Dr. James Hildreth says new research shows it’s not safe to open schools

Meharry Medical College CEO Dr. James Hildreth says new research shows it’s not safe to open schools.

7:00 A.M.

TO 7:00 P.M., 7 DAYS AWEEI WANT TO JUST GIVE YOU ANUPDATE ON RESEARCH THAT ISREALLY IMPORTANT.ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANTQUESTIONS ABOUT THE VIRUS THATCAUSES COVID-19 HAS BEEN WHETHERTHE VIRUS IS TRULY AIRBORNE ANDCAN BE TRANSMITTED IF IT IS NOTA PART OF LARGE DROPLETS.OBSERVATIONS OF THE VIRUS CAN BETRANSMITTED IN NORMALCONVERSATIONS, BY SOMEONE WHO ISNOT SHOWING SYMPTOMS, CERTAINLYSUPPORTS THIS IDEA.AND ALSO, SOME INVESTIGATORSSAMPLED AIR FROM ROOMS WHERECOVID-19 POSITIVE INDIVIDUALSHAVE BEEN.AND THEY FOUND THEY COLLECTEDSARS COVID 2 AND COVID-19 VIRUSBUT THE TEST IS S SENSITIVEFINDING IT FROM THE VIRUS IS NOTTHE SAME AS IDENTIFYING VIRUS.SO, IT IS NOT DEFINITIVELYPROVEN THAT SARS COVID 2 VIRUSIS AIRBORNE UNTIL NOW.I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU SOMEJEST RELEASED DATA FROM THESTUDY DONE BY INVESTIGATORSTHE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA.THEY COLLECTED AIR SAMPLES FROMA HOSPITAL ROOM THAT HADCOVID-19 PATIENTS WHO WERE NOTCOUGHING OR SNEEZING AND WEREINOCULATION ROOMS.THIS ROOM HAD A FAIRLYSOPHISTICATED AIR HANDLINGSYSTEM.THE TOTAL AIR IN THE E ROOM WASCHANGED 6 TIMES PERHOUR, EVERY10 MINUTES.THE AIR TRIPLE FILTERED DOWNTO .3 MICRONS, 3 TIMES THE SIZEOF THE VIRUS PARTICLE AND THEAIR WAS PASSED THROUGH A UVDEVICE TO STERILIZE IT.SO, AFTER ALL OF THAT, THEY TOOKTHE AIR FROM THE ROOM, ANDSUBJECTED IT TO TWO THINGS, ANDLOOKED FOR VIRUS ACIDS AND TRIEDTO CULTURE VIRUS FROM THE AIR BYPUTTING IT ON CELLS SUSCEPTIBLETO THE VIRUS AND THE ANSWERS TOBOTH QUESTIONS WAS YES.AND WHAT IS REALLY REMARKABLEIS, WHETHER THE AIR WASCOLLECTED FROM 6 FEET AWAY, OR27 FEET AWAY, THEY WERE ABLE TOFIND VIRUS IN THOSE AIR SAMPLES.SO, DESPITE THIS SOPHISTICATEDAIR HANDLING SYSTEM, THATINCLUDED UV RADIATION TOSTERILIZE IT THEY WERE STILL BEABLE TO PULL THE VIRUS OUT OFTHE AIR AND KEEP IN MIND, THESEINDIVIDUALS WERE NOT COUGHING ORSNEEZING, AND SIMPLY IN AHOSPITAL ROOM, THAT IS ANISOLATION ROOM.THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS FINDINGARE PRETTY PROFOUND.FIRST OF ALL, IT INDICATES THATSOCIAL DISTANCING OF 6 FEET ISPROBABLY INADEQUATE TO PREVENTTRANSMISSION OF THE VIRUS.ESPECIALLY INDOORS, WHEN THEVENTILATION IS POOR, ARE NOTADEQUATE TO MOVE THE AIR ALONSO, SOCIAL DISTANCING INSIDEWITHOUT WEARING A MASK GIVES AFALSE SENSE OF SECURITY.AND THIS RESULT EMPHASIZES YETAGAIN HOW IMPORTANT IT I FORALL OF US TO -- IF WE ARE GOINGTO BEAT THE PANDEMIC TO WEAR AMASK.I THINK THE EVIDENCE ISOVERWHELMING, THAT UNLESS WE DOWE WILL NOT DEFEAT THE VIRUS.IT COULD NOT BE MORE IMPORTANTTO DO SO.THE STUDY SHOULD INFORMDECISIONS ABOUT REOPENINGSCHOOLS, CHURCHES, CERTAINSPORTS VENUES, AND MANY OTHERTHINGS.ESPECIALLY WHERE LARGE NUMBERSOF PEOPLE WILL GATHER, AND THEVENTILATION IS NOT ADEQUATE TOCHANGE THE AIR FREQUENTLY.SO, IF THE VIRUS REMAINS IN THEAIR, IN A ISOLATION LOOM IN AHOSPITAL THAT CHANGED THE AIR 6TIMES PER HOUR, AND UV ERADIATEDTHE AIR AND YOU CAN FIND VIRUS,WHAT MAKES US THINK IT IS SAFETO OPEN A SCHOOL WHERE THEVENTILATION IS POOR, AND HAD AVAC SYSTEMS ARE OUTDATED?I'LL LEAVE YOU TO THINK ABOUTTHAT.ALSO, IF RESOURCES ARE NOTPROVIDED.FOR THE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS TOHAVE PPE WHEN THEY NEED IT.WHENEVER THEY NEED IT, THAT ISALSO SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.I REALIZE THESE ARE VERYSTRESSFUL TIMES FOR PARENTS OFSCHOOL AGE CHILDREN.AND, I IS WELL UNDERSTOOD THEEMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL WELL BEINGOF CHILDREN IS PROBABLY BESTSERVED BY THEM BEING IN THESCHOOON THE OTHER HAND, IT IS NOWBEYOND DISPUTE THAT CHILDREN CANBE INFECTED, WILL BE INFECTED,SOME OF THEM WILL GET SICK ANDUNFORTUNATELY, AS WE KNOW, SOMEOF THEM WIL ALSO DIE.AN KEEP IN MIND, IN PASTPANDEMIC, THOSE WHO RECOVER FROMCORONAVIRUS HAVE LONG TERMCONSEQUENCES THAT GO WELL PASTTHE TIME THEY RECOVER.WE DON'T KNOW JUST WHAT HAPPENSIN CHILDREN.AND WE CAN'T PREDICT THAT ASWELL, BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE SEENIN OTHER PAN DELEGATES ANDSOMETHING WE NEED -- PANDEMICS.AN CONSIDER THIS:WHEN OUR CHILDREN GET SICK, WECALL A PEDIATRICIAN.OUR ROOF LEAKS, WE CALL AROOFER.IF WE ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITHOUR TEETH, WE DO NOT CALL THEAUTO MECHANIC.WE CALL A DENTIST WHO HAS BEENTRAINED TO TAKE CA OF THEPROBLEM.MY POINT IS THIS, WITH ALL DUERESPECT, SOME OF OUR ELECTEDLEADERS ARE PUSHING OPEN SCHOOLSTHE HARDEST ARE THE LEASTQUALIFIED TO KNOW IT IS SAFE TODO SO AND ARE REFUSING TO LISTENTO THE PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTWHO SPENT OUR WHOLE LIVES ANDCAREER, STUDYING THESE THINGS.SO, MY ADVICE TO YOU AS YOU MAKETHE DIFFICULT STRESSFULDECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER TO HAVEYOUR CHILDREN IN A SCHOOL,PLEASE LISTEN TO THOSE WHO SPENTTHEIR WHOLE LIVES AND CAREERSSTUDYING AND DETERMINING WHETHEROR NOT IT WILL BE SAFE TO DO SOAND I CAN'T EMPHASIZE ENOUGHBASED ON WHAT I HAVE JUST SHAREDWITH YOU, HOW IMPORTANT IT ISTHAT MASKS BE WORN BY ALL OF