I’M GRATEFUL. STAY SAFE.
STAY SAFE. DOCTOR, LET ME BRING YOU IN.
IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO COVER THIS
STORY IN TERMS OF STATISTICS, IN
TERMS OF NUMBERS.
THESE ARE HUMAN BEINGS AND YOU
HEARD THE PHYSICIAN THERE,
EMERGENCY ROOM DOCTOR THERE IN
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" VIDEO
REPORT, TALKING ABOUT HOW YOUNG
THEY ARE, HOW THEY DON’T HAVE
OTHER COMPLICATING FACTORS.
CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH WHAT MAY
HAVE BEEN A MISNOMER, SOMETHING
WE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND YET, THAT
MANY OF THE VICTIMS WERE
OTHERWISE HEALTHY.
OTHERWISE HEALTHY. >> OF COURSE.
THIS IS SOMETHING, EVERY ASPECT
OF THIS WAS NOT REALLY EXPECTED
AND IT FEELS LIKE YEARS AGO BUT
IT WAS ACTUALLY LAST WEEK WE
WERE COMPARING THIS TO THE SWINE
FLU EPIDEMIC IN 2009 OR SARS IN
2003, BUT IN ACTUALITY WE’RE
ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT THE
BENCHMARKS AND THE POINT OF
COMPARISON TO THE SPANISH FLU OF
1918 AND NONE OF US WERE ALIVE
TO EXPERIENCE THAT.
THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE NOW, A
MONUMENTALLY DIFFICULT CRISIS
WITH THIS PARTICULAR PANDEMIC.
IT’S AS BIG AS IT CAN GET AND
IT’S GOING TO GET WORSE.
I USED TO BE A PEDIATRIC
INTENSIVE CARE UNIT DIRECTOR.
YOU HAVE A DEATH, IT WOULD BE A
TRAGEDY.
TRAGEDY. THE IDEA OF HAVING MAKESHIFT
MORGUES OUTSIDE OF HOSPITALS AND
MORE AND MORE REPORTS OF YOUNGER
PEOPLE DYING, WE’RE SORT OF
DISPELGDIS
DISPELGDIS DISPELLING A LOT OF MYTHS NOW.
WE THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE
OLDER PEOPLE WITH LOTS OF
CONDITIONS.
CONDITIONS. THAT’S NOT TRUE.
I HOPE WE DON’T GET TO THE POINT
WHERE STUDIES OUT OF CHINA SHOW
THAT YOUNG CHILDREN WHO HAVE
GOTTEN THIS DISEASE, AT LEAST
TWO DEATHS REPORTED AMONG
CHILDREN, MAYBE MORE.
I HAVE NO IDEA YET BUT A
14-MONTH-OLD AND A 10-YEAR-OLD.
IT’S ALSO WORTH REMEMBERING,
THIS IS NOT JUST AN URBAN
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. IT’S MIND BOGGLING TO SEE WHAT’S
HAPPENING IN NEW YORK CITY AND
NEW ORLEANS AND ELSEWHERE.
I’M TELLING YOU, WE’RE ALSO
BEGINNING TO SEE REAL EVIDENCE
THAT THIS PANDEMIC IS AFFECTING
RURAL, ISOLATED AREAS, SMALL
TOWNS IN MISSISSIPPI, ARIZONA,
AND IDAHO AND SO ON.
I’VE BEEN SPEAKING TO DOCTORS IN
ALL THESE COMMUNITIES.
THEY WERE ALREADY EXPERIENCING
PROBLEMS LONG BEFORE CORONAVIRUS
WITH RESPECT TO INSUFFICIENT
ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE IN SOME
OF THESE PLACES.
NOW THEY’RE GOING TO GET A
COVID-19 HIT THAT’S GOING TO BE
INCOMPREHENSIBLE BUT A LOT MORE
COMING AND A LOT MORE REASON TO
SAY WE HAVE TO KEEP UP PUBLIC
HEALTH.
