
I WOULD ADVISE PATIENTS AND
PEOPLE IF THEY’RE INTERESTED,
TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT
CHECKING FOR LEVELS OF
DEFICIENCY OF ANY OF THESE
THINGS FOR BEST GUIDANCE.
>> GOOD ADVICE, AS ALWAYS.
DR. NATALIE AZAR, THANK YOU FOR
YOUR TIME THIS MORNING.
>>> IN CASE FOLKS WONDER IF
MEDICAL EXPERTS ARE REAL DR.
MEDICAL EXPERTS, TALKING TO US
FROM HER OFFICE.
DR. GUPTA ALWAYS JOINING US FROM
HIS OFFICE.
>> THEY LIVE THERE.
>> THEY’RE REAL DOCTORS.
>> IT’S INTERESTING, DYLAN, YOU
BROUGHT UP THAT LAST QUESTION.
I REMEMBER RIGHT WHEN COVID WAS
A THING, IT’S NEW --
>> IT’S STILL A THING.
>> BUT I MEAN RIGHT WHEN IT HIT,
YOU WRUSHED TO THE GROCERY STORE
AND PHARMACY.
I THOUGHT LET ME GET SOME
VITAMIN C DROPS.
>> I WAS TAKING OF --
>> EVERYTHING WAS GONE.
I REMEMBER THE SHELVES.
>> ZINC.
>> VITAMIN C FOR THE KIDS.
LITERALLY WHEN YOU ASKED THAT
QUESTION IT TOOK ME BACK TO
EMPTY SHELVES.
>> I WAS TAKING ALL THAT HAVE
AND STILL GOT IT.