>>> WELCOME BACK.
JOINING ME NOW ARE THREE PEOPLE
WHO MANY HAVE TURNED TO DURING
THE PANDEMIC.
DR. OSTERHOLM IS THE DIRECTOR
FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.
DR. JOANY KHALDOON, CENTER FOR
MICHIGANS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
AND DR. WAYNE FREDERICK,
PRESIDENT OF HOWARD UNIVERSITY
AND A REMINDER, HE IS ONE OF THE
FEW UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS WHO IS
ALSO AN M.D.
WELCOME TO YOU ALL.
DR. OSTERHOLM, LET ME START WITH
YOU.
IS THERE ANY WAY WE AVOID WHAT
SOME PEOPLE THOUGHT WAS ALARMIST
A FEW WEEKS AGO WHEN DR. FAUCI
SAID HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT
100,000 CASES A DAY.
IS IT INEVITABLE AT THIS POINT
THAT THATS WHERE WERE HEADED
IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS?
>> WELL, TO PUT IT INTO
PERSPECTIVE, AGAIN, WE LOOK AT
WHERE WEVE BEEN.
WE HAVE PROBABLY INFECTED 7% TO
8% OF THE U.S. POPULATION TO
DATE.
THATS IT, WITH THE PAIN,
SUFFICIENTERING, DEATH AND
ECONOMIC DISRUPTION, THATS IT.
AS WE TALKED ABOUT ON THIS VERY
SHOW THIS VIRUS WONT STOP AND
LET ALONE STOP TRANSMISSION
UNTIL WE GET TO 50% OR 60%.
TO PUT THAT INTO PERSPECTIVE,
CHUCK, IF WE HAD 65,000 TO
75,000 CASES A DAY FOR THE NEXT
300 DAYS IT WOULD BE CLOSE TO
THAT LEVEL.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF HUMAN WOOD
TO BURN IN THIS CORONAVIRUS
FOREST FIRE AND YOU KNOW, WE MAY
SEE UPS AND DOWNS IN COMMUNITIES
WHERE PEOPLE DO TAKE MORE
CONCERN FOR A MOMENT BECAUSE OF
THE SEVERE PROBLEMS, BUT I THINK
ITS NOT ONLY LIKELY THAT WELL
SEE MUCH MORE THAN 100,000, BUT
I DONT THINK PEOPLE UNDERSTAND
IF WE DONT CHANGE OUR WAYS, WE
ARE IN FOR THE NEXT YEAR OF
THOSE VERY KINDS OF NUMBERS.
>> DR. KHALDOON, I KNOW THAT THE
SCIENTIFIC AND MEDICAL ADVICE IS
ESSENTIALLY, WEVE GOT TO DO A
RESET AND MAYBE GO BACK TO THE
SHUTDOWN AND MAYBE DO IT RIGHT A
LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN WE DID
THE LAST TIME.
CAN YOU IMAGINE THE POLITICAL
WILL IN MICHIGAN TO DO THAT
AGAIN?
>> IM VERY PROUD OF THE PEOPLE
IN MICHIGAN.
IM PROUD OF GOVERNOR WITMER.
SHE HAS FROM DAY ONE, LISTENED
TO THE DATA, BUT IM VERY
CONCERNED.
THERE ARE SIMPLE THINGS LIKE
MASK WEARING POLITICAL.
I AM CONCERNED THAT PEOPLE ARE
GATHERING IN THESE LARGE GROUPS.
THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE AS KROCROS
COUNTRY WHERE WE HEARD OF A BAR
WITH COVID-19 WHERE PEOPLE WERE
GATHERING AND IM CONFIDENT THAT
MICHIGAN
MICHIGANDERS CAN DO IT.
WE BROUGHT THAT CURVE DOWN SO
IM CONFIDENT WE CAN DO THAT
AGAIN.
>> YOU SEE THAT ITS COMING BACK
UP.
DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF WHY?
DO YOU THINK -- DR. KHALDUN, DO
YOU THINK ITS YOUNGER FOLKS
LAXING ON THE REQUIREMENTS OR IS
THERE SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON?
>> LIKE I SAID, WE SAW OUR CASES
COME DOWN AFTER MARCH AND APRIL.
WHAT WE ARE SEEING NOW IS AS WE
STARTED REOPENING THE ECONOMY,
WE ARE SEEING PEOPLE GATHERING,
CHURCHES, BARS, PEOPLE HAVING
THESE HOUSE PARTIES.
WERE SEEING SOME OUTBREAKS
ASSOCIATED WITH MIGRANT
FARMWORKERS, AS WELL.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE REASONS WHY
WERE SEEING AN UPTICK.
WHAT WERE SAYING IS THE
DEMOGRAPHIC HAS ALSO CHANGED.
BEFORE JUNE, MOST OF THE CASES
WE WERE SEEING WERE IN PEOPLE
AGE OVER 50 AND NOW THE TOP
CASERS 20 TO 21 AGE GROUP SO
THATS SOMETHING WERE CONCERNED
ABOUT.
>> DR. FREDERICK, YOU AND I HAVE
TALKED QUITE A BIT SINCE THE
START OF THE PANDEMIC AND EARLY
ON YOU WERE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT
HOWARD UNIVERSITY DEVELOPING ITS
OWN TEST AND YOU WERE ALMOST
GOING TO BE ABLE TO CREATE A
BUBBLE ON THE CAMPUS.
