* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [COVID-19 Talk with Local Health Authorities (#92)]
          [00:00:15]
          GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO COVID-19 TALKS WITH LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES. 
          JOINING US FROM HARRIS COUNTY IS DR. 
          ERICA BROWN, JOINING US, REPRESENTING THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS DEPUTY PUBLIC HEALTH AUTHORITY, JANINA WHITE. 
          SPECIAL THANKS TO KATHY FINNER, PAST PRESIDENT ROTARY CLUB OF HOUSTON FOR PROVIDING THESE QUESTIONS. 
          OUR PRODUCERS, DAVID CASTILLO, PRISCILLA KEY. 
          I'M STEVEN WILLIAMS, DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT. 
          WE HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS, SO LET'S GET STARTED. 
          YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCING THE END OF THE PANDEMIC? WELL, I'LL, I'LL START. 
          UH, WELL, I DO KNOW THAT IT'S VERY ENCOURAGING THAT THE PRESIDENT IS REALLY, UH, FORECASTING THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE MOVING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND REALLY HAVE A LOT OF NEW, UH, TOOLS IN OUR TOOLKIT. 
          I KNOW HIS PRESS SECRETARY REFRAMED HIS NARRATIVE SLIGHTLY, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE MENTION OF IS THAT IN THE, IN THE UNITED STATES, FOR SURE, WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT TOOLS. 
          WE HAVE VACCINATIONS, WE HAVE TESTING, WE HAVE TESTING WHERE NOW PEOPLE CAN DO TESTING AT HOME. 
          AND SO WE'VE LEARNED A LOT OF LESSONS. 
          WE KNOW SOME TOOLS WITH MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING AND JUST HOW TO THINK ABOUT INFECTIONS CONCERNS. 
          BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK WITH PANDEMICS IS ALSO KEEPING A GLOBAL PRESENCE. 
          AND SO FROM THE UNITED STATES PERSPECTIVE, I KNOW WE'LL BE, UH, GREAT PARTNERS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES WHO ARE STILL FIGHTING A GOOD FIGHT WITH REGARDS TO SARS COV TO TWO. 
          AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE OPTIMISM THAT WE HEAR FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS, IS, UH, ENCOURAGING UPDATE ON CURRENT CITY COUNTY STATUS. 
          ALSO BE A FOUR PART SIX, ET CETERA. 
          YEAH. 
          SO, UM, WE, AS, AS DR. WHITE JUST SAID, WE'RE, WE'RE IN A GOOD SITE SPACE. 
          WE'RE ON A DOWNWARD TREND. 
          UH, OUR RISK IS MEDIUM ACCORDING TO OUR, UM, INDICATORS, WHICH IS NEW CASES, HOSPITALIZATIONS AND TEST POSITIVITY. 
          UM, UM, BA FIVE CONTINUES TO BE THE DOMINANT, UH, VARIANT. 
          UM, HOWEVER, UM, BA SIX IS GROWING AND PREVALENT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND SO WE CAN EXPECT THAT THAT MAY POTENTIALLY TAKE OVER, UM, AT SOME POINT. 
          UM, UM, SO I THINK WE'RE IN A GOOD SPACE AT THIS POINT. 
          WHAT ARE THE WASTEWATER FINDINGS FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE EVALUATING? AND THAT'S THE SLIDE THAT'S UP RIGHT NOW. 
          SO OUR BASE, OUR WASTEWATER VIRAL LOAD IS STILL DECREASING. 
          IT'S NOW AT ONE 51%. 
          SO THAT'S ENCOURAGING. 
          AND AGAIN, WE'RE EXCITED BECAUSE THAT MEANS PEOPLE ARE USING AND, UH, PROTECTIVE, UH, METHODS. 
          THEY'RE GETTING VACCINATED, GETTING BOOSTED, AND SO THIS IS GREAT NEWS. 
          AND WITH REGARDS TO OUR POSITIVITY RATE, IT, IT AS WELL HAS BEEN DECREASING. 
          AND RIGHT NOW IT'S AT, UH, 14%. 
          ARE YOU SEEING CHEMICALS AND SOIL SAMPLES IN AND FIFTH BOARD NEAR THE UNION PACIFIC RAIL YARD. 
          IS THIS A HEALTH EMERGENCY? IS THIS FOUND AT ALL IN WASTEWATER? WELL, WE HAVEN'T BEEN TESTING IT FOR WASTEWATER. 
          GO AHEAD. 
          NO, AND I'LL TAKE THAT BECAUSE I KNOW AGAIN, UH, DIRECTOR WILLIAMS, YOU'VE BEEN REAL PIVOTAL IN OUR ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, STEWARDSHIP WITH REGARDS TO THIS ISSUE. 
          AND SO THERE WAS DIOXIN FOUND IN SOIL SAMPLES, AND SO THERE'LL BE MORE TO COME. 
          BUT I, I, FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE, THIS IS WHY THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS REALLY LEANING FORWARD BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE'S ALSO ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CONCERNS WITH REGARDS TO ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS. 
          SO MORE TO COME WITH REGARDS TO DIOXIN IN THE SOIL, OMICRON IS CALLED A VARIANT. 
