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Add hello again everyone and thanks very much for being with us.

In the struggle against an invisible enemy, Arkansas observes a grim milestone.

This week we recorded the 7000 coronavirus fatality.

With that heightened concern that the victims to follow will be neither elderly nor infirm, but the young and previously healthy will update the COVID-19 story in a moment.

First the catastrophe to the South of us.

Hurricane Ida, ravaging Louisiana, and Mississippi, claiming lives and houses and businesses, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity and other services.

Not only are hundreds of Arkansas utility workers aiding in the coastal cleanup, but hundreds of our public safety personnel from the National Guard from the Arkansas State Police joining us now with more on that Lieutenant Colonel Brian Mason of the Arkansas Army National Guard.

And John Luther, director of Washington County Emergency Management Colonel, will begin with you.

What's the extent of guard involvement from Arkansas?

Anyway along the Gulf Coast?

Now, Steve, we've got approximately 540 soldiers from two different major units, the 142nd Field Artillery Brigade, based primarily in Northwest Arkansas and the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team based in the largely in the Central Arkansas area, they departed on Wednesday Thursday for Louisiana.

We've got quite a few folks down there as far South as New Orleans working all kinds of types of missions down there from high water operations and rescues to commodities distribution.

They're also performing some support to local law enforcement in terms of traffic control and things of that nature, so we're really busy down there helping out our neighbors.

Louisiana National Guard and very proud to be able to do that.

Yeah I think Colonel yeah any indication how long that mission is going to continue?

How long those guys right?

So we kind of expect that to last, you know approximately 2 weeks, but we're going to be there as long as we're needed.

Mr. Luther, you have got some hands on experience.

Your people do down there already and you, I think, just returned this after this morning actually.

Yes Sir, we took a as enters the guard.

They took a central and northwest areas personnel and we did that dash force.

We have team members from Northwest Arkansas in Central Arkansas.

Make up market sought for Swan.

It's made up mostly of fire department.

We do have some long ports law enforcement partners as well as energy management both in Washington County and in the plastic county.

And we took the team down there and to perform water rescue and structural collapse response and other requests that Louisiana may had for us.

Yeah, our audio is not the best.

Mr Lose, but let me let me continue with that for just a moment.

They in terms of just hands on work.

That your people did and your partners do give us a sense of what what was involved in that.

What kind of work was being done by your people?

Well, it's time we arrived a lot of the.

But I would say most hazardous rescue missions were completed, which is good.

Teams were able to do that prior to our arrival.

That's often done by the initial first responders in the local community, and then their state partners.

What we did was we did a lot of clearing of areas where they had not been able to go to make sure people in homes that were hard to access due to high water or trees down.

Uh, the power grid and the tree damage is quite extensive, and so access was hard, but we were able to get into many many areas and and work with people there to make sure that they did not have a need for emergency help.

But as Colonel said, there's a lot of need for water distribution, food distribution, and certainly to get the power grid back on for that southern part of the state.

Yeah, because it is a.

It is in really bad shape right now.

Yeah?

Well if you could follow up on that Mr Mason, what in your own?

I you were down there you suck.

Describe what you saw, what you smelled etc.

Yeah so I haven't been down there yet.

But in in times past when we've assisted with, you know, hurricane support.

Some of the most problematic things that our soldiers encounter are just getting access to the people in need.

And you know, we take down a tremendous amount of equipment to assist with clearing the roads so that emergency vehicles and other support vehicles can get into the damaged areas and help out the people in need.

And so we've done that again.

This time, you know, route clearance or or clearing those roads.

Of debris so that our vehicles and other support vehicles can get there is critical.

We've been doing that and now it's a matter of, you know, controlling the traffic and certainly distributing food, water, and other commodities to the folks that needed the most.

Yeah, I shared that question to the Colonel and I really meant to to Mr. Luther.

There you were down there.

In your own words, your what you saw, what you felt once you tasted, the scope of the devastation down there.

Well, the scope of the devastation.

