NJ Spotlight News is hosting a series of virtual roundtables with the theme “Living with COVID.” I was invited to participate in the most recent discussion that considered what it means to move from a pandemic to an endemic. Our panel had an honest discussion about whether or not we were in an endemic or leading to one.
Here is a description of the program – retrieved from: Living with COVID: Join us for a roundtable discussion NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS | MARCH 14, 2022 | CORONAVIRUS IN NJ
The Garden State has been the epicenter of America’s coronavirus pandemic several times in the past two years. Nearly 2 million residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since March 2020 while more than 33,000 have died from the virus.
But with new case numbers declining significantly and mask mandates being dropped, state leaders insist COVID-19 has evolved from a pandemic to an endemic disease. What does this mean for New Jersey in the years to come? What does living with COVID look like?
To help answer these questions, NJ Spotlight News has convened a panel of experts to explore what endemic means and to identify the implications involved such as accepting that some people will still get sick and die from COVID-19.
We will discuss coronavirus epidemiology, the public health impacts of endemic COVID and how in-person school attendance factors in, what it means for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those with weaker immune systems, and what hospitals and public health systems are doing to prepare for this new normal.
You can view the discussion below:
Keynote: Linda Schwimmer, CEO, New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute
Panelists:
Dr. John F. Bonamo, MD, MS, FACOG, FACPE, Executive Vice President, Chief Medical and Quality Officer, RWJBarnabas Health
Dr. Eddy Bresnitz, former Medical Advisor COVID-19 Response, New Jersey Department of Health; former State Epidemiologist & Deputy Commissioner of Public Health Services, New Jersey Department of Health
Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, School Nurse, Camden City School District, Legislative Co-Chair, New Jersey State School Nurses Association
Dr. Denise V. Rodgers, MD, FAAFP Vice Chancellor for Interprofessional Programs, RBHS Endowed Professorship in IPE, Professor of Family Medicine, Director, Rutgers Urban Health and Wellness Institute
Moderator:
Lilo Stainton, Health Care Writer, NJ Spotlight News
