MILWAUKEE CLERK GEORGE
CHRISTENSEN, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> THE NEW COVID-19 VACCINE IS
INCREASINGLY AVAILABLE NOW,
INCLUDING AT VACCINE CLINICS
LIKE THIS ONE AT UW-MADISON THIS
WEEK.
PHARMACIES ACROSS THE STATE ARE
PROVIDING SHOTS FOR NO
OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS WITH
INSURANCE OR FREE FOR PEOPLE
WITHOUT INSURANCE.
EVEN IN THE FIRST WEEKS AFTER
APPROVAL, SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES
HAVE MEANT AN UNEVEN STOCK OF
VACCINE, RESULTING IN SOME
DROPPED APPOINTMENTS.
ON THE INFECTION ITSELF, WHAT IS
THE STATUS OF COVID ACTIVITY
ACROSS THE STATE RIGHT NOW?
AND SHOULD WE EXPECT A FALL
SURGE IN CASES?
FOR THE CURRENT LOOK, WE TURN TO
WISCONSIN'S CHIEF MEDICAL
OFFICER AND STATE
EPIDEMIOLOGIST, DR. RYAN
WESTERGAARD.
NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, DOCTOR.
>> YES.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ME BACK.
>> LATEST NUMBERS SHOW
HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR COVID-19
GROWING AT 95%, IT SAID, IN THE
NORTHEAST PORTION OF WISCONSIN.
IS THAT INDICATIVE OF A SURGE?
>> WELL, WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING
THIS FOR THE PAST A COUPLE OF
MONTHS, AND HAVE SEEN THE
VARIOUS REGIONS IN THE STATE
SWITCH PLACES WITH RESPECT TO
WHICH ARE INCREASING AND WHICH
HAVE BEEN DEEMED DECREASING.
IN THE NORTHERN REGION, GOING UP
BY THAT AMOUNT IS PROBABLY
SIGNIFICANT, BUT COMPARED TO
TRADITIONAL OR HISTORICAL
LEVELS, IT'S STILL RELATIVELY
LOW, AND THAT'S TRUE OF OUR CASE
DATA AS WELL.
WE'RE SEEING A STEADY INCREASE
IN HOW MUCH COVID ACTIVITY IS
HAPPENING AROUND THE STATE, BUT
IT'S STILL LOW BY HISTORICAL
STANDARDS WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
WORST DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC IN
THE PAST FEW YEARS.
>> AND SO WOULD YOU SAY EVEN
THOUGH THESE REGIONS KIND OF
SWAP PLACES IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH
THE CASES ARE GROWING OR
HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE GROWING,
OVERALL, IS IT KIND OF A SLOW
BURN RIGHT NOW WITH COVID CASES?
>> IT HAS BEEN.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE
LEARNED ABOUT COVID THAT'S A
LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM THE
OTHER RESPIRATORY VIRUSES, LIKE
FLU AND RSV.
THERE TENDS TO BE A FLU AND THEN
IT COMES WITH A BIG SURGE.
COVID'S NEVER REALLY GONE AWAY.
WE FULLY EXPECT THAT IT COULD
GET WORST IN THE WINTER, AS MOST
RESPIRATORY VIRUSES DO, BUT A
SLOW BURN OVER THE LATE SUMMER
AND EARLY FALL IS A PRETTY
ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT
WE'VE SEEN.
>> HOW WELL DO EXPERTS THINK THE
NEW VACCINE PROTECTS AGAINST
THIS LATEST SUBVARIANT THAT
WE'RE SEEING?
>> WELL, WE'RE VERY HOPEFUL.
THE DATA THAT THE C.D.C.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE USED TO
RECOMMEND THE NEW FORMULATION
SHOWED THAT, AT LEAST IN THE
LABORATORY, THE ANTIBODIES THAT
YOUR BODY GENERATES IN RESPONSE
TO THIS NEW VACCINE ARE ABOUT
TWICE AS EFFECTIVE AS
NEUTRALIZING THE VIRUS PARTICLES
THAN THE PREVIOUS COVID BOOSTER,
SO WE HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE
THAT IT'S A PRETTY GOOD MATCH.
