Hello and welcome to PBS39d WLVT community update on coronavirus.

It's presented by Capital e Cross Wilson brought to you with help from our communiy partner Lehigh Valley Healh Network.

We're coming to you live fm the public Media Center in Bethlehem.

I'm Ben Stemrich our guests today include ainfectious diase expert who has been a trusted source of informatn throughout this pandemic.

We'll also speak with the director of public health programs at Muhlenberg Col. Our guests will be with usa moment.

Now, if you have a questio, you can give us a call.

The number is four eight fr eight two one zero zero zeo eight.

We'll answer some of your questions live.

Plus four coronavirus upda.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter.

You can do that at our webe coronavirus Lehigh Valley.

Joe Gale.

You can find helpful information in English andn Spanish.% Now let's take a look at today's top headlines.

Governor Tom Wolf is expang eligibility for the Covid-9 vaccine to all adults begig tomorrow.

That's nearly a week aheadf schedule.

The announcement comes as coronavirus case counts and hospitalizations rise, particularly in younger pe.

Improved availability of appointments also was a far in speeding up the timelin.

The state's vaccine provids have given more than 6 miln doses nearly two and a half million.

Pennsylvania's are fully vaccinated Hulmeville unitt crossed the state providing Covid-19 testing informatin will now be used to bring vaccines to underserved communities.

The group Latino Conexion hailed the public private partnership at a briefing s afternoon.

It will reach Pennsylvanias most vulnerable population, including seniors and elde, racial and ethnic minoriti.

And communities.

LGBT communities, including individuals that are African-American, Hispanic, Latinos, individuals that e Asian, Indian, Pacific Islanders, Native Alaskansd it will also include individuals that live in rl areas as well as inner citd suburbs stops by the mobile unit in the Lehigh Valley e yet to be scheduled, but vaccines are set to be givn later this week in Hazeltod next week in the Philadelpa area.

The State Department of Heh reported 6450 new coronavis cases and four more deaths yesterday and today.

The number of Pennsylvanias hospitalized from Covid-19 continues its upward trendh 2460 in the hospital and or 500 in intensive care.

All told, going back to Mah of last year.

Pennsylvania has recorded 1 million and 75,000 coronavs cases and 25,000 and 406 deaths.

A free walking Covid-19 teg site will open later this k and Monroe County the State Department of Health annoud tests will be given this Weesday through Sunday at e Middle Smithfield Community Center near East Stroudsbug hours after 10am to seven m and no appointment is necessary.

Patients must be at least e years old and no symptoms e required in order to be te.

Now let's meet our guests.

Dr Luther Rhodes is an infectious disease expert o has been a go to source of information on Covid-19 ans treatment.

Also here is Kris and Cronn and associate professor and director of the Public Heah Program at Muhlenberg Colle in Allentown.

Thank you guys for being wh us here today.

Professor Kronin will be wh you in just a few moments, moments.

We're going to begin todayh Dr Rhodes and t big news ot of Harrisburg that all adus in Pennsylvania will be eligible for the vaccine starting tomorrow.

Dr Rhodes, thank you againr being with us here.

We just heard it in the headlines.

What should we make of thi?

Are we racing against the k to prevent a surge in unvaccinated people?

What do you read into this?

Well, thank you again for inviting me to be with your audience again today.

I think you summed it up.

We are in a footrace with e think that the people of te population were a foot race when a virus and that virus right on our heels and thet protection we have as individuals is vaccine mass and social distancing all e their role.

But by themselves that will never will never see the ef Covid of control of Covid y more than we did with thins like polio and before that smallpox and so on.

A vaccine is ultimately ned to Tullytown pandemic of ts nature.

Now we're still seeing an increase in cases and hospitalizations, especialn younger people.

What factors play into at u Biden the patients that I e now with Covid or frequentn the 30s, 40s or 50s and non Kamala Harris, you know, they'll mention the fact they've been feeling safer lately for a lot of reason, including the fact that thr parents or their grandpares parents or their grandpare.

And you say but remember, t doesn't mean your immune.

So the of course, people wl say, well, the vaccine hast been available.

I would would have taken if I had access to it.

Very valid.

Pennsylvania, like a lot of other states, chose to distribute vaccine accordio age, occupation and so on.

Some states have just opend the doors and given out vae pretty much to whoever shos up.

Hard to know who's correct.

There's arguments all overe place for how to get vacci, but everybody, every place, every state, every governmt needs vaccine to be able to distribute.

