MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>>> IN COVID-19 NEWS, MILWAUKEE
IS REINSTATING MASK GUIDANCE AND
DANE COUNTY IS EXTENDING THE
EMERGENCY HOTEL SHELTER PROGRAM
FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS.
THESE MEASURES AS WISCONSIN
TOPPED 2,000 POSITIVE CASES OVER
ONE DAY THIS WEEK.
A NUMBER NOT SEEN SINCE EARLY
JUNE, ACCORDING TO THE WISCONSIN
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES.
THE STATE'S OFFICIAL POSITIVITY
RATE SITS AT OVER 13%.
BUT THAT'S CERTAINLY AN
UNDERCOUNT WITH AT-HOME TEST
RESULTS NOT APPEARING IN THESE
NUMBERS.
WHERE ARE WE HEADED WITH THIS
ENDURING PANDEMIC AT THIS POINT?
WE ASKED NATIONAL EXPERT MICHAEL
OSTERHOLM, DIRECTOR OF THE
CENTER FOR INFESTER DISEASE
RESEARCH AND POLICY, AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.
HE JOINS US FROM MINNEAPOLIS.
AND THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> SO WHAT ARE THE ESTIMATES FOR
HOW BIG OF AN UNDERCOUNT IT IS
IN POSITIVE CASES CURRENTLY
POSTED ON PUBLIC DASHBOARDS?
>> WE JUST REALLY DON'T KNOW.
I WILL HAVE TO SAY, USING THAT
OLD RURAL WISCONSIN APPROACH TO
UNDERSTANDING LIFE WHERE YOU WET
YOUR FIGURER AND PUT IT UP IN
THE AIR AND THAT'S HOW YOU
DETERMINE WHICH WAY THE WIND IS
COMING, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT
WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IN TERMS
OF LOOKING AT COVID CASES.
WE HAVE MAJOR UNDERCOUNTS
BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE NOT GETTING
TESTED, USING THE PCR TESTING
THAT WOULD GIVE YOU RESULTS THAT
GET REPORTED.
IF YOU NOTED, MANY PEOPLE WHO
ARE USING AT-HOME TESTING, THOSE
RESULTS, FIRST OF ALL, ARE
SOMEWHAT CHALLENGING AND WE KNOW
A LOT OF PEOPLE RIGHT NOW ARE
TESTING NEGATIVE WHEN IN FACT
THEY HAVE POSITIVE.
IN ADDITION, THEY'RE NOTE
GETTING -- THEY'RE NOT GETTING
REPORTED.
SO AT THIS TIME IT'S CLEAR THERE
ARE MANY, MANY MORE CASES
OCCURRING IN THE COMMUNITY.
I PERSONALLY KNOW OF MORE PEOPLE
IN MY OWN LIFE RIGHT NOW THAT
ARE INFECTED THAN I'VE SEEN AT
ANY TIME IN THE ENTIRE PANDEMIC.
SO THE ONE THING THAT WE ARE
USING RIGHT NOW AS A MEASURE
INDIRECTLY OF WHAT'S HAPPENING
IS HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS.
AND UNFORTUNATELY BOTH OF THOSE
ARE CREEPING UP QUICKLY
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
>> OUR STATE LAB SAYS THAT THE
BA.5 VARIANT HAS NOW THE
DOMINANT ONE.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THIS
VARIANT?
>> WELL, AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING
ABOUT, ON THIS VERY SHOW THE
BETTER PART OF THE LAST TWO
YEARS, THIS VIRUS CONTINUES TO
THROW 210-MILE-AN-HOUR
CURVEBALLS AT US.
BA.5 IS NOW ONE THAT CAN INVITED
THE IMMUNE PROTECTIONS OF THE
VACCINES BUT EVEN THOSE WHO HAD
BA1, THE EARLIER SUBVARIANT OF
OMICRON IN DECEMBER AND JAN, ARE
NOW GETTING INFECTED WITH BA.5.
SO THIS IS ONE OF THE ISSUES WE
HAVE WITH THE COVID SITUATION,
IS IN FACT THAT THE IMMUNE
INVASION OF THESE NEWER VARIANTS
IS A PROBLEM FOR US IN TERMS OF
JUST UNDERSTANDING JUST HOW MANY
NEW INFECTIONS WILL OCCUR, WHAT
WILL HAPPEN.
WE JUST DON'T KNOW AT THIS
POINT.
>> SO QUOTING FROM AN ATLANTA
ARTICLE, MORE VARIANTS MEAN MORE
INFECTIONS, MORE INFECTIONS MEAN
MORE VARIANTS.
HOW DOES THIS CYCLE LOOK MOVING
FORWARD, SAY, INTO THE FALL?
>> WELL, IT'S CLEAR THAT, YOU
KNOW, YOU CAN'T GET TO THE POINT
EVENTUALLY OF WHERE, YOU KNOW --
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LOOK AT
SOMETHING ACROSS THE FOOTBALL
FIELD AND YOU GET INFECTED.
THAT'S NOT GOING TO GOING TO
HAPPEN.
BUT EACH TIME THE VARIANT
EMERGES AND TAKES OVER, IT MEANS
THAT ARE NO, SIR INFECTIOUS AND
ABLE TO INFECT.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEE, AFTER
BA.5, WILL WE HAVE A BA7.
A 2.75 WHICH MAY HAVE THIS
ADDITIONALT PROS TO MAKE IT THE
DOMINANT -- PROPERTIES TO MAKE
IT THE DOMINANT VARIANT.
BUT WE HAVE TO BE CONCERNED
ABOUT PRIOR SIGMA.
WHAT'S NEXT?
WE DON'T KNOW.
AND SO I THINK WE HAVE TO EXPECT
AT THIS POINT THE UNEXPECTED.
WHEN WE TALKED ON THIS SHOW A
YEAR AGO, WHO COULD HAVE
IMAGINED YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN
CHRON?
WHO WOULD HAVE IMAGINED HOW IT
WOULD BE SO HIGHLY INFENCER AND
SPREAD THROUGH -- INFECTIOUS AND
THE LEAD THROUGH THE
COMMUNITIES?
WHAT WILL IT WILL BE IN THE WINT
OR FALL, WE DON'T KNOW.
THE U.S. IS DONE WITH THE
PANDEMIC.
WE'RE LOOKING ACROSS THE BOARDS.
THE CITIZENS ARE DONE WITH IT
BUT THE VIRUS ISN'T DONE.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO
RECONCILE.
>> IT SEEMS THAT FOLKS HAVE
PRETTY MUCH QUIT WEARING MASKS.
SHOULD WEB?
>> WELL -- SHOULD WE BE?
>> I STILL WEAR MINE IF I'M IN A
PUBLIC SETTING WHERE I MAY BE
EXPOSED TO SOMEONE ELSE'S AIR.
AND WE ARE SEEING MANY, MANY
CASES RIGHT NOW OCCURRING FROM
BEING IN PUBLIC SETTINGS WHERE
PEOPLE ARE NOT WEARING ANY KIND
OF RESPIRATORY PROTECTION.
EVEN THOSE WHO THINK IF I JUST
TAKE IT OFF FOR 45 MINUTES TO
EAT IN A RESTAURANT, I'M OKAY.
THAT'S NOT TRUE.
WE HAVE MANY CASES OCCURRING
THERE.
WHAT THE CHALLENGE IS RIGHT NOW,
IS IF THESE ARE MILDER
ILLNESSES, AS A NUMBER OF THEM
ARE, THAT'S THE PRICE I PAY TO
LIVE IN A WORLD OF COVID.
I WANT TO LIVE MY LIFE.
WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT.
I WANT TO DO THAT.
BUT IF YOU'RE AT RISK FOR
SERIOUS ILLNESS,
HOSPITALIZATIONS, OR DEATH, YOUR
OLDER, YOU HAVE UNDERLYING
IMMUNE CRIMINAL PRI MILDS
CONDITIONS, YOU'RE --
COMPROMISED CONDITIONS, YOU'RE
OVERWEIGHT, ALL THOSE FACTORS
RIGHT NOW, YOUR BEST BET IS TO
ONE, BE AS VACCINATED AS YOU CAN
BE.
IF YOU CAN GET FOUR DOSES BY
ABLE GET IT OR THREE DOSES.
BUT IN ADDITION, PROTECT
YOURSELF IN THE PUBLIC SETTING,
YOU WANT TO GO OUT IN THE
PUBLIC, HAVE THAT N95
RESPIRATORY ON AND THAT CAN GO A
LONG BASIS IN ALLOWING YOU --
WAYS IN ALLOWING TO GO TO MOVIES
AND CONCERT.
IF YOU HAVE THAT PROTECTION ON,
THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.
>> SHOULD WE HOLD OUT HOPE FOR A
VARIANT-SPECIFIC BOOSTER
REPORTEDLY COMING THIS FALL?
>> YOU KNOW, I AM NOT A BIG FAN
OF THE -- SUBVARIANT BOOSTERS IN
THE FACT -- THINK OF THE
FOLLOWING.
WE JUST DONE TALKING ABOUT BA.5
IS NOW INFECTING PEOPLE WHO HAD
BA.1.
SO THERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF THE
SUBVARIANT THAT IS NOT
SUCCESSFULLY PROTECTING YOU IF
THAT WERE A VACCINE.
NOW, IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING
TO HAPPEN GOING FORWARD IN THE
NEXT FOUR TO FIVE WEEKS TO
SEVERAL MONTHS, SOMETHING IS
GOING TO REPLACE BA.5.
SO EVEN IF YOU HAVE A SUBVATOR
VACCINE -- SUBVARIANT VACCINE,
THERE'S NO INDICATION THAT WILL
PROTECT YOU MORE.
SO I THINK IF WE CHASE THIS
VIRUS BY JUST TRYING TO CATCH UP
WITH THE SUBVARIANT DEVELOPMENT
AND THEY MAKE NEW VACCINES,
WE'LL ALWAYS BE A DAY LATE AND A
DOLLAR SHORT.
THE STILL MOST IMPORTANT THING
IS GET THE REGULAR VACCINE WE
HAVE RIGHT NOW, KNOWING THAT IT
WON'T NECESSARILY PROTECT YOU
FROM GETTING INFECTED BUT IT CAN
GO A LONG WAYS IN PROTECTING YOU
SERIOUS ILLNESS,
HOSPITALIZATIONS, OR DEATHS.
>> DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, THANKS
VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INFORMATION.