WAS THE THE 3rd OR 4TH OF JUNE WE
ARE DOWN TO ONE INPATIENT.
END OF SEPTEMBER, THE NUMBERS
KEPT RISING.
SO I PLOTTED THAT ALL OUT ON AN
EXCEL SPREAD SHEET, GENERATED
THAT GRAPH AND WENT, MY
GOODNESS, WE'RE IN FOR TROUBLE
HERE. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE
SEEING.
AND WE'RE SEEING PEOPLE OF ALL
AGE RANGES -- I SHOULDN'T SAY
THAT.
RANGING FROM LATE 20s TO 70s
AND ABOVE.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF PATIENTS
WE'RE SEEING ARE 50 AND ABOVE.
THE MOST VULNERABLE IN TERMS OF
RISK FOR MORTALITY ARE ELDERLY
PEOPLE.
THE OVERALL MORTALITY RATE IS
ABOUT 1% OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO GET
IT WILL DIE.
IF YOU'RE ABOVE 70, 30% OF THOSE
PEOPLE WILL NEED TO BE ADMITTED
AND 30% OF THOSE WILL DIE.
THE OLDER YOU ARE, THE MORE
MEDICAL PROKS YOU PROBLEMS YOU HAVE, THE
MORE RISK OF YOU DYING FROM THE
DISEASE.
WE'RE SEEING ELDERLY PEOPLE WHO
DON'T GO ANYWHERE -- AND I ASK
PEOPLE WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU
GOT IT?
THE OTHER DAY I SAW AN ELDERLY
MAN IN HIS LATE 70s WHO SAID,
I DON'T KNOW.
MY WIFE AND I STAY HOME.
WE HAVEN'T BEEN ANYWHERE.
WHO COMES TO VISIT?
MY GRANDCHILDREN BRING MY
GROCERIES.
SO THAT'S THE ONLY WAY THAT
FAMILY COULD HAVE GOTTEN THE
VIRUS.
AND THAT'S THE THEME WE'RE
HEARING OVER AND OVER AND OVER.
WE HAD A SMALL FAMILY BIRTHDAY
PARTY, JUST TEN OF US.
NOBODY WAS SICK SO WE THOUGHT WE
WERE SAFE.
TURNS OUT ONE OF THOSE WAS
ASYMPTOMATIC AND SPREAD IT TO
OTHER PEOPLE.
THE OLDER PEOPLE AND THOSE WITH
OTHER DISEASES ARE THE ONES WHO
HAVE TO BE HOSPITALIZED.
>> SO WHAT WOULD THE MESSAGE BE
THERE THEN.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY PEOPLE
CRAMMING INTO BARS OR GOING TO
SO-CALLED SUPER SPREADER EVENTS,
BUT WOULD THAT THEN MAKE US
BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD ALL
BASICALLY BE TRYING TO
SELF-QUARANTINE?
>> THE MESSAGE IS IF IT'S
SOMEBODY YOU KNOW THAT DOES NOT
?LIVE IN YOUR IMMEDIATE
HOUSEHOLD, YOU NEED TO TAKE THE
PRECAUTIONS WITH THAT PERSON
WHEN YOU GET TOGETHER.
SO I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULDN'T
GET TOGETHER.
BUT WHEN WE HAVE MEETINGS IN THE
HOSPITALS, WE ALL WEAR MASKS.
WE HAVE -- THE TABLES LABELED TO
WHERE WE CAN SIT SO WE'RE
PROPERLY SOCIALDY SOCIALLY DISTANCED.
IF YOU HAVE A BIRTHDAY PARTY
WITH TEN PEOPLE WHO AREN'T
LIVING WITH YOU, YOU SHOULD ALL
BE WEARING A MASK.
IT SOUNDS HARSH, BUT THAT'S THE
ONLY WAY WE'RE GOING TO STEM THE
TIDE OF THIS PANDEMIC, IS NOT
SPREADING IT TO EACH OTHER.
AND THE SPREAD IS OCCURRING FROM
FAMILY MEMBERS OR CLOSE FRIENDS.
YOU KNOW, YOU GO OUT TO -- I HAD
ANOTHER PATIENT WHO WAS PRETTY
SICK.
SHE WAS IN HER EARLY 60s.
I SAID, WHERE DID YOU GET IT?
SOME OF US DECIDED TO GO OUT TO
A BAR ONE NIGHT.
WE WERE ALL FEELING FINE.
SIX OF US GOT IT.
>> WOW.
WHAT ARE YOUR PROJECTIONS ABOUT
HOW LONG THIS SECOND WAVE COULD
LAST?
>> SO WE'VE ACTUALLY DONE SOME
LOCAL MODELING, AND THE LOCAL
MODELS PREDICT THAT THIS SECOND
WAVE WILL PEAK MID-NOVEMBER.
SO THIS WILL BE ANOTHER
BELL-SHAPED CURVE JUST LIKE THAT
FIRST HUMP.
SO THAT TAKES THIS WAVE OF THE
PANDEMIC --
>> THAT IS TRULY FRIGHTENING.
WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR
WORK.
THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO AND
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US,
DR. PAUL CASEY.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME.
YOU'RE WELCOME.
>> IN THE FACE OF A SURGING
COVID-19 CASELOAD IN WISCONSIN,
HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND PUBLIC
HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE ALSO HAVING
TO BATTLE A PARALLEL
"INFO-DEMIC" OF ONLINE
MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE
DISEASE.
CONSPIRACY THEORIES THAT CAST
DOUBT ON COVID-19 DATA AND
INFORMATION ARE FINDING A
ENTHUSIASTIC AUDIENCE.
OUR PARTNERS AT WISCONTEXT HAVE
BEEN DIGGING INTO THIS AND HOW
IT'S MAKING AN ALREADY DIFFICULT
JOB FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
DEPARTMENTS ALL THE MORE
CHALLENGING.
LOOK FOR THEIR REPORTING ON THIS
TOPIC AND MORE NEXT WEEK AT
WISCONN
wiscontext.org.
AS WE RACE EVER CLOSER TO
ELECTION DAY, WISCONSIN VOTE IS
THE INFORMATION FOR COMPLETE
INFORMATION.
FIND IT AT wisconsinvote.org.
AND THAT IS OUR PROGRAM FOR
TONIGHT.
I'M FREDERICA FREYBERG.
HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND.
>> FOR MORE "HERE AND NOW" 2020
ELECTION COVERAGE, GO TO
pbswisconsin.org AND CLICK ON
NEWS.
>> FUNDING FOR "HERE AND NOW" IS
PROVIDED BY THE FOCUS FUND FOR
JOURNALISM AND FRIENDS OF PBS
WISCONSIN.