Hello and welcome to PBS.

39 and WLVT hours.

Community update on coronavirus.

It's presented by Capital e Cross and brought to you wh help from our community par Lehigh Valley Health Netwo.

We are coming to you live h our final show from PBL Puc Media Center in Bethlehem.

I'm Zoom callsBrittany Swey Community Update on coronas began March 16th of last yr just as Pennsylvania was gg into lockdown and a few don cases of Covid-19 were repd throughout the state 15 mos and 130 shows later.

We have learned so much moe about this novel coronavir.

The toll has been staggeri.

More than 34 million infecs and 600,000 deaths in the S alone.

Vaccines have brought some relief and hope as well asa sense of not what normal ud to be, but as we'll be heag in just a little bit, the fight, it's not over.

We hope we've helped in answering your questions ad we're incredibly grateful r the health care heroes whoe worked so hard to get us through this significant progress in containing the virus is bringing this shoo a close.

But before we do, there's e to cover here.

Our guests today include an infectious disease specialt who's been with us every sp of the way and will reconnt with a Covid-19 survivor.

One of the first people ine Lehigh Valley to come off a ventilator after a near fal case of the virus.

Our guests will be with usn just a couple of minutes.

If you have a question, yon give us a call.

The phone number is four et four eight two one zero zeo zero eight.

We'll answer some of your questions live.

Plus, for the latest coronaviruses updates, youn always sign up for our newsletter to do that.

Visit the website coronavis Lehigh Valley.

.Org.

There you'll find helpful information in both Englisd Spanish.

Let's take a look at todays top headlines.

Pennsylvania has surpassede than 11 million vaccinatios doses going to more than 6f the entire state population Lehigh in Northampton couns over 70% of people age 18 d up have gotten at least the first dose.

That's 400,000 people, do ?

The state reported.

380 new Korona virus casesd 19 more deaths.

The number of people in the hospital is also falling.

630 statewide, all told, ny 27,500 Pennsylvanians haved from Covid-19.

The United States is confrd with an ever growing surplf Covid-19 vaccines that, alg with looming expiration da, come as other nations are clamoring for doses to slow infection rates.

Some states are halting new orders and giving millionsf doses back to the federal government President Biden Biden's goal of giving at t one shot to 70% of adults y July 4th seems unlikely inw Jersey, frustrated parentse calling on Governor Phil My to relax mandates for mask wearing in schools.

They testified today durinn assembly Republican hearing that masks are taking a sol and psychological toll on s and making it harder to le.

The hearing lact testimonym health officials.

The CDC recommends studentd staff wear masks in schoold Lehigh Valley Health Netwos putting out an urgent callr blood donors.

The blood supply is at critically low levels hered across the nation.

LVHN has blood drives pland for June 16 in Hazelton ann Wednesday, July 7th, at the Cedar Crest campus and Allentown, you can schedula blood donation by calling 0 would be a donor.

That's 800 two to three six six, six seven.

Or by going online, give at dog.

It's time now to meet our guests for the day.

Dr Luther Rhodes is an infectious disease doctor h Lehigh Valley Health Netwo.

Also here is Chris McMilla% He came down with Covid-19n March of 2020.

We'll find out how he's ben doing more than a year sine his release from the hospi.

Chris, it's great to see we will be with you in just a couple of minutes.

We're going to begin todayh Dr Rhodes.

Dr Rhodes.

First off, I want to thanku and everyone at Lehigh Valy Health Network for all youe done during this pandemic.

Well, thank you, Brittany.

It's an honor to have participated over the lasty shows.

I think what is really wham really grateful for the opportunity to interact wih others in my community.

Your show as well named ass a community conversation at an a terrible pandemic that caught everybody off guard.

I think the more expert you were, you were at the begig of this, the more humbled you've become.

And we've learned a lot of lessons about the virus.

And I think even more lesss about ourselves.

Sure.

Dr Rhodes, we couldn't have done it without you.

You've joined us on this sw so many times, always givig great information and advi.

I know we're not quite outf the woods yet.

But when you reflect on all that's happened, what are e of the things that you thik about during this pandemic?

Well, the first thing is is unprecedented in terms of s impact.

This virus is be my fifth pandemic, if you will, air quotes over my career.

What is the first one thats risen to the point of closg schools industry locking us down, etc is the first ones had that impact on our cou, our state and on the world.

So that part is obviously u can't miss that message bye same token, it if something this bad had to happen, ths medical industry had been positioned to respond in rd time to this threat one yer ago, vaccine was just a hoe and a wish.

And you just announced a Je Gale that better than halfe country and half the states already vaccinated.

Nobody nobody saw that com.

