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GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO COVID-19 TALKS WITH LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES.
JOINING US THIS MORNING IS DR.
ERICA BROWN, HEALTH AUTHORITY FOR HARRIS COUNTY, AND WE ALSO HAVE DR. DAVID PER THE HEALTH AUTHORITY FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SPECIAL THANKS TO PAST PRESIDENT KATHY VINEGAR, THE ROTARY CLUB OF HOUSTON, OUR PRODUCER MORGAN ASH.
I AM JANINA WHITE WITH THE DEPUTY HEALTH AUTHORITY WITH THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT SITTING IN FOR DIRECTOR STEVEN WILLIAMS. WE HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS SENT TO US FOR THIS WEEK.
SO LET'S START OFF WITH OUR FIRST QUESTION.
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT RISING NUMBERS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY? WILL THE WARM WEATHER HERE HELP US TO STAY LOW? SO I'LL, I'LL TAKE A STAB AT THAT.
UM, SO I'M NOT TERRIBLY WORRIED ABOUT THE NUMBERS THAT ARE RISING IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.
I TOOK A LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HEARING A LOT OF TALK ABOUT HOW PHILADELPHIA HAS REINSTITUTED THEIR MASK POLICY INDOORS, AND I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT NEW YORK CITY AND YES, THEY, BOTH OF THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE SEEING AN UPTICK, BUT THEIR UPTICK IS STARTING AT A REALLY, REALLY LOW LEVEL.
THE RATE OF INCREASE IN PHILADELPHIA IS FASTER THAN IT IS IN NEW YORK CITY.
SO I SUSPECT, AND I DON'T MEAN TO SPEAK FOR PHILADELPHIA, BUT WHAT I THINK IS THAT THEY'RE CONCERNED NOT SO MUCH ABOUT HOW BIG THE NUMBERS ARE, BUT RATHER THE RATE OF CHANGE IS, IS, UH, A LITTLE BIT IMPRESSIVE.
AND SO, REMEMBER THESE NON-PHARMACEUTICAL INVENTION, UH, INTERVENTIONS, SOCIAL DISTANCING, MASK WEARING, THEY, THEY ONLY WORK IF YOU GET AHEAD OF THE SITUATION, RIGHT? AND SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO, IS TO TRY TO GET AHEAD OF IT AND FLATTEN THE CURVE AS BEST THEY CAN.
SO COULD THAT HAPPEN HERE IN HOUSTON? IT, IT, IT SURE COULD, BUT IS IT NECESSARILY GONNA HAPPEN HERE? NO.
CURRENTLY OUR NUMBERS ARE CREEPING UP, BUT THEY'RE CREEPING UP AT A STEADY RATE.
THEY'RE NOT DOING THAT EXPONENTIAL THING THAT THEY'RE SEEING IN PHILADELPHIA.
COULD THAT HAPPEN NEXT WEEK? YEP.
BUT WE'RE NOT SEEING THAT JUST YET.
SO, UM, I'M PAYING ATTENTION, BUT I'M NOT WORRIED.
WELL, ANY ANECDOTAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DURATION OF FIRST BOOSTERS? YES, ACTUALLY THERE'S, IT'S MORE THAN ANECDOTAL.
THERE HAS BEEN SOME SCIENTIFIC DATA THAT DOES SHOW THAT, UM, UH, PROTECTION TENDS TO WANE AT ABOUT BETWEEN THREE AND SIX MONTHS, WHICH IS WHY, UM, THE CDC HAS COME OUT AND RECOMMENDED, UH, A SECOND BOOSTER FOR THOSE WHO ARE 50 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER AND FOR THE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED.
SO SOMEONE ASKS, SO WHAT ARE YOU, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE SECOND BOOSTER? BUT I'M GONNA ADD THIS, THEY ALSO SAY, CAN YOU SORT OF GIVE A, A RUNDOWN ON WHO'S ELIGIBLE REALLY ABOUT THIS SECOND BOOSTER CONVERSATION? YEAH, SO THIS IS A REALLY COMPLICATED QUESTION, AND I'M GONNA INVITE DR. BROWN TO CHIME IN, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE, WE KIND OF GO EVERY OTHER QUESTION, BUT I'M GONNA LET HER CHIME IN ON THIS AS WELL.
'CAUSE THIS IS REALLY COMPLICATED AND THERE'S NOT A, A REAL, IN MY OPINION, THERE'S NOT A, NOT A CLEAR ANSWER ON THIS.
SO THE, THE RECOMMENDATION OR THE GUIDANCE, UH, THAT CAME UP FROM THE FDA AND THE CDC REALLY ALLOWS FOR PEOPLE TO GET A SECOND BOOSTER OR A FOURTH SHOT.
THEY'RE, UH, CALLED BOTH THINGS.
UM, IT'S BASED ON A COUPLE OF STUDIES OUT OF ISRAEL.
UH, THEY WEREN'T, THERE WERE LARGE STUDIES, THERE WERE LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE.
AND WHAT THEY SUGGESTED WAS THAT WE'VE SEEN WANING AFTER THE FIRST BOOSTER AND THAT WITH A SECOND BOOSTER, PEOPLE DID GET INCREASED PROTECTION.
