The state of COVID-19 today

4 The Record: The state of COVID-19 today

Updated: 11:30 AM EST Feb 25, 2024

WELCOME TO. FOR THE RECORD, I’M KRISTEN POWERS THIS MORNING. WE’RE LOOKING AT COVID 19 TODAY. SINCE THE PANDEMIC HIT, WE’VE LEARNED A LOT MORE ABOUT THE DISEASE AND THERE HAVE BEEN ADVANCEMENTS IN PREVENTION AND TREATMENT. NOW, WHILE IT MAY NOT BE TOP OF MIND ANYMORE, COVID IS STILL A REALITY AND IMPACTING MANY PEOPLE. JAN THREE OF 2020. THE FIRST CONFIRMED CASE OF COVID 19 IN THE U.S. LESS. THAN TWO MONTHS LATER, IN MARCH, THE FIRST IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY. NOW, IN EARLY 2024, VACCINATION AND TREATMENTS ARE SAVING COUNTLESS LIVES. IT’S BECOME SO MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE. VACCINES, ANTIVIRALS, WASTEWATER MONITORING, HOME TESTS AND WE’VE GOT THIS ABILITY NOW TO DECOUPLE THOSE CASES FROM SEVERE DISEASE AND HOSPITALIZATIONS. WE’RE SPEAKING WITH AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE PHYSICIAN ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF COVID 19 AND THE PROGRESS WE’VE MADE SINCE THE PANDEMIC WAS DECLARED. PLUS, WE’RE LEARNING ABOUT THE STUDY THAT UPMC MAGEE-WOMEN’S HOSPITAL IS TAKING PART IN LOOKING AT IMMUNE RESPONSE TO THE VACCINE IN PREGNANT WOMEN AND THEIR BABIES. A COMMON THEME THAT YOU HEAR FROM THE WOMEN THAT ARE ROLLING THESE STUDIES WHEN THEY’RE PREGNANT IS, I WANT TO TRY AND HELP OTHER WOMEN. AND FOR SOME, THE HEALTH IMPACTS CONTINUE EVEN AFTER THEY FINALLY TEST NEGATIVE. BEING HERE, I’M FEELING OKAY, BUT I KNOW I’LL PAY FOR IT TOMORROW AND PROBABLY THE NEXT DAY. ANYTIME I DO ANYTHING PRETTY LARGE, I’M I’M DOWN FOR THE COUNT FOR ABOUT TWO DAYS. AFTERWARD, WE SIT DOWN WITH A LOCAL WOMAN DEALING WITH LONG COVID. WE’RE FINDING OUT HOW THIS IMPACTS HER DAY TO DAY LIFE, TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE WE STAND WITH COVID 19 TODAY, WE SPEAK WITH DOCTOR AMESH ADALJA. HE’S AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE PHYSICIAN AND PRACTICES AT JOHNS HOPKINS. DOCTOR ADALJA IS ALSO A CLINICAL PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH. CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOUR VIEW ON THE CURRENT STATE OF THE VIRUS. YES. SO RIGHT NOW WE’RE IN A KIND OF ENDEMIC PHASE WHERE THIS HAS BECOME ONE OF THE NORMAL RESPIRATORY VIRUSES THAT WE’RE GOING TO DEAL WITH YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT. THERE’S GOING TO BE UPS, THERE’S GOING TO BE DOWNS. THERE’S GOING TO ALWAYS BE NEW VARIANTS. BUT THE IMPORTANT POINT TO REMEMBER ABOUT COVID IS WE’VE GOT SO MANY MORE TOOLS TO DEAL WITH IT NOW IN 2024 THAN WE EVER HAD THAT IT’S BECOME SO MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE. THE VACCINES, ANTIVIRALS, WASTEWATER MONITORING, HOME TESTS AND WE’VE GOT THIS ABILITY NOW TO DECOUPLE THOSE CASES FROM SEVERE DISEASE AND HOSPITALIZATIONS. WE SEE THESE CASES GO UP, BUT WE DON’T SEE IT TRANSLATE INTO HOSPITALS IN CRISIS LIKE HAPPENED IN 2020 2021. AND THAT’S A LOT OF PROGRESS FOR A DISEASE THAT WAS NEW TO HUMANITY IN 2019. TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU EXPECT COVID TO SURGE AGAIN OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS? IT’S. REALLY BEING DICTATED BY THE EVOLUTION IN TERMS OF DO NEW VARIANTS APPEAR THAT ARE ABLE TO GET AROUND SOME OF THE IMMUNITY AND CAUSE CASES TO RISE? THAT’S LIKELY TO HAPPEN FOR PROBABLY THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS