Hello and welcome to PBS39.

WLVT community update on coronavirus.

It's brought to you with help from our community partner Lehigh Valley Health Network.

We're coming to you live from the PBL Public Media Center in Bethlehem.

I'm Brittany Sweeney with a new vaccine rolling out this week.

Our guest today include an infectious disease doctor from Lehigh Valley Health Network.

We also have someone from Second Harvest Food Bank to discuss the growing demand across our region for food assistance.

They'll be with us in just a few moments.

If you have a question, please give us a call.

The phone numbers for a 2 1 0 0 0 8.

Our guest will answer some of your questions live.

Plus her daily coronavirus updates.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter.

You can do that at our website coronavirus Lehigh Valley .org.

You can find helpful information there in both English and Spanish.

Now let's take a look at today's top headline.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf today rescinded out-of-state travel restrictions immediately and loosened gathering limits for indoor and outdoor events.

The changes, he said, a result of declining Covid-19 cases and progress in the state's vaccination plan.

It means there are now no limits where testing required for travel to or from Pennsylvania.

Outdoor venues can hold events up to 20% of capacity.

Indoor venues, 15% mask wearing and social distancing guidelines still apply.

The new Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine began shipping out today.

The first of 4 million doses that could start going into arms within a day or two, according to the company.

The vaccine is given as a single dose defriend than the Pfizer and minturn of vaccines that require two shots.

The FDA granted emergency youth authorization over the weekend.

Another hopeful sign.

Less than half of Pennsylvania counties have substantial spread of the virus and the rate of positive tests continues to drop, the state said today, reporting.

1,600 new infections and 21 more deaths altogether.

Pennsylvania has reported more than 933,000 cases and just over 24 thousand deaths.

Nearly 740 thousand people are being fully vaccinated in the Keystone State.

Almost two and a half million shots have been given out.

Lehigh Northampton counties are still classified in these substantial spread category, though.

It's time now to meet our guests for the day.

Dr Luther Rhodes has been with us before.

He's an infectious disease doctor from Lehigh Valley Health Network who we've relied upon for advice and guidance throughout this pandemic, which is reaching a milestone of a year right now.

Also here, Brianna McGonagle of Second Harvest Food Bank, thank you both so much for joining us.

Brianna, we'll be with you in just a few moments.

We're going to start with Dr Rhodes today.

Dr Rhodes, thanks for joining us once again.

Yardley.

Thank you for having me.

This is great data.

Join your audience and to be.

Yes.

Yes.

Some positive news today.

A lot of promising headlines we just heard there.

It seems like things are pointing in the right direction, kind of turning around for the first time in a long time.

How important is this introduction of another vaccine and what could it mean in the overall picture of this pandemic?

Well, Brittany, this is a special time.

March's coming in strong.

This is a great way to start the month and realize just where we've come.

It was a year ago, almost to the day when I think most of us realized for the first time how big a problem we were going to have.

Businesses were closing and so on.

Here we are one year later and we have not one, not two, but three.

Just excellent vaccine ready to go, ready to ship or already in many cases in the arms of of patients.

That's wonderful.

The breaking news on the weekend was the third vaccine made by Johnson and Johnson, but its subsidiaries pronounced Johnson again an excellent vaccine.

The data on the vaccine was released in great detail just over the last 48 hours.

But the advisory committee that the CDC has set up to critically look at vaccines to make sure that what we get is what we need and not hype.

And I look critically at the data myself.

I sat in on many of the sessions by Zoom and I can tell you the vaccine Johnson's vaccine is excellent.

When you look at the three vaccines that we have right now available starting today, the third day or almost there are changeable.

There are differences one to the other.

But I wouldn't get lost in the weeds.

We're in the midst of a significant pandemic that we have to shut down and vaccine is by far our number one tool.

But the vaccine doesn't mean we're going to get away from masking social distancing.

And so on.

We have we've learned a lot with the protections that we've done with social distancing and masking.

But the vaccine is an essential part of getting herd immunity to call this pandemic down the way other pandemics have been.

Turnout controlled in the past.

Sure.

Dr Rhodes, we're going to talk about the different vaccines and how each one differs from one another of the three vaccines that are out now.

But first, I'd like to ask you, how will this new vaccine, Johnson and Johnson vaccine, how will that help the backlog that we're seeing in Pennsylvania across the state right now when comes to vaccines?

Well, I don't think speaks louder than the numbers and we've all been disappointed Lehigh Valley to get the phone calls that your plancha was put on for whether or whatever.

Remember, each dose of the 4 million doses that you announced in your lead in 4 million doses that JNJ is going to release is the same as 8 million of other vaccines and that previous vaccine because you only need one shot.

