ARE OVERLY DEPENDENT ON FOREIGN SOURCES FOR THE COMPONENTS THAT
ARE REQUIRED TO PROCESS THOSE
TESTS.
TESTS. >> Martha: HERE NOW,
ADMINISTRATIVE SEEMA VERMA, A
MEMBER OF THE WHITE HOUSE
CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE.
ADMINISTRATOR VERMA, GOOD TO
HAVE YOU HERE.
>> MY PLEASURE.
>> Martha: HOW ARE WE DOING ON
THESE TESTS?
THESE TESTS? LAST WEEK, ALEX AZAR, HHS
SECRETARY, SAID THERE WOULD BE
MILLIONS OF THEM OUT THERE BY
THE END OF THE WEEK.
HAS THAT HAPPENED?
>> OUR FOCUS IS ON MAKING SURE
PEOPLE THAT NEED TESTS CAN GET
TESTS.
TESTS. ONE THING THAT IS ALREADY
AVAILABLE AS EVERY HEALTH
LABORATORY ACROSS THE NATION,
THESE TESTS ARE AVAILABLE, BUT
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON NOW IS TO
INCREASE THE CAPACITY AND THE
PRIVATE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
MOST OF US, WHEN WE GO GET
TESTS, WE DON’T GO TO A PUBLIC
HEALTH LAB.
HEALTH LAB. YOU ARE USED TO GOING TO YOUR
DOCTOR’S OFFICE, THEY ORDER THE
TEST, AND THAT IS USUALLY
HANDLED THROUGH OUR PRIVATE
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
SO WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE
PRIVATE SYSTEM TO ESSENTIALLY
RAMP UP SO WE CAN MAKE SURE
THOSE TESTS ARE AVAILABLE.
>> Martha: SO IS IT TRUE THAT
THERE ARE MILLIONS OF THOSE,
IT’S NOW ALMOST THE END OF THE
WEEK, SO HAS THAT MARK BEEN MET,
THAT WE HEARD ABOUT FROM
SECRETARY AZAR?
SECRETARY AZAR? BECAUSE I WAS AT A DOCTOR FOR
SOMETHING ELSE THE OTHER MORNING
AND ASKED, AND THEY SAID WE
CAN’T GET THEM.
WE’VE BEEN CALLING, CALL THE
STATE, HERE, CAN’T GET OUR HANDS
ON THEM.
ON THEM. AND THEN I HEARD FROM ANOTHER
DOCTOR EARLIER TODAY WITH THE
SAME STORY FROM A PATIENT THAT
SHE WANTED TO TEST, AND SHE
TRIED TO GET A TEST FOR THAT
PATIENT AND WAS UNABLE TO DO SO.
>> TODAY, ONE OF THE THINGS WE
DID, DR. HAHN AND I HOSTED A
CALL WITH OVER 1600
REPRESENTATIVES FROM HOSPITALS
TO WORK WITH THEM AROUND HOW
THEY CAN DO THE TESTING INSIDE
THEIR HOSPITAL LABORATORY.
THE OTHER THING WE ARE FOCUSED
ON IS PREPARING THE ENTIRE
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, SOME OF THE
CONVERSATIONS WE’VE BEEN HAVING
WITH HOSPITALS IS MAKING SURE
THAT THEY HAVE THE GUIDANCE THAT
THEY NEED.
THEY NEED. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE
DID, JUST LAST WEEK, WAS GIVE
MORE GUIDANCE AROUND EMERGENCY
ROOMS AND WHAT THEY NEED TO DO.
SO I THINK WE ARE SEEING
EMERGENCY ROOMS ACROSS THE
NATION SETTING UP DIFFERENT
SCREENING SITES, SO THAT THEY
CAN SCREEN PEOPLE FOR THE
CORONAVIRUS ON THE FRONT END,
AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS DON’T HAVE
TO COME INTO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
>> Martha: YEAH.
>> THE OTHER PIECE WE ARE
FOCUSING ON HIS INFECTION
CONTROL.
CONTROL. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
DON’T PICK UP THE CORONAVIRUS
WHEN THEY ARE IN A HEALTH CARE
FACILITY.
FACILITY. SO WE HAVE ASKED FOR ALL OF THE
HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS ACROSS
AMERICA TO DOUBLE DOWN ON
INFECTION CONTROL PRACTICES.
>> Martha: OKAY, BUT IN TERMS
OF ACTUAL EQUIPMENT, WE HEARD
BERNIE SANDERS TODAY, FOR ONE,
COMING OUT AND SAYING THERE’S A
MAJOR SHORTAGE OF ICU UNITS.
WE’VE HEARD THERE IS A SHORTAGE
OF VENTILATORS, EVEN SWAPS AND
EQUIPMENT THE ACTUAL TESTS.
