>> CATHY: MINNESOTA REPORTED THE LOWEST NUMBER OF COVID DEATHS LAST MONTH SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN HERE IN MARCH 2020.

THIS DECLINE FOLLOWS A NATIONWIDE DOWNWARD TREND IN OVERALL DEATHS, WITH THAT NUMBER NO LONGER CONSIDERED HISTORICALLY ABNORMAL.

EPIDEMIOLOGIST MIKE OSTERHOLM HAS BEEN JOINING US REGULARLY THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC.

DR. OSTERHOLM HEADS UP THE U OF M'S CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY.

EVERY TIME YOU'RE ON, YOU SAY COVID IS NOT DONE WITH US.

THAT'S BEEN THREE YEARS.

IS COVID DONE WITH US?

>> IT IS ANSWER IS NO.

HOWEVER, LET ME SAY I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS NIGHT FOR THREE YEARS, I REALLY AM CONVINCED WE'RE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE PANDEMIC.

AS YOU REPORTED, WE HAD 0 DEATHS IN JUNE WHICH WAS DOWN FROM 83 IN MAY AND DOWN FROM 139 MONTH IN JANUARY.

AND I THINK THAT TRENDS WILL HOLD FOR SOME TIME.

WHEN I IS A I THAT WE'RE NOT DONE WITH IT YET, WE ARE SEEING NEW VARIANTS EMERGE THAT HAVE STARTED TO SEE SOME UPPARTICULAR AROUND THE COUNTRY AND SOME PLACES AROUND THE WORLD, FOR EXAMPLE, JAPAN IS GETSING HIT QUITE HARD.

SO IT'S NOT DONE YET.

HOWEVER, I DON'T BELIEVE WE'LL EVER SEE NOTHER BIG SURGE LIKE WE SAW WITH THE DELTA, THE OH MA KRONS AND SO FORTH.

KEEP IN MIND, THIS IS GOING TO BE PROBABLY MORE LIKE A FLU-LIKE PICTURE WHERE IT MAY COME UP BUT IT WON'T COME DOWN IN THE SENSE THAT WOULD MEAN WE HAVE TO SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN OR EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT.

>> Eric: WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE BOOSTER DEVELOPED FOR THIS FALL WITH THE XBB STRAIN?

>> YES, UNFORTUNATELY WE'VE CONTINUED TO MOVE THE ARIANTS FROM THE BBB, IN FACT, THE ONES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW, THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BUT I THINK THE PROTECTION THAT YOU'LL HAVE WITH IN NEW BOOSTER IS GOING TO STILL BE QUITE SUBSTANTIAL, AND AS I'VE POINTED OUT ON EACH OF THE SHOWS, YOU SHOULD GET YOUR BOOSTER.

IT DOES MEAN YOU WON'T GET INFECTED, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU MIGHT NOT EVEN GET SICK BUT IT HAS CONTINUED TO HAVE GOOD STAYING POWER AGAINST SERIOUS ILLNESS, HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS AND I'LL TAKE THAT ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.

>> Cathy: SO BECAUSE THOSE BOOSTERS ARE FOR CERTAIN PEOPLE, THERE'S OTHERS OF US WHO CANNOT GET THOSE BOOSTERS YET.

WHAT DO WE O?

>> WELL, COMPLAIN.

SOME OF US ARE COMPLAINING.

I THINK THE FDA HAS BEEN TOO NARROW ALONG WITH THE CDC IN ITS SCOPE OF WHO SHOULD GET THE VACCINE.

NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT MANDATING IT, TALKING ABOUT MAKING IT PERMISSIVE AND SO FOR THOSE THAT ARE CURRENTLY RECOMMENDED, THE OLDER POPULATION, THOSE WITH UNDERLYING CONDITIONS, THEY CAN GET IT.

BUT I THINK FOR ANYONE TODAY THAT WANTS THEIR ASSURANCE THAT THEY WON'T GET SERIOUSLY ILL OR BE HOSPITALIZED, WE'RE HOPING THEY WILL MAKE T PERMISSIVE SO YOU CAN GET IT.

>> Eric: NO JULY 4TH SPIKE THIS YEAR?

>> FIRST OF ALL, IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT THIS VIRUS IS DOING BY SEASON.

WE'VE OFTEN SEEN BIGGER INCREASES IN CASES IN THE SUMMER MONTHS AND THEN A LULL IN FALL AND POSSIBLY SOME PICK-UP IN THE WINTER.

SO, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S DONE IT THREE YEARS IN A ROW, WILL IT IT THIS YEAR?

I DON'T KNOW.

WHERE THE VARIANTS KEEP CHANGING AND WITH THEM CHANGES THE PICTURE OF THE ILLNESS.

FOR EXAMPLE, TODAY, WE SEE ALMOST NO ONE WHO HAS A PROBLEM WITH LACK OF TASTE, LACK F SMELL.

WELL, THAT WAS VERY DIFFERENT IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC.

WE KNOW THAT TODAY, IF YOU WERE INFECTED BACK IN 2000 AND -- 2020, 2021, YOU WERE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO HAVE LONG COVID THAN IF YOU GET INFECTED TODAY.

SO THE VARIANTS ARE CHANGING THEIR MIX OF WHAT HE THIS DO TO US AND HOW THEY DO IT SO I THINK AT THIS POINT IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT THAT'S THE ONE THING WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR EYE ON TO SEE IF A NEUVIRTH EMERGES BUT I DO THINK WE'RE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE PANDEMIC.

I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SAY THAT TONIGHT HERE BUT I DON'T THINK THE VIRUS IS COMPLETELY DONE WITH US YET.

>> Cathy: I'M CURIOUS TO WHO HE WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT CERTAIN GENES BEING LINKED TO THOSE WHO HAD ASYMPTOMATIC COVID.

I THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING.

>> THERE IS ACTUALLY A GROWING BODIES OF DATA, YOU'RE REFERRING TO A REPORT THAT CAME OUT THIS PAST WEEK WHAT DOES SHOW THAT LINK THAT THE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD A CERTAIN GENE TYPE ACTUALLY DID HAVE A MUCH LOWER LIKELIHOOD OF GETTING SERIOUSLY ILL, MORE LIKELY TO BE ASYMPTOMATIC, IN FACT, IF INFECTED OR LESS LIKELY TO GET LONG COVERED.

WE'VE SAID ALL ALONG THE IMMUNE SYSTEM OF THE HOST IS ALSO PLAYING A PART IN WHETHER YOU GET SICK OR DON'T GETS SICK AND MUSIC YOU GET.

IN SOME CASES, THE ACTUAL ILLNESS YOU GET IS YOUROUT OF WHACK GO IMMUNE SYSTEM RESPONDING TO THE VIRUS.

I'M NOT SURE IT GIVES US ANY INFORMATION THAT SAYS WE CAN DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY, WHAT CAN WE CAPTURE FROM THAT INFORMATION BUT IT'S URELY IS -- THIS IS A BATTLE BETWEEN THE VIRUS AND THE MUM.

>> Eric: AS YOU TALKED TO YOUR COLLEAGUES IN THE U.S. AND AROUND THE WORLD, ARE YOU MORE CONFIDENT THAT THERE IS A SYSTEM IN PLACE TO DO A BETTER JOB NEXT TIME THIS HAPPENS OR -- >> FIRST OF ALL, LET ME SAY RIGHT NOW WE HAVE DISMAY NOT HE WOULD ALL THE SENIOR VEIL LANCE SYSTEMS TO KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH CASES SO I DON'T HAVE ANY FAITH IN CASE NUMBERS.

IF SOMEBODY TELLS YOU THERE'S X NUMBER OF CASES, THAT WON'T EVEN BUY YOU A BEER AT A BAR.

ON THE OTHER HAND, HE DEATHS AND HOSPITALIZATIONS STILL ARE TRACKING PRETTY WELL SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT THAT SO WE DON'T HAVE GOOD SURVEILLANCE ANYMORE.

THE SECOND PIECE IS, IN TERMS OF FOR THE FUTURE, I THINK WE'RE LESS PREPARED NOW FOR A NEW PANDEMIC THAN WE WERE BEFORE THIS ONE.

ONE IS, FIRST OF ALL, YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS THE LARGELY MAJOR CUT IN PUBLIC HEALTH FUNDING.

THE CDC IS GOING TO TAKE MAJOR HITS IN TERMS OF HAVING TO LOSE EMPLOYEES.

THE N.I.H.

BUDGETS ARE GETTING CUT AND ALL IN REACTION TO THE COVID SITUATION, THINKING THAT PUBLIC HEALTH DID SUCH A POOR JOB.

AND FINALLY THE TRUST PEOPLE HAVE A REAL HALLENGE TRUSTING PUBLIC HEALTH.

>> Eric: WE'