December 11, 2024 • 11 mins
It was this time five years ago... when a mysterious new virus began spreading across the globe... that ultimately killed seven million people, and more in the US than in any other country. The fast track of the Covid-19 vaccine, thanks to the Trump Administration, changed the course of what would become a global pandemic. Today we're talking with the Health Commissioner of Hamilton County, Greg Kesterman about what you need to know today.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This week on iHeart Sinsey Today, we're really treating COVID
like any other respiratory illness. We're asking people just keep
sick at home.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Can you believe it?
Speaker 3 (00:09):
At this time five years ago, a mysterious new virus
began spreading across the globe that ultimately killed seven million
people and more people in the United States than in
any other country. The fast track of the COVID nineteen vaccine,
thanks to the Trump administration, changed the course of what
would become a global pandemic. Today we're talking about COVID
(00:30):
nineteen and other respiratory illnesses with the Health Commissioner Greg
Kesterman on what you need to Know Today.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Now on iHeart Sincy with Sandy Collins, I.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Can't believe it's been five long years since COVID nineteen
changed all of our lives. Today, my guest is the
Hamilton County Public Health Commissioner, Greg Kesterman.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Greg, welcome back to the show.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Last time we talked, we were in the midst of
COVID and you had recently been named a health commissioner.
And now it seems like you got us through all that,
and things on our end have kind of slowed down,
But I'm wondering what it's like at the Health Department
and have things slowed down for you? And let's get
into flu and COVID season. So welcome back to the show.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Well thanks for having me, and yeah, being health commissioner
in Hamilton County for the last four and almost five
years has been exciting but definitely busy. There's always public
health concerns in our community and we're always working to
improve the health of Hamilton County.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
We're seeing signs of divy pharmacy, COVID's flu vaccines here,
free vaccines, et cetera. Because we don't have that daily
news conference thing going on during COVID I'm wondering if
there's any updates on the recommendations of when people should
get their COVID shots, when they should get their flu shots.
(01:47):
I know that we've kind of gone past some of that,
but those signs are still out there and I think
there's still questions out there. So what are the recommendations
about COVID nineteen vaccinations for people?
Speaker 1 (01:58):
So I think the most important thing is folks, if
they have a primary care physician or a doctor, they
should talk to them and just figure out what kind
of vaccine schedule they should be on for their own health.
In general, the CDC is recommending that all individuals over
the age of twelve get vaccinated with their COVID vaccine
and their flu vaccine, and generally those who are at
(02:20):
higher risk. This hasn't changed ever really throughout the pandemic.
We know that senior citizens or those who are immune
compromised are certainly at greater risk for severe illness. They
should absolutely get a COVID vaccine and a flu vaccine
to reduce the chances of serious illness.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
I was looking at your COVID data that you provided
here in Hamilton County, and it looks like a roller coaster,
so people can kind of visualize it from low in
the spring to the most cases in late August. And
I thought, gosh, I thought COVID was a winter concern,
but it was a summertime.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Was a big peak.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
We typically have seen annually two peaks a year, although
you know, the summer peak has been big, and then
there's typically another peak that happens in January. And you know,
there's been a lot of folks that want to associate
it with holiday gathering, and there may be some association.
But generally speaking, people are coming inside and we're spending
more time together in a close environment where we're sharing airspace,
(03:15):
and so that helps lead to the spread of all
kinds of indoor respiratory illness, including COVID, nineteen flu and
the common cold that's been around for a long time.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
When COVID first hit, the government dolled out all those
free tests and vaccines to hundreds of millions of people.
And now people can still get free at home tests
by requesting them from the federal government.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Is that right?
