>> IN PANDEMIC NEWS, AS FOUL --L
ROUNDS INTO WINTER, HEALTH
OFFICIALS ARE SOUNDING THE ALARM
ON THE COVID-19 SURGE SAYING
DAILY CASE COUNTS NEARING 4,000
HAVEN'T BEEN SEEN SINCE THE END
OF 2020.
WISCONSIN HOSPITALS ARE NOW
NEARLY FULL, WITH 96% OF ICU
BEDS TAKEN.
THAT LEADING HEALTH OFFICIALS TO
BESEECH PEOPLE TO HELP FLATTEN
THE CURVE.
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>> IT'S GETTING HARD TO FIND
BEDS FOR PATIENTS, PEOPLE WHO
NEED A HIGHER LEVEL OF CARE.
IT'S BECOMING MORE DIFFICULT TO
FIND A BED TO TRANSFER THEM.
>> MINNESOTA AND MICHIGAN HAVE
THE WORST RATE OF NEW COVID
INFECTIONS IN THE COUNTRY.
FOR THE LATEST ON WHAT'S GOING
ON REGIONALLY, WE TURN TO MAYO
CLINIC AND DR. MELANIE SWIFT WHO
JOINS US FROM ROCHESTER,
MINNESOTA.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO WHY IS THIS HAPPENING
AGAIN AND WHY IN THE UPPER
MIDWEST?
>> IT'S BOTH A BLESSING AND A
CURSE THAT WE'VE HAD HIGHER
UPTICK OF VACCINATION IN THIS
PART OF THE COUNTRY THAN SOME
OTHER REGIONS.
IT HAS HELPED TO SLOW THE CURVE
OF THIS RECENT SURGE.
SO WE HAVEN'T SEEN THE HUGE,
DRAMATIC PEAKS OF CASES THAT
SOME PARTS OF THE COUNTRY
EXPERIENCED LAST SUMMER WITH THE
DELTA VARIANT.
INSTEAD, WE HAVE HAD MORE MODEST
CASES, BUT THEY HAVE NOT
EXTINGUISHED OVER TIME AS YOU DO
WHEN YOU HAVE A MORE AGGRESSIVE
SURGE.
SO WE CONTINUE TO HAVE WHAT WE
KIND OF CALL FUEL FOR THE FIRE:
UNVACCINATED PEOPLE AT JUST
ENOUGH LEVEL THAT THEY CONTINUE
TO CONTRACT AND SPREAD COVID.
>> SO IF THE ANSWER TO HELP
FLATTEN THIS CURVE EVEN THOUGH
IT'S NOT THAT DRAMATIC SURGE
THAT YOU DESCRIBED, IF THE
ANSWER IS TO GET VACCINATED,
WHAT MORE CAN BE DONE,
ESPECIALLY IN COUNTIES ACROSS
THE STATES THAT HAVE LOWER
VACCINATION RATES?
>> I THINK THAT WE ARE GOING TO
SEE SOME SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN
TERMS OF WORKPLACE REQUIREMENTS.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S RATHER
CONTENTIOUS.
BUT IT APPEARS TO BE LIKELY
NECESSARY TO GET THE LEVELS OF
VACCINATION THAT WE NEED.
WE ARE FORTUNATELY ABLE TO NOW
VACCINATE CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS
FIVE NOW THAT SCHOOLS ARE BACK
TRYING TO MEET IN PERSON,
FAMILIES ARE GOING TO TRY TO
GATHER OVER THE HOLIDAYS AND
INTO NEXT YEAR.
VACCINATING CHILDREN COULD HELP
US STOP THIS SURGE THAT'S GOING
ON RIGHT NOW.
>> AS THE MONTHS TICK BY,
PROTECTION FROM TWO-DOSE
VACCINES EVEN AND NATURAL
IMMUNITY FROM INFECTION WANE, I
UNDERSTAND, SO ARE THE
UNVACCINATED AND WANING
COMMUNITY GROUPS COLLIDING WITH
THE DELTA VARIANT AND NOW INDOOR
WEATHER?
>> ALL OF THOSE FACTORS ARE
PLAYING A ROLE.