It's a very, very wide area where the the power grid and the damage is in that part of the state.

The kernels right?

It's the.

The conditions are very similar to other emergencies that we've responded to.

Hurricane Harvey and Dorian, the job on tornado.

They they have all similar complications in that there's tree damage and wind damage and structural damage.

Again, power lines are everywhere.

Access is certainly.

Always a complication right now in southern Louisiana I made the comment that, uh, you know, it's easier to see Bigfoot then find a gas station with fuel.

It's it's crazy how hard it is to get needed resources in there.

The state of Louisiana and their partners are doing a great job coordinating that, but but it's a big ship to steer.

There has been tremendous support from all the States and federal teams that have responded down there from, you know, in the Northeast, out West Texas, California, Florida, Missouri.

Oklahoma, New York.

All those federal FEMA teams were in there along with state use.

Our teams like ours.

We all worked hand in hand.

The people are in a really bad place.

I I noted this morning that I was glad to be using the coffee cup that Fire Chief in Rogers gave me a few years ago because it wasn't Styrofoam.

I mean we are.

You know, you're thankful to have any.

Anything that you're used to having day-to-day that makes life easy and enjoyable.

Those people are without it.

Right now they have no air conditioning, they have no lies.

They have no running water.

In many places, damage to their homes.

People are living in tents and moving in with neighbors, and so you know, I honestly say I'm very proud of the state of Arkansas.

As you mentioned, state police, Arkansas National Guard Arkansas Task Force One.

Those communities that support.

Those services and send them to their neighbors in a time of need is is is something we ought to be very proud of, and that we ought to continue to support internally, so that when we need it here, we've got it.

But when we need to send it to our turn neighbors, we can do that as well.

Yeah, and Colonel, you get the last word.

I think we've got about 30 seconds remaining.

There is a thing called reciprocity here.

There may welcome the day when Arkansas will need assistance from Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, wherever.

Well, there's been plenty of that in the past, and fortunately we've been able to establish what's called Emergency Management Assistance, Compact with the neighboring States and and in this particular case, I'm aware of state support from us far north as Kansas, Nebraska, and as Far East as South and North Carolina.

So everybody's, you know, converging on Louisiana to help our neighbors out, and you know, you you don't have to look back very far.

When Arkansas needed help and you look at like to 2009 to the ice storm where the you know the northern third of the state was essentially without power and hundreds of thousands of power poles down.

You know a lot of a lot of our neighbors came to our rescue.

It's it's just great to be able to help each other out in times of need.

Colonel Mason.

Mr Luther, we thank both of you for your time.

Thank you for your service as well.

Thanks for the opportunity, you better I will be right back.

We are back and now to COVID-19.

The virus refuses to surrender.

Declines to simply disappear, and this week Arkansas crossed the 7000 fatality mark.

It took about 18 months for the state to cross that threshold.

But it's feared the death toll could grow by another thousand in only the next 30 or so days, and with the school term in his first days.

There's heightened concern among doctors that the virus is increasingly targeting the young.

With us now Dr. Jose Romero, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health.

And doctor Jessica Snowden, who's chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UAMS and doctors both of you thank you for coming in.

Is it fair to say Doctor Romero will start with you that the Delta variant has literally altered the dynamics of COVID-19?

Certainly in our state and probably nationwide.

Yeah, I. I think that's that's very, very true.

I mean, we we have data that the hospitalizations have increased for children, adolescents by 400% over in nationally.

It's gone up 10 times for the age group of zero to four data in our state shows that about 31%.

Of all active cases, now are due to our in the age group of zero to 18 and really about 18% of all of those active cases fall in children under 12 years of age.

So it really is.

Yeah, I think we've got a graphic here that that graphically illustrates the.

We've got 2020 and 2021 illustrated here.

You want to take it from there?

Sure, I'd be happy to.

So as you can see the the blue line represents at 2020 and it it goes from right to left and then beginning at at the on the left hand side.

Excuse me.

And then on the left you'll see the peak that occurred in January in red and it continues to swing upward.

