WEBVTT 00:00.197 --> 00:02.090 ♪ So let me see your reflective belt ♪ 00:02.090 --> 00:04.431 ♪ Let me see your reflective belt ♪ 00:04.431 --> 00:06.661 ♪ So let me see your reflective belt ♪ 00:06.661 --> 00:08.129 ♪ You better put it on ♪ 00:08.129 --> 00:08.972 ♪ Better better put it on ♪ 00:08.972 --> 00:09.853 ♪ You better put it on ♪ 00:09.853 --> 00:11.111 ♪ Better better put it on ♪ 00:11.111 --> 00:11.997 ♪ You better put it on ♪ 00:11.997 --> 00:13.050 ♪ Better better put it on ♪ 00:13.050 --> 00:16.800 - So on a positive note our ACC team's efforts at work 00:16.800 --> 00:19.360 have been overwhelmingly successful. 00:19.360 --> 00:23.120 That said, exposure to COVID-19 is happening off duty 00:23.120 --> 00:25.350 more than it's happening on duty. 00:25.350 --> 00:28.540 So based on our case tracking and review of case clusters 00:28.540 --> 00:31.000 over the past seven months, we know that activities 00:31.000 --> 00:32.612 such as going to restaurants, 00:32.612 --> 00:35.720 attending group social events and traveling, 00:35.720 --> 00:38.890 and that's either for work, or for pleasure, 00:38.890 --> 00:42.160 are some of the most common sources of exposure. 00:42.160 --> 00:44.840 So during public health investigations, 00:44.840 --> 00:47.270 cases in a work center are usually traced back 00:47.270 --> 00:50.320 to someone who was involved in an off-duty event 00:50.320 --> 00:54.550 or had a family member involved in a social or work event. 00:54.550 --> 00:57.850 And then the workplace member inadvertently brought it back 00:57.850 --> 01:00.890 to his or her workplace while asymptomatic. 01:00.890 --> 01:02.810 So that's basically what we're seeing. 01:02.810 --> 01:05.800 Since the virus can spread before there are symptoms, 01:05.800 --> 01:08.620 our Force Health Protection requirements are important. 01:08.620 --> 01:11.870 So as you mentioned, it's wear a mask outside the homes, 01:11.870 --> 01:14.780 stay at least six feet away from others, 01:14.780 --> 01:18.120 wash your hands often both on and off duty, 01:18.120 --> 01:19.972 And boy, all the information 01:19.972 --> 01:21.950 I could go into regarding travel, 01:21.950 --> 01:24.642 like carrying wipes and all that fun stuff, 01:24.642 --> 01:27.400 is a whole other interview. 01:27.400 --> 01:30.210 But I'd like to add, to please encourage 01:30.210 --> 01:32.070 your family members to do the same, 01:32.070 --> 01:34.070 while we can talk to our airmen. 01:34.070 --> 01:36.840 Really what we're finding is a lot of these family clusters. 01:36.840 --> 01:38.390 So it's important that they're following 01:38.390 --> 01:40.934 those same Force Health Protection requirements. 01:40.934 --> 01:43.035 So these actions will not prevent all 01:43.035 --> 01:44.990 of the infections, but we've seen 01:44.990 --> 01:47.780 that those who follow the guidance habitually, 01:47.780 --> 01:51.310 are way less likely to contract the virus. 01:51.310 --> 01:54.840 For example, so nationwide public health professionals 01:54.840 --> 01:57.280 are seeing more young people with COVID. 01:57.280 --> 01:59.640 As a matter of fact, over the past few months, 01:59.640 --> 02:03.060 cases in young people under the age of 25, have doubled. 02:03.060 --> 02:05.962 So think about our airmen population. 02:05.962 --> 02:08.788 So we have many in this age group 02:08.788 --> 02:12.540 and yet in ACC, we've actually seen that number 02:12.540 --> 02:16.220 in our airmen, E1 to E4, has actually decreased 02:16.220 --> 02:17.720 over that same timeframe. 02:17.720 --> 02:19.150 So why do you think that is? 02:19.150 --> 02:22.240 I truly think it's leadership focus 02:22.240 --> 02:25.320 on adherence to the Force Health Protection requirements. 02:25.320 --> 02:28.395 So bottom line, our ACC goal is to preserve the mission 02:28.395 --> 02:31.220 and to protect our airmen and their families. 02:31.220 --> 02:32.750 Everyone needs to do their part 02:32.750 --> 02:35.220 whether they think themselves vulnerable or not, 02:35.220 --> 02:36.717 a lot of our young airmen are like, 02:36.717 --> 02:39.040 "I've got it, I know somebody who's had it, 02:39.040 --> 02:40.027 it's no problem." 02:40.027 --> 02:43.270 The problem is about 40% of Americans 02:43.270 --> 02:46.460 have a high risk condition, or a loved one 02:46.460 --> 02:49.510 with a high risk condition, which makes them more vulnerable 02:49.510 --> 02:52.270 to severe effects of COVID-19. 02:52.270 --> 02:55.060 So in the air force, though we've just had about 02:55.060 --> 02:57.509 over a hundred airmen who have been hospitalized, 02:57.509 --> 03:00.293 all have recovered and come out well. 03:00.293 --> 03:03.270 So although we haven't had an air force, 03:03.270 --> 03:05.477 ACC active duty death to date, 03:05.477 --> 03:07.510 we have lost some family members, 03:07.510 --> 03:10.500 some contractors and civilians to COVID 03:10.500 --> 03:13.150 and clearly one loss it's way too many. 03:13.150 --> 03:15.964 Therefore, to protect our entire air force family, 03:15.964 --> 03:18.510 be a good wing man to protect yourself 03:18.510 --> 03:20.490 and those around you, by doing what you can 03:20.490 --> 03:21.910 to stop the spread. 