THIS MEANS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DIDN’T INEXUNDO THE O
DAMN THING THEY WERE DOING IN
TERMS OF GETTING AMERICANS
TESTED FOR THIS DISEASE.
BUT WE REMAIN WITHOUT A NATIONAL
TESTING PLAN AND WOIT GOOD
ACCESS TO TESTING, OUR DATA
CONTINUES TO BE ALL OVER THE
STATE.
STATE. NEW YORK STATE IS DOING A LOT OF
TESTING, BUT EVERY STATE IS
HAVING TO MAKE DUE ON ITS OWN
TERMS OF HOW MANY PEOPLE THEY’RE
TESTING, HOW THEY’RE DOING IT TO
DO THAT TESTING.
WITH THE PATCH WORK OF SYSTEMS
AND DIFFERENT LEVELS OF
GOVERNMENT TRYING TO PUT
TOGETHER A RESPONSE, WE’RE
STARTING -- WE HAVE SOME DATA
ABOUT HOW MANY CASES THAT WE
HAVE GOT.
HAVE GOT. SOME STATES TELL US MORE
INFORMATION THAN OTHERS.
WE KNOW ENOUGH TO KNOW WE HAVE
THE WORST OUTBREAK ON EARTH BY
FAR.
FAR. BUT THE DETAILS OF WHERE IT’S
THE WORST, FRANKLY THEY JUST
HAVE TO TRICKLE UP THROUGH THE
SEAMS.
SEAMS. WE DON’T HAVE A NATIONAL
RESPONSE.
RESPONSE. SO WE DON’T HAVE NATIONAL
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. SO YOU LOOK AT LOCAL COVERAGE
SOMETIMES TO FIND OUT WHERE
THINGS ARE AT THEIR WORST.
THIS WAS LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE
TODAY FOR EXAMPLE FROM HAYWARD,
CALIFORNIA.
CALIFORNIA. COVERAGE OF A LOCAL NURSING HOME
IN HAYWARD WHERE OF THE 35
RESIDENTS WHO HAVE TESTED
POSITIVE IN THAT FACILITY, SIX
HAVE ALREADY DIED.
STAFF HAS STARTED TO TEST
POSITIVE AT THAT FACILITY IN
PRETTY GOOD NUMBERS, AS WELL.
I ONLY CAME ACROSS THIS LOCAL
NEWS REPORT TODAY BECAUSE
HAYWARD IS THE CITY IN
CALIFORNIA WHERE I WAS BORN.
IT’S RIGHT NEAR WHERE I WAS BORN
AND WHERE I GREW UP.
AND SO THIS HAPPENED TO CATCH MY
EYE TODAY, THIS TRAGEDY IN
HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA.
HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA. BUT JUST TRY THIS.
IF YOU HAVE SOME SPARE INTERNET
ACCESS, IF YOU HAVE FEW MINUTES,
LOOK AROUND AT THE LOCAL PRESS,
WHERE YOU GREW UP OR WHERE YOU
WERE BORN OR WHERE YOUR PARENTS
LIVE NOW OR WHERE YOUR GROWN
KIDS OR GRAND KIDS HAVE MOVED
OFF TO.
OFF TO. JUST PICK A PLACE SOMEWHERE IN
THIS COUNTRY.
THIS COUNTRY. PICK THE LAST AMERICAN PLACE YOU
WENT ON VACATION.
PICK THE LAST TOWN WHERE YOU GOT
A SPEEDING TICKET WHEN YOU WERE
DRIVING ON A CROSS COUNTRY TRIP.
PICK ANYWHERE IN THIS COUNTRY
AND LOOK AT THE LOCAL PRESS
THERE.
THERE. I WILL TELL YOU, WHAT YOU WILL
FIND MORE LIKELY THAN NOT IS A
STORY, AT LEAST ONE, ABOUT A
NURSING HOME, AN ASSISTED LIVING
FACILITY, A GROUP HOME FOR
ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES, A
SOLDIER’S HOME FOR ELDERLY
VETERANS.
VETERANS. YOU WILL FIND AT LEAST ONE LOCAL
STORY ABOUT A CONGRESSFACILITY W
THEY HAVE FACES OR DEATHS, WHERE
THE STAFF IS TESTING POSITIVE
AND THEY HAVE PROFOUND WORRIES
AND DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE
GOING TO DO.
JUST PICK IT, ANYWHERE.
I MEAN, HERE’S KENTUCKY JUST
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. COVID-19 SPREADING QUICKLY IN
DOZENS OF KENTUCKY NURSING
HOMES.
HOMES. 152 INFECTED.
152 INFECTED. 16 DEAD.
16 DEAD. HERE’S THE SEATTLE TIMES.
CORONAVIRUS SPREADS TO 163
LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES IN
WASHINGTON STATE, KILLING MORE
THAN 200 PEOPLE.
