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JEN: WE ARE GETTING READY TO GET INTO THE THICK OF FLU SEASON, BUT HOW DOES THE IMPACT -- HOW DOES THE PANDEMIC IMPACT THIS TIME OF YEAR? JOINING US IS DR. GABRIEL -- DR. GABE KELEN. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. JEN: HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU ABOUT FLU AND COVID NIXING THIS FALL? >> PRETTY CONCERNED BECAUSE MOST YEARS WE ARE ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FLU. AS YOU KNOW, MANY YEARS WE HAVE A HORRENDOUS RUN OF SICK PATIENTS COMING TO THE HOSPITAL AND OVERWHELMING THE HEALTH SYSTEM. THIS YEAR, AS THE WEATHER STARTS TO COOL AND PEOPLE ARE MORE IN DOORS, THIS COULD BE A DOUBLE WHAMMY. GETTING ONE DOESN’T PROTECT YOU FROM GETTING THE OTHER. IF YOU GET ONE IT ACTUALLY WEAKENS YOU TO SOME EXTENT FOR BEING SET UP FOR VERY BAD OUTCOMES FOR THE SECOND. BOTH ATTACK THE LUNGS. ONCE YOUR LUNGS ARE AFFECTED BY INFLUENZA AND THEN IF YOU GET CLOSE CASH AND IF YOU, THAT IS A BAD -- AND IF YOU GET COVID, THAT IS A BAD EPISODE. YOU MAY NOT NOTICE YOUR LUNGS ARE AFFECTED BECAUSE YOU ARE RELATIVELY HEALTHY. NOW YOU ARE SET UP WITH THE FLU WHICH ALSO ATTACKS THE LUNGS. WE ARE CONCERNED BOTH FOR THE POPULATION AND FOR WHAT IT MIGHT MEAN FOR THE HEALTH SYSTEM. JEN: IT SEEMS LIKE EARLIER THAN EVER BEFORE, THE FLU VACCINE HAS BEEN PUSHED THIS YEAR. HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT GOING TO BE MOVING INTO THE FALL AND WINTER? >> UNLIKE COVID, WE HAVE A VACCINE. WE KNOW IT IS SAFE, WE KNOW IT IS EFFECTIVE. IT IS NOT 100% FOR EVERYONE, BUT IT IS SUFFICIENTLY EFFECTIVE THAT IF THE WHOLE PROPOSITION TICKET, IT TREMENDOUSLY TAMPS DOWN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO GET THE FLU. I COULDN’T URGE YOUR LISTENERS MORE STRONGLY, GO OUT NOW AND GET THIS FLEW OFF THE MAP FOR YOU SO YOU ONLY HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HOW TO AVOID GETTING COVID. JEN: IT IS GOING TO BE FRUSTRATING FOR HOSPITALS ACROSS THE AREA AND ALSO THESE SCHOOL SYSTEMS IS THE RETURN TO SOME SORT OF IN-PERSON LEARNING IS DIFFERENT TAKING BETWEEN THE FLU AND THE CORONAVIRUS. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT WITH SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS TO DO THAT UNLESS YOU HAVE THE TEST. >> ABSOLUTELY. THERE IS NO PERCENTAGE IN TRYING TO DIFFERENTIATE. THEY BOTH HAVE SERVICE OF BREATH, COUGH, RUNNING NOSE, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. THE PERCENTAGE YOU MIGHT GET THESE IN ONE CATEGORY MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER. THERE’S NO WAY A LAYPERSON CAN TELL WHAT THEY HAVE AT DOCTORS CAPS OFF AND TELL. GENERALLY, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TELL WITHOUT A TEST. ONE OF THE BIGGEST MESSAGES FROM THIS MORNING IS IF YOU FEEL FLU-ISH, LIKE YOU ARE COMING DOWN WITH SOMETHING, DON’T JUST SAY I GUESS IT IS A COLD. I WILL JUST STAY AT HOME AND IF SOME PEOPLE IN MY HOUSE WILL GET IT IT IS NO BIG DEAL. NO, IT IS A BIG DEAL. IT COULD BE THE FLU AND IT COULD BE COVID. YOU MAY NOT BE THAT AFFECTED, BUT IF YOU GIVE IT TO OTHERS IT COULD BE LETHAL. YOU MENTIONED THE TERM "FATIGUE" WHICH IS SOMETHING WE HAVE HEARD A LOT ABOUT. FOLKS ARE GETTING SICK OF IT ALL AND MAYBE NOT TAKING THE PROPER PRECAUTIONS. THAT IS SOMETHING YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT. >> VERY CONCERNED. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN TURNS -- THAT CONCERNS ALL OF US. SOCIAL DISTANCING, AND THIS WASHING OF HANDS, AND SO FORTH -- ENDLESS WASHING OF HANDS, AND SO FORTH. UNFORTUNATELY, IT HAS TO BE A WAY OF LIFE. WE KNOW IT WORKS. SINCE MARCH TO NOW, EACH OF US USUALLY GET 1-3 COLTS? -- COLDS? THOSE WHO HAVE C DISTANCE, WASHED HER HANDS, AND SO ON HAVE NOT GOTTEN -- WHO HAVE SOCIALLY DISTANCED, WASHED THEIR HANDS, AND SO ON HAVE NOT GOTTEN COLDS. IT CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE TO OUR LIVES HERE IN MARYLAND. WE DON’T WANT TO HAVE THE ECONOMY SHUT BACK DOWN AND BUSINESSES SHUT BACK DOWN BECAUSE OF THE -- LET’S ALL DO OUR PART. JEN: VERY WELL SAID. YOU HAVE A NICE, CALM DEMEANOR ABOUT YOU SO I FELT MY OWN HEART RATE DECREASE IN THIS INTERVIEW