News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Thirty-five members of the Upper Cumberland Medical Society have signed a resolution encouraging residents to wear masks.
Medical society member Dr. Jim Batson said high infection rates and available hospital space is the society’s biggest fear.
“Our numbers are rising just like everybody else in the country,” Batson said. “We are a regional hub of the entire 14 counties of the Upper Cumberland, so we are going to be seeing a lot of those patients.”
Batson said with more research coming out daily, mask wearing is more important than initially thought. A simple cloth covering can reduce transmission up to 60 percent.
“What we are learning about Covid or the individual virus, Sars-Cov-2, is changing,” Batson said. “It seems that it is much more likely to be respiratory droplets. Social distancing is more important and wearing mask is more important.”
Cookeville Regional currently has enough space for Covid patients, but Batson said max capacity could be reached if the curve continues to grow.
“You want to obviously do what you can to keep our medical system from becoming overwhelmed,” Batson said. “Right now, Cookeville Regional is doing a fantastic job of handling the increase in patients requiring intensive care, but the potential is there for worsening.”
Batson said exposure to Covid-19 overtime increases the odds a person will contract the virus. Masks decreases the odds of human respiratory droplets being transferred.
“If you have an overwhelming exposure, you are likely to get sick quicker and get much more sick,” Batson said. “If you have a very mild exposure, you are less likely to get sick and critically ill. People will argue most people will recover, but that is not true across the board. If you are above 65 or have health issues, that drastically increase your chances that you will have major problems.”
Batson said the current rise of the virus seems to be in the 20 to 40 year age range, which do not get as sick, but can still create a strain on the medical system.
The Upper Cumberland Medical Society is part of the Tennessee Medical Association and has national accreditation for medical education. The society urges persons to wear a simple cloth face covering or mask in public and avoid crowds.
