����vlog

FIVE AND A HALF YEARS. THE U.S. SURGEON GENERAL ASKS TECH COMPANIES TO REVEAL THE TOP ON-LINE SOURCESF O MISINFORMATION ABOUT COVID-19 AND THE VACCINES AND HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS AND MORE IS THE EXECUVETI VICE CHAIR FOR EMERGENCY MEDICINE AT MASS GENERAL. ALWAYS GREAT TO HAVE YOU WHIT US, DOCTOR. BEN: HE'S GOT KIDS AT HOME. ALL RIGHT, DOCTOR, WE CALL IT THE TWIN PANDEMIC, COVID SPREAD FAST, BUT THE MYTHS ON SOCIAL MEDIA SEEM TO SPREAD EVEN FASTER. IN YOUOPR INION, WHAT'S BEEN THE IMPACT, COULD THIS HAND MAYBE HAVE BEEN OVER SOONER WITHOUT THAT? >> IT DEFINITELY HAS SIGNIFICANT IMPACT, WHETHER IT'S FRIENDS, FAMILIES, OR PATIENTS IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT I'VE HAD HUNDREDS OF CONVERSATIONS OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS TALNGKI ABOUT MINISFORMATION THAT SOMEBODY HAS HEARD ON SOME SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM. I KNOW YOU HAVE TOOND A WHENHE T CONVERSATIONS GET BOTH FRUSTRATING AND QUITE HONESTLY, EXHAUSTING, BUT WE HAVE TO KEEP HANGVI THEM, BECAUSE WE CAN'T LET THESE MYTHS SPREAD. WE,LL TO THAT END, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MYTHS ABOUT COVID OR THE VACCINES THAT Y'VOUEAD H TO DEBUNK OVER AND OVER AGAIN. >> YEAH, ERIKA, I HESITATE TO MENTION THEM BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GIVE THEM A BUNCH OF CREDENCE, THEY RANGE FROM WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT, THE COMMON ONE THAT THE MYTHS THAT THE VACCINES ARE MADE OF DANGEROUS MATERIAL OR NATURAL IMMUNITY IS BETTER THAN IMMUNITY FROM VEXI,LS OR THE WHACKY THINGS LICKETY VACCINES HAVING MICROCHIPS OR BEING ABLE TO ALTER YOUR D.N.A. I THINK I MIGHT HAVE HEARD ALL OF THAT. MANY, MANY, MYAN TIMES. BEN: AS YOU WELL KNOW, DOCTOR, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE STILL STRUGGLING WITH ONE FAMILY MEMBER WHO REFUSES TO GET VACCINATED AND IT KIND OF -- AND IN MANY WAYS, IT HAMPERS YOU FROM MOVING ON WITH YOUR LIFE, KNINOWG THAT YOU'VEOT G THAT PERSON AS A CLOSE CONTACT WHO JUST WON'T DO IT. HAVE YOU FOUND ANY WORDS OR CAN YOU SHARE ANY DATA THAT WORKS AND MAYBE TRYGIN TO CONVINCE THESE HOLDOUTS? >> YOU KNOW, IT'S DIFFERENT FOR EVERYBODY. I THI,NK FIRST, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT I FOUND THAT WORKS, WHEN I'M WORKING WITHEO PPLE WHO JTUS HAVEN'T GOTTEN VACCINATED OR BOOSTED, ACTUALLY, IS THAT YOU REALLY JUST HAVE TO TE THEAK TIME TO LISTEN, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO FIND OUT WHY THEY DON'T WANT TO OR HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO MAKE TIME TO GET VACCINATED OR BOOSTED. YO HUAVE TOE B EMPATHETIC, EVEN THOUGH IT CAN BE REALLY FRUSTRATING. GET TH CEONCERNSUT O ON THE TABLE AND THEN SEMENA TO REPUTABLE SOURCES ON-LINEO T ADDRESS THOSE CONCERNS AND YOU'VE GOT TO LISTEN FIRST THOUGH, BECAUSE OTHERWISEF I YOU JUST TELL THEM THEY'RE WRONG, YOU DON'T GET ANYWHERE. ERIKA: BEFORE WE LETOU YO, G DOCTOR, MINE, THE PAST TWO YEARS HAVE BNEE EXHAUSTING, ANXIETY RIDDEN AND NOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN UKRAINE IS KIND OF ADDING ON TO ALL OF THIS AS AN E.R. DOCTOR, ALSO A PARENT. THE IMAGES WE'RE GETTING IN FROM UKRAINE ARE ABSOLUTELY HORRIFYING. YOUR KIDS ARE YOUNG, ARE THEY AWARE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING? HOW DO YOU TALK TO THEM ABOUT IT, HOWRE A YOU HANDLING IT? I THINK JUST IN GENERAL, MENTAL HEALTH HAS BEEN SUCH A PROBLEM, AND WE KEEP COMPOUNDING THE ISSUE. >> YOU'RE TOTLYAL RIGHT, ERIKA. HONESTLY ORVE THE PAST COUPLOFE YEARS, I'VE COME HOME FROM WORK AND TOLD THE KIDS ABOUT THE REALLYAD B DAYS, THE TRAUMAS, AND THE SAD STORIES AND THEY WONDERING WHY I'M WRAPPING THEM UP IN A BIG HUG. BUT THIS IS DIFFERENTLY, THEY'RE ACTUALLY SEEING THE PICTURES THSEEMLVES ANDOT N GETTING MY FILTERED VERSION AND THESE ARE THINGS THEY HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE, MY KS AIDND BOTH YOUR KIDS AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IS MAKING SURE WE WATCH THE NEWS WITH TM,HE LISTENING TO THEIR QUESTIONS, TRYING TO VALIDATE THEIR FEELINGS AND WHEN THEYET G STRESSED WE'RE WRAPPING THEM UP IN REALLY BIG HUGS. BEN: IT IS IMPACTING SO MANY FAMILIES AND SO MANY CHILDREN. DOCTOR, THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.