Newswise is hosting a series of Expert Panels discussion unique aspects of the COVID-19 Outbreak. This tip sheet includes some notable quotes from the panelists. Full transcripts are available.
March 12th session: COVID-19 Causes, Consequences, and Solutions: Exploring the Unanswered Questions
Panelists:
- XinQi Dong, MD, Rutgers University (epidemiology)
- Zhaohui Chen, Ph.D., University of Virginia (finance)
- Ali Khan, M.D., M.P.H, University of Nebraska Medical Center (public health)
- Valerie Reyna, Ph.D., Cornell University (psychology)
- Tom Ewing, Ph.D., Virginia Tech (history)
Quotes
“When you look at a comparison to other SARS-, MERS- and Influenza-related viruses, really we don’t know what our denominator really is in terms of percentages and mortality, and the risk for spreading.”
-XinQi Dong, MD
“Just because we measure a fragment of a virus or bacteria on the service does not necessarily mean that’s infectious, per se.”
-XinQi Dong, MD
“We’re clearly unprepared and we don’t even need to talk about a pandemic during a really bad flu year. We know that we see ER and hospital diversions because we can’t handle a really bad flu year in the United States”
-Ali Khan, M.D., M.P.H
“We already see healthcare as being very proactive and innovative in approaches. So for example, one of the key things we want to do is make sure that we identify and isolate patients very early.”
-Ali Khan, M.D., M.P.H
“It’s clear that the government made a choice, rather than sort of stop or slow down the spread of disease, they actually chose another direction; that is, to make everybody go back to work, okay? So that may, by the conventional wisdom, make the spread of disease worse.”
-Zhaohui Chen, PhD
“The bottom line is, this is going to change, these cases are going to increase, from a few today to many tomorrow, as Dr. Fauci said yesterday. And that’s really the gist that we have to stress; that even though the number of known cases at the moment around you may be small, the nature of epidemics is that there’s a cumulative probability that mounts up really fast and it mounts up much faster than people can apprehend.”
-Valerie Reyna, PhD
“I think the historical example of the 1918 influenza epidemic gives us a kind of range of ways to think about the current one, we can look at situations in which correct decisions were made that were implemented that may have made a difference in terms of slowing the spread of the disease and lessening its impact.”
-Tom Ewing, Ph.D
Newswise Live COVID-19 Expert Panel 3-16-2020
March 16th Panelists:
- Carmen Wiley, Ph.D., President, American Association for Clinical Chemistry (Lab Testing)
- Dean Headley, Ph.D., Wichita State (Airline Industry and Travel)
- Jennifer Horney, Ph.D., University of Delaware (Epidemiology)
- Dawn Bowdish Ph.D., McMaster University (Immunology)
- Daniel McKeever, PhD., Binghamton University (Finance)
- Dr. Jennie Kuckertz, Ph.D., from McLean Hospital (Psychology)
- W. Graham Carlos, M.D., Indiana University (Pulmonology)
Quotes
“Stay calm, don’t panic, and basically keep some social distancing from clicking on your mutual fund account, because looking at it is only going to make you panic.”
-Daniel McKeever
“We do want to set a media diet so that we’re not constantly glued with our faces in front of the news, and I think the more we do, the more uncertainty is going to increase.”
– DR. Jennie Kuckertz
“We cannot tell if someone has COVID-19 based on symptoms or incubation period. This is because viruses can present differently in different people. We will rely on an accurate test to make the diagnosis.”
-DR. Graham Carlos
“How deep is this recession going to be and how long is it going to last. And that’s one that I think hinges more on the response to the virus than any other factor. And so that’s one that I can’t say anybody knows with a great degree of certainty.”