UNTIL IT SETTLES DOWN. AND THEN WE KIND OF GET A NORMAL SEASONAL CADENCE TO IT. SO I DO THINK WE’RE GOING TO SEE UPS AND DOWNS. WE WE TEND TO SEE RISES IN COVID WHEN IT GETS VERY COLD, WHEN PEOPLE ARE INDOORS, JUST LIKE WITH OTHER RESPIRATORY VIRUSES. BUT WE ALSO SEE RISES IN COVID WHEN IT GETS HOT, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES WHEN PEOPLE GO INSIDE TO AVOID THE HEAT AND BE IN AIR CONDITIONING, THAT ALSO DRIVES CASES. SO WE’RE NOT QUITE AT THE ABILITY TO PREDICT IT WITH THE SAME SEASONALITY THAT WE CAN. FOR EXAMPLE, WITH INFLUENZA OR RSV, ARE THERE ANY NOTABLE MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS WHEN IT COMES TO TREATING COVID OR THE SPREAD THAT YOU CAN SHARE WITH US TODAY? THE BIGGEST TOOL THAT WE HAVE IS THE VACCINE. AND HIGH RISK PEOPLE ARE STILL UNDER VACCINATED. IF YOU LOOK, FOR EXAMPLE, AT THE RATES OF VACCINATION IN NURSING HOMES, IT’S REALLY SUBOPTIMAL. SO THAT’S A PREVENTABLE. THOSE ARE PREVENTABLE CASES, PREVENTABLE HOSPITALIZATIONS AND PREVENTABLE DEATHS. THE SAME IS TRUE FOR THE ANTIVIRAL PAXLOVID THAT IT’S WOEFULLY UNDER PRESCRIBED. WE KNOW THAT THAT’S SOMETHING THAT CAN KEEP HIGH RISK PEOPLE OUT OF THE HOSPITAL. YET MANY DOCTORS DON’T PRESCRIBE IT. MANY PATIENTS DON’T KNOW ABOUT IT. THAT’S THOSE ARE GREAT TOOLS THAT WE HAVE THAT WE’RE NOT USING. THERE ARE GOING TO BE NEWER GENERATION ANTIVIRALS, NEWER GENERATION VACCINES. THERE’S A LOT MORE, UH, NUANCES IN HOW TO TREAT IT. WE’RE STARTING TO UNRAVEL SOME OF THE MYSTERIES OF LONG COVID. THAT’S ALL COMING, BUT WE STILL NEED TO USE THE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE NOW TO GET THOSE 1500 OR SO DEATHS THAT OCCUR EVERY WEEK FROM COVID DOWN LOWER. HOW DO WE DO THAT? HOW DO WE GET THOSE TOOLS TO BE MORE WIDELY USED, MORE WIDELY KNOWN ABOUT? WE HAVE TO DO TARGETED MESSAGING. WE HAVE TO TELL PEOPLE THAT THEY ARE HIGH RISK, THAT THEY HAVE A CONDITION. THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT THESE TOOLS ARE GOING TO BENEFIT THEM INDIVIDUALLY, THAT THESE ARE GOING TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THEM TO NAVIGATE A WORLD IN WHICH COVID 19 IS EVER PRESENT. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE TO EDUCATE PEOPLE, RIDERS BECAUSE, FOR EXAMPLE, PAXLOVID DOCTORS AREN’T EVEN OFFERING IT. MANY TIMES WHEN THEY SHOULD BE OFFERED. SO DOCTORS HAVE TO KNOW THAT THIS TOOL IS REALLY, REALLY GOOD. AND THERE’S A LOT OF MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT PAXLOVID, ABOUT PAXLOVID, REBOUND, ABOUT THIS PATIENT LOOKS TOO GOOD TO NEED PAXLOVID. THOSE ARE ALL THINGS WE HAVE TO REALLY DISPEL. BECAUSE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT A PILL THAT CAN PREVENT 90% OF PEOPLE TO TAKE IT, EVEN IF THEY’RE UNVACCINATED FROM NEEDING HOSPITALIZATION, THAT’S REALLY A MIRACLE PILL. YOU TALKED ABOUT THE HOSPITALIZATIONS, THE DEATHS. WE SAW THIS VERY EARLY ON WITH COVID. WHAT’S THE STATE RIGHT NOW? IS THIS STILL HAPPENING IN 2024? YES, WE ARE STILL SEEING NATIONALLY ABOUT 1500 DEATHS PER WEEK. THAT’S SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY JUST COMPLETELY PREVENTABLE BECAUSE IF THESE PEOPLE WERE FULLY VACCINATED, IF THEY WERE GETTING DRUGS LIKE PAXLOVID OR THE OTHER ANTIVIRAL MOLNUPIRAVIR, YOU COULD REALLY SEE THAT THOSE HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATH NUMBERS DROP SIGNIFICANTLY. COVID NOW IS AN EMINENTLY MANAGEABLE DISEASE. WE HAVE MORE TOOLS FOR IT THAN ANY OTHER RESPIRATORY VIRUS, BUT WE’RE STILL SEEING THIS TOLL OF HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS. AND IT’S ESPECIALLY IN HIGH RISK, OLDER PEOPLE THAT ARE JUST NOT USING THOSE TOOLS. SO THIS IS KIND OF THE FRUSTRATING POINT THAT WE’VE SEEN SCIENCE AND MEDICINE DELIVER SUCH GREAT ADVANCES IN A SPAN OF LESS THAN FOUR YEARS, BUT WE’RE STILL KIND OF PLAGUED WITH COVID 19, CAUSING DISRUPTIONS TO PEOPLE’S LIVES. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED FROM THIS? THE BIGGEST LESSON IS THAT IF YOU’RE NOT PROACTIVE WITH A NOVEL INFECTIOUS DISEASE THAT’S SPREADING EFFICIENTLY FROM PERSON TO PERSON, YOU’RE GOING TO END UP WITH A PANDEMIC. SO YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THIS JUMPED INTO HUMANS PROBABLY IN 2019. IN THE FALL OF 2019, IN THE UNITED STATES, FOR EXAMPLE, WE DIDN’T START TAKING ACTION UNTIL MID-MARCH. SO WHEN YOU DO THAT, YOU HAVE A WHOLE POPULATION INFECTED. YOU HAVE REALLY SHODDY ABILITY TO TEST PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU WEREN’T PROACTIVE, YOU WEREN’T PLANNING, YOU’RE TRYING TO SCRAMBLE TO GET TESTS OUT AND THEN YOU HAVE HOSPITALS OVERRUN, LIKE WHAT HAPPENED IN NEW YORK CITY. SO THE BIG LESSON HERE IS THAT WE HAVE TO BE PROACTIVE AND WE HAVE TO PUSH GOVERNMENT TO ACTUALLY TAKE PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS SERIOUSLY. IT SHOULD BE THOUGHT OF LIKE NATIONAL DEFENSE. WE HAVE 1.1 MILLION PEOPLE DEAD IN THE UNITED STATES. MANY OF THOSE DEATHS ARE PREVENTABLE. IF WE WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE CORRECT ACTION. AND I THINK THAT’S WHAT THE MESSAGE NEEDS TO BE TO POLICYMAKERS. WHAT IS YOUR PANDEMIC PLAN? THIS NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING THAT VOTERS TALK TO THEIR POLITICIANS ABOUT AT EVERY LEVEL, FROM CITY COUNCIL, ALL THE WAY UP TO THE PRESIDENCY. DO YOU EXPECT A PANDEMIC OF A NOVEL INFECTIOUS DISEASE SIMILAR OF THIS MAGNITUDE TO EVER HAPPEN AGAIN IN OUR LIFETIMES? I DO, I THINK THAT PANDEMICS CAN HAPPEN ANY TIME. THERE ARE MANY VIRUSES OUT THERE THAT HAVE THAT CAPACITY TO CAUSE PANDEMICS. FOR EXAMPLE, BIRD FLU, OTHER CORONAVIRUSES. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN’T THINK THAT THIS JUST HAPPENED, AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO GET ANOTHER PANDEMIC FOR 100 YEARS. A NEW PANDEMIC COULD BE STARTING NOW. SO IT’S VERY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING TO GET HOSPITALS READY TO GET THEIR PUBLIC HEALTH. THE PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCIES READY? IS THIS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE ARE PRIORITIZING AND I THINK THAT THEY’RE NOT. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE BECOME VERY COMPLACENT. THEY GET THROUGH THESE CYCLES OF PANIC AND NEGLECT, BOOM AND BUST WHERE THEY’RE WORRIED ABOUT SOMETHING. AND THEN IT’S OUT OF THE HEADLINES. SO THEY DON’T THEY THINK THAT THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM ANYMORE. WE’VE SEEN IT HAPPEN TIME AND TIME AGAIN WHEN IT COMES TO INFECTIOUS DISEASE EMERGENCIES. SO I DO THINK THAT WE HAVE TO BE MUCH, MUCH MORE PROACTIVE AND FUNCTIONING. BUT THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG TERME RESEARCH PROJECT BEFORE WE COMPLETELY UNRAVEL IT. WHAT’S THE TOP THING YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT COVID NOW? MOVING FORWARD? THE TOP THING IS THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE LET THIS HAPPEN THE WAY IT DID, THAT THERE WERE SO MANY WARNING SIGNS, SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO INTERVENE. THE UNITED STATES DIDN’T HAVE TO HAVE THIS TRAJECTORY IF WE WERE PROACTIVE, IF WE HAD POLICYMAKERS THAT TOOK THIS THREAT SERIOUSLY, WE COULD HAVE HAD AN EXPERIENCE LIKE TAIWAN OR LIKE SOUTH KOREA. AND I THINK YOU HAVE TO THINK THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE THE ONLY TIME WE FACE THIS. IF WE DON’T ACT PROACTIVELY, IF WE DON’T TAKE THE THREAT OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE SERIOUSLY, THIS IS WHAT YOU GET. LIVES DISRUPTED, LIVES ERASED, ECONOMIES CRUSHED, CHILDREN’S LEARNING COMPLETELY DECIMATED. ALL OF THAT IS THE LONG TAIL. THE CASCADE OF THIS PANDEMIC. SO A PANDEMIC IN THE 2020S DOES HAVE THIS ABILITY TO REALLY TO HARM THE HUMAN SPECIES IN A WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THOUGHT MAYBE IN 19 THAT WAS 1918, 1918, INFLUENZA COULD DO THAT. THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN IN 2020. BUT IT DID STILL AHEAD. WE FELT IT WAS SO IMPORTANT TO GET DATA SO THAT WE COULD HELP THE MOMS FEEL GOOD ABOUT TAKING THE VACCINE, BOTH FOR THEMSELVES AND THE BABIES. THE STUDY THAT UPMC MAGEE-WOMEN’S HOSPITAL IS INVOLVED IN LOOKING AT COVID VACCINES, PREGNANT WOMEN AND BABIES. WELCOME BACK MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ROLLED UP THEIR SLEEVES TO RECEIVE THE COVID 19 VACCINE, INCLUDING PREGNANT WOMEN. NOW, UPMC MAGEE-WOMEN’S HOSPITAL IS TAKING PART IN A STUDY TO SEE HOW THOSE SHOTS IMPACT MOMS AND THEIR BABIES. TODAY, DOCTOR BECKY, LET’S FIRST START TALKING ABOUT THIS STUDY THAT MCGEE IS PARTICIPATING IN THE NIH SPONSORED STUDY. WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU GUYS LOOKING AT AND WHAT DOES THIS STUDY INVOLVE? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THE REASON FOR THIS STUDY WAS THAT, UM, IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC, UH, WE REALIZED THAT PREGNANT WOMEN, UNFORTUNATELY, WERE EXCLUDED FROM THE ORIGINAL CLINICAL TRIALS OF THE NOW VERY WELL KNOWN MRNA VACCINES. BECAUSE OF THAT, WE DECIDED TO DO WHAT’S CALLED AN OPPORTUNIST STUDY, WHICH MEANS KNOWING THAT NUMEROUS PREGNANT WOMEN WERE GOING TO BE OFFERED. AND THEN TAKING THE VACCINE IN THE FIRST YEAR OR TWO AFTER ITS RELEASE, WE OFFERED TO STUDY THEM IN AN OBSERVATIONAL WAY, WHICH MEANS THEY GET THE VACCINE ON THEIR OWN ACCORD, AND THEN WE FOLLOW THEM THROUGH THE REST OF THEIR PREGNANCY, THROUGH THEIR DELIVERY, AND THEN FOR A YEAR AFTER DELIVERY, AND THEN ALSO FOLLOW THE BABY ONCE THE BABY IS BORN. THE PURPOSE OF THAT IS TO STUDY THE SAFETY OF THE VACCINE. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT THIS RECENT PAPER SHOWED IS LOOKING AT THE IMMUNOLOGY OF THE VACCINE GENE AND HOW WELL THE VACCINE HAS PRODUCED ANTIBODIES. BUT REALLY IMPORTANTLY, HOW WELL THOSE ANTIBODIES TRANSFER INTO THE BABY THROUGH THE PLACENTA. AND HOW MUCH PROTECTION DO THOSE ANTIBODIES GIVE TO THE BABY IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF LIFE, THAT WAS THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY. THAT BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT QUESTION. WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF THOSE MAJOR FINDINGS SO FAR? SO, SO FAR? SOME OF THE MAJOR FINDINGS ARE THAT, FIRST OF ALL, THE VACCINE AS AS HAS BEEN SHOWN BY OTHER PEOPLE, IS VERY SAFE. IT’S ALSO VERY EFFECTIVE AT PRODUCING