WE ARE SEEING IN OUR OWN
INTERNAL DATA THAT UNVACCINATED
PEOPLE ARE BEING INFECTED AT
MUCH HIGHER THE RATE THAN
VACCINATED PEOPLE WHO EVEN
HAVEN'T HAD A BOOSTER YET WHO
ARE STILL BEING INFECTED AT A
HIGHER RATE THAN THOSE WHO HAVE
HAD THEIR BOOSTER.
WE DO EXPECT RECOMMENDATIONS
FROM CDC SOON FOR BOOSTERS FOR
ALL AND ENCOURAGE ANYONE
ELIGIBLE TO GO AHEAD AND GET IT
WHERE WE HEAD INTO THE SEASON
THAT COULD MAKE IT A BAD WINTER
FOR COVID.
>> ARE WE TALKING ABOUT ONLY THE
FULLY-VACCINATED PEOPLE ARE
THOSE WITH BOOSTERS?
>> FULLY VACCINATED CONTINUES TO
MEAN THAT YOU'VE HAD YOUR
INITIAL SERIES PLUS TWO WEEKS OF
TIME.
HOWEVER, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO
NEED A NEW TERM FOR FULLY
VACCINATED AND UP-TO-DATE WITH
ALL RECOMMENDED BOOSTERS.
>> IS IT REALLY SAFE AT THIS
POINT WITH WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN
THESE KIND OF CASE COUNTS IN
WISCONSIN AND MINNESOTA, IS IT
REALLY SAFE FOR PEOPLE TO GATHER
FOR THANKSGIVING OR TRAVEL?
>> I THINK THAT WE UNFORTUNATELY
NEED TO BE EXERCISING CAUTION
LIKE WE DID LAST YEAR.
I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THANKSGIVING
COMING UP.
CHILDREN ARE NOT YET FULLY
VACCINATED AND WON'T BE UNTIL
MID TO LATE DECEMBER.
AND FAMILIES CANNOT TAKE A FALSE
SENSE OF SECURITY FROM THAT
FIRST SHOT OF VACCINE.
AND UNVACCINATED PEOPLE CONTINUE
TO BE AT HIGH RISK.
INITIALLY VACCINATED PEOPLE
WITHOUT A BOOSTER VACCINATED
MORE THAN SIX MONTHS AGO, THEY
ARE AT HIGHER RISK THAN THEIR
BOOSTED COUNTERPARTS.
SO WE DO HAVE TO CONTINUE TAKING
PRECAUTIONS.
>> YEAH.
BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE JUST
OVERHEARING THAT, RIGHT?
BUT I WANT TO ASK THIS QUESTION.
WISCONSIN'S GUN DEER SEASON
OPENS SATURDAY AND OUR HEALTH
DEPARTMENT IN WISCONSIN HAS
OFFERED GUIDANCE THAT HUNTERS
SHOULD MASK WHILE FIELD DRESSING
DEER.
HOW CONCERNING IS THE RESEARCH
SHOWING THE DEER POPULATION
INFECTED WITH COVID?
>> I THINK THAT'S AN ABUNDANCE
OF CAUTION.
THERE CERTAINLY IS EVIDENCE THAT
WHITETAIL DEER HAVE ANTIBODIES
TO COVID AND HAVE BEEN INFECTED.
THERE'S REALLY NO EVIDENCE OF A
SIGNIFICANT SPREAD TO HUMANS.
HOWEVER, YOU CAN GET MANY THINGS
FROM DEER AND OTHER WILDLIFE.
SO PRECAUTIONS LIKE WEARING
GLOVES ARE VERY IMPORTANT, NOT
LETTING YOUR HUNTING DOGS OR
OTHER ANIMALS COME IN DIRECT
CONTACT WITH WILD ANIMALS, NOT
EATING, DRINKING, SMOKING WHILE
YOU'RE DRESSING DEER.
WE DON'T SEE ANYTHING THAT USDA
OR CDC HAS SEEN IN TERMS OF
WILDLIFE LIKE DEER TRANSMITTING
COVID DIRECTLY TO HUMANS.
SO THAT'S AN EXTRA MEASURE OF
CAUTION, BUT I DON'T HAVE
CONCERN THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
SIGNIFICANT TRANSMISSION FROM
DEER TO HUNTERS.
>> VERY, VERY GOOD NEWS.
DR. MELANIE SWIFT, THANKS VERY