Coronavirus: Facts, not Fear

PANEL OF EXPERTS YOUR QUESTIONS

SO YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND THE

RISK AND HOW RISK IS DEFINED

AND HOW YOU CAN PROTECT

YOURSELF.

FACTS, NOT FEAR.

SO FIRST LET'S BEGIN WITH THE

LATEST CORONAVIRUS HEADLINES.

THE CDC NOW SAYS THERE ARE MORE

THAN 420 CONFIRMED CASES

NATIONWIDE.

34 STATES IN DC HAVE PATIENTS

AND WE HAVE JUST LEARNED WITHIN

THE PAST QUARTER HOUR FIVE MORE

PATIENTS IN WAKE COUNTY HAVE

CONFIRMED CASES OF CORONAVIRUS.

A MAN FROM INDIANA WHO TESTED

POSITIVE AS A RESULTED WAKE AND

DURHAM COUNTIES LAST WEEK.

WHILE SHOWING SYMPTOMS AND IT

APPEARS THAT LED TO THOSE NEW

CASES WE JUST LEARNED ABOUT.

>> JOINING US ARE STATE HEALTH

DIRECTOR DR. ELIZABETH TILLSON

AND REGINA PETAWAY THE WAKE

COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR

AND DR. TIM SHEEHAN.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR

JOINING US.

FIRST THOUGH WE WANT TO GET

STRAIGHT TO MARK BOYLE IN THE

LIVE CENTER WITH WHAT WE'RE

JUST LEARNING ABOUT THESE

ADDITIONAL WAKE COUNTY CASES.

MARK?

>> Reporter: DEBORAH, THERE'S

FIVE ADDITIONAL CASES AND JUST

CONFIRMED WITHIN THE PAST 15

MINUTES FROM WAKE COUNTY.

I WANT TO BRING EVERYONE UP TO

SPEED.

THIS IS THE HEADLINE RIGHT

HERE.

WAKE COUNTY BEGINS

INVESTIGATION OF FIVE PEOPLE

WITH COVID-19 AND THE AREA IN

BLUE.

THESE NEW CASES BRING THE TOTAL

COUNT OF PRESUMPTIVE POSITIVE

CASES TO SIX IN WAKE COUNTY.

THE FIVE BRAND NEW ONES ARE ALL

CONNECTED TO THE BIOGEN

CONFERENCE THAT WAS IN BOSTON

AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS RELEASE

RIGHT HERE, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE

TALKING ABOUT RIGHT HERE.

ALL FIVE PEOPLE ATTENDED THIS

BIOGEN CORPORATE CONFERENCE IN

BOSTON IN FEBRUARY.

MORE THAN TWO DOZEN PEOPLE HAVE

CONFIRMED CORVID 19 CASES FROM

THAT CONFERENCE.

NOW IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE

ALSO MENTIONED THE ONE MAN WHO

WORKS FOR BIOGEN THAT FLEW

THROUGH RDU JUST A FEW DAYS

AGO.

ALSO CONNECTED TO THAT TECH

COMPANY AT RTP.

THIS IS THE STORY THAT I'M

GOING TO WORK ON THIS EVENING

FOR 10:00 AND 11:00 BUT THE NEW

INFORMATION JUST RELEASED.

FIVE NEW CASES BRINGING THE TEA

TOTAL CASES IN WAKE COUNTY TO

SIX.

BACK TO YOU.

>> THIS IS CHANGING BY THE

MINUTE.

AND BEFORE WE START WITH

QUESTIONS FROM YOU, LET'S TALK

ABOUT THE LATEST ON WHERE NORTH

CAROLINA STANDS.

>> THIS NEW INFORMATION ON THE

MAN FROM INDIANA WHO TRAVELED

HERE LAST WEEK WORKING AT

BIOGEN AND RTP LAST WEEK.

WITH DOES YOUR AGENCY DO WHEN

INFORMATION LIKE THIS IS PASSED

ON AND BEYOND WHAT WE HAVE JUST

LEARNED IN THE PAST 15 MINUTES

WHAT DO WE KNOW THAT YOU CAN

TALK ABOUT?

>> JUST TO CLARIFY THAT, THESE

NEW FIVE CASES WERE ALSO AT THE

SAME BIOGEN CONFERENCE AS THE

SAME MAN.

