One on One with Dr. Bobby Mukkamala: Talking COVID

Admired local physician Dr. Bobby Mukkamala is telling it like it is and he WANTS you to listen.

At a recent press conference with Mayor Sheldon Neely his words were strong and blatant.“There was a time that I was scared about the curve of illness and the deaths related to COVID-19. And then there was a time that I was proud of the precautions and the distancings that were practiced in our state, in our county, and our city", he said. “I’m back to being scared. We’re pretty much back to where we were in April as far as the number of cases that we’re diagnosing. I want our city to continue to recognize that we’re on a teeter-totter.”

Mukkamala's comments came during a briefing following a violent weekend in Flint marred with shootings, but he wasn't commenting on the crime. He was warning the public about not taking the current health situation we find ourselves in seriously. A pop- up party over the weekend brought together close to 1000 individuals, most of them young people, and none adhering to the guidelines of no large gatherings and social distancing. He stressed his concern that not only are these young people putting themselves at risk, but they head home and risk the health and lives of their parents, grandparents and more.

Mukkamala, who is the President of the Michigan State Medical Society, has been closely watching the COVID-19 trends and the areas they are rising in.  He commented,

"We did a great job at the beginning considering we were one of the worst states right out of the gate. Our numbers went down nicely. Then our restrictions were lifted in the hopes that we would continue to act responsibly and not cause a second Spike. We are headed towards a second spike and that is why I would like to remind people that our destiny is in our own hands as far as continuing to be careful"

When asked if the issue was that people are just tired of being "locked down", or if  it was that some just don't buy into the pandemic hype, Mukkamala said,

I think those people that no longer want to be locked down are only a small portion of the issue because they seem to be the ones that emerge, but emerge while remembering that they need to protect themselves and others. It is the people that are in denial that are escaping the lockdown and are pretending like everything is fine that will be the source of a problem.

With the continued rise of cases in Michigan and the amount of large gatherings that escalated more around the 4th of July resulting in hundreds of COVID-19 exposures, I asked Dr. Mukkamala if he thought another shut-down was imminent.

I don't think it will match the peak we had before, BUT I am sure the governor has her "finger on the shut down button". That is why we need to keep stressing the importance of working and socializing responsibly so don't create the outcome we are trying to avoid

Currently, under the order issued by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, crowds of more than 100 people were not allowed because of the pandemic. Mukkamala wants everyone to know adhering to those guidelines as well as the others in place is key to keeping the numbers down and getting back to normal.