HOUSTON — We’re doing our best to get you answers about COVID-19, the Delta variant and the vaccine. Wednesday morning, digital anchor Brandi Smith took some of your questions to Dr. David Persse, the chief medical officer for the City of Houston.
Note: Each video linked below will take you to the point in the interview when that question was asked.
Gov. Abbott's COVID-19 diagnosis
Brandi Smith: Gov. Abbott has a breakthrough case of COVID-19. He was fully vaccinated. What was your reaction to hearing that news?
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
Regeneron antibody treatment
Brandi Smith: One of the things his office announced was that he's getting Regeneron monoclonal antibody treatment. Is that a treatment you would recommend for other breakthrough patients?
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
Vaccine as protection, not cure
Brandi Smith: You touched on this when we were talking about Gov. Abbott, but the issue of breakthrough cases has stirred up all kinds of conversation and concern about how effective the vaccine really is. You just said -- it was never meant to be a cure, but it’s another layer of protection.
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
Unvaccinated hospitalizations
Brandi Smith: The CDC reports anywhere between 95 percent and 97 percent of COVID-19 positive patients who are hospitalized are not vaccinated. Does that reflect what you've seen?
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
Hospital beds available
Brandi Smith: One of the concerns you brought up yesterday was a lack of hospital beds and ICU beds available. Checking the Texas Department of State Health Services dashboard this morning, it says there are 44 staffed ICU beds available in Trauma Service Area Q, so that's Harris County and eight other counties in our area covering about 6.6 million people. Forty-four staffed ICU beds for 6.6 million people has to be a concern for you.
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
CDC recommendation of booster shots
Brandi Smith: I know this is brand new this morning, but the CDC just recommended booster shots for all Americans eight months after they get their second shot of either Pfizer or Moderna. We get a lot of questions like "If the vaccine is so effective, why are we talking about booster shots? Why are they being recommended?" What have you seen here in Houston?
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
How Houston Health will notify patients about booster shots
Brandi Smith: Dr. Persse, since this something that you guys have had conversations about, you might have an answer for Pamela. She asked this question on Facebook: Does the Houston Health Department have a plan yet for how it's going to notify folks when they need to get that third shot?
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
Effectiveness of getting one shot vs. two for Pfizer, Moderna vaccines
Brandi Smith: We just got this question in from Deshawn. He says he contracted COVID in between doses. Will the first dose help him fight it?
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
How experts track COVID-19 variants
Brandi Smith: We've heard a lot about the Delta variant over the past couple months. How are you guys tracking it? How do you know it is the Delta variants causing this transmission in the greater Houston area?
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
How variants form
Brandi Smith: You just listed all of the variants. We had Alpha, Delta, Lambda. How do mutations happen and is there any concern about future versions?
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
Why the virus affects people differently
Brandi Smith: That feeds directly into a question Theresa just asked. She says, "Why do some people have no symptoms while others get very sick and others die?" What do we know about it and its effect on the body?
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
Vaccine provides defense against all mutations
Brandi Smith: This is really why folks should get the vaccine because it is that first line of defense against Alpha and Delta.
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
Financial incentives offered for vaccinations
Brandi Smith: We've heard that argument for months and months since the vaccine became available, but now that health argument doesn't appear to be working so agencies are now offering financial incentives. Just yesterday, Judge Lina Hidalgo announced that Harris County's going to offer $100 to folks who get the first vaccine. I know Houston Health has been offering $25 gift cards. Have you seen any impact on vaccination rates as a result of that incentive?
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
Vaccinated people should share story
Brandi Smith: I'm in the same boat. I'm vaccinated. My 14- and 15-year-old daughters are vaccinated. So's my boyfriend. Everyone in my home is vaccinated. I know one of the things health experts have requested is that folks who are vaccinated share their story with folks who have some hesitation there.
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
Back-to-school concerns
Brandi Smith: Dr. Persse, I want to talk about schools. Katy ISD goes back to the classroom today. Masks are optional. Conroe ISD held a board meeting last night and pulled a mask mandate off the table even though its own COVID-19 dashboard reports that there are more than 600 active cases within Conroe ISD. What kind of concerns do you have as kids return to the classroom?
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
Debunking claims made at Conroe ISD board meeting
Brandi Smith: A lot of the arguments we've heard at some of these school board meetings have been fueled by misinformation. Our reporter Marcelino Benito was up there for the Conroe ISD board meeting last night. He heard from a grandmother who spoke out against the mask mandate and I want to go rapid fire with you through some of the claims she made. Let me know if they're true, false and if you want to expand on that you can.
Watch Dr. Persse's responses to the claims made in the video below:
Potential for Johnson & Johnson booster
Brandi Smith: We have one more question from Patricia. She asks, "What about the Johnson & Johnson shot and its effectiveness?" Do you think that's going to require a booster shot soon?
Watch Dr. Persse's answer in the video below:
Dr. Persse's final message for people who are hesitant about getting vaccinated
Watch the full interview with Dr. Persse here or on the KHOU 11 YouTube channel.