WELL,
WELL, WE
WELL, WE HAVE ANOTHER CODED ALERT FOR YOU AS WE GET CLOSER
TO THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY ALL
WEEK.
WEEK.
WEEK. WE
WEEK. WE ARE GETTING ADVICE FROM
THE CDC ALONG WITH STATE
OFFICIALS AND PUBLIC HEALTH
EXPERTS RIGHT NOW.
>>
>>
>> OF
>> OF COURSE OUT OF THE ONE
HUNDRED AND SIXTY NINE TOWNS
AND CITIES, A HUNDRED OF THEM
ARE IN RED ALERT STATUS WHICH
EQUATES TO ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF
OUR POPULATION.
OUR POPULATION. AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
THANKSGIVING ALL WEEK AND
ADVICE COMING FROM THE CDC AS
WELL AS STATE OFFICIALS AND
PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS.
JOINING US THIS MORNING IS DR.
DAVID BANNOCK FROM UCONN
HEALTH.
HEALTH.
HEALTH. >>
>>
>> DR.
>> DR. BANNOCK, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US.
SO WE WANT TO START WITH
THANKSGIVING AS WE'VE BEEN
TALKING ABOU IT.
AS SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN DEALING
WITH THIS PANDEMIC DAY IN AND
DAY OUT, WHAT ARE YOUR
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THANKSGIVING TO YOUR PATIENTS?
SO SO THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON.
>>
>>
>> I
>> I THINK YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE
LOOKING AT WHAT'S HAPPENING
HERE IN CONNECTICUT AND EVEN
MORE BROADLY IN THE STATES
WE'RE SEEING RISES IN KOBE 19
KIND OF ACROSS ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
THE COUNTRY. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW,
THANKSGIVING WE HAVE TO BE
EXTRA CAUTIOUS.
EXTRA CAUTIOUS. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M THINKING
ABOUT WHAT THANKSGIVING COULD
LOOK LIKE.
LOOK LIKE. THE KEY IS TO REALLY KEEP IT
SAFE WHILE STILL MANAGING TO
HAVE THAT SOCIALIZATION SO THAT
I THINK THE CDC HAS REALLY
GREAT GUIDELINES THAT ENCOURAGE
EVERY TO TAKE A LOOK AT
THOSE.
THOSE.
THOSE. SOME OF THE MAIN THINGS TO
FOCUS ON ARE KEEPING GROUPS AS
VERY SMALL, REALLY CLOSE FAMILY
HOUSEHOLD CONTACTS TRYING TO
KEEP THINGS OUTDOORS AS MUCH AS
WEATHER PERMITTING AND THEN
STILL FOCUSING ON THOSE MAIN
MEASURES THAT DISTANCING
BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS AND THEN
WEARING MASKS WHEN YOU CAN LIKE
WHEN YOU'RE NOT EATING ARE
IMPORTANT STEPS.
IMPORTANT STEPS. >>
>>
>> BUT
>> BUT THEN WHEN LATER LATEST
PROBLEM IS PEOPLE SORT OF
MIXING THEIR BUBBLES BECAUSE
COLLEGE STUDENTS MAY HAVE BEEN
IN THEIR OWN BUBBLE OUT AT
COLLEGE ON CAMPUS NOW COMING
HOME TO A FAMILY BUBBLE THAT
CAN CREATE A WHOLE BUNCH OF
PROBLEMS RIGHT AT A TIME WHEN
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO HANG ON
AND NOT LET THIS EXPLODE.
SO HOW CAN YOU NAVIGATE THAT OR
SHOULD THEY JUST NOT EVEN
BOTHER?
BOTHER?
BOTHER? >>
>>
>> WELL,
>> WELL, I MEAN I THINK WE HAVE TO
BE EXTRA CAUTIOUS WITH COLLEGE
STUDENTS.
STUDENTS.
STUDENTS. THEY'RE CURRENTLY LIVING IN A
CONGREGATE ENVIRONMENT WHERE
THERE COULD BE HIGH RATES OF
COPING AS WELL AS TRAVELING
WHICH WOULD EXPOSE THEM TO
OTHERS.
OTHERS.
OTHERS. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF YOU
HAVE A COLLEGE STUDENT THAT'S
GOING TO BE COMING OVER, YOU
KNOW, BEING EXTRA CAUTIOUS WITH
THAT INDIVIDUAL, TRYING TO
REALLY FOCUS ON KEEPING THAT
INDIVIDUAL SEGREGATED WITH SOME
DISTANCE AWAY FROM OTHER PEOPLE
REALLY THE MASK WEARING IS
GOING TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT
WHENEVER POSSIBLE.
WHENEVER POSSIBLE. AND THEN YOU KNOW, I THINK
THE THIRD PIECE IS IF YOU DO
HAVE SOMEONE IN THE HOME WHO IS
AT HIGH RISK SAY AN ELDERLY
INDIVIDUAL OR INDIVIDUAL WITH A
LOT OF MEDICAL CONDITIONS
REALLY DO WANT TO PROTECT THAT
INDIVIDUAL FROM THE COLLEGE
STUDENT WHO MAY BE AT A HIGHER
RISK FOR TRANSMITTING INFECTION
TO OTHERS.
