BAY ONE OF OUR HOSPITALS HAD TO
SAY NO TO 28 PATIENTS WHO
TRANSFERRED IN THAT IMMEDIATED
THEM, INCLUDING THREE STROKES.
AND THOSE FAMILIES UNFORTUNATELY
HAD TO HAVE THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS
TRANSFERRED OVER 200 MILES AWAY
JUST TO GET BASIC CARE THAT THEY
NEEDED.
THIS WOULDN'T HAPPEN IF WE HAD
THOSE BEDS AND STAFF AVAILABLE
TO TAKE CARE OF THEM WHICH ARE
NOW OCCUPIED BY COVID PATIENTS.
>> AS THE DELTA VARIANT CAUSES
CASE NUMBERS TO SURGE IN
WISCONSIN, WITH POSITIVE CASES
NOW SURPASSING 5,000 A DAY AND
ICU BEDS NEARLY FULL UP, ANOTHER
THREAT: THE OMICRON VARIANT.
HOW BIG A THREAT IS IT?
WE TURN TO DR. MICHAEL
OSTERHOLM, DIRECTOR OF
INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEE RESEARD
POLICY.
HE JOINS US FROM MINNEAPOLIS.
WHAT IS YOUR THREAT ASSESSMENT
ON THE OMICRON VARIANT?
>> IT'S A REAL CONCERN.
IT IS A 210-MILE CURVE BALL
THROWN INTO THIS WHOLE MIX OF
COVID.
THIS VIRUS COMBINES BOTH THE
ABILITY TO BE MUCH MORE
INFECTIOUS AND I THINK ALL THE
EVIDENCE WE SEE IN THIS FIRST
WEEK OF DATA COLLECTION IS THAT
IT IS MORE INFECTIOUS THAN DELTA
AND IT ALSO HAS THE ABILITY TO
EVADE IMMUNE PROTECTION FROM
HAVING PREVIOUSLY BEEN IN INFECD
OR FROM THE VACCINES.
MANY, MANY INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE
PREVIOUSLY I INFECTED IN SOUTH
AFRICA ARE GETTING INFECTED
AGAIN.
THE ONE REAL QUESTION WE STILL
HAVE IS WHAT PROPORTION OF THESE
PEOPLE WHO DO GET INFECTED, HOW
MANY OF THEM HAVE SERIOUS
ILLNESS.
AND WE ARE STARTING TO SEE
HOSPITALIZATIONS GROW QUITE
DRAMATICALLY IN SOUTH AFRICA AND
IN PARTICULAR IN KIDS UNDER THE
AGE OF FIVE.
>> WE KNOW THAT IT HAS BEEN
DETECTED IN SEVERAL STATES,
INCLUDING MINNESOTA NOW.
FROM WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT ITS
TRANSMISSION, IS IT JUST A
MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THERE ARE
WIDESPREAD OUTBREAKS, INCLUDING
WHERE WE ARE?
>> YOU KNOW, IT'S A HARD THING
TO BE TALKING ABOUT WHEN HERE WE
SIT HERE TODAY WITH 95,000 NEW
CASES OF DELTA BEING REPORTED
TODAY NATIONWIDE AND THE
SEVEN-DAY AVERAGE GOING UP EVERY
DAY.
SO THAT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT,
WELL, COULD IT GET WORSE, THIS
UNFORTUNATELY IS JUST THAT.
I THINK THAT WITHIN THE NEXT
THREE OR FOUR WEEKS, IN MANY
LOCATIONS OMICRON WILL BECOME
THE DOMINANT VARIANT THAT WE
SEE.
LAST WEEKEND, ABOUT ONE WEEK
AGO, I SAID IT WOULDN'T SURPRISE
ME IF WE FOUND IT IN AT LEAST 50
COUNTRIES AND A NUMBER OF THE
STATES BY THE END OF THIS WEEK.
