>>> AND WELCOME BACK.
SO SCHOOLS ARE REOPENING, FLU
SEASON IS APPROACHES.
IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY DAY THERE’S
STILL NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
CORONAVIRUS.
>> THIS MORNING WE ARE TAPPING
INTO TWO OF OUR EXPERTS TO
PROVIDE SOME ANSWERS.
WE HAVE NBC NEWS MEDICAL
CORRESPONDENT DR. JOHN TORRES
AND NBC NEWS INVESTIGATIVE
CONSUMER CORRESPONDENT VICKY
NGUYEN.
GOOD MORNING TO BOTH OF YOU.
>> HI, SHEINELLE.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> WE HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.
DR. TORRES, I’M GOING TO START
WITH YOU.
THE UNITED STATES LEADS THE
WORLD NOW WITH THE HIGHEST
NUMBER OF COVID-19 CASES.
I THINK IT’S OVER 5 MILLION AT
THIS POINT.
AS WE HEAD TOWARDS FLU SEASON,
SHOULD WE BE BRACING FOR WHAT
PEOPLE ARE CALLING A TWIN-DEMIC?
>> IT’S OVER 5 MILLION CASES AT
THIS POINT.
UNFORTUNATELY OVER 171,000
DEATHS AS WELL.
AND THOSE TWO TEND TO GO HAND IN
HAND.
BUT SFIRS THE TWIN-DEMIC.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC ALREADY
BEING HERE AND WORSENING COME
WINTERTIME.
ON TOP OF THAT, FLU WILL BE HERE
AS WELL.
AND THAT FLU COULD TURN INTO AN
EPIDEMIC MAKING IT THAT
TWIN-DEMIC.
HAS A LOT OF HEALTH EXPERTS
CONCERNED BECAUSE IF THAT
HAPPENS, NUMBER ONE, MORE PEOPLE
GETTING SICK.
BUT THIS COULD ALSO OVERWHELM
OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
THE REASON WE THINK THIS MIGHT
BE HAPPENING IS BECAUSE AS THE
COLD WEATHER APPROACHES, WE KNOW
FLU COMES INTO THE AREA AS WELL.
AND CORONAVIRUS MIGHT GET WORSE
BECAUSE WE GO INDOORS, WE TEND
TO SNEEZE AND COUGH AND HAVE
RUNNY NOSES MORE WHICH MEANS
WE’RE WIPING OUR NOSE AND
TOUCHING OUR FACES AND OTHER
OBJECTS.
SO A FEW THINGS PEOPLE CAN DO.
NUMBER ONE, MAKE SURE YOU GET
YOUR FLU SHOT.
I CAN’T OVER-STRESS THAT.
IT’S USUALLY STARTING IN
SEPTEMBER.
SHOTS ARE THERE NOW.
MOST EXPERTS SAY SEPTEMBER BY
THE END OF OCTOBER BY HALLOWEEN
YOU WANT TO GET THAT
VACCINATION.
AND THAT CAN PROTECT YOU AT
LEAST FROM THE FLU.
AND AS FAR AS CORONAVIRUS, DOING
THE THINGS WE DO NOW.
ONE OF THE CONCERNS IS PEOPLE
START GETTING COMPLACENT.
THEY’LL START FORGETTING MASKS,
NOT SOCIAL DISTANCING.
AND THAT COULD CAUSE IT TO COME
BACK ESPECIALLY AS WE START
MOVING INDOORS, SHEINELLE.
>> LET ME SQUEEZE IN ONE MORE.
YOU MENTIONED A VACCINE.
WE CONTINUE TO SEE PROMISING
NEWS ON A VACCINE.
SOME ARE EVEN IN PHASE THREE
TRIALS.
WHEN IN YOUR OPINION MIGHT WE
SEE ONE?
>> SHEINELLE, YOU’RE RIGHT.
BY SOME COUNTS RIGHT NOW WE HAVE
OVER 165 VACCINES AROUND THE
WORLD IN PRODUCTION OR AT LEAST
TESTING PROCESS.
EIGHT OF THOSE ARE IN PHASE
THREE MEANING THEY’RE IN THE
FINAL STAGE OF TESTING.
WHAT MOST EXPERTS ARE NOW SAYING
IS IT LOOKS LIKE THE END OF THE
YEAR, BEGINNING OF SPRINGTIME IS
WHEN WE HOPE TO HAVE AN FDA
APPROVED ONE.
NOW, RUSSIA HAS RELEASED ONE BUT
IT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED.
THEY HAVE NOT GONE THROUGH THEIR
PHASE THREE TRIAL WHICH WE’RE
ADAMANT ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT
HAPPENS HERE.
WE WANT IT TO BE SAFE AND
EFFECTIVE.