So there's some really gret lessons, bitter lessons toe learned if you will.

But we've come a long way.

We've learned a lot of this about Covid things to do, things not to do.

The medical profession wast like everybody else caughtf guard, one to the severityd two of these guidelines, In some of these guidelines lk sort of silly in retrospec, but in fairness to to the people, the published guidelines, they were tryio do the right thing and tryg to, if you will, do the sat thing.

But I think we should not e energy second guessing our decisions, but look forwaro what did we really learn fm this?

I think the public health t of our community medical community and so should bea public health part, as I tk gained a new position and a level of respect.

I think we've all learned e valuable lessons about pubc health measures.

Covid-19 pandemic, you've studied other pandemics lie SARS and Ebola.

How did you take what you learned from those and appy them to the Covid-19 pande?

Well, probably the first tg was the enhanced communications, for exampl, SARS, one, which was 2003, looked every bit as severes SARS to and the Manual for Preparedness, just like SAo in SARS.

One was the mysterious, stl unexplained just disappeare of SARS one but the lessons were learned about what too if they included things lie closing schools, shutting n society.

That looks like something.

That's one thing on a manu.

It's another thing when it actually happens.

But I will say the communications, the abilito transmit information from January of of 2000 20 whene genome of the virus was pun the internet, it took justa month or less from that information to be taken bye experts and put into a vac.

I mean, that's unprecedent.

That would never have occud ten years ago or 20 years .

And so on.

So I think important lessos about this pandemic is I dt think will ever forget it n terms of its severity and lessons learned.

I think worldwide I think l stay with this mostly posie the negative things and the mistakes.

I think we can all learn to forget those.

But the serious important lesson is from some simple things like restrictions of of freedom.

And so on.

Those are key issues that I think we've been dealing wh and we will deal with for e time now.

Sure.

Dr Rhodes, I wanted to asku about what we don't know at the virus yet.

Are there unanswered quests about the virus that if answered, would then give s the upper hand in this pandemic?

What do you still what woud you still like to know abot all of this?

Well, a couple of things.

One is if we can get even better vaccines, the others it just impressed me knowig that people will ask me ona day to day basis about this like variants, Emmaus and u just to show you how the pc has become so sophisticate.

But we have a lot to learnt about the transmission of s virus and other viruses.

Influenza, for example, disappeared over the last r and it isn't exclusively because of a mask and a had washing and whatever, becae not everybody follows that.

But influenza is somewhat t down.

So that tells me a lot thae virus is going to do the wg thing.

We have to be humble and recognize that we can't predict.

But what we can react perhs earlier.

And I think now the conversation about potentil restriction in the future s going to be an immediate conversation and an early n the process.

I don't think we're going o see overnight shutdowns of anything any more without a better conversation or more through our conversation.

Dr Rhodes, from what I've learned in the past, few ms about vaccines is because f the influenza vaccine and w long that took to develop.

That's the reason why we we able to develop that the experts were able to devela Covid-19 vaccine so quickl.

Can you talk about that tie frame that's such a short e frame when you think aboute development of a vaccine, n you talk about all of thatr us and what that means in e world of science?

Well, the fact that I've learned more about vaccinen the last year than I've evr known my entire life is lie having gone back to school.

I'm just amazed that the science of vaccinology andt I'm also sure the only rean we've made such progress is somewhat we're lucky becaus I said at beginning is this pandemic at a unique time t the scientists, if you wiln the laboratory is the Monre County experts.

When I first heard about ts last, you know, said, hey,I can do that.

And they did it overnight almost within TikTok, Eddie Moran a technology and a gd vaccine.

I'm hoping that next year r maybe not this year, but te following year, influenza vaccine is uses the M or te technology.

It's faster.

It's very I mean, you're talking 90% plus efficacy.

That's really good for vace 30, 40% on a good year.

So we have advances to makd lessons learned.

But I think there are posie certainly it's been a it'sn a wake up call to a lot of aspects of public medicinen general.

Some of the things we've already Covid aren't goingo be forgotten soon.

If you had to make your bet guess today, would you sayt we are going to need boosts at point?

Well, the booster, it means maybe an annual short Giul.

I think so unless this virs knows what its ancestor ore does, it just disappears.

That's likely.

As I say, that's like makig your bank in your state one publisher's Clearinghouse d of an economy doesn't workt way.

But I think the likelihoodf us getting caught totally f guard, very small influenzs going to be watched very carefully.

I think that probably whatl rollout is a vaccine that d both Covid and influenza ie same shot as my expected my hope and expectation going forward.

And that wouldn't be uncom.

Remember, the flu vaccine currently has forced it.

So the flu vaccine we get w covers four different flu vaccine viruses.

So the Anne Panik Covid stn or Covid vaccine, it covers several various wouldn't uncommon and technically vy doable.

Doctor Ro, do you have a different perspective?

Most people you've spent yr career studying infectious diseases, so what has the t year meant to you?

Well, it's been humbling.

I think if there is any elt of me that was going to sit back and look back and pontificate about Fred Rogs that all went away Januarya year ago to realize, hey, e in the thick of it with a something in my area of expertize that was new and behave differently.

And I thought it was goingo do differently than a lot f experts thought.

So that was humbling.

And in many respects focusg that to me, you never realy can just sort of stop learg and sit back and talk aboue old days.

I mean, I guess you can dot on the side.

But it but is not is not as not what the public needs r the public health needs.

Sure.

Your efforts have been wonderful throughout this t year, just guiding us throh this pandemic and bringings the information from the medical world that we've bn needed.

Dr Luther Rhodes from Lehih Valley Health Network, we'e going to have you sit tigh.

We're going to bring in our next guest, but we're goino have you weigh in on some f the things he has to say.

So in the meantime, we cone this community update on coronavirus on PBS39.

And you can hear the rebroadcast on the radio tonight at nine 30 on 91 te WLVT.

Let's bring in our next gu, Chris McMillan of Bethlehe.

Was like a lot of us when s all started.

Not sure what to make of i.

Then one night he got a fe.

He was the very first patit to be intubated at Lehigh Valley Hospital Muhlenbergd spent eight days on a ventilator.

Chris, it is so great to welcome you here today.

Looking healthy and happy.

You also were the very firt Covid-19 patient we spoke n this show.

So how have you been doing?

What's it been like comingk from this disease?

It's been a process.

I'm very, very lucky and vy happy to be where I am.

I mean, I feel a lot betten that last year.

It's definitely something t took stole.

But I'm happy to report tht where I was.

Chris, I want to take a mie and take a look at some vio of you when you were gettig out of the hospital.

Let's take a quick look att video.

That's the staff at Lehigh Valley Health Network just praising you for just your fight through this coronavs is on a ventilator for eigt days.

You weren't able to see yor family during that time.

You weren't able to have pe visit you a really difficut time.

So talk us through this mo.

What was it like leaving te hospital finally after allt time?

It was a little frightenin, but also a great I do wanto go home for a couple of da.

Part of that was that the I'm feeling almost back to have you on when they put u under, you know, me think t it was OK for me to leave t two am and then calmly sitg me down and saying, no, yoe staying here.

It was definitely a reliefd the staff there is so amaz.

They're so patient and fulf warmth and just attentive d just beautiful people.

They did, you know, they wI can't really put into word.

They were just amazing, amg people.

So Chris, let me ask you t. How has your life changed n the last year?

Are you different?

Do you still experience any symptoms from Covid-19?

What's life like today?

I have a little bit of menl fogginess that's kind of lingered, but I don't knowf that's just you know, I'm 0 years old now.

I could be just, you know, coming territory and physiy felt like I can, you know,e it through the day withouta nap.

Chris, we're going to get o that a little bit more witr Rhodes and ask him if thats normal.

But in the meantime, I wano congratulate you because B, because since then, in the past, you've gotten married actually you're on a mini i traveling to.

And we're taking a look ate of your wedding pictures.

So talk to us about the hay moment in your life.

Well, there was it was funy when I got home, I talked y then fiancee Jen and said,, you know, well, you know, e should do we should reallyu know, we talked before abot getting married and doing l this stuff.

And then she looked at me d she was like we did.

And apparently I hallucinad this whole scenario where d asked her already and she , Are you asking me?

And I said, Yeah, yeah, I m asking you let's get marri.

And then we decided to go h a very small private ceremy was the two of us, our thre kids, her sister and brothn law's witnesses and a celebrant.

And we did it over on Sande and one of the little footbridges our only guests were a third grade class.

You happened to be on a fid trip that needed to walk through in the middle of te ceremony, which were loveld funny and fantastic.

It made the whole day.

So it was fun.

I think that having Covid d living through that near-dh experience, I'm sure you realize life is short, so y not do it?

Those pictures were absoluy beautiful.

I did want to bring in Dr Rhodes while we have you as well, Dr Rhodes.

Chris talked about some ofs lingering symptoms from Covid-19 is this normal?

Are you hearing this from r Covid-19 patients as well?

Well, yes, actually it's fy common to hear things like fatigue, mental fog, and te like.

I'm actually so impressed h what Chris and Jen and your children have gone througho be able to recount this sty with the detail.

I've never on a show whereu were a marriage proposal ad Covid were discussed in the same sentence Kutztown so o your mental fog, I'll tell, you don't have much.