I KNOW YOUVE MADE AN
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE HYBRID
SITUATION.
ARE YOU CONFIDENT THAT YOOURL
HAVE THE
YOULL HAVE THE TESTING
CAPABILITIES THAT YOU SAID THREE
OR FOUR MONTHS AGO?
>> I AM.
LATER THIS WEEK WE HOPE TO SIGN
WITH A COMPANY THAT I WILL LEAVE
UNNAMED FOR NOW, BUT THEYRE
GOING TO HELP US STAND UP A
CLEAR LAB AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY
WHERE WELL BE ABLE TO DO THE
TESTING INTERNALLY AND THAT WILL
ALLOW FOR US TO HAVE A VERY GOOD
TURNAROUND TIME.
HOWEVER, WITH RESPECT TO A
BUBBLE, WE HAVE TO BE REALISTIC
THAT WERE BRINGING STUDENTS
FROM 46 STATES AND 71 COUNTRIES.
OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE TRAVEL BANS
IN PLACE AND U.S. EMBASSIES ARE
NOT NECESSARILY ISSUING VISS IS
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS MAY HAVE
A DIFFICULTY IN RETURNING AND
BRINGING PEOPLE FROM HOT SPOTS,
AND HAVING STUDENTS TESTED
BEFORE THEY COME AND
SELF-QUARANTINE PRIOR TO THEIR
TRIPS, AS WELL AND OBVIOUSLY
MAKING TESTS AVAILABLE ON
CAMPUS.
SO YOURE RIGHT.
IM STILL OPTIMISTIC ABOUT IT,
BUT I DO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE
ARE CHALLENGES ESPECIALLY WITH
WHATS TAKEN PLACE IN THE
COUNTRY AS A WHOLE.
>> DR. OSTERHOLM, THIS DEBATE
ABOUT REOPENING SCHOOLS.
LETS GO DATA DRIVEN HERE.
WHAT IS THE BEST DATA TO FOLLOW
ON THESE DECISION MAKINGS
WHETHER YOURE OPENING A CAMPUS
LIKE DR. FREDERICK OR AN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
>> WELL, I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT
NOW THAT SCHOOLS ACROSS THIS
COUNTRY DO NOT HAVE THE
RESOURCES TO OPEN THIS FALL WITH
THE PERSONNEL THAT THEY NEED.
WE HAVE SENT MONEY TO THE SCHOOL
DISTRICTS FROM THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT AND ITS FAR, FAR TOO
LITTLE, ITS INADEQUATE AND NOT
ARRIVING IN TIME AND SO I THINK
THAT WERE GOING TO HAVE SOME
REAL CHALLENGES.
THERE ARE LEGITIMATE CONCERNS IN
ANY COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW WHERE
YOU HAVE A HOT SPOT.
HOW CAN YOU EVEN BEGIN TO THINK
ABOUT PHYSICALLY OPENING
SCHOOLS?
DISTANCE LEARNING, SURELY, COULD
BE SOMETHING YOU CAN CONSIDER.
WE HAVE THE CONCERN ABOUT THE
PROTECTION OF TEACHERS AND WE
HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS
IN ITSELF STILL A VERY HOT
ISSUE.
WE DO KNOW THAT STUDENTS
TRANSMIT MORE THAN THEY ONCE
THOUGHT THAT THEY DID AND SO WE
STR TO ADDRESS THAT.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE KNOW THAT
WE HAVE TO EDUCATE OUR KIDS.
THIS IS CRITICAL AND
PARTICULARLY THE YOUNGER AGE
GROUP K THROUGH 8 DISTANCE
LEARNING JUST DOES NOT WORK.
>> I THINK WE HAVE TO, FIRST OF
ALL, DRIVE DOWN THE DECISION
MAKING TO THE LOCAL SCHOOL
DISTRICT LEVEL AND THOSE
TEACHERS WANT TO GO TO WORK AND
THOSE DISTRICTS WANT TO HAVE
SCHOOL AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE
WE GET THEM THE RESOURCES TO DO
THAT, AND OF COURSE THAT, THE
WRONG ANSWERS ARE DRIVING IT
DOWN FROM THE NATIONAL LEVEL
SAYING THIS IS WHAT YOU MUST DO
AND NOT PROVIDING THE RESOURCES
THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS NEED.
THEY NEED IT NOW DESPERATELY.
>> DR. FREDERICK, WHERE ARE YOU
GETTING THE MONEY FOR ALL OF
THIS?
>> WELL, WHAT WEVE BEEN DOING
AT HOWARD IS WEVE BEEN
SUPPORTED OBVIOUSLY WITH THE
CARES ACT FUNDING.
WEVE ALSO REALLY HAD SOME VERY,
VERY TIGHT MANAGEMENT OF OUR
OVERALL BUDGET OVER THE COURSE
OF THE PAST THREE MONTHS, AS
WELL.
THIS WILL PUT US IN A FINANCIAL
BIND BECAUSE OF HOW MANY
LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WE BRING TO
HOWARD, BUT IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT
THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT HOWARD
REPRESENTS A SAFE PLACE FOR US
AND THAT INVESTMENT IS ONE
THATS IMMEASURABLE AND ITS A
SACRIFICE WE ALL HAVE TO MAKE