AND THEN OF COURSE DISTRIBUTION
WILL BECOME AN ISSUE AT THAT
POINT BECAUSE YOU CAN’T GIVE ALL
350 MILLION AMERICANS A VACCINE
ON DAY ONE.
SO FIGURING OUT THAT
DISTRIBUTION, THEY’RE FIGURING
THAT OUT RIGHT NOW.
HOPEFULLY WE’LL GET THAT UNDER
CONTROL BY THE TIME A VACCINE
COMES OUT.
>> ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU.
I’M GOING TO TOSS THE BATON OVER
TO DYLAN.
DID THAT WORK?
>> NOT REALLY.
VICKY, LET’S DIVE RIGHT IN HERE.
I FEEL LIKE IN THE BEGINNING WE
WERE DISINFECTING EVERYTHING.
MAIL, PACKAGES, GROCERIES.
AS DR. TORRES SAID, WE CAN’T LET
COMPLACENCY SET IN.
DO WE NEED TO DISINFECT
ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY?
>> NOW THAT WE HAVE LEARNED
MORE, THE KEY THINGS TO CLEAN
ARE OUR HIGH TOUCH SURFACES THAT
OUR FAMILY MEMBERS ARE TOUCHING.
ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE PEOPLE
GOING OUT TO WORK, GOING OUT TO
SCHOOL, GOING TO THE STORE.
THE DOORDOORKNOBS, THE LIGHT
SWITCHES, THE REMOTE CONTROL,
DEFINITELY THE PHONE.
THE CDC HAS CONFIRMED THAT
SURFACE TRANSMISSION IS NOT THE
PRIMARY WAY WE’RE GOING TO GET
CORONAVIRUS.
IT’S GOING TO BE THROUGH
COUGHING OR SNEEZING OR TALKING
TO SOMEONE NOT WEARING A MASK.
THAT IS THE GOOD NEWS.
WE ALSO WENT OUT A COUPLE WEEKS
AGO AND DID A STORY WHERE WE
SWABBED SURFACES OUT IN PUBLIC
THAT WERE HIGH TOUCH.
WE DID NOT FIND CORONAVIRUS ON A
LOT OF THESE THINGS THAT YOU
MIGHT EXPECT.
LIKE AN ATM OR A DOOR HANDLE,
PLAYGROUND SURFACES.
WHICH IS HELPFUL TO KNOW.
BECAUSE THE VIRUS IS DELICATE.
IT DOESN’T LAST LONG IN
OUTDOORS.
BUT WE DID FIND SOME POSITIVES
IN HOT SPOTS LIKE MIAMI.
A RESTAURANT TABLE CLOTH, AN
ATM, GARBAGE CHUTE HANDLE.
IN NEW YORK CITY WE FOUND IT ON
THE GROCERY CART HANDLE.
TRAIN YOURSELF NOT TO TOUCH YOUR
FACE.
>> WHAT ABOUT WITH US SPENDING
MORE TIME IN PUBLIC?
I’M BACK AT WORK.
GYMS ARE GOING TO OPEN UP SOON.
WHAT PRECAUTIONS DO WE HAVE TO
TAKE BESIDES WHAT WE HAVE BEEN
DOING?
>> PEOPLE SHOULD BE CAREFUL, BUT
THEY DON’T HAVE TO BE PARANOID.
I THINK THE ARMOR WE HAVE IS
THOSE THREE W’s WE TALK ABOUT.
IT’S WEAR A MASK, WASH YOUR
HANDS, WATCH YOUR DISTANCE.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WILL
HELP US REDUCE RISK AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE.
WHEN IT COMES TO GYMS, THOSE ARE
OPEN, BUT EVEN AT REDUCED
CAPACITY YOU REALLY WANT TO
THINK ABOUT VENTILATION.
THAT IS KEY.
WHENEVER YOU’RE IN AN ENCLOSED
SPACE, ARE THERE WINDOWS?
ASK ABOUT THE FILTRATION SYSTEM.
AND THEN OF COURSE YOU WANT TO
DISINFECT BETWEEN USERS, WEAR
YOUR MASK IN THE GYM.
GET THAT WORKOUT DONE AS QUICKLY
AS POSSIBLE.
NOT A PROBLEM FOR ME.
I WANT TO BE IN AND OUT.
THEN YOU’RE GOOD.
THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN DO.
WE CAN’T BE PARANOID.
WE’VE GOT TO GET BACK TO LIVING
OUR LIVES.
BUT WE CAN DO IT SMARTLY.
THESE THINGS HAVE TO BECOME A
HABIT FOR US.
>> LIKE YOU SAID YESTERDAY,
WEARING A MASK DOES NOT REDUCE
YOUR OXYGEN LEVELS.