>> AS WISCONSIN JUMPS FORWARD
% IMMEDIATE REOPENING WITH SOME
% COUNTIES MAINTAINING "SAFER AT
% HOME" RULES, HEALTH CARE WORKERS
% STAY THE COURSE, BRACING FOR
% INCOMING PATIENTS, DEATHS AND
% THE DURESS OF THE FRONT LINE
% CARE.
% WHEN THE PANDEMIC FIRST HIT
% WISCONSIN BACK IN MARCH, WE
% TALKED WITH DR. NASIA SAFDAR
% WITH THE UW DIVISION OF
% INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
% THIS WEEK, WE WANT TO CHECK BACK
% IN WITH HER.
% AND, DR. SAFDAR, THANK YOU FOR
% JOINING US AGAIN.
% >> THANK YOU.
% >> WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE
% COURT RULING THAT IMMEDIATELY
% REOPENED THE STATE?
% >> YOU KNOW, I THINK FROM A
% PUBLIC HEALTH AND INFECTION
% CONTROL STANDPOINT, I THINK WE
% HAVE ALWAYS ADVISED THAT
% REOPENING SHOULD BE A GRADUAL,
% CAREFULLY-MONITORED PROCESS.
% AND SO THIS GOES AGAINST THAT.
% >> AND WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT
% THAT?
% >> I THINK POTENTIALLY THERE ARE
% ACTIVITIES AS PEOPLE CO-MINGLE
% AND GATHER THAT WILL MAKE IT
% CHALLENGING TO MAINTAIN COVID-19
% IN THE WAY THAT WE HAVE BEEN
% ABLE, FORTUNATELY, LOCALLY AND
% IN THE LARGER STATE, BEEN ABLE
% TO DO THUS FAR.
% >> YEAH.
% I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU IF YOU
% BELIEVE THAT THE "SAFER AT HOME"
% ORDER HAD FLATTENED THE CURVE.
% >> I THINK MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE
% THAT TO BE TRUE.
% AND I THINK THE DATA ON MOBILITY
% AND THE EFFECT OF REDUCING
% MOBILITY ON COVID-19 GROWTH RATE
% AND NEW CASES IS PRETTY
% COMPELLING.
% SO I THINK WHEN YOU HAVE
% SOMETHING THAT HAS WORKED
% SUCCESSFULLY, IF YOU DO DECIDE
% TO DEESCALATE IT, IT SHOULD BE
% DONE IN A VERY CAREFUL, GRADUAL
% MANNER.
% >> AND MEANWHILE THIS WILL, AT
% LEAST SO FAR, BE DONE IN KIND OF
% A PATCHWORK MANNER, WITH SOME
% NUMBER OF COUNTIES DECIDING TO
% GO AHEAD AND MAINTAIN THOSE
% ORDERS, WHEREAS OTHERS WILL NOT.
% IF THERE WERE TO BE A SURGE IN
% CASES AS WE REOPEN THE STATE IN
% THIS WAY, ARE HEALTH CARE
% WORKERS WHERE YOU ARE ABLE TO
% MANAGE A JUMP IN CASES?
% >> YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE MUCH
% BETTER POSITIONED THAN WE WERE
% IN THE EARLIER STAGES OF THIS
% PANDEMIC IN THIS COUNTRY IN THE
% SENSE THAT WE NOW KNOW A LOT
% MORE ABOUT TRANSMISSION, ABOUT
% ITS IMPACT, THE POPULATIONS AT
% RISK AND ALL THOSE THINGS THAT
% WE REALLY HAD VERY LIMITED
% INFORMATION ABOUT BEFORE.
% HAVING SAID THAT, I THINK WHILE
% WE ARE BETTER PREPARED TO MANAGE
% MORE PATIENTS, WE STILL WANT TO
% AVOID A SURGE THAT WOULD
% OVERWHELM ANYONE OR MORE HEALTH
% SYSTEMS.
% >> IS THE SUPPLY OF THINGS LIKE
% PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
% NOW ADEQUATE, I MEAN, FOR RIGHT
% NOW AND GOING FORWARD?
% >> SO IT'S ADEQUATE FOR RIGHT
% NOW.
% I THINK GOING FORWARD AS WELL,
% IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, BUT IT WOULD
% TO SOME EXTENT DEPEND ON HOW
% MANY CASES WE SEE AND HOW SICK
% THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE AND WHAT
% KIND OF PPE IS REQUIRED.
% I THINK OUR USE OF PPE HAS BEEN
% OPTIMIZED CONSIDERABLY, SO WE
% ARE CONSERVING AND REUSING
% THINGS AND THAT HAS LED TO US
% BEING ABLE TO KEEP OUR PPE
% AROUND LONGER.
