NEGOTIATING POWER IN WHEN THOSE STAY A HOME OR SAFER-AT-HOME
ORDERS AS THEY’RE CALLED IN
WISCONSIN ARE LIFTED.
>> SHAQ BREWSTER, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH FOR THAT.
>>> AND PRESIDENT TRUMP
CONTINUING TO BOAST ABOUT
COVID-19 TESTING IN THIS
COUNTRY, WITH ONLY 1.3% OF THE
U.S. POPULATION HAS BEEN TESTED.
NOW THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION
IS RELEASING AN AMBITIOUS NEW
PLAN TO TEST 30 MILLION PEOPLE A
WEEK, ESTIMATED COST OF $100
BILLION.
BILLION. THE PLAN ALSO CALLS FOR UP TO
300,000 PAID TESTERS AND CONTACT
TRACERS AND A COMMON DIGITAL
PLATFORM TO TRACK CASES AND
RESOURCES.
RESOURCES. JOINING ME NOW ARE RAJU SHAW,
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE
ROCKEFELLER ADMINISTRATION AND
FORMER ISD ADMINISTRATOR AND DR.
PATEL, MSNBC MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR
AND FORMER WHITE HOUSE POLICY
DIRECTOR.
DIRECTOR. WELCOME BOTH.
WELCOME BOTH. TELL ME ABOUT THE PLAN.
HOW IS THIS GOING TO BE PAID
FOR?
FOR? HOW DO YOU SEE LAUNCHING IT?
>> THANK YOU, ANDREA, FOR HAVE
HAVING ME AND IT’S GOOD TO SEE
YOU AGAIN.
YOU AGAIN. THE REALITY IS OUR COUNTRY HAS
BEEN STUCK AT 1 MILLION TEST
CASES PER WEEK FOR THE LAST
SEVERAL WEEKS.
SEVERAL WEEKS. WE KNOW THAT’S NOT ENOUGH TO
MOUNT AN EFFECTIVE EFFORT TO DO
SURVEILLANCE IN AMERICA AS THE
ECONOMY STARTS TO REOPEN.
WE’RE VERY WORRIED OF POTENTIAL
RESURGENCE OF THIS COVID
PANDEMIC, ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE
SUMMER AND INTO THE FALL.
SO WE PULLED TOGETHER EXPERTS
FROM SCIENCE, FROM INDUSTRY,
IMPORTANTLY FORMER GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS FROM REPUBLICAN AND
DEMOCRATIC ADMINISTRATIONS AND
SAID WHAT’S A SPECIFIC
ACTIONABLE PRACTICAL WAY TO
SOLVE THIS PROBLEM?
AND WE CONCLUDED THAT ACHIEVING
A GOAL OF GETTING TO 3 MILLION
TESTS PER WEEK, BETWEEN NOW AND
EIGHT WEEKS FROM NOW, AND
GETTING UP TO 30 MILLION PER
WEEK IN SIX MONTHS WAS
ACHIEVABLE WITH THE SET OF
CONCRETE AND SPECIFIC
INVESTMENTS AND ACTIONS WE CAN
MAKE.
MAKE. I JUST NOTE THAT THE CONGRESS
LOOKS LIKE IT’S PASSING A BILL
THAT INCLUDES $25 BILLION FOR
TESTING, SO 100 IS NOT
INCONCEIVABLE IN AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE WE’RE LOSING $300,000
BILLION A MONTH IN AN ECONOMIC
OUTPUT AND WHERE WE COMMITTED
TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN
SUPPORTING THE RESPONSE OF THIS
ECONOMY.
ECONOMY. >> IS THE EXPENSE THE TESTING AS
MUCH AS THE CONTACT TRACING?
WHERE DO YOU SEE THE BUDGET FOR
THIS REALLY?
THIS REALLY? >> THE TWO GO HAND IN HAND.
THE TWO GO HAND IN HAND.
WE ESTIMATE THAT SOMEWHERE
BETWEEN $5 BILLION AND $15
BILLION OF THE $100 BILLION IS
FOR DEPLOYING A WORKFORCE OF UP
TO 300,000 AMERICANS AND
COMMUNITY HEALTH CORPS THAT
WOULD BE ACCESSIBLE AND ALLOW
FOR CITIES AND STATES TO SCALE
UP THEIR PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE
FOR THIS PURPOSE.