And as you can see now where it's 600 cases per day for children zero to 18 years of age.

And so this is far exceeded.

The peak number of cases.

From the first wave.

So in this second second wave is really moving into the kids.

And doctor Snowden, you're looking at some of this up close.

Yes, it's definitely changed for us significantly on the ground here at Arkansas Children's Hospital.

Whereas earlier in the pandemic we would have a handful of kids in the hospital a day now.

We routinely have 20 to 30 kids in the hospital today with COVID-19.

Many of those in the ICU and on ventilators.

We are seeing them get sick faster and definitely get much more sick than what we were seeing earlier in the pandemic.

And how does this?

Does it affect children in a way different that it differently than it does adults?

What we're seeing, interestingly, is similar to what we were seeing in adults or one hour.

Adult colleagues have reported in terms of the kind of respiratory illnesses that we're seeing with children.

I think one of the things that is a little bit more pronounced and more common in kids than what we've seen in adults, or some of the kind of heart problems that can come, both with COVID acutely and afterwards.

So that piece is a little bit unique to children, but what we're seeing right now in the hospital with acute COVID-19 looks like what our adult colleagues were seeing earlier in the pandemic in terms of people.

Just really.

Rapidly getting sick and having trouble breathing the image of them.

We don't have a picture on, and frankly, I'm almost glad that we don't, but the image of a kid.

Are you child on a ventilator?

It has to be a wrenching spectacle and you're there in person and not looking at a television screen.

Our teams have been amazing.

The team of nurses and doctors and care providers all across the spectrum have done so much to help provide care for these kids and families, particularly because many families still it.

It's a little bit surprising to them that they are in this position because we know that earlier in the pandemic children felt relatively protected and now that's not true anymore, and so I think it really is a mental shift for a lot of families to realize.

This really could happen to anybody and Doctor Romero the the mechanics of or treatment.

Is it significantly different for children that it is adults?

No, it it.

It mirrors what we do for what they do for adults you know would that includes also monoclonal antibodies for prevention of hospitalization, so you know we the data from children has been derived from experience in children and adults, so very very similar in the way they're used.

There is also you expressed concern this week.

I think both of you have about pre and neonatal cases of our.

Of the delta variant, we have more young women giving birth, who themselves are infected doctors.

No, do you want to take it from there?

One of the things that we have seen with the Delta variant is that pregnant women are getting sick much more often than what we were seeing earlier, with potentially catastrophic illnesses for them and for their babies.

And so it is really very important that pregnant women get vaccinated and get protected because they are at very high risk in the Delta variant term catastrophic.

We have had instances in which mothers have lost their babies and premature delivery in utero death deaths.

I don't want any family to go through that when we have a vaccine that can save you or at in terms of of an infant born with.

With this disease.

The odds for that that infant have to be fairly forbidding, or am I practicing medicine here without a license?

Totally OK.

Most things about COVID-19 we are learning so many things as we go along and one of the things that we are seeing now that again is a little bit different than earlier in the pandemic is we really are now seeing neonates.

Seeing very young infants get sick with COVID-19, just like older infants do, which is terrifying.

Having a newborn is scary enough, much less having to worry about these things.

One of the nice things.

About getting vaccinated in pregnancy is that we know that those antibodies you get from having been vaccinated will be transmitted to your baby and could protect your baby.

Well, let me ask you, doctor Snowden, since you brought it up, the question, is it safe for an expectant woman of a woman who's carrying a child to receive this vaccine?

Should she receive it?

Absolutely.

Were I pregnant, I would get vaccinated immediately and the recommendations from the CDC from all of the groups that manage pregnant women and women who are pursuing fertility in any way, shape or form are recommending that women get vaccinated.

We've got data showing now with lots of women who have been vaccinated safely, had safe and healthy pregnancies.

And as I said, have been able to transmit those antibodies to protect their baby.

To both Doctor for Doctor Romero will go back to you if I'm reading the statistics right and and your comments correctly.