UM, BUT ALSO THAT APPEARS TO BE LIKE, THAT MAY BE A VERY RELATIVELY SHORT DURATION OF PROTECTION AS WELL.
IT'S A LITTLE EARLY TO KNOW THAT.
BUT, BUT, UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE, THE OBSERVATIONS.
NOW THIS LEADS TO A BIGGER QUESTION.
PART OF IT IS WHAT ARE OUR EXPECTATIONS OF VACCINES? AND SO WE USE THE TERM BREAKTHROUGH AS WHEN PEOPLE BECAME INFECTED AFTERWARDS.
AND WHEN THERE ARE LOTS OF BREAKTHROUGHS, PEOPLE STARTED HAVING LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN THE VACCINE.
AND THAT'S PROBLEMATIC FOR ME BECAUSE THE VACCINES REALLY ARE SUPPOSED TO PREVENT SEVERE ILLNESS AND HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATH.
JUST LIKE EVERY YEAR WITH INFLUENZA, A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPLAIN THAT, YOU KNOW, I GOT THE FLU SHOT AND I STILL GOT THE FLU.
WELL, FIRST OF ALL, A LOT OF TIMES WHEN THEY SAY THAT IT WASN'T THE FLU THAT THEY GOT, THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE THAT THEY GOT.
BUT EVEN FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO GOT THE FLU, YOUR THE GOAL OF THE VACCINE IS TO PREVENT YOU FROM GETTING SEVERE ILLNESS OR GETTING HOSPITALIZED OR DYING.
IT'S NOT REALLY TO 100% PREVENT PEOPLE FROM GETTING ANY ILLNESS AT ALL.
SO WHEN IT COMES TO THIS ISSUE OF THIS SECOND BOOSTER, WHAT I THINK THAT THE FDA AND THE CDC D ARE REALLY GONNA, IS THAT FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE REALLY HIGH RISK OF A REALLY BAD COMPLICATION, SO THIS IS WHY THEY STRESS THOSE OVER 65, THOSE OVER 65 WITH IMMUNOCOMPROMISED
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ILLNESSES OR THOSE OF, YOU KNOW, OVER 50 WITH IMMUNO, THAT'S WHO THEY'RE STRESSING.SO FOR SOMEBODY LIKE ME, SO I'M OVER 60, BUT I'M RELATIVELY HEALTHY.
I, I GOTTA TELL YOU, I'M DEBATING, I HAVE NOT DECIDED TO GET IT YET.
I'VE GOTTEN MY FIRST THREE SHOTS.
BUT I, I, I FIND THAT THIS IS A CHALLENGING QUESTION.
AND FOR THOSE WHO, UM, ARE AT REALLY HIGH RISK, IT'S PROBABLY WORTHWHILE FOR THE REST OF US.
IT, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF, IN FACT, THE, THE GRAPHIC THAT WAS JUST UP THERE, IF YOU READ IT CAREFULLY, THE CDC ON THAT GRAPHIC, ON ONE LEVEL, IT SAYS, YOU KNOW, WHO SHOULD GET, UH, THE FIRST BOOSTER, AND THEN IT SAYS WHO CAN GET THE SECOND BOOSTER? SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF, OF QUALIFICATION THERE.
AND, AND I WOULD REALLY ADVISE PEOPLE TO TALK TO THEIR DOCTOR IF THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY THINK THAT THEY SHOULD GET THE SECOND BOOSTER.
THERE'S NOT MUCH OF A DOWNSIDE, BUT LET'S SAY THERE IS SOME DOWNSIDE, RIGHT? SO, UM, UH, AND WE, THESE HAVE GOTTEN WAY TOO MUCH ATTENTION IN THE MEDIA ALREADY, BUT THE DOWNSIDE THAT I WORRY ABOUT IS THAT THERE'S A THING YOU'LL HEAR CALLED ORIGINAL ANTIGENIC SIN.
WHICH BASICALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS YOU CAN OVERTRAIN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM TO RESPOND TO ONE FORM BY GETTING VACCINATED AGAINST ONE FORM OF A VIRUS, SUCH THAT YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESPOND WHEN A NEW VACCINE COMES OUT TO THE NEW FORM OF THE VIRUS.
NOW, WE'VE NOT SEEN THIS IN CORONAVIRUSES 'CAUSE WE'VE NEVER HAD VACCINES FOR CORONAVIRUSES BEFORE, BUT WE'VE SEEN IT IN A FEW OTHER VACCINES.
SO WILL THAT APPLY HERE? WE JUST DON'T KNOW.
UM, AND THE OTHER THING IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ENTERING INTO THE SUMMER MONTHS, SO THEORETICALLY, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE STARTING TO SEE IT UP AN UPTICK IN OUR NUMBERS HERE LOCALLY, IT'S NOT A STEEP INCREASE.
IT'S A GENTLE INCREASE, AND WE'RE ENTERING IN THE SUMMER MONTHS.
SO MAYBE WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, WHAT AM I PROTECTING MYSELF AGAINST? AND AGAIN, THIS IS A VERY COMPLICATED QUESTION AND THIS IS WHY I REALLY WANT DR. BROWN TO CHIME IN BECAUSE I CLEARLY DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS TO IT.