HEALTH. >> DR. WEN, EARLIER THIS WEEK
YOU MADE SOME VERY MOVING AND TO
ME SURPRISING COMMENTS ABOUT
BEING PREGNANT YOURSELF.
YOU’VE WRITTEN A PIECE IN "THE
WASHINGTON POST" ABOUT IT.
TAKE ME THROUGH YOUR PIECE.
>> WELL, I’M ALMOST 39 WEEKS
PREGNANT AS OF THE TIME THAT
WE’RE SPEAKING NOW AND ACTUALLY
I’VE BEEN THINKING A LOT ABOUT
THIS BECAUSE HEALTH CARE
CONTINUES TO HAPPEN DURING A
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC. PEOPLE CONTINUE TO GET SICK.
THEY CONTINUE TO HAVE CHRONIC
MEDICAL CONDITIONS LIKE
PREGNANCY THAT THEY HAVE TO SEEK
MEDICAL CARE FOR.
THAT BRINGS UP A LOT OF UNKNOWNS
AND ESPECIALLY IN THIS TIME WHEN
THERE ARE CHANGING GUIDELINES.
EVERY DAY IT SEEMS LIKE NEW
INFORMATION IS COMING OUT.
IT JUST IS A FRIGHTENING TIME.
IT IS A TIME THAT PROMPTS A LOT
OF ANXIETIES.
OF ANXIETIES. I KNOW THAT WITH REGARD TO, FOR
EXAMPLE, MY OWN HOSPITAL, WE’VE
JUST CHANGED OUR VISITOR
POLICIES SO THAT NO ONE IS
ALLOWED TO HAVE A VISITOR EXCEPT
FOR LABORING WOMEN, END OF LIFE
CARE, AND CHILDREN, WHICH MAY
WELL CHANGE.
WELL CHANGE. THERE ARE ALREADY HOSPITALS IN
NEW YORK AS AN EXAMPLE THAT ARE
NOT ALLOWING ANY VISITORS, EVEN
DURING LABOR AND DELIVERY.
I THINK THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE
OF HOW MUCH UNCERTAINTY THERE IS
AND MY HEART BREAKS TO THINK IF
I COULD NOT HAVE MY HUSBAND OR
ANYONE ELSE WITH ME DURING THE
DELIVERY, BUT ALSO HOW MANY
SACRIFICES EVERYONE IS MAKING AT
THIS TIME, PEOPLE WHO CANNOT
HAVE A LOVED ONE AS THEY’RE
DYING, PEOPLE HAVING EMERGENCY
SURGERY AND ARE TERRIFIED, WHO
CAN’T HAVE A LOVED ONE WITH
THEM.
THEM. THIS IS UNCHARTERED TERRITORY
AND ALL OF US ARE CALLED UPON TO
MAKE THESE SACRIFICES.
>> JUST THE COMMENTS THAT WE ALL
LISTENED TO TOGETHER AT THE TOP
OF THE SHOW FROM THAT PHYSICIAN
IN "THE NEW YORK TIMES" CLIP,
HAVE YOU SEEN A SITUATION --
THEY DESCRIBED IT IN THE "TIMES"
ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THEIR
REPORT TODAY AS APOCALYPTIC.
YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE EMERGING
SCALE AND MAGNITUDE OF THE
CRISIS IN NEW YORK CITY
HOSPITALS.
HOSPITALS. >> I’M AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN
AND I WAS ONE OF THE PHYSICIANS
THAT TREATED THE VICTIMS OF THE
BOSTON MARATHON BOMBINGS.
THAT DAY WILL FOREVER STAY WITH
ME, JUST THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS
WHO WERE COMING IN AND NOT
KNOWING WHAT WAS GOING TO
HAPPEN, I JUST CAN’T IMAGINE
BEING IN THE SITUATION NOW WHERE
EVERY DAY IS LIKE THAT.
