Health Headlines - 5-6-20

Health Headlines - 5-6-20

In today's health headlines we talk about how Oregon is working to set up a state wide contact tracing system.

Also, blood thinners may help save the life of people with Coronavirus with blood clots.

THE STATE OF OREGON IS STARTINGA VOLUNTEER CONTACT TRACINGSYSTEM.IT MAY BE THE FIRST OF ITS KINDIN THE U-S... AND WILL REQUIREVOLUNTEERS TO TAKETHEIR TEMPERATURE EVERY DAY FORA YEAR..

AND THEN REPORT IT TORESEARCHERS.PAT DOORIS TAKES A CLOSER LOOK.PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCHERS INOREGON ARE PREPARING TO LAUNCHSOMETHING WE'VE NEVERSEEN ON THIS SCALE.THEY WANT TO GATHER VOLUNTEERSIN EVERY CORNER OF THESTATE--FROM EVERYCOMMUNITY-- ESPECIALLY MINORITYPOPULATIONS-- AND CONVINCE THEMTO TAKE THEIR TEMPERATUREEVERY SINGLE DAY FOR A FULLYEAR- AND REPORT THAT TO THERESEARCHERS.

TEN-THOUSAND OFTHOSE PEOPLE WILL HAVECORONAVIRUS TEST KITS AT HOME."IF YOU'RE A HOUSEHOLD OF FOURWE'LL HAVE A THERMOMETER WHICHHAS A REMOVABLE TIP THAT YOU CANSHARE AMONGST YOUR FAMILY- EACHINDIVIDUAL- WE'RE LOOKING FORSYMPTOMS IN EACHINDIVIDUAL IN THAT HOUSEHOLD."DOCTOR DAVID BANGSBERG IS WITHTHE O-H-S-U AND THE P-S-U SCHOOLOF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ONE OF THEFORCES BEHIND THE PLAN.THE ROUGH DRAFT OF THE IDEA ISTO HAVE 100- THOUSAND VOLUNTEERSSCATTERED ACROSS THE STATE -PROBABLY MORE IN THE BIGGERMETRO AREAS - BUT YOU WANT TOHAVE A WIDE SWATH OF THE STATECOVERED.THE VOLUNTEERS WILL TAKE THEIROWN TEMPERATURE EVERY DAY AND ITWILL BE QUICKLY REPORTED BACK TOO-H-S-U PROBABLY WITHTHERMOMETERS CONNECTED TO THEINTERNET - SO THEY WILL BEABLE TO SEE VIRTUALLY IN REALTIME -- STATEWIDE HOW EVERYONEIS DOING.IF ONE OR MORE PEOPLE SUDDENLYDEVELOP A FEVER - THEY WILL KNOW- AND BE ABLE TO SWOOP INWITH A TEAM OF SPECIALISTS TOGET THE PERSON TESTED - AND IFIT IS COVID-19 - FIND ALL THEPEOPLE THEY WERE IN CONTACT WITHAND GET THEM TESTED TOO.THAT WAY ANY NEW OUTBREAK CAN BECONTAINED QUICKLY BEFORE ITTAKES OFF AND BECOMESWIDESPREAD.IT MAY WELL BE THE FIRST OF ITSKIND IN THE NATION."THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANTEVENT WE'VE HAD IN THE CENTURY.YOU KNOW THIS IS ANOPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO MAKE ADIFFERENCE NOT ONLY FORTHEMSELVES AND THEIR HOUSEHOLDBUT FORALL OF OREGON."BLOOD THINNERS MAY IMPROVE THEODDS OF SURVIVAL FOR COVID-19PATIENTS... WITH HIGHLEVELS OF BLOOD CLOTS.THAT'S ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDYOUT OF NEW YORK.RESEARCHERS LOOKED AT THERECORDS OF MORE THAN 27-HUNDREDPATIENTSWHO WERE HOSPITALIZED WITH THEVIRUS.THEY FOUND... THOSE WHO TOOKBLOOD THINNERS HAD A HIGHERSURVIVAL RATE... THANTHOSE WHO DID NOT.THE DIFFERENCE... WAS EVENLARGER FOR THOSE ON VENTILATORS.SCIENTISTS SAY... EACH CASESHOULD STILL BE EVALUATED ON ANINDIVIDUAL BASIS... TO