WHAT IS BEING DONE ABOUT THAT,
AND HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU THAT
WHEN WE THESE NUMBERS START TO R
COME UP WHICH DR. FAUCI HAS TOLD
US TO EXPECT, THAT THERE WILL BE
ENOUGH ICU UNITS AND VENTILATORS
TO HELP THE PEOPLE WHO GET SICK
IN THIS COUNTRY?
>> THAT IS WHY WE HAVE EMERGENCY
PREPARED SYSTEM.
PREPARED SYSTEM. WE ARE USED TO DEALING WITH
DISASTERS.
DISASTERS. IF WE LOOK AT SOME OF THE
DISASTERS THAT HAVE HAPPENED
AROUND HURRICANES, AND
PUERTO RICO AND FLORIDA, THERE
IS A SYSTEM IN PLACE TO MAKE
SURE FOLKS THAT ARE ON THE FRONT
LINE HAVE THE EQUIPMENT ON THE
SUPPLIES THAT THEY NEED.
>> Martha: SO ARE YOU SAYING
WE DO HAVE ENOUGH?
>> TO HAVE RAPID DIALOGUE WITH
HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.
WE ARE MEETING WITH PROVIDERS
ALMOST ON A DAILY BASIS TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT CHALLENGES ARE
THEY FACING, AND WHAT CAN WE DO
AS A GOVERNMENT LEVEL TO SUPPORT
THEM AND HELP THEM?
THAT IS WHY WE HAVE BEEN PUTTING
OUT SO MUCH GUIDANCE, BASED ON
THESE DIALOGUES THAT WE’VE BEEN
HAVING WITH THE HEALTH CARE
COMMUNITY ABOUT THE NEEDS THAT
THEY HAVE.
THEY HAVE. >> Martha: I UNDERSTAND -- CAN
I JUST ASK ONE MORE TIME, WILL
THERE BE ENOUGH --
>> MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND,
BEFORE YOU GO INTO YOUR DOCTOR’S
OFFICE, YOU CAN CALL YOUR DOCTOR
ON THE PHONE AND HAVE A
DISCUSSION WITH THEM, AND THEY
CAN TELL YOU WHETHER YOU NEED TO
COME IN OR NOT, AND THAT IS
REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE
DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE TRAVEL
UNNECESSARILY IF THEY ARE NOT
FEELING WELL.
FEELING WELL. >> Martha: ABSOLUTELY.
>> IF THEY COME INTO A
HEALTH CARE FACILITY, THEY CAN
ALSO BE PUTTING OTHERS AT RISK,
SO WE ARE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO
CALL THEIR DOCTOR IN ADVANCE --
>> Martha: YES --
>> MAKE SURE PROVIDERS CAN USE
TELE- HEALTH AND TELE- MEDICINE.
>> Martha: WE’VE MADE THAT
POINT AND I THINK IT IS
IMPORTANT, BUT I WANT TO ASK ONE
MORE TIME BEFORE YOU GO: ARE
THERE GOING TO BE PEOPLE IN THIS
COUNTRY WHO DON’T GET A
VENTILATOR IF THEY NEED WHEN?
ARE YOU CONCERNED THE ACTUAL,
PHYSICAL EQUIPMENT THAT IS
NEEDED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE WHO
WILL GET SICK IS OUT THERE?
CAN YOU REASSURE EVERYONE
TONIGHT THAT THERE IS NOT A
SHORTAGE OF VENTILATORS, OR ICU
UNITS?
UNITS? >> AND THAT IS WHY THE PRESIDENT
HAS TAKEN SUCH A BOLD AND
DECISIVE ACTION, RIGHT?
WE ARE NOT WAITING FOR THIS TO
GET WORSE.
GET WORSE. WE ARE NOT WAITING FOR THIS TO
BE A CRISIS IN OUR HEALTH CARE
SYSTEMS, AND THAT IS WHY THE
MITIGATION STRATEGIES HE
ANNOUNCED LAST NIGHT, LIMITING
TRAVEL FROM EUROPE, NOT ALLOWING
THAT, WE’VE GIVEN TRAVEL
ADVISORIES ON CRUISE SHIPS, THAT
IS WHY WE ARE TAKING ALL OF THIS
ACTION, BECAUSE WE DON’T WANT TO
PUT STRESS ON THE HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM.
SYSTEM. >> Martha: OKAY.
IF NOT A DIRECT ANSWER TO THE
QUESTION, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE A
HOPE THAT THERE WON’T BE ENOUGH
SICK PEOPLE AND WE WON’T RUN OUT
OF VENTILATORS BECAUSE WE HAVE
MITIGATED, AND WE CERTAINLY