AS 48 MILLION PER MONTH, AND
IT’S ONLY 5 BUCKS A TEST.
>> YOU SAY AS MANY AS, RIGHT,
AND THIS IS A KEY NUMBER HERE
BECAUSE THE HARVARD GLOBAL
HEALTH INSTITUTE SAYS WE NEED TO
HIT ABOUT 4 MILLION TESTS A DAY.
THAT’S KIND O.F THE█ç GOAL WE NE
TO GET TO.
ON A GOOD DAY, WE ARE HOVERING
AROUND 1 MILLION.
THERE’S A LONG WAY TO GO.
HOW DO YOU CLOSE THAT GAP?
WE ARE NOT CLOSE TO THAT AT THIS
POINT?
>> I DON’T AGREE WITH THE
HARVARD ESTIMATE, I THINK THE
HARVARD ESTIMATE IS WRONG.
IT HAS BEEN CHANGING EVERY MONTH
TO MONTH.
I WANT TO POINT OUT, THERE MAY
BE A TIME WHEN WE HAVE 10S OF
MILLIONS OF TESTS PER DAY, WE
KNOW IN OUR EFFORTS IN ARIZONA
AND PARTS OF FLORIDA AND TEXAS,
IF YOU DO THE MITIGATION,
WEARING A MASK, WASH YOUR HANDS,
COMBINED WITH SMART TESTING THAT
WE HAVE DROPPED TREMENDOUSLY THE
POSITIVITY RATE AND INFECTIONS.
ARIZONA WAS OVER 20% POSITIVE,
IT’S NOW DOWN UNDER 4%.
WE ARE GOING TO SHOOT FOR AS
MANY TESTS AS POSSIBLE.
I DON’T WANT AMERICANS TO GET
DISCOURAGED.
WE HAVE PROOF, WE KNOW IT, IF
YOU DO SMART█ç POLICIES PLUS SMA
TESTING WITHIN THE RANGE OF
TESTS WE HAVE TODAY, WE CAN
STAMP THIS OUT.
YOU GOT TO DO BOTH.
WEAR YOUR MASK, WATCH YOUR
DISTANCE, WASH YOUR HANDS.
>> SO SPEAKING OF WEARING YOUR
MASK, THAT’S A MESSAGE THAT’S
OBVIOUSLY VERY IMPORTANT.
WE HAVE SEEN, FOR EXAMPLE, THE
PRESIDENT, HIS FAMILY MEMBERS
NOT DOING THAT, DOES THAT SEND
THE WRONG MESSAGE TO YOU?
>> SO, YOU KNOW, THE PRESIDENT
IS IN A DIFFERENT SITUATION.
HE GETS TESTED EVERY DAY.
HE IS A DIFFERENT INDIVIDUAL,
AND I’M NOT THE PRESIDENT’S
PHYSICIAN, I’M NOT GOING TO
COMMENT ON THAT.
WHAT I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW,
MYSELF, I WEAR A MASK WHEN I’M
IN PUBLIC, DR. FAUCI, DR. BIRX,
ALL THE PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS
WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE DO
THAT.
IT’S THE SINGLE BEST EFFORT WE
CAN DO UNTIL WE GET A VACCINE.
VACCINES ARE PROMISING BUT THEY
ARE NOT AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW.
>>> A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS,
CORNELL IS OUT WITH A NEW STUDY
THAT FINDS THE PRESIDENT IS THE
SINGLE LARGEST DRIVER OF
CORONAVIRUS MISINFORMATION
DURING A PANDEMIC IN WHICH
INFORMSTION THAT IS GOOD AND
ACCURATE IS CRITICAL.
DO YOU FIND THAT PROBLEMATIC?
>> I HAVEN’T READ THE STUDY, I
WILL LOOK AT IT.
ALL I CAN SAY IS ALL OF US ON
THE TASK FORCE.
>> THAT’S THE HEADLINE, THE IDEA
THAT THE PRESIDENT IS A
DRIVER -- I’M SORRY, ADMIRAL,
THE PRESIDENT IS THE DRIVER OF
MISINFORMATION, THEY LOOKED AT A
NUMBER OF ARTICLES, ANALYZED
MILLIONS OF ARTICLES TO
DETERMINE THIS FINDING, AND I’M
WONDERING IF YOU FIND THAT TO BE
AN ISSUE?
>> SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK SOME
THINGS COULD BE TAKEN OUT OF
CONTEXT.
ALL I’M GOING TO SAY IS THAT I
TRY TO GIVE THE BEST PUBLIC
HEALTH INFORMATION.
DR. FAUCI, DR. BIRX, WE ALL DO.
WE HAVE BEEN VERY CONSISTENT.
NO ONE HAS EVER ASKED ME TO
ALTER MY PUBLIC HEALTH
INFORMATION.
I’M HERE WITH YOU, ON CNN ALL
THE TIME, IN THE SENATE.
WE TRY TO DO WHAT’S BEST FOR THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
YOU HAVE MY COMMITMENT AND ALL
THE DOCS ON THE TASK FORCE.
>, DO YOU THINK IT WOULD HELP IF
THE PRESIDENT WAS MORE ACCURATE
THOUGH?
>> LOOK, THE PRESIDENT, I THINK
HE HAS COME OUT AND SAID MASK
WEARING IS IMPORTANT, I THINK
THAT’S VERY IMPORTANT.
HE SUPPORTED OUR INCREASED
TESTING EFFORTS.
WE HAD AN EFFORT IN THE ROSE
GARDEN, A NEW EVENT SUPPORTING
TESTING SO HE’S BEEN SUPPORTIVE
OF THE ISSUES THAT WE NEED TO
BRING FORWARD.
WE ALL NEED TO DOUBLE DOWN ON
HAVING BETTER COMMUNICATION,
INCLUDING MYSELF, AND WE’RE
GOING TO STRIVE TO DO THAT, AND
THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON SO THAT
WE CAN IMPROVE OUR COMMUNICATION
TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
>> AND I KNOW WE’RE JUST ABOUT
OUT OF TIME, SO I’LL MAKE THE
LAST ONE QUIT.
YOU TALK ABOUT COMMUNICATION,
DR. REDFIELD IS A PART OF THAT,
MY COLLEAGUE AT NBC NEWS TALKED
WITH HIM AFTER SHE OVERHEARD HIM
TALKING ABOUT DR. SCOTT ATLAS,
SAYING EVERYTHING DR. ATLAS SAYS
IS FALSE AS WE TALK ABOUT THE
IMPORTANCE OF AS YOU SAY,
ACCURATE INFORMATION,
REFERENCING THINGS ATLAS SAID
ABOUT MASKS, HERD IMMUNITY, ET
CETERA, ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT
APPár ROLE IN THAT RESPONSE?
>> I’M NOT.
THERE ARE DIFFERING OPINIONS
EVEN AMONG THE SCIENCE AND
MEDICAL PEOPLE ON THE TASK
FORCE.
MOST OF US AGREE ON MOST THINGS.
THINGS AREN’T BLACK AND WHITE, A
NEW VIRUS, A NEW OUTBREAK, WE’RE
LEARNING THINGS EVERY DAY.
THERE ARE INFECTIOUS DISEASE
ISSUES AND BROADER ISSUES LIKE
CANCER SCREENING AND SUBSTANCE
ABUSE, AND SUICIDE.
THE VICE PRESIDENT SUPPORTS OPEN
DISCOURSE AND DISAGREEMENTS.
HE ALWAYS QUOTES THE PROVERB,