DR. >>> WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG TO
INVOKE THE DEFENSE PRODUCTION
ACT?
ACT? >> HOSPITALS ARE SUPPOSED TO
HAVE VENTILATORS, TOO.
WHEN WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF
VENTILATORS, IT SOUNDS LIKE A
LOT.
LOT. BUT THIS IS A VERY UNFORESEEN
THING.
THING. NOBODY EVER THOUGHT OF THESE
NUMBERS.
NUMBERS. >> WE KNEW FOR WEEKS WE NEEDED
FOR VENTILATORS.
FOR VENTILATORS. WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG?
>> WE KNEW.
IT DEPENDS.
IT DEPENDS. IT DEPENDS ON HOW IT GOES.
WORST-CASE, ABSOLUTELY.
WORST-CASE, ABSOLUTELY. BEST-CASE, NOT AT ALL.
WE’LL HAVE TO SEE WHERE IT GOES,
BUT WE ARE ORDERING THOUSANDS
AND THOUSANDS OF VENTILATORS.
>> HOSPITALS ARE SUPPOSED TO
HAVE VENTILATORS, TOO.
JOINING US, "MORNING JOE" CHIEF
MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT DR. DAVE
CAMPBELL.
CAMPBELL. AND DR. VANESSA CAREY.
CEO OF SEED GLOBAL HEALTH, A
NONPROFIT THAT HELPS TRAIN
FUTURE DOCTORS AND NURSES IN
COUNTRIES WITH LIMITED HEALTH
CARE RESOURCES.
CARE RESOURCES. GREAT TO HAVE YOU BOTH ON THE
SHOW THIS MORNING.
>> VANESSA, YOU HEARD REPORTS OF
DOCTORS BEING TOLD TO ACTUALLY
TEAR OFF PARTS OF THEIR GOWN.
YOU USE IT AS A MAKESHIFT MASK
TO BRING BANDANAS FROM HOME.
COULD YOU EVER IMAGINE THAT THIS
WOULD BE HAPPENING IN THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA AT ONE OF OUR
MOST TRYING TIMES?
>> NO, I COULDN’T.
AT ALL.
AT ALL. I THINK THE REALITY IS THAT WE
ARE IN -- WE ARE FACING AN
EXISTENTIAL THREAT THAT WE HAVE
NOT EXPERIENCED IN GENERATIONS.
ARGUABLY, THAT WE HAVE NEVER
EXPERIENCED BECAUSE OF
GLOBALIZATION, THE SIZE OF OUR
POPULATION IN THE WORLD.
THE TRUTH IS, THIS IS REALLY A
CRISIS OF SEVERAL PROPORTIONS.
ONE, THE FEAR THAT WE ARE GOING
TO GET SICK.
IT IS A CRISIS OF THE
PREPAREDNESS THAT WE HAVE HERE.
IT IS AN ECONOMIC CRISIS.
IT IS AN INFORMATION AND
MISINFORMATION CRISIS.
MISINFORMATION CRISIS. IT IS MOST FUNDAMENTALLY A
CRISIS OF LEADERSHIP.
THAT, I THINK, IS WHAT PEOPLE
ARE FEELING THE MOST AND WHAT IS
PROMOTING SO MUCH OF THE PANIC.
INCLUDING MY COLLEAGUES AT MASS
GENERAL HOSPITAL AND ELSEWHERE
WHO ARE GOING TO BE ON THE FRONT
LINES.
LINES. AND THE CRISIS AT THE LEVEL OF
OUR ADMINISTRATION.
OUR ADMINISTRATION. >> DR. DAVE, I WANT TO BE VERY
CAREFUL HERE.
CAREFUL HERE. I’M NOT GOING TO MENTION ANY
NAMES, BUT WE HAD A CONVERSATION
LAST NIGHT.
LAST NIGHT. YOU HAVE A COLLEAGUE THAT YOU’VE
KNOWN FOR THREE DECADES NOW.
EXTREMELY RESPECTED
EXTREMELY RESPECTED PROFESSIONAL.
PROFESSIONAL. GOT A CALL FROM ONE OF HIS
COLLEAGUES IN ITALY ASKING FOR
ANY HELP IN GETTING VENTILATORS
OVER TO ITALY.
HE PLACED A CALL TO SOMEBODY
THAT HE KNEW WHO WORKED FOR A
COMPANY THAT MASS PRODUCED
VENTILATORS.
VENTILATORS. THAT COMPANY HAD BEEN TOLD, I
GUESS, IN EARLY FEBRUARY THAT
THEY WERE GOING TO BE SENDING
ALL OF THEIR ORDERS TO CHINA.
A WHOLE MASS COLLECTION OF
VENTILATORS THAT THE CHINESE
GOVERNMENT HAD CALLED UP AND
SAID, WE’LL PIEBUY ALL OF YOUR
VENTILATORS THROUGH JUNE.
WITHOUT REVEALING ANY OF THESE
NAMES, BECAUSE WE’RE WORKING THE
STORY RIGHT NOW, TELL US ABOUT
THAT.
THAT. TELL US WHAT YOU LEARNED BY
TALKING TO THE PERSON INVOLVED
IN THIS, ABOUT JUST HOW
DIFFICULT IT IS TO MASS PRODUCE
VENTILATORS AND WHY YOU’RE
SPECTACLE OF THE GOVERNMENT’S
CLAIMS.
CLAIMS. >> THANKS, JOE.
THIS IS A STORY OF CHINA BEING
FIRST TO THE PLATE IN THE
DEVELOPMENT AND NEED FOR
VENTILATORS.
VENTILATORS. SO IN FIDMID-FEBRUARY, THIS COMP
RECEIVED AN ORDER FOR 1,000
VENTILATORS FROM CHINA.
THEY HAD 20 TO 30 IN STOCK.
THEY SUPPLIED THOSE.
THE ORDER THEN WENT IN TO
MANUFACTURE 100 VENTILATORS PER
WEEK OVER THE NEXT TEN WEEKS.
THAT’S 1,000 VENTILATORS.
IF YOU WERE TO CALL THIS MAJOR
COMPANY TODAY AND ASK TO ORDER
VENN LATE
VENN LATE VENTILATORS FOR A COMPANY,
HOSPITAL, OR MEDICAL CENTER IN
THE UNITED STATES OR ITALY,
WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENED, THERE’S
NO SUPPLY UNTIL JUNE.
SO IT’S NOT A CONDEMNATION OF
CHINA ASKING FOR THESE
VENTILATORS.
VENTILATORS. THEY NEEDED THEM.
THEY NEED THEM NOW.
THEY JUST NEEDED THEM TWO MONTHS
BEFORE THE UNITED STATES AND
ITALY, JOE.
ITALY, JOE. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. MIKA, THIS COMPANY IS A MAJOR,
MULTI-NATIONAL CORPORATION, AND
ONE OF THE BEST KNOWN AMERICAN
COMPANIES THAT THERE ARE.
AGAIN, THEY’RE NOT GOING TO BE
PRODUCING VENTILATORS FOR THE
UNITED STATES AND FOR AMERICAN
PATIENTS THROUGH JUNE.
THEY’RE GOING TO BE WORKING, IN
EFFECT, FOR CHINA.
>> AS WE FLUSH OUT THIS STORY,
WE’LL SEE JUST HOW COMPLICATED
IT IS.
IT IS. IT IS NOT JUST -- YOU DON’T JUST
DELIVER VENTILATORS AND MAKE
THEM.
THEM. THEY HAVE PARTS.
PARTS NEED TO BE REPLACED
CONSTANTLY.
CONSTANTLY. THIS IS A CRISIS THAT COULD HAVE
BEEN SLIGHTLY AVERTED AND,
INSTEAD, WE ARE CAUGHT
FLAT-FOOTED.
FLAT-FOOTED. IT IS GOING TO BE THE NEXT BIG
MISS.
MISS. FIRST WAS TESTING, WHICH WE
STILL DON’T HAVE.
THE SECOND IS GOING TO BE
HOSPITAL SPACE, SUPPLIES,
VENTILATORS, AND MASKS.