TO OTHERS. SO I THINK YOU JUST TO BE EXTRA
CAUTIOUS WITH THE COLLEGE
STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN
THEY CAN PARTICIPATE AND BE
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. BUT YOU KNOW, WITH THAT ADDED
LAYER OF PROTECTION, IT'S NOT
BEEN GOOD NEWS THE PAST FEW
WEEKS HERE IN CONNECTICUT.
WE'VE BEEN WATCHING THOSE
HOSPITALIZATIONS RISE A BIT
DOES NOT MATCH WHAT YOU GUYS
ARE SEEING INSIDE OF
THE HOSPITAL AT YOU.
HEALTH HAS.
HEALTH HAS. HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING CAPACITY
WISE?
WISE?
WISE? >>
>>
>> SO
>> SO WE
>> SO WE ARE SEEING INCREASES IN
CASES.
CASES.
CASES. YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT SEEING THIS
TYPE OF RISE THAT WE SAW IN
THE SPRINGTIME WHEN IT WAS
REALLY VERY RAPID AND WE HAD
MORE CONCERNS ABOUT CAPACITY.
SO YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD SOME
TIME TO PREPARE.
WE HAVE A LOT OF CONTINGENCY
PLANS ON HOW TO HANDLE IF WE
SEE WHAT WE CALL KIND OF A
LINEAR PATTERN OF CASES COMING
IN OR IF WE SEE A MORE RAPID
EXPONENTIAL PATTERN.
EXPONENTIAL PATTERN. WE HAVE DIFFERENT CONTINGENCY
PLANS TO ENSURE THAT WE DO HAVE
CAPACITY.
CAPACITY.
CAPACITY. BUT YOU KNOW SOMETHING WE
REALLY HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON
YOU KNOW, ANYTIME THAT WE'RE
SEEING RISING RATES OF COVE IT
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO BE READY
TO RESPOND AND YOU KNOW, I
THINK HOSPITALS ACROSS
THE STATE ARE PREPARING.
WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER AND
ENSURING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE
ABLE TO PROVIDE SAFE CARE TO
PATIENTS COMING IN.
>>
>>
>> I
>> I WANT
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU ONE LAST
QUESTION LESS OBJECTIVELY AND
MAYBE MORE
MAYBE MORE SUBJECTIVE. >
>
> ARE
> ARE YOU
> ARE YOU GETTING A SENSE THAT
THERE'S SOME DEGREE OF COVERED
FATIGUE EITHER IN YOUR PATIENTS
OR IN COWORKERS THAT THEY'VE
HAD TO KEEP UP THIS VIGILANCE
FOR SO LONG THAT IT'S IT'S
STARTING TO GET A LITTLE MORE
TRYING?
TRYING?
TRYING? I
TRYING? I THINK THE COAT FATIGUE IS
REAL.
REAL.
REAL. YOU
REAL. YOU KNOW, WE SEE IT IN
THE HOSPITAL.
THE HOSPITAL. YOU KNOW, OUR PATIENTS ARE
FEELING IT.
FEELING IT. YOU KNOW, EVEN YOU KNOW, OUR
HEALTH CARE WORKERS ARE FEELING
IT.
IT.
IT. YOU
IT. YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN BATTLING
THIS NOW FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND
YOU KNOW, I THINK AT
THE BEGINNING THERE'S A BIG
THOUGHT THAT THERE'S GOING TO
BE A SHORT TERM ISSUE.
BUT NOW WE'RE SEEING THAT THIS
IS REALLY WE'RE IN FOR THE LONG
HAUL.
HAUL.
HAUL. AND
HAUL. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE
TO TAKE IT ONE STEP AT A TIME
AND KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE
IS GOING TO BE AN END IN SIGHT.
NOW WE'RE SEEING SOME SIGNS OF
OPTIMISM.
OPTIMISM.
OPTIMISM. YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE VACCINE
DATA THAT JUST CAME OUT THIS
PAST WEEK IS LOOKING VERY
PROMISING.
PROMISING. WE HAVE NEW THERAPIES THAT ARE
COMING OUT THAT ARE GOING TO BE
DESIGNED TO HELP PREVENT
PATIENTS FROM BECOMING SICKER
AND NEEDING HOSPITALIZATIO
SO I THINK WE'RE SEEING THOSE
INCREMENTAL PROGRESS BEING MADE
IN TERMS OF OUR THERAPEUTICS
AND OUR PREVENTION STRATEGIES.
BUT WE REALLY GOT TO BE EXTRA
VIGILANT THE NEXT FEW MONTHS,
YOU KNOW, ARE GOING TO BE
TOUGH.
TOUGH.
TOUGH. AND I THINK WE HAVE TO KNOW
THERE'S GOING TO BE EVENTUALLY
AN END IN SIGHT.
AND YOU DO WE CAN TO FOCUS