AND I'VE JUST KINDA GAVE YOU A LOT OF MY OPINION.
UH, I THINK YOU'VE ANSWERED ACTUALLY A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE, UM, COMING UP.
UM, I, I WILL SAY FOR MYSELF ANECDOTALLY AS WELL, UM, UM, I, I QUALIFY FOR THE BOOSTER.
UM, UM, I PERSONALLY HAVE NOT GOTTEN THE BOOSTER YET.
UM, HOWEVER, I DID ADVISE MY FATHER TO GET THE BOOSTER AND HE DID GET THE BOOSTER, UM, BECAUSE OF HIS MEDICAL CONDITION.
SO I, I WOULD AGREE, DAVID, THAT I THINK THAT I DON'T, UH, TO YOUR POINT, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO, TO, TO NOTE I AM, I HAVE NO CONCERN ABOUT THE BOOSTER ITSELF AND, AND SIDE EFFECTS, AND I HAVE NO CONCERN ABOUT THAT AT ALL.
UM, FOR ME IT'S JUST A, UM, IS IT WORTH IT? KIND OF QUESTION.
UM, I THINK IT IS WORTH IT FOR SURE FOR SOME, THE, IS IT WORTH IT? PIECE FOR ME COMES BECAUSE WE ARE SEEING DATA THAT SHOWS THAT IT MAY NOT, ALL OF THE IMMUNIZATIONS MAY NOT BE AS EFFECTIVE AGAINST THE OMICRON VARIANTS, RIGHT? WHICH IS WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
DOES THAT MEAN THAT THEY WON'T BE EFFECTIVE AGAINST ANY VARIANTS THAT WILL COME, NOT MAY COME, BUT WILL COME BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT VIRUSES DO IS MUTATE.
UM, I, I THINK THAT FOR SOME WHO HAVE, UM, WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK, IT'S IMPORTANT TO WEIGH THAT QUESTION.
AND PERHAPS ONE OF THE THINGS YOU SAID, DAVID, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT, GET AHEAD OF IT.
SO I DO THINK THERE'S A CERTAIN GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT IT ABSOLUTELY A HUNDRED PERCENT MAKE SENSE TO GO AHEAD AND GET THE, GET THE BOOSTER.
UM, I, I DON'T THINK, TO YOUR POINT, THERE'S A HUGE CONCERN ABOUT OVER VACCINATING.
UM, IS IT POSSIBLE? YES, BUT THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS RIGHT IN THE WORLD THAT ARE POSSIBLE.
UM, BUT THE RISK VERSUS THE BENEFIT, I THINK THE BENEFIT FAR OUTWEIGHS.
SO, UM, AGAIN, TO YOUR POINT, VERY, VERY COMPLICATED QUESTION.
I THINK IT'S A VERY PERSONALIZED QUESTION WHERE IT'S ONE PERHAPS TO HAVE CONVERSATION WITH YOUR, UM, PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN ABOUT THE RISKS VERSUS THE BENEFITS FOR YOU.
BUT I, I, I THINK THE KEY TAKEAWAYS ARE THE QUESTION IS NOT AROUND IS IT SAFE? UM, DO WE HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT ANY SIDE EFFECTS? I WANNA BE REALLY, REALLY CLEAR ABOUT THAT.
AND I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT, UM, AS PEOPLE CONSIDER, UH, WHETHER THEY WANT THE THE SECOND BOOSTER OR NOT.
YOU KNOW, LET ME, LET ME, UH, ADD ON SOMETHING.
'CAUSE I THINK, I THINK YOU MADE A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT.
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THE RISK BENEFIT OF TWO REALLY, REALLY TINY RISKS.
SO EVEN THE ISRAELI STUDY FOR THE PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 65 WHO GOT, WHO WERE IN THAT STUDY, THE RATE OF PEOPLE BECOMING INFECTED WAS ONE OUT OF 200.
SO FIRST OF ALL, THE RATE OF PEOPLE GETTING INFECTED WAS REALLY SMALL.
AND THEN WITHIN THOSE, THOSE WHO HAD GOTTEN THE, UM, WHO HAD NOT GOTTEN THE SECOND BOOSTER, THEY HAD A RATE OF, OF DYING OF ONE IN 4,000 VERSUS THOSE WHO GOT THE BOOSTER OF ONE IN 22,000.
SO YEAH, ONE IN 4,000, ONE IN 22,000, THAT'S ALL, THAT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE.
BUT WE'RE STARTING WITH ONLY ONE OUTTA 200 PEOPLE EVEN GETTING
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INFECTED IN THE FIRST PLACE, RIGHT? SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, A BIG DIFFERENCE OF TWO REALLY TINY NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN THOSE TWO REALLY TINY NUMBERS.THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM, BUT THEY'RE REALLY TINY VERSUS, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE, WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF GETTING VACCINATED? WELL, THERE'S ARE REALLY TINY TOO.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO WEIGH TINY NUMBERS AGAINST EACH OTHER.
THAT'S WHY IT'S SO HARD TO SEE WHAT'S THE RIGHT ANSWER.
I FEEL LIKE I HAVE THE BEST DOCTOR VISIT WITH TWO PHENOMENAL PHYSICIANS.
IF I DIDN'T HAVE A PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR.