03:21.910 --> 03:23.610 When you're looking at family clusters, 03:23.610 --> 03:25.250 I think we need to remember where 03:25.250 --> 03:28.400 we spend all our effort, is talking to airmen 03:28.400 --> 03:31.740 about their Force Health Protection requirements 03:31.740 --> 03:32.573 that they need to do. 03:32.573 --> 03:34.440 They need to wear their mask when they're at work, 03:34.440 --> 03:36.500 they need to wash their hands, 03:36.500 --> 03:38.238 they need to keep that social distance. 03:38.238 --> 03:41.260 When you're at home, think about how often 03:41.260 --> 03:44.330 you keep social distance with your family members 03:44.330 --> 03:46.300 or your cat, also your cat. 03:46.300 --> 03:49.607 When you start thinking about those, we tend to consider, 03:49.607 --> 03:52.210 "Hey, this is our family, there's no problems." 03:52.210 --> 03:55.490 The problem is, is that family is out doing things as well. 03:55.490 --> 03:58.170 So for example, when my daughter comes home, 03:58.170 --> 04:00.680 I know she's been at college, so what do I wanna do? 04:00.680 --> 04:03.353 I wanna hug on her, I wanna sit and watch movies 04:03.353 --> 04:06.180 on the couch and all good and fine, 04:06.180 --> 04:09.120 but I still need to remember that she easily, 04:09.120 --> 04:14.120 as a young 20 year old had to be an asymptomatic carrier. 04:14.330 --> 04:17.203 So we just have to be careful even in our home, 04:18.100 --> 04:21.080 where you think that you're a completely protected, 04:21.080 --> 04:22.660 we're finding that we do see a lot 04:22.660 --> 04:25.190 of families that ended up positive together. 04:25.190 --> 04:26.710 - That was actually, my mom came to visit 04:26.710 --> 04:28.210 and I was quite worried about that, 04:28.210 --> 04:29.437 her coming off the plane, I was like, 04:29.437 --> 04:31.207 "Get in the shower and scrub." 04:32.656 --> 04:36.280 - That, and it's really hard, but honestly, 04:36.280 --> 04:38.130 wearing a mask if you're really close. 04:38.130 --> 04:41.000 So what I tend to do is just sit a little bit further away 04:41.000 --> 04:41.833 from my daughter. 04:41.833 --> 04:44.060 And again, it's a risk, my daughter's 04:44.060 --> 04:46.290 been pretty good at school. 04:46.290 --> 04:49.820 And she says, she's wearing it all the time. 04:49.820 --> 04:52.320 They are encouraging in some of the schools though, 04:52.320 --> 04:54.553 pods, where they'll have a group of friends 04:54.553 --> 04:56.750 that they always hang around, 04:56.750 --> 04:58.500 so think about it a little bit, 04:58.500 --> 05:01.990 like we were doing with the blue teams and the silver teams. 05:01.990 --> 05:04.420 The, so they're encouraging find your pod family, 05:04.420 --> 05:07.360 that's the family that you can be around without a mask. 05:07.360 --> 05:10.380 So I found that fascinating, because if your pod goes down, 05:10.380 --> 05:12.950 you all quarantine together and you're done, 05:12.950 --> 05:15.330 but it still allows some of that interaction 05:15.330 --> 05:18.180 with people to keep your mental health. 05:18.180 --> 05:21.181 Obviously communicating with individuals is important. 05:21.181 --> 05:23.825 And although I'm getting really good at reading eyes 05:23.825 --> 05:26.420 on what people are thinking and are they excited, 05:26.420 --> 05:27.590 are they bored? 05:27.590 --> 05:29.470 You still can't see the face. 05:29.470 --> 05:31.530 - It looks like we're noticing a reluctance 05:31.530 --> 05:35.200 or stigma to reporting and getting tested. 05:35.200 --> 05:36.100 Do you know why? 05:36.100 --> 05:38.550 And more importantly, do you know what we can do? 05:39.660 --> 05:42.760 - Yeah, you know, as leaders, this is a delicate balance. 05:42.760 --> 05:44.520 And I would say it's a reluctance. 05:44.520 --> 05:47.200 I don't, I don't, I don't like the word stigma, 05:47.200 --> 05:51.550 I think that puts a negative connotation automatically. 05:51.550 --> 05:53.610 And I understand a little bit of reluctance. 05:53.610 --> 05:56.900 First of all, I recognize how hard working and committed 05:56.900 --> 05:58.700 to our mission our airmen are 05:58.700 --> 06:01.150 and how reluctant they are to be out of action. 06:01.150 --> 06:03.349 They feel like they're letting the unit down. 06:03.349 --> 06:05.900 That said the best way to protect the mission, 06:05.900 --> 06:08.490 is to keep COVID out of the workplace 06:08.490 --> 06:11.130 by practicing your personal protective measures, 06:11.130 --> 06:13.190 so your hand washing, your social distance 06:13.190 --> 06:15.410 and your mask wear and get tested 06:15.410 --> 06:19.360 if you experience symptoms or suspect exposure 06:19.360 --> 06:22.300 to somebody who has tested positive for COVID. 