So we're in this footrace e the pandemic is moving at a pretty good clip wi variane or also called scary.

But basically it's just the fact that it's still widesd and we can't let our guardn starting tomorrow.

Anyby in Pennsylvania, a 16 and above is eligible to he Covid vaccine Dr Luther Rhs before the show, you said t you were in the ICU right before.

What are you seeing at LVHN right now?

Is it pretty busy or the bs filling up again?

Well, it's busy.

It's just theristol Perkas, if you will, for well overa year.

But it's also has the potel to Cornell, it's very comforting to go into an aa that it's again high inteny and sort of Schuylkill couy very good to see how well managed the nursing profes.

We know all except comforte wearing protective attire.

The restrictions so on it.

We're so bergerson before w are routine.

There's less a little less stress if you will, because people now there's a playbk when you have Scytl patienf minus because they're scaro death when they find out ty have Covid when I reassurem April 2021 know that the medical professional has a playbook to open and figurt how to do things that we sd do for you and think we shd not do for yourself.

It's a different error.

It's reassuring at that le.

But by the same token, it's potentially a high stress exhausting.

You need teamwork.

You need commitment on it.

And I'm proud to say part n organization that has done that.

We keep hearing about varis you had mentioned earlier.

How prevalent are they hern our region?

Well, if only we had better access to the TAIPING, if u will, But Pennsylvania has Pennsylvania Department.

It has limited resources.

It hasn't been able to do e genetic sequencing that we would love to do.

Some centers sequence every single virus that they hav.

But I do know that Pennsyla has relatively proportionay speaking, a relatively smal percent of the four very worrisome variants, not ze, but its relatively small.

It's three or 4%.

But what I can't tell you r sure is if the next patienI see with Covid has a variat because I don't really have easy access to sequencing t uld be a test that you woud send out to the state lab m Murtaugh would Senator Tooy CDC that takes time.

I think that's going to che with time.

But right now what we do ie take averages, we look ande what the CDC and Pennsylvaa Primary Health have done wh our surveys.

But we're on guard.

The stories that you hear t certain areas being more contagious are certainly te as to whether or not they'e more severe.

I don't know.

But if you have more of anything, you' going to eventually involve more pee with heart, with health conditions who are going to well no matter what variant they have.

Dr Rhodes, through your ca, m sure you've studied sevel different pandemics.

How does this one differ fm other ones Gamma Well, qui, this is pandemic vary by oe big metric, and that is wet society out.

I have Playbook's from panc over 40 years.

Big thick manuals on what e going to do, the last chapr and all those previous prir pandemics, wives, if it dit go away or didn't stop like SARS one stop 2003 all by itself just went away and d it not in 2003 we would bee would have had to roll outt you're seeing now, school closures, business disrupt.

We've never done that in ts country.

That's what separates it fm everything else.

That I certainly have been through.

And I think most people probably in your audience v been through what does it n for preparation for a potel future pandemic or somethig similar to what we just wer going through?

Well, certainly the surveillance systems now se level, local level, these aren't lessons are going te forgotten anywhere and pail way to learn it.

You know, you talk about desktop exercises, the reae real pandemic has forced a drastic revision rethinking people any more.

I think the general publics very sophistic, I think art going to accept everythings OK. Don't worry.

We haven't covered the goio want to see the actual operation plans and then I think to the tools that wee are much, much better now r surveillance.

We're starting to see restrictions being lifted n certain states, starting to openp full venues in certan circumstances.

How does this end?

Is there going to be a momt where we're going to say, , that's it, pandemic over ow will this come to an end?

I don't see stopping quickt all because people are goio have to make the decision themselves when they're comfortable with any changn behavior.

You can change the rules at mask.

And so on.

But I think in restaurantsd other other open venues, ye gog to see people wearg masks for a long time.

I think in Asia where theyt through the same thing with SARS, one four four decade people in Asia would wear masks, continue to wear ma.

So I don't think that behar is going to change any time soon.

I certainly don't think its going to change over any fu season is coming up.

I think we're probably permanently now attached to masks during the flu seasot least inside health care facilities.

Now you've been looking ate data with the vaccine and pregnancy's what are you finding there?

Well, quickly to two major medical cente have publishd exciting information in the past week.