Speaker 1 (03:39):
That's correct. You can visit our web page. We actually
have some links to those tests. I think the post
office is still delivering them right to your door, and
I would strongly recommend folks keep them handy. And I
know the requirements around COVID aren't the same. There's that
you know. Back in the beginning days in twenty twenty,
people were upset with isolation and the quarantine that was
(04:00):
required to help slow the spread. Today, we're really treating
COVID like any other respiratory illness. We're asking people just
keep sick at home. I don't want to get your cold,
and you don't want to get my flu. And if
we just work together to keep sick at home, we
as a county are going to all be healthier because
of it.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
So who is covering the cost of vaccines?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
I know, I see free vaccines here, but then I
see bring your insurance card. And for folks that don't
have insurance cards, what are they going to meet when
they get to the counter.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
So most individuals who have private insurance, private insurance covers
the cost of vaccinations, including COVID nineteen. And there's a
whole variety of places that you can go to get
that vaccine, including pharmacies, and many primary care providers also
offer it. For those individuals that don't have good insurance
or any insurance, opportunities still exist, although they're a little
(04:51):
harder to find. If you don't have good insurance or
any insurance, I would recommend you look at betterally qualified
health centers. Here in Hamilton County, we have about ten
of those around the county, and oftentimes they have very
reduced prices for vaccinations, and so I would start there.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Okay, there was a huge concern about the safety of
these fast tracked vaccines years ago. Thanks to President Trump,
you got it pushed through and we got the vaccine
much sooner than anybody really ever thought it would come,
but it became a huge political issue.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Is anybody studying.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
The safety of these vaccines act they've been administered, and
if so, how does that work and when is that
information expected?
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Do you know?
Speaker 1 (05:32):
So that study of the safety and the efficacy of
the vaccines really started in twenty twenty after Operation Warp
Speed kind of finalized and the vaccine rolled out under
the Trump administration, and since then we continue to look
at it through the Centers for Disease Control in the FDA.
They're making sure that they're not seeing any populations that
have any adverse health effects, and they're studying to make
(05:53):
sure that the age of vaccination is appropriate. And today
we really haven't seen any trends that would warrant the
population to consider not getting the vaccine.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Now.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
I recognize that every individual has their own choice to
make whether they get vaccinated for flu, COVID, or a
whole host of vaccinations, but I just encourage folks to
recognize that in general, the medical community has done a
really good job of adding life expectancy onto our lives
through medical interventions, and that includes vaccinations. Vaccinations in our
society has almost eliminated several diseases and has done a
(06:27):
phenomenal job of keeping us healthy. And so please do
your own research, do your research with sources that are valid,
Talk to your doctor, talk to medical professionals, and I
would encourage folks to at least strongly consider getting vaccinated
this fall.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Of course, we have the flu we're concerned about, and
now we're hearing about measles coming back, which we thought
was pretty much gone twenty some years ago.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
What do you recommend about the measles?
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Once again, it's a vaccine preventable disease. Unfortunately, as we
see pockets of population choosing to get vaccinated for whatever reason,
it does allow for disease to spread more frequently. It's
typically spread though, in more congregate settings, in areas where
people are close together, including school settings, like daycare settings
particularly or even on the other end of care, in
(07:17):
nursing homes and locations like that. So definitely be aware
of skin to skin touch, so that if somebody has
some unusual markings on their skin, we are not allowing
for the spread of measles in those environments.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Do we have any idea of what it's doing here
in the Tri State area right now in Hamilton County.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
We are not seeing any large outbreaks right now, and
that is always subject to change. And we have a
team of epidemiologists. These are the same folks that used
to do the contact tracing. They're still there monitoring the
spread of disease. And if we start to see multiple cases,
which is classified as an outbreak, then we start to
ramp up our messaging and our efforts to help slow
the spread of measles and other infectious disease.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Can I ask you about the latest COVID mutations if
you will, What is it called? Do we have a
cool name for it or a cool code that we
are looking for with COVID?
Speaker 1 (08:07):
You know, I am not certain of the current variants
that are circulating in our community. I know that there
has been no major change and that the vaccines are
appropriately formulated. Similarly, our flu vaccine this year is appropriately
formulated to have the best impact. One common misconception has
always been that if you get a vaccine that there
(08:29):
is no chance that you can get the illness. But
with all of these the vaccine does a great job
of tricking your body into producing the antibodies that will
protect you should you get exposed to the illness. In
most cases, when you get exposed to the illness after
being vaccinated, your body just quickly is able to suppress
the illness and you don't even notice it. In some cases,
like with COVID, you may get a small illness, but
(08:52):
it would not be as severe as it was otherwise.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
We're talking with Greg Kesterman.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
He is the Hamilton County Public Health Commissioner, and Greg,
I don't want to jinx myself here. I don't really
believe in that, but would knock plastic. I have not
gotten COVID yet ever, and I've got all my vaccinations.
I've had friends that tell me that they've had it two, three,
four times, and each time it always is different. This
last time, my friend said, I finally lost my taste
(09:18):
of my taste and smell, but I didn't have any
respiratory issues. And then the next person said, well, you
know I had the other issues. I had a sore
throat and I had the intestinal problems. So it really
can just hit people and hit them in different ways.