I TELL YOU, I FEEL SO PRIVILEGED.
THAT WAS EXCELLENT, HONEST NARRATIVE INFORMATION AND TO YOUR POINT, IT REALLY IS A PERSONALIZED CONSIDERATION, BUT YOU FRAMED IT SO WELL.
SO, UM, I'LL SEND YOU MY, UM, OKAY, THANK YOU.
THE NEXT QUESTION, UM, UH, ANY, SO THERE'LL BE A COUPLE TOGETHER.
SO MAYBE REAL QUICK, ANY IDEA HOW MANY HAVE RECEIVED THEIR THIRD DOSE AND IF THE SIDE EFFECTS ARE CONSISTENT WITH ALL SHOTS OF THE SAME VACCINE, SO MAYBE A COUNTY CONSIDERATION IN A CITY CONSIDERATION? SO FOR THE COUNTY, UM, THE REGISTRIES ARE SHOWING THAT OVER A MILLION DOSES OF THE BOOSTER SHOTS HAVE BEEN GIVEN.
NOW WHAT I DON'T KNOW IS, DOES THAT COUNTY DATA ALSO INCLUDE HOUSTON DATA? BECAUSE IT IS IN HARRIS COUNTY.
SO, SO DAVID, I, I'LL DEFER TO YOU ON THAT.
SO, UM, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO PULL THAT UP AND I DON'T HAVE IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT OUR NUMBERS ARE, BUT I, UH, AND DR. WHITE, YOU MAY KNOW.
SO I THINK THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AROUND 70% OF, UH, HOUSTONIANS WE'VE GOT IN THE FIRST SERIES MM-HMM
BUT IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, WE'RE ONLY LOOKING AROUND 40% OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BOOSTED SO FAR.
AND SO I THINK THE BIG, THE BIG IS, IS REALLY FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO GOT YOUR FIRST SERIES BUT DIDN'T GET BOOSTED.
ONE THING WE CLEARLY KNOW IS THAT THAT FIRST BOOSTER COMPARED TO YOUR INITIAL SERIES, REALLY DOES PROVIDE YOU A WHOLE LOT MORE PROTECTION AGAINST OMICRON, WHICH IS THE VARIANT THAT'S AROUND HERE NOW.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, WE JUST HAD THIS LONG DISCUSSION ABOUT THE SECOND BOOSTER, THE IMPORTANT THING IS FOR THOSE OF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN YOUR FIRST FIRST BOOSTER, BUT ARE ELIGIBLE, YOU REALLY NEED TO GO AND DO THAT.
'CAUSE THAT, THAT'S A NO-BRAINER.
SO WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? SOMEONE SAYS, MY, I'VE, I'VE HAD MY FIRST THREE VACCINES, SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY'VE HAD THEIR BOOSTER.
IF THEY'RE CONSIDERING GETTING THE SECOND BOOSTER, SHOULD THEY STAY WITH THE SAME MANUFACTURER? UM, OR SHOULD THEY CONSIDER SWITCHING? SO YOU SHOULD STAY WITH THE SAME MANUFACTURER UNLESS YOUR FIRST SHOT WAS J AND J, IN WHICH CASE YOU SHOULD GET AN MRNA.
THEN I ADD THOUGH THAT, THAT, THAT IT IS ALLOWABLE TO MIX AND MATCH THAT WE HAVE NOT SEEN ANY, ANY COMPLICATIONS FROM THAT AND MIX AND MATCH TO DAVID'S POINT, SPECIFICALLY WITH EITHER MODERNA OR PFIZER.
IF YOU'VE HAD J AND J, YOU NEED TO GET THE, AN MRNA VACCINE, WHICH IS MODERNA OR PFIZER.
AND I THINK WE, YOU GUYS ANSWERED THIS ONE.
IF YOU WOULD, IF YOU WILL BE IN A LARGE GROUP EVENT, WOULD YOU GET THE FOURTH SHOT IF ELIGIBLE? AND I THINK DR. BROWN, YOU MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, REALLY IT'S YOUR RISK WEIGHING YOUR RISK AND BENEFITS ABOUT YOUR OWN PERSONAL HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS.
UH, THERE ARE STILL A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT UP TO DATE ON THEIR COVID VACCINES.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS? UM, AGAIN, I THINK THAT THAT'S A REALLY COMPLICATED QUESTION.
UM, I, I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS OUT THERE, UH, THERE AROUND VACCINE HESITANCY.
SOME OF IT THOUGH, I THINK IS, IS, UM, PURELY, PURELY DATA-DRIVEN IN THAT THOSE WHO ARE YOUNG ARE THE CHILDREN AND WE'RE, WE'RE STILL CATCHING UP AND GETTING THEM VACCINATED.
THE SECOND PIECE TO THAT THOUGH IS, AGAIN, THESE ARE CHILDREN.
AND WHEN YOU HAVE PARENTS WHO, UH, ARE NOT, UM, UM, IN FULL SUPPORT OF VACCINATION, OBVIOUSLY THEY, UM, SPEAK FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
AND SO THERE'S PART OF IT AS WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE SHOULD, WHEN WE LOOK AT, WHEN WE LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHAT WE'RE GIVING TO OUR CHILDREN, RIGHT, WE'RE VERY, VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THAT AS WE SHOULD BE.