And again, that's a major plus the additional advantage of a single shot is you're protected two weeks after that vaccine.

Again, you don't have to wait for a shot number two and then two more weeks.

And so on.

But I'll tell you, the initial the vaccines that are currently being given that many of your listeners have had planned to get are superb.

I've had one of the products myself.

I would have no hesitancy to exchange it for JNJ today.

They're that good short.

Dr Rhodes, how come the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is only one shot and the other two are two shots?

How does that work?

Why is that different?

Well, it's a different manufacturing process.

It is not better.

Not worse.

It's just different.

It's had no virus vaccine, which is a different technology.

Then we're then we're used to certainly the M or A technology.

Now we're all getting familiar with it.

It's amazing to hear people talk about Emmaus in a vaccine, but they're relatively new.

So it's a different technology in the future when other technologies come.

They will have their own, if you will, operators manual instructions that you that would be wise to follow.

And then and I think again, today's information released by CDC yesterday, yesterday's critical look at that information is very reassuring to me as a physician.

What about the people who have been waiting or kind of shopping around for the different vaccine Gamma One person wants to not someone else wants Pfizer.

Other people say, you know what, I'm waiting for Johnson and Johnson is wanting to keep you more protected than the other at this point.

Well, they metric the way they if you want to get the way you look at vaccines is called being vaccine efficacy.

And those numbers, they're like they're like baseball statistics.

I mean, you read your internal Melania.

And yet Moderna every one of them or you sort of go with a flow and have an idea what looks pretty good, really good.

Super Gordon.

The important issue is the vaccine efficacy of the two available and just-released third vaccine is outstanding five times better than any flu vaccine we have ever had.

And that's important to keep in mind.

You know the idea of what's the point, you know, we've all known people who don't ever buy a computer because they're waiting for the best computer ever to be made so they can find again a computer.

Well, with the vaccine it right now, if we don't have the for the ideal perfect never vaccine because that vaccine will change, that has variants emerge as subsequent season's does come to pass, just like with flu vaccine, the flu vaccine changes the Covid vaccines that we see coming in the future near term actually probably will be variations of the current vaccines.

So I would keep keep focussed on the big picture which is getting as many people vaccinated, but many more people are going to get phone calls.

I mean, 4 million people are going to be getting type.

That sounds like.

Additionally, across the country, a phone call to get come get your vaccine.

Schwartz Dr Rhodes, when it comes to the efficiency and effectiveness of these vaccines, I hope that I have this right.

Please clarify if I don't.

It's been said that these are 100% effective and prevent hospitalization or death.

Is that true?

Once you get the vaccination?

That's not going happen.

Well, it certainly is comforting thing to hear that.

And it appears to be close to the truth.

What what you want to look at, though, there are differences in vaccine efficacy, depth, efficacy.

When it comes to ever even picking up the virus or getting a mild case of the virus, there are differences.

One to the other.

But globaly, the important thing is just what you said today.

The.

Any of the vaccines study, they submit to the admissions.

The hospital with critical illness plummets, but it doesn't completely prevent milder cases.

And what we're really concerned about is staying all the on hospital, if you will, and not becoming critically ill.

The other thing we Kushner a concern about and that is being able to stop or drastically reduce these home quarantine spent periods when the travel restrictions, those changes are going to fall down.

Now about just how good vaccines are.

You mentioned variants when comes to those variants.

Do these vaccines cover those variants that we're seeing currently?

And also how often are we going to have to be getting these vaccines?

Do we know that yet?

Well, first of all, variant is just a different slightly different strain.

One of the other just like people vary quite a.

But again, the viruses do the same thing.

They change multiple times.

Reproduction.

But there are a small number of variants that are called clinically important various.

We finished country.

I've been tracking three particular various that although they're in all three variants are in the United States.

There is not a debt.

There is not evidence popping up that people are who have been vaccinated are becoming ill now because of the of a varied and importantly the JNJ vaccine was studied in South Africa and Brazil right at the time they were having a lot of various.

So the JNJ has held up under all, if you will, a lot of variant pressure more so than the Maduna and the Pfizer which were study some months prior when the variance were most common and the other what the other question was, do you know how often we'll have to get the vaccine?

Well, we have to get that two dose vaccine come next year.

Maybe just a booster shot.

Do we know that yet?

I don't.

And then the CDC and everybody else is looking for solid answers as we return into Covid.

It's it looks like it's taking on the air.

The if you will, they behavior of a flu like illness that is going to recur in different strains and so on.

But look, what we've done with influenza.

We have a lot of vaccines that roll out every year and change.

So likely it will be with us for a while.

I'd like to have said I told myself, you know, maybe this is a one off.

We'll get get it behind us, but that only sets you up for disappointment if it looks like.