NO VIRUS IS PERFECT, AND AS
WE'VE LEARNED AS TIME HAS GONE
ON, COVID VACCINES ARE EXTREMELY
HELPFUL FOR PREVENTING THE MOST
DANGEROUS AND SEVERE
COMPLICATIONS OF COVID-19,
INCLUDING HOSPITALIZATION, ICU
AT MISSION AND DEATH.
IT DOESN'T PREVENT ALL
INFECTIONS, BUT IF SOMEONE COMES
IN CONTACT WITH THE VIRUS, IT'S
A VERY EFFECTIVE WAY OF REDUCING
THE RISK OF SEVERE DISEASE.
>> WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE --
WHAT'S CALLED THE UPTICK OF
VACCINES ACROSS WISCONSIN?
ARE PEOPLE GOING OUT AND GETTING
THIS VACCINE?
>> WELL, IT'S PRETTY EARLY IN
THE SEASON.
IT'S ONLY BEEN AROUND FOR A FEW
WEEKS, SO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
WHO HAVE RECEIVED A COVID-19
VACCINATION SIMILAR TO A FLU
VACCINE, AND YOU SHOULD NO IT'S
FLU VACCINE SEASON AS WELL,
STILL LOW BY HISTORICAL
STANDARDS.
AS YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR INTRO,
THERE HAS BEEN SOME DELAY IN
VACCINES GETTING TO DIFFERENT
PHARMACIES AROUND THE STATE.
WHAT WE HEAR IS THAT THERE'S
MORE THAN ENOUGH VACCINE ALREADY
MANUFACTURED FOR EVERYONE WHO
WANTS A VACCINE TO HAVE ONE, BUT
IT MAY REQUIRE SOME PATIENTS,
DEPENDING ON -- PATIENCE
DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE FOR
THE PHARMACY, SO THAT PEOPLE CAN
GET IT WITHOUT DELAY.
>> SPEAKING OF THE FLU VACCINE,
PEOPLE WONDER, CAN YOU GET BOTH
AT THE SAME TIME?
>> YOU CERTAINLY CAN, AND WE
RECOMMEND THAT FOR OUR CLINICAL
PARTNERS, TO NOT MISS ANY
OPPORTUNITIES TO GET A VACCINE.
IF IT'S AVAILABLE, IT'S SAFE AND
RECOMMENDED TO GET BOTH AT THE
SAME TIME.
>> IN TERMS OF WHAT'S BEEN
DESCRIBED AS THE SUPPLY CHAIN
ISSUE WITH GETTING ENOUGH
VACCINE INTO PHARMACIES,
ET CETERA, THAT'S BECAUSE
THERE'S KIND OF A SWITCH.
IT USED TO BE THAT THE
GOVERNMENT BOUGHT IT ALL UP AND
THEN DISPERSING IT OUT TO THE
STAYED AND THEN IT'S OUT TO THE
MARKET APPLICATION OF THIS?
>> WE'VE CALLED THAT THE
COMMERCIALIZATION PROCESS.
SO THE FIRST TWO YEARS THAT
VACCINES WERE AVAILABLE, YOU'RE
EXACTLY RIGHT, THE GOVERNMENT
BOUGHT THE ENTIRE SUPPLY AND
MADE IT AVAILABLE FOR FREE TO
PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES
THROUGH THE STATE HEALTH
DEPARTMENTS, WHICH SET UP MASS
VACCINATION CLINICS, DISTRIBUTED
IT TO HOSPITALS AND COLLEGE OF .
WE CAN ACCESS THE QUID PRO QUO
COVID-19VACCINATION INCREASINGLH
PHARMACIES.
THE OTHER DIFFERENCE, OF COURSE,
NOW IS THAT INSURANCE DOES COVER
VACCINES, WHEREAS BEFORE THEY
WERE FREE FOR EVERYONE, SO
PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE INSURANCE
FOR VACCINES, CAN STILL GET A
FREE VACCINE, BUT THEY NEED TO
GO TO ONE OF THE PLACES THAT'S
PARTICIPATING IN SOMETHING
CALLED THE BRIDGE ACCESS
PROGRAM, AND YOU CAN FIND
LOCATIONS IN YOUR AREA
PARTICIPATING IN THAT PROGRAM BY
GOING TO VACCINES DOT GOING TO .