%THE NOVEL
CORONAVIRUS
I
S
%ESPECIALLY DEADLY
FOR
OLDER
%PEOPLE
WITH
UNDERLYING
%CONDITIONS.
%THESE
PEOPLE
ARE
CONSIDERED HIGH
%RISK.
%BUT
WHAT
DOES
THAT
MEAN
AND
WHAT
%SHOULD THEY
DO?
%FOR
ANSWERS
TO
THOSE
QUESTIONS
%AND
MORE,
WE
TUR
N
ONCE
AGAIN
T
O
%DR. NASIA
SAFDAR,
THE
MEDICAL
%DIRECTOR
OF
INFECTION CONTROL
AT
%UW HOSPITALS
AND
CLINICS
AND
%THANKS VERY MUCH
FOR
BEING
HERE.
%>> THANK
YOU.
%>>
WHAT FIRST
I
S
THE
%CIRCUMSTANCE AT
YOU
R
HOSPITAL IN
%TERMS OF
ICU
BEDS
FILLED
AND
%PATIENTS
NEEDING
REST
RESPIRATORS
AND
%THE
LIKE.
%>> AT
THE
MOMENT
WE'RE NOT
%SEEING
THAT.
%IT'S
INEVITABLE
AT
SOME
POINT
%THAT WILL
HAP
.
%>>
YOU
ARE
NOT
CURRENTLY
%TREATING
ANYONE
WITH
COVID-19.%>> THAT'S
CORRECT.
%>>
WITH
THIS
OUTBREAK
NOW,
D
O
%WISCONSIN HOSPITALS HAVE THE
%CAPACITY AND
EQUIPMENT
TO
TREAT
%VERY
SICK
PATIENTS
WITH
THIS
%CORONAVIRUS?%>> I
THINK
IT
DEPENDS.
%I THINK
TO
THE
EXTENT
THAT WE
%CAN
PREPARE,
I
THINK
MOST
HEALTH
%SYSTEMS HAVE
DEVELOPED
%PREPAREDNESS
PLANS
OR
COLLECTING
%SUPPLIES
AND
MAKING
SURE
WE'RE
%COORDINATING.
%IT MAY
BE
IF THIS
IS
VERY
SEVERE
%WE MAY
NOT
B
E
ADEQUATELY
%PREPARED
FOR
THE
WORST
POSSIBLE
%
SCENARIO.
%
FOR WHAT
WE
THINK
LIKELY T
O
%HAPPEN,
W
E
FEEL WE
ARE
PREPARED.%>>
HOW
DOES
THE DECLARATION
OF
%AN EMERGENCY
COME
INTO
PLAY
IN
%TERMS
OF
YOUR
PREPAREDNESS
%PLANS?%>>
WELL,
I
THINK
IT
ALLOWS
FOR
%BETTER
COORDINATION ACROSS
%SYSTEMS FOR
SHARING
OF
SUPPLIES,
%OF
RESOURCES,
O
F
POTENTIALLY
%STAFFING IF THERE
WAS A
%WORKFORCE SHORTAGE.
ALL
THOSE
REASONS
IT
%
PROVIDES
FLEXIBILITY IN
MANAGING
%THOSE
CRUCIAL
ASPECTS
OF
CARE.
%>>
D
O
YOU
EXPECT
THAT
MEASURES
%BEING TAKEN
TO
LIMIT
CROWDS
AND
%UNIVERSITIES, FOR
EXAMPLE, GOING
%TO
ONLINE
CLASSES WILL
ALLOW
%THAT
SO-CALLED
FLATTENING OUT OF
%CASES
T
O
LET
HOSPITALS
LIK
E
%
YOURS MANAGE
SMALLER
WAVES
OF
%PATIENTS AS
OPPOSED
TO
HAVING
%LIKE A
SURGE
ALL
AT
ONCE?
%>>
I
THINK
IT'S
THE
ONLY
MEASURE%WE
HAVE
AVAILABLE TO
US
TO
ALLOW
%US
TO
DO
THAT.
%SO I
THINK
IT WILL
BE
EFFECTIVE.
%THE
QUESTION IS
PEOPLE NEED
T
O
%
ENFORCE IT
AND
ADHERE
TO
IT
T
O
%AVOID
THESE
MASS
GATHERINGS AND
%EVENTS
WHERE A N
UMBER OF
PEOPLE
%ARE
CONGREGATED TOGETHER.%>> IS
THAT A CONCERN
OF
YOURS,
%THAT
PEOPLE WILL
TAKE
IT
VERY
%LIGHTLY?
%>>
IT'S
VERY
DIFFERENT
FROM
WHAT
%WE'RE USED
TO.
%WE
THINK
ALL WILL BE
FINE.
