>> SO WE’RE MOVING BACK INSIDE
WITH THE WEATHER GETTING COLDER.
THE HOLIDAYS ARE PRETTY MUCH
UPON US AND BEFORE EITHER OF
THOSE THINGS HAPPEN WE GET WORD
FROM THE STATE’S LARGEST
HOSPITAL SYSTEM THEY BELIEVE NOW
WE’RE MOVING INTO THE FOURTH
SURGE OF THE CORONAVIRUS.
LET’S TALK IT OVER WITH THE
STATE’S LEADING MEDICAL OFFICER,
DOCTOR, IT’S OUR FIRST CHANCE TO
HAVE YOU ON FLASH POINT AND I
APPRECIATE THE TIME TODAY.
LET ME START WITH YOUR TAKE.
DO THEY HAVE IT RIGHT?
ARE WE STARTING ANOTHER SURGE?
>> I DON’T KNOW IF I’D SAY WE
ARE AT THE START OF A SURGE.
WE’RE CERTAINLY IN THE THICK OF
THINGS.
CASES ARE CONTINUING TO RISE.
THIS IS A SURGE, BUT NOT THE
BEGINNING.
AND I’LL SAY THAT THIS SURGE
ACTUALLY FEELS QUITE DIFFERENT
THAN PROFESSOR ONES BECAUSE
PREVIOUS SURGES HAVE BEEN A VERY
RAPID INCREASE IN CASES AND THIS
HAS BEEN A SLOW AND STEADY RISE
SINCE AROUND SEPTEMBER.
>> Devin: THE OTHER THING THAT
KEEPS CHANGING, AS WE MOVE
FORWARD, WE HAVE MORE AND MORE
TOOLS AT OUR DISPOSAL.
WE HAVE THE VACCINE, WE HAVE NOW
A VACCINE FOR CHILDREN AND
UNFORTUNATELY, OUR NUMBERS EACH
DAY, AS WE REPORT THE DAILY
TOTALS, ARE NOT BROKEN DOWN BY
WHO HAS AND HASN’T HAD THE
VACCINE, BUT THAT’S STILL WHERE
THE LION’S SHARE OF THE TROUBLE
IS, ISN’T IT?
PEOPLE WHO HAVEN’T BEEN
VACCINATED?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WHAT WE’RE SEEING, IS THAT THERE
HAS BEEN DIFFERENTIAL UPTAKE OF
VACCINE BY AGE GROUPS.
SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THE STATE
OVER ALL, THINGS LOOK PRETTY
OKAY, 16 PLUS WE CAN SAY WE’RE
CLOSE TO THAT 70% TARGET THAT WE
HAD TALKED ABOUT SO LONG AGO.
BUT WHEN WE BREAK IT DOWN BY AGE
GROUP, WHAT WE’RE ACTUALLY
SEEING IS IN ELDERLY
INDIVIDUALS, SO THOSE OVER 65 OR
75, VACCINE UPTAKE HAS BEEN
FANTASTIC.
WE’RE LOOKING AT VACCINE
INITIATION RATES CLOSE TO 86%
AND THEN THAT DROPS OFF AS YOU
LOOK AT YOUNGER AGE GROUPS.
WHEN WE LOOK AT 12 TO
15-YEAR-OLDS, 40% VACCINE UPTAKE
AND WHAT WE SAW WITH THIS SURGE,
THIS SURGE IMPACTED CHILDREN
FIRST SO THAT THE TIMING OF THIS
WAS REALLY CLOSE TO SCHOOLS
BEING BACK, AND WE SAW THAT RISE
IN TRANSMISSION AND IN FIVE TO
18-YEAR-OLDS AND UNTIL RECENTLY
WE DIDN’T HAVE A VACCINE
AVAILABLE FOR THE YOUNGEST AMONG
US.
>> Devin: WE KNOW FROM THE
QUESTIONS THAT OUR DR. FRANK
McGEORGE RECEIVES ON A DAILY
BASIS, WE HAVE A LOT OF PARENTS
WHO ARE SLE CONCERNED.
THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THIS HAS
BEEN APPROVED, BUT VERY
CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING OUT
THERE AND BEING AMONG THE FIRST
TO GET THEIR CHILDREN
VACCINATED.
WE’VE SEEN QUITE A FEW WHO ARE.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO PARENTS
WHO ARE WORRIED AND HESITANT?
IT’S UNDERSTANDABLE FEAR, ISN’T
IT?
SOMETHING ELSE TO BE THINKING
ABOUT YOUR CHILD AS OPPOSED TO
GETTING A VACCINE YOURSELF?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND I WOULD SAY THAT EVERY
PARENT OUT THERE WANTS TO MAKE
THE BEST POSSIBLE DECISION FOR
THEIR CHILD.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT.
I’M A MOTHER OF A YOUNG CHILD
MYSELF.
SO, I UNDERSTAND THE FEARS AND
THE CONCERNS, BUT WHAT I CAN SAY
ABOUT THIS VACCINE IN PARTICULAR
IS THAT THE CLINICAL TRIALS WERE
DONE IN OVER 3,000 CHILDREN, AND
THERE WERE NO SERIOUS ADVERSE
EVENTS WHICH IS REALLY GOOD
NEWS.
