>>> THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT IS RAMPING UP EFFORTS TO CONTAIN
THE CORONAVIRUS AFTER TROUBLING
NEW SIGNS THAT THE VIRUS IS
SPREADING.
SPREADING. HEALTH OFFICIALS IN WASHINGTON
STATE SAY THE SECOND PERSON HAS
DIED AND THE NUMBER OF CONFIRMED
CASES IN KING COUNTY NOW HAS
RISEN TO TEN.
GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE HAS DECLARED
A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN
RESPONSE.
RESPONSE. RON DeSANTIS HAS DECLARED A
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY AFTER
TWO PEOPLE TESTED POSITIVE FOR
THE VIRUS, MEANING THEY HAVE
BEEN TESTED POSITIVE BY PUBLIC
HEALTH LABORATORY BUT THE
RESULTS ARE PENDING CONFIRMATION
BY THE CDC.
IN NEW YORK, GOVERNOR ANDREW
CUOMO HAS ANNOUNCED THE FIRST
CASE.
CASE. TO THE GLOBAL INCREASE IN
CONFIRMED CASES, THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED ON
SATURDAY THAT IT WOULD EXTEND AN
EXISTING TRAVEL BAN ON IRAN,
APPLYING TO ANY FOREIGN
NATIONALS WHO HAVE BEEN TO THE
COUNTRY IN 14 DAYS.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT IS ADVISING
AMERICANS NOT TO TRAVEL TO ITALY
AND SOUTH KOREA.
>> JOINING US NOW INFECTIOUS
DISEASE DOCTOR, DR. AYMESH
DR. AYMESH ADALJA, WE HAVE
CONFIRMED CASES IN THE U.S.
JUMPING THIS WEEKEND FROM 65 TO
88 AS OF LAST NIGHT.
THE LAST CASE BEING CONFIRMED
RIGHT HERE IN NEW YORK CITY.
DO YOU BELIEVE HEALTH OFFICIALS
AROUND THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW ARE
PREPARED FOR WHAT IS TO COME?
>> I DO THINK THAT WE HAVE BEEN
SAYING -- LIKE WE HAVE BEEN
SAYING FROM THE BEGINNING, THIS
ISN’T A CONTAINABLE VIRUS AND WE
EXPECT TO SEE CASES ALL OVER THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. THERE IS VARIABLE DEGREES OF
PREPAREDNESS.
PREPAREDNESS. WHAT I’M MOST WORRIED ABOUT IS
IF OUR HOSPITAL SYSTEMS ARE
PREPARED.
PREPARED. MOST ARE MILD, AND END UP IN
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS AND SOME
PATIENTS WILL END UP IN THE
ICUs.
ICUs. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT
HOSPITALS ARE READY TO DEAL WITH
THE SURGE OF PATIENTS AND THAT
WE HAVE OUR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING
UP TO PAR BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD
TROUBLE GETTING TESTS OUT TO
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. WE NEED TO TEST WIDELY TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON IN
OUR COMMUNITIES WITH THIS VIRUS.
>> TESTING WIDELY, BECAUSE THIS
IS THE CONCERN A LOT OF PEOPLE
HAVE RIGHT NOW.
"THE WASHINGTON POST" IS
REPORTING ON A NEW STUDY.
RESEARCHERS SAY THE VIRUS MAY
HAVE BEEN SPREADING UNDETECTED
IN WASHINGTON STATE FOR THE PAST
SIX WEEKS, POSSIBLY INFECTING
SCORES OF PEOPLE.
HOW LIKELY IS IT THAT THIS VIRUS
IS PERHAPS SPREADING IN OTHER
STATES, OTHER PARTS OF THE
COUNTRY UNDETECTED.
COUNTRY UNDETECTED. >> THAT’S COMPLETELY THE CASE.
IT’S EXTREMELY LIKELY THAT’S
GOING ON.
GOING ON. REMEMBER, THIS VIRUS APPEARED IN
CHINA AT LEAST IN NOVEMBER.
THERE WERE NO RESTRICTIONS GOING
ON IN NOVEMBER.
AND IT’S A RESPIRATORY VIRUS.
IT HAS MILD ILLNESS IN MOST
PATIENTS THAT SPREADS
EFFICIENTLY FROM HUMAN TO HUMAN.
IT LIKELY SEEDED THE WORLD
BEFORE WE KNEW ABOUT IT, MIXED
INTO THE COLD AND FEW SEASON,
AND WE DIDN’T KNOW ANYTHING
ABOUT IT UNTIL WE STARTED
TESTING.