-Daniel McKeever
“There is sufficient good-quality data to say that vitamin D supplementation and people who live in the Northern Hemisphere like us who tend to be a little bit vitamin D deficient, protects against other acute respiratory illnesses, that’s the only scientifically credible source, it does not necessarily apply to this and in fact, it may not apply. It may not protect us at all from Covid 19 but if you want to do something, and the best data’s for vitamin D”
-Dawn Bowdish
“The limited availability of testing around Covid 19 is not a failure of science. It’s not a failure of our scientists or our healthcare. We’ve all been working really hard. It was really a failure of our government and regulatory agencies to recognize how quickly this was going to escalate”
-Carmen Wiley
“We just don’t have the public health resources available to do contact tracing or something like sign of influenza, but in this case, since it’s a more severe disease and no vaccine, we have to turn to a non-pharmaceutical intervention like social distancing to address this.”
-Jennifer Horney
“You look at the issues in the international sector, people trying to get home from another country to the United States, that’s a disaster as far as what we know we should be doing to social distance ourselves”
-Dean Headley
March 23rd: Expert Panel: Children’s Health, Mental Health, and Education During the Coronavirus Outbreak
Panelists:
- Laurie Theeke, PhD, FNP-BC, GCNS-BC, FNAP, Nursing Professor, West Virginia University
- Robert Franks, PhD, President and CEO, Judge Baker Children’s Center
- Mobeen Rathore, MD, Chief, Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology for Wolfson Children’s Hospital
- Jennifer Wegman, PhD, Binghamton University
Quotes
“The kids fatality rate is smaller. There are a couple of studies that have now been published, that indicate that this to be true. So, the fact that they are not having severe disease or not dying of it, does not mean that their risk of getting the actual infection is any less.”
-Dr. Mobeen Rathore
“I can’t remember it’s one of our leaders who was asked, “What would happen if the young people don’t follow social distancing and isolation… what can happen to them?” And the answer, “well you may kill your grandfather”. That’s true.”
-Dr. Mobeen Rathore
“That’s probably the most important thing that we all have to remember. So, they [children] pick up on our anxiety. They pick up on our fear. If we’re watching the news 24/7 in our house, they’re gonna see it too.”
-Dr. Robert Franks
“Video games do present a way for kids to maintain their socialization with other kids. So, I think there’s a balance. You know you can play an online soccer video game. And you can communicate with your friends. And be part of a team.”
-Dr. Robert Franks
“Everybody’s very stressed and fearful and worried. And so we have to have some outlets for these negative emotions. You know, it might be laughter. It might be exercise. It might be just conversation validating, “hey we’re having this feeling. Let’s take a moment. Let’s meditate. Let’s do a five-minute breathing exercise.”
-Dr. Laurie Theeke
“We know that loneliness can lead to anxiety and depression. And so we do need to check in on some of these symptoms and say, ‘how are you feeling today? Are you having any negative feelings today? What are your thoughts today?'”
-Dr. Laurie Theeke
“We pop up on Zoom and I would say ¾ of my class is actually still laying in bed. And I get that it’s comfy and it’s easy just to like wake up and throw your computer on. But in terms of motivation and intention of getting through this isolating part of our life right now is — I would recommend that all college students would get up and stay in some kind of routine through the day.”
-Dr. Jennifer Wegmann
“Screen time is something the American Academy of Pediatrics has been advising that we should decreased the screen time, but the reality is at this point the issue of the pandemic is so much worse, that we will have to work with each of our patients individually.”
-Dr. Mobeen Rathore
“You can imagine for kids who have behavioral health concerns, it’s even more of a challenge, because they don’t have those services and supports available to them in their home setting.”
-Dr. Robert Franks
“One of the things that I’ve been talking about a lot lately is letting go of the burden of feeling like a burden.”
-Dr. Jennifer Wegmann
“We’re going to have to really be thoughtful about that when we come out of this, hopefully, this terrible time, we’re going to have to really invest in mental health services and supports to try and offset some of those adverse effects that this generation of children is experiencing.”
-Dr. Robert Franks
“Having the opportunity to express gratitude in the midst of writing a letter to another person is something that we just don’t necessarily do anymore, but now that we have the time and opportunity and somewhat the necessity to do it, that certainly could be a new, although not new, creative way to reach out to people that we care about and that we love.”
-Dr. Jennifer Wegmann
Original post https://alertarticles.info