ANTIBODIES IN THE MOTHER THAT GIVE PROTECTION TO THE MOTHER. BUT THIS STUDY SPECIFICALLY SHOWED THAT WHEN MOMS GET THOSE VACCINES DURING PREGNANCY, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN WE GET THE BOOSTER DOSE, THE THE ANTIBODY LEVELS ARE VERY HIGH WHEN THE BABY IS BORN. AND THAT OFFERS PROTECTION THROUGH THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF LIFE, WHICH IS A VERY IMPORTANT FINDING BECAUSE WHEN BABIES ARE FIRST BORN, THEY ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO GETTING COVID, GETTING QUITE ILL, AND THEY’RE NOT ELIGIBLE TO GET THEIR OWN VACCINE. FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THEIR LIFE. SO THIS PROVIDES A NICE WINDOW OF PROTECTION UNTIL THE BABIES CAN GET THEIR OWN VACCINE. WHEN THEY HIT SIX MONTHS. IN GENERAL, WHAT IMPACT DID YOU SEE COVID HAVING ON MOMS AND BABIES AT MAGEE THAT MAKES RESEARCH LIKE THIS SO IMPORTANT? YEAH, WE UNFORTUNATELY SAW SOME OF THE IMPACT IN THE MOMS, PREDOMINATELY IN THE MOMS FOR THE FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS OF THIS OUTBREAK. THIS WAS PRIMARILY A PROBLEM IN MOMS. AND THEN AS THE OMICRON WAVE CAME ALONG, WE STARTED TO SEE ADVERSE OUTCOMES IN THE BABIES. THIS WAS NOT SURPRISING BECAUSE IT TURNS OUT THAT PREGNANT WOMEN ARE UNIQUELY, UNIQUELY SUSCEPTIBLE TO ADVERSE OUTCOMES FROM VARIOUS VIRAL INFECTIONS, ESPECIALLY VIRAL RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS LIKE INFLUENZA. UM, AND UNFORTUNATELY LIKE COVID. SO WE WEREN’T TERRIBLY SURPRISED BY WHAT WE SAW, BUT IT WAS STILL, UH, TROUBLING AND DISHEARTENING. AND THAT’S WHY WE FELT IT WAS SO IMPORTANT TO GET DATA SO THAT WE COULD HELP THE MOMS FEEL GOOD ABOUT TAKING THE VACCINE, BOTH FOR THEMSELVES AND THE BABIES, THEIR BABIES. BUT ALSO TO HELP OUR OBSTETRIC PROVIDERS FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THEY COULD RECOMMEND THIS VACCINE THAT WAS SAFE AND HIGHLY EFFECTIVE FOR BOTH MOMS AND BABIES. SO THERE WAS A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON. WHAT MORE DO YOU HOPE TO DISCOVER FROM THIS RESEARCH? WELL, THERE ARE ONGOING ANALYZES AROUND SOME OF THE LABORATORY METHODS AND EVEN THE IMPACT OF BREAST MILK. THE ANTIBODIES THAT CAN GET INTO THE BREAST MILK, UM, BUT REALLY IMPORTANTLY FROM THIS STUDY AND THIS, AS I TOUCHED ON EARLIER, THIS STUDY REALLY HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED TO DO THIS STUDY HIGHLIGHTS THE FACT THAT, UM, PREGNANT WOMEN ARE OFTEN EXCLUDED FROM CLINICAL TRIALS. AND THAT’S WHAT WE FACED AT THE FIRST YEAR OF COVID. AND WHEN WE LEARNED THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO BE INCLUDED IN THOSE TRIALS WHILE WE WEREN’T SURPRISED, WE REALLY TOOK THAT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, WELL, WE STILL NEED TO HAVE THE DATA. SO THAT’S WHY WE SET THIS STUDY UP. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HOPE WOULD COME OUT OF THIS IS THAT FOR FUTURE PUBLIC HEALTH DISEASE OUTBREAKS SUCH AS COVID, AND WE KNOW WE’RE GOING TO HAVE ONES IN THE FUTURE. WE’VE HAD THREE IN THE LAST 10 OR 12 YEARS, SO WE KNOW WE’RE GOING TO HAVE SOMETHING AGAIN IN THE FUTURE THAT IF THAT SHOULD HAPPEN, THEN WE HAVE AN ACTIVE THOUGHT PROCESS IN A WAY, AND A RECOGNITION THAT WE NEED TO INCLUDE PREGNANT WOMEN BOTH SAFELY AND ETHICALLY. FROM THE OUTSET OF THE OUTBREAK IN THE VACCINE, IN DEVELOPMENT STUDIES. SO THAT WE DON’T HAVE THE SITUATION WHERE THE VACCINE IS NOW OUT AND BEING GIVEN TO PEOPLE, AND THERE’S REALLY NOT MUCH DATA, WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENED DURING COVID. WE HAD NO REASON TO BELIEVE IT WAS HARMFUL. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WE RECOMMENDED THAT WOMEN GET IT. AND SOME WOMEN DIDN’T GET IT AND THEY ENROLLED IN THE STUDY. AND NOW WE HAVE EVIDENCE TO THAT. BUT THE BIGGER POINT IS THAT IT WOULD BE MUCH MORE OPTIMAL, MUCH MORE IDEAL TO ENROLL THEM EARLY ON IN THE PHASE OF STUDYING THE VACCINE SO THAT WE HAVE GREAT DATA WHEN IT COMES OUT TO BE USED IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS DOES FOR WOMEN WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THIS STUDY? IS IT ALMOST A PIECE OF MIND FOR THEM AS THEY’RE GOING THROUGH THEIR PREGNANCY, KNOWING SOMETHING GOOD CAN COME OUT OF IT? YEAH, DEFINITELY. THERE’S A LOT OF WOMEN WHO HAVE ENROLLED IN STUDIES REALLY, BECAUSE FIRST OF ALL, THEY THINK IT’S IMPORTANT. BUT A COMMON THEME THAT YOU HEAR FROM THE WOMEN THAT ARE ROLE IN THESE STUDIES WHEN THEY’RE PREGNANT IS I WANT TO TRY AND HELP OTHER WOMEN. SO AND EVEN SINCE THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN PUBLISHED, I HAVE HAD SOME PEOPLE REACH OUT TO ME AND SAY, I’M SO GLAD I PARTICIPATED. THANK YOU. AND IT’S SO NICE TO KNOW THAT MY PARTICIPATION LED TO THIS KNOWLEDGE THAT CAN BE USEFUL FOR OTHER WOMEN GOING FORWARD. SO THERE’S A LOT OF ALTRUISM IN THE WOMEN ENROLLED IN THESE STUDIES. WHAT IS YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL FROM THE FINDINGS AND WHAT WILL BE SHARED NOT ONLY THAT’S IMPORTANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY, BUT FOR THE NATION, FOR PREGNANT WOMEN TO KNOW THEY’RE NOT FORGOTTEN, THAT WE’RE THINKING OF THEM. AT MAGEE, WE ALWAYS PUT THEM FIRST AND THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, COMMITTED TO DOING ETHICALLY RESPONSIBLE, SAFE STUDIES THAT ENABLE OUR DOCTORS AND OUR PROVIDERS. TO BE ABLE TO GIVE THEM SOUND MEDICAL ADVICE AND TO KEEP THEM SAFE FROM INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAKS LIKE THIS. THERE ARE NO NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. AND, UM, THE STUDY DEMONSTRATES IT’S. SAFE. IT’S EFFECTIVE FOR BOTH THEM AND THEIR BABIES. SUPER IMPORTANT. AND THAT THEME HAS BEEN SEEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN FOR VARIOUS INFECTIONS. SO IT’S IT’S KIND OF REPRODUCIBLE. SO, UM, NOT UNEXPECTED BUT STILL VERY NICE TO SEE. STILL AHEAD. I’M NOT HERE TODAY SPEAKING FOR ME ALONE. I’M SPEAKING FOR THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. AND WE’RE STILL STUCK BACK IN 2020, IN THE PANDEMIC, THE WORLD HAS MOVED ON, BUT WE HAVEN’T. A LOCAL WOMAN STILL DEALING WITH COMPLICATIONS. MORE THAN THREE YEARS AFTER HAVING COVID. WELCOME BACK. AN ELEMENT OF COVID 19 IS STILL A BIT OF A MYSTERY WHEN IT COMES TO LONG COVID OR POST-COVID. THAT’S WHEN SOMEONE WHO GETS THE VIRUS EXPERIENCES LONG TERME EFFECTS AFTER THE DIAGNOSIS, I SPOKE WITH A LOCAL WOMAN WHO FIRST GOT COVID IN LATE 2020, AND TODAY HER STRUGGLES CONTINUE. WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU HAD LONG COVID AND WHAT WERE THE SYMPTOMS OF THAT FOR YOU? LONG COVID I DIDN’T KNOW QUITE WHEN IT ALL STARTED. UM, I WENT BACK TO WORKING AND I WOULD COME HOME EXHAUSTED. UM, PROBABLY ABOUT A WEEK AFTER I HAD COVID. UM, AND THE FATIGUE JUST KEPT GETTING WORSE AND WORSE. AND SO I TALKED TO MY BOSS AND I SAID, UM, YOU KNOW, I’M JUST I HAVE NOTHING TO