>> WELCOME BACK TO CHEDDAR'S
NEWS WRAP AMID A SPIKE IN
CORONAVIRUS CASES THE NATION'S
MOST POPULOUS COUNTY WILL ONCE
AGAIN REQUIRE
MASKS INDOORS. LOS ANGELES
COUNTY REINSTATING THE MANDATE
WHICH APPLIES TO CITIZENS FOR
GUARD LISTS OF THEIR
VACCINATION STATUS. JOINING US
NOW TO DISCUSS DOCTOR FARHAN
BHATTI FAMILY PHYSICIAN AND
MICHIGAN STATE LEAD OF THE
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT HEALTH
CARE DOCTOR BODY WELCOME TO THE
SHOW FIRST DO THINK THIS WAS
THE RIGHT MOVE.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON HAPPY TO BE
HERE AND ABSOLUTELY I THINK
THIS IS THE RIGHT
MOVE BECAUSE LOCAL OFFICIALS
EVERYWHERE ACROSS AMERICA NEED
TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR THEM
THAT'S HOW
FEDERALISM WORKS YOU
KNOW IT'S KIND OF IRONIC THAT
SOMETIMES POLITICIANS WILL ONLY
USE FEDERALISM WHEN IT
SUITS THEM WHEN IN YOU KNOW THE
PEOPLE IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY
KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE NUMBERS
ARE THERE AND THEY KNOW.
THE MITIGATION STRATEGIES THAT
ARE GOING TO BE MOST EFFECTIVE
TO KEEP THEIR PEOPLE SAFE AND
SO IF THIS IS WHAT THE
PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS AND
LEADERS IN LA THINK IS WHAT'S
BEST FOR THEM THEN THAT I
SUPPORT THEIR DECISION.
>> THE CDC GUIDANCE ABOUT NOT
NEEDING MASK. INDOORS WAS
ISSUED JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO,
BUT DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE
ISSUES ASKING PEOPLE TO WEAR
THEM AGAIN IN OTHER PARTS OF
THE COUNTRY.
>> I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE
MORE PEOPLE
FOLLOWING SUIT. IF THE CURRENT
TRENDS CONTINUE THIS DELTA
VARIANT IS THE MOST CONTAGIOUS
VARIANT OF
THE VIRUS THAT WE'VE SEEN AND
SO IF NUMBERS CONTINUE TO RISE
IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY
PARTICULARLY HOT POCKETS WHERE
THERE'S LARGE GROUPS OF PEOPLE
THAT ARE UNVACCINATED THEN
WE'RE GOING TO SEE OTHER PEOPLE
FOLLOWING SUIT AND YOU KNOW THE
ONLY WAY TO GUARANTEE
THAT TRANSMISSION SLOWS IS BY
VACCINATING FOLKS
NUMBER ONE AND THEN IN STUDE
INSTITUTING MITIGATION
STRATEGIES LIKE SOCIAL
DISTANCING AND MASK-WEARING
AND OBVIOUSLY WEARING A MASK IS
NOT A 100% PROTECTIVE, BUT IT'S
90 SOMETHING PERCENT
PERSPECTIVE. PROTECTIVE
AND IT'S THE BEST THING THAT
WE'VE GOT AND SO WE MAY HAVE TO
ASK VACCINATED INDIVIDUALS TO
MAKE
SOME SACRIFICES.
>> COUNTY OFFICIALS SAID
SOMETHING INTERESTING THAT THE
FOCUS WILL BE ON EDUCATION NOT
ENFORCEMENT DO THINK THAT IS
THE RIGHT APPROACH APPROACH.
>> WELL I THINK WE NEED A
MULTI-TIERED
MULTIFACETED APPROACH. THERE
HAS TO BE SOME LEVEL
OF ENFORCEMENT. BUT IF WE'RE
NOT DOING THINGS LIKE VACCINE
PASSPORTS IF WE'RE NOT.
