CORONAVIRUS QUESTIONS TO THE
EXPERTS AND JOINING US TONIGHT
IS DR. BRIAN HOLLENBECK THE
CHIEF OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE AT
NEW ENGLAND BAPTIST HOSPITAL
DOCTOR.
BACK.
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
ALL RIGHT, SO THE U.S.
TODAY SURPASSED 6 MILLION CASES
OF COVID-19 IT TOOK 22 DAYS TO
GO FROM 5 MILLION TO 6 MILLION
THE PREVIOUS MILLION.
SO 4 TO 5 MILLION WITH 17 DAYS
AND BEFORE THAT 15 DAYS, SO THE
PERIOD IS GETTING LONGER AND
SHOULD WE TAKE THAT AS A SIGN
THAT MAYBE HOPEFULLY THINGS ARE
STABILIZING.
YEAH.
I THINK WE CAN YEAH, IT IS
TAKING LONGER TO INCREASE THESE
NUMBERS BY THE SAME AMOUNT.
AND SO THAT IS A IS IT OF SIGN
MILLION CASES IS A LOT OF CASES
AND SO WE’RE STILL SEEING ROOM
FOR IMPROVEMENT FOR SURE.
BUT IT IS IT IS A GOOD SIGN THAT
IT’S TAKING LONGER TO GET THERE.
ALL RIGHT HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE
PROTESTED YESTERDAY OVER THE
WEEKEND AGAINST REQUIRING FLU
VACCINES FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN
THIS YEAR, WHICH THE GOVERNOR
HAS NOW REQUIRED FROM YOUR
PERSPECTIVE.
WHY IS REQUIRING THE VACCINE SO
IMPORTANT AND WHAT KIND OF
ADVANTAGE DOES IT GIVE WHEN A
FLU SEASON A PANDEMIC YEAH, SO
THE FLUTE THE FLU VACCINES BEEN
REQUIRED.
FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS FOR A
LONG TIME.
SO NOT A COMPLETELY NEW THING TO
REQUIRE IT WITH IN
MASSACHUSETTS.
WE DO KNOW THAT FLU AND
CORONAVIRUS OVERLAP QUITE A BIT
IN TERMS OF WHAT THE SYMPTOMS
MIGHT LOOK LIKE AND AS WE HEAD
INTO THE FALL AND WINTER IT’S
GOING TO BE DIFFICULT TO
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PEOPLE WITH
FLU OR PEOPLE WITH CORONAVIRUS
AND DEPENDING ON AVAILABILITY OF
TESTING THAT COULD RHYTHM IT THE
ABILITY TO MAKE DIAGNOSES OF FLU
OR CORONAVIRUS AND THEREFORE
ALLOW BOTH DISEASES TO SPREAD
BOTH.
JESUS ARE CAPABLE OF CAUSING A
LOT OF POSSIBLE HAS A SHINZON A
LOT OF MORBIDITY A LOT OF DEATH.
AND SO EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN DO
TO PREVENT.
BOTH DISEASES WILL BE REALLY
IMPORTANT THIS YEAR.
SO I FULLY SUPPORT WHAT THE DPHH
DECIDED TO DO HERE.
ALL RIGHT A NEW STUDY FROM THE
CDC LOOKED AT FRONTLINE
HEALTHCARE WORKERS WHO CARE FOR
COVID-19 PATIENTS AND THEY FOUND
THAT SIX PERCENT OF THOSE
SURVEYED HAD ANTIBODIES TO THE
VIRUS WHICH INDICATES THEY’VE
BEEN INFECTED AT SOME POINT IN
TIME, BUT NEARLY 70 PERCENT OF
THEM THEM HAD NEVER BEEN
DIAGNOSED SO TYPES OF
PRECAUTIONS ARE IN PLACE AT
HOSPITALS RIGHT NOW.
IS IT ENOUGH IS THERE ENOUGH
TESTING OF THESE FRONTLINE
WORKERS?
AND OF COURSE THE PATIENTS IN
HOSPITALS?
YEAH, THAT WAS A REALLY
pINTERESTING AND GOOD STUDY THAT
CAME OUT FROM THE CDC.
IT LOOKS AT 13 DIFFERENT
HOSPITALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
MOSTLY ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTERS
AND ACTUALLY WITHIN BOSTON BETH
ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER
IS ONE OF THOSE 13 HOSPITALS
THAT’S IN THAT STUDY.
AND WHAT’S INTERESTING WHEN YOU
LOOK AT THAT STUDY IS THAT IT’S
TRUE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT
APPARENTLY HAD CORONAVIRUS BUT
HAD SYMPTOMS OR HAD TESTING WITH
SYMPTOMS BUT WEREN’T DIAGNOSED.
BUT THAT’S ALSO WHAT WE KNOW
ABOUT THE GENERAL POPULATION.
SO THAT’S WHAT WE KNOW TO BE
TRUE.
YOU KNOW OF EVERYBODY ANYWAY, SO
WHAT’S REALLY INTERESTING WITHIN
BETH ISRAEL IS THAT YOU SEE
ACTUALLY A LOWER PERCENTAGE OF
HEALTH CARE WORKERS WITH PRIOR
CORONAVIRUS THEN YOU DO WITHIN
THE GENERAL BOSTON POPULATION
INDICATING THAT WHAT WE’RE DOING
WITH THE HOSPITAL SEEMS TO BE
MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
SO THAT’S GOOD.
SO, WHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT IF
YOU’RE COMING INTO A HOSPITAL?
WE’RE A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH OR
WITHOUT SYMPTOMS, SO IF YOU’RE
BEING HOSPITALIZED IN THE BOSTON
AREA, HE LIKELY WOULD END UP
WITH A TEST FOR CORONAVIRUS YOU
DEFINITELY WILL BE ASKED ABOUT
SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS OR
EXPOSURE AND THEN YOU’LL SEE
THAT MOST PEOPLE ARE EVERYBODY
IN THE HOSPITAL IS WEARING A
MASK JUST A TYPICAL KIND OF
SURGICAL MASK AND YOU MAY HAVE
OTHER MASKS FOR A CERTAIN
SCENARIOS AND YOU ALSO SEE THE A
LOT OF PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT
HOSPITALS AND OFFICES ARE
WEARING FACE SHIELDS, WHICH WE
KNOW CAN PREVENT DISEASE AS WELL
PREVENT DISEASE SPREAD.
YOU ALSO BE I’M ASKED TO WEAR A
MASK.
SO WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT REALLY
THE MASK.
SO THE THING THAT SEEMED TO BE
MAKING THE BIGGEST IMPACT IN
TERMS OF PREVENTING TRANSMISSION
WITHIN THE HOSPITAL.
ALL RIGHT.
DR. BRIAN HOLLENBECK WITH NEW
ENGLAND BAPTIST CHIEF OF
INFECTIOUS DISEASES, DR.
HOLLENBECK