GIVE MY FAMILY WHEN I GET HOME. UM, I DON’T KNOW WHAT WHAT’S GOING ON. SO I THINK I NEED TO TRY TO GET ANOTHER JOB WHERE I WORK FROM HOME. AND I DID GET A JOB WHERE I WORKED FROM HOME, AND I WENT FOR A PHYSICAL FOR THAT JOB. AND WHEN I WENT FOR THE PHYSICAL, THE NURSE TOLD ME, YOU HAVE EXTREMELY HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, WHICH I HAD NEVER HAD IN MY LIFE. AND SHE SAID, YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK WITH YOUR PCP AND JUST FOLLOW UP. SO I DID START MY NEW JOB, AND WHEN I STARTED THAT NEW JOB, I REALIZED I WASN’T RETAINING ANYTHING IN THE TRAINING. UM, I WOULD TAKE NOTES. I KEPT TRYING TO LEARN. I KEPT TRYING TO LISTEN. AND AFTER WORK I WOULD SIT AND READ MY NOTES, REREAD MY NOTES, AND THE NEXT MORNING I WOULD HAVE NO CLUE WHAT I READ OR WHAT I DID. THE DAY BEFORE. SO I DID FOLLOW UP WITH MY PCP, UM, WHICH STARTED A WHOLE SNOWBALL EFFECT. UM, I ENDED UP GETTING AN EKG. I WENT TO A HEART SPECIALIST WHO TOLD ME I AFTER I HAD A HEART CATHETERIZATION, THEY TOLD ME THAT, UM, I HAD CHRONIC FATIGUE. I HAD CHRONIC HEART FAILURE. I HAD PULMONARY HYPERTENSION. SO I WAS SEEING HEART SPECIALISTS, I WAS SEEING PULMONOLOGISTS. I WAS SEEING ALL KIND OF DOCTORS. AND THEN IT STARTED IN MY GUT, UM, TO THE POINT THAT I COULDN’T KEEP ANYTHING DOWN. AND I WAS HAVING TROUBLE SWALLOWING. SO THEY DID A STOMACH WRAP ON ME. AND WITH THAT, UM, WITHIN A FEW WEEKS, YOU’RE TO START, YOU KNOW, YOU START ON LIQUIDS, THEN YOU GO TO SOLID FOODS AND ON AND ON. WELL, I WAS STUCK IN THE LIQUID PHASE, AND I COULDN’T GET BEYOND IT. AND I WENT DOWN TO 73 POUNDS. AND AT WHAT POINT THEY PUT ME ON A FEEDING TUBE AND SO THAT’S, THAT’S HOW THIS ALL STARTED. AND I NEEDED TO QUIT MY JOB. AND THIS HAS IMPACTED YOUR LIFE IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. WHEN YOU HAD TO SWITCH YOUR LIFE LIKE THIS, ALL THESE NEW CHALLENGES, HOW DID YOU FEEL? IT SOUNDS QUITE FRUSTRATING. IT WAS. AND I, I HAD TO GRIEVE THE PERSON I WAS BECAUSE I WAS NO MORE THAT PERSON. UM, AND THERE ARE TIMES I HAVE GOOD SPELLS RIGHT NOW, BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHERE I STILL CANNOT GET OUT OF BED OR I’M SO WEAK AND TIRED I CAN’T DO ANYTHING. I CAN’T DO HOUSE CHORES. UM, ON A GOOD DAY, I CAN LOAD THE DISHWASHER AND HAVE TO REST AND THEN UNLOAD IT AND REST. YOU CAN’T DO MANY THINGS AT ONCE. I HAVE TROUBLE WALKING. UM. I RUN OUT OF BREATH. UM, IT’S JUST IT’S IMPACTED MY WHOLE PERSON. AND I HAD TO GET TO KNOW THIS WHOLE PERSON THAT I AM NOW AND TRY TO DEAL WITH IT. AND THIS IS STILL IMPACTING YOU TODAY, ALTHOUGH, LIKE YOU SAID, THERE’S UPS AND DOWNS TODAY. WHAT ARE YOU FEELING EVEN JUST BEING HERE, BEING HERE I’M FEELING OKAY, BUT I KNOW I’LL PAY FOR IT TOMORROW AND PROBABLY THE NEXT DAY. ANYTIME I DO ANYTHING PRETTY LARGE, I’M DOWN FOR THE COUNT FOR ABOUT TWO DAYS AFTERWARD AND IT’S HARD TO PLAN ANYTHING SOCIALLY WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY BECAUSE I JUST DON’T KNOW HOW I’LL BE THAT DAY OR THAT MINUTE. WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE ARE UNDERSTANDING LONG COVID? IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S COST YOU YOUR JOB, COST YOU SOCIAL INTERACTION PENS. AND LIKE YOU SAID, KIND OF GRIEVING THE PERSON YOU WERE, RIGHT? HOW DO PEOPLE RESPOND TO THAT WHEN YOU SAY, YOU KNOW TODAY IS NOT A GOOD DAY FOR ME? UM, I’M VERY BLESSED WITH MY HUSBAND AND MY MY CHILDREN. THEY UNDERSTAND AND MY FAMILY TRIES TO UNDERSTAND IT. AND I HAVE A FEW VERY GOOD FRIENDS THAT UNDERSTAND IT. UM, BUT I DON’T THINK THE PUBLIC DOES IT ALL. AND I’M NOT HERE TODAY SPEAKING FOR ME ALONE. I’M SPEAKING FOR THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, AND WE’RE STILL STUCK BACK IN 2020, IN THE PANDEMIC, THE WORLD’S MOVED ON, BUT WE HAVEN’T. THERE’S A LOT OF SUPPORT GROUPS. I SAW ONLINE. RIGHT. WHAT IS THE SUPPORT THAT’S OUT THERE AND WHAT IS IT LIKE TO CONNECT WITH SOMEONE WHO’S EXPERIENCING SIMILAR THINGS TO YOU? ARE THE SUPPORT THAT’S OUT THERE RIGHT NOW? UM, THAT I BELONG TO IS A LONG COVID SUPPORT GROUP ON FACEBOOK AND IT IS WONDERFUL. IT’S ONE PLACE WHERE WE ALL KNOW HOW EACH OTHER FEELS. YOU KNOW, YOU TRY TO TELL YOUR PARTNER, YOU TRY TO TELL YOUR FAMILY, UM, AND THEY TRY TO UNDERSTAND AND, UM, BUT A LOT OF FAMILIES DON’T. AND THEY, THEY THINK THEIR, THEIR LOVED ONE IS EITHER LAZY OR FAKING IT. AND THIS IS NOT I MEAN, THIS IS A REAL PROBLEM AND A REAL DISEASE. IN FACT, I CALL IT CHRONIC LONG COVID BECAUSE IT’S BECOME CHRONIC. UM, BUT THE LONG COVID GROUP HAS BEEN THE BEST AND I RELY ON MY FAITH, UM, A LOT. IT GIVES ME STRENGTH EACH DAY TO CARRY ON AND I HAVE HOPE. I DO HAVE HOPE BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T HAVE HOPE, YOU CAN’T. WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU KNOW, HOPE IS MY ONLY THING I GRASP ON TO EVERY MORNING WHEN I WAKE UP. WHAT WOULD BE YOUR MESSAGE TO PEOPLE WATCHING THIS? WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO KNOW ABOUT LONG COVID AND EVERYONE WHO’S STILL EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS? I THINK FIRST OF ALL, WE NEED MORE AND MORE RESEARCH DONE. WE NEED THE DOCTORS TO UNDERSTAND MORE. WE NEED, YOU KNOW, OUR PCP’S TO UNDERSTAND MORE. UM, THEY TREAT YOU KNOW, MY HEART FAILURE. THEY TREAT MY LUNGS. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF IT? THAT’S GOING ON? I MEAN, COVID ATTACKED MY ENTIRE SYSTEM, AND I JUST WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE LOTS OF US STILL SUFFERING HERE, AND WE NEED WE DON’T NEED RIDICULED. WE NEED SUPPORTED AND LIFTED UP. YOU’RE WATCHING FOR THE RECORD, WE’RE BACK RIGHT AFTER THIS. WELCOME BACK TO FOR THE RECORD, IF YOU HAVE A TOPIC YOU’D LIKE US TO ADDRESS, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. SEND US AN EMAIL TO NEWS AT WTAE DOT COM. YOU CAN ALSO REWATCH THIS EPISODE OR ANY EPISODE WITH THE VERY LOCAL APP ON YOUR SMARTPHONE, TABLET OR SMART TV. THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. HAVE A GOO

4 The Record: The state of COVID-19 today

Updated: 11:30 AM EST Feb 25, 2024

The world shut down when the COVID-19 pandemic took over. In the years since a pandemic was declared, we’ve learned much more about the disease and developed preventative measures and treatments. “4 The Record” takes a look at the progress made and the work still being done, plus what it’s like for people who suffer from long COVID complications.Watch this week’s full episode in the video player above.

The world shut down when the COVID-19 pandemic took over. In the years since a pandemic was declared, we’ve learned much more about the disease and developed preventative measures and treatments.

“4 The Record” takes a look at the progress made and the work still being done, plus what it’s like for people who suffer from long COVID complications.

Watch this week’s full episode in the video player above.