Hi Don Norcross Norcross. Norcross here here here today today. today today I'm I'm I'm joined joined joined with a local local doctor doctor to to to discuss discuss discuss our our our. our response response response to to to the the the Gros the issues or or or a a a testing testing testing testing treatments. treatment treatment treatment, treatment and. and and and certainly how our our health health care care system system system is is is is dealing dealing dealing dealing. with. with with this this this doctor. Henry Henry Premo Premo Premo is is is an an an epidemic. epidemiologist epidemiologist epidemiologist at at at at. Cooper Hospital Hospital and and we we wanna wanna wanna thank thank thank thank you you you you for for for for being. being being being with with with us us us us today, one of the the major major issues issues that that that we we we we are. are are are dealing with eye breaking the three areas. It's a response. Relief and recovery our response, first and foremost health issues and much of what will be discussing here today, but also relief for businesses and families. This is an economic issue that we're all facing together and most importantly, how do we recover? How do we deal with what we know now this virus and how do we get back to work in a safe responsible way? Doctor again. Thank Thank you you for for being being with with us. us. us. us. I'd I'd I'd I'd really really. really really appreciate appreciate appreciate it it. it good and happy. It's my pleasure to be here. so when we start out with there's a lot of misconceptions that misinformation what's going on. It's a 24 seven news cycle. what do you feel the most important thing for the public to know right now? So I think that probably the most important things are this is a new virus. It's only been with us. Since December, when the first cases showed up in China and we are still learning a lot about it as we go and a lot of the things that we've done in the months up until now are based on what are best guesses were, but those weren't always correct. So it's not that we're stupid. It's that we're learning about a novel virus that behaves very differently than many of the viruses that we've had to deal with before and as we. And more we modify what we do and that's why you'll see guidance and recommendations constantly evolving. It's not because we didn't try and do our best earlier. but as we learn more we can do better so the word of Odin is actually a great description of what's going on and let me bring out an example of that many of us lived through early on, don't wear a mask, particularly in the hospitals in West Sars direct patient contact. We don't want you to wear a mask now there's no place. That people aren't wearing mask why did that occur? I think there's a couple of reasons that's occurred and some of them have to do with what we've learned about the virus about what we've learned about how easily transmissible it is. It's not transmissible through unexpected ways. It's still mostly the same way that flu is transmissible through coughing and sneezing, but also. Get on surfaces and it's readily transmissible person to person in those ways and the biggest problem is that when we initially started thinking about this virus, we assumed that people would be infectious when they were sick. and now we know that anywhere from 30 to to 50 50 percent percent of of people people people who who who who have. have have have infections infections infections infections. may have no symptoms at at at all. all, all. all. so so So you you you you. don't don't don't know who's who's spreading spreading the the virus. virus and. and that's why. Our strategies have to evolve you know we initially thought we were wearing mask to protect us from sufficient. We're wearing mask just as much to protect us from each other, something that drives fear in so many people wanna hear going on ventilators and you know we're sure about it so we don't have enough in certain areas. What's the average age of somebody on a ventilator nowdays? So? To again, the geography plays a role in this, but I would say that around here, the average age would be in the mid to late sixties but that's because some much older patients don't end up on ventilators for social reasons or because decisions are made not to put them on ventilators ventilators if if if you're you're you're you're 90 98 90 98 98 eight. eight. and knowing the likelihood likelihood that that you you would would would ever ever ever come come come off, off off that that that that ventilator. vent. ventilator ventilator is is very very low. low low And we do see some we had at our hospital. a 17 year-old who was on a ventilator here from Kofi, so although that's the average and statistically you are much more likely to end up on a ventilator with the disease. If you are older, there are people who are younger, some of who have most of whom have underlying health conditions, but they can be minor health conditions who do end up on ventilators as well. Well, that leads to a. Questions that we're hearing quite a bit about is this proportional rate when it comes to the African-American and Hispanic and depending on where you are the Viet Mays Committee community here can how did they tie together? Well? I think there's a couple of different things. one is we know that there are higher instances of untreated health conditions in many. Populations and there are a lot of that is socioeconomically driven there are also issues with the fact that there's a disproportionate ability to socially distance if if you are in a job where you have to go to work and often those are people in lower socioeconomic status where they have to go to work. They have have to to go go and and you know. Yeah. Make sure the subways are running they have to go and make sure that the hospitals are clean that the trash is picked up and so those people are still going to work, whereas other people are more able to stay home and even if they are able to stay home off, It's a lot easier to socially distance in a House that has five bedrooms and three bathrooms, then something that has you know two families living. Two bedrooms and one bathroom, so that brings me to the question that seems to come up away from Washington, where it does in Washington testing the last piece of Legislature when we put out finally put together a National testing strategy for 25 billion. Well, let's talk about the test and you tighten your arms or the accuracy. false positive. false negatives. give us some. Clarity to this world so there's two main types of tests that we're using now and the one that everybody knows about where they go and stick the swab up in your nose is a PCR test that actually looks for the genetic material of the virus and so that test is very useful because people are most likely to have lots of virus in their nose about the time. First get sick so or maybe a day or two before, and that's why those people are most able to transmit infection during that time, and then for people who don't get that sick, you know, often within a week or two, you can't find virus in the nose anymore for people who are sick or like people in the hospital, you're more likely to still be able to find virus for a longer period of time and we don't always know. That means that there's still infectious or not, but it means the virus is there but for some people they are only you're only able to find that virus for a couple of days so the test that we use are actually very sensitive. if there's a little bit of virus, you'll find it. But if you miss that window of when there's a lot of virus in the nose, the test may still be negative even if somebody's been sick or if you've been sick for a week. The likelihood you may find it is less than if you've only been sick for a day. so when we look at the the big picture here staying at home, making sure we're bumper down that was to take the spike out of what they call the health care system risk. We did pretty well there but now we are hopefully at some point moving forward. we still have the same risk right in terms of the disease right Because. Most of us are still capable of getting infected. you know if you've had the infection or you've had it and you don't know it then you are probably although we don't even know that yet immune to getting it again, but right now, even in places like New York, where they've looked and there's been a lot of infection and still only maybe 10 percent or 15 percent of the population have been infected. so everybody else is still. Risk and we haven't change that fact and if they come in contact with people who are infectious and they're gonna get it. So this is why when we look at getting back to what we believe is normal, it will be a new normal whether it's the workplace the distances the different steps that we have to take So get two ways out have a vaccine that works works for for for seven. seven seven billion billion billion people people people on on on the the the the planet planet. planet planet or or or to have an effective treatments treatments right right right if if if you you you first first first first talk talk. talk talk about about. about treatments. treatments, which now is very challenging. Like so, we've been trying a lot of things on the basis of very little evidence that they were you know many many people are aware of the hydroxy, chlorine and chlo wind story and there have been many studies now that are coming out that show that if there is benefit, benefit, it it is is is very very very small small small small and and. and and there's there's risk so these these are are not not not magic magic magic magic bullets bullets. bullets bullets that that that that are dramatically changing changing what what we we know know know about about about the the the virus. virus virus. yes. Anthony Fauci talked-about the results of an antiviral study of an intravenous antiviral medication that he said, look promising and probably it is, but that means that for people who are really sick, it decreased the duration of how long they were till they recovered from 15 days to 10 days days and and and maybe. maybe maybe maybe decrease decrease decrease the mortality a little bit. So that's. Us progress, but it's incremental progress in our ability to treat the virus so that brings us to what everybody seems to be talking about is the vaccine We Gotta Have It timeline probability and some of the risk for and against vaccine. Well. The good news is is that that people people jumped jumped jumped on on on the the. the vaccine vaccine vaccine and and and and people realize very early early that that we we needed needed needed a a a. vaccine vaccine and. and there's a lot. Of smart, scientists and smart biotechnology companies that have the tools now to design these vaccines, so the designing part is actually the easiest part but once you design a vaccine, you have to do a couple of things you have to make enough of it and then you have to try it in humans and see if it does what it's supposed to do and that it's safe. so the first step is making sure it's safe and that it's stimulates. The antibody response we would expect to see because that's how vaccines work they boost your antibodies so that you rethink your immune to the infection. so we'll look and some of these vaccines have already gone into human volunteers to assess safety and to assess whether or not they boost antibody. But then you have to put them out there and to see two things it doesn't prevent people from getting sick from the virus and is it safe. And the safety is probably the biggest limitation here because even though we see lots of people in the hospital who get sick with this, there's a lot of people who don't get sick at all. so you have to be very careful with a vaccine that vaccine is gonna be safe because you don't wanna start making more people sick from the vaccine, are getting sick from the disease so as. You understand there's risk every day in our life. it's the level of risk that we need to accept our want to accept for each and every one of us, it might be different right as we as we wrap this up. What do you say the public needs to know and with any final thoughts you'd like to share with us? So I think a couple of things one is what we have have been been doing doing doing in in in in terms terms terms terms of of of. of social social social distancing. distancing. distancing in terms of what. We've all been through over the last four to six weeks has worked if you look at the number of cases in places where they were being overwhelmed. The numbers are going down. the number of new infections is down the number of people on ventilators in the hospital is going down, so we know these strategies work but we also know that they're not sustainable forever because we have to be able to move on with life So we have. Sort of navigate that challenge of making sure that we keep people as safe as possible and try and gradually get back to as close to normal as we can. So first of all thanks for spending the time and educating so many of the folks who are watching us but to the front line workers such as yourself the nurses, the ones who keep the hospital clean the retail clerks and make sure we have food police the fire all those on the front line. Thank you actually are letting us leave the semblance of a normal life. for Cooper Hospital for what you virtue in Jefferson are Dylan on testing. We couldn't get them to do it down here. I'm so glad the hospitals are working together and certainly for all those out there if you have additional questions 42 7000, we heard the health concerns and some of those answers today, but there's an economic concern whether it's unemployment or theus checks that have gone out. Please feel free to call our office. We're there for you to all those who are listening today to get. We can't get through this and thank you.