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:

Our first question for Dr. Fernando this week comes from Maryann from New Milford. She wants to know: "What's the deal with all these new inflated case and casualty numbers that just came out this week?"

"I think some of the things that we're seeing right now, particularly in Connecticut, is very interesting. Between the 22nd and 29th of April, the death cases rose from 1,544 to 2,089, which is really scary and is very worrisome. 90% of these cases are from nursing homes. Last weekend we had some great weather, no social distancing, no masks. We have 20 states in America with an increasing number of cases and for me, it just isn't the right time to actually re-open the country. Everything has to be done on a state-by-state basis, but I don't think Connecticut is ready to re-open again."

Jay in Danbury has been hearing conflicting stories about social distancing. Some say it works, others say it doesn't matter, he would like to hear your professional opinion on this.

"Let's just look at the countries where social distancing has worked. I think the United States has failed with their social distancing process. Take India for example. They have 1.2 billion people and very few few cases. What they did was a national lock down, which is very strict. Also in Italy, they had Mayors on the streets telling people to get back in their homes, and were issuing heavy fines for people who didn't social distance. Here in the states, we love our freedom, and there was no real way to actually instill the strict guidelines. We have flattened the curve, but overall, I think it's a failed process. So that's why we are way into this epidemic with no signs of it going away."

Finally, Dawn in Carmel wants to know, "Is antibody testing still happening, and has it been working?"

The antibody test is touted to be America's test to get back to work, so let me tell you why that is dangerous in certain cases. For every infectious disease, when you recover, you get an antibody level. For COVID-19, the test will tell you if you have an antibody, but it doesn't give you the level of what you need to be considered immune. It just says you've been exposed, but doesn't tell you if you're immune to getting the virus again. This is something that has to be watched very closely. Of course, it's being touted as a passport to immunity, but we need more information. I have not seen any studies anywhere on the planet that say that if you get the test and it comes back positive, it means you're safe from not getting the virus again. Not a single study has come back with that data. This test is so far from perfect, we have to keep watching this test."

Every Thursday morning at 7:10, 7:20, and 7:50, and also again at 8:10, 8:20, and 8:50 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:

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