          WHAT WOULD MAKE IT A STRAIN? SO, THIS IS A GREAT QUESTION. 
          SO FIRST, I THINK, UM, UM, IN, IN THE COMMON, UH, LANGUAGE, WE USE THE TERMS INTERCHANGEABLY, BUT IN FACT, SCIENTIFICALLY THEY ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE. 
          SO A STRAIN IS DIFFERENT IN THAT THE MUTATION ACTS, UM, UM, DIFFERENTLY THAN THE VARIANTS. 
          YOU SEE SOME SIGNIFICANT BEHAVIORAL CHANGES IN A VIRUS, UM, AND SOME SIGNIFICANT PHYSICAL CHANGES IN THE VIRUS ITSELF. 
          SO EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE SEEN THUS FAR IN CO WE ARE, THEY ARE VARIANTS BECAUSE THE, THE FUNDAMENTAL, UM, UM, THINGS THAT WE SEE, UM, THE SEVERITY OF ILLNESS, UM, UM, WHAT THE, THE VIRUS ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE. 
          THERE, THERE ARE SOME MINOR CHANGES TO IT, BUT IN GENERAL, IT ACTS THE SAME AND IT LOOKS VERY SIMILAR. 
          SO, SO TECHNICALLY THEY ARE, THEY ARE VARIANTS. 
          UM, BUT, BUT IN IN LAY PERSON TERMS, WE OFTEN INTERCHANGE STRAIN WITH IT. 
          WE HEAR VERY LITTLE ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH NUMBERS, RISK AND VACCINATIONS AT THE COUNTY JAIL. 
          ARE THERE NO PROBLEMS OR ISSUES? HAVE SYPHILIS AND GONORRHEA DISAPPEARED? , THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT QUESTIONS. 
          AND I'LL START. 
          'CAUSE I KNOW DR. 
          PERS MENTIONED IN ONE OF THE PREVIOUS CALLS THAT WE WERE SO PROUD OF OUR PARTNERS IN THAT SYSTEM 
          [00:05:01]
THAT REALLY HAVE REALLY SAFEGUARDED INDIVIDUALS WITH REGARDS TO INFECTIONS AND THE POPULATION THAT WE SAW WITH COD, UM, OUTCOMES. 
          YOU KNOW, WE ARE PROUD OF HOW WELL THE JAIL SYSTEM HAS REALLY SAFEGUARDED THE INDIVIDUALS. 
          AND SO DR. BROWN MAY WANNA MENTION MORE TO THAT, BUT WITH REGARDS TO OTHER INFECTIOUS, UH, ETIOLOGIES, GONORRHEA AND SYPHILIS, YOU KNOW, THE BOTH HEALTH DEPARTMENTS STAND, UH, AND TO SUPPORT THOSE JAIL SYSTEMS TO ENSURE THAT THERE WERE ANY OUTBREAKS OR ANY CONCERNS THAT WE HAVE TEAMS AVAILABLE TO GO IN AND ASSIST THOSE MEDICAL, UH, EXPERTS THERE TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT SYSTEMS IN PLACE TO ENSURE PEOPLE GET TREATED ACCORDINGLY. 
          SO, AND I DON'T KNOW IF DR. BROWN HAVING HAD YOUR EXPERIENCE, IF YOU WANNA ADD SOME ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ABOUT THE JAIL SYSTEM? YEAH. 
          SO, UM, I'M NOT MUCH, I, I WOULD AGREE THAT THEY, THEY'VE DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB, PHENOMENAL, A LARGE CONGREGATE SETTING. 
          UM, I, I WILL SAY THOUGH THAT, UM, I'M NOT SURE THAT THE QUESTION AROUND SYPHILIS AND GONORRHEA IS SPECIFIC TO THE JAIL, BUT RATHER SPECIFIC TO OUR COUNTRY AS A WHOLE. 
          WE HAVE SEEN A RISE IN SYPHILIS. 
          UM, WE DO SEE A RISE IN STIS ACROSS OUR COUNTRY. 
          AND OF COURSE, BECAUSE IT'S A CONGREGATE SETTING, YOU'RE GOING TO PERHAPS SEE HIGHER NUMBERS JUST BY THE FACT THAT IT'S A CONGREGATE SETTING. 
          I THINK WE HAVE TO GIVE SPECIAL RECOGNITION. 
          AND, AND THANKS TO DR. BROWN FOR ASSUMING THE LEADERSHIP POSITION AS IT RELATES TO COVID IN THE JAIL, UH, ABSOLUTELY STARTED TO TAKE CONTROL OF THAT MAY NOT LIFE A LOT EASIER FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH STANDPOINT. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF I EVER THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. 
          SO, SO, SO THANK YOU. 
          UH, TWO YEARS LATER,  HAND WASHING AND USE OF ALCOHOL HAND GEL SEEMS TO BE IGNORED BY THE PUBLIC. 
          WHAT GIVES SOMEONE JUST OFFERED US PALLETS OF, UH,  HAND SANITIZER. 
