"I think it's going to get a
lot worse," Dr. Ashish Jha predicted.
Despite the widespread desire for things to return to normal, we
are still in the middle of a raging pandemic, with daily COVID cases exceeding
800,000 for the first time and hospitalizations reaching all-time highs. (When
experts say it's time to consider "living with COVID as the new
normal," they don't mean right now, given the vast number of cases.) The
endemic stage has yet to arrive. The danger is there.) How can you keep
yourself safe? Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of Brown University's School of Public
Health, spoke about Fox News yesterday. Read on for five life-saving tips.
1. Virus Expert Warns "It's Going to Get Much Worse."
"Hospitalizations and deaths were always behind plan. So
we've seen an increase that peaked in New York, New Jersey, and, I believe, New
England, as well as possibly Florida, "Dr. Jha stated. "And, while I
expect hospitalizations in those areas to peak in the next week to ten days,
the rest of the country still has a long way to go. So I believe the next three
to four weeks will be difficult for everyone in America. " How bad could
it get? "I believe it will get a lot worse," he predicted. "So,
right now, we have about 150,000 people in hospitals with COVID, which is the
highest number we've ever seen. Those figures are likely to rise significantly.
The issue is that we're running out of healthcare workers, and we don't have
enough. So that will be a problem for the next few weeks."
2. Virus Expert Says We're Going to Need COVID Tests and More are
Coming for You
President Biden promised that the federal government would send
Americans at-home test kits, but yours won't arrive for another week or two,
and by then...
Will it be too late to stop this surge? "First and foremost,
I believe we can all agree that more testing was needed during this
surge," Dr. Jha stated. "We were unable to obtain it due to a lack of
resources. I believe it severely hindered our country's ability to deal with
the situation. I don't think that'll be the last wave we see; having widespread
testing available will make a huge impact once we've gotten over this one and
are ready to face the next one. As a result, I'm delighted to hear that further
testing is on the way. I believe we will need them. We wished we had more tests
before we went in."
3. Virus Expert Says Here's the Kind of Person He sees Get
"Very, Very Sick" in His Hospital
"Is it time for us to say, you know what? This thing's here
to stay. We can't keep the isolation and quarantine in place; we have to expect
that people are going to get sick. It'll be a little illness. It'll most likely
feel like a cold or perhaps a minor flu. Let's just get back to normal, shall
we? "questioned the Fox News anchor. "In my perspective, we're moving
from this kind of acute phase of the pandemic emergency to a more end phase in
two years," Jha added. "The danger is still present for those who
have not been immunized. I just concluded a two-week stay in the hospital as a
volunteering. There are a lot of really sick persons with Omicron who haven't
been vaccinated. So we still have a task ahead of us."
4. Virus Expert Says "Many of Us" Will Get Omicron, but
the Unvaccinated Will Get Sicker
Most of us will get Omicron, the President's chief medical advisor
and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. But
that doesn't mean you should give in to it without protection. Jha continued:
"We're seeing vaccinated people becoming infected with Omicron because of
its immune evasiveness. The key difference is that unvaccinated persons are
more likely to end up in the hospital than those who haven't been boosted. As a
result, it is aimed at those individuals when it comes to serious illness.
However, I believe that as the pandemic progresses, all of us will be exposed,
and many of us will get sick."
5. Virus Expert Says This Kind of Test is the One He Uses
The Fox News anchor asked about throat swab testing and other
types of tests, but Jha refused "The best type of test we should be using
on a regular basis are these rapid antigen tests, which are now or soon will be
available in larger numbers and can be used at home. You should use it
according to the instructions, and everyone still tells you to put it up your
nose. There's a lot of talk about swabbing the throat and spitting. Stop, in my
opinion. Just focus on the instructions and stick it up your nose. That is the
most effective method. And that's what we should be doing all the time. If your
doctor feels it's necessary, he or she may use a different test, but for
everyday folks at home, that's what I use."
6. How to Stay Safe Out There
Get vaccinated or boost your vaccinations as soon as possible; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people you aren't sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene.