ONE OUT OF EVERY FOUR MEMBERS OF THE CITY’S EMS PERSONNEL --
THAT’S PART OF THE FIRE
DEPARTMENT -- ARE OUT SICK.
MY NEXT GUEST HAS OUTLINED A
RIGOROUS SIX-POINT PLAN THAT HE
SAYS CAN DEFEAT THIS PANDEMIC BY
EARLY JUNE IF WE’RE ALL WILLING
TO THROW IN AND TRY HARD ENOUGH.
WE WELCOME TO THE BROADCAST
HARVEY FEINBERG, PRESIDENT OF
THE GORDON AND BETTY MOORE
FOUNDATION AND THE CHAIR OF THE
STANDING COMMITTEE ON EMERGING
INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND 21st
CENTURY HEALTH THREATS.
IF THIS ISN’T ONE, IT WILL DO
UNTIL ONE GETS HERE.
HE’S ALSO FORMER PRESIDENT OF
THE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE NOW
KNOWN AS THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF
MEDICINE.
MEDICINE. HAPPENS TO BE THE FORMER DEAN OF
THE HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC
HEALTH.
HEALTH. LET ME GET TO YOUR LIST SO WE
DON’T WASTE A SECOND.
HERE ARE YOUR SIX POINTS.
WE’LL CRITIQUE AS WE GO.
TO CRUSH COVID-19 IN TEN WEEKS,
YOU ARE CALLING FOR ESTABLISH
UNIFIED COMMAND.
UNIFIED COMMAND. WE DON’T HAVE THAT.
MAKE MILLIONS OF TESTS
AVAILABLE.
AVAILABLE. WE DON’T YET HAVE THAT.
PPE AND EQUIPMENT TO HOSPITALS.
WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH.
DIFFERENTIATE THE POPULATION
INTO FIVE GROUPS.
THAT I NEED TO COME BACK TO.
INSPIRE AND MOBILIZE THE PUBLIC.
I’M PRETTY SURE WE HAVEN’T DONE
THAT.
THAT. AND LEARN THROUGH REAL-TIME
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH.
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH. RIGHT NOW IT SEEMS TO ME WE’RE
DOING BASIC TRIAGE, BUT I HOPE
OUR SMARTER ANGELS ARE ALREADY
ENGAGED IN THAT.
SO IF YOU CAN BACK UP TO
DIFFERENTIATING THESE FIVE
GROUPS, THAT WAS A FASCINATING
IDEA.
IDEA. >> WELL, THANK YOU, BRIAN.
IT’S A PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU.
THE BASIC IDEA IS IF WE ARE IN
THIS AS A WAR, WE SHOULD BE IN
IT TO WIN.
AND TO WIN WE HAVE TO DO A GREAT
DEAL MORE THAN WE ARE DOING.
ONE OF THE CRITICAL ELEMENTS, AS
YOU POINTED OUT, WAS TO
UNDERSTAND WHO IN THE POPULATION
FIRST IS INFECTED, SECONDLY IS
PRESUMED INFECTED BECAUSE THEY
HAVE ALL THE SYMPTOMS BUT THEY
HAVEN’T YET TESTED POSITIVE.
THIRD IS SOMEONE WHO’S BEEN
EXPOSED BUT NOT YET INFECTED.
SO THOSE PEOPLE SHOULD BE IN
QUARANTINE.
QUARANTINE. FOURTH, THOSE OF US WHO HAVE
NEITHER DEVELOPED THE INFECTION
NOR, TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, BEEN
DIRECTLY EXPOSED TO SOMEONE WITH
IT.
IT. AND FINALLY, THOSE WHO HAVE
RECOVERED AND PRESUMABLY HAVE
SOME DEGREE OF IMMUNITY, WHICH
CAN ALSO BE TESTED.
>> WE’RE WATCHING THESE STATES
ONE AFTER ANOTHER LATE IN THIS
PROCESS SEE THE LIGHT AND TELL
OR ASK THEIR CITIZENS TO STAY
INDOORS.
INDOORS. IT SEEMS TO ME FOR EVERY STATE
NOT UNDER SUCH AN ORDER, THAT
THREATENS THE HERD, BUT THERE IS
A SELF-REWARD FOR DOING WHAT YOU
AND I ARE DOING, STAYING INDOORS
AND AWAY FROM OTHER PEOPLE.
IT’S YOUR WAY OF MAKING A TOUGH
OUTER SHELL ON YOU THAT’S GOING
TO RESIST THIS.