          I THINK WHAT GIVES IS THAT WE JUST NEED TO KEEP EDUCATING AND KEEP PUSHING THAT NARRATIVE THAT THAT'S, THAT WAS IMPORTANT AND EASY THING TO DO. 
          SO THE PERSON WHO ASKED THAT QUESTION JUST KEEP BEING A MOUTHPIECE TO YOUR COMMUNITY. 
          THAT, THAT'S REALLY AN IMPORTANT TOOL THAT WE HAVE THAT'S PRETTY EASY TO, FOR EVERYONE TO TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TO USE HAND SANITIZER IN THE GEL APPROPRIATELY FOR, UH, INFECTION CONTROL. 
          THE CRISPR METHOD, THE CRISPR BASED METHOD OF, UH, CVV TWO TESTING ANNOUNCED BY RICE SOUNDS FAST AND EASY. 
          WHEN WILL THIS PROCESS BE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC? YEAH, SO THE FDA, UM, HAS AUTHORIZED, UM, A COVID TEST, UM, THAT USE GE USES THE GENE EDITING TECH TECHNOLOGY AND THE CRISPR. 
          UM, UM, SO IT WAS APPROVED IN 2020. 
          UM, COLLABORATORS AT RICE AND UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT, UM, UM, HAVE FURTHER ENGINEERED CRISPR CAS 13 SYSTEM. 
          UM, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT'S GONNA BE WIDELY AVAILABLE. 
          UM, BUT IT IS FDA APPROVED ANY WEIGHT MINIMUM OR JUST AGE FOR THOSE RECEIVING A BOOSTER. 
          SO RIGHT NOW IT'S JUST THE AGE. 
          HAVE YOU HEARD OF PEOPLE RECEIVING THE OMICRON SHOT BY HAVING LESS REACTIONS? YES, FOR ME, THANK GOD. 
          . 
          YEAH, SO, SO PERSONAL TESTIMONY. 
          I LITERALLY GOT MY BOOSTER YESTERDAY. 
          UH, AND I HOPE YOU THINK I LOOK OKAY, , BECAUSE I FEEL OKAY. 
          UM, UM, YOU KNOW, SO I, AGAIN, THOUGH IT IS, IT IS, UM, UM, INDIVIDUAL, UM, AT MOST, UM, YOU CAN EXPERIENCE SOME ARM SORENESS AT THE SITE OF INJECTION. 
          UM, CERTAINLY CAN EXPERIENCE, UM, SOME VERY, VERY MILD, UM, UM, COLD SYMPTOMS WHERE YOU MAY FEEL A LITTLE BIT ACHY, FATIGUED, ET CETERA. 
          BUT I WILL SAY, UM, WE DO THINK THAT IT IS WELL WORTH IT, UM, TO PREVENT AGAINST SEVERE ILLNESS AND POTENTIALLY DEATH CAUSED BY, UM, UM, THE COVID VARIANTS. 
          OF COURSE, EARLIER THIS WEEK, I QUESTIONED OUR NURSES BECAUSE I TOLD 'EM, I, I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T REALLY HAVE ANY KIND OF EFFECTS AFTER GETTING MY SHOT. 
          AND NORMALLY I'M LIKE OUT, SO THEY ASSURED ME THAT IT WAS THE REAL VACCINE. 
          ANY REASON TO GET THE OMICRON VACCINE IF YOU'RE HEALTHY? OF COURSE, GO AHEAD. 
          YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          WHAT DR. BROWN JUST MENTIONED, I MEAN, CERTAINLY YOU WANNA ENSURE THAT YOU'RE GETTING IT TO, YOU KNOW, REDUCE YOUR RISK OF SEVERE INFECTION, HOSPITALIZATION, YOU THE COMMUNICABILITY COMMUNICABILITY AROUND THE INFECTION OF GIVING IT TO OTHER INDIVIDUALS, AND THEN IT'S JUST A GOOD PROTECTION AGAINST THE VIRUS. 
          AND WE KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS WITH THE VIRUS AT THIS POINT. 
          AND SO GETTING YOUR BOOSTER, GETTING YOUR VACCINE IS VERY IMPORTANT. 
          SINCE THE NEW BOOSTER ONLY HAS HALF THE DOSE TO PROTECT AGAINST THE NEW VARIANTS, WOULDN'T A HUNDRED PERCENT AGAINST VARIANTS BE MORE EFFECTIVE? YEAH, SO, SO IF YOU, IF YOU THINK OF THINGS, UM, IN SIMPLE MATHEMATIC TERMS, ONE WOULD THINK THAT THAT MORE IS BETTER. 
          UM, SCIENTIFICALLY, HOWEVER, WHAT WE LOOK AT IS WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND BENEFICIAL, UH, UM, GIVEN THE LEAST AMOUNT. 
          AND THAT'S WITH ANY MEDICATION THAT GOES 
          [00:10:01]
THROUGH FDA APPROVAL. 
          AND SO WHAT THEY HAVE FOUND IS THAT IT ONLY REQUIRES HALF THE DOSE TO GET THE MOST BENEFIT. 
          AND SO WE'RE GONNA GIVE HALF THE DOSE. 
          IT'S, IT'S NOT A, IT'S NOT A DIRECT MATHEMATICAL CORRELATION FOR ANY MEDICATION. 
          THIS NEW VACCINE WAS ONLY TESTED IN MICE. 
          IS THAT CAUSING A RELUCTANCE TO USE THE HIGHER DOSE ? AND SO ACTUALLY IT WASN'T ONLY TESTED IN MICE. 
          SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE'D LOVE TO GIVE SOME MORE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND WE CAN PUT LINKS, BUT THIS WAS TESTED IN, IN, IN HUMAN PEOPLE ABOUT, I THINK ONE OF THE STUDIES AT THE MOST WAS ABOUT 1300 INDIVIDUALS. 
          SO IT'S, IT'S BEEN TESTED IN HUMANS. 
          CHANGES IN THE CONTENT OF THE ANNUAL FLU SHOTS, NOT GO THROUGH A CLINICAL TRIAL. 
          IS THAT HOW FUTURE COVID BOOSTERS WILL BE CREATED? INTERESTING QUESTION. 
          IT'S SO, I THINK POTENTIALLY IT'S, IT, IT'S THE SAME, UM, PHILOSOPHY THAT IS USED, UM, AROUND CREATING THE, UM, UH, ANNUAL FLU VACCINE, UM, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE MOST RECENT VARIANTS OF FLU THAT MAKE UP THE, THE NEXT YEAR'S FLU VACCINE. 
          AND SO WE'RE SEEING THAT ALREADY WITH THE, THE, UH, OMICRON BOOSTER COMING, HAVING COME OUT. 
          UM, SO POTENTIALLY WE COULD SEE THAT, DOES THE BIVALENT SHOT ADDRESS ALL SUB LINEAGES? SO IT'S ADDRESSING THE ANCESTRAL LINEAGE AND THEN BEFORE B, BEFORE AND B FIVE PHARMACIES ARE PUSHING OLDER PEOPLE TO RECEIVE COVID BOOSTERS, FLU ZOSTER, AND PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINES. 
          IS THIS NECESSARY OR OPPORTUNISTIC MARKETING ? SO I DO THINK, UM, UM, SO, SO KEEP IN MIND THAT THE, UM, IN TERMS OF MARKETING, THE COVID VACCINE IS FREE. 
          THERE ARE LOCATIONS INCLUDING BOTH HEALTH DEPARTMENTS WHERE YOU CAN RECEIVE COVID VACCINES FOR FREE, UM, THROUGH VACCINES FOR FREE, UM, ET CETERA. 
          SO, UM, THE REASON THAT THEY ARE TARGETED TO OLDER POPULATIONS IS BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY, THEY ARE MOST VULNERABLE TO THESE ILLNESSES AND CAN HAVE THE MOST SEVERE EFFECTS. 
          SO IT REALLY IS, UM, UM, NOT A MARKETING, UH, UM, PLUG, BUT MORE, UM, TARGETING VULNERABLE POPULATIONS WHO CAN BE MOST AFFECTED, UM, BY THESE VIRUSES. 
          YOU KNOW, I'M IN THAT AGE GROUP AND IT'S HARD FOR ME TO SEE MYSELF AS VULNERABLE, BUT I DO LISTEN TO Y'ALL . 
          THANK YOU. 
          I'M HAPPY TO USE ANY OTHER TERM. 
          YOU LIKE  ? I'LL HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT. 
          IT IS A LITTLE SCARY THOUGH. 
           AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION KNOWS THAT THE RISK OF BLOOD CLOTS CAN STAY HIGH A YEAR AFTER HAVING COVID. 
          PLEASE COMMENT. 
          RIGHT. 
          I THINK WE, WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE AS WELL AS WE'RE GETTING MORE DATA AS WE GET FURTHER ALONG IN THIS, YOU KNOW, OUTBREAK AND INFECTION AND UNDERSTANDING MORE ABOUT IT WITH REGARDS TO THE VASCULAR INJURY WE SAW WITH DELTA VARIANT THAT INDIVIDUALS WERE REALLY EXPOSED TO HAVING BLOOD CLOT AND REALLY HAVING TO HAVE A PERSONALIZED CONVERSATION WITH THEIR PROVIDER ON THEIR RISK OF STROKE, HEART DISEASE AND BLOOD CLOTS, AND SORT OF WHAT MEDICATIONS WERE AVAILABLE WHEN WE GOT TO OMICRON AND THESE VARIANTS. 
          AGAIN, STUDIES ARE STILL LOOKING OUT LONG-TERM LONGITUDINAL TO SEE IF THAT STILL CORRELATES. 
          SO THESE ARE THOSE PERSONAL CONVERSATIONS TO HAVE WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN, BECAUSE IF YOU WERE INFECTED WITH COVID DURING THE DELTA TIME, THERE PROBABLY IS STILL CONSIDERATION WITH REGARDS TO YOUR RISK FOR VASCULAR INJURIES, MYOCARDITIS ALERTS BY A HA WERE RAISED AGAIN FROM BEN 30 AND UNDER, IS IT TRUE THAT THERE IS A GREATER RISK AFTER COVID INFECTION? YES, THAT IS TRUE. 