Oh, I'm sure you've had yor moments.

I'm sure it has been a tere well and likewise Jen Psakd your children.

But congratulations, you'rn excellent, if you will, roe model though for all of us.

I think to see that there s another side of of of Covid besides the things we vaccs at all we talk about theres the human element and reco.

So well, without your workI mean, I wouldn't be here.

So thank you so much for bg done and what your team has done.

And Chris, we've talked soh about vaccines as well on s show since we last talked o you.

You've been vaccinated.

So how do you feel after getting vaccinaed?

Did any of those symptoms subside because of the vaccination?

How do you feel?

I definitely feel better se being vaccinated.

There were you know, I feel like things are tapering dn Tatamy where the fogginesss getting less and less.

I feel more motivated to kd of get up and be active ano things in.

Before I was vaccinated, Is still feeling those kind of facts, still feeling those effects.

And Dr Rhodes, is that what you're hearing as well from Covid nine?

19 patients that when theyt vaccinated, do they still l the same way or are they feeling better or can you t that in perspective for us?

Well, yes, almost all the people I've talked to, pats I've had someone who have n vaccinated despite having d Covid or are glad they went through it.

Some do say that their syms actually felt less.

It's a little hard to know because time goes by and mt symptoms clearer with timet there's certainly no case t making things worse.

I know there's a politicalk and forth about the peopleo have had Covid really need vaccine.

The safest answer right no, expert guidance now is the vaccines are so good that t gives you extra protection.

It may be changed in the future, but I certainly wouldn't get into and I wod avoid political arguments r speculating right now.

There's just too much at s. There is definite benefit d protection of having had te disease.

No question about.

But that's enhanced by vace and frankly, having had Co, I never want to go throught again.

So jabbed me with as many needles as you need.

I'm I am up.

Sign me up.

Chris, do you have any idew you contracted Covid-19?

It's a mystery.

It was right at the beginng of the kind pandemic and we didn't know you know, I cae home and in the middle of e night I had a fever just happen.

Sure.

Sure.

And I was Doctor Road mentd a lot of these issues have become political issues.

A lot of people having that fight to wear masks or noto wear masks at this point, Chris, after having Covid-, where do you stand on all e safety, the safety standars that we've learned throught this pandemic?

And I say definitely stick with, you know, following e state protocols, followinge protocols of private businesses.

If somebody asks to wear ak just wear a mask.

It's not going to hurt you.

Sure.

And Dr Rhodes, as we contie in this pandemic, you know, summer, it's nicer out.

We're doing a lot more this outside.

How should people proceed?

Should we be continuing tor masks in certain situation?

Or are we out of the woods?

Well, I think what I wouldo be conscious of of of your environment if you're going into an environment where r preferred other people are wearing them or if sign one door says you still need to wear a mask, then that I wd comply.

I wouldn't get into a woult fight over it.

Or lose sleep over it becae this will eventually pull k will eventually get to the point where people aren't wearing masks and feel comfortable doing it.

But it's a process and it's wasted energy to get into a battle over it and becausew the messaging is changing r you odd if you wear a mask before it was you know, ifu didn't wear a mask, it was considered on.

Now people are starting to think, well, why is that pn wearing mask?

So I wouldn't waste energyn that.

I would respect where I'm g and keep in mind, you can always wear a mask.

There's no there's no placu says don't work mask if yoe comfortable with that for x months or a year from now, whatever I'd say fine.

It's a personal decision at some point.

Absolutely.

Thank you, Dr Rhodes and C. I wanted to ask you, althoh case counts are falling the excuse me, are still peoplo are coming down with Covid.

What would be your advice o someone who gets serious vf Covid-19 or to their loved?

What's your advice for the?

I would say monitor your symptoms and listen.

Your doctors and, you knowo not be afraid to ask quest.

Do not be afraid to call a doctor and say I don't know I feel about this.

And if you feel like can't breathe, go to the hospita.

There's no hesitation.

You need to take care of ts or it'll take care of you.

Chris, I think this last yr has changed everyone's perspective in some way or another.

How has your perspective ad outlook on life changed throughout the past year?

I don't want to waste a mo.

I want to spend every did I have left here just getting everything I can out of li.

I think that I think it's beautiful.

And I think, you know, thes so much we have to forward.

And Dr Luther Rhodes from Lehigh Valley Health Netwo, as always, thank you so muh for joinin us.

We want to thank our guestr being with us today and wet to thank you for joining ur community update on Coronavirus.

I'm Zoom callsBrittany Swey on behalf of everyone at Ps 39 and 91.3 WLVT.

Thanks for watching.

Stay safe and have a great weekend.