Worldwide coronavirus cases top 18 million
Yahoo Finance’s Brian Sozzi and Alexis Christoforous discuss the latest coronavirus news with Columbia University Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Dara Kass.
Video Transcript
ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: Worldwide cases of coronavirus have now reached more than 18 million and officials are worried about a new wave hitting rural America, as the US passes the 4.7 million mark. Over the weekend, Dr. Deborah Birx said rural America is not immune and, quote, "this epidemic right now is different and it's more widespread, and it's both rural and urban." Joining us now to talk about how widespread this epidemic has become is Dr. Dara Kass, Yahoo medical contributor and Columbia University Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Kass, good to see you as always. What is the number one concern right now in the medical profession regarding this virus?
DARA KASS: It's actually the continued and unrelenting spread of this virus. We're seeing it now spread continuously through the hot spots seeds and then through these rural areas where their capacity to have ICU patients is just not nearly as good as it was in New York City when we were surging. And so we're very concerned that there's no consistent messaging nationally on what needs to be done. There's no increase in testing capacity, specifically rapid testing capacity. We just can't have turnaround times of five, seven, or 10 days in order to truly trace and track the cases, and keep this virus at bay in areas as we're trying to open up, especially schools.
BRIAN SOZZI: Dr. Birx called it over the weekend, we're entering a new phase in the COVID-19 pandemic. What does that mean?
DARA KASS: I think she's trying to say to people that they need to pay attention even if they weren't paying attention before. That this is now the chance to incorporate schools and [? unconsistent ?] openings we were in the first six months of this pandemic, and we were taking a break, and trying to catch up to what we had in front of us. And that this is now time to take it seriously. Unfortunately, it's not a new phase of disease. We've never seen the decrease in number of cases to truly think that we have actually taken care of this virus anywhere nationally across the board.
ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: You know, one topic that's getting a lot of buzz is just who would get the vaccine first, you know, when it becomes-- eventually becomes available. Is it-- is it the older set? Is it people who are more apt to getting the virus in a-- in a really debilitating way? What's your take on that?
DARA KASS: So it's a very complicated question, and it's actually embedded not just with public health but also public trust. Remembering that there are communities, specifically communities of color, they're distrustful of being the first group to take a vaccine that is earlier than ever been tested before and likely experimental. We're also seeing the idea of testing vaccines or treatments in nursing home patients and nursing home workers, front line workers, other groups that may because it had marginalized or vulnerable. So I think it's going to be a very important conversation with clear, transparent communication from the decision makers about why we're choosing a group to start with the vaccine and what that means for everybody else.
BRIAN SOZZI: Doctor, there's been much discussion, and it has started to pick up, about folks with what they call "long COVID," of symptoms that linger long after a person supposedly recovers. Why do you think that happens?
DARA KASS: Right. So the term I've heard a lot of "long-haulers." In fact, there was actually a teleconference with truck drivers talking about that there are considerations of COVID interstate and they were talking about long haulers as a play on words as well. The truth is is that this virus, we don't know what it does to the body long-term, and we're also seeing a huge number of patients who are in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, who are surviving the virus after being admitted to the ICU or having disease processes they've never been faced with before.
And we don't know what that looks like for their lung disease, their heart disease, their kidney disease for the future. And so I think that there's a real concern that we are going to see continuous increase in chronic diseases from previously healthy young people, and we need to watch them and we need to support them as this goes forward.
ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: All right, Dr. Dara Kass, Yahoo's medical contributor, thanks as always.
DARA KASS: As always.