          UM, UM, UM, MOST CASES ARE TRANSIENT, MEANING THEY WILL RESOLVE AND GET BETTER. 
          UM, AND IT IS A RARE, UH, OCCURRENCE, BUT IT IS TRUE. 
          AND I'M GONNA ADD, WE RECENTLY, THERE WAS A RECENT MMWR, SO IF YOUR AUDIENCE ARE, YOU ARE ABLE TO LOOK THAT UP, BUT IT TALKS ABOUT THIS, UM, THIS TOPIC IN, UM, UH, DIRECT WITH REGARDS TO CURRENT UPDATES ABOUT, UM, THIS WITH INDIVIDUALS. 
          SO IT'S A RECENT MMWR THAT JUST CAME OUT. 
          YEAH, I THINK PRISCILLA IS SHOWING IT ON THE SCREEN. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          YES. 
          CDC REPORTS THAT THOSE UNDER 18 WHO HAVE COVID HAVE A HIGHER RISK OF GETTING TYPE ONE DIABETES WITHIN SIX MONTHS. 
          IS THAT ACCURATE? IF SO, WHY? TYPE ONE? IT WAS ALSO REPORTED IN JAMA AND CASE WESTERN AND A CASE WESTERN STUDY. 
          AND AGAIN, I DON'T THINK WE KNOW WHY TYPE ONE, I MEAN FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL DIAGNOSED WITH TYPE ONE. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS AS A PEDIATRICIAN WE DO TALK ABOUT IS THE CONCERNS ABOUT COULD THERE HAVE BEEN A VIRAL, UM, INJURY PRIOR TO THE COVID CONVERSATION. 
          BUT, UM, THE DATA DOES SHOW THAT THERE HAS BEEN A HIGHER RISK OF TYPE ONE, UM, UH, WITH COVID. 
          AND SO IT'S BEEN A CONVERSATION THAT PEDIATRICIANS ARE HAVING WITH PATIENTS. 
          IF YOU'VE BEEN IN AND YOU'VE HAD THE INFECTION, WE'RE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON YOUR PERSONAL, WE CALL ANTICIPATORY GUIDANCE APPOINTMENTS, MONITORING FOR SIGNS AND 
          [00:15:01]
SYMPTOMS. BUT THIS GOES BACK TO OUR MESSAGE AT THE VERY BEGINNING THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO GET VACCINATED, THAT'S THE MESSAGE WE WANT EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND. 
          IS THIS IMPORTANT TO GET VACCINATED, REALLY TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF EVEN GETTING THE INFECTION? IS THERE ANY CORRELATION BETWEEN THE SIDE EFFECTS AFTER RECEIVING ANY VACCINE AND HOW SEVERE OR NOT SEVERE THAT PATIENT WOULD SUFFER IF THEY GOT THE VIRUS? THIS VIEW HAD EXTREMELY VALID REACTIONS AND WANTED, IF THAT FORESHADOWS A MEDICAL PROGNOSIS, IF SHE CATCHES COVID. 
          NO, THERE IS NOT . 
          UM, AND AGAIN, AS DR. WHITE SAID, WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO GET VACCINATED. 
          UM, AND CERTAINLY IF THERE, UM, WERE SOME SEVERE REACTIONS, THOSE, UM, HOPEFULLY WERE REPORTED, UM, SO THAT WE COULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR AND, AND, AND, UH, REACH OUT AND SEE IF THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE POTENTIALLY BREWING AT THE SAME TIME, THE VACCINE, AND IT WAS, THERE WAS SOME COINCIDENTAL THINGS HAPPENING. 
          UM, BUT THERE IS NO CORRELATION BETWEEN THE TWO. 
          WHAT IS THE LATEST RESEARCH AS LONG COVID RISK MINIMIZED AFTER VACCINES? STEVEN, CAN YOU SAY THAT ONE AGAIN? WHAT, WHAT, WHAT IS THE LATEST RESEARCH IS LONG COVID RISK MINIMIZED AFTER VACCINES. 
          IT, THIS STILL GOES BACK TO THE REDUCTION OF ANY, ANY COMPLICATIONS AFTER VACCINATION. 
          AND SO THE GOAL WOULD BE IS TO GET VACCINATED TO AVOID GETTING THE ACTUAL INFECTION IN THE SENSE OF SERIOUS DISEASE, ILLNESS, HOSPITALIZATION, AND EVEN DEATH. 
          SO WE DO KNOW THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE NOT BEEN VACCINATED, WE'RE OFTEN HEARING WORSE OUTCOMES, AND WE'RE MONITORING REALLY WHAT THOSE SYMPTOMS LOOK LIKE. 
          AGAIN, WE'RE SHOWING YOU ON THE SCREEN, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR STUDIES ABOUT INDIVIDUALS AND THERE THERE'S SYMPTOMATOLOGY FURTHER OUT. 
          AND SO STILL WE'RE MORE TO COME ON WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE, BUT IT IS A TRUE, UM, I'VE HEARD FEEDBACK. 