THE REST OF THE RESOURCE IS
REALLY FOR TESTING, FOR
INVESTING IN NEW TECHNOLOGIES,
FOR PROCUREMENT AND WE PROPOSED
A VERY SPECIFIC EFFORT TO BRING
TOGETHER THE SUPPLY -- DEMAND
SIDE OF THE MARKET AND DO LONGER
SCALE, LONG-TERM POOLED
PROCUREMENT BACKED BY FINANCIAL
GUARANTEES AND ULTIMATELY TO
COMPENSATE ALL TESTING
FACILITIES IN A SIMILAR MANNER
WHETHER THEY ARE IN NETWORK OR
OUT OF NETWORK FOR THE ACTUAL
COST OF THE TEST.
IT TURNS OUT TWO-THIRDS EVER
AMERICA’S MOLECULAR TESTING
CAPACITY IS SITTING
UNDERUTILIZED IN THE UNIVERSITY
LABS AND RESEARCH LABS AND SMALL
LABS THAT ARE NOT PART OF THE
CDC DIAGNOSTIC SURVEILLANCE
SYSTEM.
SYSTEM. WE CAN SOLVE THAT PROBLEM BUT
IT’S GOING TO TAKE LEADERSHIP AT
THE STATE LEVEL AND LEADERSHIP
AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
ONE OTHER POINT, ANDREA, WE’RE
NOT JUST BRINGING THIS AS A
PLAN.
PLAN. WE COMMITTED $15 MILLION TO
ACCELERATE I.T.
ACCELERATE I.T. ACCELERATE ITS IMPLEMENTATION
AND WORKING WITH A DOZEN CITIES
AND STATES AND SOME INDIAN
RESERVATIONS, NATIVE AMERICAN
RESERVATIONS TO SCALE UP THIS
PLAN IN SPECIFIC PARTS OF OUR
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. IT’S GOT TO HAPPEN, AND WE’VE
ALL GOT TO COME TOGETHER TO MAKE
IT HAPPEN IF WE’RE GOING TO
PROTECT AMERICAN FAMILIES AND
ALLOW THEM TO GO BACK TO WORK.
>> DR. PATEL, DO YOU SEE THE
NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COMING
TOGETHER BEHIND THIS?
>> I DO.
>> I DO. AND THANK GOODNESS FOR PEOPLE
LIKE RAJV AND THE WORE THAT
THEY’RE DOING AT THE FOUNDATION.
IN TERMS OF NATIONAL LEADERSHIP,
ANDREA, I DON’T SEE IT NECESSARY
LIMB NATING FROM THE WHITE
HOUSE, BUT I DO THINK NATIONALLY
BETWEEN GOVERNORS AND MAYORS AND
EVEN YOUR KIND OF COVERAGE ON
THE STATE OF GEORGIA, YOU’RE
GOING TO HAVE MUNICIPALITIES
THAT ARE ASKING FOR THIS.
I ALSO THINK WHAT THEY’RE DOING
AT ROCKEFELLER IS CRITICAL TO
IDENTIFYING THE GAPS.
WE’VE ALREADY SEEN IN THE UNITED
STATES THERE ARE POPULATIONS WHO
HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED AND THEY
ARE CONSISTENTLY BEING
OVERLOOKED.
OVERLOOKED. WE NEED TESTING, IN AND OF
ITSELF IS NOT THE ANSWER, THOUGH
WE STILL DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH
TESTS.
TESTS. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE ACCESS TO
TESTING AND ACCESS TO HEALTH
CARE PROFESSIONALS THAT CAN THEN
DO THE CONTACT TRACING AS RAJV
DESCRIBED, THAT’S CRITICAL.
THE FINAL PIECE OF THIS IS THE
ISOLATION, AND I MEAN HAVING
PEOPLE POSITIVE BE IDENTIFIED.
WHAT YOU COVERED EARLIER ABOUT
CASES THAT CROPPED UP BEFORE
WASHINGTON STATE, ANDREA, I
THINK THAT’S THE TIP OF THE