Dr. Megan Ranney: ‘We Are Never Going Back to a Pre-Pandemic Reality’

RAJU Dr Megan Ranney ░░░░░░░░ us now she s ░░░░░░░░ E R doctor and ░░░░░░░░ Dean of the Brown ░░░░░░░░ School of Public Health ░░░░░░░░ Ranney thank you for ░░░░░░░░ us this morning You ░░░░░░░░ the chances of a ░░░░░░░░ infections among the unvaccinated ░░░░░░░░ very rare Vaccines are ░░░░░░░░ more effective in preventing ░░░░░░░░ severe illness and hospitalizations ░░░░░░░░ you know But if ░░░░░░░░ re a vaccinated individual ░░░░░░░░ do you take away ░░░░░░░░ all the news that ░░░░░░░░ saw last week about ░░░░░░░░ Delta variant and precautions ░░░░░░░░ you take as a ░░░░░░░░ individual RANNEY You know ░░░░░░░░ e mails and texts ░░░░░░░░ been filling up with ░░░░░░░░ this question So many ░░░░░░░░ us have gone out ░░░░░░░░ done the right thing ░░░░░░░░ got vaccinated and we ░░░░░░░░ like we re back ░░░░░░░░ square one So here ░░░░░░░░ the thing First these ░░░░░░░░ do continue to protect ░░░░░░░░ marvelously well against hospitalization ░░░░░░░░ death But with this ░░░░░░░░ Delta variant the chance ░░░░░░░░ a breakthrough infection is ░░░░░░░░ zero And worse yet ░░░░░░░░ s that small chance ░░░░░░░░ you could pass a ░░░░░░░░ infection on to someone ░░░░░░░░ you love Many of ░░░░░░░░ have kids at home ░░░░░░░░ parents who we re ░░░░░░░░ about So what I ░░░░░░░░ telling most people right ░░░░░░░░ is to wear a ░░░░░░░░ if you re in ░░░░░░░░ indoors location with people ░░░░░░░░ you don t know ░░░░░░░░ you aren t sure ░░░░░░░░ vaccinated And if you ░░░░░░░░ in a crowded location ░░░░░░░░ a mask no matter ░░░░░░░░ RAJU Yeah And the ░░░░░░░░ is urging cities to ░░░░░░░░ ahead with mask mandates ░░░░░░░░ those We now know ░░░░░░░░ can spread The Delta ░░░░░░░░ is so contagious it ░░░░░░░░ spread even if you ░░░░░░░░ vaccinated So that being ░░░░░░░░ case is wearing a ░░░░░░░░ going to be enough ░░░░░░░░ RANNEY So I really ░░░░░░░░ of it as being ░░░░░░░░ level of layers and ░░░░░░░░ You know when we ░░░░░░░░ a car we wear ░░░░░░░░ seat belt We also ░░░░░░░░ t speed If it ░░░░░░░░ raining we slow down ░░░░░░░░ of us now have ░░░░░░░░ with airbags and anti ░░░░░░░░ breaks and we sure ░░░░░░░░ heck try to avoid ░░░░░░░░ drunk A vaccine is ░░░░░░░░ critically important part of ░░░░░░░░ of that I say ░░░░░░░░ s equivalent to the ░░░░░░░░ belt plus airbag put ░░░░░░░░ But you also need ░░░░░░░░ make sure you re ░░░░░░░░ driving drunk or speeding ░░░░░░░░ in a big traffic ░░░░░░░░ So vaccine plus mask ░░░░░░░░ you way more protected ░░░░░░░░ then if you re ░░░░░░░░ an area with high ░░░░░░░░ I would go back ░░░░░░░░ doing things primarily outdoors ░░░░░░░░ of indoors And my ░░░░░░░░ hospital is now RAJU ░░░░░░░░ what about RANNEY Go ░░░░░░░░ RAJU I was going ░░░░░░░░ say outdoors You mentioned ░░░░░░░░ What about wearing masks ░░░░░░░░ Is it okay still ░░░░░░░░ to wear a mask ░░░░░░░░ RANNEY So for right ░░░░░░░░ it is still okay ░░░░░░░░ not wear a mask ░░░░░░░░ I m here in ░░░░░░░░ right now I m ░░░░░░░░ wearing a mask when ░░░░░░░░ m walking around on ░░░░░░░░ city streets But if ░░░░░░░░ were in a crowd ░░░░░░░░ I would be wearing ░░░░░░░░ mask I would not ░░░░░░░░ in a crowded concert ░░░░░░░░ ballpark without a mask ░░░░░░░░ at this point RAJU ░░░░░░░░ how should we you ░░░░░░░░ as vaccinated people you ░░░░░░░░ some of of the ░░░░░░░░ to change your behavior ░░░░░░░░ a mask in high ░░░░░░░░ areas What about going ░░░░░░░░ I m hoping to ░░░░░░░░ to the Cubs Nationals ░░░░░░░░ to watch my Cubs ░░░░░░░░ survive today with my ░░░░░░░░ year old twins Is ░░░░░░░░ safe to do something ░░░░░░░░ that Obviously they re ░░░░░░░░ vaccinated I m vaccinated ░░░░░░░░ you re a parent ░░░░░░░░ kids who don t ░░░░░░░░ not gotten vaccinated is ░░░░░░░░ okay to do things ░░░░░░░░ that RANNEY So I ░░░░░░░░ going say there s ░░░░░░░░ in life that is ░░░░░░░░ risk And you could ░░░░░░░░ your life in order ░░░░░░░░ entirely avoid Covid Then ░░░░░░░░ won t be living ░░░░░░░░ life Something like taking ░░░░░░░░ kids to a ballpark ░░░░░░░░ now is a relatively ░░░░░░░░ activity especially if you ░░░░░░░░ all masked up Again ░░░░░░░░ m here traveling right ░░░░░░░░ I ve brought my ░░░░░░░░ child with me as ░░░░░░░░ as my vaccinated child ░░░░░░░░ my kids are masked ░░░░░░░░ they re out and ░░░░░░░░ in public locations And ░░░░░░░░ that s the thing ░░░░░░░░ re doing That outdoor ░░░░░░░░ with a mask is ░░░░░░░░ going to be relatively ░░░░░░░░ for your kids RAJU ░░░░░░░░ want to get your ░░░░░░░░ on the debate over ░░░░░░░░ in schools Obviously there ░░░░░░░░ debate about whether the ░░░░░░░░ should mandate masks or ░░░░░░░░ You re hearing some ░░░░░░░░ from various corners in ░░░░░░░░ country Take a listen ░░░░░░░░ ends WOMAN I m ░░░░░░░░ that we are creating ░░░░░░░░ generation of isolated anti ░░░░░░░░ children MAN That s ░░░░░░░░ you build herd immunity ░░░░░░░░ you re exposed to ░░░░░░░░ What we have is ░░░░░░░░ very transmissible virus that ░░░░░░░░ not very deadly to ░░░░░░░░ children Clip ends RAJU ░░░░░░░░ is your response to ░░░░░░░░ level of criticism RANNEY ░░░░░░░░ honestly think that s ░░░░░░░░ baloney As parents our ░░░░░░░░ is to protect our ░░░░░░░░ Many of our children ░░░░░░░░ get vaccinated and they ░░░░░░░░ But in the meantime ░░░░░░░░ should be wearing masks ░░░░░░░░ school Only about 30 ░░░░░░░░ those 12 to 17 ░░░░░░░░ old age group are ░░░░░░░░ vaccinated and certainly those ░░░░░░░░ kids under age 12 ░░░░░░░░ of them are vaccinated ░░░░░░░░ now that we know ░░░░░░░░ delta variant can spread ░░░░░░░░ vaccinated people it s ░░░░░░░░ to keep our teachers ░░░░░░░░ as well You want ░░░░░░░░ know what is going ░░░░░░░░ create a class of ░░░░░░░░ isolated children It s ░░░░░░░░ them out of school ░░░░░░░░ Put them back in ░░░░░░░░ but put them back ░░░░░░░░ school with mask mandates ░░░░░░░░ keep them and their ░░░░░░░░ safe RAJU I want ░░░░░░░░ Dr Ranney to hear ░░░░░░░░ an infectious disease expert ░░░░░░░░ the University of Maryland ░░░░░░░░ to say about this ░░░░░░░░ We really need to ░░░░░░░░ toward a goal of ░░░░░░░░ serious disease and disability ░░░░░░░░ medical consequences and not ░░░░░░░░ about every virus detected ░░░░░░░░ somebody s nose It ░░░░░░░░ hard to do but ░░░░░░░░ think we have to ░░░░░░░░ comfortable with Coronavirus not ░░░░░░░░ away Do you agree ░░░░░░░░ that Is the Coronavirus ░░░░░░░░ going away Can we ░░░░░░░░ go back to a ░░░░░░░░ pandemic reality RANNEY We ░░░░░░░░ never going to go ░░░░░░░░ to a pre pandemic ░░░░░░░░ And I do agree ░░░░░░░░ we do have to ░░░░░░░░ comfortable with the fact ░░░░░░░░ this virus is going ░░░░░░░░ be sticking around Our ░░░░░░░░ is to decrease severe ░░░░░░░░ hospitalization and death But ░░░░░░░░ are still some things ░░░░░░░░ don t really know ░░░░░░░░ don t know how ░░░░░░░░ this novel variant the ░░░░░░░░ variant affects children It ░░░░░░░░ our responsibility to keep ░░░░░░░░ safe until they can ░░░░░░░░ vaccinated And it s ░░░░░░░░ responsibility to stop these ░░░░░░░░ while there are still ░░░░░░░░ many who are unvaccinated ░░░░░░░░ there are 200 hospital ░░░░░░░░ in San Francisco who ░░░░░░░░ gotten sick over the ░░░░░░░░ couple of weeks because ░░░░░░░░ exposure largely to unvaccinated ░░░░░░░░ who caught Delta who ░░░░░░░░ got the vaccinated sick ░░░░░░░░ s not fair So ░░░░░░░░ we have to learn ░░░░░░░░ live with this but ░░░░░░░░ is not the moment ░░░░░░░░ we drop our precautions ░░░░░░░░ we get all of ░░░░░░░░ kids vaccinated when we ░░░░░░░░ a little more about ░░░░░░░░ long term effects of ░░░░░░░░ breakthroughs then that s ░░░░░░░░ point in which this ░░░░░░░░ yet another virus that ░░░░░░░░ part of our day ░░░░░░░░ day life RAJU Serious ░░░░░░░░ Never going back Dr ░░░░░░░░ Ranney thank you for ░░░░░░░░ insight and for joining ░░░░░░░░ this morning.”