06:22.300 --> 06:25.360 We need to change our culture, as throughout my career 06:25.360 --> 06:27.440 and I bet you can say the same, 06:27.440 --> 06:29.300 there was almost a badge of honor 06:29.300 --> 06:31.100 for the members who came to work 06:31.100 --> 06:32.980 when they weren't feeling a hundred percent, 06:32.980 --> 06:35.760 like somehow they were more dedicated to the mission. 06:35.760 --> 06:37.930 And we really can't afford to do that 06:37.930 --> 06:40.470 during this global pandemic, as the potential 06:40.470 --> 06:43.790 for having a workplace culture and basically taking 06:43.790 --> 06:46.999 out the entire mission has a much higher impact 06:46.999 --> 06:49.950 on the mission than a single individual being 06:49.950 --> 06:52.030 out of commission for a period of time. 06:52.030 --> 06:56.190 - Is there a standard at all basis for that COVID testing, 06:56.190 --> 06:58.540 like you're saying, that one individual staying out, 06:58.540 --> 07:01.330 so is there a standard, if so, what? 07:01.330 --> 07:02.673 If not, Why? 07:04.000 --> 07:07.910 - Well, again, tough question, because I would say 07:07.910 --> 07:11.278 that in general, personnel are tested based 07:11.278 --> 07:15.670 on the department of the air force, tiered testing strategy. 07:15.670 --> 07:18.240 So that's in alignment with DOD strategy, 07:18.240 --> 07:19.690 so what does that mean? 07:19.690 --> 07:22.980 That means we've been testing a tier zero through three. 07:22.980 --> 07:25.950 So those are our symptomatic individuals, 07:25.950 --> 07:29.900 those who are identified in no fail mission sets 07:29.900 --> 07:31.470 and deployers for months. 07:31.470 --> 07:33.930 We've just begun the last tier, 07:33.930 --> 07:35.680 which is surveillance testing, 07:35.680 --> 07:38.670 aimed to identify asymptomatic people 07:38.670 --> 07:40.910 who may not know that they're infected. 07:40.910 --> 07:42.810 This gives leaders a better feel 07:42.810 --> 07:44.480 for the local based prevalence, 07:44.480 --> 07:46.490 which may drive protective changes, 07:46.490 --> 07:48.550 such as altered work schedules 07:48.550 --> 07:52.260 and added workplace health protection measures. 07:52.260 --> 07:54.400 So I think that this is a little bit of a shift 07:54.400 --> 07:56.410 and people are in different areas, 07:56.410 --> 07:59.109 on where they are in terms of testing. 07:59.109 --> 08:02.400 Some is because there's still a limited supply 08:02.400 --> 08:05.550 of tests and testing materials in the United States. 08:05.550 --> 08:09.130 And obviously we're awaiting FDA approval 08:09.130 --> 08:11.759 of some new platforms that we can leverage. 08:11.759 --> 08:14.380 So different bases are using different tests, 08:14.380 --> 08:17.340 based on their needs and what's available for purchase. 08:17.340 --> 08:20.490 Some of our bases have point of service testing, 08:20.490 --> 08:22.780 some send a lot of their testing out, 08:22.780 --> 08:26.660 so it it's very similar in that it follows our strategy, 08:26.660 --> 08:28.170 but a little bit different depending 08:28.170 --> 08:31.020 on capability at each of the bases. 08:31.020 --> 08:32.290 - Could you speak to a little bit 08:32.290 --> 08:34.240 to what those tiers are, when you're saying 08:34.240 --> 08:37.860 we're testing those tiers just for our general audience? 08:37.860 --> 08:39.000 - Yeah, absolutely. 08:39.000 --> 08:41.840 So tier zero are your symptomatic members, 08:41.840 --> 08:45.386 those who are coming in, they have maybe a fever, 08:45.386 --> 08:48.037 they're they're not feeling well. 08:48.037 --> 08:51.791 Maybe they have loss of taste or loss of smell, 08:51.791 --> 08:54.370 those things that would alert you to thinking 08:54.370 --> 08:57.640 that maybe that individual has COVID. 08:57.640 --> 09:00.380 It also includes the close contacts. 09:00.380 --> 09:04.240 So say you were COVID positive 09:04.240 --> 09:06.910 and you have a family member that is with you 09:06.910 --> 09:10.140 all the time in close proximity, you're not wearing masks. 09:10.140 --> 09:13.130 That person would also be a good one to test. 09:13.130 --> 09:15.850 So we count those in our tier zeros as well. 09:15.850 --> 09:19.980 Those that you really need to test right away. 09:19.980 --> 09:23.080 Tier one, and again, we like to think about some 09:23.080 --> 09:27.860 of our no-fail missions, like large groups of people 09:27.860 --> 09:32.860 that have to be in a small area, locked up together. 