THIS SPRING.
>> FREDERICA: WHEN IT COMES TO
COVID PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICES,
IS THE NEW NORMAL LIKE THE OLD
NORMAL?
IT COULD TAKE A WHILE, BECAUSE
SOME WISCONSINITES WHO WERE
COMPLIANT TO THE LETTER WITH
GUIDELINES, ARE DISCOVERING IT
MAY BE EASIER TO PUT A MASK ON,
THAN TO TAKE IT OFF.
WE OPEN THE DOOR TO POST-DEMIC
LIFE NOW TO SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN A
VALUABLE RESOURCE TO US THIS
YEAR, STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST
DOCTOR RYAN WESTERGUARD.
I SHOULD SAY THIS YEAR AND LAST
YEAR.
WELCOME.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME BACK.
>> FREDERICA: WITH RESTRICTIONS
MOSTLY LIFTED, IS THIS OVER?
>> IT'S NOT QUITE OVER,
ALTHOUGH I THINK EVERYONE AGREES
WE ARE IN A MUCH BETTER PLACE
THAN WE WERE EVEN JUST A FEW
MONTHS AGO, SO -- BUT AS OF
TODAY AND THIS LAST WEEK, THERE
IS STILL JUST UNDER 200 PEOPLE
IN WISCONSIN WHO ARE IN THE
HOSPITAL WITH COVID-19 AND THESE
PAST SEVERAL WEEKS WE HAVE
AVERAGED FOUR DEATHS PER DAY.
THE PANDEMIC IS STILL HERE,
THINGS ARE LOOKING BETTER.
WE HAVE LEARNED A LOT, BUT IT IS
NOT OVER YET.
>> FREDERICA: IS THERE ANY
SENSE ON YOUR PART WITH
RESTRICTIONS GONE, THERE WILL BE
A SURGE?
>> WELL, WE HOPE NOT.
WE NEED TO REMAIN VIGILANT T.
DECISION BY CDC A COUPLE OF
WEEKS AGO TO REALLY CHANGE THE
NORMS AROUND MASK-WEARING FROM
MANDATES IN LARGE COMMUNITY
SETTINGS TO MAKING IT AN
INDIVIDUAL CHOICE, WAS
REFLECTIVE OF THE SCIENCE THAT
SHOWED WHEN ENOUGH PEOPLE ARE
VACCINATED AND VACCINATION IS
HIGHLY EFFECTIVE AS WE KNOW IT
IS, WE ARE PROTECTED AS A
COMMUNITY FROM SURGES.
THERE IS STILL SOME THREATS
BECAUSE THERE ARE VIRUSES STILL
CIRCULATING.
THE THREAT OF EMERGENCE OF NEW
GENETIC VARIANTS THAT MIGHT BE
HIGHLY TRANSMISSABLE IS EVER
PRESENT, BUT OUR HOPE IS WITH
APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THE PEOPLE
IN THE COUNTRY AND WISCONSIN
GETTING VACCINATED, THAT WE ARE
IN A SAFER PLACE OVERALL AS A
COMMUNITY.
>> FREDERICA: SHOULD THE PUBLIC
BE CONCERNED ABOUT INFECTION IF
UNVACCINATED PEOPLE WILL NOT IN
FACT, WEAR MASKS, EVEN THOUGH
THE GUIDANCE SAYS THEY SHOULD?
>> I THINK IF WE ARE
PARTICULARLY IN INDOOR SETTINGS
WHERE THERE IS PEOPLE WITH MIXED
VACCINATION STATUS, MEANING
PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN FULLY
VACCINATED AND PEOPLE WHO
HAVEN'T, FOR ME IF I WAS
ORGANIZING ONE OF THOSE EVENTS
AND PARTICULARLY IF THERE WERE
GOING TO BE OLDER OR MEDICALLY
VULNERABLE FOLKS, I THINK
WEARING MASKS IN THOSE SETTINGS
IS A REASONABLE RECOMMENDATION
TO HAVE AS A NORM FOR VACCINATED
AND UNVACCINATED PEOPLE.
THE FOCUS RELIEF FOR PUBLIC
HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS ARE TO
ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO MAKE THESE
INDIVIDUAL CHOICES.