The Brigham's Women's Hospl in Boston and with Worcestr both published studies shog that pregnant women respond perfectly well to Covid vaccination, the same as a nonpregnant iividual and te other Portland finding wast the antibodies that the mor developed from the vaccine crossover and protect the infant.

So they now 20 well documed cases where they take antiy test from the Kornblum at e time of delivery and the earlier in pregnancy.

The vaccine is given the hr the level of protection foe baby.

So it's a Covid vaccines ae safe during pregnancy.

They'reffective during pregnancy for the mother ad now we know they look wondl for protection of the newb.

Now, before we let you go,I have one more question in Michigan, three people whoe fully vaccinated ended up dying.

What are we learning from t Gamma Well, I think all ofe infectious disease missions I've had patients who haved one or more shots in Covid.

We've had several employeen the hospital did the same thing.

What you c say in general, though, is the cases that o occur appear to be milder.

They're not Pfizer, but tho appear to be Moderna.

And that's one of the initl claims of all the Covid vaccines is they reduce the chances of severe infectio, including hospitalization 0 to 95%.

So a case can occur.

The vaccine is not perfectf it's 90, that means one ouf 10 still are vulnerable ane otr is you never quite know when people develop Covid e people get their shot.

I'm seeing a lot of this n. People get their shot on, , a Omondi and they're sick h Covid on is 30.

What tt really means is whn they went in to get their vaccine, they were already infected because you can't catch the Covid virus frome vaccine.

It's not alive.

Vaccine.

Well, Dr Luther Rhodes, as always, it was nice talkino of thank you for your time.

We continue this community update on coronavirus on P. u can hear the rebroadcastn the radio tonight at 9:00 a 91.3 WLVR.

We also invite you to joins Thursday night at seven as PBS39 presents a special community conversation on vaccine and communities of color.

We'll speak with experts ad stakeholders about effortso close the health equity gar underserved communities.

Focusing right here on the Lehigh Valley.

Now let's bring in our next guest, Kristian Cronon.

Is an associate professor d director of the Public Heah program at Muhlenberg Colle in Allentown.

Professor Cronin, again, welcome.

Thank you for giving us soe time.

Thank you.

Thanks for having me.

Now I want to stay on the c of vaccines here.

The state's rollout was rar rocky early on, but it sees like we've gained some momentum.

Would you agree with that?

I would say that it's imprg definitely the first time s on the show, I think I was asked to give a grade and t wasn't a very good grade.

Bear Lake passing grade, no much.

And distribion in the Lehig Valley like at the hospita, in the health bureaus, but overall in the state.

So I think that grade has improved this semester significantly.

If you had to give them anF grade right now, what woult I C plus minus C plus gettg getting better.

Now, is it fair to say thae communication between provs and the public could have n better and has it gotten br Gamma I think that communication between the providers and the Lehigh Vy have has been really good d very effective.

The communication part I tk the communicate Luzerneetwn our state officials and the people and the state of Pennsylvania has been poord it needs to improve.

And so I think that there e messages were inconsistent.

I think there are messagese unclear and often given ina way that the average person could not really understand what was being said there a lot of data and a lot of scientific jargon.

And at the press conferencI think that perhaps differet channels of communication besides the afternoon press conference needed to be us.

Not everybody has access to being able to watch that or even being able to watch te news.

So there should have there should be other ways that e messages are reaching the citizens and I also think t perhaps the source of the information on could be different and maybe it shouldn't be the goverr all the time.

And it used to be Dr Levino had a lot credibility.

We were then switched to an interim secretary of healto nobody really knew.

So there might have a trust issue there so they could e improved here in Pennsylvai 40% of alts have gotten at least their first shot.

What factors have contribud to that rise in the vaccinn rate?

I think tt certainly expanding the eligibility r the vaccine was one of then factors.

But also probably the biggt factor was that supply increased.

I mean, you know, the more vaccines that we can get io the state, the more vaccins that we can get into arms.

So definitely it was a supy issue.

I think the rollout has ben overwhelmingly successful h the Lehigh Valley Hospitald St Luke's networks and the Allentown Bethlehem health bureaus haveone a great jo.

I also think that now it'sn expanded to pharmacies beig able to give out the vacci.

So just increased supply ad increased access to gettina vaccine has probably been instrumental in making that perctage rise.

As an educator, how does ts pandemic play into your les and your teaching Gamma So while there's not a day tt goes by that we're not talg on some level, for exampleI teach an occupational healh class this semester and wek about how we just finished talking about how Covid has impacted different populats of workers and how some wos are dispportionately affecd by this disease.