09:33.470 --> 09:35.760 Maybe those are ones that you're putting them 09:35.760 --> 09:38.940 into some self quarantine before they go to work 09:38.940 --> 09:40.230 over a period of time. 09:40.230 --> 09:42.744 And then they'll go to work for maybe two weeks 09:42.744 --> 09:45.690 and you want to test them before they go in, 09:45.690 --> 09:47.970 to make sure that you're not taking COVID 09:47.970 --> 09:49.500 into this small workspace. 09:49.500 --> 09:51.730 So we do have some of those as well. 09:51.730 --> 09:55.890 And then the tier three, tier two and tier three 09:55.890 --> 09:57.200 are really our deployers. 09:57.200 --> 10:00.100 And it's not that we're necessarily testing 10:00.100 --> 10:01.660 all of our deployers. 10:01.660 --> 10:04.430 Some locations require a negative test, 10:04.430 --> 10:08.420 some, some of our areas we can test a percentage 10:08.420 --> 10:10.650 of those that are deploying, just to make sure 10:10.650 --> 10:12.890 that we're doing the surveillance, looking around 10:12.890 --> 10:17.890 and trying to send clean non COVID airmen, downright. 10:18.440 --> 10:19.720 - We'll dive into the next one here, 10:19.720 --> 10:21.470 and it's talking about testing off base. 10:21.470 --> 10:22.830 So can you test off base? 10:22.830 --> 10:25.590 And if you do, what's the reporting requirement, 10:25.590 --> 10:26.483 when you do so? 10:27.760 --> 10:31.370 - So, beneficiaries can go to off-base facilities 10:31.370 --> 10:32.203 to be tested. 10:32.203 --> 10:35.970 For instance, my daughter is at the University of Virginia 10:35.970 --> 10:39.380 and they actually have unlimited testing if they wanna go, 10:39.380 --> 10:42.470 and they're worried about something, they can get tested. 10:42.470 --> 10:44.850 Additionally, before they went to school, 10:44.850 --> 10:47.580 they actually sent them some home tests. 10:47.580 --> 10:50.260 They had to do their own nasal swabs, send it back 10:50.260 --> 10:52.770 and have a negative test before they went back to school. 10:52.770 --> 10:57.280 So our beneficiaries can basically do what they would like. 10:57.280 --> 11:01.430 If positive, federal and state laws require the labs 11:01.430 --> 11:03.160 and providers to report the case 11:03.160 --> 11:05.620 to their state public health department. 11:05.620 --> 11:09.280 So if the positive case is a DOD beneficiary, 11:09.280 --> 11:11.910 the state will report to the military. 11:11.910 --> 11:15.670 Our MTS spend significant time building relationships 11:15.670 --> 11:17.580 with other civilian healthcare partners, 11:17.580 --> 11:20.030 to include our local public health departments. 11:20.030 --> 11:23.700 This is definitely proven to be a huge benefit 11:23.700 --> 11:25.390 during this pandemic. 11:25.390 --> 11:27.060 - So there's definitely no holes for anybody 11:27.060 --> 11:29.840 to get around, getting that reporting back 11:29.840 --> 11:31.310 to their public health. 11:31.310 --> 11:34.733 Should they also just, so I know that the company 11:34.733 --> 11:36.680 that they got the off-base test with, 11:36.680 --> 11:39.870 will report, should they be notifying their supervisor 11:39.870 --> 11:41.770 or notifying public health themselves? 11:43.670 --> 11:47.240 - Well, like if you were a civilian or a contractor, 11:47.240 --> 11:49.120 because our military are still going to go 11:49.120 --> 11:53.680 to our MTS to get tested, but our civilians 11:53.680 --> 11:55.788 and our contractors, absolutely. 11:55.788 --> 12:00.700 I mean, we were part of, we have military, 12:00.700 --> 12:02.700 we have civilians, we have contractors, 12:02.700 --> 12:04.260 all part of our workforce. 12:04.260 --> 12:06.160 We all want to do the right thing. 12:06.160 --> 12:11.160 So as a smart workplace ACC member, 12:11.540 --> 12:13.900 it's always beneficial to come back 12:13.900 --> 12:16.120 and let people know what your 12:16.120 --> 12:19.380 particular health situation is. 12:19.380 --> 12:22.160 So my recommendation is always circle back 12:22.160 --> 12:24.220 to your supervisor. 12:24.220 --> 12:25.560 If you know something, don't wait 12:25.560 --> 12:27.623 for your public health office to do it. 12:28.820 --> 12:30.870 - Awesome, thank you for clarifying that. 12:33.519 --> 12:34.720 Oh, and great. 12:34.720 --> 12:36.790 And our next question is pretty in line 12:36.790 --> 12:37.830 with this then isn't it? 12:37.830 --> 12:39.830 Is there a difference between military 12:39.830 --> 12:41.789 and civilian testing reporting? 12:41.789 --> 12:44.979 - So military testing and reporting is based 12:44.979 --> 12:47.320 on federal and state requirements too. 12:47.320 --> 12:48.510 So we're all in sync. 12:48.510 --> 12:50.850 So for military operational purposes, 12:50.850 --> 12:53.980 the military will test more personnel 12:53.980 --> 12:55.500 than just those who are sick 12:55.500 --> 13:00.370 and can report positive cases to HIPAA approved commander. 