WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 29, 2022 – Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), chief medical advisor to President Biden and renowned physician-scientist who specializes in immunology, has recently come down with COVID-19 for the first time. He has served 6 presidents and has been involved with leading the government response to many pandemics from AIDS in the 1980’s to the ongoing COVID-19 infectious disease. Dr. Fauci has become a trusted source of information about accepted public health practices, vaccination and treatments in order to reduce virus transmission, severe illness and fatalities. He has appeared on television and the internet and much has been written about his recommendations.

“Each of us, in our own personal way, has to make an assessment of what risk you’re willing to accept about getting infected,” Fauci told CNN in April. “In general, the risk is low, but I made a personal assessment. I’m 81 years old, and if I get infected, I have a much higher risk.” He is up-to-date with his vaccination status including having had a primary vaccination series plus two boosters. Dr. Fauci famously avoided the White House Correspondents dinner, a large indoor event, in April because dozens of people got COVID after the Gridiron dinner, which he attended earlier in the month. Therefore, it would be helpful to know how a careful person like Dr. Fauci was unable to avoid getting COVID-19.

According to the NIAID, Dr. Fauci had mild Covid symptoms and a positive rapid antigen test on June 15^th. Four days earlier, on June 11^th, he attended his 60^th college reunion at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and was seen with and without a mask in photos. On June 12^th, the next day, he had a seven-hour interview at his home with a reporter from the Washington Post who had gotten sick with Covid two weeks earlier. The reporter tested negative three days in a row prior to the interview and wore a mask throughout the meeting, both indoors and outdoors. Except for an inadvertent handshake, there were no other breaches in public health etiquette during the interview.

According to ABC News, the college reunion was mentioned as a possible source because two others who attended the gathering tested positive. He has been treated with the antiviral treatment Paxlovid. However, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for Dr. Fauci. After completing a 5-day course and testing negative for three consecutive days, he tested positive on the fourth day. The next day the symptoms returned, worse than the first time. This has been identified as the “Paxlovid rebound.” According to a May 24, 2022 advisory, the CDC says that there is no evidence that any additional treatment is indicated for the rebound phenomena, but Dr. Fauci is on his second course of Paxlovid. Therefore, some people speculate that this might be part of a new research study.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

ASHEVILLE, NC – July 13, 2022 – The CDC reports that the risk level for Buncombe County is medium for the week ending July 7^th. For a community at a medium risk level, the CDC recommends:

• Wear a mask on public transportation.
• You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others.
• If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask indoors in public and take additional precautions.

The Buncombe County COVID-19 metrics are on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard. Data from the week ending on July 2^nd indicate:

• There have been 230 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 7 days up 17% from 197 cases from the previous week.
• 66% of the total population have received their full primary vaccination series. This is unchanged for over 4 months.
• 65% of people with their full primary vaccination series have had at least one booster. This has increased by 1% over the past week.
• The seven-day daily average of COVID-19 hospitalizations has increased 7% since last week and of ICU patients have decreased by 2 over the previous week.
• Wastewater surveillance may provide an early warning before individual testing shows that COVID-19 is spreading. The state dashboard reports that the 15-day rate of change of viral load for the Metropolitan Sewer District for Buncombe County is moderately increasing for the time period ending June 29^th. The CDC website reports moderately decreasing for the time period ending July 5^th.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends:

• Get vaccinated and boosted when eligible.
• People with any COVID symptoms or exposure to someone with COVID should get tested
• People who are positive for COVID-19 or do not feel well should stay home

Vaccination sites and testing sites can be located through the North Carolina and Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services.

Save your face masks:

• The risk level may rise with a new variant
• A person at high risk for severe illness should speak with their health care provider
• Mask wearing is recommended for persons with a positive test, having symptoms, or exposure to someone with COVID-19
• Effective May 4, 2022, the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services and the CDC recommend wearing masks in health care and long-term care settings. The N95 or KN95 mask offers the best protection. Wear a mask that is well-fitting.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

TUSCALOOSA, AL – June 28, 2022 –  NBC news reported a new OSHA pilot-study for the prevention of heat-related illness by testing wearable arm bands for workers in at-risk small-to-medium sized businesses in Alabama. This device measures a person’s heart rate, exertional level and core temperature. Excessive core temperatures above 106 degrees are associated with heat-related illness. Workers at Black Warrior Brewing Company in Tuscaloosa, Alabama have been wearing these devices. Many have had to load kegs and pallets of cans onto trucks in the scorching Alabama heat this summer. Once a worker’s core temperature reaches 100 degrees (normal is 98.6 degrees), the workers are asked to take a break before returning to work. Sam Ambrose, the head brewer, feels that this device can prevent serious heat-related illness from happening. He said “I’ve seen a lot of serious stuff happen in a lot of heat incidence.”