UM, SO AGAIN, I THINK IT GOES BACK TO OUR PREVIOUS CONVERSATION ABOUT, UM, JUST PEOPLE'S PERSONAL FEELINGS ABOUT THAT.
HOWEVER, I WOULD SAY, UM, I, AGAIN, PERSONALLY, I ABSOLUTELY VACCINATED, UM, ALL OF MY CHILDREN, INCLUDING, UH, MY YOUNGEST WHO IS UNDER THE AGE OF 18.
UM, UM, AND I, AND I, I HAD NO QUESTION ABOUT THE RISK OF THAT, UM, VERSUS, UM, THE BENEFITS, ESPECIALLY IN GOING BACK TO SCHOOL AND, UM, UH, PARTICIPATING IN SPORTS ACTIVITIES, ET CETERA.
SO CAN A HUMAN GIVE COVID TO A DOG? AND IS THERE ANY WAY TO TELL IF, IF SO THAT AN ANIMAL HAS COVID? SO THE ANSWER TO THAT IS TECHNICALLY YES, YOU CAN.
UM, HOWEVER, THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN A, A HANDFUL, PROBABLY LESS
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THAN FIVE I THINK, CASES OF DOGS THAT ARE, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE INFECTED WITH COVID.BUT, UM, I SAY THAT ONLY BECAUSE I'M, UM, I'M AWARE OF TWO DOGS, UM, AND I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT COUNTRY IT WAS, BUT, UH, SO I, I SAY LESS THAN FIVE BECAUSE I JUST WANNA BUFFER MY ANSWER A LITTLE BIT IN CASE THERE'S OTHERS.
SO YOU CAN, UH, GIVE IT TO THE DOGS NOW, BUT DOGS ARE RARE.
THEY'RE, AGAIN, VERY RARE, BUT THERE'S MORE LIKELIHOOD THAT A CAT WOULD, UH, CONTRACT IT FROM THEIR OWNER.
AND I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU TELL IF THE DOG HAS COVID AND PROBABLY HAVE THE SAME SORT OF SIMILAR SYMPTOMS. YOU TAKE IT TO THE VET, THEY WOULD TEST IT.
SO IN FACT THEY, THEY THEY DO, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UM, AND YOU ALL I'M SURE HAVE, UH, VETERINARY SERVICES AS WELL.
UM, THEY DO IT LITERALLY IDENTICAL SYMPTOMS. THEY GET A COLD.
OKAY, SOMEONE ASKED, UH, IS CORVEX APPROVED IN THE US? OH, IT, IT, IT'S NOT APPROVED IN THE US.
UM, IT'S A, IT'S EMERGENCY USE IN INDIA AND WE HAVE YET TO APPROVE IT.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A PARENT WHO STILL REFUSES TO PERMIT THEIR 18-YEAR-OLD CHILD UNDER 18-YEAR-OLD CHILD TO GET A VACCINE? DOESN'T THE CHILD HAVE THEIR RIGHTS IF THEY WANNA BE VACCINATED? YEAH, SO THIS IS A GOOD QUESTION.
UM, AND THERE ARE CERTAIN, THERE ARE CERTAIN MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS THAT THOSE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 CAN GET WITHOUT PARENTAL, UM, ADVICE.
BUT THE COVID VACCINE, I DON'T BELIEVE IS ON THAT LIST.
SO YEAH, YOU, YOU GOT A MOM AND DAD STILL GET TO SAY, AND WHAT I WOULD SAY TO THEM IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT I WOULD SAY TO EVERYBODY IS, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR CHILD IS LIKELY TO DO WELL IF THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW, BECOME ILL WITH IT.
CHANCES ARE YES, WE HAVE HAD, SOME KIDS HAVE TERRIBLE OUTCOMES, BUT IT'S RARE.
THE BIGGER RISK IS, ARE THEY GONNA THEN SPREAD IT TO SOME OTHER VULNERABLE MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY? BECAUSE ONE THING WE FOUND IS THAT, WELL, YES, THERE IS TRANSMISSION OF, OF, OF VIRUS AT WORK AND AT PLAY AND STUFF.
THE MOST LIKELY PERSON YOU'RE GONNA BECOME INFECTED BY AND THE PERSON YOU'RE MOST LIKELY TO AFFECT IS A MEMBER OF YOUR OWN FAMILY.
HAVE RECENTLY HEARD SEVERAL PEOPLE SPEAK OUT AND SAY THEY'VE HAD NO VACCINES.
IT SEEMS TO BE MORE ACCEPTABLE TO ADMIT RECENTLY WITH THE NUMBER OF CASES BEING LOWER THAT YOU'VE NOT BEEN VACCINATED.
ANY IDEA HOW MANY IN OUR AREA ARE UNVACCINATED? SO WE, WE KIND OF TOUCHED ON THE QUESTION A LITTLE BIT EARLIER.
UM, OVER 78% OF THE POPULATION IN HARRIS COUNTY HAVE BEEN VACCINATED.
SO THAT LEAVES ROUGHLY 20, 22% THAT ARE UNVACCINATED.