          IT'S A TRUE SITUATION, LONG HAUL SYNDROME. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF SYMPTOMS THAT PEOPLE REPORT, AND THERE ARE, UM, CERTAIN HOSPITAL SYSTEMS IN OUR REGION THAT REALLY ARE LOOKING AT THESE INDIVIDUALS TO REALLY DO AN IN-DEPTH HISTORY TO SUPPORT WHAT KIND OF THINGS WE SHOULD BE LOOKING FROM THE OUTCOMES FOR LONG TERM. 
          BECAUSE I'VE HEARD SOME INDIVIDUALS SAY THAT THEIR DOCTOR DIDN'T BELIEVE IT OR THEY WEREN'T SURE, OR IT GOT FUNNELED INTO SOME OTHER COMPLICATIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS. 
          BUT, YOU KNOW, BOTH DR. 
          UM, BROWN AND MYSELF, DR. 
          PER, WE'RE HEARING THIS AND WE ARE SHARING WITH OUR OTHER PARTNERS, IT'S A TRUE ENTITY AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE YOU FEEL HEARD, THAT WE KNOW THESE SYMPTOMS ARE REAL CORONAVIRUS FOUND IN RUSSIAN BATS, CLUSTER TWO CAN INFECT HUMAN CELLS AND ARE RESISTANT TO VACCINES. 
          UM, SO YES, THERE, THERE WAS, UM, UM, A STRAIN FOUND IN, UM, UH, BATS, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO EVIDENCE, UH, OR REPORTING OF HUMAN INFECTION. 
          UM, IT IS NOT UNCOMMON TO, TO FIND, UM, UM, DIFFERENT STRAINS OF VIRUSES, UH, IN OUR ANIMAL POPULATIONS THAT WE JUST, WE REALLY WOULDN'T CONSIDER. 
          UM, UM, SO AT THIS TIME, UM, IT'S NOT A GREAT CONCERN TO US, BUT IT DID SHOW THAT THERE WAS RESISTANCE TO, TO, UM, UM, THE, THE TREATMENTS THAT IN THE VACCINES THAT WE HAVE AT THIS POINT. 
          BUT AGAIN, WANNA EMPHASIZE THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO HUMAN TRANSMISSION. 
          WHAT IS THE YOUNGEST AGE TO RECEIVE A FLU SHOT? SIX MONTHS HEARING THAT RSV IS BECOMING FREQUENT AT 60 PLUS YEARS OLD. 
          IT'S THIS NEW BECAUSE IT'S NOT, UM, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT? NO, NO, IT'S JUST, UM, I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN HIGHLIGHTED, UM, SINCE THE PANDEMIC AND BEING, UH, UH, MORE SENSITIVE TO SOME OF THE, THE NOT SO COMMON THINGS THAT WE HAVE SEEN, UH, IN MEDICINE FROM THE YEARS. 
          UM, AND, AND, UM, UM, RAISING THE QUESTION OF WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PROTECTING AGAIN, I'M SORRY, STEVEN, OUR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS. 
          SO IT'S NOT, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S BEEN RARE. 
          YOU, YOU IDENT SELF-IDENTIFIED, SO, YOU KNOW, , UM, YES, I DID . 
          SO, UM, IT, IT'S NOT UNHEARD OF. 
          IT IS, IT IS, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE RARE, UM, OR HAS BEEN IN THE PAST, BUT IT'S NOT UNHEARD OF. 
          IT, IT'S NOT A NEW THING. 
          UM, SO WE, WE KNOW THAT IT, IT EXISTS. 
          UM, WE HOPE THAT, UM, IT IS, IS LESS SEVERE FOR PEOPLE, UM, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE CONTINUING, UH, TO MONITOR. 
          UM, SO ATTACK RATES IN NURSING HOMES ARE APPROXIMATELY FIVE TO 10% PER YEAR. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, WITH SIGNIFICANT RATES OF PNEUMONIA AS WELL, WHICH GOES BACK TO AGAIN, WHY DO YOU NEED YOUR PNEUMONIA SHOT? WHY DO YOU NEED THESE VACCINES AGAIN? 
          [00:20:01]
BECAUSE, UM, THEY DO, UM, NOT EVERYBODY IS, AS I SAID, IS FIVE TO 10%. 
          SO THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL 90% WHO PERHAPS WILL NOT BE INFECTED, BUT YOU DON'T WANNA BE IN THE 10%. 
          AND BY THE WAY, I TAKE ALL THOSE SHOTS WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER. 
          THAT'S GREAT. 
          MONKEYPOX LOCAL STATUS. 
          SO WITH, RIGHT NOW ON THE SCREEN, YOU'RE SEEING THE CITY'S NUMBER OF 639 CASES CURRENTLY OF MONKEY PX. 
          YEAH, SO TOTAL 829 ACROSS THE COUNTY, AND 193 OF THOSE AS OF TODAY WERE, UM, UM, OUTSIDE OF THE CITY. 
          OKAY. 
          WHAT IS THE INCUBATION PERIOD? SO USUALLY WE SPEAK ABOUT INCUBATION PERIOD. 
          WE SAY ABOUT THREE TO 17 DAYS TPO FOR MONKEYPOX. 