THE RECOMMENDATION FOR PEOPLE
WHO HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY
VACCINATED REMAINS THE SAME,
WHICH IS TO WEAR MASKS WHEN YOU
GO OUT.
>> FREDERICA: OUR REPORTER
DESCRIBED THIS PHASE OF COVID AS
A POSITIVE THING, BUT ALSO MESSY
AND CONFUSING, AND IT DOES SEEM
EVEN IN DANE COUNTY WHERE
VACCINATION RATES ARE HIGH,
PEOPLE ARE SLOW TO LET GO OF
THEIR MASKS.
THEY JUST DON'T FEEL SAFE ABOUT
IT.
WHAT IS THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THIS
AND DO YOU EXPECT IT TO TAKE
TIME TO READAPT?
>> I DO.
I THINK A LOT OF US HAVE
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THAT.
YOU KNOW, AS YOU MENTIONED, I'M
TALKING TO HERE IN THE STATE
OFFICE BUILDING WHERE THE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES
IS, AND WE JUST RECENTLY REMOVED
THE MASK-WEARING NORM FOR
VACCINATED PEOPLE, AND PEOPLE
ARE FINDING IT AWKWARD AND
CONFUSING.
I THINK LIKE ALL THINGS RELATED
TO INDIVIDUAL RELATED DECISIONS,
WE DESERVE TO GIVE KINDNESS AND
COMPASSION TO EACH OTHER AS WE
MAKE THESE DECISIONS, BECAUSE
IT'S BEEN EXTRAORDINARILY
UNUSUAL AND DIFFICULT YEAR FOR
EVERYBODY.
THERE IS NO ONE RIGHT WAY OR
WRONG WAY TO FEEL OR ACT IN THIS
ENVIRONMENT.
WE JUST NEED TO SUPPORT EACH
OTHER AND RESPECT EACH OTHER'S
DECISIONS AND WEARING MASKS WHEN
WE ARE OUT IN PUBLIC EVEN IF
PEOPLE ARE FULLY VACCINATED IS
FULLY SUPPORTED BY SCIENCE.
>> FREDERICA: EVEN THOUGH THE
WORLD SEEMS ALMOST FULLY OPEN,
IS IT STILL IMPORTANT IN YOUR
MIND TO GET VACCINATED IF YOU
HAVEN'T BEEN?
>> .
>> IN MY MIND THAT IS THE
SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING
PEOPLE CAN DO.
WE KNOW ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS
OF VACCINES ON THE VEJ LEVEL AND
COMMUNITY LEVEL.
THERE IS REALLY NO OTHER MEDICAL
OR PREVENTIVE HEALTH TREATMENT
THAT I COULD RECOMMEND AS
ENTHUSIASTICALLY AS A COVID-19
VACCINE.
AS A PHYSICIAN, TO MY INDIVIDUAL
PATIENTS OR MEDICAL OFFICER FOR
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, IT REALLY
IS OUR STRONGEST POSSIBLE
RECOMMENDATION.
ALL THAT SAID, WE UNDERSTAND
THIS IS A NEW VACCINE, THAT THE
SIENLS IS COMPLEX AND THAT
PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS, SO WE
WANT TO HAVE THAT FIRM,
ENTHUSIASTIC RECOMMENDATION, BUT
ALSO BE PREPARED TO LISTEN WHEN
PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT
VACCINES, AND PROVIDERS NEED TO
LISTEN TO PATIENTS WHO AREN'T
IMMEDIATELY EAGER OR
ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT GETTING THE
VACCINE.
PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY NEED TO
LISTEN, TRUST EACH OTHER.
TALK TO PEOPLE YOU KNOW ABOUT
WHETHER YOU HAVE BEEN
VACCINATED, WHAT THE EXPERIENCE
IS LIKE, AND ASK HONEST
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COMPLICATED
SCIENCE.
WHEN WE TRY TO COMMUNICATE IN
PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICINE TO
THE SCIENCE, WE ARE HIGHLY
CONFIDENT IN THE VACCINES, BUT
IT IS GOING TO TAKE TIME TO
BRING PEOPLE ALONG AND FOR
EVERYONE TO FEEL COMFORTABLE
WITH THE IDEA.
>> FREDERICA: W