IF A TARGETED BOOSTER IS PREDICTED FOR JUNE, SHOULDN'T WE WAIT FOR IT INSTEAD OF RUSHING OUT NOW TO GET MORE OF THE SAME? SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A, A PART OF THIS COMPLICATED QUESTION THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
AND, AND, UM, A LOT OF THAT, SO JUNE IS A COUPLE MONTHS AWAY, AND IT'D BE THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER.
AND THEORETICALLY THAT IT'S NOT VIRAL SEASON.
HOWEVER, THIS VIRUS HAS SHOWN US TWO SUMMERS IN A ROW THAT IT CAN, IT CAN ATTACK DURING THE SUMMER.
UM, SO I, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH, AT SOME POINT I ANTICIPATE RECENTLY I'VE BEEN SAYING, IF YOU WANNA MAKE A MISTAKE IN THIS BUSINESS BEING PUBLIC HEALTH, MAKE A PREDICTION.
SO LET ME GO AHEAD AND MAKE A PREDICTION.
BUT BY PREDICTION WILL BE THAT, UH, E EVENTUALLY AT SOME POINT, THIS VIRUS WILL FALL INTO THE SEASONAL PATTERN THAT OTHER RESPIRATORY VIRUSES DO.
BUT BECAUSE IT'S A PANDEMIC AND WE HAVE SUCH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST, WE'VE HAD SO LITTLE HERD IMMUNITY, IT DIDN'T REALLY MATTER WHAT THE WEATHER PATTERN WAS 'CAUSE WE WERE SPREADING IT AMONGST OURSELVES.
AND THE WEATHER PATTERN HAD LITTLE TO DO ON THE INFLUENCE, WHICH THE OTHER VIRUS IS RHINOVIRUS, COLD VIRUS INFLUENZA, THEY'RE, THEY'RE RELATIVELY ENDEMIC.
AND SO THE WEATHER, THEN IT DOES HAVE AN ABILITY TO HAVE A, A, AN IMPACT 'CAUSE THERE'S ENOUGH HERD IMMUNITY FOR THOSE.
SO, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY RECENTLY TOLD ME THAT, YOU KNOW, GETTING, I DON'T KNOW THAT I AGREE WITH THIS, BUT THEY, LIKE IN GETTING A BOOSTER SHOT IN JUNE TO GETTING THE FLU SHOT IN MAY, IT'S LIKE THE, YOU KNOW, THE SEASON WILL BE OVER AND AT SOME POINT WE'LL BE THERE.
ARE WE GONNA BE THERE THIS YEAR? I DON'T KNOW.
'CAUSE RIGHT NOW OUR NUMBERS ARE STARTING TO CREEP UP A LITTLE BIT AND WE ARE REALLY AT THE VERY TAIL END OF RESPIRATORY VIRAL SEASON AND OUR NUMBERS ARE STARTING TO CREEP UP.
SO IT'S STARTING TO LOOK LIKE THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC IN CHINA.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE KIND OF LOCKDOWN THEY'RE DOING IN SHANGHAI? THEY'RE SAYING DON'T, THEY'RE NOT WANTING TO CONSIDER THE HUMANITARIAN ISSUES JUST, BUT WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF A COUNTRY WHERE THE VIRUS IS STARTING TO INCREASE DOING A LOCKDOWN OF, YOU KNOW, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE? SO I, I THINK THAT BEGS THE, THE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A LOCKDOWN, RIGHT? SO DAVID JUST SPOKE ABOUT THE RISK OF TRANSMITTING TO OTHER PEOPLE.
UM, AND OMICRON IS A HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS, UH, VARIANT.
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SO THE LOCKDOWN IS, IS TO PREVENT THE SPREAD SO THAT THOSE WHO HAVE IT KEEP IT TO THEMSELVES.THEY, THEY GO THROUGH THE PROCESS AND THEY, THEY HOPEFULLY AND MOST OFTEN GET BETTER.
AND THAT IT DOESN'T BECOME A LARGER PANDEMIC THROUGHOUT CHINA.
UM, IT REALLY DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE ACTUAL DISEASE STATE OTHER THAN MITIGATING SPREAD.
THAT BEING SAID, SO IT'S ONE WAY, RIGHT ALONG WITH HANDWASHING, ALONG WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING, IT'S, IT'S A SEVERE SOCIAL DISTANCE, RIGHT? UM, WHICH IS WHY WE DO THOSE THINGS SO THAT WE CAN, WE CAN PERHAPS, UM, GET AHEAD OF THINGS AND, AND USE SOME PREVENTIVE MEASURES AS OPPOSED TO, UM, UM, SOME HEALING TECHNIQUES.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, YES, I MEAN ABSOLUTELY IT HAS, UM, IMPACT, GLOBAL IMPACT ON, UM, UM, SOME OF OUR, OUR SOCIAL ASPECTS ON SUPPLY CHAIN, ET CETERA.
UM, I THINK THAT BECOMES A VERY POLITICAL QUESTION, FRANKLY, UM, AROUND, UM, WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE VALUE OF, OF, UH, MITIGATING THE SPREAD AND POTENTIALLY SEVERE ILLNESS AND DEATH VERSUS CONTINUING SUPPLY CHAIN AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND, AND, AND THE EVERYDAY LIFE THINGS THAT WE, THAT WE KNOW OF.
UM, AND I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THAT THE TWO ARE, ARE, UM, CAN BE COMPARED FRANKLY.
UH, I, I THINK THAT IT, IT, IT REALLY IS A QUESTION OF WE'RE IN A PANDEMIC THAT NONE OF US HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE.
UM, YES, THE, THE WORLD HAS SEEN PANDEMICS IN THE PAST, BUT WE HAVE NOT, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING TODAY HAVE NOT.
UM, AND SO THERE'S NO PLAYBOOK FOR IT.
IT DOES ABSOLUTELY, AS WE HAVE SEEN IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, UM, ALTER OUR WAY OF LIVING AND AFFECT OUR WAY OF LIVING.
UM, BUT I THINK IT'S THAT IN SOME WAYS IT'S MORE OF A PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION ABOUT, UM, THE SOCIAL EFFECTS OF THAT.
SO, UM, WE KNEW WE WOULDN'T GET AWAY FROM WASTEWATER.
PER, WHAT ARE YOU SEEING IN THE WASTEWATER IS A SURGE COMING? SORRY, I MUST HAVE, WAS I ON MUTE THAT WHOLE TIME? I WAS.
YES, BUT IT'S, IT, IT LOOKED GREAT.
IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS REALLY A, A GREAT RESPONSE.
ALRIGHT, SO, UM, IT'S THE, THE VIRAL LOAD WENT FROM OUR ALL TIME LOW OF 18% TO 25% TO 31%, TO 38% MOST AS OF LAST WEEK.
THAT IS A LINEAR GROWTH, RIGHT? THAT IS NOT AN EXPONENTIAL GROWTH, THAT'S A LINEAR GROWTH.
UM, SO WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE IF IT CONTINUES OR IF IT DROPS OFF.
THAT IS A TINY VALUE COMPARED TO WHERE WE'VE BEEN BEFORE.
REMEMBER, THE OTHER THING THAT COMPLICATES THIS IS THAT 100% BACK IN JULY 6TH, 2020 WAS THE ALPHA VARIANT.
AND ONE THING WE LEARNED WITH OMICRON IS THAT PEOPLE HAVE A LOT MORE VIRUS IN THEIR STOOL THAN THEY DID WITH, UM, THE, UH, WITH OMICRON THAN THEY DID WITH ALPHA.
SO THERE'S YET ANOTHER SORT OF CONFOUNDING VARIABLE WITH THIS.
SO IT'S RISING AT A REALLY LOW RATE.
I'M NOT TERRIBLY WORRIED ABOUT IT AT THIS POINT.
THE MORE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT OUR HOSPITALIZATIONS HAVE NOT GONE UP.
IN FACT, THEY CONTINUE TO VERY GENTLY, VERY SLOWLY CONTINUE TO GO DOWN.
SO KEEPING AN EYE ON IT, NOT WORRIED A QUESTION FROM SOMEONE AT RICE, UM, ASKING RICE WENT BACK TO MASKING IN CLASS.
DO YOU EITHER OF, YOU KNOW WHY THEY WENT BACK TO MASKING IN CLASS? UM, THE, THE INFORMATION THAT I AM RECEIVING, AND FIRST LET ME SAY THIS, I, UM, UM, CERTAINLY HAVE DO NOT MEAN TO SPEAK FOR RICE.
UM, SO WE, WE PROBABLY WANT TO REACH OUT TO THEM SPECIFICALLY FOR THOSE ANSWERS.
BUT IT IS OUR UNDERSTANDING AS FAR AS THE PUBLIC HEALTH ASPECT, IT IS OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE WAS, UM, UM, AND I HATE TO USE THE TERM, I WON'T SAY THAT THERE, THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN INFECTION, UM, AFTER A LARGE, UM, EVENT AT RICE.
AND SO TO DAVID'S POINT THOUGH, I WANNA BE VERY CLEAR THAT IN INCREASE IN INFECTION AT THIS POINT IS STILL A VERY, VERY SMALL NUMBER.
UM, HOWEVER SIMILAR TO WHAT WE JUST DISCUSSED WITH CHINA TO GET AHEAD OF THINGS SO THAT THAT SPREAD DID NOT CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THEIR UNDERGRADUATE POPULATION.
THEY MADE A DEC A CONSCIOUS DECISION TO GO BACK TO MASKING AND A LITTLE BIT MORE SOCIAL DISTANCING THAN PREVIOUS.
SO RAPID FIRE, I HAVE COVID FATIGUE, NOT FROM THE VIRUS, BUT FROM MASK WEARING AND VACCINATION CONVERSATIONS, WHICH INEVITABLY ENDED AN ARGUMENT WITH SOME OPINIONATED PARTICIPANT, PARTICIPANT WHO CRITICIZES ANYONE FOR STILL MASKING IN THE CROWD.
HAVE YOU FOUND ANY GOOD COMEBACKS I COULD USE? YEAH, SO MY BEST COMEBACK REALLY IS TO, TO SAY, WOW, THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING AND TURN TO WALK AWAY
I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, DON'T, I DON'T ENGAGE.
YEAH, I JUST, I RESPECT THEIR OPINION.
I HOPE THAT THEY WOULD EXPECT MINE.