Essentially every new case of COVID in Arkansas is the Delta variant, and almost every case occurs in an individual man or woman or youngster who has not been vaccinated.

That's correct, so 93 points at three percent, 93.3% of sorry, 99.3% of all of our cases that are variants are delta at this time, and far 98 percent, 99% of the individuals being hospitalized at this time have not been vaccinated.

And that applies to adolescents also.

My colleagues in in citrus in gynecology or telling me that of the women that are pregnant and being hospitalized, 90% of them have not received the vaccine.

So the vaccine is clearly protective and there will be a report coming out this week from the MMWR that shows that vaccination prevents hospitalization in adolescence, so that 12 to 18 year old group also benefits from vaccination.

Well regards prevention of hospitalization, correct?

The breakthrough cases that we have all heard and read so much about doctors.

The vaccine would appear.

The research seems to suggest that even in a breakthrough situation in a vaccinated patient.

The disease has a much smaller and title as it's less grave situation.

Yeah, that's absolutely true.

Data being Daddy being looked at by the CDC and by the ACIP seems to indicate that it still means that we're seeing more breakthroughs in the older group then and then in younger individuals.

So those individuals 65 and older are the ones that are, at least in the state and nationally comprise the largest group of individuals breaking through.

And if you add to that immuno compromised individuals thought Snowden.

I yeah, absolutely what we're seeing and hearing from people with breakthrough cases is that they really do have much milder disease than their unvaccinated counterparts.

Their symptoms are shorter, their symptoms are less severe, and certainly we're seeing that carry forward into hospitalizations, hospitalizations and deaths are much less likely, and people who are vaccinated, the governor is indicated that that he was disappointed that Washington has not OK thus far.

The immunization of children 12 and under.

Do we have any intelligence doctor Romero when that might happen?

Yeah, it what we're hearing is that Pfizer will probably submit their information in that age group at the end of September and then possibly Moderna following sometime in October.

Probably middle of October.

Doctor Snowden.

I think, as I mentioned last time I was here, I'm the mother of a 10 year old.

So I am very excitedly watching for when we're going to get this information for all of us who are taking care of children here in the hospital and seeing younger kids get sick who don't have the opportunity to get protected.

Yet.

We are anxiously awaiting the vaccine coming on the market for them and will be, you know, my son has already told me he wants to be first in line to get protected.

In the meantime, we know the more adults around us we can get vaccinated.

This safe for our children are going to be.

Well to that answer, I'm just reading some research here.

Some quotes actually that were published a day or so ago.

The A Kaiser poll conducted for the Kaiser organizations that as many as 30% of parents would quote.

Definitely not immunize their children, and for a Gallup poll, almost half those have no plan to vaccinate.

Your your thoughts on that?

Obviously there's still a social cultural resistance in this Doc Snowden, absolutely.

And actually we are in the process of developing and leading a nationwide study with the National Institutes of Health.

It's going to look at ways we can help encourage people to vaccinate their children late so we can reassure them that it's safe or provide access if they don't have access in looking at those kind of barriers.

So we're starting that study and leading it actually here in Arkansas.

That's going to start next month, here at throughout the country.

Because we want to make sure that we are having this open conversation with people that we are figuring out what the barriers are, what the concerns are, and how we can most appropriately address them to start to move the needle for people.

Well, if I may make this a bit personal doctor, I believe you said earlier in the broadcast that you're a mother of a 10 year old.

I am when will that 10 year old?

Get the jab.

Oh absolutely.

He wants to be the first one in line and he wants to be the one that the Children's Hospital takes the picture of you.

As long as you as a mom, as a doctor, you have no reservations about your child taking that in that shot.

I am counting the days until I can protect my child because every parent that we deal with here, every parent who is here in this situation that they never thought they would be in, wants to have the chance to avoid that.

We want to keep your kids safe and the vaccine is the safest, best way to do that.

Doctor Romero with the Romero descendants.

Would you encourage them to roll up a sleeve?

Yes, definitely you know.

I've recommended that for my my my daughters and for our grandchildren that are of age were my wife and myself.

