>> LET’S TURN TO THE PANDEMIC
NOW.
MICHIGAN WAS STRUGGLING WITH THE
FOURTH SURGE OF THE CORONAVIRUS
WHEN WORD OF ANOTHER VARIANT WAS
IN CIRCULATION, OMICRON, WAS
SAID TO BE THE VERSION OF THE
VIRUS WITH THE MOST MUTATIONS.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
SHOULD IT INSPIRE RESTRICTIONS
OR THE GUIDANCE IS THE SAME,
JUST GET THE VACCINE AND
BOOSTERS?
LET’S TALK WITH HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES, ELIZABETH HERTEL.
GIVE ME YOUR THUMBNAIL, THE
ASSESSMENT OF THE COVID PICTURE
IN MICHIGAN, NEARLY AS BAD AS
IT’S BEEN IN THE TWO YEARS OF
THE PANDEMIC WHEN IT COMES TO
CASES.
>> IT’S INCREDIBLY CONCERNING
RIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT.
IT’S INCREASING AND
HOSPITALIZATIONS INCREASE AND ON
TOP OF VIRUSES WE GENERALLY SEE
IN THE WINTER, LIKE THE FLU.
WE EXPECT WE’LL SEE MORE CASES
OF THE OMICRON VARIANT
IDENTIFIED ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN
THE COMING WEEKS AND I’M
INCREDIBLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE
PRESSURES THAT THIS IS PUTTING
ON OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM RIGHT
NOW.
>> Devin: I HATE TO KEEP STATING
THE OBVIOUS, BUT THE FACT IS
OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THOSE
HOSPITALIZED AND CERTAINLY THOSE
DYING FROM THIS DISEASE REMAIN
TO BE THE ONES WHO HAVE NOT BEEN
VACCINATED, CORRECT?
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
IT’S CLEAR THAT THE VACCINATIONS
ARE WORKING AND THE MAJORITY OF
PEOPLE WE’RE SEEING IN THE
HOSPITAL AND THE MAJORITY OF
PEOPLE IN CRITICAL CARE ARE NOT
VACCINATED OR NOT FULLY
VACCINATED.
>> Devin: LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT
WE KNOW SO FAR ABOUT THE OMICRON
VARIANT.
I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE MELT
LIKE MAYBE THE PANIC BUTTON WAS
PRESSED EARLY.
YES, IT WAS SPREADING AROUND
SOUTH AFRICA, ONLY 25% OF THE
PEOPLE IN SOUTH AFRICA HAVE BEEN
VACCINATED SO FAR.
IT’S TOO EARLY TO MAKE BROAD
ASSUMPTIONS WHAT THE VARIANT
MEANS RELATIVE TO THE VACCINES.
WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THE NEW
VERSION OF THE VIRUS?
>> WELL, WE NEED TO WATCH
CLOSELY.
ONE OF THE REASONS THAT PEOPLE
BECAME CONCERNED ABOUT IT IS
THAT GENETICALLY IT LOOKED
PRETTY DIFFERENT THAN THE DELTA
VARIANT AND WE KNOW THAT IT
LOOKS DIFFERENT, BUT WE’RE NOT
SURE HOW IT WILL AFFECT THE
DISEASE AND TRANSMISSIBILITY.
WE KNOW IT’S MORE TRANSMISSIBLE,
BUT WE’LL LOOK ACROSS THE
COUNTRY TO SEE HOW THIS NEW
VARIANT WORKS.
>> Devin: I REMEMBER READING
EARLY IN THE PANDEMIC, AS I
MENTIONED ALMOST TWO YEARS INTO
IT, THE NATURAL COURSE OF A
VIRUS, IT BECOMES MORE
CONTAGIOUS, BUT LESS DEADLY.
IS THAT KIND OF WHAT WE’RE
SEEING?
>> WE’RE NOT SURE YET.
WE’RE NOT SURE YET.
BUT WE’LL CONTINUE TO WATCH THIS
AND WE’LL GET A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING AS IT AFFECTS MORE
POPULATIONS AROUND THE WORLD.
>> Devin: I SAW A STUDY RECENTLY
THAT DID SEEM TO SHOW A LITTLE
BIT OF PROMISE.
BACK IN APRIL IT WAS SOMETHING
LIKE 27% OF AMERICANS WERE
SAYING THEY WERE NEVER GOING TO
GET THE VACCINE.
AND AT LAST CHECK, IN I BELIEVE,
OCTOBER, IT WAS DOWN TO ABOUT
13%.
ARE YOU SEEING INROADS IN
PROGRESS MADE ON THOSE WHO ARE
WILLING TO CONSIDER GETTING THE
VACCINE AND MAYBE HAVE CHANGED
THEIR THINKING?
>> YES, ABSOLUTELY.
THE LONGER THE VACCINE IS
AVAILABLE, THE MORE PEOPLE WHO
ARE GETTING THE VACCINE, THE
MORE COMFORTABLE PEOPLE ARE
GETTING WITH HOW SAFE IT IS AND
HOW EFFECTIVE IT ACTUALLY IS.
WHILE IT MAY NOT BE HAPPENING AS
QUICKLY AS WE’D LIKE TO SEE
ACROSS THE STATE, EVERY TIME
SOMEBODY STARTS THAT NEW SERIES
OF VACCINATIONS IS INCREDIBLY
PROMISING.
