COMING UP THE LATEST ON THE COVID-19 VARIANT.

>>> GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO "ARIZONA HORIZON," I'M TED SIMONS.

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION WARNED THAT THE GLOBAL RISK OF THE NEW COVID-19 IS A GREAT CONCERN.

THE PRESIDENT SAID THE U.S. IS RESPONDING TO THE NEW THREAT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

>> WE HAVE THE BEST VACCINES, MEDICINES, AND SCIENTISTS IN THE WORLD, AND WE'LL FIGHT WITH VARIANT WITH SCIENTIFIC AND KNOWLEDGEABLE ACTIONS AND SPEED.

ALL OF THIS IS CONFUSING TO A LOT OF PEOPLE.

BUT LET ME CLOSE WITH THIS SIMPLE MESSAGE, IF YOU ARE VACCINATED, AND ARE STILL CONCERNED, GET TO YOUR BOOSTER.

>>> THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH HAD THIS TO SAY.

>> I THINK IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS VARIANT DOES SPREAD RAPIDLY.

BUT WHAT WE DON'T KNOW IS WHETHER THIS VARIANT WILL OUT-COMPETE DELTA IN A COUNTRY LIKE OURS.

>> DESPITE THE MANY QUESTIONS, DR. RICHARD CARMONA OF THE ARIZONA HEALTH DEPARTMENT EXCOOED PRESIDENT BIDEN IN SAYING AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE NEED TO GET FULLY VACCINATED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

>> IS THERE SHOULD BE NOBODY THINKING THAT THEY SHOULDN'T NEED A VACCINE.

>>> MORE THAN 100 ARIZONA K-12 CLASSROOMS HAVE AT ONE TIME QUARANTINED DURING THE YEAR.

THE NUMBERS COME FROM ABOUT 10% OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

THE STORY REPORTS THAT THE H -- THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS ARE ALSO INCREASINGLY OUT DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.

>>> AND WEBSTER HAS DECIDE THAT THE WORD OF 2021 IS VACCINE.

LAST YEAR THE WORD WAS PANDEMIC.

>>> THE NEWEST WORD IN THINK WORLD OF COVID IS OMICRON.

FOR MORE WE SPOKE TO DAVID ENGELTHALER OF THE PATHOGEN GENOMICS DIVISION AT TGEN NORTH.

GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME ON THIS.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE VARIANT OF THE CORONAVIRUS VIRUS?

>> WELL, THIS IS IMPORTANT NEWS THAT CAME OUT OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND.

THIS IS A NEW VARIANT, AND IT REALLY SEEMS TO HAVE ITS OWN SET OF MUTATIONS.

>> AND THIS WAS FIRST IDENTIFIED IN SOUTH AFRICA.

DO WE KNOW WHY IT WAS FIRST IDENTIFIED THERE?

>> WE DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT THE EARLIEST CASES THEY WERE SEEING WERE IN EARLY NOVEMBER.

AND NOW IT HAS SPILLED OVER INTO OTHER COUNTRY AND A NOW NOW LIKELY TO BE SEEN ON ALL CONTINENTS.

WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT IT HAS A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF MUTATIONS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN SEEN BEFORE.

USUALLY IT IS A LONG-TERM -- CHRONIC INFECTION.

SOUTH AFRICA, AS WE KNOW, HAS A VERY HIGH HIV POSITIVE POLL -- POPULATION.

SO WE REALLY KNOW HOW IT VARIES FROM THE DELTA VARIANT.

BUT HERE IS A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE DO KNOW.

IT HAS SHOWN UP IN A PLACE WHERE THEY ALREADY HAD PLENTY OF THE DELTA VARIANT.

AND THAT WAS THE ONE THAT COULD OUT-COMPETE ALL OF THE VIRUSES, AND THERE ARE MUTATIONS THATN'T HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH ANTIBODY ESCAPE.

AND THAT MEANS THAT THERE IS MAYBE A LITTLE BIT LESS EFFECTIVENESS OF THE IMMUNITY WE HAVE GOTTEN FROM VACCINATIONS.

