CLEAR CLEAR ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> CATHY: A NEW VACCINE IS NOW AVAILABLE WHICH IS DESIGNED TO PROTECT PEOPLE FROM GETTING REALLY SICK IF THEY ARE INFECTED WITH COVID-19.

JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE NEW VACCINE AND WHO SHOULD GET IT IS EPIDEMIOLOGIST MICHAEL OSTERHOLM.

HE'S THE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.

WE GET TO COVID -- GREAT TO SEE YOU IN THE STUDIO.

I'M GOING TO GET TO COVID HERE IN A MINUTE BUT I WAS JUST IN THE DRESSING ROOM AND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAID THERE WAS A PATIENT IN MISSOURI WHO TESTED POSITIVE WITH BIRD FLU WITH NO KNOWN CONTACT.

IS THIS AN ANOMALY OR LIKE THE CANARY IN THE COAL MINE?

>> IT'S QUOTED IN THE PAPER AS SAYING IT'S NO BIG DEAL.

WHEN WE DO ROUTINE FLU INVESTIGATION, WE GET THE ISOLATE.

WE WOULD EXPECT, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH NIAGARA TOWER BIRDS, IF YOU'RE OUT WORKING IN YOUR YARD AND BY A BIRD FEEDER, YOU MIGHT HAVE AN ACTION FROM THE BIRDS THAT WERE THERE AND FLEW ON.

WE HAVE NO IDEA WHETHER THERE WERE ODDS CASES, HE DID NOT TRANSMIT TO OTHERS WHEN HE WAS AFFECTED AND IS DOING WELL.

HE'S RECOVERING.

>> I'VE READ SEVERAL ARTICLES THIS WEEK SAYING THAT THE INCREASED SPREAD OF COVID DURING THE SUMMER IS UNUSUAL BECAUSE IT'S A SUMMER BUT I'VE TOLD US TIME AND TIME AGAIN IT'S NOT SEASONAL.

>> IT'S NOT.

>> Eric: I'M CONFUSED.

>> UNFORTUNATELY THEY'RE TRYING TO CONFUSE YOU BUT I'LL HAPPY YOU, OKAY?

AGAIN, WE'VE HAD TEN PEAKS OF CASES SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC AND IF YOU LOOK, THEY'RE EVENLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE SEASONS.

SO THE ONLY THINGS THAT MAKE COVID SEASONAL IS IT OCCURS IN ALL SEASONS.

YOU CAN TAKE THAT.

THE SECOND PART IS, I'LL KIND OF A COMBINATION OF EVENT AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE.

IT'S WHEN YOU HAVE WANING IMMUNITY, MEEK AT 4 TO SIX MONTH AFTER YOU WERE PREVIOUSLY VACCINATED OR INFECTED, YOUR IMMUNITY STARTS TO ANE, JUST LIKE WE SEE WITH FLU VACCINES.

THE OTHER THING THAT'S REALLY DRIVING THIS IS WHAT WE CALL VARIANTS.

WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THESE NEW VARIANTS AND EACH TIME THEY SHOW UP AND THEY FIND A NEW WAY TO ESCAPE SOME OF THE IMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE.

SO WHEN YOU GET A COMBINATION OF A NEW VARIANT AS WELL AS WANING IMMUNITY, THAT'S WHEN YOU SEE THE SURGES.

I CAN SURELY THINK BASED ON WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, WHICH WE'RE HAVING LOT OF ACTIVITY, MARCH, APRIL, WE COULD PROBABLY SEE ANOTHER PEAK AGAIN.

IT'S JUST THAT'S THE WAY WE GOT TO COME O EXPECT THIS.

>> Cathy: BY THE WAY, IS ANYONE TESTING ANYMORE?

I MEAN, I ASK ABOUT THE HOME TESTS.

DO THEY STILL WORK?

WE KNOW THEY'RE NOT AS ACCURATE AS THE PCR TESTS IN THE LAB, RIGHT?

>> RIGHT.

>> Cathy: BUT AS THE VIRUS IS MUTATING, ANY CONCERN ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE?

>> THE KIND OF TESTS YOU HAVE AT HOME ARE NOT SUSCEPTIBLE TO CHANGING WITH THE VARIANTS SO YOU CAN STILL PICK IT UP AND WE'RE SEEING LOT OF INFECTIONS RIGHT NOW.

THIS MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST BIGGEST TITLE IN THE POST-PANDEMIC THAT I'VE SEEN, I CAN TELL YOU HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE RIGHT NOW THAT ARE TESTING POSITIVE.

WE HAVE NOW A NUMBER OF PEOPLE REPORTING HAVING BEEN AT THE FAIR ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WHO ARE NOW CASES ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.

SO THE GOOD NEWS IS IT'S A MUCH MILDER ILLNESS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL SEEING ABOUT 1200 DEATHS A WEEK IN THIS COUNTRY SO IT'S STILL A REAL ISSUE BUT IT'S MORE OF A MILDER FLU-LIKE ILLNESS AS OPPOSED TO WHAT WE WERE SEEING BEFORE.

>> Cathy: DO YOU RECOMMEND PEOPLE TEST OR JUST -- >> I DO ONLY BECAUSE, AGAIN, THESE 1200 DEATHS WE JUST TALKED ABOUT WE'RE HAVING EVERY WEEK, THEY'RE MAINLY IN PEOPLE WHO ARE 65 OR OLDER OR PEOPLE WITH UNDERLYING IMMUNE CONDITIONS.

I DON'T WANT TO GO SOMEWHERE IF I HAVE COVID AND I MAY BE EXPOSING SOMEBODY WHO IF THEY GOT IT COULD BE A SERIOUS ILLNESS AND THEY COULD DIE.

SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO TEST FOR THAT REASON JUST SO I KNOW HOW TO LIMIT MYSELF SO I DON'T AFFECT OTHERS.

>> Eric: TELL US ABOUT THE NEW VAC KEEN AND WHEN WE SHOULD GET IT?

>> THEY'RE DEER ADVICES ON AN OLDER ONE WHICH ALL THEY DID WAS UPDATE THE VIRUS PIECE.

THERE'S ONE FROM PFIZER AND NE CALLED NOVAFAX, IT HAS KIND OF A KICK A- >> Eric: WHAT DO YOU LIKE?

>> I LIKE THE NOVA VAX MYSELF.

I'M GOING TO GET I WANT WHEN THE TIME IS UP.

YOU CAN GET IT TWO MONTHS AFTER THE PREVIOUS DOSE OF THE VACCINE, IT WAS FOUR, OR YOUR PREVIOUS ILLNESS, THREE MONTHS AND I SAY PARTICULARLY IN THOSE HIGH-RISK GROUPS FOR SERIOUS ILLNESS, I WOULD KEEP GETTING AS MANY VACS NECKACHES AS YOU CAN BECAUSE WE'VE CLEARLY SHOWN IT DOES REDUCE SERIOUS HOGS O.HOSPITALIZATION DEATHS TO BE VACCINATED.

>> Eric: THE ANTI-VACS CROWD IS PRETTY VOCAL ABOUT IT.

I THINK 14% PEOPLE IN MINNESOTA ARE UP TO DEALT.

HOW DO YOU FIGHT ALL THAT?

>> WELL, AGAIN, IF I HAD TO CONTINUE TO PRIORITIZE, I WOULD SAY THE HIGH-RISK PEOPLE BUT LET ME GIVE YOU A VERY SOBERING FACT.

WE HAD A BIG EVENT THIS PAST WEEK.

IF YOU FOLLOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS, THE AGE GROUP THAT IS ALWAYS HAD A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF POSITIVE COVID PEOPLE HAVE BEEN IN THE 65 AND OLDER AGE GROUP, 4.8% OF THE PEOPLE THERE.

LAST TWO WEEKS AGO, KILLED 11 AND YOUNGER HAD THE SAME LEVEL AS DID THE OLDER.

THIS WEEK, KIDS HAD ABOUT 5.8% ARE POSITIVE, ONLY 3.7% OVER.

SO WE'RE SEEING A REAL TAKE ON KIDS, THEY'RE KIDS IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM FOR A REASON AND IT'S COVID.

SO, AGAIN, IF YOU CAN DO IT, I WOULD GET MY OWN CHILDREN VACCINATED.

>> Cathy: SAY, WHAT ABOUT THE FLU SEASON THIS SEASON?

>> STILL QUIET.

YOU KNOW, I TELL PEOPLE HOLD ON TO THE FLU SHOT.

I KNOW I MAY NOT BE POPULAR ONLY BECAUSE I WANT TO GET IT AS CLOSE AS I CAN TO WHEN FLU ACTIVITY PICKS UP.

WE TALKED ABOUT THIS, THE FLU VACCINE LOSES ABOUT 2 TO 12% OF ITS EFFECTIVENESS EVERY MONTH AFTER YOU GET VACCINATED.

SO IF I GET VACCINATED IN AUGUST AND DON'T SEE FLU UNTIL DECEMBER, I'VE LOST UP TO 40% OF THE PROTECTION OF THAT VACCINE.

SO WE TRY TO GET THAT AS CLOSE TO THE FLU SEASON, THAT'S COMING, AND I WILL GET MY FLU SHOT WINS WE START TO SEE THE PICKISM IN CASES