My wife is a is a nurse were clearly recommending that for for our grandchildren, well we have school in session.

Labor Day is here.

There's going to be football this weekend.

Go, hogs, Doctor Romero your concern?

Again, it's the concern that that that can be a super spreader or spreader event.

Individuals need to be careful even if you're outdoors, there's a risk of transmission of this virus.

I would encourage individuals to wear masks and to be vaccinated.

That is the way we're going to control this.

This outbreak here and the surgeon in the state.

Doctor Snowden.

I, I agree completely with Doctor Romero.

What we all want is to get back to normal and get back to safety and the way to do that is to make sure that until this is over, we wear our masks.

We're distanced and we get vaccinated as soon as we can.

If we want life to return to normal, that's what gets us there.

We can't get there any other way we have.

Can we continue to have it?

This is no matter how you look at it.

There's a political implication to this situation.

Now we have the continuing debate in the judicial branch.

In the legislative branch about masking in schools, could I have your thoughts on that?

Absolutely, and we get asked this quite a bit and asked for evidence to support masking and there really is a lot of evidence both in labs and in controlled experiments, but also when you look at populations where when we've masked were able to control the spread of COVID-19, and so if we want our children to be back in school, which is the developmental E best place for them.

The psychologically best place for them to be the way to get there is to make sure that we're following all the guidelines.

We did last year which we know worked.

School was a safe place last year if we want to get them back there.

Wearing a mask is the way to do it.

There's no evidence of any harm and there's lots of evidence that it can help.

It does not.

Masks do not harm children do not harm children.

Doctor May there is.

That's correct, you know.

They're they're.

They're not.

There's no real contraindication to use and.

And you know, to draw the the numbers close to home.

You know we've had 4791 cases as of Thursday.

Among schoolchildren, that's the highest we've ever had from Monday.

To this Thursday, we've had an increase of 880 cases.

Report from the schools.

So those schools that mask those schools that that that require their children to use masks are doing the best they can to prevent transmission.

In those settings, the doctor, if I've done the math right, or the projections right, Doctor Romero that it took us about a year and a half to get to 7000 deaths.

But if if these numbers are tracking correctly, it could be less than a month.

Or about a month before we add 1000 more fatalities to vet.

Am I correct?

That's correct, so we're seeing anywhere from 20 to 35 deaths per day.

And it's not slowing down, so it is very conceivable that will be at 8000 by the end of this month.

But doctor and in fact it seems to be accelerating.

Or am I wrong?

I I think it's it's it's it's accelerated from what we were seeing when we were at a low at March where we're seeing under 10.

But right now I think it's plateaued at about, you know, 20 to 3035 a day, so we will hope that it does not continue to increase and and doctor Snowden.

Sadly, some of those are, it appears likely to be 18 and younger.

Yeah, and and I will tell you for all of us that's.

Losing anyone to something that's a preventable disease is tragic and hard, but it is really for families and their children, something that is unimaginable and avoidable for anybody who is 12 and up.

And so I really do want to make sure that we as a state come together and take care of each other in a way that we can make this stop.

Any quick remedies I?

I guess it's time again, we've got a few seconds remaining to bring up dewormer and some other miracle drugs.

Well, you're laughing, Doctor Snowden, but I mean, sorry, it's there's that temptation, but it can get kind of serious.

It absolutely can.

And I think one of the things that we really want to make sure that people understand is that yes, the science has moved faster than anything we've ever experienced in our lifetime.

And that's amazing.

And a miracle, how scientists are coming together to study things.

So very quickly to make sure that we can come up with the best solutions as fast as possible.

There is no data that shows us that Ivar Mac Dim is part of that solution as much as we all want there to be a good solution.

Got into their doctors because we're simply out of time.

Doctor Snowden, doctor Romero?

Thank you both very much for being with us.

Come back soon.

Thanks.

We'll see you next week.

Support for Arkansas week.

Support for Arkansas Week provided by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

The Arkansas Times and KAR FM 89.