Doctor on both frustrations and hope in managing COVID surge

“The more people we get vaccinated, the more likely it is that we turn this virus into something that's much more manageable than it is today,” says Cornell physician Dhruv Khullar.

“The more people we get vaccinated, the more likely it is that we turn this virus into something that's much more manageable than it is today,” says Cornell physician Dhruv Khullar. Photo by Shutterstock.

Coronavirus cases are rising in every state, fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant. In the last week, the U.S. averaged 32,000 cases a day, according to John Hopkins University.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has described this moment as a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” as nearly every new infection, hospitalization, and death is happening to people who haven’t gotten their shots. This is frustrating doctors who are once again overrun with COVID-19 patients. 

“There's a sadness or a frustration when you see so much death and disease due to something that we know is almost entirely preventable,” says Dhruv Khullar, physician at Weill Cornell Medical College.

He adds, “I don't think COVID zero is a reality, but really pushing COVID into something that doesn't disrupt our daily lives, that very much is a reality that we can hope for.” 

From this Episode:

Credits

Host:

Madeleine Brand

Producers:

Sarah Sweeney, Angie Perrin, Michell Eloy, Amy Ta, Rosalie Atkinson, Brian Hardzinski, Bennett Purser