Morning update: UPMC doctor weighs in on COVID-19 in Allegheny County – WTAE Pittsburgh

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MICHELLE: THANK YOU, ELENA. PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS 4 NOW CONTINUES TO GET ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS ON THE PANDEMIC. FOR THE LATEST NOW ON THE IMPACTS HERE IN PITTSBURGH, DR. ELISE MARTIN JOINS US LIVE. KELLY F: SHE IS THE ASSOCIATE MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF INFECTION PREVENTION AND HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGY AT UPMC PRESBYTERIAN. GOOD MORNING TO YOU, DR. MARTIN. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TO ANSWER SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS. EVERYONE NEEDS SOME ANSWERS, FOR SURE. TO GET RIGHT TO IT HOW IS UPMC , IS HANDLING THE ADDITIONAL COVID-19 CASES, AND ARE HOSPITALIZATIONS BECOMING A CONCERN HERE? DR. MARTIN: SO I THINK OUR HOSPITAL IN GENERAL AND LEADERSHIP HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE RESOURCES WE NEED AS PEOPLE COME INTO OUR HOSPITALS TO GET MEDICAL CARE. I THINK WE HAVE GOOD CAPACITY TO DO SO, AND WE REALLY TRY TO PRIORITIZE TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE EVERYTHING TO TAKE CARE OF PATIENTS. BUT I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT PART NOW IS THAT WE DECREASE THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS IN OUR COMMUNITIES, SO WE DO NOT OVERWHELM HOSPITALS IN OUR AREA. MICHELLE: I WANT TO FOLLOW-UP ON THAT A LITTLE BIT, DOCTOR. WITHIN TWO WEEKS, WE COULD BE AT HER OVERCAPACITY. IT IS UPMC LOOKING INTO THAT, AND ARE YOU WORRIED AT ALL THAT OUR HOSPITALS ARE GOING TO BE FILLED UP? IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS SO WE ARE DR. MARTIN: — FILLED UP IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS? DR. MARTIN: SO WE ARE ABSOLUTELY LOOKING AT THAT. THIS, AGAIN, IS REALLY WHERE WE CAN AVOID THAT IF THE ALL REALLY DO MITIGATION EFFORTS TO SEE WHAT IS PUT FORWARD TO DECREASE THE SPREAD IN OUR COMMUNITY, WEARING MASKS, REALLY TRYING TO PREVENT ANY POSSIBILITY OF SPREADING IT TO ONE ANOTHER. KELLY F: DR. MARTIN, OBVIOUSLY EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT THIS AND THE ADVISORY THAT JUST CAME OUT, BUT THERE IS SUCH A LEVEL OF FRUSTRATION WITH THANKSGIVING COMING AND CHRISTMAS AND ALL OF THE OTHER HOLIDAYS — WHAT DOES THIS REALLY MEAN FOR PEOPLE? WILL THEY FOLLOW THIS ADVICE? WHAT ARE YOU REALLY THINKING AND SEEING, AND WHAT IS YOUR GUT REACTION TO ALL OF THIS? DR. MARTIN: I AM REALLY GLAD THAT WE PUT OUT THIS INFORMATION. I THINK THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO NOTE THAT THIS IS THE TIME THAT WE NEED TO DO ALL OF THE RIGHT THINGS, THAT WE NEED TO AVOID GATHERINGS, WE NEED TO AVOID CONTACT WITH PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF OUR HOMES, AND WE CAN PLAN FOR NEXT WEEK, IS CRUCIAL. I PERSONALLY AM HEEDING THESE WARNINGS. I AM NOT GOING TO BE HAVING A LARGE GATHERING. I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE ELSE TO DO THAT AS WELL, SO WE CAN KEEP EVERYONE SAFE, NOT JUST FOR THIS HOLIDAY BUT FOR ALL THE HOLIDAYS IN THE CHAIR. MICHELLE: ALL RIGHT, WE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT ALL T