AND I TURN TO WALK AWAY POLITELY THIS WEEK, THERE WAS AN AD FOR A CLINICAL TRIAL FOR AN MRNA
[00:25:01]
FLU VACCINE.IS THIS A STEP TOWARD A DUAL FLU COVID SHOT? IN FACT, THERE ARE STUDIES BEING DONE, UH, RESEARCH BEING DONE TO PRODUCE SUCH A SHOT.
SO I DIDN'T SEE THE AD, BUT, BUT THAT IS IN, IN, IN THE WORKS.
WE HAD NO VACCINES AND MANY WERE HOSPITALIZED.
2021 VACCINATIONS AVAILABLE WITH MOSTLY ONLY UNVACCINATED.
SERIOUSLY ILL 2022 BOOSTERS AVAILABLE, BUT MANY STILL NOT COMPLETELY, I COMPLETELY TAKING THEM ANY, AT ALL.
ANY COMMENTS? AND I THINK YOU GUYS MAYBE HAVE COMMENTED ABOUT THIS EARLIER, OKAY, CARDIOLOGIST, DR. CARR FROM MCGOVERN SCHOOL SAID THE WORST CASE WE COULD SEE A TSUNAMI OF HEART ATTACKS IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE OF THE EFFECTS OF COVID.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING? SO I'VE NOT HEARD, UH, I MEAN, WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT THE MYOCARDITIS AND PERICARDITIS.
UH, I'VE NOT HEARD ABOUT, SO REMEMBER, HEART ATTACKS, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, PLAQUE AND CHOLESTEROL BUILD UP INSIDE YOUR CORONARY ARTERIES THAT RUPTURES AND FORMS A, A SUDDEN CLOT.
SO I'VE NOT HEARD THAT CORONAVIRUS IS CAUSING PROLONGED INFLAMMATION TO THE INTIMAL SURFACES OF CORONARY ARTERIES.
ON THE OTHER HAND, THIS VIRUS HAS BROKEN EVERY SINGLE RULE AND SURPRISE US THAT EVERY TURN.
SO IF DR. CARR KNOWS SOMETHING I HAVE NOT HEARD ABOUT YET, I WILL BE DISAPPOINTED, BUT NOT SHOCKED.
WHAT PERCENTAGE OF CASES IN HOUSTON ARE WE NOTICING ARE THE BA TWO VARIANT? UH, AT THIS POINT WE'RE OVER 80%.
ARE THERE ANY DIFFERENCES IN SYMPTOMS BETWEEN THE OMICRON AND BA TWO? NO, NOT REALLY.
NO, THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME SYMPTOMS. YEAH.
IS THE IMMUNITY TO BA TWO LESS THAN THAT TO OTHER VARIANTS? NO, I, WELL, I I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT.
IF WE'RE SPEAKING ABOUT, UM, UM, THE VACCINES, WE HAVE SEEN THAT THERE'S POTENTIALLY A LITTLE LESS COVERAGE, UM, UM, WITH THE OMICRON VARIANT.
UM, BUT IN GENERAL, THE, THE IMMUNITY, UH, AFTER RECEIVING YOUR PRIMARY SERIES AND YOUR FIRST BOOSTER AS, AS DAVID UH, MENTIONED EARLIER, IS VERY GOOD.
YEAH, SO DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU'RE ALONE.
UM, SO XE REALLY IS A RECOMBINATION OF BA ONE AND BA TWO.
SO INSTEAD OF BEING A, A SINGLE MUTATION, IT'S LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF BA ONE GOT MIXED UP, A LITTLE BIT OF BA TWO, AND NOW YOU GOT XE.
SO YOU'RE GONNA HEAR ABOUT XE, X, F, XG.
YOU'RE ALSO GONNA HEAR ABOUT B THREE, B FOUR, AND B FIVE.
THESE ARE ALREADY OUT THERE AND THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ONLY ONES YOU NEED TO WORRY ABOUT ARE THE ONES THAT ARE, UM, SPREAD MORE EASILY AND START GAINING TRACTION, START SPREADING.
SO XE LOOKS LIKE IT SPREADS ABOUT 10% FASTER THAN BA TWO, WHICH IS THE LEADING, UH, IS THE HORSE LEADING THE RACE RIGHT NOW AND LOOKS LIKE XE IS ABOUT 10% FASTER.
BUT AGAIN, NOW IT'S, IT'S COMING INTO AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ALREADY INFECTED WITH BA ONE AND BA TWO AND HAVE IMMUNIZATION.
IT NOT ONLY DOES IT HAVE TO SPREAD FASTER, IT ALSO HAS TO HAVE A POPULATION WITH LOW ENOUGH IMMUNITY FOR IT TO BECOME AN ISSUE.
SO IT GETS VERY CONFUSING AT THIS POINT IN THE PANDEMIC AS TO WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT.
WELL, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY FOR THE COVID-19 TALKS WITH OUR LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES.
ERICA BROWN REPRESENTING HARRIS COUNTY, DR. DAVID PER REPRESENTING THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SPECIAL THANKS TO PAST PRESIDENT KATHY VINEGAR OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF HOUSTON.
THANKS TO OUR PRODUCER MORGAN ASH.
I'M JANINA WHITE DEPUTY HEALTH AUTHORITY FOR THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT.