ARMS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER FOR
WISCONSIN, DR. RYAN WESTERGAARD,
JOINS US ONCE AGAIN WITH SOME
ADDITIONAL NEWS OUT TODAY.
AND, DOCTOR, THANKS VERY MUCH
FOR BEING HERE.
BUT ON VACCINES, HAVING
WEATHERED THE HARROWING AND
DEADLY PANDEMIC IN WISCONSIN
THROUGH ITS SURGES, WHAT IS IT
LIKE FOR YOU TO SEE PEOPLE
GETTING THE SHOT THIS WEEK?
>> IT'S EMOTIONAL, FRANKLY.
IT'S SUCH A LONG-AWAITED DOSE OF
GOOD NEWS AND SO MUCH WORK AT SO
MANY LEVELS, BOTH IN THE
SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AND THE
GOVERNMENT PUBLIC HEALTH
COMMUNITY HAS GONE INTO THIS
MOMENT OF BEING ABLE TO
DISTRIBUTE THIS REALLY WE HOPE
HIGHLY-EFFECTED PUBLIC HEALTH
INTERVENTION.
SO IT'S REALLY SATISFYING AND IT
GIVES US A LOT OF OPTIMISM AND
HOPE.
>> TODAY GOVERNOR EVERS SAID
THAT WISCONSIN IS GETTING MANY
FEWER DOSES OF THE VACCINE NEXT
WEEK THAN WAS PROMISED BY THE
FEDS.
IS THIS A FLAW IN THE
DISTRIBUTION PLAN?
>> NOT NECESSARILY.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO TAKE THE LONG
VIEW HERE.
SO THE ROLE FOR VACCINATION IN
ENDING THE PANDEMIC IS GOING TO
RELY ON US GETTING NEARLY
EVERYONE IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND THAT'S GOING TO TAKE A LONG
TIME.
SO WE ARE AT THE VERY BEGINNING
OF THIS.
WE FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THE DOSES
ARE GOING TO BE MANUFACTURED,
THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE
DISTRIBUTED.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME.
BUT RIGHT NOW AT THE FRONT END
OF THIS IT'S EXTREMELY
COMPLICATED, A LOT OF PEOPLE
WORKING HARD.
AND WE JUST NEED TO HAVE SOME
PATIENCE, EVEN THOUGH EVERYONE
IS EAGER ABOUT IT.
>> CALMING WORDS.
THANK YOU.
WISCONSIN TODAY ALSO ANNOUNCED
THE OPENING OF AN OUTPATIENT
ANTIBODY INFUSION CLINIC FOR UP
TO 84 PATIENTS A WEEK.
THE INFUSIONS PREVENT SERIOUS
COVID-19 ILLNESS.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS
DEVELOPMENT TO WISCONSIN?
>> WELL, THIS IS ANOTHER TOOL IN
OUR TOOLBOX OF HOW TO PREVENT
SEVERE DISEASE.
AND IT'S A UNIQUE KIND OF
TREATMENT.
AND THERE ARE MONO CLONAL
ANTIBODIES, SO THEY MIMIC THE
BODY'S RESPONSE TO VIRAL
INFECTIONS.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PRODUCE
ANTIBODIES THAT CAN BE
ADMINISTERED INTRAVENOUSLY.
THERE'S EVIDENCE IT PREVENTS
PEOPLE FROM GETTING SERIOUSLY
ILL.
IF WE CAN DELIVER THAT TO PEOPLE
WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK FOR
HOSPITALIZATION, WE CAN AVOID
SOME STRAIN ON OUR HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM AND POTENTIALLY SAVE
LIVES.
>> SO IS THIS HAPPENING IN OTHER
STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS
WELL?
>> YES.
THESE MONO CLONAL ANTIBODIES ARE
ON A FEDERAL DISTRIBUTION
PROGRAM.
SO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
PROCURED A LARGE NUMBER OF DOSES
AFTER THEY RECEIVED THE
EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATIONS AND
DISTRIBUTED THEM TO STATES AND
STATES ARE DISTRIBUTING THEM TO
HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS AND ALSO
ADMINISTERING SOME IN THE PUBLIC
SECTOR LIKE YOU MENTIONED.
>> OKAY.
MEANWHILE.
THE POST-THANKSGIVING CHARGE DID
NOT APPARENTLY HAPPEN.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?
