GOVERNOR EVERS TOURED THE STATE
THIS WEEK TO CALL FOR A SPECIAL
SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE TO
EXPAND BADGERCARE AND INVEST
MONEY INTO STATE ECONOMIC
RECOVERY.
REPUBLICANS OPPOSED THE
EXPANSION.
LEADERSHIP IS EXPECTED TO GAVEL
IN AND GAVEL OUT THE SESSION
WITH NO ACTION TAKEN.
NOW TO COVID NEWS.
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ACROSS THE
STATE TOOK STEPS THIS WEEK TO
FOLLOW CDC GUIDELINES TO NO
LONGER REQUIRE VACCINATED PEOPLE
TO WEAR MAIVES IN MASKS IN PUBLIC.
THIS COMES AS VACCINATION RATES
CONTINUE TO CLIMB.
WE CHECK IN ON VACCINATIONS AND
THE LOOSENING OF PUBLIC HEALTH
EE TRICKHEALTHRESTRICTIONS WITH DR. CASEY, WHO
JOINS US FROM GREEN BAY.
SO THE LAST TIME THAT WE TALKED
WITH YOU WAS IN OCTOBER AND YOUR
HOSPITAL AND THE COMMUNITIES IT
SERVES WERE IN THE MIDST OF THE
FALL SURGE OF COVID-19 AND
SENDING PATIENTS TO THE STATE
FIELD HOSPITAL WAS UNDER
CONSIDERATION AT THAT TIME.
HOW DOES TODAY COMPARE TO THAT?
>> TODAY IS REMARKABLY
DIFFERENT.
WE ARE STILL SEEING COVID, BUT
THE NUMBER OF COVID PATIENTS IS
MARKEDLY DIMINISHED COMPARED TO
THE FALL.
WE'RE RUNNING A CENSUS OF ONE TO
SIX COVID PATIENTS PER DAY
COMPARED TO GREATER THAN 40 PER
DAY IN THE FALL.
SO EVEN THOUGH COVID IS STILL
HERE, THE NUMBERS ARE MARKEDLY
DIMINISHED, THE LOWEST SINCE
LAST JUNE YESTERDAY.
>> SO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I DID
WANT TO ASK YOU WAS CAN YOU AND
YOUR STAFF YET EXHALE THEN IN
RELIEF.
>> YES.
WE CAN.
AND WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS
FOR A LONG TIME.
THE PANDEMIC IS SOMETHING THAT
US IN THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
HAVE NEVER SEEN IN OUR LIFETIME.
IT'S A ONCE IN A CENTURY EVENT.
IT STILL IS A WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC
THAT IN THIS COUNTRY HAS KILLED
ALMOST 600,000 PEOPLE.
AT THE PEAK OF OUR EXPERIENCE AT
OUR HOSPITAL, 25% OF OUR
HOSPITAL CAPACITY WAS FILLED
WITH COVID PATIENTS WHO WERE
VERY, VERY ILL.
AND THE NUMBER OF DEATHS AND
HOSPITALIZATIONS DID NOT TRULY
REFLECT THE DEVASTATION CAUSED
BY THIS DISEASE.
THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED THE
LONG HAULER SYNDROME WHERE EVEN
IF YOU'VE HAD COVID AND NOT BE
SICK ENOUGH TO BE HOSPITALIZED,
YOU CAN HAVE SEQUELAE FOR MONTHS
AND YEARS.
>> SO THE VACCINATION RATE IN
BROWN COUNTY SITS AT ABOUT 40%,
ABOUT THE SAME RATE FOR THE SATE
AS A WHOLE.
ONE OF YOUR NEIGHBORING COUNTIES
IS AT 30%.
IS THAT HIGH ENOUGH IN YOUR
ESTIMATION?
>> ABSOLUTELY NOT.
WE NEED 75%, 80% VACCINATION
RATES TO ACHIEVE HERD IMMUNITY.
WE HAVE A HIGHER RATE WITHIN OUR
HOSPITAL COMMUNITY.
WE'RE SITTING AT 71% OF OUR
HOSPITAL STAFF FULLY VACCINATED
AT THIS POINT.
SO THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GOING TO
GET OUT OF THIS PANDEMIC AND BE
ABLE TO NOT WEAR MASKS IS TO GET
HERD IMMUNITY AND THAT'S
UNACHIEVABLE UNTIL WE HAVE A
HIGHER RATE.
>> BUT WITH THE DRAMATIC EASING
OF CASES AND AT THE SAME TIME
VACCINATIONS, ALTHOUGH NOT AT A
HIGH ENOUGH RATE, WE'RE NOW IN A
PLACE WHERE MASK REQUIREMENTS
AND CROWD RESTRICTIONS ARE ON
THE WAY OUT.
DO YOU THINK THAT IS THE RIGHT
COURSE?
>> IT IS IF THE CDC
RECOMMENDATIONS ARE FOLLOWED.
SO THE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE
BASED ON RECENT SCIENTIFIC
STUDIES THAT SHOWED MAINLY THREE
MAIN POINTS.
FIRST OF ALL, THE VACCINE IS 90%
EFFECTIVE.
IT'S ACTUALLY MORE EFFECTIVE IN
REALITY THAN IT WAS IN THE
CLINICAL TRIALS.
DR. FAUCI WAS YESTERDAY POINTING
OUT THESE THREE POINTS.
IT'S 90% EFFECTIVE AT PREVENTING
ILLNESS FROM COVID-19.
THE SECOND POINT IS THAT THE
VACCINES ARE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE
AGAINST THE VARIANTS.
THAT WAS OUR BIGGEST CONCERN,
THAT THE NEW VARIANTS WOULD NOT
BE HANDLED BY THE VACCINES.
BUT WE KNOW NOW THAT THEY DO
COVER THE VARIANTS.
AND THE THIRD POINT IS THAT EVEN
IF YOU GET INFECTED AFTER HAVING
BEEN VACCINATED, THE CHANCES OF
YOU HAVING ENOUGH VIRAL LOAD TO
TRANSMIT THE VIRUS IS
EXCEEDINGLY SMALL.
THE FEAR WE HAD IS YOU COULD
STILL GET A ASYMPTOMATIC
INFECTION.
WE'RE FINDING OUT THAT THAT'S
NOT TRUE.
THE CHANCE OF TRANSMISSION IF
YOU'RE VACCINATED IF YOU DO GET
INFECTED AND DON'T HAVE SYMPTOMS
IS VERY, VERY SMALL.
>> ALL VERY, VERY GOOD NEWS.
DR. PAUL CASEY, THANK YOU VERY