ACT.
RISING COVID NUMBERS ACROSS
WISCONSIN ARE NOT JUST A CONCERN
FOR UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES.
THE SURGE TOUCHES THE NERVES OF
STUDENTS OF ALL AGES, FAMILIES
AND STUDENT STAFF AS THE YEAR
GETS UNDERWAY.
FOR AN UPDATE ON NEW PRECAUTIONS
AND CONCERNS, WE TURN TO
DR. SAFDAR, DIVISION OF
INFECTIOUS DISEASE WITHIN THE
DEPARTMENT OF MED SIN AT --
MEDICINE AT UW-MADISON.
SOME 500 PEDIATRICIANS SIGNED A
LETTER TO SCHOOLS AND PARENTS
ABOUT SAFE PRACTICES SAYING WE
NEED TO MASK, DISTANCE AND GET
VACCINATED IF EL VIBL --
ELIGIBLE.
WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON'T TAKE
THOSE MEASURES?
>> IF WE HAVE ANY HOPE OF
EDUCATEING OUR CHILDREN, WE HAVE
TO FOLLOW THESE PRECAUTIONS.
ONE IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE
OTHER.
IF YOU FOLLOW THEM ALL F
AITHFULLY AS CLOSE TO 100% AS
WE CAN GET, THEN WE HAVE A
REASONABLE CHANCE OF BEING ABLE
TO OFFER THIS GENERATION THE
EDUCATION THAT THEY DESERVE.
IF WE DON'T, THEN I THINK WE'LL
BE ABLE TO SEE THE QUON
SEQUENCES THAT WE SEE IN AREAS
THAT ARE NOT HIGH WITH MASK USE
AND DISTANCING.
>> COVID CASES SPIKED ABOVE 2
,000 IN A DAY THIS WEEK.
HOW TRULY CONCERNING IS THIS?
>> IT'S PROBABLY THE WORST IT'S
BEEN FOR A LONG TIME.
WE HAD A BIT OF A REPRIEVE OVER
THE SPRING AND SUMMER.
IT'S A BIT HARD TO GET YOUR HEAD
AROUND THE FACT THAT THINGS
AREN'T GOING IN THE ROSIE
DIRECTION WE WERE HOPING THEY
WOULD.
THINGS ARE MUCH WORSE THAN THEY
SHOULD BE.
>> ARE CHILDREN LESS AT RISK?
>> I THINK AS A GROUP IT'S TRUE
THAT CHILDREN IN THE PEDIATRIC
POPULATION ARE LESS AT RISK.
ULTIMATELY WHEN YOU HAVE THE
VIRUS CIRCULATING IN HIGH
NUMBERS, THERE WILL BE ENOUGH
CHILDREN WITH COMPROMISED IMMUNE
SYSTEMS OR JUST BAD LUCK, BUT
THEY WILL GET INFECTED AND SOME
WILL REQUIRE MEDICAL CARE.
THE NUMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO R
ISE.
>> HOW DO YOU THINK THE FULL FDA
AUTHORIZATION OF THE PFIZER
VACCINE WILL MOVE PEOPLE WHO
WERE WAITING TO GET VACCINATED?
>> I THINK IF YOUR REASON FOR
NOT GETTING VACCINATED WAS YOU
WANTED TO SEE THE STAMP OF
APPROVAL, A SMALL GROUP, THEN I
THINK YOU'LL GET VACCINATED NOW
THAT WE HAVE THAT.
FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T BELIEVE IN
VACCINES IN CONVENIENTLY, I'M
NOT SURE THAT IT WILL HAVE ANY
CHANGE.
>> WHAT IS THE SITUATION AT THE
HOSPITAL WHERE YOU WORK IN TERMS
OF CAPACITY OR STAFF, BEDS,
EQUIPMENT, ICU SPACE?
>> I THINK WHAT WE LEARNED WITH
COVID IS YOU CAN GO FROM FEELING
GOOD ONE WEEK ONLY TO FIND THAT
THE FOLLOWING WEEK THE NUMBER OF
CASES ARE RISING.
SO FOR THE MOMENT IT'S NORMAL
OPERATIONS.
WE CERTAINLY ARE SEEING MORE
INPATIENTS WITH COVID THAN WE
DID BEFORE.
BUT NOTHING MORE HAS BEEN
REQUIRED OF THE HEALTH SYSTEM AT
THIS POINT.
BUT IS LIKELY NOT TO BE THE CASE
SEVERAL WEEKS FROM NOW.
WE JUST HAVE TO PLAN FOR THAT
POSSIBILITY.
>> AND WHAT IS IT LIKE THEN FOR
THE FRONT LINE WORKERS IN THE
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM TO CONFRONT
THIS ONCE AGAIN?
>> WELL, I THINK THERE'S HIGH
BURN-OUT RATES IN OUR SYSTEMS IN
GENERAL.
PEOPLE FEEL THERE'S REALLY TWO
CONSTRAINTS.
ONE IS YOU'RE DOING YOUR DAILY
WORK ON P TOO OF THE ADDITIONAL
STRESS THAT COVID POSES.
AS INFECTIONS RISE IN THE
COMMUNITY, THEY ALSO RISE IN
HEALTH CARE WORKERS.
AND THEN YOU HAVE STAFFING
CONCERNS WHICH DOUBLES THE
CONCERN FOR THOSE STILL AT WORK.
>> SO WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO
PARENTS, SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS AS
SCHOOLS START?
>> I THINK WE HAVE TO FAITHFULLY
FOLLOW ALL RECOMMENDED
PRECAUTIONS AS CLOSE TO 100% OF
THE TIME AS WE CAN.
WITH THAT, I THINK WE CAN
CONTINUE TO DO SOME OF THE
THINGS WE'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO
DO.
WITHOUT THAT, WE HAVE NO CHANCE
OF BEING ABLE TO CONTINUE THE
WAY WE'D LIKE TO.
>> SO WITHOUT THAT YOUR
EXPECTATION IS THAT POTENTIALLY
THERE COULD BE ANOTHER KIND OF
SHUTDOWN?
>> WELL, ONE HOPES IT DOESN'T
COME TO THAT.
THOSE THINGS PROBABLY AREN'T
SUSTAINABLE.
BUT GIVEN HOW QUICKLY DELTA IS
TRANSMITTED, EVEN A LITTLE
ABSENT MASKING MAY NOT BE IN CON
SCWEN CHEL AND YOU DON'T KNOW
WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO FIND UNTIL
YOU'RE IN THAT STATE.
CHILDREN ARE THE REAL HEROES OF
THIS PANDEMIC.
THEY HAVE MASKED UP WITHOUT
COMPLAINING THIS WHOLE TIME.
>> DO YOU GET THE SENSE AT ALL
THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT TAKING THIS
DELTA VARIANT AS SERIOUSLY AS
PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELVES
UNDERSTAND IT TO BE SERIOUS?
>> I THINK IT'S A LITTLE BIT
HARD TO GET YOUR HEAD AROUND THE
FACT THAT FOR A WHILE THINGS
WERE GOOD.
WE GOT EFFECTIVE VACCINES AND
NOW THERE'S A VARIANT AND A NEED
FOR BOOSTERS AND SO ON.
YES, DELTA IS BAD AND CAN LEAD
TO SEVERE CONSEQUENCES.
BUT HAVING SAID THAT, I THINK WE
HAVE TO CONFRONT WHAT'S IN FRONT
OF US.
DENYING IT ISN'T GOING TO MAKE
IT GO AWAY.
>> DOCTOR, THANKS VERY MUCH AND
THANKS FOR YOUR WORK.