But each time they said, well, you know it was doable.
I got through it, like I used to get through
the flu, and I think.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
That's that's great news. In general, we're seeing the COVID
strains that are circulating being less effective at making us sick.
Some of that could be because we've had it two
three times, some of it could be because we've been vaccinated.
All of those reasons help reduce the impact COVID is having.
But I do not want folks to lose fact from
the fact that in twenty twenty four we had forty
(10:00):
six deaths from COVID nineteen to date, and we had
nearly six hundred hospitalizations. And you know, those are forty
six deaths that five years ago wouldn't have happened. And
I don't think we should stop living today in twenty
twenty four because of COVID nineteen. But we should still
be aware and we should still take those precautions that
help keep our family safe and help make those around
(10:22):
us and not get sick from any respiratory virus by
keeping sick at home.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Last minute advice for the holidays.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
We just went through Thanksgiving, but we've got to all
of the December get togethers and of course into the
new year. What do you recommend should people mask up
maybe when they get into a group.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Should I see it. I saw it the other day,
people getting together. What do you suggest?
Speaker 3 (10:43):
So?
Speaker 1 (10:44):
I think as a whole, we as society are pretty
dumb with masking. We're ready to put twenty twenty behind
us in some of those interventions behind us. That said,
they're definitely those who are most comfortable wearing a mask,
either because they're protecting somebody who's immuno compromised or they
are immuno compromised, where it's their choice. And I would
just ask folks be respectful. If you're at a family
gathering and someone has a mask on, they may be
(11:06):
going through a whole lot and we don't really know
the circumstances that they're around. And I don't think we
need to judge or cast a judgment upon those individuals.
That said, I want people to go and enjoy their Christmas,
and I want folks to enjoy being around family and
celebrate all that we have to celebrate. Just keep sick
at home. It's the easiest advice I have this year.
(11:27):
If you're not feeling well recognized, there will be another Christmas,
another Thanksgiving, another time that we can come back together.
But don't get Grandma sick this year and make this
our last Christmas.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Good thoughts to think about there, Greg Casman, thank you
so much for taking time. I know you're a busy
man this time of year and all year long thanks
to your staff, and I wish you all the best
happy holidays.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Thank you so much
This week on iHeart Sinsey Today, we're really treating COVID
like any other respiratory illness. We're asking people just keep
sick at home.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Can you believe it?
Speaker 3 (00:09):
At this time five years ago, a mysterious new virus
began spreading across the globe that ultimately killed seven million
people and more people in the United States than in
any other country. The fast track of the COVID nineteen vaccine,
thanks to the Trump administration, changed the course of what
would become a global pandemic. Today we're talking about COVID
(00:30):
nineteen and other respiratory illnesses with the Health Commissioner Greg
Kesterman on what you need to Know Today.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Now on iHeart Sincy with Sandy Collins, I.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Can't believe it's been five long years since COVID nineteen
changed all of our lives. Today, my guest is the
Hamilton County Public Health Commissioner, Greg Kesterman.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Greg, welcome back to the show.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Last time we talked, we were in the midst of
COVID and you had recently been named a health commissioner.
And now it seems like you got us through all that,
and things on our end have kind of slowed down,
But I'm wondering what it's like at the Health Department
and have things slowed down for you? And let's get
into flu and COVID season. So welcome back to the show.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Well thanks for having me, and yeah, being health commissioner
in Hamilton County for the last four and almost five
years has been exciting but definitely busy. There's always public
health concerns in our community and we're always working to
improve the health of Hamilton County.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
We're seeing signs of divy pharmacy, COVID's flu vaccines here,
free vaccines, et cetera. Because we don't have that daily
news conference thing going on during COVID I'm wondering if
there's any updates on the recommendations of when people should
get their COVID shots, when they should get their flu shots.
(01:47):
I know that we've kind of gone past some of that,
but those signs are still out there and I think
there's still questions out there. So what are the recommendations
about COVID nineteen vaccinations for people?
Speaker 1 (01:58):
So I think the most important thing is folks, if
they have a primary care physician or a doctor, they
should talk to them and just figure out what kind
of vaccine schedule they should be on for their own health.