WHAT THESE DOCTORS ARE
DESCRIBING OF NOT BEING ABLE TO
PROTECT THEMSELVES AND ALSO OF
RATIONING CARE, KNOWING THAT
PATIENTS ARE DYING BECAUSE WE
DON’T HAVE ENOUGH SUPPLIES,
THAT’S FACING NEW YORK NOW AND
IT COULD WELL FACE THE REST OF
OUR COUNTRY UNLESS WE TAKE THE
STEPS NOW TO PREPARE.
WE’RE ALREADY WEEKS BEHIND AND
WE REALLY SHOULD NOT BE IN THIS
POSITION NOW.
POSITION NOW. >> RATIONING CARE AND RATIONING
EQUIPMENT, LET ME JUST ASK YOU,
A BIPARTISAN GROUP OF FORMER
NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICIALS
WRITES IN TODAY’S "WALL STREET
JOURNAL" THAT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO USE THE
DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT NOW.
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT WE’RE SO
MANY WEEKS INTO THIS WITH THE
KIND OF DEATHS, WITH MAKESHIFT
MORGUES SET UP OUTSIDE OF
HOSPITALS IN NEW YORK CITY AND
WE HAVEN’T PUSHED EVERY LEVER TO
MAKE SURE THAT SICK AMERICANS
CAN GET THE CARE AND EQUIPMENT
THAT THEY NEED?
>> YOU WERE ASKING ME HOW IS IT
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. I’M PRESUMING THAT’S SORT OF A
RHETORICAL QUESTION.
RHETORICAL QUESTION. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
WAS SUGGESTING THAT WE COULD BE
STARTING TO REDUCE THE
LIMITATIONS ON MOVEMENT AND
SHELTERING IN PLACE BY EASTER,
IT’S A PREPOSTEROUS STATEMENT
WHICH CAN’T HAPPEN.
THIS IS A SITUATION THAT I THINK
THIS IS A CONCEPT THAT I WANTED
TO SHARE WITH YOU.
CRISIS STANDARDS OF CARE, WHICH
IS SOMETHING WE STARTED TALKING
ABOUT IN THE LATE 2000s WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT PANDEMIC PLANNING,
WHICH MEANS THAT -- AND REALLY
TO EMPHASIZE WHAT DR. WEN WAS
SAYING, WE HAVE A SITUATION
WHERE WE’RE ALREADY CHANGING THE
STANDARDS OF CARE THAT WE’RE
ABLE TO PROVIDE BECAUSE OF LACK
OF EQUIPMENT AND ALSO BECAUSE OF
A TREMENDOUS OVERBURDENING OF
REALLY APOCALYPTIC INVASION OF
OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM WITH
PEOPLE WITH COVID.
IT’S NOT JUST THOSE PEOPLE THAT
ARE GOING TO SUFFER, IT’S PEOPLE
TRYING TO COME TO THE HOSPITAL
BECAUSE OF CHEST PAIN OR TRAUMA
THAT NEEDS TO BE TREATED.
THEY MAY NOT HAVE COVID BUT THE
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS GETTING SO
SQUEEZED RIGHT NOW, I DO WORRY
ABOUT THE CARE THAT THOSE PEOPLE
ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET FOR
OTHER KINDS OF EMERGENCIES.
I HAVE A SON WHO DIRECTS AN
EMERGENCY ROOM IN NEW YORK CITY.
HE’S TOLD HIS STAFF WHEN THEY
COME IN AT THE BEGINNING OF
THEIR SHIFT, PUT ON THEIR GOWN,
GLOVES, FACE MASK, AND LEAVE IT
ON FOR THE ENTIRE SHIFT.
THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO BE CHANGING
THESE THINGS BETWEEN PATIENTS
BUT WE JUST DON’T HAVE ENOUGH
SUPPLIES TO DO THAT.
IT’S ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THIS
VERY SEVERE ALTERING OF WHAT WE
EXPECT IN NORMAL TIMES.