WE ALSO THINK, THAT OVERALL WE WILL BE ABLE TO ESCAPE SERIOUS ILLNESSES AND DEATH.

>> IF THIS THING IS THE NEXT FIGHT DO YOU WAIT TO GET VACCINATED?

>> YEAH, A LOT OF US STARTED GETTING VACCINATED UP TO 10 MONTHS AGO, AND WE KNOW ANTIBODIES THAT WE DEVELOP ARE SKY HIGH, BUT THEN THEY START TO DROP OFF.

SO IT ALLOWS FOR A QUOTE-UNQUOTE INFECTION.

SO THAT HELPS TO FIGHT A REALLY SERIOUS INFECTION, AND THAT GIVES YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM A LEG-UP, BUT THE OTHER PART OF YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM SEEMS TO REALLY RESPOND WELL, BUT IT DOES TAKE A FEW DAYS, SO VACCINATION IS STILL KEY.

IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT, GO AHEAD AND GET IT, AND I WOULD ALSO RECOMMEND A BOOSTER SHOT IN CASE YOU GET EXPOSED TO A NEW VARIANT.

>> EARLIER WHEN YOU SAID THERE WAS -- ALMOST A DIFFERENT BEAST THAN DELTA, AND ELEVATING THAT IMMUNE SYSTEM SHOULD HELP SOMETHING LIKE THIS NEW VARIANT.

>> YEAH, SO WITH THIS NEW VARIANT, IT MEANS OUR OVERALL IMMUNE SYSTEM WE DEVELOP IS STILL GOING TO BE REACTING THAT THIS VARIANT.

>> YEAH.

>> SO, YEAH, DEFINITELY YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD AND GET VACCINATED, BUT IN ADDITION THE VACCINE MAKERS, WITH THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY, THEY ARE ALREADY RE-CODING THE VACCINE SO WE CAN RESPONDENT TO ANY VARIANT THAT SHOW UP.

>> AND THAT LEADS ME TO MY LAST QUESTION, DO WE NEED TO SETTLE IN HERE AND EXPECT THESE THINGS TO POP UP EVERY SIX MONTHS OR SO?

>> YEAH, I THINK WE WILL.

I WOULDN'T PUT A CLOCK ON IN.

AND WE'RE SEEING THIS VIRUS IS BECOMING BETTER AND BETTER ADAPTED TO THE IMMUNE SYSTEM.

AND THERE ARE OTHER VIRUSES THAT WE WILL GET, BECAUSE OUR IMMUNITY GOES UP AND DOWN.

AND AS LONG AS WE REALLY CONTINUE TO IMPROVE ON OUR VACCINATION RATES, THESE VARIANTS WILL CONTINUE TO POP UP.

>> DAVID ENGELTHALER THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>> YOU BET.

THANK YOU, TED.

>>> HOSPITAL CAPACITY IS GETTING TIGHT AS SEASONAL ILLNESSES ARE STARTING TO REAPPEAR, ALL OF THIS AS VISITORS CONTINUE TO RETURN TO ARIZONA.

WE LEARN MORE FROM ANN-MARIE ALAMEDDIN, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE ARIZONA HOSPITAL AND HEALTH AIR ASSOCIATION.

>> HOW IS CAPACITY?

>> WE'RE NEAR 100% CAPACITY.

ICU'S, IN-PATIENT ISES, THEY ARE ALL INCREDIBLY STRAINED.

THERE ARE PATIENTS THAT ARE WAITING FOR ADMISSION.

THERE ARE RIGHT NOW OVER 400 PATIENTS WAITING FOR HOSPITAL BEDS.

>> I HAVE READ THAT THE NUMBER OF HOSPITAL-BED AVAILABILITY IS STILL GOING UP; IS THAT RIGHT?

IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE THE COVID PATIENTS ARE INCREASING CAPACITY -- IT IS JUST THAT TIME OF YEAR.