13:00.370 --> 13:02.050 So we're a little bit different, 13:02.050 --> 13:04.110 in that, you know, our public health office 13:04.110 --> 13:07.690 can reach out to a squadron commander, 13:07.690 --> 13:10.670 and let them know that their individual has COVID. 13:10.670 --> 13:13.460 Obviously this has an impact on readiness. 13:13.460 --> 13:14.630 It's a little bit different 13:14.630 --> 13:18.950 in for our people who are civilians 13:18.950 --> 13:22.060 and our contractors who see off-base providers, 13:22.060 --> 13:25.200 they have a little bit different privacy. 13:25.200 --> 13:27.870 And so back to the point you brought just before, 13:27.870 --> 13:31.421 it's really important that we, as members of the ACC team, 13:31.421 --> 13:34.120 let our supervisors know what's going on, 13:34.120 --> 13:36.800 to keep COVID out of the workplace. 13:36.800 --> 13:39.520 - Is there a reporting system set up and what is it? 13:39.520 --> 13:42.330 And I'm sorry if these are a bit redundant. 13:42.330 --> 13:44.650 - Not at all, this is just an it thing, 13:44.650 --> 13:46.400 which I am not super smart on, 13:46.400 --> 13:50.303 but we have a air force public health system 13:51.870 --> 13:54.730 that's called The Air Force Disease Reporting System 13:54.730 --> 13:56.130 Internet System. 13:56.130 --> 13:58.669 So it says system twice, I don't know why. 13:58.669 --> 14:02.250 To report all of the tri service reportable diseases. 14:02.250 --> 14:07.250 So that will include COVID-19 and for our DOD beneficiaries, 14:07.900 --> 14:09.760 but other diseases as well. 14:09.760 --> 14:12.920 Additionally, the air force has set up a reporting system 14:12.920 --> 14:15.370 just for COVID 19, to capture personnel 14:15.370 --> 14:17.360 who are not DOD beneficiaries. 14:17.360 --> 14:19.370 And you've brought this up a couple times, 14:19.370 --> 14:21.960 as have I, our civilians and our contractors 14:21.960 --> 14:24.440 who aren't authorized for Tri-Care. 14:24.440 --> 14:25.900 We still wanna capture them, 14:25.900 --> 14:29.370 because that is an impact to our workforce as well. 14:29.370 --> 14:31.180 - When we're talking about testing off base 14:31.180 --> 14:33.133 and the requirements for reporting. 14:34.050 --> 14:35.280 And we were thinking about that 14:35.280 --> 14:37.700 in that civilian contractor mindset, 14:37.700 --> 14:40.880 but say for instance there was a group of active duty people 14:40.880 --> 14:43.520 who were far away from a military installation, 14:43.520 --> 14:46.616 who started to see those symptoms and they tested off base. 14:46.616 --> 14:48.800 What would be the requirement for that, 14:48.800 --> 14:49.980 for those military members? 14:49.980 --> 14:53.140 Same thing, just supervisor public health? 14:53.140 --> 14:56.033 - Absolutely, and yeah, that's a little bit more complicated 14:56.033 --> 14:58.880 because you might not have that same relationship 14:58.880 --> 15:01.730 with their home station, military treatment facility 15:01.730 --> 15:03.560 and their local public health, 15:03.560 --> 15:06.470 but there's still a federal and state requirements 15:07.390 --> 15:08.730 for notifications. 15:08.730 --> 15:11.790 That said, I'm an active duty person, I'm on the road, 15:11.790 --> 15:14.840 I got a test, I'm gonna be calling my supervisor 15:14.840 --> 15:16.320 and telling him I got a test. 15:16.320 --> 15:20.060 If it's a point of service, you know, within anywhere 15:20.060 --> 15:23.380 from 15 minutes to a couple hours, what your results are. 15:23.380 --> 15:25.840 So hopefully that's the one they would get 15:25.840 --> 15:27.700 and you could call your supervisor right away 15:27.700 --> 15:28.860 and let them know. 15:28.860 --> 15:30.350 - What are the steps to reporting, 15:30.350 --> 15:34.000 and who, or how is that required to be done? 15:34.000 --> 15:35.030 - Oh, absolutely. 15:35.030 --> 15:38.010 So a military laboratory or provider, 15:38.010 --> 15:39.910 will report an air force case 15:39.910 --> 15:42.250 to the air force public health, okay? 15:42.250 --> 15:46.160 So then in the MTF, if that case meets 15:46.160 --> 15:48.820 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 15:48.820 --> 15:51.780 everybody knows what the CDC is, but I like to spell it 15:51.780 --> 15:54.940 out before I say CDC for the rest of the interview, 15:54.940 --> 15:57.760 but it needs to meet that case definition. 15:57.760 --> 15:59.940 The air force public health will enter it 15:59.940 --> 16:03.707 into the Air Force Disease Reporting System Internet System. 16:03.707 --> 16:07.930 It's so redundant, I hate just saying the name of it, 16:07.930 --> 16:10.120 but anyway into our public health system, 16:10.120 --> 16:14.810 and then for the air force, COVID 19 reporting commanders 16:14.810 --> 16:17.460 are required to ensure cases in their workforce 16:17.460 --> 16:19.460 and military dependants are reported. 