THEY ALL PROBABLY GOT EXPOSED

AT THE SAME TIME AT THE BIOGEN

CONFERENCE IN BOSTON.

JUST TO CLARIFY THAT RISK.

WHEN WE FIND OUT, THIS IS

ACTUALLY BEEN A GREAT

VALIDATION OF THE STRENGTH OF

OUR PUBLIC HEALTH

INFRASTRUCTURE.

AND WE HAVE FOUND OUT ABOUT

DIFFERENT CASES AS DIFFERENT

STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENTS HAVE

BEEN CONTACTING US AND WE WORK

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR LOCAL

HEALTH DEPARTMENTS.

FOR EXAMPLE.

THE FIRST MAN FROM INDIANA, WE

WERE CONTACTED BY THE INDIANA

STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO LET

US KNOW THAT HE WAS DIAGNOSED

IN INDIANA.

ALLOWED US THEN TO HAVE THAT

INFORMATION TO DO THE CONTACT

TRACING IN WAKE COUNTY.

SAME THING WITH THESE CASES.

SO WHAT WE DO IS WHEN WE LEARN

AT IT AT A STATE LEVEL.

THEN WE IDENTIFY WHERE THAT

PERSON AND WE IMMEDIATELY

CONTACT THE LOCAL HEALTH

DEPARTMENTS AND OUR LOCAL

DEPARTMENTS PUT INTO PLACE ALL

OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE

REALLY GOOD AT.

WHICH IS THEN UNDERSTANDING

WHERE THAT PERSON WAS.

AND DOING ALL THAT CONTACT

TRACING AND MONITORING.

>> YOU KNOW, SO MANY PEOPLE

WANT TO KNOW SO MUCH

INFORMATION SO QUICKLY AND WE

UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE TO

VERIFY.

YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN THE PIPPA

RULES AND YOU HAVE TO RESPECT

THE PRIVACY OF PEOPLE AND YET

THERE'S FEAR AMONGST A LOT OF

THE PUBLIC.

WALK US THROUGH HOW THE

DECISIONS ARE MADE OF WHAT YOU

CAN TALK ABOUT IT AND WHEN YOU

CAN TALK ABOUT IT IF YOU WOULD.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT WHEN

REVEAL AND WHEN AND ALSO TALK

ABOUT RISK.

WE ALWAYS WANT TO BE AS

TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE

ESPECIALLY IN A SITUATION WHERE

PEOPLE ARE SCARED AND THINGS

ARE MOVING RAPIDLY.

WE UNDERSTAND PEOPLE GET REALLY

SCARED IF THEY DON'T HAVE

INFORMATION.

PEOPLE ARE MUCH BETTER IF THEY

HAVE THE INFORMATION SO WE WANT

TO BE ABLE TO PUSH OUT AS MUCH

INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE.

HOWEVER, WE ALSO WANT TO BE

SURE THAT WE ARE PROTECTING A

PERSON'S PRIVACY.

AND ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S

FAIRLY FEW CASES AND SUCH

HEIGHTENED MEDIA ATTENTION.

GETS PRETTY EASILY TO IDENTIFY

THAT PERSON.

WE WANT TO BE SURE WE'RE

PROTECTING THAT PERSON'S

PRIVACY.

ALSO WANT TO BE SURE ONE REASON

WE PROTECT THE PERSON'S PRIVACY

IS THAT -- AND WE HAVE FOUND IN

ANOTHER CASE THAT THE PERSON

WAS EASILY IDENTIFIED AND

STARTED GETTING HARASSED AND

THREATS AND WE'RE REALLY

WORRIED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE WE

WANT PEOPLE TO COME FORWARD.

WE WANT THEM TO COME FORWARD

BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE DO THE

CONTROL MEASURES.

BUT THE OTHER SIDE IS WE ALSO

WANT TO RELEASE WHAT

INFORMATION WE NEED TO TO

PROTECT THE PUBLIC.

SO WHEN WE GET INTO THE ISSUE

OF RISK, SO WITH THIS

INFECTION, WE THINK THAT IT'S

SPREAD WHAT WE CALL BY

RESPIRATORY DROPLETS WHICH

MEANS YOU HAVE TO BE MANY

PRETTY CLOSE CONTACT WITHIN SIX

FEET FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD OF

TIME.

MORE THAN -- MORE THAN TEN, 15

MINUTES.

AND SO IT'S NOT LIKE SOMETHING

LIKE MEASLES.