>> WELL, THERE'S PROBABLY A LOT
OF REASONS, BUT KNOWING WHAT WE
KNOW ABOUT HOW THE VIRUS SPREADS
AND WHAT DETERMINES WHETHER
EPIDEMICS GROW OR SHRINK, I
THINK IT'S BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE WHO WERE IN CLOSE CONTACT
WITH PEOPLE WHO WERE INFECTED
WAS NOT AS HIGH AS WE FEARED.
AND SO I FIND THAT VERY
ENCOURAGING.
WE WERE AT A VERY CONCERNING, A
VERY SCARY SITUATION, WHERE DAY
BY DAY THE CURVE WAS GROWING
EVER STEEPER.
AND LEADING UP TO THANKSGIVING
WE WERE CONCERNED IF THAT
CONDITIONED WE WERE GOING TO BE
IN TROUBLE WITH HOSPITAL
CAPACITY.
WHAT WE SAW INSTEAD IS IT
PLATEAUED.
STILL AT A LEVEL WE THINK IS TOO
HIGH AND STILL A RISK OF HAVING
GATHERINGS AND TAKING OFF MASKS,
TO BE SURE.
BUT MY HOPE IS THAT IT'S BECAUSE
WE WERE DOING THE RIGHT THINGS
COLLECTIVELY.
AND WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT WE
NEED TO KEEP DOING EVEN MORE OF
THOSE THINGS.
>> SO THE NUMBERS HAVE
PLATEAUED.
IS THAT THE SAME AS FLATTENING
THE CURVE?
HAVE WE NOW DONE THAT?
>> WELL, IF YOU LOOK AT THE
CURVE AND YOU POST THESE
EPIDEMIC CURVES ON OUR WEBSITE,
YES, IT DOES LOOK FLAT.
IT WAS A STEEP UPHILL CLIMB
BEFORE AND NOW IT'S MORE
HORIZONTAL.
SO WE SHOULD TAKE SOME COMFORT
IN THAT, BUT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE
THAT THIS FLAT AREA IS STILL TOO
HIGH.
WE'RE STILL HAVING 3,000 CASES A
TODAY, 10% OF POSITIVE CASES.
WE WANT THOSE NUMBERS TO HAVE
BEEN MUCH LOWER.
THE TARGET IS 1%.
WE'RE NOT TESTING ENOUGH PEOPLE
AND THERE'S STILL LARGE NUMBERS
OF PEOPLE DEVELOPING THE
INFECTION.
WE CLEARLY HAVE MORE WORK TO DO,
BUT I THINK WE CAN FEEL GOOD
THAT WE'VE STOPPED THAT REALLY
DANGEROUS INCREASE THAT WE WERE
SEEING A FEW WEEKS AGO.
>> THAT IS VERY GOOD NEWS.
WHEN DO YOU EXPECT NORMALCY TO
RETURN?
>> WELL, I THINK THIS EXPERIENCE
IS GOING TO CHANGE US FOREVER
AND IN SOME WAYS FOR THE BETTER.
WE'VE LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT HOW
TO RESPOND, HOW TO PREVENT
RESPIRATORY VIRUSES.
WE'VE ADVANCED THE SCIENCE OF
VACCINES TO A GREAT DEGREE.
LIFE IS GOING TO FEEL BETTER IN
THE WAYS WE MISS, SPORTING
EVENTS AND CONCERTS, I'M
OPTIMISTIC BY THE END OF THE
SUMMER, FALL WE COULD BE IN A
PLACE A
GOOD PLACE.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO THE
THINGS THAT PREVENT INFECTIONS,
WEARING MASKS AND PARTICIPATING
WITH LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND
TESTING IN ISOLATION AND
QUARANTINE.
THOSE THINGS BECOME EASIER AND
MORE EFFECTIVE WITH THE VACCINE.
BUT THE VIRUS IS STILL GOING TO
BE A THREAT UNTIL WE REALLY GET
IT AT LOW LEVELS.
I HAVE THINK FOR THE NEXT YEAR
PROBABLY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO
REMAIN VIGILANT.
BUT I'M HOPING IN THE FALL NEXT
YEAR WE CAN DO SPORTING EVENTS
AND CONCERTS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
DR. RYAN WESTERGAARD, THANKS
VERY MUCH.