Top Infectious Disease Doctor Warns It's Too Early To Re-Open

Dr. Rajeev Fernando has been recognized as one of America's top doctors in New York for the specialty of Infectious Disease since 2014. He is an accomplished doctor, with a generous heart and compassion for making this world a better place.

You can listen to the entire, very informative interview below, but here are just some of the highlights:

In our first question for Dr. Fernando this week, Dave in New Milford wanted to know if masks were really effective or not:

"In my opinion, I think they do help. It's a barrier, and we still don't really know, when you sneeze or cough, how far the respiratory droplets actually travel, how many feet. Coronavirus is something novel, so I can't say conclusively if these masks work, but in this climate and situation we're in, I think it's a good idea to wear your mask."

A number of local listeners wanted to know if we're opening things up too soon:

"I think we are, but it's important to understand the situations some people are in. It's easy for people who are getting paid each week to say keep things shut down. For those who are not getting paid and are having trouble paying their bills, they need to get back to work. It's a challenging situation, and I don't think the United States has enforced this lock down well enough. In other countries like India, lock down means there's no one out at all, the whole country is locked down. We have flattened the curve, but we have to get tougher. That's the only way we'll be able to open things up safely. There's no doubt that we will see another wave once things open back up, this is not the time to let our guard down."

Kevin in New Fairfield asked, "Since the CDC announced we could see another outbreak of the virus in the fall, what are the chances of that happening?"

"It's certainly a possibility. It depends on how well we social distance. There are so many factors that play into this, but I will say this could happen. But to conclusively say there will be a second wave, I cannot tell you that at this time. It really depends on if the virus mutates, or if it remains in our system and reactivates."

Every Thursday morning at 7:10 and 8:10, Dr. Fernando joins Mr. Morning on KICKS 105.5 to answer your questions about the coronavirus and how it pertains to the Greater Danbury area.

If you have a question you would like answered, just send a chat message through your KICKS 105.5 mobile app or call Mr. Morning at 1-877-303-1055. Here's his latest update, and you can listen to the full audio here:

Here's some bonus information from one of Dr. Fernando's video's from his YouTube page: