% >>> WELCOME TO "NOON WEDNESDAY,"
% I'M MARISA WOJCIK, MULTIMEDIA
% JOURNALIST WITH "HERE & NOW" ON
% PBS WIN.
% TODAY IS AUGUST 4.
% THE DELTA VARIANT IS GRIPPING
% THE CONTINENT, ESPECIALLY AMONG
% THE UNVACCINATED, AND
% HOSPITALIZATIONS AND INFECTIONS
% ARE UP.
% SO MUCH INFORMATION IS RAPIDLY
% COMING OUT SO TO UNDERSTAND THE
% LATEST FACTS IS DR. NASIA SAFDAR
% AT UW MEDICINE, AND SO THANK YOU
% SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
% >> THANK YOU.
% >> I WANT TO START WITH
% UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE
% BETWEEN NEW CASE NUMBERS THAT
% WE'RE SEEING IN DATA VERSUS THE
% REALITY OF HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE
% CATCHING THIS REALLY CONTAGIOUS
% VIRUS.
% IS DELTA MORE PREVALENT THAN WE
% KNOW?
% >> I THINK THAT IS CERTAINLY THE
% CASE.
% PEOPLE CAN CARRY THE VIRUS IN
% THEIR NOSE AND HAVE NO SYMPTOMS.
% THE ONLY WAY TO DETECT THAT IS
% IF THEY GET TESTED.
% WE KNOW DELTA IS MORE CONTAGIOUS
% AND TRANSMISSIBLE THAN OTHER
% VARIANTS BEFORE IT.
% IT IS NOT A STRETCH TO EXPLAIN
% THTHE CASE COUNTS IN NUMBERS HE.
% >> DO WE HAVE ANY UNDERSTANDING
% OF WHAT THAT DIFFERENCE LOOKS
% LIKE, HOW PREVALENT IT IS, AND
% IS THE SHARP INCREASE IN
% HOSPITALIZATIONS THE TRUE
% INDICATOR OF HOW THIS VARIANT IS
% TAKING HOLD?
% >> WELL, DIFFERENT METRICS TELL
% US SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT THINGS.
% FOR INSTANCE, WE HAVE TO KNOW
% HOW MANY CASES ARE THERE SO WE
% HAVE A BETTER SENSE OF WHAT THE
% MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM IS AND
% WIDESPREAD IT IS.
% WHATEVER THE NUMBERS WE HAVE ARE
% LIKELY AN UNDERESTIMATED TRUE
% STATE OF EVENTS AS NOT EVERYBODY
% IS GETTING TESTED.
% IT IS SAFE TO SAY THE VAST
% MAJORITY OF CASES SEENING HERE
% IS THE DELTA VARIANT THAT'S
% RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM, AND SO,
% YOU KNOW, ONCE THE VARIANT
% SPREADS LIKE THAT, IT QUICKLY
% REPLACES WHATEVER ELSE WAS
% CIRCULATING BEFORE IT, AND SO AT
% THE MOMENTS IT IS ALL DELTA FOR
% AN INTENTS AND PURPOSES.
% I THINK THE HOSPITALIZATION
% PIECE IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT
% TELLS US BESIDES BEING MORE
% EASILY ABLE TO TRANSMIT IS ALSO
% LEADING THEN TO MORE PEOPLE
% GETTING SICK ENOUGH THEY NEED
% MEDICAL CARE AND
% HOSPITALIZATION, AND, SO FAR,
% WHAT WE SEE IS, YES, PEOPLE ARE
% HOSPITALIZED, BUT THE MAJORITY
% OF THEM ARE NOT VACCINATED, AND
% SO THAT ADDITIONAL LAYER OF
% PROTECTION WE WOULD OTHERWISE
% HAVE IS NOT THERE, AND THAT
% RESULTS IN THEM GETTING MORE
% SICK THAN THEY WOULD OTHERWISE.
% >> NOW, YESTERDAY, THE
% LEGISLATIVE RULES COMMITTEE
% VOTED THAT UW CAMPUSES WILL HAVE
% TO HAVE ANY REQUIREMENTS OF
% VACCINATION, TESTING, OR MASK
% WEARING BE APPROVED BY THE
% REPUBLICAN MAJORITY COMMITTEE?
% WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THAT?
% >> YOU KNOW, SO MY FEELING ON IS
% WE HAVE A SUITE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
% SOLUTIONS WE KNOW WORK FOR
% CONTAINMENT.
% FOR A WHILE THERE, WE RELAXED
% THEM AS DELTA WAS NOT AROUND AS
% MUCH, AND WE, YOU KNOW, DID NOT
% FACE THE SAME EVOLUTION AND
% STATE OF PANDEMIC WE FACE NOW,
% AND NOW WHAT WE FACE NOW IS AN
% ALL HANDS ON DECK APPROACH, AND
% SO TESTING AND VACCINATION AND
% MASKING ARE ALL VERY IMPORTANT
% PARTS OF THAT SWEET OF
% SOLUTIONS, AND SO WHATEVER WAY
% WE CAN GET THEM EASILY DEPLOYED
% SEEMS LIKE THE RIGHT THING TO
% DO.
% >> ALSO, YESTERDAY, PRESIDENT
% BIDEN ANNOUNCED VACCINE
% REQUIREMENT FOR FEDERAL
% EMPLOYEES, MANY OTHER PLACES
% HAVE ANNOUNCED VACCINE
% REQUIREMENT LIKE THIS OR BE
% SUBJECT TO REGULAR TESTING.
% SHOULD LARGE INSTITUTIONS LIKE
% THE UW SYSTEM REQUIRE A COVID-19
% VACCINE FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS
% AS WE'RE LOOKING TOWARDS THE
% FALL SEMESTER?
% >> I THINK IT IS REALLY
% IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE WHO IS
% ELIGIBLE FOR THE VACCINE TO GET
% IT.
% NOW, SOME PEOPLE WILL CHOOSE TO
% GET IT ON THEIR OWN AND WHETHER
% REQUIREMENT IS NECESSARY OR NOT
% MAY BE A MOOT POINT, BUT THE END
% GOAL IS, I THINK, EVERYONE WHO
% IS ELIGIBLE SHOULD BE GIVEN THE
% OPPORTUNITY AND SHOULD REALLY
% WANT TO TAKE THE VACCINE AND
% WANT THE VACCINE.
% THIS IS A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE
% INTERVENTION, REALLY, THE MAJOR
% EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION WE HAVE
% TO HALT THE COURSE OF THIS
% PANDEMIC'S TRANSMISSION SO ANY
% AND ALL MEASURES ALLOWING PEOPLE
% TO GET THE VACCINE ARE LIKELY TO
% BE USEFUL.
% >> THE CDC IS NOW SAYING THAT
% THOSE WHO ARE VACCINATED CAN
% SPREAD THE VIRUS JUST AS EASILY
% AS THE UNVACCINATED.
% NEW GUIDANCE SAYING THAT
% EVERYONE SHOULD BE MASKING
% INDOORS, AND I PERSONALLY HAVE
% NOT REALLY SEEN MANY PEOPLE
% MASKING.
% SHOULD EVERYONE BE MASKING, AND
% IN WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES?
% >> YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS A
% CASE OF WHERE THERE'S BEEN A
% CLEAR SHIFT IN THE THINKING, BUT
% BECAUSE OF THIS VARIANT COMPARED
% TO WHAT WE HAVE SEEN BEFORE, AND
% SO IT'LL TAKE AWHILE FOR US TO
% CATCH UP TO WHAT WE NOW NEED TO
% DO TO PREVENT THE TRANSMISSION
% OF DELTA.
% I THINK THAT THE VACCINES ARE
% DOING EXACTLY WHAT WE KNOW THE
% VACCINES ARE CAPABLE OF DOING,
% WHICH IS PREVENTING SEVERE
% HOSPITALIZATIONS, SEVERE
% SYMPTOMS, AND COMPLICATIONS.
% WHAT THE VACCINES CANNOT DO
% COMPLETELY IS PREVENT
% TRANSMISSION OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T
% HAVE SYMPTOMS, AND SO THAT'S
% WHERE MASKS COMES IN HANDY.