% >> YOU'VE SAID THAT THERE ARE
% THINGS YOU HAVE LEARNED ABOUT
% COVID-19, OBVIOUSLY, SINCE THE
% EARLY DAYS.
% WHAT WOULD YOU ESTIMATE IS THE
% MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT YOU'VE
% LEARNED ABOUT THIS VIRUS?
% >> I THINK THE FACT THAT THERE
% IS THIS EASE OF TRANSMISSION
% FROM ASYMPTOMATIC PEOPLE IS
% PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT NEW
% DATA THAT HAS COME FORWARD.
% AND THAT SUGGESTS THAT, YOU
% KNOW, IF ASYMPTOMATIC CARRIAGE
% IS THE MAIN REASON OR ONE OF THE
% MAIN REASONS THAT TRANSMISSION
% IS HAPPENING, THAT'S PRETTY HARD
% TO CONTAIN WITHOUT SOME OF THE
% MORE DRASTIC MEASURES LIKE THE
% "SAFER AT HOME" ORDER.
% >> SO WHAT WOULD BE YOUR MESSAGE
% THEN TO PEOPLE OUT THERE IN THE
% COMMUNITY?
% >> I THINK NOW MORE THAN EVER
% IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE
% DON'T GO FROM ZERO TO 100 EVEN
% IF THE "SAFER AT HOME" ORDER HAS
% BEEN LIFTED AT A STATEWIDE
% LEVEL.
% I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD STILL
% THINK TO THEMSELVES DO I REALLY
% NEED TO LEAVE THE HOUSE AND, IF
% I DO, WHAT'S THE ESSENTIAL
% ACTIVITY I MUST PERFORM.
% IT'S GOING TO BE HARD TO KEEP
% PEOPLE AT THE LEVEL WE WERE AT.
% IT TAKES A TOLL ON PEOPLE'S
% PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH.
% BUT WE DON'T WANT TO ENCOURAGE
% LARGE PUBLIC GATHERINGS AND
% TRYING TO GO BACK TO THE WAY WE
% WERE BEFORE COVID HIT.
% >> WHAT ABOUT THINGS LIKE
% SHOPPING OR SOCIALIZING?
% ARE THOSE SAFE, IN YOUR MIND?
% >> I THINK I WOULD CONSIDER
% THOSE RISKIER THAN THE CURRENT
% STATE.
% I WOULD RECOMMEND AVOIDING THEM
% TO THE EXTENT ONE CAN.
% >> HOW IMPORTANT DOES RAMPED-UP
% TESTING CONTINUE TO BE?
% >> I THINK TESTING CAPACITY HAS
% CONSIDERABLY IMPROVED, AND I
% THINK IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY
% IMPORTANT TO DETERMINE THE
% CIRCLE OF INDIVIDUALS WHO MIGHT
% HAVE COME IN CONTACT WITH
% SOMEBODY WHO TESTS POSITIVE FOR
% COVID.
% THAT'S EASIER NOW TO DETERMINE
% AS WE CAN TEST A LARGER SWATH OF
% THE POPULATION THAN WE HAD
% EARLIER.
% >> IS PLASMA FROM RECOVERED
% PATIENTS PROVING A SUCCESSFUL
% TREATMENT?
% >> I THINK IT'S A POTENTIALLY
% PROMISING TREATMENT.
% I DON'T THINK CONCLUSIVELY THAT
% IT IS PROVING TO BE THE CASE.
% WE BELIEVE IT IS.
% CASES SUGGEST IMPROVED OUTCOMES.
% BUT THERE'S VERY LITTLE
% COMPARATIVE DATA.
% SO IS THERE REALLY A COMPELLING
% DIFFERENCE.
% WE'RE AWAITING THAT.
% THERE ARE MULTIPLE STUDIES
% UNDERWAY.
% WE DON'T KNOW THAT YET FOR A
% FACT.
% >> WHAT DO EXPERTS THINK ABOUT
% HOW LONG IT WILL BE BEFORE WE
% SEE A VACCINE?
% >> I THINK SOMETIME NEXT YEAR,
% ASSUMING THAT THE EXISTING
% CANDIDATES THAT ARE IN VARIOUS
% STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT, ONE OR
% MORE OF THEM TURN OUT TO BE
% PROMISING ENOUGH TO MOVE
% FORWARD.
% SO IT'S A VERY ACCELERATED TIME
% FRAME COMPARED TO OTHER VACCINE
% DEVELOPMENTS.
% SO I REMAIN OPTIMISTIC.
% >> DR. NASIA SAFDAR, THANK YOU
% VERY MUCH, AND THANK YOU FOR
% YO