          SO YEAH, TPO IS A MEDICATION CURRENTLY WITH, UM, UH, USED FROM A PERSPECTIVE OF SMALLPOX TREATMENT, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN SOME CROSSOVER. 
          SO FOR THIS OUTBREAK, UH, WE HAVE ACCESS TO TPO AS ONE OF THE MEDICATIONS. 
          IT CURRENTLY IS SITTING IN WHAT WE CALL AN EMERGENCY EXPANDED USE, UH, AUTHORIZATION FOR IT TO BE USED. 
          BUT WE DO HAVE IT BOTH IN BOTH ORAL FORMULATION AND IN, UH, IV FORMULATION. 
          I'VE HEARD NOT TO GET COVID AND MONKEYPOX AT THE SAME TIME, BUT YOU CAN GET IT AFTER YOU'VE RECEIVED THE COVID SHOT. 
          FALSE, FALSE, FALSE. 
          YOU CAN GET BOTH YOUR COVID AND YOUR MONKEYPOX VACCINES AT THE SAME TIME. 
          UM, YOU CAN ALSO GET YOUR FLU VACCINE AND YOUR COVID VACCINE AT THE SAME TIME. 
          SO CERTAINLY WOULD NOT LET THAT DISCOURAGE YOU FROM, UM, GETTING ALL OF THE VACCINATIONS THAT YOU NEED. 
          WHAT ARE THE REAL NUMBERS OF POLIO CASES IN THE US IN THE PAST YEARS? SO I KNOW PEOPLE HAVE HEARD THAT RECENTLY. 
          THERE WAS A CASE IN NEW YORK, THE LAST CASE THAT WE'VE HAD IN THIS COUNTRY, I BELIEVE WAS IN MINNESOTA AROUND 2005. 
          WE, IT HAD BEEN, UH, A VACCINE PREVENTABLE INFECTION THAT WE'VE, UH, ERADICATED UNTIL MORE RECENTLY WHAT WE HEARD FROM NEW YORK. 
          SO WE HAVEN'T SEEN THIS FOR YEARS. 
          LIKE I SAID, I THINK MINNESOTA WAS THE LAST CASE REPORTED IN 2005. 
          CASES IN NEW YORK ARE VACCINE DERIVED TYPE TWO WHILE POLIO CASES HAVE BEEN ACTED IN AFGHAN AND PAKISTAN. 
          PLEASE EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE. 
          YEAH, SO ACTUALLY WILD POLIO, UH, VIRUS IS THE MOST COMMON. 
          UM, AND IT'S HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS, UH, AND IN AFFECTS, UH, AFFECTS THE NERVOUS SYSTEM CAUSING, UH,  PARALYSIS IS WIDESPREAD IN PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN. 
          UM, UM, AND AGAIN, UM, WHILE THE, UH, VACCINE DERIVED IS UNCOMMON, UM, THE DIFFERENCE IS REALLY THE, THE MECHANISM OF, UH, UH, TRANSMISSION. 
          SO WHILE POLIO IS JUST, THAT IS IN THE COMMUNITY, WHICH IS WHY, UH, IT HAD BEEN ERADICATED FOR US, UM, USING THE VACCINES, HOWEVER, USING SOME LIVE VACCINES, THERE HAD BEEN A RISK, UM, IN THE UNITED STATES UNTIL WE TRANSITIONED THE TYPES OF VACCINES WE USED. 
          UM, THERE HAD BEEN, UM, UM, A RISK AS WELL OF, UM, CONVERTING TO POLIO FROM THE VACCINES, BUT IT'S, IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT TYPE OF TRANSMISSION. 
          ARE MONOCLONAL TREATMENTS FOR BA FOUR AND FIVE EFFECTIVE? THEY ARE. 
          WE HAVE SOME GREAT RESOURCES IN OUR STATE, WHAT WE CALL ASPR, AND WE'RE ALLOCATED, UH, SEVERAL MONOCLONALS THROUGHOUT THE STATE, STILL ALL ACCESSIBLE TO INDIVIDUALS REALLY AT, UM, NO COST. 
          ONE OF 'EM HAS GONE TO A COMMERCIAL MARKET WHERE IT MAY BE MORE ACCESSIBLE FROM A COMMERCIAL MARKET PLATFORM, BUT THERE'D BE NO REASON THAT ANYONE WHO NEEDED TO GET ACCESS TO MONOCLONALS CAN'T GET, UH, MONOCLONALS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. 
          WE HAVE GREAT RESOURCES FOR MONOCLONAL SUPPORT. 
          IF, IF I COULD ADD TO THAT JUST BRIEFLY FOR ANY OF MM-HMM . 
          PROVIDERS WHO MAY SEE THIS, UM, UM, THE STATE JUST RELEASED A PROGRAM WHEREBY, UM, UM, THEY, UH, PROVIDERS MAY BE REIMBURSED FOR THOSE WHO, UH, ARE UNINSURED OR UNDERINSURED AND NEED TREATMENT. 
          UM, SO I THINK THAT THAT'S ON THE STATE WEBSITE AS WELL. 
          SO, TO DR. 