IF WE PUT THE 3,000 CHILDREN ON
ONE SIDE FOR A MOMENT, IF WE
TALK ABOUT THE VACCINES OVERALL,
THEY’VE BEEN GIVEN TO MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD AND
THAT DATA, LOOKING AT MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD,
REALLY SHOWS HOW SAFE AND
EFFECTIVE THEY ARE.
>> Devin: YOU HAVE ALREADY
TALKED BEFORE ABOUT, YOU’VE KIND
OF LAMENTED THE POLITICAL
ATMOSPHERE THAT IS INFECTING THE
WORK THAT YOU’RE TRYING TO DO.
THIS PAST WEEK, THE NEW YORK
TIMES IN THEIR DAILY PODCAST, I
THOUGHT IT WAS VERY DEPRESSING,
TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF PUBLIC
HEALTH OFFICIALS WHO HAVE LEFT
THE PUBLIC HEALTH SPHERE.
HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF THEM
BECAUSE THEY’VE BEEN UNDERMINED
OR WORSE, BELITTLED, INSULTED
AND THE WORK THAT YOU’VE SPENT A
LIFETIME ACCRUING, THE KNOWLEDGE
THAT YOU HAVE, IS BEING USURPED
BY A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO OBVIOUSLY
DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT
MEDICINE AND CERTAINLY DON’T
KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT PUBLIC
HEALTH AND I’M WONDERING ABOUT
YOUR THOUGHTS OF THE CLIMATE
WE’RE IN RIGHT NOW WHEN IT COMES
TO PEOPLE LIKE YOU, WHO WE TRUST
TO HAVE THE EXPERTISE TO HELP US
GET THROUGH THIS BEING TURNED
ASIDE, IGNORED, OR UNDERMINED AT
MANY TURNS.
>> ABSOLUTELY, I THINK IT’S A
HUGE PROBLEM, NOT ONLY ARE WE
SEEING THIS ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
BUT WE’RE SEEING THIS IN
MICHIGAN.
WE’RE TALK TO OUR COLLEAGUES IN
LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTS
AND THEY’RE FEELING BURNED OUT
AND THEY’RE DEALING WITH
VITRIOL, DEALING WITH A LOT OF
ANGER AND THEIR SCHOOL BOARD
MEETINGS THAT HAVE TURNED UGLY.
IT’S UNFORTUNATE AND THERE ARE
PEOPLE LEAVING THEIR JOBS ACROSS
THE COUNTRY AND IN MICHIGAN.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
I THINK THIS IS THE TIME TO
REALLY THINK ABOUT OUR
COMMUNITIES AND TO THINK ABOUT
STRENGTHENING OUR COMMUNITIES,
COMING TOGETHER, AND REALLY
WORKING TOWARDS ENDING THE
PANDEMIC, BASED ON SCIENCE AND
DATA.
NONE OF THIS SHOULD BE
POLITICAL.
>> LET’S HOPE SO.
LASTLY, CAN YOU SEE--
WE KEEP WONDERING WHEN WE’RE
GOING TO TURN THE CORNER, CAN
YOU SEE THE CORNER?
>> THE WAY WE NEED TO THINK
ABOUT THIS IS THAT THE PANDEMIC
WILL SUDDENLY ONE DAY END.
IT WILL BE A PROCESS JUST LIKE
THINGS BUILT UP TO THIS POINT,
IT WILL BE A PROCESS AND THINGS
WON’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT, BUT WHAT
WE’LL START TO SEE IS THAT COVID
WILL NO LONGER BE FRONT AND
CENTER IN OUR CONVERSATIONS AND
WE CAN GO BACK TO A MORE NORMAL
WAY OF LIVING.
THIS LAST YEAR AND A HALF, TWO
YEARS HAS BEEN HARD ON ALL OF
US, I THINK WE SHARED A
COLLECTIVE TRAUMA GOING THROUGH
THIS PANDEMIC TOGETHER.
SO I THINK THAT THINGS WILL
GRADUALLY GET BACK TO NORMAL,
BUT THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR
PEOPLE TO JUST SUDDENLY FORGET
ABOUT COVID.
THE POINT OF TIME WE’RE IN RIGHT
NOW IS REALLY CRITICAL.
WE HAVE RISING RATES, WE’VE HAD
RATES THAT HAVE BEEN RISING
SINCE ABOUT THE FALL.
WE HAVE A PERCENT POSITIVITY
THAT CONTINUES TO GO UP.
THAT MEANS WE REALLY NEED TO DO
MORE TESTING.
WE HAVE OUTBREAKS HAPPENING IN K
THROUGH 12 SPACES AND THE
HOLIDAYS ARE AROUND THE CORNER,
PEOPLE GATHERING INSIDE AND
GATHERING TOGETHER AND
RESPIRATORY VIRUS SEASON HEADED
OUR WAY AS WELL.
WE’RE ALREADY HEARING ABOUT
INFLUENZA OUTBREAKS.
WHILE IT’S TEMPT TO GO SAY LET’S
JUST GO BACK TO NORMAL RIGHT
NOW.
WE’RE NOT QUITE THERE.
AND IF WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS
BIG SURGE, MAYBE ON THE OTHER
END OF THIS LIFE CAN LOOK A
LITTLE BIT MORE THE WAY WE WANT
IT TO.
BUT THIS FALL, I REALLY WANT TO
ENCOURAGE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT
BEEN VACCINATED TO GET
VACCINATED AND IF YOU HAVEN’T
HAD YOUR FLU SHOT.
NOW IS THE TIME TO GET YOUR FLU