16:19.460 --> 16:21.170 And what we're doing right now 16:21.170 --> 16:25.750 in ACC is we turn in a sit rep from the wing, 16:25.750 --> 16:28.830 from the installations three times a week. 16:28.830 --> 16:30.370 And so that gives us the feel. 16:30.370 --> 16:33.080 We were doing it seven days a week, I think it was hard 16:33.080 --> 16:36.850 on the, on the wings and our office up here, 16:36.850 --> 16:39.900 who's trying to do all the data and put the slides together 16:39.900 --> 16:41.620 but, but we're still getting it. 16:41.620 --> 16:43.920 So they know the work force better than anyone. 16:43.920 --> 16:45.850 And so that's why we really had to come up 16:45.850 --> 16:50.590 with that second, that second sit rep reporting, 16:50.590 --> 16:52.450 so that we were able to get a better feel 16:52.450 --> 16:54.902 for, "Hey, what do you know about the clusters? 16:54.902 --> 16:57.080 Are they from the same unit, any lessons learned 16:57.080 --> 16:59.835 and things that we can share across the command 16:59.835 --> 17:03.250 so that maybe we can avoid different clusters 17:03.250 --> 17:04.350 in the future." 17:04.350 --> 17:06.620 - And so what I'm understanding from this is 17:06.620 --> 17:08.260 when we're talking about the steps for reporting, 17:08.260 --> 17:10.530 and who's required to do that. 17:10.530 --> 17:13.390 Following that, it seems that it relies solely 17:13.390 --> 17:17.160 on the med group, public health to commander side, 17:17.160 --> 17:19.743 not so much the individual side. 17:20.980 --> 17:23.990 - True, but to your point, if somebody was out on leave 17:23.990 --> 17:25.570 and they weren't feeling well, and they went 17:25.570 --> 17:29.560 and got a COVID test, the rest of that's out of the system, 17:29.560 --> 17:32.010 it would probably take a really long time to catch up, 17:32.010 --> 17:35.370 so there is some individual responsibility as well. 17:35.370 --> 17:38.660 And again, back to your reluctance to tell somebody, 17:38.660 --> 17:42.440 it's incredibly important, if you get a positive test, 17:42.440 --> 17:43.470 to let us know. 17:43.470 --> 17:47.407 It helps us know the readiness of, of ACC, 17:48.280 --> 17:52.300 lets us know when readiness status is and obviously keeps it 17:52.300 --> 17:56.650 from spreading throughout our, our workplaces. 17:56.650 --> 17:59.460 - Absolutely, and if we wanted a quick 17:59.460 --> 18:02.680 and easy recommendation that we could give, you know, 18:02.680 --> 18:05.863 all of our general members, even down to our younger airmen, 18:07.060 --> 18:09.284 in that type of situation, what, 18:09.284 --> 18:11.953 what type of lines would we be looking like? 18:11.953 --> 18:14.887 Like if I, as a staff Sergeant woke up this morning 18:14.887 --> 18:17.580 and I didn't feel so hot, should I just call public health? 18:17.580 --> 18:21.030 Is that the easiest phone number to call? 18:21.030 --> 18:24.950 - I would go in to see, it actually almost every 18:24.950 --> 18:27.760 MTF now has a place where you can go 18:27.760 --> 18:30.010 if you feel like you might have COVID system. 18:30.010 --> 18:32.830 So let's use Langley as an example, 18:32.830 --> 18:34.630 there's actually a tent set up. 18:34.630 --> 18:36.870 So you'll go to your MTF. 18:36.870 --> 18:39.070 So public health will find out about it, 18:39.070 --> 18:41.920 but you still wanna get to a provider to take care of you. 18:41.920 --> 18:44.106 So whatever your local military 18:44.106 --> 18:47.961 treatment facility rules are, follow those. 18:47.961 --> 18:51.920 - So the, I'ma back this up even a further step in. 18:51.920 --> 18:56.556 So the first thing I would do is to just call my local MTF? 18:56.556 --> 19:00.004 - Right, so if your normal appointment line, 19:00.004 --> 19:04.450 you can call nurse advice line anywhere you call to the MTF, 19:04.450 --> 19:06.720 they're gonna tell you what their local processes are, 19:06.720 --> 19:09.800 if you don't know what they are, for anybody that suspects 19:09.800 --> 19:13.620 that they could potentially have COVID. 19:13.620 --> 19:16.210 And, and I think you're gonna run into this one next, 19:16.210 --> 19:19.840 but it's gonna be getting a little bit more complicated, 19:19.840 --> 19:21.000 because guess what? 19:21.000 --> 19:24.190 A lot of the symptoms that you have with COVID, 19:24.190 --> 19:25.560 you also have with flu. 19:25.560 --> 19:28.909 So as we run into flu season, this is gonna get 19:28.909 --> 19:31.320 to be a little bit more tricky. 19:31.320 --> 19:33.170 - How are we going to determine those differences 19:33.170 --> 19:35.610 between flu, COVID symptoms? 19:35.610 --> 19:37.880 And, you know, they're just so similar, 19:37.880 --> 19:39.074 what are we gonna do? 19:39.074 --> 19:41.510 - Well, I would leave that to your provider. 19:41.510 --> 19:42.903 So let's talk about the symptoms. 