I think that's one thing we've learned in this pandemic is not to keep changing the facts as experts, we should say.

Well, we don't know and adapt the changes without overreacting.

Every small change.

Right now we'll just have to wait and see.

Dr Rhodes, we've been asking folks, especially as the one year anniversary of lockdown is almost upon us.

We've been asking folks how their lives have been changed by this pandemic.

How about you personally?

You've been studying infectious disease for years.

How has this particular pandemic impacted both your professional and personal life?

Well, thank you for the question.

It's very kind.

It's certainly been.

No, no.

If you will, professional game changer.

But I am fortunate to be practice over the last several decades and watch these scientific breakthroughs to see, for example, I would never have predicted a few years ago that we would come out with a vaccine for a new virus in a matter of months.

So that's what it takes a sharp edge, if you will, of the obviously it's personally, professionally, family wise, every other way.

A major sorry, I thought I had a busy guy.

We understand, but I couldn't forget.

Sorry.

So my practice my professional practice, my doctors do what I do.

We'd never be busier but to be able to respond in a big health work in a positive fashion and bring the resources we have to the Lehigh Valley.

It's been very gratifying.

Wonderful.

You do a wonderful job of keeping us informed.

Dr Luther Rhodes from Lehigh Valley Health Network as always.

Thank you so much for joining us today.

Thank you.

We continue this community update on coronavirus on PBS39.

You can hear the rebroadcast on the radio tonight at 9:30 on WLVT News 93 FM Let's bring in our next guest for the day.

Brianna McGonagle is development manager for Second Harvest Food Bank.

It supplies food to 200 agencies and pantries across the six county region that includes Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Brianna, thank you so much for joining us today.

Mark Knouse or thanks for having us.

Absolutely.

Across the country we see lines of people at food banks, many of them seeking out help for the very first time.

A re-experiencing the same here in eastern Pennsylvania.

That struck me.

Fortunately, Covid pandemic is touching all of us across the nation internationally.

I can tell you that our network of 200 non-profit agencies is reporting serving more families volumes and their reporting serving more new families, seeing more new faces than they ever have before, which to us is very telling.

It tells us that folks who never had to worry about where their next meal was coming from before they're now in need of food pantries and their need and they're in need of food second Harvest network to receive what they need.

And we're glad that we are able to be here.

We are poised to meet the need.

But it has been challenging.

We've learned a lot over the last year and yeah, we're going to continue to serve.

Historically, food bank numbers or the number of families that are being served is very closely tied unemployment.

And as we know, unemployment numbers are tremendously high.

So we anticipate serving this increased need until we start to see jobs reopen and the economy kind of bounce back a little bit more people returning to the workforce.

Brianna, can you give us some numbers?

Is there any way to compare last year to this year?

How many people or families are you serving this week?

You know, today vs this time last year, definitely leading up to March 2020, our network was serving about 60,000 people every month and that has increased to about 74 to 79,000 people every month and is continuing to hold steady.

So you can see that is a dramatic increase and in people served.

Sure.

We were looking at some video of the Second Harvest warehouse in East Allentown ship just a couple minutes ago.

How the second harvest able to get more food to feed these families.

Obviously the warehouse to store the food.

What are you able to keep up with that demand?

You are we are had some major growing pains.

The share.

I'd say that the biggest shift for us.

Typically we encourage our food pantries to adopt what we call a choice model.

We want our participants to come into the pantry and shop for the groceries that they know that they're family will eat.

With Covid and precautions where we transition to more of a pre-packed pre bagged contact list as much as possible and that does take a lot of manpower to pre-packaged everything that's going out the door in our warehouse to make sure that it is packaged in a way that our member agencies can easily distribute it to people.

Whether that means put it in their trunks for them or a smooth, smooth handoff, it has been we learned a lot and we have had to increase some of our operations and increase the food in the door to the warehouse so that we can then get it into our inventory and then give it out to our member agencies, ultimately to the has changed things for so many people in the past.

Second Harvest would invite people in to come get their food that had to change during the pandemic.

Where do you stand today?

How do you get that food to people?

Yeah, we're still operating on a contact list as a possible model pre-packaged pre boxing food in our warehouse so that we that we can then get it out, something that we are very.

And this would have happened regardless of Covid pandemic, but something that is newer to us is something that we are very, very proud of is our new fresh food mobile distribution program because we know that fresh, healthy, perishable food, those are the items that we want to provide the most to the people that we serve because we know that food is very expensive and many of the families that rely on our services, they are unable to afford fresh, healthy foods in the grocery store.

Oftentimes their only fresh, healthy food, they're receiving as from our pantry network.

So we have made some significant changes to be able to get more eggs, produce meat, dairy products out into the public, out into the hands of the people who need it.