>> Devin: THE GOVERNOR, AS YOU
KNOW, HAS BEEN CRITICIZED BY
SOME FOR BEING MUCH MORE
AGGRESSIVE EARLY IN THE PANDEMIC
WITH MANDATES AND REQUIREMENTS,
SOCIAL DISTANCING, MASKS VENUES
AND THAT’S NOT THE CASE NOW AND
SOME ARE READING POLITICS INTO
IT.
WHAT IS THE GOVERNOR’S APPROACH
NOW.
>> THE GOVERNOR AND I KNOW WE
HAVE NEW TOOLS EVERY TIME WE’RE
ADDRESSING A NEW SURGE.
AND RIGHT NOW WE HAVE AVAILABLE
TO US THE ABSOLUTE BEST TOOL TO
HELP END THE PANDEMIC.
THAT’S THE VACCINATION.
WE WANT TO FOCUS OUR TIME THAT
PEOPLE FEEL EDUCATED AND
COMFORTABLE WITH THE VACCINES
AND WE’RE GETTING TO THE MOST
VULNERABLE POPULATIONS OF PEOPLE
THAT WE HAVE CONCERNS ARE AT
HIGHEST RISK.
COVID IS HERE AND IT’S GOING TO
BE HERE IN THE LONGRUN SO WE
NEED TO LEARN HOW TO ADAPT TO
THAT AND MAKE SURE WE’RE
PRACTICING GOOD PUBLIC HEALTH
MEASURES, CONSTANT HAND WASHING
AND SANITIZING AND WHEN WE SEE
SURGES LIKE THIS, MAKING SURE
WE’RE CAUTIOUS WHO WE’RE
SPENDING TIME WITH, REMAIN MASKS
IN INDOOR SPACES AND NOT ONLY
WILL THAT HELP TO PREVENT COVID,
IT ALSO HELPS TO PREVENT THE
OTHER VIRAL RESPIRATORY
ILLNESSES AS WELL.
>> Devin: YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY
RIGHT THAT WE HAVE MANY MORE
TOOLS AT OUR DISPOSAL, BUT THE
NUMBERS ARE WHAT THEY ARE.
IF THE NUMBERS HAVE REACHED A
PANDEMIC HIGH, IS IT NOT TIME TO
STEP IN AND PUT FURTHER--
THE COURT RULES THAT THE
GOVERNOR DOESN’T HAVE THE
LATITUDE THAT SHE USED TO HAVE.
BUT YOU DO, THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT DOES.
>> WELL, YEAH, I’M NOT SAYING
THAT IT WILL NOT EVER SEE ANY
ACTIONS TAKEN AGAIN.
RIGHT NOW OUR FOCUS IS ON MAKING
SURE WE’RE GETTING PEOPLE
VACCINATED AND MAKING SURE WE’RE
PROVIDING THE SUPPORTS AND
RESOURCES TO OUR HEALTH CARE
PROVIDERS THAT THEY NEED.
>> Devin: IT’S PROBABLY TOO
SOON, I SUPPOSE, TO READ WHAT
KIND OF IMPACT THE THANKSGIVING
HOLIDAY HAD WITH PEOPLE GETTING
TOGETHER, BUT WE KNOW THAT’S
GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN DURING THE
HOLIDAYS.
WHAT’S YOUR CONCERN LEVEL AROUND
THAT?
>> I’M ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT
PEOPLE GATHERING INDOORS.
AND I THINK THAT PEOPLE WILL
TAKE THOSE STEPS THEY NEED TO
MAKE SURE THIS THEY AND THEIR
LOVED ONES REMAIN HEALTHY.
YOU KNOW, GATHERING WITH PEOPLE
WHO ARE VACCINATED.
IF THEY’RE UNVACCINATED WEARING
MASKS WHEN APPROPRIATE AND EVEN
SOME OF THAT -- YOU KNOW,
OPENING A WINDOW IMPROVING YOUR
AIRFLOW AND DOING SIMPLE THINGS
CAN BE VERY, VERY EFFECTIVE.
>> Devin: LASTLY, ELIZABETH
HERTEL, WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF
OUTBREAKS IN THE STATE’S SCHOOLS
AND WE’VE LEFT A LOT OF THOSE
CONTROL MEASURES TO LOCAL
CONTROL WHICH IS PART OF THE
TRADITION WHEN IT COMES TO
SCHOOLS, BUT DO WE NEED A
DIFFERENT APPROACH?
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT HOW MANY
OUTBREAKS WE’RE SEEING AMONG
YOUNG PEOPLE IN OUR STATE’S
SCHOOLS?
>> I’M ALWAYS CONCERNED WHEN I’M
SEEING OUTBREAKS AMONG ANY
POPULATION IN THE STATE AND IT’S
BEEN CLEAR THE LAST FEW MONTHS
THAT THOSE SCHOOLS THAT HAD
MASKING POLICIES WERE
EXPERIENCING FEWER OUTBREAKS AND
FEWER CASES OF COVID.
HOWEVER, WE’RE MAKING SURE THAT
THE SCHOOLS HAVE ACCESS TO THE
TOOLS THEY NEED AS WELL
INCREASED TESTS AND MAKING SURE
THEIR STUDENTS ARE SAFE AND
HEALTHY.
>> Devin: THE STATE’S HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES, ELIZABETH