In general, the CDC is recommending that all individuals over
the age of twelve get vaccinated with their COVID vaccine
and their flu vaccine, and generally those who are at
(02:20):
higher risk. This hasn't changed ever really throughout the pandemic.
We know that senior citizens or those who are immune
compromised are certainly at greater risk for severe illness. They
should absolutely get a COVID vaccine and a flu vaccine
to reduce the chances of serious illness.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
I was looking at your COVID data that you provided
here in Hamilton County, and it looks like a roller coaster,
so people can kind of visualize it from low in
the spring to the most cases in late August. And
I thought, gosh, I thought COVID was a winter concern,
but it was a summertime.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Was a big peak.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
We typically have seen annually two peaks a year, although
you know, the summer peak has been big, and then
there's typically another peak that happens in January. And you know,
there's been a lot of folks that want to associate
it with holiday gathering, and there may be some association.
But generally speaking, people are coming inside and we're spending
more time together in a close environment where we're sharing airspace,
(03:15):
and so that helps lead to the spread of all
kinds of indoor respiratory illness, including COVID, nineteen flu and
the common cold that's been around for a long time.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
When COVID first hit, the government dolled out all those
free tests and vaccines to hundreds of millions of people.
And now people can still get free at home tests
by requesting them from the federal government.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Is that right?
Speaker 1 (03:39):
That's correct. You can visit our web page. We actually
have some links to those tests. I think the post
office is still delivering them right to your door, and
I would strongly recommend folks keep them handy. And I
know the requirements around COVID aren't the same. There's that
you know. Back in the beginning days in twenty twenty,
people were upset with isolation and the quarantine that was
(04:00):
required to help slow the spread. Today, we're really treating
COVID like any other respiratory illness. We're asking people just
keep sick at home. I don't want to get your cold,
and you don't want to get my flu. And if
we just work together to keep sick at home, we
as a county are going to all be healthier because
of it.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
So who is covering the cost of vaccines?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
I know, I see free vaccines here, but then I
see bring your insurance card. And for folks that don't
have insurance cards, what are they going to meet when
they get to the counter.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
So most individuals who have private insurance, private insurance covers
the cost of vaccinations, including COVID nineteen. And there's a
whole variety of places that you can go to get
that vaccine, including pharmacies, and many primary care providers also
offer it. For those individuals that don't have good insurance
or any insurance, opportunities still exist, although they're a little
(04:51):
harder to find. If you don't have good insurance or
any insurance, I would recommend you look at betterally qualified
health centers. Here in Hamilton County, we have about ten
of those around the county, and oftentimes they have very
reduced prices for vaccinations, and so I would start there.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Okay, there was a huge concern about the safety of
these fast tracked vaccines years ago. Thanks to President Trump,
you got it pushed through and we got the vaccine
much sooner than anybody really ever thought it would come,
but it became a huge political issue.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Is anybody studying.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
The safety of these vaccines act they've been administered, and
if so, how does that work and when is that
information expected?
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Do you know?
Speaker 1 (05:32):
So that study of the safety and the efficacy of
the vaccines really started in twenty twenty after Operation Warp
Speed kind of finalized and the vaccine rolled out under
the Trump administration, and since then we continue to look
at it through the Centers for Disease Control in the FDA.
They're making sure that they're not seeing any populations that
have any adverse health effects, and they're studying to make
(05:53):
sure that the age of vaccination is appropriate. And today
we really haven't seen any trends that would warrant the
population to consider not getting the vaccine.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Now.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
I recognize that every individual has their own choice to
make whether they get vaccinated for flu, COVID, or a
whole host of vaccinations, but I just encourage folks to
recognize that in general, the medical community has done a
really good job of adding life expectancy onto our lives
through medical interventions, and that includes vaccinations. Vaccinations in our
society has almost eliminated several diseases and has done a
(06:27):
phenomenal job of keeping us healthy. And so please do
your own research, do your research with sources that are valid,
Talk to your doctor, talk to medical professionals, and I
would encourage folks to at least strongly consider getting vaccinated
this fall.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Of course, we have the flu we're concerned about, and
now we're hearing about measles coming back, which we thought
was pretty much gone twenty some years ago.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
What do you recommend about the measles?
