Doctor talks vaccine, second wave, flu season

As flu season looms, public health officials are taking the opportunity to remind us why this year, a flu shot is more important than ever before.

Counties.

Like any public health campaign... such as seatbelts and helmets... behavior doesn't change over night... however public health officials say that for covid to truly stop... that's exactly what needs to change -- our behavior.

Kezi 9 news reporter emma jerome spoke with lane county's top doc today who says time is of the essense.

We know by now that coronavirus is being spread by group gatherings in homes.

And we know its infecting a lot of people in their late teens and early twenties.

And though the survival rate is exceedingly high for people of that age group... doctor patrick luedtke reminded me of some sneaky side effects of this rapid spread that we might have forgotten about.

He said one overlooked consequence of high coronavirus numbers especially as they relate to hospitalizations are that elected procedures go out the door dr luedtke says he is seeing some encouraging behavior such as people holding one another accountable in public for things such as keeping their distance and wearing a mask..

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Behaviors he says we're all going to have to keep up if we want to see this nasty virus go away dr patrick luedtke senior health direcotr, lane county public health, 12:28: " those elective surgeries disappear when the hospital is full or when the hospital is a risky space // 12: 38 "and that's a real concern because heart attacks don't stop, strokes don't stop, and car accidents don't stop" he said a great way to relieve the pressure from hospitals is to get your flu shot... and to get it early... he says we are likely to get a vaccine for coronavirus by december... and it will add pressure to health care workers if people are rushing in to get vaccinated both for coronavirus and the flu he also said that public health officials believe coronavirus will hit its peak come late fall or early winter -- reporting live in eugene emma jerome kezi 9 news meals