AND IT IS WHY EVERYBODY IS
UNCERTAIN, ESPECIALLY THE
MARKETS.
MARKETS. DR. CAREY, SEED GLOBAL HEALTH
SENDS DOCTORS HAVE THIRD-WORLD
AREAS, TO TRAIN PEOPLE IN THE
THIRD-WORLD COUNTRIES TO TRY THE
DELIVER THEIR OWN HEALTH CARE.
DO YOU ENVISION MEDICAL STUDENTS
AT THIS POINT BEING MOBILIZED?
WE HAVE A HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE
THAT, RIGHT NOW, IS BLATANTLY
BEING EXPOSED TO THE
CORONAVIRUS.
CORONAVIRUS. >> I THINK THIS IS WHAT’S REALLY
COMPLICATED, IS THAT WE’RE
ASKING HEALTH CARE WORKERS, LIKE
MY COLLEAGUES, MYSELF SOON, WHEN
I HAVE TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, WE
ARE GOING TO BE WORKING IN A
SITUATION WHERE WE DON’T HAVE
THE PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT WE
NEED.
NEED. I THINK THAT’S GOING TO BE A
REAL PROBLEM.
REAL PROBLEM. WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IS WE
GET INFECTED, PULLED FROM THE
HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE, YOU
PROBABLY WON’T SEE MEDICAL
STUDENTS, BUT YOU WILL SEE
POTENTIALLY YOUR DERMATOLOGIST.
A COLLEAGUE OF MINE WHO IS A
DERMATOLOGIST RECENTLY SAID, I
FEEL I NEED TO BRUSH UP ON
PULMONARY AND CRITICAL CARE.
WHERE SHOULD I GO LOOK AT IT?
THAT’LL BE THE REALITY WE SEE,
UNLESS WE TAKE UNPRECEDENTED
ACTIONS AND EMBRACE IT AS A
COMMUNITY, AS A COUNTRY.
IF WE CAN PUCKBUCKLE DOWN AND RI
TO THIS MOMENT, WE CAN HELP
MITIGATE HOW LONG WE HAVE TO
LIVE IN THAT REALITY.
WE ARE GOING TO BE IN THIS FOR A
WHILE.
WHILE. WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT.
FOR HOW LONG IS UP TO OUR
ACTIONS TODAY.
ACTIONS TODAY. IDEALLY, THE ACTIONS OF THIS
ADMINISTRATION TO MAKE TESTING
RAPID, MUCH MORE WIDELY
AVAILABLE.
AVAILABLE. THEY HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE A
WEEK AGO SAYING THAT WE WERE
GOING TO BE SCALING UP TESTS
IMMEDIATELY.
IMMEDIATELY. WE STILL DON’T HAVE THOSE.
IT TAKES TWO DAYS, AT LEAST, TO
TURN AROUND A TEST.
WE STILL HAVE -- WE HAVE OVER
8,000 CASES IN AMERICA, OVER 150
DEATHS NOW, ALMOST 9,000 CASES
AND 150 DEATHS.
WE ARE STILL TESTING ABOUT, YOU
KNOW, I THINK IT IS SOMETHING
LIKE 500 AMERICANS FOR EVERY
MILLION PEOPLE.
MILLION PEOPLE. SOUTH KOREA WAS TESTING, YOU
KNOW, AT 5,000 FOR EVERY
MILLION.
MILLION. IT IS JUST -- WE WILL NOT GET
CONTROL WITHOUT MORE INFORMATION
AND WITHOUT BETTER LEADERSHIP TO
GUIDE US.
GUIDE US. >> DR. KERRY, IT IS WILLIE
GEIST.
GEIST. WE CAN’T GIVE THANKS BIG ENOUGH
TO YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES IN
THE HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY FOR
WHAT YOU’RE DOING NOW ON THE
FRONT LINES.
FRONT LINES. I KNOW YOU’RE ABOUT TO GO IN
YOURSELF.