% FOR A WHILE THERE, WE WERE OF
% THE MIND SET WE DON'T HAVE TO
% MASK ANYMORE, AND IF NOT FOR
% DELTA, THIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN
% TRUE, BUT THIS VARIANT HAS AN
% ADVANTAGE OVER US IN THE LIGHT
% IT'S SHED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE
% VACCINATED SO MASKING NEEDS TO
% COME BACK.
% >> ARE CHILDREN WHO CAN'T YET
% GET VACCINATED AT RISK, IS THERE
% A WAY TO PROTECT THEM?
% IS THERE A CONCERN THAT WHEN ALL
% CHILDREN GO BACK TO SCHOOL AT
% THE END OF THE MONTH, IT IS
% REALLY GOING TO BE A MIXED BAG.
% >> YOU KNOW, I THINK WITH
% RESPIRATORY VIRUS SEASON AROUND
% THE CORNER WE'LL SEE A WHOLE
% ARRAY OF VIRUSES CIRCULATING.
% MANY OF THEM WE TYPICALLY SEE
% EVERY YEAR, AND SARS-COV-2 WILL
% BE THERE THIS YEAR AND WITH
% PEOPLE TOGETHER IN CLOSE
% QUARTERS, THERE'S MORE
% CIRCULATION, AND AS A GROUP, A
% BROAD GENERALIZATION, BUT AS A
% GROUP, YOU KNOW, CHILDREN FAIRED
% BETTER WITH SAR-COV-2 THAN OTHER
% POPULATION GROUPS.
% THAT'S NOT TO SAY THERE'S NOT
% SEVERAL THOUSAND CASES AROUND
% THE COUNTRY.
% THERE HAVE BEEN, OF COURSE, AND
% THAT'S WHY I THINK, ALL
% MITIGATION MEASURES WE DO FOR
% PEOPLE NOT VACCINATED AND FOR
% THOSE WHO ARE VACCINATED ARE
% GOING TO BE IMPORTANT.
% THAT WILL INCLUDE, YOU KNOW,
% DISTANCING TO THE EXTENT THAT'S
% POSSIBLE, REMAIN ELEMENTS OF
% TESTING, AND IT MAY INCLUDE
% MASKS, AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS
% SHOULD NOT BE -- THEY SHOULD BE
% CONTINUED.
% >> NOW, I'VE HEARD A LOT OF
% CONFUSION ABOUT THIS TERM, THIS
% PHRASE CALLED "BREAKTHROUGH
% CASES," AND WHAT IT REALLY
% MEANS.
% IT'S RANGED FROM VACCINATED
% PEOPLE CAN TRANSMIT THE VIRUS TO
% VACCINATED PEOPLE CAN GET VERY
% SICK.
% SO CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT DOES
% BREAKTHROUGH CASES REALLY MEAN?
% >> SO WHAT BREAKTHROUGH CASES
% MEAN IS THAT EVEN IN PEOPLE WHO
% ARE VACCINATED, THEY CAN STILL
% HAVE COVID-19.
% SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF
% EXPLANATIONS FOR IT.
% ONE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, NO
% VACCINE IS 100%, AND EVEN THOUGH
% VACCINES ARE HIGHLY, HIGHLY
% EFFECTIVE, EVEN 95% EFFECTIVE
% VACCINE MEANS SOME PEOPLE WILL
% GET THE INFECTION DESPITE BEING
% VACCINATED.
% THE REASON THAT HAPPENS COULD BE
% THE UNDERLYING IMMUNE SYSTEM OR
% THE VACCINE DID NOT TAKE FOR
% WHATEVER REASON.
% THE NUMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO BE
% VERY LOW FOR THIS KIND OF
% BREAKTHROUGH.
% THE OTHER KIND OF BREAKTHROUGH
% INFECTIONS WE SEE ARE MILD
% INFECTIONS HAPPENING IN PEOPLE
% WHO ARE FULLY VACCINATED, AND
% THERE IS IT IS A MISNOMER TO
% CALL IT A BREAKTHROUGH AS A
% VACCINE IS NOT INTENDED FOR THAT
% PARTICULAR SITUATION.
% IT IS INTENDED FOR THE
% HOSPITALIZATION AND
% COMPLICATIONS.