FORCING FOLKS TO PROVE THEIR
VACCINATION STATUS WHEN THEY
ENTER INTO A RESTAURANT OR ANY
KIND OF INDOOR VENUE
IF WE'RE JUST GOING ON THE
HONOR SYSTEM WELL UNFORTUNATELY
FAR TOO MANY
UNVACCINATED AMERICANS GOING
WITHOUT MASKS AND VIOLATING
THAT
HONOR SAYS. AND SO IN THE
ABSENCE OF ANY KIND OF VACCINE
PASSPORTS SCENARIO.
UNFORTUNATELY WHAT WE'RE SEEING
IS THAT THE PEOPLE OUT THERE
THAT AREN'T WEARING MASKS.
ALL RIGHT JUST THE PEOPLE THAT
HAVE GOTTEN THE VACCINE BUT FAR
TOO MANY OF THEM ARE ALSO
PEOPLE THAT HAVEN'T GOTTEN THE
VACCINE. AND IN AREAS OF THE
COUNTRY WHERE THE SPREAD IS
INCREASING AT
ALARMING RATES THE ONLY WAY TO
SLOW THE SPREAD IS TO RAMP UP
OUR VACCINATION EFFORTS AND
HAVE EVERYBODY PUT A MASK A.
>> LA COUNTY'S DECISION CAME
SHORTLY AFTER THE UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA ANNOUNCED THAT ITS
STUDENTS STAFF FACULTY ALL HAD
TO BE VACCINATED FOR THE
UPCOMING SEMESTER. DO YOU THINK
THIS DECISION OR DECISIONS LIKE
THIS ONE WILL HELP CURB THE
SPREAD.
>> ABSOLUTELY I I WELCOME THAT
KIND OF DECISION
I HEARD MORE UNIVERSITIES AND
COLLEGES ACROSS AMERICA TO
INSTITUTE THAT SAME POLICY OF
IF YOU WANT TO BE
ON CAMPUS. IN LEARNING IN
PERSON THAN YOU GOT TO GET A
VACCINE. WE HAVE TO USE EVERY
TOOL IN THE TOOL BOX THAT WE
HAVE TO VACCINATE AS MANY
AMERICANS AS POSSIBLE. AND SO
THAT IS HAPPENING
AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL IT'S
HAPPENING AT THE K THROUGH 12
LEVEL WITH TEACHERS AND
STUDENTS WHO ARE OLD ENOUGH TO
GET IT. IT'S HAPPENING AT
THE HIM LAWYER LEVEL WE'VE GOT
TO USE EVERY TOOL THAT WE HAVE
TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE
VACCINATED AS QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE TO STOP THE SPREAD
AND ULTIMATELY STOP THE VIRUS
FROM. EVOLVING INTO A MUTATION
THAT IS RESISTANT TO THE
VACCINES THAT'S THE BIGGEST
FEAR THE LONGER THIS GOES ON
THE HIGHER THE CHANCE OF
THE VIRUS CAN MUTATE TO WHERE
THE SURFACE PROTEIN
FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGES AND NOW
THE VACCINES DON'T WORK.
>> THAT'S GREAT INSIGHT.
DOCTOR, THANK YOU FOR THAT YOU
ARE ON THE GROUND DOCTOR BHATIA
IN LANSING MICH IN LANSING
MICHIGAN, WHAT ARE YOU SEEING
ON THE GROUND THERE.
>> WELL WHAT I'M SAYING IS
THAT 99.9% OF PEOPLE THAT ARE
BEING HOSPITALIZED
WITH COVID. IN MY STATE ARE
PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T GET THE
VACCINE. IT'S A TRAGIC REALITY.
A LOT OF PEOPLE IN MY.
