The Perfect Enemy | Mass. doctor on Boston monitoring wastewater for COVID-19

Mass. doctor on Boston monitoring wastewater for COVID-19

FIVE AT 530. THE CITY OF BOSTON PLANS TO OPEN NEARLY A DOZEN NEW SITES TO TEST WASTEWATER FOR COVID 19. HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS IS DR. HELEN BOUCHET, THE DEAN OF TUFTS MEDICAL SCHOOL AND AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER. DR. BOUCHET, THANKS. AS ALWAYS, FOR JOINING US. ALL RIGHT, DR. BOUCHET, AS YOU KNOW, THE M.W. R.A. HAS BEEN MONITORING COVID LEVELS IN THE WASTEWATER FOR, WELL OVER A YEAR NOW. AND IT’S BEEN A REALLY RELIED PREDICTOR OF UPCOMING SURGES. SO DO YOU THINK THE CITY OF BOSTON NEEDS THESE SITES? WELL, I THINK IT’S REALLY GREAT THAT THE CITY OF BOSTON IS EXPANDING TO LOOK AT A MORE LOCAL LEVEL. WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT THE WASTEWATER GIVES THE GREAT INSIGHTS INTO WHAT’S HAPPENING IN BIG AREAS OF OUR STATE. AND THIS NEXT PHASE IS GOING TO ALLOW US TO LOOK DOWN TO CLOSER TO A NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL. SO WE CAN GET A SENSE OF WHAT MIGHT BE COMING AND HOW IT MIGHT BE DIFFERENT. WE KNOW IT’S DIFFERENT FROM SOME VERY WELL DONE STUDIES THAT NEIGHBORHOODS CAN BE QUITE DIFFERENT. INTERESTING. SO MORE LOCALIZED. YEAH. SO WE DO KNOW COVID LEVELS, THEY’RE RISING. RIGHT. AND THE TREND MAY CONTINUE THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS AND EVERYONE GATHERING. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT WOULD CHANGE IF MORE PEOPLE ACTUALLY GOT THEIR BOOSTERS? BECAUSE THAT NUMBER IS STILL PRETTY LOW. RIGHT. WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO ON THE BOOSTERS AND WE KNOW THAT THESE BOOSTERS ARE VERY EFFECTIVE AT PREVENTING SERIOUS ILLNESS AND DEATH FROM COVID IN THE GROUP THAT I BELIEVE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO FOCUS ON RIGHT NOW IS THE OLDER POPULATION. SO CERTAINLY PEOPLE ABOUT THE AGE OF 65 WHERE WE HAVE ON THE RANGE OF 40 TO 50% OF OUR POPULATION, HAVING RECEIVED THAT BIVALENT BOOSTER, I THINK THAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT GROUP FOR US TO THINK ABOUT PROTECTING. ALL RIGHT. LET’S SAY YOU’VE GOTTEN YOUR BOOSTER. YOU HAVE YOUR FLU SHOT. WE ARE. YOU KNOW, IT’S BEEN AFTER TWO KIND OF DISTURBED HOLIDAY SEASONS WITH THE PANDEMIC. I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE THEIR PLANS SET AND THEY’RE READY TO CELEBRATE WITH LOVED ONES. SO WHAT PRECAUTIONS, IF ANY, DO WE STILL NEED TO FOLLOW? YEAH, IT’S A GREAT QUESTION. SO I THINK IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT EVERYONE MAKES DECISIONS ABOUT THE LEVEL OF RISK THAT THEY’RE WILLING TO TAKE. AND I THINK IT’S POSSIBLE TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH YOUR FAMILY. AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT CAN MAKE YOU SAFER, RIGHT? SO CERTAINLY BEING VACCINATING FOR BOTH FLU AND COVID IS IMPORTANT VERY IMPORTANT NOT TO GO TO WORK SCHOOL OR A PARTY OR GATHERING IF YOU’RE SICK. AND STILL PEOPLE ARE DOING THAT. AND WE KNOW THAT THAT TRANSMITS THESE VIRUSES. RIGHT. OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO ARE TAKE A TEST, A COVID TEST ON THE DAY OF A GATHERING, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE VULNERABLE OLDER RELATIVES, FOR EXAMPLE, OR OTHER PEOPLE AT RISK. YOU CAN MASK IN INDOOR, CROWDED SETTINGS WHERE THERE’S POOR VENTILATION. I THINK ALL THOSE THINGS CAN HELP LOWER THE RISK OF YOUR FAMILY GATHERING AND KEEP YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY SAFE TO ENJOY THOSE HOLIDAYS. OKAY. DR. HELEN BOUCHET FR

Mass. doctor on Boston monitoring wastewater for COVID-19

The city of Boston plans to open nearly a dozen new sites to test waste water for COVID-19.