YOURSELF. IN TERMS OF EQUIPMENT, IN TERMS
OF THINGS YOU NEED, GLOVES,
MASKS, RESPIRATORS, VENTILATORS,
I GUESS THE QUESTION FOR A LOT
OF AMERICANS IS, WHY DON’T WE
HAVE ENOUGH OF THOSE THINGS?
I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A HUGE
ASK, THAT THE PENTAGON CAN
RELEASE WHAT IT CAN RELEASE.
A LOT OF THE RESERVES ARE FOR
SOMETHING TARGETED, A BIG EVENT
IN NEW YORK CITY, AND THEY
SUDDENLY NEED 1,000 VENTILATORS
THERE.
THERE. NOT FOR EVERY HOSPITAL ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
THE COUNTRY. WHAT CAN HAPPEN AS OF THIS
MORNING?
MORNING? WHAT COULD THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT DO AS OF THIS MORNING
TO GET AT LEAST THE GLOVES AND
THE MASKS AND THAT PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT THAT YOU NEED INTO
YOUR HANDS SO YOU CAN GET TO
WORK?
WORK? >> THERE’S A COUPLE THINGS.
ONE, I THINK RELEASING THE, YOU
KNOW -- RELEASING THE SUPPLIES
IS GOING TO BE CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. THAT’S A STOPGAP, RIGHT?
WE ARE GOING TO NEED MILLIONS OF
MASKS, MILLIONS OF GLOVES.
WHAT WE HAVE JUST BEEN RELEASED
IS ONLY GOING TO GET A FRACTION
OF US THERE.
IT MIGHT BUY US A LITTLE BIT OF
TIME.
TIME. THE REALITY IS, WE NEVER
EXPECTED, WE NEVER THOUGHT THAT
WE COULD BE VULNERABLE TO A
PANDEMIC OF THIS SIZE.
WITH THE WORK I DO AT SEED
GLOBAL HEALTH, WE BELIEVE HEALTH
SECURITY IS NATIONAL SECURITY
AND IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
TO INVEST IN HEALTH SYSTEMS
AROUND THE WORLD.
WE’RE ONLY AS STRONG AS THE
WEAKEST LINK.
WEAKEST LINK. WE NEVER THOUGHT WE COULD BE THE
WEAKEST LINK.
WEAKEST LINK. NOW THAT WE’RE THERE, WHAT WE
HAVE TO DO IS SCALE UP
PRODUCTION.
PRODUCTION. ALSO, SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES ARE
SOME OF THE MOST FOREMOST PUBLIC
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS.
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. THEY IDENTIFIED MASSIVE SOURCES
OF MASKS AVAILABLE IN CHINA, AS
THEY REPORTED NO CASES AS OF
YESTERDAY FOR THE FIRST TIME.
NO NEW CASES.
THEY ARE AVAILABLE, BUT WE HAVE
TRADE TARIFFS AND BANS IN PLACE
THAT AREN’T MAKING IT POSSIBLE
FOR THE EQUIPMENT TO BE
AVAILABLE.
AVAILABLE. THAT IS IRRESPONSIBLE IN THIS
MOMENT OF CRISIS RIGHT NOW.
WE NEED TO BE CREATIVE.
WE NEED TO BE BOLD.
I THINK THAT I’M VERY HOPEFUL WE
CAN GET OURSELVES THERE SOONER
RATHER THAN LATER, SO WE’RE NOT
DEALING WITH THIS FOR, YOU
KNOW -- INTO YEARS.
WE’RE DEALING WITH THIS
HOPEFULLY ONLY INTO THE SUMMER,
AND AT A PLACE WHERE WE CAN
START TO CATCH OUR BREATH BEFORE
WE POTENTIALLY GET A SECOND WAVE
IN THE FALL.
THIS IS HERE TO STAY THOUGH.
THE QUESTION IS, HOW BAD AND FOR
HOW LONG?
HOW LONG? >> DR. DAVE, THIS IS HERE TO
STAY, FOR SURE.
I’M HEARING EVERYTHING FROM
DIFFERENT WAVES OF THIS TO
SHUTDOWNS BECOMING A PART OF
LIFE FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
WE DON’T KNOW WHAT’S TO COME.