UNIVERSE
HERE ARE FOLKS WHO WE WEREN'T
ABLE TO CONVINCE TO GET THE
VACCINE AND ARE SUFFERING THE
CONSEQUENCES OF
THAT DECISION. I WORK IN THE
LOCAL HOSPITAL ON THE WEEKENDS,
A SECOND JOB AND IT WAS JUST 2
WEEKENDS AGO THAT I TOOK CARE
OF
A TEENAGER WHO
HAD MULTISYSTEM INFLAMMATORY
SYNDROME WHICH IS BASICALLY
WHERE MULTIPLE ORGAN SYSTEMS
SHUT DOWN BECAUSE OF COVID AND
THIS WAS A TEENAGER IN FACT UP
TO 20 TO OF NEW
COVID CASES OR IN
THE PEDIATRIC POPULATION
BECAUSE OF THIS DELTA VARIANT
SO WHAT I'M SEEING IS THAT
DELTA IS IS THE MOST CONTAGIOUS
VARIANT THAT WE THAT
WE'VE HAD AND IT DOESN'T MATTER
HOW OLD YOU ARE IT JUST MATTERS
YOU IF YOU'VE GOT THE VACCINE
OR NOT AND SO WE'RE REALLY
TRYING HARD TO GET AS MANY
PEOPLE VACCINATED AS WE CAN.
>> CDC DIRECTOR DOCTOR LINSKEY
JUST SAID RECENTLY THAT THIS
PANDEMIC IS NOW FOR
THE UNVACCINATED
WHAT ADVICE OR INSIGHT CAN YOU
GIVE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL A
LITTLE HESITANT TO GET THAT
VACCINE.
>> SO IN MY CLINIC EVERY DAY WE
FIGHT THIS BATTLE WE TALKED TO
FOLKS WHO HAVE CHOSEN TO NOT
GET VACCINATED WE ASKED THEM
WHY AND THEN WE EXPLAIN THE
SCIENCE BEHIND HOW THE
VACCINE WORKS AND I FIND THAT
OFTENTIMES THAT'S ENOUGH TO
CONVINCE PEOPLE TO DO IT.
I MEAN THERE'S SO MUCH
MISINFORMATION OUT THERE.
PEOPLE LIVE IN THESE
INFORMATION SILOS AND IF THEY
LIVE IN A SILO WHERE THE THAT
THE ECHO CHAMBER THAT THEY HEAR
US IS TUCKER CARLSON AND SEAN
HANNITY THEY'RE NOT GETTING
ACCURATE SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION
SO I EXPLAIN
WHAT THE VACCINES DO THAT THEY
EXPOSED THE BODY TO A PROTEIN
THAT'S FOUND ON THE SURFACE OF
THE VIRUS. SO THAT IF YOUR
IMMUNE SYSTEM IS LATER ON
EXPOSED TO THE REAL VIRUS, YOUR
IMMUNE SYSTEM WILL
RECOGNIZE THAT PROTEIN SO WHEN
I EXPLAIN THAT IS JUST THE
PROTEIN PEOPLE TEND TO GET MORE
COMFORTABLE WITH GOING AHEAD
AND GETTING TO THAT.
>> SHE TALKED ABOUT THE WHAT'S
YOUR OUTLOOK FOR THE REST OF
THE SUMMER WHAT WILL YOU BE
LOOKING OUT FOR.
>> WELL OF COURSE, I'M GOING TO
BE LOOKING OUT FOR THE
IMMUNIZATION RATES I'M
GOING TO HOPE TO SEE THAT WE
GET MORE PEOPLE. VACCINATED AS
QUICKLY AS
WE CAN AND THEN I'M GOING TO BE
LOOKING AT YOU KNOW THE TEST
POSITIVE YOU TEST POSITIVITY
RATES THE DAILY
INCIDENCE RATES. BUT THE MOST
IMPORTANT NUMBER FOR ME IS IS
THE VACCINATION BECAUSE IF
WE CAN REACH LEVELS THAT
APPROACH THAT HERD IMMUNITY
THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING WE
CAN SAY THE MOST NUMBER OF
LIVES AS POSSIBLE EVERY DEATH
FROM COVID IS AN UNNECESSARY
AND PREVENTABLE DEATHS THAT'S
THE TRAGIC THING SO WE'RE
REALLY FIGHTING HARD EVERY DAY
TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO GO AHEAD
AND GET