HERE’S RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.
ONE FACILITY, 39 DEATHS AMONG
RESIDENTS AT THAT ONE FACILITY.
49 OTHER RESIDENTS WITH SYMPTOMS
ALREADY.
ALREADY. 25 STAFF TESTING POSITIVE.
HERE’S SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.
84 RESIDENTS.
84 RESIDENTS. 67 OF THOSE 84 RESIDENTS ALREADY
KNOWN TO BE INFECTED.
HERE’S FOOTAGE OF THE MAGNOLIA
REHABILITATION AND NURSING CARE
CENTER IN RIVERSIDE COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA.
CALIFORNIA. THIS FOOTAGE LOOKS LIKE DISASTER
RESPONSE BECAUSE IT IS.
WHAT THIS SHOWS IS THE ONE BY
ONE EVACUATION OF ALL OF THE
RESIDENTS IN THAT FACILITY.
THEY FOUND OUT THAT OF THE 84
RESIDENTS IN THAT FACILITY, AT
LEAST 34 OF THEM WERE POSITIVE.
AND THE STAFF WAS STARTING TO
TEST POSITIVE, TOO.
AND WHEN MOST OF THE STAFF JUST
STARTED NOT SHOWING UP, WHEN THE
STAFF JUST DIDN’T SHOW UP TO
STAFF THAT FACILITY FOR TWO DAYS
IN A ROW, FIRST THEY SENT IN
NURSES, THEY SENT IN EXTRA
MEDICAL CARE WORKERS TO TRY TO
BOLSTER KA PASS SITY AT THAT
FACILITY TO KEEP PEOPLE ALIVE,
BUT WHEN TOO MUCH OF THE STAFF
DIDN’T TURN UP, THEY CALLED IT
OFF.
OFF. THEY EVACUATED.
THEY EVACUATED. THE PATIENTS WERE TAKEN ONE BY
ONE, TO OTHER FACILITIES.
THEY WITH FIND FOR THEM
SOMEWHERE IN SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA.
CALIFORNIA. TALKING ABOUT MAYBE EVEN SOME OF
THEM WILL GO TO THE NAVY
HOSPITAL SHIP "THE MERCY" IN LOS
ANGELES.
ANGELES. THE CRISIS OF CORONAVIRUS
RIPPING THROUGH AMERICAN NURSING
HOMES, AND AMERICAN LONG-TERM
CARE FACILITIES, THAT IS
EVERYWHERE.
EVERYWHERE. THAT STORY IS UBIQUITOUS.
BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK IN THE
LOCAL NEWS TO FIND IT.
APPARENTLY, YOU’LL OCCASIONALLY
GET NATIONAL NEWS OUTLETS
COVERING IT IN A SURVEY WAY, THE
WAY I JUST DID, OR NATIONAL
SCOPE PAPER LIKE THE NEW YORK
TIMES WILL DO A SURVEY PIECE
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. BUT LOOK IN LOCAL NEWS OUTLETS.
YOU WILL FIND THAT ALL OF THIS
COUNTRY, RURAL URBAN, SUBURBAN,
EVERYWHERE.
EVERYWHERE. THEIR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES,
WHERE ELDERLY PEOPLE ARE HELD,
ARE CREAKING UNDER THE WEIGHT OF
THIS THING, AND THEY HAVE NO
IDEA WHAT TO DO.
THE CRISIS IN NURSING HOME AND
LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES WILL
ACCOUNT FOR A HUGE SWATH OF THE
AMERICAN DEATH TOLL UNLESS
SOMETHING IS DONE TO ADDRESS
THIS SYSTEMATICALLY.
THIS SYSTEMATICALLY. THERE IS NO NATIONAL HELP FOR
THIS AS OF YET.
THERE IS NO NATIONAL STRATEGY
FOR THIS.
FOR THIS. THERE’S NO NATIONAL INFORMATION
ABOUT THIS.
ABOUT THIS. YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW LOCAL NEWS
OUTLETS TO TRY TO GET YOUR ARMS
AROUND IT.
AROUND IT. BUT WITHOUT A FEDERAL RESPONSE
TO SPEAK OF ON ANYTHING, LET
ALONE ON THIS, THE MOST ACUTE
CRISES FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE
PEOPLE, IT’S JUST PART OF THE
SCRAMBLE WE NEED TO DO JUST AS
CITIZENS TO FOLLOW WHAT’S
HAPPENING, TO FOLLOW WHO’S DYING
AND AT RISK OF DYING AND WHO
NEEDS HELP, AND WHO IS TRYING TO
KEEP PEOPLE FROM DYING AND
DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO DO IT.
DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO STAFF THESE