AT LEAST IN THE WAY THEY’RE COMMUTING ABOUT IT, SORT OF.
IN THE MEANTIME, WHAT ARE YOU
GOING TO DO?
YOU WORK AROUND IT AND DO YOUR
BEST.
BEST. JOINING US IS CHRISTOPHER
MORRIS, PROFESSOR AT GEORGE
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY.
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY. ONE OF THE THINGS -- THAT I WANT
EXPERT HELP, IS THE IMPORTANCE
OF TESTING.
OF TESTING. WE SAW THIS 30% JUMP TODAY IN
THE NUMBER OF REPORTED CASES IN
SOUTH KOREA.
SOUTH KOREA. THAT LARGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES
IS BECAUSE SOUTH KOREA IS VERY
AGGRESSIVELY TESTING PEOPLE
TRYING TO GET HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TESTED.
ARE THE TESTS RELIABLE ENOUGH TO
TO -- THAT IT MAKES SENSE FOR
SOUTH KOREA TO BE DOING THAT?
HOW KEY IS TESTING TO TRY TO
CONTROL THIS EPIDEMIC?
>> I DON’T THINK ANYTHING
SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE TESTS THE
SOUTH KOREANS ARE USING.
I DON’T HAVE HANDS ON THE CDC’S
TEST EITHER, ALTHOUGH WE KNOW
THEY HAD PROBLEMS.
TESTING IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL
BECAUSE WITHOUT THAT, WE’RE
GOING ON SUSPICION BASED ON
SYMPTOMS OR NOTHING AT ALL.
AND SO WE REALLY NEED TO BE
DRILLING DOWN ON PEOPLE COMING
BACK FROM AREAS WHERE THEY MAY
HAVE BEEN EXPOSED AND ALSO
WITHIN COMMUNITIES WE NEED TO
START TESTING, TO LOOK FOR
COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION.
COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION. THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE MADE
RELIABLE AND REPRODUCEBLE.
I HOPE CDC IS WORKING THE KINKS
OUT OF ITS TEST NOW AND WE’LL
SEE THAT THAT’S MADE BROADLY IN
THE U.S. VERY SOON.
>> IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY
TRANSMISSION, I KNOW THAT’S A
TERM OF ART, BUT IN
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TERMS, WHY IS IT
IMPORTANT WHEN YOU START TO HAVE
CASES WHERE YOU DON’T KNOW HOW
THE PERSON GOT IT OR YOU CAN’T
TRACE THEIR INFECTION TO A
SPECIFIC PERSON WHO SPENT TIME
IN A CHINA OR WHO SPENT TIME IN
A PLACE IN ITALY, A LOT OF CASES
ARE IN IRAN.
WE SAW THE GERMAN HEALTH
MINISTER CALL A PRESS CONFERENCE
TO SAY, WE, GERMANY, ARE IN THE
PHASE WHERE WE HAVE COMMUNITY
TRANSMISSION, WE CAN’T TELL YOU
WHERE THE INFECTIONS ARE COMING
FROM.
FROM. IT APPEARS THE UNITED STATES IS
IN THAT POSITION FOR THE FIRST
TIME AS OF TONIGHT WITH THIS
CASE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
WHY DOES THAT MATTER SO MUCH?
>> IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE THE
TAIL OF THAT CHAIN IS AND YOU
DON’T KNOW WHERE IT’S COMING
FROM, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO ASK
YOURSELF WHAT ELSE ARE YOU
REALLY MISSING INSIDE THE
COMMUNITY SO YOU DON’T HAVE ALL
THE INFORMATION, YOU’RE NOT
TRACING ALL THE CASES AND ALL
THE TRANSMISSION EVENTS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT’S REALLY
TOUGH TO PUT A QUARANTINE ON OR
AN ISOLATION PROTOCOL IN PLACE
THAT TARGETS ALL THE RIGHT
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. WE CAN’T DO THIS BASED ON TRAVEL
HISTORY ALONE.
HISTORY ALONE. WE CAN’T DO THIS BASED ON
SYMPTOMS ALONE.
SYMPTOMS ALONE. >> HOW DO YOU DO IT?
>> TESTING IS ONE WAY.
REALLY HAVING ACCESS TO A RAPID
AND, YOU KNOW, FIELD FORWARD
TEST THAT CAN GET THAT ANSWERED
QUICKLY AT THE HANDS OF FIELD
EPIDEMIOLOGISTS.
EPIDEMIOLOGISTS. THAT’S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT TO
GET OUR HANDS BACK AROUND THIS
THING WHERE WE CAN TRY TO PUT IT
BACK INTO CONTAINMENT, BUT RIGHT
NOW WE’RE NOT THERE.
>> WE SEE PEOPLE AROUND THE
WORLD WEARING FACE MASKS OF
VARIOUS KINDS.
VARIOUS KINDS. I WAS STRUCK BY THE PHOTOS OF
AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS ON
BASES IN SOUTH KOREA STOPPING
CARS AT THE GREATS OF U.S.
MILITARY BASES IN SOUTH KOREA
DOING SPOT TEMPERATURE CHECKS
FOR EVERYBODY COMING IN.
AND THE SOLDIERS THEMSELVES
WEARING FACE MASKS WITH CIVILIAN
TRAVELERS EVERYWHERE TO.
IT STRIKES ME THAT THAT IS A
MEASURE THAT WOULD TEND TO BE
MORE EFFECTIVE FOR SOMEBODY WHO
IS INFECTED WHO’S TRYING TO
AVOID INFECTING OTHERS.
BUT THAT’S ME LITERALLY MAKING
THAT UP BASED ON WHAT THE FACE
MASKS LOOK LIKE.
HOW DO YOU APPROACH IT FROM A
PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE?
>> I WOULD TEND TO AGREEMENT
CERTAINTY IT’S FAR MORE
EFFECTIVE SOMEONE OS SYMPTOMATIC
INTO A MISCELLANEOUS SO THEY
CAN’T SPREAD THE DROPLETS TO
PEOPLE IN THE VICINITY.
BUT PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY IN
CLOSE CONTACT WITH PATIENTS LIKE
HEALTH CARE WORKERS, THEY’RE
GOING TO NEED THOSE MASKS,
ABSOLUTELY.
ABSOLUTELY. AND THEY’LL HAVE, YOU KNOW, WHAT
WE CALL AN N 95 MASK USUALLY.
THAT GIVES THEM A HIGH LEVEL OF
PROTECTION AGAINST RESPIRATORY
DROPLETS.
DROPLETS. BUT EVERYDAY PEOPLE WALKING
AROUND, THAT’S A TOUGH MASK TO
WEAR FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME.