HomeMy WebLinkAbout123022 KPTZ Listener Questions for Tuesday_ January 3_ 2023 BOCC Update________________________________
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County Commissioners, Dr Allison Berry, and Willie Bence,
Viruses don’t observe any calendar and have continued to infect people into 2023, marking the third year into the pandemic.
There seem to be even more viruses in the news as 2022 ended and 2023 started.
KPTZ listener questions for Tuesday, January 3, 2023 BOCC update reflect concerns about these viruses; coronavirus, RSV, flu, and Norovirus.
And, of course, more masking questions.
Please see the questions listed below.
Thank you,
Lynn Sorensen
KPTZ Virus Watch Team
Questions for Dr Allison Berry:
1. If it isn’t one virus it’s another. On Christmas Eve my wife came down with classic food poisoning symptoms, with I and a friend who ate at our house to follow a few days later.
In recounting our experience with friends, we learn that we are far from alone around eastern Jefferson County. Though we did not have a stool sample analyzed, we presume the culprit
was Norovirus, and that leads to questions:
Does Public Health monitor reports of food poisoning and try to detect their possible sources?
Norovirus is subtitled, “the winter vomiting disease”. Why, and how seasonally-related is it?
What can one do to protect oneself against norovirus?
Should we disinfect the surfaces in our kitchen and bathroom?
How long does immunity last following infection?
What are the prospects for a vaccine against Norovirus?
2. Now that Covid restrictions have been lifted in China, is it possible that people traveling from there could be bring cases of earlier variants to other countries?
I saw that the CDC is going to require negative Covid tests of travelers from China starting January 5th.
If earlier variants such as Delta show up here could that cause new surges in the US?
3. I've observed a lot of people wearing masks outdoors and alone in their cars.
But is there any benefit to doing that?
I mean, covid and flu transmission are super low outdoors, right? So if I take a walk and I don't go indoors and I only pass other people every now and then then the mask isn't helping,
is it?
Is it even safe to bike or run with a mask on?
I feel that single use masks are impacting the environment.
Do you have any numbers on what the impact of masks and covid tests has had on the environment and global warming
4. What exactly is meant by being up to date on vaccines?
My son has only received his second primary dose. He will get a booster after six months have passed, so is he considered up to date until then, even though he hasn't gotten his bivalent
booster yet?
I thought it was a relative term but I saw the dashboard revision of hospitalizations and deaths by vaccination status and it seemed like it was concrete, like today you cannot be considered
up to date unless you have the bivalent.
5. Do you have any wisdom or thoughts to share on the Florida grand jury to investigate the covid vaccine manufacturers?
My sister can't stop talking about it, but I'm not finding very much info on line.