% AS WE SEE MORE SO-CALLED
% BREAKTHROUGH INFECTIONS, THESE
% MILD INFECTIONS IN PEOPLE, THIS
% IS A REFLECTION OF THERE'S A LOT
% OF CIRCULATING VIRUS, AND THE
% VACCINE IS DOING WHAT IT IS
% SUPPOSED TO, BUT IT CAN'T
% PREVENT ALL THE MILD INFECTIONS
% OUT THERE.
% >> THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST 500
% CASES, POSITIVE CASES, CONFIRMED
% THAT CAME FROM THE DEAR DISTRICT
% WHEN THE CELEBRATION OF THE
% MILWAUKEE BUCKS WAS HAPPENING.
% IS THIS AN ISSUE?
% ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO GO BACK
% TO PREVENTING CROWDS FROM
% GATHERING?
% THEY WERE OUTSIDE, YET THEY WERE
% VERY MUCH PACKED TOGETHER.
% LOTS OF EVENTS ARE PLANNED AND
% BACK ON THIS SUMMER AND GOING
% INTO THE FALL.
% DO WE NEED TO RETHINK THOSE?
% >> YOU KNOW, I HOPE THAT WE
% DON'T HAVE TO, BUT I THINK THAT
% THE CHALLENGE WITH SOME OF THESE
% EVENTS IS THEY LOOK LIKE INDOOR
% EVENTS IN THE SENSE THEY ARE
% CLOSE TOGETHER, NOT MUCH
% MASKING, AND PEOPLE ARE PACKED
% IN CLOSE QUARTERS.
% I REMAIN WORRIED ABOUT INDOOR
% EVENTS MORE THAN OUTDOORS, BUT
% SOME SORT OF POPULATION IN THE
% SENSE NOT HAVING PEOPLE PACKED
% TOGETHER IN OUTDOOR EVENTS I
% THINK WOULD BE IN OUR BEST
% INTERESTS.
% THE CHALLENGE OF THE DELTA
% VARIANT IS YOU NEED
% INTERVENTIONS IN RESPONSE TO
% WHAT WE ARE SEEING IN FRONT OF
% US.%IF YOU KNOW THIS VARIANT
IS
% EASILY TRANSMISSIBLE, THEN
% DISTANCE BETWEEN PEOPLE IS ONE
% WAY TO PREVENT THAT, AND MASKING
% IS ANOTHER.
% THEY ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.
% >> SO ARE YOU MONITORING THE
% MEDIA AND HOW MUCH
% MISINFORMATION IS BEING PASSED
% AROUND?
% DO YOU THINK THAT IS HAVING AN
% IMPACT ON THIS MORE CONTAGIOUS
% VARIANT BEING ABLE TO TAKE AN
% EVEN STRONGER HOLD?
% >> I THINK THERE IS CERTAINLY A
% LOT OF MISINFORMATION, AND I
% THINK IT IS ALSO THERE'S
% PANDEMIC FATIGUE, AND I THINK
% PEOPLE ARE DOING THE BEST THEY
% CAN FOR A YEAR AND A HALF, AND
% NOW TO BE CONFRONTED WITH A
% VARIANT LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, IT
% IS, OF COURSE, UNWELCOMED NEWS.
% I THINK, THOUGH, THAT WE HAVE TO
% STICK TO WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT WE
% HAVE THIS ARRAY OF HIGHLY
% EFFECTIVE VACCINES, AND A MILD
% DISEASE, OF COURSE, ONEMENTS NO
% DISEASE IF ONE CAN HELP IT, BUT
% MILD DISEASE IS PREFERABLE TO A
% SEVERE ONE.
% IF VACCINES HELP US MITIGATE
% THAT, THEY ARE WORTH THEIR
% WEIGHT IN GOLD.
% >> NOW, ROUGHLY HALF THE STATE
% IS VACCINATED.
% THE RATE OF NEW VACCINATIONS HAS
% JUST PLUMMETED, AND HEALTH
% OFFICIALS AT THIS POINT ARE
% BEGGING PEOPLE TO GET
% VACCINATED, PROVIDING
% INCENTIVES, AND SO IF THIS RATE
% OF VACCINATION, THIS LEVEL
% PRETTY MUCH STAYS THE SAME, AS
% WELL AS OUR ABILITY TO ENFORCE
% PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES HAS BEEN
% CONSIDERABLY STRICT, WHAT DO YOU
% THINK THE PICTURE OF THIS VIRUS
% IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE GOING
% FORWARD?