And how have those changes impact operations when it comes to things like costs, staffing, resources, that sort of thing?

We have we've been stretched pretty thin.

We have been very, very fortunate.

And we are completely appreciative of our generous community.

I will say that our supporters, our donors, the friends of the food bank have rallied and we are feeling the love.

We do feel very well supported by our community.

But the increased stretching to meet the increased need has had a toll on staffing on our budget too to acquire to purchase food and our costs to get the food out the door.

It has been it has impacted greatly.

Sure.

Despite that, you've been able to expand some of your refrigerators from what I understand.

How does that help expand your programs and get the food out to people who need most?

Yeah, definitely.

We started a campaign to double our freezer and cooler capacity.

We closed on that campaign and constructed our new cooler and freezer units in September, September 20, 20.

They are fully constructed full of frozen and refrigerated quality, nutritious products.

We are very, very glad that we can now use those for storage.

So we are now able to accept twice the amount of fresh, healthy donations that we could before because now we have the ability to store and all of our trucks are refrigerated, meaning that we can safely transport that product refrigerated frozen products safely to our network of 200 agencies.

That's something that we're very proud of and it's absolutely integral to our mission to be able to provide that healthy, good food to people who need it.

Sean, so many food banks rely on their volunteers to get those that food out to people to move that food around the agencies.

But I did see you have help.

Wanted signs outside of the facility.

So how has your volunteer program been impacted by this pandemic?

And what kind of jobs are you looking to hire for you?

I can say first that we have a need for a crew for additional crew members in the warehouse and that would be folks working warehouse and also folks on the road driving our trucks.

We do have a few open spots currently.

And additionally, we do have our doors open to volunteers.

We are in definite need of volunteers.

That has been something that has majorly changed during the Covid pandemic.

Volunteers are critical to us completing our mission there in the food bank every day, helping us pack boxes, helping us sword, helping us get food out.

We have lost a lot of our volunteers because of of Covid.

So while we do have volunteer opportunities, unfortunately we just don't have the volume of volunteers that are comfortable coming out or if they were an employee group.

They're not allowed to come out any longer.

So if anyone is interested in volunteering, please visit our website.

We have a sign up form for volunteering and know that it would be you'll be making a big help and a lot people's lives.

You know, that's a big hit for a lot of people during this pandemic, especially non-profit.

Now you serve a six county area.

Is the entire area impacted by the pandemic when it comes to people searching for ways to feed their families or are you seeing some particular areas you know, you cover rural areas to cities.

Where are you seeing the hardest hit areas Gamma Yeah, it's everywhere.

Unfortunately, all of our counties, all of our homes are urban versus rural areas.

Everyone is seeing an increased need.

We do have a very diverse territory, meaning that, you know, inner city.

We have inner city and we have very rural territories where transportation is an issue.

And all of our communities that we are serving are seeing and distributing more food to people need Brianna.

A lot of the food that you get and distribute comes from federal government run sources and resource.

You know, sometimes a lot of red tape comes along with that to kind of jump through hoops to get that food.

Is that the same during Covid or is it kind of loosened because there's so many people to feed right now?

Norristown is something that I am so glad to report.

You're absolutely right.

A chunk of the food that we do distribute, distribute comes from federal sources.

And because it is government food, there is a lot of quote red tape to be able to distribute that food.

And during the Covid pandemic and it holds true today some of that some of that red tape, some of those limitations have been lifted, meaning that we can get food out to people in need without having to worry about them signing a form or basically having Sinopharm.

And it has been something as simple as that.

Lifting that barrier has tremendously impacted our ability to move food and move food quickly.

So we yeah, we have seen some more bureaucratic changes for the better.

Brianna, we only have a little bit of time here left, but if you could tell us how your life personally and professionally at the food bank has been impacted by this pandemic.

We'd love to hear about it.

It's just we lost our home.

Most of our volunteers at our member agencies are mostly run through volunteers to know that they are still out there with open doors.

A lot of our member agencies have increased their hours and their availability to meet the increased need during these times.

It's absolutely heartwarming and makes you really proud of being a part of something like this.

Brianna, McGonigal from Second Harvest Food Bank, thank you so much for joining us today.

Thank you.

My pleasure.

We want to thank our guests for being with today and of course, you for watching community update on Koruna virus will be here at 4pm each Monday, Wednesday, Friday on PBS39 and on the radio at 9:30 those same nights on WLVT News.

We'll be back Wednesday at 4:00 with guests from LVHN and the Hispanics center of the Lehigh Valley.

If you have a question, you can leave it at our website, PBS39.org.

On social media will give us a call and leave it there are the phone numbers 44 8 2 1 0 0 0 0 8 4 PBS39 WLVT News.

I'm Brittany Sweeney Stacee.