The prevention of heat-related illness in workers has become a priority of the Biden Administration since a September 2021 initiative, consistent with his prioritization of fighting climate change and its resultant environmental and health impacts. Currently OSHA does not have a specific standard for hazardous heat conditions so President Biden would like the agency to develop heat-specific workplace rules in order to protect workers and prevent heat-related illness. One example is having a heat acclimatization program for all workers. There are almost three thousand cases of missed work a year.

Millions of workers are susceptible to heat in the workplace in outdoor and indoor environments. Some indoor industries where workers have suffered heat-related illness are kitchens, bakeries, steel mills, manufacturing with local heat sources, and warehouses. At-risk outdoor industries include farming, construction, landscaping, and oil operations.  A disproportionate number of these jobs are held by Black and Brown workers.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

Summertime, 2022 –  There are more frequent extreme weather events like higher temperatures and heat waves in the United States because of climate change. Heat-related illness is the nation’s leader of weather-related fatalities. There is an average of 35 fatalities a year. The recent heat wave in June with record-breaking temperatures over 100 degrees has affected over 100 million people. University of Michigan Public Health Professor Marie O’Neil comments, “With climate change, extreme weather, including heat, is becoming more frequent and intense. Hot weather has unequal impacts, and seniors, very young children, outdoor workers, people without access to air conditioning, and those with chronic illnesses are among the most vulnerable.”

Many factors have a role creating heat stress including environmental conditions, level of physical activity, type of clothing or protection gear, and individual risk factors. Environmental heat factors include: air temperature, humidity, local radiant heat sources and air flow. The heat index, commonly used to measure environmental conditions, is what the temperature feels like to the human body. It is determined by air temperature and humidity.

People have been warned to limit their exposure to the high temperatures outside. They may overheat very quickly, leading to potential health problems of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Symptoms of heat exhaustion are: headache, dizziness or fainting. Additional symptoms include: weakness, wet skin, confusion, thirst, nausea or vomiting. Heat stroke is a more severe condition and can be fatal. Symptoms include: confusion, passing out, seizures, and hot dry skin. It is recommended that everyone take frequent breaks out of the heat, drink plenty of water (at least one pint of water per hour) and wear light-colored, lightweight, loose-fitting clothing. Acclimatization is a beneficial physiologic adaptation that occurs after repeated exposure to a hot environment.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

ASHEVILLE, NC – June 29, 2022 – The Buncombe County COVID-19 metrics are on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard. Data from the week ending on June 25^th indicate:

• The CDC reports that the risk level for Buncombe County is low for the week ending June 23^rd. Most of Western North Carolina is at low risk level. For a community at a low risk level, the CDC recommends:
  • Have well ventilated indoor spaces
  • If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask indoors in public and take additional precautions.
• There are 197 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 7 days up 8% from 182 cases from the previous week.
• 66% of the total population have received their full primary vaccination series. This is unchanged for over 3 months
• 64% of people with full primary vaccination series have had at least one booster. This is unchanged for the past 2 weeks.
• The seven-day daily average of COVID-19 hospitalizations has increased 8% since last week and of ICU patients are unchanged over the previous week.
• Wastewater surveillance may provide an early warning before individual testing shows that COVID-19 is spreading. The state dashboard reports that the 15-day rate of change of viral load for the Metropolitan Sewer District for Buncombe County is severely increasing for the time period ending June 22^nd. The CDC website reports no recent data for the time period ending June 28^th.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends:

• Get vaccinated and boosted when eligible.
• People with any COVID symptoms or exposure to someone with COVID should get tested
• People who are positive for COVID-19 or do not feel well should stay home

Vaccination sites and testing sites can be located through the North Carolina and Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services.

Save your face masks:

• The risk level may rise with a new variant
• A person at high risk for severe illness should speak with their health care provider
• Mask wearing is recommended for persons with a positive test, having symptoms, or exposure to someone with COVID-19
• Effective May 4, 2022, the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services and the CDC recommend wearing masks in health care and long-term care settings. The N95 or KN95 mask offers the best protection. Wear a mask that is well-fitting.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour