WE ARE BACK TO THE COVERAGE
OF THE PANDEMIC.
A FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL
HAPPENS TO BE A MIAMI NATIVE.
HE IS LOOKING AT THE SITUATION
VERY CAREFULLY.
HE SPOKE WITH US EARLIER.
BECAUSE MANY STATES HAVE PUT
IN
STAY-AT-HOME MEASURES WE
ARE STARTING TO SEE SOME OF THE
RESULTS FOR THAT AND I THINK WE
ARE ON A BETTER CURVE.
WE ARE NOWHERE NEAR OUT OF THE
WOODS YET WE HAVE MANY STATES
THAT HAVE NOT GONE THE FULL
DISTANCE.
MY HOME STATE OF FLORIDA IS ONE
OF THE STATES.
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES WHEN
YOU CANNOT TAKE HAVE MEASURES.
YOU CAN'T SAY WE WILL DO A
LITTLE BIT NOW IN TERMS OF
SHUTTING DOWN A FEW COUNTIES
AND WE WILL SEE HOW IT GOES.
THAT IS NOT HOW PANDEMICS WORK.
THAT'S NOT HOW VIRUSES BEHAVE.
THEY DO NOT CARE WHAT COUNTY
RYAN.
THAT'S WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT
THAT THIS IS A NATIONALLY
COORDINATED EFFORT.
AND THAT WE HAVE ALL STATES
MOVE TOWARD STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS
UNTIL WE GET THE VIRUS UNDER
CONTROL.
IF YOU CARE ABOUT SAVING LIVES
AND THE LONG-TERM HEALTH OF THE
ECONOMY YOU HAVE TO ISSUE THOSE
ORDERS RIGHT NOW.
AS YOU ORDERED THE GOVERNOR
OF FLORIDA HAS NOT ISSUED THAT.
D IS CONSIDERED THAT
IRRESPONSIBLE ON HIS PART?
I HAVE NO DOUBT HE IS TRYING
TO DO WHAT HE THINKS IS IN THE
BEST INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE BUT
WHAT I WOULD ADVISE HIM AS A
PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERT AND AS A
PHYSICIAN IS THAT THE BEST WAY
TO ACHIEVE THE OUTCOMES THAT
I'M SURE HE WANTS AND ALL OF US
WANT WHICH IS TO MINIMIZE THE
LOSS OF LIFE AND MINIMIZE THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT GET SICK
AND TO ULTIMATELY MINIMIZE THE
DAMAGE TO THE ECONOMY IS TO
ISSUE A STAY-AT-HOME ORDER NOW.
IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE WEEKS
AGO THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE
COUNTRY.
EVERY DAY THAT WE WAIT IS A DAY
THAT THE VIRUS CONTINUES TO
SPREAD.
THE ISSUE OF TESTING COMES
INTO PLAY.
WHEN WE SEE MAPS OF THE U.S.
WHERE NUMBER OF CASES HAVE BEEN
REPORTED. YOU SEE WHITE SPOTS
IN THE COUNTRY THAT SEEM TO
HAVE LOWER NUMBERS OF CASES
THAT MAY BE DECEPTIVE BECAUSE
WE MAY NOT HAVE DONE ADEQUATE
LEVELS OF TESTING TO KNOW FOR
SURE HOW FAR THE VIRUS HAS
SPREAD.
IN MANY PARTS OF THE COUNTRY
PHYSICIANS HAVE GIVEN UP ON
TESTING PEOPLE THAT HAVE MILD
TO MODERATE ILLNESS. THE
SHORTAGE IS SO SEVERE THEY ARE
TRYING TO SAY THEIR TESTS FOR
PEOPLE THAT ARE SEVERELY ILL.
THIS IS NOT THE WAY THAT WE
NEED TO BE TESTING IF WE WANT
TO KNOW WHERE THE INFECTION IS.
IF YOU SEE THE NUMBERS AND YOU
THINK THEY ARE HIGH KEEP IN
MIND THAT NOT ONLY DO THESE
REFLECT PEOPLE THAT WERE
INFECTED A WEEK OR TWO AGO BUT
THEY ALSO REFLECT THE PICTURE
THAT IS INCOMPLETE BECAUSE WE
VERY LIKELY HAVE SOMEWHERE
BETWEEN 5 TO 10 TIMES THE NUMBER
OF INFECTIONS THAT ARE
REFLECTED IN OUR NUMBERS
BECAUSE WE ARE JUST NOT TESTING
ENOUGH TO SEE THE REAL NUMBERS.
YOU GREW UP HERE IN MIAMI
AND YOU HAVE FAMILY HERE.
WE TALKED ABOUT FLORIDA AND THE
NEED FOR A STATEWIDE SHELTER IN
PLACE PLAN BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT
SOUTH FLORIDA IN PARTICULAR
ESPECIALLY MIAMI AND THE
HOSPITALS.
WHAT CONCERNS YOU MOST?
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM
FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, FAMILY
MEMBERS WHEN IT COMES TO THE
WAY THAT IS ABOUT TO CRASH INTO
MIAMI WITH THIS VIRUS.
WHAT I AM HEARING RIGHT NOW
FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS
WHO ARE DOCTORS AND NURSES IS
THAT THEY STILL CANNOT GET
PATIENTS TESTED QUICKLY.
THEY ARE HAVING A HARD TIME
GETTING MASKS AND GLOVES.
MY OWN SISTER WHO WAS A PRIMARY
CARE DOCTOR IN MIAMI HAS SPENT
HOURS AND HOURS SEARCHING
ONLINE FOR PLACES TO FIND MASKS.
MANY OF THEM ARE ON BACKORDER
AND IT IS HARD TO GET THEM SO I
WORRY ABOUT THE HEALTH OF OUR
HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS.
I RECOGNIZE THAT AS THEY DO
WHAT THEY DO SO GREATLY EVERY
DAY WHICH IS TO GO TO THE FRONT
LINES AND HELP CARE FOR PEOPLE
THAT ARE ILL THEY'RE PUTTING
THEMSELVES AT RISK.
AS THEY START TO GET SICK
THAT'S WHEN WE WILL SEE THE
REAL CRUNCH.