Heart disease expert on COVID vaccines and variants
Heart disease expert on COVID vaccines and variants
Cardiovascular disease expert Dr. Nidhi Kumar has important information as we prepare to gather for the holidays and spend more time indoors.
Content
0 -> well we've lived with covid-19 for more
1.979 -> than two and a half years now can you
3.48 -> believe it's been two and a half years
4.44 -> and while life is getting back to normal
6.359 -> new variants are still developing and
8.16 -> people continue to get the virus as we
9.72 -> plan to gather together for the holidays
11.28 -> and spend more time indoors where do we
13.62 -> stand with this virus and how concerned
15.78 -> should we be cardiovascular disease
17.88 -> expert Dr Anita Kumar joins us with some
20.46 -> important answers Dr Kumar good to have
22.38 -> you with us again good morning so how
24.3 -> concerned should we be we always hear
25.619 -> about these new variants that are
26.699 -> cropping up I guess how much of a
28.08 -> concern is this now okay well new
30.24 -> variants are expected we are always
32.22 -> going to have new variants that's part
34.26 -> of the evolutionary process but when
37.2 -> variants hit the news it's because
39 -> they're stronger they're more efficient
41.1 -> with infection and transmission and what
43.8 -> we're seeing with the new variants right
45.54 -> now is that they're more contagious when
47.94 -> we compare them to last year's variants
49.86 -> anywhere from two to seven times more
52.02 -> contagious so more contagious but more
54.36 -> serious so the two variants that we're
57.66 -> watching in our area B1 and B 1.1 you'll
61.62 -> you'll see those letters and numbers in
63.78 -> the news uh they are right now
65.76 -> accounting for about 30 percent of the
68.76 -> new infections in our area they are very
71.82 -> transmissible but not necessarily more
74.82 -> dangerous so right now we're not seeing
77.76 -> that same level of severe respiratory
80.159 -> disease in the hospital but we are
82.5 -> seeing more people get infected so when
84.96 -> more people get infected more people get
87.42 -> hospitalized now the other problem is
90 -> the timing right because these two are
93.18 -> arriving just in time for the holidays
95.579 -> what about as far as the vaccines are
97.14 -> concerned with the new vaccine that's
98.46 -> out there
99.84 -> a good remedy to combat this
102.479 -> yeah so that's the thing about these new
105.36 -> variants so these new variants have
108.5 -> mutations and those mutations make the
112.68 -> vaccine the vaccine absolutely will
114.78 -> prevent you from having severe disease
116.939 -> but these new variants are able to break
119.399 -> through vaccines and natural immunity so
122.64 -> as a cardiologist your concerns about
124.619 -> covid and heart health for example we
126.54 -> understand that it's another risk for
128.819 -> heart disease yes so the connection
131.76 -> between covid and the heart is
134.4 -> inflammation so inflammation is actually
137.64 -> a major driver of heart disease and what
140.28 -> covet does is it creates an incredible
142.26 -> inflammatory response with the body so
145.26 -> what we see clinically in the short term
147.36 -> is we see myocarditis which is
150.36 -> inflammation of the heart muscle we see
153.12 -> arrhythmias inflammation of the heart
155.22 -> muscle can actually affect the
156.84 -> electrical system of the heart and cause
158.879 -> disturbances in heart rhythm and then we
161.94 -> see blood clots and that's inflammation
164.4 -> of the blood vessels what that does is
166.92 -> it triggers the clotting system of the
169.86 -> body and you form blood clots so that's
172.019 -> what we're seeing in the short term but
173.94 -> now we also have long-term data right
175.98 -> because it's been two two and a half
177.84 -> years so long term we see premature
180.54 -> heart attacks we see cardiomyopathy
183.48 -> which is weakening of the heart muscle
185.459 -> and then we see strokes and this is
188.519 -> across all people regard regardless of
191.159 -> age regard regardless of gender or race
193.98 -> and also regardless of pre-existing
197.18 -> cardiac risk factors so you don't have
200.159 -> to have high blood pressure cholesterol
202.5 -> obesity diabetes just having covet alone
205.8 -> at this point is considered a risk
208.08 -> factor for cardiac disease which answers
210.42 -> the next question I would have is that
212.34 -> it seems that people are less fearful of
215.04 -> covet these days but is that just
216.599 -> wishful thinking and a false sense of
218.4 -> comfort I don't want people to be scared
220.86 -> we've been scared for two years so I
223.86 -> think at this point it's not about being
225.72 -> scared but it's about being smart so
228.48 -> this disease is going to continue to
230.4 -> evolve and it's going to continue to get
232.2 -> smarter and so we have to evolve and we
234.78 -> have to get smarter to deal with it as a
238.08 -> medical community we're going to have to
239.76 -> develop more therapies better boosters
242.22 -> but as individuals we need to change our
244.86 -> mindset right because the old mindset
247.26 -> was okay I've been vaccinated I've been
250.26 -> boosted or I had covid so now I have a
253.26 -> hall pass I can pretty much go out and
255.239 -> do whatever I want that's not going to
257.639 -> work because these new variants have
259.62 -> mutations and so despite being
261.72 -> vaccinated despite having prior immunity
264.18 -> you can still get infected and you can
266.52 -> still infect others so we're really
269.639 -> going to have to change our Behavior so
271.44 -> let's talk about this holiday
272.16 -> Thanksgiving right around the corner in
273.96 -> years past has been like okay we're not
275.58 -> getting together we don't want to be in
276.96 -> the same house the same room let alone
278.58 -> the same table right now with these new
280.68 -> variants that are out there we're seeing
282.06 -> cases again on the rise yeah what do we
284.34 -> do about Thanksgiving is it safe to go
286.44 -> with your family and travel and do this
288.3 -> and do that okay so here's what we need
290.22 -> to do so we can actually enjoy this
292.02 -> holiday season first we need to find our
294.479 -> masks I don't know if they're in the
296.4 -> bottom of your sock drawer wherever you
298.86 -> put those masks we need to get those
300.72 -> masks out again particularly when we're
302.82 -> in crowded public places or when we're
305.88 -> traveling because remember it's not just
307.8 -> covid circulating right now we have new
309.84 -> variant we have RSV and we have
312.54 -> influenza so we have three bugs out
315 -> there that are looking for hosts for
316.8 -> this holiday season and you don't want
319.08 -> to be hosting them so that's number one
321.24 -> number two get a flu shot this year
324.36 -> we're actually worried about
326.3 -> co-infections where people are going to
328.139 -> get infected with covid and influenza at
331.44 -> the same time so if there is ever a year
333.9 -> to get a flu shot this is the year to do
336.24 -> it and then finally you need to change
339.78 -> your behavior and you're going to need
341.639 -> to change your behavior the week leading
343.86 -> up to those events so if you're planning
346.44 -> on attending Thanksgiving dinner and
348.539 -> you're going to sit next to grandma and
350.46 -> your pregnant cousin you probably don't
352.5 -> want to go to a crowded Rock concert the
354.78 -> week before and not wear a mask
357.8 -> so that's the thing so we have to just
360.24 -> be smart about it you know that time
362.28 -> leading up to these important events and
364.44 -> these are important events during the
366.12 -> holidays just make some modifications to
368.58 -> your behavior we appreciate your advice
370.56 -> thanks so much for being with us Dr
372 -> Kumar
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqB8y4vko74