THIS IS CLEARLY HERE, AND THE
NUMBERS ARE BEGINNING TO DOUBLE
IN CERTAIN LOCALITIES AS WE GET
TESTING.
TESTING. THE PRESIDENT HAS DEPLOYED TWO
NAVY WARTIME SHIPS TO SERVE AS
HOSPITALS, BUT THE UNDERSTANDING
IS THAT THAT WILL TAKE OTHER
PATIENTS THAT CAN’T FIT INTO
HOSPITALS ANYMORE DUE TO THE
INFLUX OF CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS.
AND THEY WON’T BE READY FOR A
FEW WEEKS.
FEW WEEKS. THERE’S THE ACT THAT HE PASSED
THAT ALLOWS HIM TO DIRECT
INDUSTRY TO PRODUCE CRITICAL
EQUIPMENT, TO CONFRONT THIS
CRISIS.
CRISIS. NONE OF THIS SEEMS LIKE IT IS
HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
IT STILL FEELS LIKE WE’RE WEEKS,
POTENTIALLY MONTHS OFF FROM
BEING UP TO SPEED IN CONFRONTING
THIS CRISIS.
THIS CRISIS. >> YES, MIKA.
THERE ARE A FEW SOLUTIONS, NONE
OF THEM VERY GOOD.
ONE DR. KERRY MENTIONED, TO
SCALE UP PRODUCTION.
SCALING UP PRODUCTION OF
VENTILATORS IN THE UNITED STATES
CAN HAPPEN.
CAN HAPPEN. BUT EVERY VENTILATOR USED IN
EVERY HOSPITAL IN THIS COUNTRY
IS UNDER THE FDA REGULATION.
NOBODY MANUFACTURES AND USES A
VENTILATOR HERE THAT’S NOT
TIGHTLY REGULATED BY THE FDA.
SPECIAL EXEMPTIONS TO ALLOW SOME
OF THE OLDER VENTILATORS THAT
ARE STILL SAFE TO BE UTILIZED OR
MANUFACTURED MAY HELP.
ALSO, WE HEARD THAT THERE ARE
10,000 -- THERE’S A MASSIVE
STOCKPILE OF VENTILATORS AND
EQUIPMENT.
EQUIPMENT. THAT IS, PERHAPS, MORE A VIRTUAL
STOCKPILE.
STOCKPILE. MY SOURCES TELL ME THERE IS NOT
A SINGLE WAREHOUSE SOMEWHERE
WITH 10,000 VENTILATORS.
THEY’RE SPREAD OUT OVER STORAGE
ROOMS, PLACES IN HOSPITALS, MANY
OF THEM OLDER.
SO WE REALLY HAVE TO LOOK
CLOSELY AS HOW TO EXPAND AND
SCALE UP THE USE OF EXISTING,
SAFE VENTILATORS, THE
MANUFACTURER AND COLLECTION OF
SAFE VENTILATORS FROM WHEREVER
THEY ARE, THE SEE IF WE CAN
CATCH UP.
CATCH UP. WE HAVE ABOUT TWO WEEKS.
WE HAVE SOME TIME.
BEYOND THAT, DR. KERRY MAY
AGREE, BEYOND TWO WEEKS, WE
REALLY DON’T KNOW WHERE THIS
COUNTRY WILL BE.
>> I ALSO WANT TO ADD THAT WE
NEED PEOPLE WHO KNOW --
>> YUP?
>> YUP? >> WE NEED PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW
TO USE THE VENTILATEORVENTILATOR
THAT’S THE SECOND PIECE OF THIS.
>> THAT’S THE LAYER OF EDUCATING
DOCTORS, MAYBE YOUNG DOCTORS,
MEDICAL ASSISTANTS.
MEDICAL ASSISTANTS. WE’RE GOING TO LOSE PEOPLE AT
THE RATE WE’RE GOING.
NUMBERS ARE DOUBLING EVERY FEW
DAYS.
DAYS. DR. DAVE CAMPBELL AND DR.
VANESSA KERRY, THANK YOU BOTH.
>>> COMING UP, A SEA CHANGE FOR
REPUBLICANS, WHO ONCE OPPOSED