>> IT’S BASICALLY DISTANCE BY
PHYSICAL SEPARATION THAT MAKES
IT HARDER FOR THAT VIRUS TO FIND
SOMEONE ELSE TO INFECT.
THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT OF OUR
WORK FROM HOME, STAY AT HOME,
SHELTER AT HOME, THAT WHOLE
CONCEPT.
CONCEPT. THAT’S LIKELY TO REDUCE THE
FREQUENCY OF THE SPREAD.
BUT UNLESS WE’RE MUCH MORE
AGGRESSIVE ABOUT TESTING AND
DIFFERENTIATING THE POPULATION
INTO THOSE FIVE GROUPS AND THEN
ACTING ON THAT INFORMATION,
ISOLATE THE CASES, QUARANTINE
THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED,
KEEP OTHERS AWAY FROM THE
EXPOSURE, WE’RE NOT GOING TO
REALLY WIN THIS WAR.
>> WELL, AS YOU KNOW, AS A
WELL-READ GUY, WARS ARE WON IN
PART BASED ON LEADERSHIP.
CENTRAL LEADERSHIP AND TERRIFIC
BATTLEFIELD LEADERSHIP.
BATTLEFIELD LEADERSHIP. WE DON’T HAVE ANY ONE PERSON.
I’LL TRY TO KEEP YOU IN MEDICINE
AND OUT OF POLITICS, BUT IF YOU
HAD YOUR DRUTHERS, WOULD IT BE
ONE OF THE MANY HIGHLY QUALIFIED
RETIRED GENERALS IN OUR COUNTRY,
MANY OF WHOM ARE QUITE ACTIVE
AND VOCAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
WOULD IT BE A DR. TONY FAUCI?
DO YOU HAVE A CANDIDATE WHO YOU
WISH WOULD RISE UP AND LEAD THIS
THING?
THING? >> THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS,
FIRST, WHOEVER IT IS WHO’S OUR
COMMANDER IN THE FIELD, WHO
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO THE
PRESIDENT, HAS TO HAVE THE FULL
CONFIDENCE OF THE PRESIDENT.
THAT IS ESSENTIAL.
IT TOOK LINCOLN A WHILE BEFORE
HE FOUND HIS GRANT.
PRESIDENT TRUMP NEEDS THE
EQUIVALENT.
EQUIVALENT. SECONDLY, THIS INDIVIDUAL HAS TO
UNDERSTAND BOTH THE GOVERNMENT
AND THE HEALTH SCENE.
THIS IS SOMEONE WHO ALSO KNOWS
ABOUT STATE AND FEDERAL
RELATIONS.
RELATIONS. THIS HAS TO BE SOMEONE WHO IS
WELL RESPECTED, VERY
KNOWLEDGEABLE, AND DECISIVE IN
DECISION-MAKING.
DECISION-MAKING. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE,
BRIAN, WHO COULD QUALIFY.
JUST TO NAME ONE, TO PICK A NAME
OUT OF THE AIR, FORMER GOVERNOR
H.H.S. SECRETARY MIKE LEVITT,
KIND OF PERSON WHO SUCCEEDED IN
RUNNING A DEPARTMENT, VERY
COMPLICATED, WELL ORGANIZED,
ABLE TO GET THINGS DONE.
IF YOU REACH ACROSS THE AISLE,
YOU HAVE ASH CARTER, FORMER
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, EXTREMELY
BRILLIANT, GREAT HISTORY IN
LOGISTICS.
LOGISTICS. MAYBE YOU GET BOTH OF THEM.
MAYBE ONE IS IN CHARGE AND ONE
MANAGES DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE
PROGRAM.
PROGRAM. WE KNEAD THE "A" TEAM BROUGHT
TOGETHER UNDER A UNIFIED COMMAND
TO DIRECT THIS EFFORT IN A WAY
THAT AVOIDS A LOT OF THE
MISCOMMUNICATION,
MISCOMMUNICATION, MISUNDERSTANDING, LACK OF
COHERENCE IN THE WAY WE’RE
APPROACHING THIS PROBLEM.
JUST THINK ABOUT THE WAY WE’VE
TRIED TO SETTLE THE VENTILATOR
SHORTAGE PROBLEM, EACH STATE OUT
ON ITS OWN AND THEN FEMA AND THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OVERLAYING
ITS WORK ON TOP OF ALL THE
STATES.
STATES. THIS SHOULD BE A COORDINATED,
UNIFIED, THOUGHT-THROUGH EFFORT