%WHILE THAT'S THE
CASE
FOR
THE
%MAJORITY OF THE
POPULATION,
%THERE'S A CERTAIN
SEGMENT
THAT
%ISN'T
I
N
THAT
B
OAT.%>>
AS
TO
THOSE
AT
HIGHEST
RISK,
%OLDER
PEOPLE
AND
THOSE
WITH
%COMPROMISED IMMUNE
SYSTEMS,
HOW
%DANGEROUS I
S
THIS
FOR
THEM?
%>>
FOR
THAT
GROUP,
THIS
VIRUS
%HAS
THE
POTENTIAL TO
BE
VERY%DEADLY.
%IF
YOU
LOOK
AT
THE COMPLICATION
%RATE, THE
SEVERITY
O
F
ILLNESS,
%THE DEATH
RATES
FROM
C
OVID-19,
%IT'S
THAT
POPULATION THAT
I
S
%LIKELY TO
BEAR
THE
BRUNT
OF
IT.
%>>
THE
GUIDANCE
IS
THAT
THOSE
AT
%HIGHEST
RIS
K
OVER
AGE
60
AND
%WITH
UNDERLYING
CONDITIONS
%SHOULD
SELF-ISOLATE?%IS THAT
RIGHT?
%>> THEY
SHOULD
AVOID
MASS
%GATHERINGS.
%THEY
SHOULD
AVOID
PUBLIC
PLACES
%WHERE
THERE'S
PEOPLE
%CONGREGATING TOGETHER,
YES.%
>>
WHEN
WE
TALK
ABOUT
UNDERLYING
%CONDITIONS, WHAT ARE
THOSE?
%>>
ANY
CHRONIC
CONDITION,
LUNG
%DISEASE,
HEART
DISEASE,
IMMUNE
%COMPROMISE,
ORGAN
%TRANSPLANTATION,
RENAL
DISEASE
%OR
KIDNEY DAMAGE.
%THOSE
ARE
ALL
CONDITIONS TO BE
%CONCERNED WITH.
%>>
WHAT
PERCENTAGE OF
THE
%POPULATION
DOES
THIS
REPRESENT?
%>>
CONSIDERABLE AND
GROWING
%POPULATION.
%IF YOU
THINK
OF
AGE
60
AND
%OLDER,
THAT'S A
LARGE
PROPORTION
%OF
OUR
POPULATION.%>>
WELL, IS THERE
ANYTHING
THAT
%THIS POPULATION CAN
DO
T
O
TRY
T
O
%-- OTHER
THAN
AVOIDING MASS
%GATHERINGS TO
TRY
TO
PREVENT
%
THIS?%>>
I
THINK
AVOIDING
SICK
PEOPLE
%
TO
THE
EXTENT THAT
THEY
CAN.
%EXPOSURE TO
SOMEONE WHO IS
ILL,
%EVEN IF
IT'S A
MILD
ILLNESS.
%SO
THIS
POPULATION
I
S
MAYBE
%TAKING
CARE
OF
GRANDCHILDREN
OR
%FAMILY MEMBERS
AND
DOING
BABYSIT
%ISING
%BABY-SITTING
FOR
LOVED
ONES.
%YOU WANT
TO
AVOID
COMING
INTO
%CONTACT WITH
SOMEBODY
WITH A%REST
%RESPIRATORY ILLNESS.%>>
WHAT WOULD
SYMPTOMS
OF
THIS
%CORONAVIRUS LOOK
LIKE?
%>>
THE
EARLY
SYMPTOMS CAN
B
E
%PRETTY
ATTENUATED
BECAUSE
THEIR
%IMMUNE
SYSTEM
I
S
COMPROMISED.
%THEY
MIGHT
NOT
GET
THE
HIGH
%FEVER.
%THEY HAVE TO
BE ON
THE
LOOKOUT
%FOR MILD SYMPTOMS.
%THE
SECOND
WEEK THEY HAVE
TO
%
REALLY
LOOK
VERY
CLOSELY
AT
%THEIR SYMPTOMS
TO
MAKE
SURE THEY
%ARE
RECOVERING
FOR
WHAT
MIGHT
%SEEMINGLY
BE A
MILD
CONDITION.
%>>
WHAT
SHOULD
THEY
D
O
IF
THEY
%
SEE THESE KINDS
OF
SYMPTOMS,
%EVEN
IF
THEY
SEEM
MILD?
%>> THEY SHOULD
CALL
THEIR HEALTH%CARE
PROVIDER.
%I
DON'T
RECOMMEND PEOPLE COME
%INTO
THE HEALTH
CARE
SYSTEM
%BECAUSE
YOU
PUT
YOUR
RECEIVING%AT RISK IF
YOU
DO
THAT.
%SO CALLING
AHEAD
AND
MAKING
%ARRANGEMENTS TO
FIND
OUT
IF
THEY
%NEED TO BE
TESTE
D
AND
THEN TO
BE
%TESTED
IF
IT'S