THE DATA, and graphs — Wednesday, Chief Medical Executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Joneigh S. Khaldun, spoke with FOX17.
Dr. Khaldun confessed, “We're really concerned about what we're seeing now, we've seen over an 80% increase in cases just over the past few weeks.”
The data, and graphs, show the facts. Michigan’s predicted “second wave” of Covid-19 is here, and according to Dr. Khaldun, covid numbers are rising not because of a change in seasons, but because of our behavior.
“The virus.. it's really about people's behaviors,” says Dr. Khaldun.
“When people are more likely to be indoors, which is less safe than outdoors, they're more likely to be in close contact with someone. They're also more likely to be in a place that has poor ventilation. Those are the reasons why the virus spreads. When people are indoors with poor ventilation, and don't have mask on, they aren't washing their hands, and they’re gathering and groups. It's really important that everyone really takes this seriously.
Dr. Khaldun says it should be at least 7 months before a vaccine for Covid-19 is widely distributed in Michigan.
According to Dr. Khaldun our best defense in the meantime is prevention.
“The most important thing is really prevention,” confirms Dr. Khaldun.
“That's the best thing we have right now is preventative measures. That means wearing the mask, and just not getting the virus in the first place.”
It’s advice we’ve been hearing for about 8 months now, but Dr. Khaldun says aside from steroid use, and a technique called proning being used in hospitals, masks and social distancing are more important than ever for Covid-19 prevention.
This type of prevention is especially important when it comes to your holiday gatherings.
“We’ve got to be safe, we cannot risk our lives and have this virus spread,” notes Dr. Khaldun.
“If you can avoid gatherings, the smaller the better. If you're going to be around other people, try to make it outdoors, put a coat on if it's a little chilly outside, but try and see if you can do things outdoors. Even when you're outdoors, if you're going to be closer than six feet, make sure you're wearing that mask and wash your hands. We can't get complacent. This virus is attacking us, and we have to remain vigilant.”
“We know what to do, Michigan's done it before, and I'm confident we can do it again,” concludes Dr. Khaldun.
Click here for a full guide for celebrating the holidays safely, curtesy of the MDHHS.