TESTING. I EXPECT IN EVERY PLACE IN THE
UNITED STATES THERE’S SOME
COMMUNITY SPREAD GOING ON
BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT WE KNOW
ABOUT RESPIRATORY VIRUSS AND THE
TESTING IS GOING TO
UNDERESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF
CASES WE HAVE, AND I THINK IT’S
IMPORTANT TO GET A HANDLE SO
PEOPLE AREN’T PANICKED, SO THEY
KNOW IT’S OUT THERE AND HAS BEEN
OUT THERE, AND NOT A FAILURE OF
A TRAVEL BAN THAT ISN’T EXPECTED
TO MAKE A BIG DENT IN A NUMBER
OF CASES.
OF CASES. >> LET’S GO WITH THAT.
THIS IS A DEBATE OVER A MEDIEVAL
APPROACH TO CONTAINING THE
DISEASE, AND A NEW WAY APPROACH.
THE MEDIEVAL IS CLOSING OFF
BORDERS, AND TOWNS, SOME OF
WHICH CHINA HAS IMPLIMTEMENTED A
SOME EXPERTS THAT’S WHAT
CONTAINED THE DISEASE AND GIVEN
THE U.S. A MONTH AND A HALF JUMP
ON THIS THING.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST
APPROACH GOING FORWARD?
>> RIGHT NOW WE HAVE TO MOVE
FROM THIS IDEA THIS VIRUS CAN BE
CONTAINED TO ONE OF MITIGATION,
INCREASING DIAGNOSTIC TESTING,
VACCINE DEVELOPMENT, ANTIVIRAL
CLINICAL TRIALS, PUBLIC HEALTH
COMMUNICATION, THAT’S WHERE THE
SCARCE PUBLIC HEALTH RESOURCES
NEED TO BE FOCUSED, NOT ON
TRAVEL BANS, NOT ON QUARANTINE,
MOVING AWAY FROM CONTAINMENT.
THIS IS GOING TO BE LIKE 2009
H1N1 THAT IS GOING TO SPREAD AND
WE NEED TO GET READY NOW WHILE
WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY.
>> DOCTOR, IF YOU ARE SAYING THE
CLOSURE OF THE BORDERS MAY NOT
HELP OR CONTAINMENT AND WE NEED
TO SHIFT AWAY FROM CONTAINMENT
IS THERE ANY POINT IN SHUTTING
DOWN SCHOOLS, IN CANCELLING
LARGE GATHERINGS LIKE TECH
COMPANIES HAVE CANCELLED SOME OF
THEIR BIG CONFERENCES AND ALL OF
THESE TYPES OF EVENTS THAT WE’RE
SEEING AROUND THE WORLD, EVEN IN
SAUDI ARABIA, THE ANNUAL
PILGRIMAGE IS BEING REDUCED AND
PREVENTED.
PREVENTED. >> OR STOPPING FLIGHTS INTO THE
COUNTRY WHICH THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY DONE IS
THERE ANY REASON TO DO THIS.
>> IT’S NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL.
IT DEPENDS ON WHAT’S GOING ON IN
YOUR COMMUNITY.
YOUR COMMUNITY. IF YOU HAVE A BIG POLITICAL
RALLY, IT CAN BLUNT THE IMPACT
AND FLATTEN THE CURVE OF HOW
MANY CASES YOU GET, AND THAT MAY
BE NECESSARY IN CERTAIN
COMMUNITIES BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK
THE AT THOSE ONE BY ONE, AND SEE
IF THAT’S ACTUALLY GOING TO HELP
WITH MASS GATHERINGS AND THAT’S
A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN
CLOSING BORDERS AND DOING THINGS
LIKE THAT.
LIKE THAT. WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT -- IN
SCHOOLS IS A DIFFERENT THING.
WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT OUR KIDS
SPREADING THE VIRUS.
WE KNOW THAT’S TRUE FOR
INFLUENZA.
INFLUENZA. WE DON’T KNOW THAT’S TRUE IN
CORONAVIRUS.
CORONAVIRUS. WHERE ARE THEY GOING TO GO IF
THEY’RE NOT IN SCHOOL, ARE THEY
GOING TO GO TO THE MALL, HOW ARE
THEY GOING TO GET CHILD CARE FOR
THOSE KIDS, ALL OF THOSE
CASCADING IMPACTS WHEN YOU CLOSE
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS. IT’S NOT AN EASY DECISION TO