HJAR Nov/Dec 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  NOV / DEC 2020 13 lessened so that they can see their loved ones. I know it’s difficult, but there’s a rea- son why these regulations are there: once the virus enters a community like that, it can spread very, very easily. I’ve seen that more than once, where a virus enters a congregate living center, and the number of individu- als that are infected both systematically and asymptomatically is significant, and there are deaths within that. As we go forward, what’s been announced recently is that we’re having rapid point of care tests. Rapid point of care testing will be made available to nursing home workers and will be part of our strategy to prevent the introduction of virus into those communities. Editor There’s so much talk about the lack of PPE for healthcare workers in gen- eral. What is the current PPE situation for healthcare workers across Arkansas? Romero Actually, I’m happy to report that we are doing very well with PPE. We have a stockpile here at the health department. We have enough PPE at this time where it’s not an issue for us. Clearly, we did have some issues early on in the pandemic. We managed to get through that. We didn’t have the issues that we’re seeing in other parts of the country, but I think we’ve been forward leaning and looking toward the future, acquiring these supplies should there be a resurgence this winter or some time into the future. So, at this point, I think we’re fine. We have enough PPE. Editor Are the hospital ICU surge plans across Arkansas sufficient if this winter brings a tsunami of patients? Romero We think it does, but remember this winter is going to be very difficult. I don’t want to sound like the Game of Thrones, “winter is coming,” but the problem is not just COVID, it’s influenza. Each year, influ- enza contributes significantly to deaths in the United States. Influenza infections in the elderly, in adults and children also contrib- ute significantly to the number of individu- als who are hospitalized during the winter months. So, the concern is not just COVID, the concern is influenza. If the two of these combine, then there is a possibility that we could overload the healthcare system. If COVID were the only thing to be worried about, no, I don’t think there’s a problem. But if we add to this, influenza and other respiratory viruses, yes, there is a possibility depending on how “bad” the influenza sea- son is, we could wind up with getting close to or possibly exceeding our bed supply, and that includes ICU beds and ventilators. That’s one of the reasons why we’re talk- ing frequently about getting vaccinated this year. If there’s any year when you should become vaccinated, it should be this year. The governor and I had our little photo- op receiving our vaccine publicly. Why? Because we think it’s something that’s very important. As a parenthetical, my wife com- mented that this is the earliest in the sea- son I’ve ever received the vaccine. Usually, it’s a running joke that because I’m so busy, the nurses are tracking me down some- where to give me the shot at the last pos- sible moment, but she’s right. This year I’ve taken it early. My wife had it early. We have been receiving the vaccine for decades. She’s a retired nurse, and it’s something that I’ve had from a resident on. Editor We’re a year into this pandemic and N95 or above masks are not available to the public, but the public is highly encouraged, or mandated or shamed to wear some sort of mask covering for the “protection” of others. How far is the public from having N95 masks that will protect them from the virus, and has anyone talked to you or your team about developing these masks in Arkansas?