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Once again, it's a vaccine preventable disease. Unfortunately, as we
see pockets of population choosing to get vaccinated for whatever reason,
it does allow for disease to spread more frequently. It's
typically spread though, in more congregate settings, in areas where
people are close together, including school settings, like daycare settings
particularly or even on the other end of care, in
(07:17):
nursing homes and locations like that. So definitely be aware
of skin to skin touch, so that if somebody has
some unusual markings on their skin, we are not allowing
for the spread of measles in those environments.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Do we have any idea of what it's doing here
in the Tri State area right now in Hamilton County.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
We are not seeing any large outbreaks right now, and
that is always subject to change. And we have a
team of epidemiologists. These are the same folks that used
to do the contact tracing. They're still there monitoring the
spread of disease. And if we start to see multiple cases,
which is classified as an outbreak, then we start to
ramp up our messaging and our efforts to help slow
the spread of measles and other infectious disease.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Can I ask you about the latest COVID mutations if
you will, What is it called? Do we have a
cool name for it or a cool code that we
are looking for with COVID?
Speaker 1 (08:07):
You know, I am not certain of the current variants
that are circulating in our community. I know that there
has been no major change and that the vaccines are
appropriately formulated. Similarly, our flu vaccine this year is appropriately
formulated to have the best impact. One common misconception has
always been that if you get a vaccine that there
(08:29):
is no chance that you can get the illness. But
with all of these the vaccine does a great job
of tricking your body into producing the antibodies that will
protect you should you get exposed to the illness. In
most cases, when you get exposed to the illness after
being vaccinated, your body just quickly is able to suppress
the illness and you don't even notice it. In some cases,
like with COVID, you may get a small illness, but
(08:52):
it would not be as severe as it was otherwise.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
We're talking with Greg Kesterman.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
He is the Hamilton County Public Health Commissioner, and Greg,
I don't want to jinx myself here. I don't really
believe in that, but would knock plastic. I have not
gotten COVID yet ever, and I've got all my vaccinations.
I've had friends that tell me that they've had it two, three,
four times, and each time it always is different. This
last time, my friend said, I finally lost my taste
(09:18):
of my taste and smell, but I didn't have any
respiratory issues. And then the next person said, well, you
know I had the other issues. I had a sore
throat and I had the intestinal problems. So it really
can just hit people and hit them in different ways.
But each time they said, well, you know it was doable.
I got through it, like I used to get through
the flu, and I think.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
That's that's great news. In general, we're seeing the COVID
strains that are circulating being less effective at making us sick.
Some of that could be because we've had it two
three times, some of it could be because we've been vaccinated.
All of those reasons help reduce the impact COVID is having.
But I do not want folks to lose fact from
the fact that in twenty twenty four we had forty
(10:00):
six deaths from COVID nineteen to date, and we had
nearly six hundred hospitalizations. And you know, those are forty
six deaths that five years ago wouldn't have happened. And
I don't think we should stop living today in twenty
twenty four because of COVID nineteen. But we should still
be aware and we should still take those precautions that
help keep our family safe and help make those around
(10:22):
us and not get sick from any respiratory virus by
keeping sick at home.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Last minute advice for the holidays.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
We just went through Thanksgiving, but we've got to all
of the December get togethers and of course into the
new year. What do you recommend should people mask up
maybe when they get into a group.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Should I see it. I saw it the other day,
people getting together. What do you suggest?
Speaker 3 (10:43):
So?
Speaker 1 (10:44):
I think as a whole, we as society are pretty
dumb with masking. We're ready to put twenty twenty behind
us in some of those interventions behind us. That said,
they're definitely those who are most comfortable wearing a mask,
either because they're protecting somebody who's immuno compromised or they
are immuno compromised, where it's their choice. And I would
just ask folks be respectful. If you're at a family
gathering and someone has a mask on, they may be
(11:06):
going through a whole lot and we don't really know
the circumstances that they're around. And I don't think we
need to judge or cast a judgment upon those individuals.
That said, I want people to go and enjoy their Christmas,
and I want folks to enjoy being around family and
celebrate all that we have to celebrate. Just keep sick
at home. It's the easiest advice I have this year.
(11:27):
If you're not feeling well recognized, there will be another Christmas,
another Thanksgiving, another time that we can come back together.
But don't get Grandma sick this year and make this
our last Christmas.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Good thoughts to think about there, Greg Casman, thank you
so much for taking time. I know you're a busy
man this time of year and all year long thanks
to your staff, and I wish you all the best
happy holidays.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Thank you so much
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