HOSPITALIZATION RATES ARE
CONTINUING TO DROP ACROSS THE
COUNTRY AS THE U.S. LOOSENS
MANY COVID PROTOCOLS PUT INTO
PLACE OVER 2 YEARS AGO. BUT
EXPERTS ARE CONCERNED. THE
DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE. MANY
FEAR COVID HAS PERMANENTLY
ALTERED THE HEALTH CARE
PROFESSION FROM BURNOUT TO
PTSD, DOCTORS AND NURSES ARE
STRUGGLING TO CONTINUE THEIR
WORK IN HOSPITALS. AND THIS
ALL COMES, OF COURSE, AS NEW
COVID VARIANTS QUICKLY BECOME
DOMINANT STRAINS RAISING
CONCERNS ABOUT A NEW WAVE IN
THE NEAR FUTURE. CHECK BACK IN
WITH DOCTOR RICHINA BICETTE
SHE IS THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF
THE MCNAIR, A CAMPUS EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENT, SOMEBODY THAT YOU
PROBABLY RECOGNIZE BECAUSE
SHE'S JOINED US A NUMBER OF
TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF THE
PANDEMIC IS A FRIEND OF THE
SHOW. DOCTOR, GOOD MORNING.
THANKS FOR BEING WITH US. SO
THE FIRST OFF, IT'S BEEN MORE
THAN 2 YEARS SINCE COVID WAS
FIRST REPORTED IN THE U.S.
DURING THAT TIME THROUGHOUT
THESE 2 YEARS HAVE TALKED
ABOUT THE STRAIN YOUR HOSPITAL
HAS BEEN UNDER AT THE TIME
LIKE MANY HOSPITALS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY. THE FATIGUE, THE BURN
OUT YOUR STAFF WAS FEELING
WHAT THINGS LOOK LIKE RIGHT
NOW. I MEAN, ARE YOU EVEN
CLOSE TO BACK TO NORMAL AT
YOUR HOSPITAL ARE SEEING
DIFFERENT CHALLENGES COME UP
NOW THAT WE'RE KIND OF PAST
THE PEAK.
>> ABSOLUTELY NOT. SUDDEN.
IT'S ACTUALLY INTERESTING TO
SEE COVID NUMBERS ARE WAY
DOWN. WE'RE SEEING AT THE
LOWEST HOSPITALIZATION RATE
SINCE THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES BEGAN
TRACKING HOSPITALIZATIONS IN
TWENTY-TWENTY YET STILL ACROSS
THE COUNTRY. HOSPITALS REMAIN
80% FULL. SO ALTHOUGH COVID
NUMBERS ARE GOING DOWN. PEOPLE
ARE STILL COMING IN. WITH
OTHER SICKNESSES STROKES,
HEART ATTACKS AND ACCIDENTS
GUN VIOLENCE IS AT AN ALL-TIME
HIGH. IT'S LIKE WE'VE BEEN
RUNNING AT A FULL SPRINT FOR 2
YEARS AND THERE ARE NO OTHER
STAFF MEMBERS TO TAG HIM FOR
US TO GET A BREAK.
>> SO DOCTOR, LOOKING AHEAD AS
THESE COVID VARIANTS
CIRCULATING PEOPLE DO STILL
COME DOWN WITH COVID LIKE
OMICRON. NOW, THIS VARIANT.
TELL US WHAT YOU'RE SEEING
WITH THOSE PATIENTS IS THAT
INCREASING AND ARE THEY ANY
MORE DIFFICULT TO TREAT OR,
YOU KNOW, WE THINK BACK TO THE
BEGINNING AND WE WERE TALKING
SO MUCH ABOUT RESPIRATORS AND
AND THERE NOT BEING ENOUGH
BEDS. WHAT IS THAT LIKE NOW IN
YOUR TREATMENT.
>> WELL, PERSONALLY, I FIND
THAT IN MY EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENT. I'M GETTING MORE
PATIENTS WHO ARE INCIDENTALLY
FOUND TO HAVE COVID AS OPPOSED
TO PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING IN
WITH COVID SYMPTOMS AND THEN
ODDS OF WE ARE SEEING RIGHT
NOW ABOUT 25 TO 28,000 CASES
PER DAY IN THE UNITED STATES,
WHICH IS EXTREMELY LOW IN THE
LOW AS CASE NUMBERS WE'VE SEEN
SINCE LAST SUMMER. HOWEVER
TREATMENT IS BECOMING AN ISSUE
AS NEW VARIANTS BEGIN TO
EMERGE. MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES
ARE NO LONGER A STAPLE OF
OUTPATIENT TREATMENT SUCH AS
IT SEEMS AS IF THEY'RE NOT
WORKING AGAINST THIS NEW
VARIANT THERE ALSO HAVE BEEN
SOME ORAL ANTIVIRAL MEDICINES
LIKE PAXLOVID THAT HAVE BEEN
APPROVED FOR USE. BUT WE'RE
NOT SEEING THAT EMPLOYED IT
TOO OFTEN BECAUSE THERE ARE A
LOT OF MEDICATION INTERACTIONS
AND IT'S ONLY APPROVED FOR
OLDER ADULTS WHO ARE AT RISK
FOR SEVERE DISEASE. NOW WE'VE
REPORTED JUST MENTION THE
BURNOUT DOCTORS.
>> AND NURSES ARE FEELING
BECAUSE THE PANDEMIC SUFFER
SOME WONDERING HOW ARE YOU
DOING? HOW'S YOUR STAFF DOING
AT THIS POINT AND WHAT YOU SEE
FOR THE FUTURE OF THE MEDICAL
FIELD.
>> IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY.
SAVANNAH. I DO KNOW THAT FOR A
LOT OF PHYSICIANS. THERE HAVE
BEEN SOME PEOPLE THAT HAVE
ABANDONED BEDSIDE CLINICAL
MEDICINE TO PURSUE OTHER
AVENUES IN OTHER ENDEAVORS
BECAUSE AT ONE POINT IT JUST
BECAME TOO MUCH. EVEN WHEN WE
SEE COVID NUMBERS START TO
DECREASE. WE'VE BEEN HERE
BEFORE. AND ALTHOUGH THE
SAYING IS WHAT GOES UP MUST
COME DOWN WE'VE SEEN WITH
COVID CASES THAT WHAT GOES
DOWN CAN ACTUALLY QUICKLY
SPIKE BACK UP AS WELL. SO
WE'RE CONSTANTLY ON A STATE OF
ALERT. AND THAT'S A VERY
STRESSFUL SITUATION TO BE IN
MENTALLY PHYSICALLY AND
EMOTIONALLY.
>> I MENTIONED AT THE TOP OF
THIS DOCTOR, THAT IN SOME WAYS
PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED THAT THE
MEDICAL FIELD HAS CHANGED
PERMANENTLY. DO YOU FEEL THAT
WAY?
>> ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. WE
WILL NEVER BE THE TIME. DOCTOR
RICHINA BICETTE, THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US. IT'S SO GREAT TO
HAVE YOU WITH US. AND.
>> THANKS FOR SHARING THE
EXPERIENCE. YOU AND YOUR STAFF
ARE GOING THROUGH.
>> THANK YOU. SO THEY HAVE A