MEASLES IS DIFFERENT.

MEASLES IS AIRBORNE AND IT'S

EASILY SPREAD.

WITH MEASLES, THEN WE SAY, OOH,

IF YOU WERE IN THE LOCATION AT

THIS TIME, YOU NEED TO KNOW.

THIS IS NOT MEASLES.

THIS IS RESPIRATORY DROPLETS.

SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS

IDENTIFYING WHO IS AT RISK.

WHO'S AT HIGH RISK WHICH WOULD

BE HOUSEHOLD CONTACTS AND WHO'S

AT MEDIUM RISK WITHIN SIX FEET

FOR 10 TO 15 MINUTES AND

IDENTIFYING THOSE.

PEOPLE WHO WERE LET'S SAY JUST

IN A RESTAURANT, MORE THAN SIX

FEET OR JUST WALKING BY IN

AGREESRY STORE, THEY'RE NOT AT

RISK.

SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE

BALANCE AS WE THINK ABOUT WHAT

AMOUNT OF INFORMATION TO PUT

OUT.

>> REGINA, LET'S TALK ABOUT

TESTING THAT'S A QUESTION A LOT

OF PEOPLE HAVE RIGHT NOW.

DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE THE TEST

KITS AVAILABLE THAT YOU NEED TO

BE ABLE TO TEST THE CASES?

>> ACTUALLY AT THE COUNTY

LEVEL, WE DO NOT TEST.

OUR JOB IS TO DO THE

INVESTIGATION AND THE TRACING

AND OUR STATE LAB HAS TESTING

CAPABILITIES NOW AND THE

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL.

I THINK AS WELL AS SOME PRIVATE

LABS.

>> SO YOU DID THIS

INVESTIGATION AND YOU SAID WE

NEED TO HAVE THESE PEOPLE

TESTED?

IS THAT HOW THAT WORKED?

>> YES.

SO WE DO THE INVESTIGATION AND

WE -- WE'RE WARRANTED, HAVE A

SAMPLE THAT WE SEND TO THE

STATE LAB.

AND THE STATE LAB TESTS.

IF IT COMES BACK POSITIVE WITH

THE STATE LAB, IT IS STILL

LABELED AS PRESUMPTIVE UNTIL

CDC ALSO TESTS IT.

I BELIEVE THAT'S STILL THE

CASE.

>> YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD SEVERAL

PEOPLE EMAILING US AND ON

FACEBOOK TODAY QUESTIONING

SAYING IF I WERE TO DEVELOP

THIS VIRUS, IF IT PRESENTS IN

ME, AND I SELF-QUARANTINE OR

I'M QUARANTINED FOR 14 DAYS,

AND THEN THE VIRUS PASSES, CAN

I BE SUBJECT TO HAVING IT AGAIN

IN THIS SAME YEAR?

DO WE YET KNOW THAT?

>> IT'S UNLIKELY THAT YOU WOULD

GET REINFECTED.

SO SOME OF THE THINGS I'VE BEEN

READING TODAY SAY THAT YOUR

BODY -- YOUR BODY MAKES

ANTIBIOTICS TO THE VIRUS.

WHICH PROTECTS YOU, WHICH COME

UP MAYBE AFTER A FEW WEEKS.

AND ARE PRESENT THERE AT LEAST

UNTIL A MONTH AFTER YOU HAVE

RECOVERED.

SO IT'S UNLIKELY THAT YOU COULD

GET REINFECTED UNLESS OF COURSE

YOU HAD SOME UNDERLYING IMMUNE

DEFICIENCY WHICH MADE IT SUCH

THAT YOUR BODY DIDN'T REACT

APPROPRIATELY TO PROTECT

YOURSELF FROM FUTURE

INFECTIONS.

>> YEAH, AND I WANT TO GO BACK

TO SOMETHING FOR A MOMENT.

CORONAVIRUS ITSELF HAS BEEN

AROUND.

>> DOCTOR -- HAS BEEN TESTING

US FOR MANY YEARS.

>> YEAH.

THIS IS NOT NEW.

I MEAN, BUT IT'S THE COVID-19

THAT HAS OUR ATTENTION NOW.

SO DOCTOR TOLD ME LAST WEEK, IF

YOU WERE INFECTED WITH THIS

YEARS PAST, THERE COULD BE AN

ANTIBODY WITHIN YOU.

IF YOU WERE TESTED AGAIN TODAY

BUT WEREN'T HAVING CURRENT

SYMPTOMS OF THIS STRAIN, IT

COULD STILL SHOW UP WITHIN YOU.

>> SO HAPPY TO TACKLE THAT AND

THEN YOU CAN -- SO THE

CORONAVIRUS IS A FAMILY OF

VIRUSES.

RIGHT?

SO THERE'S SEVEN DIFFERENT

CORONAVIRUS THAT CAN INFECT

HUMANS.

FOUR, COMMONLY CIRCULATE.

WE SEE THEM IN COLD AND FLU

SEASON.

AND THEY TEND TO CAUSE PRETTY

MILD SYMPTOMS AND THOSE ARE THE

ONES THAT THAT'S KIND OF

ROUTINE TESTS FOR.

SO THERE'S FOUR COMMONLY

CIRCULATING CORONAVIRUS.

THEN THERE HAVE BEEN THREE THAT

ARE NOVEL AND THAT WERE MORE

RARE.

SO WE HAVE SARS A WHILE AGO, WE

MRRS A WHILE AGO AND NOW WE

HAVE COVID-19.

THIS IS A NOVEL ONE.

THIS IS A NEW FORM OF THE

VIRUS.

THIS NEWLY IDENTIFIED IN

DECEMBER.

AND SO IT IS NEW.

GENETICALLY UNIQUE TO THE OTHER

CIRCULATING CORONAVIRUS AND SO

THE REASON THAT IT SPREADS

PRETTY EASILY IS THAT NOBODY

HAS THE ANTIBODY TO IT BECAUSE

NOBODY HAS BEEN INFECTED WITH

THIS PARTICULAR STRAIN BEFORE.

SO YOU HAVEN'T BUILT UP THAT

IMMUNITY.

SO THAT'S WHY YOU GET SPREAD

PRETTY EASILY BECAUSE NOBODY

HAS THAT IMMUNITY.

TO THIS PARTICULAR STRAIN.

>> ONE OF THE -- QUESTIONS THAT

WE'RE GETTING TOO IS THAT A LOT

OF THESE CASES OBVIOUSLY ARE

SHOWING UP IN WAKE COUNTY.

IN THE URBAN AREAS.

WHAT ABOUT CHELSEA WOULD LIKE

TO KNOW, WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WHO

DON'T LIVE NEAR THE BIG CITY?

HOW READILY AVAILABLE SHE ASKS

ARE THE TESTS FOR CORONAVIRUS

IN THE RURAL PARTS OF NORTH

CAROLINA?

DR. TILLSON.

>> I'LL TAKE THAT.

SO AS REGINA SAID, RIGHT NOW

TESTING IS LIMITED TO WHAT WE

CALL HIGH COMPLEXITY LABS.

SO THE STATE LAB HAS THE

ABILITY TO TEST NOW.

IN NORTH CAROLINA WE HAVE

INCREDIBLY ROBUST LOCAL HEALTH

DEPARTMENTS.

IN ALL COVERING ALL 100 OF THE

COUNTIES.

SO EVEN IN OUR RURAL AREAS, IF

SOMEBODY THINKS THEY'VE BEEN

EXPOSED THEY CAN GO TO THEIR

DOCTOR AND THEY CAN GO TO THEIR

LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND

THEY CAN GET THE SWABS AND GET

TESTED IN THAT LOCAL AREA AND

THEN WE GET IT SHIPPED TO THE

STATE LAB.

SO PEOPLE IN THE RURAL AREAS

HAVE AS MUCH ACCESS TO THOSE IN

THE URBAN AREAS AND NOW THAT

SOME OF THE COMMERCIAL LABS ARE

COMING ON BOARD, LAB CORPS IS

STARTING TO TEST AS WELL, AND

SO THOSE PROVIDERS CAN SEND IT

TO LAB CORPS AS WELL.

SHOULDN'T BE AN ISSUE OF ACCESS

TO TESTING WHERE YOU LIVE IN

THE STATE.

>> ON THAT POINT WE'RE GOING TO

TAKE A LOOK.

WHEN WE COME BACK A COUPLE MORE

QUESTIONS ABOUT TESTING AND WHY

IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN SO HARD

TO GET THE KITS AND JUST TO LET

PEOPLE KNOW WHERE WE STAND ON

THAT.

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.