          WRIGHT'S POINT, THERE IS, UM, UM, GREAT ACCESS, UH, TO THE MONOCLONALS WITH A NEGATIVE COVID TEST AND SYMPTOMS THAT COULD BE COVID OR FLU. 
          WOULD IT BE LOGICAL TO START TAKING TAMIFLU? UM, SO, SO UNLESS THERE'S A DIAGNOSIS OF FLU MM-HMM . 
          UM, YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T TAKE, UH, UH, TAMIFLU, UH, OR ANY OTHER MEDICATION UNLESS YOU HAVE A DIAGNOSIS OR THERE'S A, A NO INDICATION TO BE TAKING THE MEDICATION. 
          UM, AN EXAMPLE OF THAT IS, UM, WE'VE ALL HEARD ABOUT, 
          [00:25:01]
UM, UM, ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE. 
          AND SO, UM, WHILE WE HAVEN'T NECESSARILY SEEN THAT WITH THE VIRUS, WITH THE ANTIVIRALS THAT WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S JUST, IT IS NOT GOOD PRACTICE NOR, UM, NECESSARILY SAFE TO TAKE MEDICATIONS THAT ARE NOT INDICATED. 
          UM, UM, AT THE TIME, A NEW STUDY FROM RICE IN UT HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER IN SAN ANTONIO MENTIONED HEALTHCARE WORKERS NEED BETTER TRAINING AND COMMUNICATION, MENTAL HEALTH AND CULTURE TO SUPPORT IMMIGRANT MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS. 
          IS THAT A COMMUNITY CONCERN IN HOUSTON? WELL, I WOULD JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, IN ANY COMMUNITY, WE ALWAYS LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES TO DO THINGS BETTER. 
          SO WITH REGARDS TO HOUSTON, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, TREMENDOUSLY DIVERSE. 
          AND SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT IMMIGRANT HEALTH, IT'S JUST HEALTH IS A COLLECTIVE CONVERSATION. 
          AND SO I WOULD SAY ON BEHALF OF HOUSTON, CERTAINLY WE LOOK AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO DO THINGS BETTER AND TO BE IMPROVED ON ENSURING THAT PEOPLE HAVE WELL INTENTIONS OF, OF, OF BEING HEARD AND BEING LISTENED TO. 
          AND THEN TO THIS QUESTION, UM, MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT. 
          SO YES, HOUSTON IS LEANING FORWARD TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S OCCURRING. 
          NATURE'S MEDICINE, SEPTEMBER 22 MENTIONED A LINK BETWEEN HAVING COVID AND AN INCREASED RISK, RISK OR STROKE, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, MEMORY PROBLEMS, AND OTHER ISSUES. 
          DOES IT MATTER IF YOU WERE VACCINATED OR NOT? UNFORTUNATELY, IT DOES NOT. 
          UM, SO, UM, THE RISK OF, OF THESE, UM, SEIC PUMP, UM, FROM BEING INFECTED WITH COVID, HOWEVER, AGAIN, THAT DOES NOT, UM, DIMINISH, UH, OUR, OUR PLUG AND THE NEED FOR VACCINATION SO THAT HOPEFULLY YOU DO NOT GET INFECTED WITH COVID AND PERHAPS EXPERIENCE SOME OF THOSE SIDE EFFECTS. 
          OH, AND THE INTEREST OF TRANSPARENCY OF ER ASK, IS THERE A PROPHYLAXIS FOR COMPLACENCY?  , NO. 
          . 
          BEST YOU CAN DO IS KEEP TALKING TO YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR CIRCLES, FAMILY MEMBERS, UM, AND ENCOURAGING THEM TO GET VACCINATED. 
          UM, GIVING THEM EDUCATION ABOUT THE WHY, UM, IS IMPORTANT. 
          AND CERTAINLY WHEN YOU'RE IN CLOSE CIRCLES, UM, AND YOU HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF, OF THE CONCERNS OR THE HESITANCY FROM YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS, YOU CAN BEST ADDRESS IT. 
          BUT WE DON'T GIVE UP. 
          ABSOLUTELY NOT. 
          ABSOLUTELY NOT. 
          SOMEBODY ASKED WHETHER OR NOT WE WERE GONNA GET THROUGH ALL OF THE QUESTIONS. 
          AND GUESS WHAT WE DID? WE DID . 
          SO, I, I WANNA THANK Y'ALL FOR, UH, WITH YOUR CRISP RESPONSES, CLEAR, CRISP RESPONSES. 
          I, I SHOULD SAY, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR COVID-19 TALKS WITH LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES. 
          WITH US TODAY WAS DR. 
          ERICA BROWN, REPRESENTING HARRIS COUNTY, DR. 
          JANINA WHITE, THE DEPUTY HEALTH AUTHORITY FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. 
          SPECIAL THANKS TO KATHY FINNER, PAST PRESIDENT ROTARY CLUB OF HOUSTON FOR PROVIDING US WITH THESE QUESTIONS, OUR PRODUCERS, DAVID CASTILLO, PRISCILLA KEITH. 
          I'M STEVEN WILLIAMS, THE DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT. 
          SEE YOU NEXT TIME.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.