>> YES, IT IS THE TIME WHEN VISITORS COME TO ENJOY OUR NICE WEATHER.

>> PENT-UP DEMAND IS USUALLY SOMETHING THAT EVERYTHING IS WAITING FOR.

>> YES, IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATA STATE-WIDE, 65% OF THOSE HOSPITALIZED RIGHT NOW ARE NON-COVID PATIENTS, AND THEN WE HAVE AN INCREASE IN COVID HOSPITALIZATIONS RIGHT NOW, AND WE JUST DON'T HAVE THAT CAPACITY RIGHT NOW.

IT IS REALLY DIFFERENT FROM A YEAR AGO, WHERE -- LAST YEAR, IT WAS PRETTY SCARY, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE THE VACCINE LAST YEAR, AND SO WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT THIS YEAR, WE HAVE A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE VACCINE, AND WE NEED OUR COMMUNITIES REALLY TAKE THAT VACCINE TO HEART.

>> HEALTHCARE WORKERS, ARE THEY ESPECIALLY FRUSTRATED?

THE FACT THAT THERE IS, AS YOU MENTIONED THAT VACCINE, AND YET IT IS NOT BEING UTILIZED AS MUCH AND AS IT COULD BE.

>> YES, THAT IS INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING.

WE HAVE THE MIRACLE OF SCIENCE THAT HAS DELIVERED A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE VACCINE, AND IT IS NOT BEING UTILIZED IS INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING.

>> WE HAVE HEARD THIS IS NOW THE PANDEMIC OF THE UNVACCINATED, IS WHAT THAT HOSPITALS ARE SEEING?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> I WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN HOSPITALS AROUND THE STATE AS FAR AS RESTRICTED ADMISSIONS.

>> THAT IS TALKING ABOUT SUPPLIES OR SPACE THAT IS EFFECTED.

WE NEED MORE FRONT-LINE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS.

SO THAT IS CRISIS STANDARDS OF CARE.

I THINK RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN CONTINGENCY STANDARDS OF CARE, PARTICULARLY WITH RESPECT TO STAFFING, AND THAT IS WHERE WE ARE TRYING TO TRANSFER PATIENTS THAT NEED TO BE TRANSFERRED TO HIGHER-LEVEL OF CARE.

BUT PATIENTS MAY BE STAYING IN THAT LOWER-LEVEL OF CARE NOW.

>> WHAT ABOUT EARLY-HOSPITAL DISCHARGES?

HAS THAT CHANGED?

>> WELL, HOSPITALS ARE TRYING TO PROVIDES CARE IN THE HOME, WHERE THEY ARE MONITORING VITALS, AND TRYING TO KEEP PATIENTS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL.

AND WE ARE TRYING TO HAVE A SYSTEM IN PLACE TO TRANSFER PATIENTS INTO SOMETHING LIKE A SKILLED-NURSING SETTING, AND WE ARE TRYING TO WAVE THOSE AUTHORIZATIONS RIGHT NOW.

DISCHARGES ALWAYS NEED THE BE SAFE, SO IF THEY ARE NOT READY TO GO HOME, LET'S GET THEM IN ANOTHER SETTING.

>> AND THE ABILITY TO MOVE TO A HIGHER CARE LEVEL?

ARE YOU SEEING THAT RIGHT NOW?

WE ARE SEEING AN INABILITY TO TRANSFER PARENTS WHO MAY HAVE A TRAUMATIC INJURY OR STROKE OR HEART ATTACK, AND BEING ABLE TO TRANSFER THOSE PATIENTS IS COMPROMISED.

>> ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SPENDING YOUR TIME WITH US.

WE APPRECIATE IT.

>> THANK YOU.

>>> AND THAT IS IT FOR NOW.

I'M TED SIMONS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

YOU HAVE A GREAT EVENING.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT HALF HOUR ON ARIZONA PBS ARIZONA PBS, HOW THE PANDEMIC HAS IMPACTED THE NUMBER OF DRUNK DRIVING CRASHES ON ARIZONA ROADWAYS.

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