And my issues in public heh class, we talk about things like the vaccine rollo ande bring in human behavior anw that is playing into who's getting the vaccine.

We bring in ethical situat, social issues, politics, economic.

It's all wrapped up in pubc health.

What's it like being on cas now?

How are the students dealig with everything every bodis burned out.

We're tired.

I mean, the college done everything that it can to p students safe and you know, mentally engaged by I'm speaking for myself.

I know that.

I'm just, you know, at the.

At the end.

And we still have five more weeks to go.

Students are feeling it, t. It's been a lot it's been a lot.

Just a week or so ago, we d about four universities ine Lehigh Valley area that had outbreaks.

When that happens on a cam, what's the feeling that gos around.

Well, first you have to be confident that you have pls in place to deal with and Muhlenberg certainly does.

We were one of the schoolst had an outbreak recently.

And, you know, we just stad it out and that's because e have been planning for something lik this for 12 months, literally every dar 12 months we have been preparing for for just this scenario.

And so, I mean, f now it's gone.

That doesn't mean in anothr week or two because of the holidays that just happened that we might see see an increase.

But for now we seem to havt the fire out.

How are the students helpig with all this research.

So far for actual public hh research?

It's interesting because we have a couple of projects g on.

One of the projects going s a group of students who are looking to see why some pee choose to wear masks and wy some people are opting noto how what is their percepti?

Is it a risk perception th?

Is it a symbol of masculine nature matched mask?

So they're doing that kindf research.

I have another group of students looking whether vaping, you use of electroc cigarets, whether vaping ue has decreased because of C, because it's hard to vape n campus if you have a mask .

So, you know, we're lookint behavior type issues with y students to gain an understanding of maybe howe can communicate better to people who don't seem willg to take the precautions tht would keep them safe and healthy.

OK, thank you, Christine.

We're actually going to brg the doctor back in.

We have a question from car from Marilyn in New Tripoli She asks If you got your ft shot and you also had Covio you need to get that second shot Gamma Actually, questn the answer is yes.

You get a definite boost, f you will, or an extra addef you will benefit from havig the illness.

But it doesn't protect youg term to have Covid infecti.

You really need the vaccinr long term protection and br protection against various.

OK, thank you, doctor.

Now we're going to go backo Chris and Chris Schwank.

Covid is infecting and kilg people of color at disproportionate rate.

Is that a surprise?

And what's happening thered what's going to happen from here Gamma No, it's n a surprise.

It's a shame, but it's nota surprise.

And it's something that wed to be mindful of and do ber with.

And I was really happy to e at the top of thishow that you talked about a mobile n unit going around to peoplf color, rural populations we they live because I think that's really important.

We need better vaccine distribution among minority populations, whatever thaty be.

In Pennsylvania, black and brown people, rural populas like I said, and you know,e need we need to go to where people work and where theyy and where they live and whe they shop and their doctors offices.

We need to make that vaccie more accessible so that tho not have they meaning anyby who is not able to get accs to a vehicle or be able too to a vaccine clinic at a certain time or work two js or work all day.

And then the only time thee available is in the evenind then they don't have acceso a vaccine that we need to o better in Pennsylvania, mag that vaccine super accessie so that anybody who wants t can get it.

How often is that coming up with your students and your teaching Gamma Every day we talk about it every day.

What you know, this is a learning experience for everybody and not just for students, but all of us.

And you know, we've never t of us have never lived thrh this before.

So I think we need to do se assessment and evaluation t certain points so that we n say, OK, this isn't workin.

We need to take a turn.

We need to do it this way instead.

I don't think we should wat till the end when this is eventually over someday and say, OK, what could we have done better?

We have opportunities to me those changes now.

And I think that we should.

OK, well, that'll do it.

Carson, thank you again for your time.

We appreciate it.

We want to thank both of or guests for being with us t. And we want to thank you fr joining us for our communiy update on coronavirus wille here at 4pm each Monday, Wednesday and Friday on PB9 and on the radio 930, those same nights on WLVT.

Our news will be back Wedny at four with some new gues, including Bethlehem school superintendent, Dr Joseph .

And if you have a questionu can leave it at our websit, PBS39.org.

Or on social media or you n even give us a call and lee it there.

The number is four eight fr eight to one zero zero zero eight for PBS39 and WLVT n. I'm Ben Stemrich stay safe.