HomeMy WebLinkAbout030124 email - KPTZ Listener Questions for Monday_ March 4_ 2024 BOCC Health Update (0002)ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
County Commissioners, Dr Allison Berry, and Willie Bence,
Please see this month’s KPTZ listener questions for Monday, March 4, 2024 BOCC health update listed below. Several listeners expressed concern about the possible loss of the monthly
health update by Dr Berry.
Thank you ,
Lynn Sorensen
KPTZ Virus Watch Team
Questions for Dr Allison Berry:
1. You used the term “bivalent booster” a few times when referring to the latest fall 2023 COVID vaccines, and I am confused by this, since I understand those to be “monovalent XBB.1”,
which I understand are being found to offer good protection against all of the omicron variants.
2. There was a listener question regarding a possible additional dose of the fall 2023 CCOVID vaccine for people who are immunosuppressed (or maybe the listener said “high risk” but
did not specify the issues). You said that additional doses are not approved at this time. But I understood that ACIP does allow one or more additional doses of the fall 2023 XBB monovalent
vaccine for moderately and severely immunosuppressed people at the discretion of the clinician/physician.
3. I was surprised to hear you say on February 5th that there had been a “small uptick” in COVID in Port Townsend wastewater in the past 2 weeks, because I look at those graphs weekly
when they are updated on Wednesdays on the WA State Dept. of Health data, and it looked like a pretty significant spike to me on Wed. Jan. 31st.
Maybe I am looking a different data/graphs than you are?
Or maybe I misunderstood and you were talking about WA Statewide wastewater instead of PT wastewater?
4. About timing and Paxlovid. Since the at-home tests aren’t very useful until several days into Covid, and Paxlovid doesn’t work after Day 5, and our doctors can’t always respond in
a timely manner, it doesn’t seem that we can count on getting Paxlovid. What are other options?
(Please don’t end Dr. Berry’s monthly reports. That our community offers unbiased and factual information on Covid and other public health concerns sets us apart from just about every
place else, and I rely on the information I receive.)
5. It seems like a bit of a catch-22. Is it not recommended to wait 4 days from onset of symptoms to do a rapid Covid test. Paxlovid is not effective after day 5. That leaves one
day to access Paxlovid if the rapid is positive on day 4.
6.I am writing on behalf of the Health & Safety Team at Quimper Village; we are a 55+ cohousing community in PT who has benefitted greatly from your guidance all through the Covid pandemic
& beyond.
Recently our Members have noticed that some Jefferson Healthcare personnel are not wearing masks. That has been especially concerning when a Member is visiting the Oncology Dept for
treatment. We understand that previous Covid “emergency measures” have been lifted. However, we also understand that infection is still very prevalent in our community & high quality
masks are recommended in indoor spaces.
If the goal is to protect those most vulnerable, please explain how anyone in the vicinity of Oncology patients would not be masked.
We understand that vaccination doesn’t guarantee that someone won’t contract a respiratory infection. However, do you know if Jefferson Healthcare requires employees to be up to date
with their vaccinations?
7. Could you speak a bit about the the efficacy of additional layers of protection for at-risk folks, such as low ph hypromellose nasal powders? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8022337/
<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8022337/>
Are there other manufacturers than taffix brand? (an Israeli product)
8. This monthly report has led to behaviors that have certainly prevented my own re-infection, and surely continues to save others from disease and lengthy undesirable outcomes. How
might our vulnerable populations best gauge real-time community risk, without the ongoing reports from Dr. Berry, whose monthly reviews offer a primary, accessible, timely, and reliable
resource?
If the current monthly health updates are discontinued, could there be a shorter summary announcement that airs on KPTZ?
9. I sincerely urge we continue monthly briefings and perhaps re-label them “community health and well-being”.
The continued on-air community monthly briefings would allows us to broaden the topic areas and continue to keep people thinking big picture and long-term — and allow questions, when
they arise to be fact-checked.
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