19:42.903 --> 19:44.730 Both diseases have symptoms 19:44.730 --> 19:49.200 such as fever, or feeling feverish, or having chills, 19:49.200 --> 19:52.920 cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing. 19:52.920 --> 19:56.730 Maybe you just feel fatigued, kind of tired, a sore throat, 19:56.730 --> 20:00.090 runny or stuffy nose, muscle pains, or body aches, 20:00.090 --> 20:01.927 headaches, and then you sit there and think, 20:01.927 --> 20:03.591 "Oh my gosh, that's everything." 20:03.591 --> 20:06.890 Some people might have vomiting, they might have diarrhea, 20:06.890 --> 20:09.574 and though this is more common in children than in adults, 20:09.574 --> 20:13.800 the vomiting and diarrhea, you still have to look for that. 20:13.800 --> 20:17.560 COVID can also include a loss of taste or smell. 20:17.560 --> 20:20.247 We're really seeing that in our younger population. 20:20.247 --> 20:22.047 So you're sitting there saying, 20:22.047 --> 20:24.620 "Yeah, well, what does that do? 20:24.620 --> 20:26.220 Do I go to the COVID clinic? 20:26.220 --> 20:27.840 Do I go to the flu clinic?" 20:27.840 --> 20:30.140 And I would say, because some of the symptoms 20:30.140 --> 20:32.970 of flu and COVID 19 are similar, 20:32.970 --> 20:34.950 it may be hard to tell the difference 20:34.950 --> 20:36.970 between them based on symptoms alone. 20:36.970 --> 20:41.340 So testing will be needed to help confirm the diagnosis. 20:41.340 --> 20:43.570 Now, the good news, guess what? 20:43.570 --> 20:46.610 You don't need to have the nose swab to find out 20:46.610 --> 20:48.680 if you have flu, and do a second nose swab 20:48.680 --> 20:50.200 to see if you have COVID. 20:50.200 --> 20:54.750 Right now, our tests, all the ones upcoming, 20:54.750 --> 20:57.940 you can actually test for both at the same time. 20:57.940 --> 21:01.480 So talk about a nice opportunity for us, 21:01.480 --> 21:04.730 which will help both the healthcare providers 21:04.730 --> 21:07.930 and obviously help the person who's getting the testing. 21:07.930 --> 21:10.890 So that's, that's a good news story. 21:10.890 --> 21:13.370 As a reminder, personnel can protect themselves 21:13.370 --> 21:17.810 from both viruses, following the FHP actions. 21:17.810 --> 21:20.216 So your Force Health Protection actions. 21:20.216 --> 21:23.680 And, and I think that this is the good news story. 21:23.680 --> 21:25.950 Everyone's like, "Well, you know, we keep hearing 21:25.950 --> 21:29.860 that we may have this twindemic, if you will 21:29.860 --> 21:33.016 of both flu and COVID at the same time, 21:33.016 --> 21:35.311 I would argue that we always, 21:35.311 --> 21:38.020 should have been washing our hands 21:38.020 --> 21:41.110 and keeping our distance during flu season. 21:41.110 --> 21:44.430 I think that this year, we'll find a lot more people, 21:44.430 --> 21:49.370 following those typical health protection measures 21:49.370 --> 21:52.200 than we have in the past, so maybe, and again, 21:52.200 --> 21:53.940 I'm a glass half full kind of person. 21:53.940 --> 21:55.760 Maybe this is a good news story 21:55.760 --> 21:58.653 and we'll see less flu than we've seen in previous years. 22:01.440 --> 22:05.643 - Well, that's so great to hear about the single swab. 22:07.110 --> 22:09.420 That's pretty cool news. 22:09.420 --> 22:10.800 - It is. 22:10.800 --> 22:13.490 - Yeah, my, my wife got swabbed three times 22:13.490 --> 22:15.300 when she was suspected. 22:15.300 --> 22:17.350 She also got a strep as well. 22:17.350 --> 22:19.107 So you get a strep. 22:19.107 --> 22:20.890 What's that? 22:20.890 --> 22:22.390 - How did she like that? 22:22.390 --> 22:23.763 - She was not happy. 22:24.612 --> 22:27.360 (both laughing) 22:27.360 --> 22:29.430 - Yeah, and I think that that's the other thing. 22:29.430 --> 22:32.670 They have changed the how they're swabbing 22:32.670 --> 22:37.580 that's a little bit more nose friendly to the individual. 22:37.580 --> 22:40.720 So I don't want that reluctance to get tested 22:40.720 --> 22:44.730 to be because of the process of testing itself. 22:44.730 --> 22:46.680 I do think that we found a lot out 22:46.680 --> 22:50.090 about the virus and don't be scared to go in, 22:50.090 --> 22:52.600 because you remember somebody at the beginning 22:52.600 --> 22:54.993 being told, "They're sampling my brain." 22:54.993 --> 22:57.180 They, they are not bad. 22:57.180 --> 23:00.630 And I would say that our medical teams are getting plenty 23:00.630 --> 23:03.603 of experience with the testing as well. 23:04.640 --> 23:06.630 - So flu shots are mandatory for military 23:06.630 --> 23:08.860 and highly suggested for civilians. 23:08.860 --> 23:10.040 Rumors are flying that there's 23:10.040 --> 23:13.150 going to be a possible shortage or limitation. 23:13.150 --> 23:16.156 Is this true and thoughts on what to do, please? 23:16.156 --> 23:18.890 - Okay. First of all, let me talk to you 23:18.890 --> 23:22.220 a little bit about how we distribute the flu vaccine. 23:22.220 --> 23:26.140 So all of our flu vaccine, vaccines, 23:26.140 --> 23:28.660 go through the Defense Logistics Agency. 23:28.660 --> 23:33.660 So DLA, so as of 28 September, 2020, 23:34.000 --> 23:36.617 there have been no vaccine delays 23:36.617 --> 23:40.560 however, there's DOD priorities, so guess what? 23:40.560 --> 23:43.854 We're gonna send our vaccine to OCONUS areas first 23:43.854 --> 23:47.474 and deployed locations, so they get theirs first. 23:47.474 --> 23:51.440 We've also started divvying them out, 23:51.440 --> 23:55.140 to send the CONUS basis, so our stateside basis, 23:55.140 --> 24:00.140 those that we'll cover our pediatric patients 24:00.360 --> 24:04.350 and our older are over 65 year old vaccine. 24:04.350 --> 24:07.700 So they'll start prioritizing where they go 24:07.700 --> 24:10.140 to the different locations. 24:10.140 --> 24:13.180 So shipments have started to OCONUS locations 24:13.180 --> 24:16.640 and CONUS bases will receive some vaccine now, 24:16.640 --> 24:19.390 for those high risk patients we just talked about, 24:19.390 --> 24:22.750 also for the healthcare workers, for our deployers 24:22.750 --> 24:25.450 and those we'll be seeing over the next few months, 24:25.450 --> 24:27.490 some people have already started getting 24:27.490 --> 24:28.950 some of their supplies. 24:28.950 --> 24:31.270 DLA expects to receive a hundred percent 24:31.270 --> 24:33.430 of their orders by mid November. 24:33.430 --> 24:35.590 And we'll continue to deliver those 24:35.590 --> 24:38.040 to MTMs to as they're received. 24:38.040 --> 24:41.351 So the air force goal is to have 90% 24:41.351 --> 24:44.380 or over 90% of all of our active duty 24:44.380 --> 24:47.620 and reserve, component personnel vaccinated 24:47.620 --> 24:52.140 by 15th December, with the remaining personnel 24:52.140 --> 24:57.140 that we didn't catch by that date, by 15 January, 2021. 24:58.130 --> 25:02.600 So it's, I have not heard of any shortages, 25:02.600 --> 25:05.677 but we have obviously where we don't get 25:05.677 --> 25:09.010 ours when the CVS is always get them. 25:09.010 --> 25:10.310 So I know that a lot 25:10.310 --> 25:14.430 of our downtown pharmacies right now are giving flu shots. 25:14.430 --> 25:17.460 Ours are coming, they're just a little bit behind that. 25:17.460 --> 25:18.830 So I wouldn't call it a shortage. 25:18.830 --> 25:21.690 It's just a little bit of a delay while we distribute them 25:21.690 --> 25:25.490 to all of our areas in priority areas. 25:25.490 --> 25:30.029 So again, OCONUS deployed location first, 25:30.029 --> 25:32.740 then aiming at our high risk population 25:32.740 --> 25:36.913 too included our kiddos and our over 65. 25:38.060 --> 25:39.880 - Well, do you have anything else that you wanna talk on, 25:39.880 --> 25:42.973 or any other points that you wanted to dive into? 25:44.550 --> 25:45.690 - Yeah, I don't think so. 25:45.690 --> 25:48.689 I think as leaders though, we just need to remember, 25:48.689 --> 25:51.110 we're going to change the culture. 25:51.110 --> 25:53.750 So we need to encourage, when you see somebody 25:53.750 --> 25:55.570 that's not feeling great, 25:55.570 --> 25:59.585 doing your very best, not to be thinking mission 25:59.585 --> 26:03.220 at that moment, but more be thinking, you know, more think 26:03.220 --> 26:05.382 about what the vision impact would be, 26:05.382 --> 26:08.570 if that person actually has something that could spread 26:08.570 --> 26:10.950 to the rest of your workforce. 26:10.950 --> 26:14.550 And, and so we can't give that badge of honor 26:14.550 --> 26:16.820 to those that are coming to work when they're sick. 26:16.820 --> 26:18.990 It, it's time to remind people. 26:18.990 --> 26:20.670 They just need to stay home. 26:20.670 --> 26:22.750 Luckily, what have we learned to leverage? 26:22.750 --> 26:24.352 Tele work, we have zoom, 26:24.352 --> 26:27.030 we have abilities to dial into meetings, 26:27.030 --> 26:30.126 and I know that not all of our workplaces 26:30.126 --> 26:33.330 can function from home, but if you're sick 26:33.330 --> 26:36.330 and you don't feel well, you can take you 26:36.330 --> 26:40.360 and take out another, we've seen some clusters, 26:40.360 --> 26:41.860 up to 20 people. 26:41.860 --> 26:44.470 So now think about workplace. 26:44.470 --> 26:46.347 Do you want to be responsible 26:46.347 --> 26:49.660 for taking 20 people out of your workplace? 26:49.660 --> 26:52.850 We need you guys to help keep our workplaces ready 26:52.850 --> 26:56.182 and us ready to be able to meet our nation's call. 26:56.182 --> 26:58.180 ♪ So let me see your reflective belt ♪ 26:58.180 --> 27:00.335 ♪ Let me see your reflective belt ♪ 27:00.335 --> 27:02.633 ♪ So let me see your reflective belt ♪ 27:02.633 --> 27:03.514 ♪ You better put it on ♪ 27:03.514 --> 27:04.347 ♪ Better better put it on ♪