% >> WELL, I THINK IF WE REMAIN AT
% LESS THAN IDEAL VACCINATION
% LEVELS, WHAT'S LIKELY GOING TO
% HAPPEN IS THE VIRUS WILL
% CONTINUE TO CIRCULATE, AND IT
% WILL AMPLIFY IN THOSE GROUPS WHO
% ARE UNVACCINATED, AND
% EVENTUALLY, WE'LL BE IN A
% SITUATION WHERE WE MAY HAVE MORE
% VARIANTS PERPETUATED BECAUSE OF
% THE UNCONTROLLED RAMPANT
% TRANSMISSION, AND SO I THINK
% THAT, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER WE CAN
% DO, THIS IS A WHOLE OF EVERYONE
% RESPONSE HERE, AND WE ARE ALL
% ACCOUNTABLE FOR OUR OWN
% PROTECTION AND THAT OF OTHERS,
% AND SO THERE IS NOT ANYTHING
% THAT'S HIGHER PRIORITY THAN
% GETTING THE VACCINATION NUMBERS
% UP HIGH AS WE CAN GET THEM.
% >> WHAT ARE YOU BRACING YOURSELF
% FOR IN THE FUTURE?
% >> I THINK THAT WE ARE CONCERNED
% POTENTIALLY ABOUT OTHER NEW
% VARIANTS EMERGING.
% I THINK HAVING SEEN THE STUFF
% THAT DELTA CAN DO, FOR INSTANCE,
% GIVING US A BETTER PICTURE OF
% WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FUTURE,
% AND I THINK, EVENTUALLY, THOUGH,
% WITH, YOU KNOW, EVEN MORE
% EFFECTIVE VACCINES OR PERHAPS
% THE BOOSTERS OR SOME OTHER
% ELEMENTS OF PROTECTION THAT MAY
% COME ABOUT, I THINK THAT WHAT IS
% LIKELY TO HAPPEN IS THAT
% SARS-COV-2 WILL BE EMBEDDED AS
% PART OF THE USUAL RESPIRATORY
% VIRUSES WE SEE IF WE GET IT TO A
% POINT WHERE THE DISEASE IS MILD
% AND VAST MAJORITY OF CASES, THEN
% IT BECOMES INTO ONE OF THOSE
% VIRUSES, BUT WE ARE A FAR CRY
% FROM THERE AT THIS POINT.
% >> WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU
% HAVE FOR SOMEONE WHO IS
% VACCINATED, UNVACCINATED, AND
% ANYONE IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN
% AS WE'RE KIND OF LOOKING AT THIS
% NEW PHASE OF THE PANDEMIC?
% >> I THINK WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST
% IS VACCINATION, OF COURSE,
% NUMBER ONE, AND THEN MASKING, I
% THINK, JUST LIKE WE WERE DOING
% IN THE EARLIER DAYS OF THE
% PANDEMIC, IT IS NOT GOING TO BE
% A FOREVER THING, BUT IT NEEDS TO
% BE UNTIL DELTA IS UNDER CONTROL,
% AND SO VACCINATION, MASKING,
% ENCOURAGING PEOPLE FOR PHYSICAL
% DISTANCING, AND, YOU KNOW, IT IS
% A BIT HARD TO TELL PEOPLE THEY
% SHOULDN'T ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES
% THAT GIVE THEM JOY BECAUSE IT'S
% BEEN SO LONG INTO THE PANDEMIC,
% BUT TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, OPT
% FOR OUTDOORS RATHER THAN INDOOR
% ACTIVITIES.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% WE LEAVE IT THERE.
% DR. NASIA SAFDAR, THANK YOU VERY
% MUCH FOR JOINING US.
% >> THANK YOU.
% >> FOR MORE FROM "HERE & NOW"
% AND PBS WISCONSIN, VISIT
% PBSWISCONSIN.ORG/NEWS, AND THANK%
YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US ON
% "NOON WEDNESDAY."