START TO GET MORE SERIOUS AND
FOLLOW THE RULINGS.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT’S REALLY
UNCOMFORTABLE AND ANNOYING?
WHEN YOU DIE.
>> AS YOU CAN SEE BY THIS CHART,
THE NUMBER OF NEW CASES
SKYROCKETED, MORE THAN DOUBLING
IN RECENT WEEKS.
ONE PERSON HAS BEEN PREDICTING
THIS KIND OF TURN IN THE
PANDEMIC SINCE HE FIRST APPEARED
ON "MEET THE PRESS" BACK ON
AFTER 26th.
DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM SAID THEN
WE WERE IN THE FOOT HILL OF THE
CRISIS AND HAD MOUNTAINS TO
CLIMB, AND IF WE CAN SEE THE
CASE COUNT SINCE THE START OF
THE PANDEMIC, IT LOOKS LIKE AN
EVER-GROWING MOUNTAIN.
DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM IS AN
INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AND
NOW A MEMBER OF THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN’S COVID.
LET ME JUST SIMPLY ASK YOU THIS.
WE ARE SEEING THE EXPONENTIAL
RISE YOU SADLY PREDICTED WOULD
HAPPEN IN COVID CASES YOU, YOU
AND MONEY OTHERS THIS FALL AND
QUINTER.
HERE WE
WINTER.
ARE WE GOING TO PLATEAU ANY TIME
SOON OR IS THIS PROJECTRY JUST
GOING TO KEEP GOING UP AND UP?
>> THANK YOU AGAIN.
LET ME SAY AT THE OUTSET THE
FUTURE IS IN OUR HANDS.
ESPECIALLY THE NEXT THREE WEEKS,
BECAUSE THESE CASES ARE ALREADY
IN THE PIPELINE, MEANING PEOPLE
ARE ALREADY INFECTED.
THE NUMBERS WILL GO WAY UP.
OUR POSITION IS IMAGINE WHAT THE
WORLD WILL BE LIKE IF WE MAKE
THE CHANGES WE NEED TO MAKE.
WE WILL BE HEADING TO A VACCINE
IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS WHERE WE
CAN START TO IMAGINE HAVING
SUMMER BASEBALL BACK, BARBECUES,
ET CETERA.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME WE ARE IN A
VERY DANGEROUS PERIOD.
THE MOST DANGEROUS PUBLIC HEALTH
PERIOD SINCE 1918.
IF WE DON’T BASICALLY TAKE THE
IMPORTANT STEPS LIKE SOME
SWAPPING AIR WITH OUR NEIGHBORS,
OUR FRIENDS, OUR COLLEAGUES,
WE’RE GOING TO SEE THESE NUMBERS
GROW SUBSTANTIALLY.
>> SO WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN RIGHT
NOW?
I’VE TALKED TO PLENTY OF MAYORS THIS WEEK AND GOVERNORS THIS
THIS WEEK AND GOVERNORS THIS
WEEK, AND THEY ALL FEEL LIKE YOU
CAN TELL THEY WANT TO DO MORE
AND THEY’RE HE’S TAPT BECAUSESIT
THE FATIGUE, LACK OF LEADERSHIP
FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT,
PERHAPS LACK OF MONEY FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
THIS IS THE SITUATION WE ARE IN.
NOT THE UTOPIA WE’D ALL LIKE TO
HAVE AND GOVERNMENTS WORKING
TOGETHER.
WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
WHAT DOES A LOCAL MAYOR DO
WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT?
>> WELL, IT’S CRITICAL THAT WE
DO GET THE HELP OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT.
I CAN’T MAKE THAT ANY MORE
STRAIGHTFORWARD THAN THAT.
IF WE’RE GOING TO CONTROL THIS
VIRUS OUT IN OUR COMMUNITIES
RIGHT NOW, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE
TO SUPPORT THOSE WHO ARE GOING
TO BE SUFFERING ECONOMICALLY.
YOU HAVE A CHOICE, DO YOU WANT
TO HAVE SCHOOLS OPEN OR KEEP
BARS AND RESTAURANTS OPEN?
IF YOU SHUT DOWN BARS AND
RESTAURANTS, THEY’RE HANGING ON
BY A THREAD.
THAT SINGLE MOTHER WAITRESS THAT
BASICALLY DOESN’T HAVE NOIR
INCOME, WE’VE GOT TO SUPPORT
THEM AND HELPING TO DO THE RIGHT
THING.
THEY WANT TO.
I DON’T KNOW ANYBODY WHO DOESN’T
WANT TO.
IF WE’RE GOING TO HELP OUR
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM RIGHT NOW TRY
TOP SPOD TO THIS CRISIS AND WE
KNOW THAT THEY ARE THE TIPPING
POINT, WE’VE GOT IT HAVE HELP
RIGHT NOW.
SO I JUST URGE THAT THE LAST
THING WE DO IS SUPPORT OUR
GOVERNORS.
