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