WELL, HERE WE ARE ON FRIDAY AND
IT'S RIGHT ON TRACK FOR THOSE
NUMBERS.
SO I THINK THAT WE SURELY CAN
EXPECT TO SEE GLOBAL
DISTRIBUTION AND WHERE IT'S AT
IT WILL SPREAD READILY.
>> YOU SPOKE A MOMENT AGO ABOUT
THE SEVERITY OF THE DISEASE
THAT'S BEING SEEN.
INITIAL REPORTS IT SEEMED WERE
THAT IT WASN'T AS SEVERE, BUT
THAT IS LOOKING DIFFERENTLY AT
THIS POINT?
>> WELL, WE CAUTIONED PEOPLE ALL
ALONG FOR TWO REASONS, TO COME
UP WITH ANY CONCLUSIONS ABOUT
THAT.
THE FIRST CASES BEING REPORTED
OUT OF SOUTH AFRICA WERE LARGELY
IN YOUNG, HEALTHY ADULTS WHERE
WE EXPECT TO SEE THE LEAST OF
SERIOUS ILLNESS.
IN ADDITION, AS WE TALKED ABOUT
TIME AND TIME AGAIN WITH THIS
ENTIRE PANDEMIC, WE HAVE TO BE
CONCERNED ABOUT LAGGING
INDICATORS.
BASICALLY SEVERE ILLNESS,
HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS
OFTEN OCCUR TWO TO THREE WEEKS
OR MORE AFTER INDIVIDUALS BECOME
INFECTED AND WE ARE IN THE VERY
EARLIEST DAYS OF WIDESPREAD
TRANSMISSION IN AFRICA.
IT WILL TAKE WELL INTO MID
DECEMBER BEFORE WE HAVE A BETTER
HANDLE ON THAT.
WHAT WE'VE SEEN WITH
HOSPITALIZATIONS IN THE LAST 24
TO 36 HOURS IN THE JOHANNESBURG
AND PRETORIA AREAS IS THIS IS
CAUSING SEVERE ILL ILLNESS IN A
NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS.
WE'RE STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND
T. >> FOR NOW, AGAIN, IT'S THE
DELTA VARIANT CAUSING CASE
SURGES IN WISCONSIN AND UPPER
MIDWEST.
WHEN VACCINATIONS WERE MADE
WIDELY AVAILABLE DID YOU EVER
SEE US IN THIS PLACE AND
SOMEWHERE PO PO WORSE?
>> THE FACT THAT WE HAVE BETA
AND GAMMA, TWO VARIANTS THAT
COULD EVADE IMMUNE PROTECTION
BUT DIDN'T SURVIVE BECAUSE THEY
WERE NOT THAT INFECTIOUS, AT
THAT TIME I SAID I WAS CONCERNED
THAT I THOUGHT THAT SOME OF THE
DARKEST DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC
MIGHT BE AHEAD OF US YET.
IT WAS NOT WELL RECEIVED,
DISCOUNTED BY MANY.
I THINK BASED ON WHAT WE'VE SEEN
THE LAST SIX MONTHS AND NOW WITH
THIS 210 MANY MILE AN HOUR CURVE
BALL, PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO
UNDERSTAND THIS ISN'T LIKE THE
FLU AND IT JUST BECOMES
SEASONAL.
THIS ONE KEEPS THROWING
SURPRISES AT US.
AS WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW WITH
THE BURDEN OF ILLNESS EVEN WITH
DELTA, WHAT WE ARE LIKELY TO SEE
WITH OMICRON, I THINK PEOPLE CAN
UNDERSTAND EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY
BE DONE WITH THE PANDEMIC, THE
VIRUS IS NOT DONE WITH US.
AND THAT'S THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE
RIGHT NOW IN TRYING TO CONTROL
THE TRANSMISSION OF THIS VIRUS
IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE LEAVE IT THERE.
WE HOPE TO CHECK BACK IN WITH
YOU IN FUTURE WEEKS.
DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, THANKS
VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.