THEY’RE THE FRONT LINES RIGHT
NOW.
THERE IS NO NATIONAL LEADERSHIP
ON THIS ISSUE.
THEY’RE TRYING.
I DON’T CARE IF THEY’RE DEMOCRAT
OR REPUBLICAN, THEY’RE TRYING
AND WE HAVE TO SUPPORT THEM IN
THESE ISSUES.
>> NOW THAT YOU’RE A MEMBER OF
PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN’S COVID
ADVISORY BOARD, ANY COMMENTS YOU
MAKE ARE SUDDENLY GOING TO GET
PUT THROUGH A DIFFERENT PRISM SO
I WANT IT GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO
CLARIFY WHAT YOU MET BY THE
FOUR-TO-SIX WEEK LOCKDOWN.
YOU SAID EVEN BACK IN AUGUST,
LOOK, WE HAVE TO HAVE SOME PAUSE
HERE AND HAVE SOME SHELTERING IN
PLACE IF WE HAVE ANY CHANCE OF
BENDING THIS CURVE.
>> FIRST OF ALL, WE’VE GOT TO
REFRAIN THIS ISSUE.
WE’VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND AGAIN
THAT WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO IS
GET TO THE SUMMER WHEN WE HAVE
VACCINES THAT CAN FUNDAMENTALLY
CHANGE HOW SAFE IT IS TO BE IN
EVERYDAY LIFE.
AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO RIGHT NOW
IS FOCUS ON WHAT’S GOING TO MAKE
THAT DIFFERENCE.
AS I JUST SAID, IT’S VERY
IMPORTANT FIRST OF ALL WE DON’T
SWAP AIR WITH PEOPLE.
THAT’S HOW THIS IS BEING
TRANSMITTED AND WE’VE GOT TO DO
WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SUPPORT
THAT.
YOU SEE THE GOVERNORS STRUGGLING
RIGHT NOW.
THEY WANT HELP.
I’VE TALKED TO FIVE GOVERNORS IN
THE LAST TWO DAYS, ALL OF THEM
SAID, WOULDN’T IT BE WBL IF WE
COULD ALL AT LEAST BE ON THE
SAME PAGE?
RIGHT NOW MY STATE IS SURROUNDED
BY OUR OTHER STATES AND THEY ALL
HAVE DIFFERENT RECOMMENDATIONS.
THAT BY HE ITSELF IS WHAT WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT, STANDARDIZING HOW
WE’RE ALL GOING TO APPROACH
THIS.
THIS VIRUS DOESN’T CARE WHAT
PARTY YOU ARE, DOESN’T CARE
WHERE YOU LIVE.
WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT’S
WHAT WE HAVE TO WORK ON RIGHT
NOW.
>> DR. OSTERHOLM, IT CERTAINLY
LOOKS LIKE THE CASE COUNT IS
0E78 GOING TO GO UP,
HOSPITALIZATIONS ONLY GOING TO
GO UP AND DEATH COUNT BETWEEN
NOW AND THE BEGINNING OF PASSING
OUT THIS VACCINE.
HOW CLOSE TO THE BREAKING POINT
IS OUR HOSPITAL SYSTEM, AND AT
WHAT POINT IS THAT GOING TO BE
THE POINT WHERE THE HOSPITAL
SYSTEM IS GOING TO FORCE US TO
SHUT DOWN AND WE ALL WILL HAVE
NO CHOICE?
>> I THINK YOU SAID IT VERY
WELL.
MY WORSE FEAR IS WHAT WE SAW
HAPPENING IN OTHER COUNTRIES
WHERE PEOPLE ARE DYEING ON THE
STREETS.
PEOPLE WERE LITERALLY DYEING IN
THE WAITING ROOMS OF EMERGENCY
ROOMS AFTER SPENDING TEN HOURS
JUST WAITING TO BE SEEN.
THAT WILL START HAPPENING.
THE MEDIA WILL START REPORTING
IT AND WE WILL SEE THE BREADTH
AND DEPTH OF THIS TRAGEDY.
THAT I HOPE WILL NOT BE THE WAY
WE FINALLY DECIDE TO REDUCE OUR
RISK, THIS IDEA OF SWAPPING AIR.
WE’VE GOT TO STOP DOING THAT.
AND SO I THINK IT IS THE HEALTH
CARE SYSTEM’S BREAKING,
LITERALLY BREAKING, THAT WILL
UNFORTUNATELY BRING US TO A
SENSE OF REALITY OF WHAT WE MUST
DO IN THE SHORT TERM.
>> HOW CLOSE ARE WE TO THAT
POINT?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THE CASE
NUMBERS AS YOU HAVE SEEN HOW
QUICKLY THEY’VE BEEN RISING, I
THINK THAT IS GOING TO CONTINUE
AND THERE ARE PLENTY HEALTH CARE
SYSTEMS THAT WITH A FEW MORE
WEEKS OF THIS LEVEL OF ACTIVITY,
THAT L HAPPEN.
>> DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM FROM