SOME SAY THEY’RE WAITING HOURS
TO GET TESTED.
HODA?
>> ALL RIGHT, JOE.
THANK YOU.
WE ARE NOW JOINED BY DR. ASHISH
JHA.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
LET’S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THESE NUMBERS.
THE DEATH TOLL IN THE UNITED
STATES NOW TOPS 120,000.
WE HAVE 25 STATES SEEING AN
UPTICK, SURGING NUMBERS IN TEXAS
TEXAS, ARIZONA, AND FLORIDA.
I READ AN ARTICLE THAT SAYS
TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL IS NOW
OPENING ITS BEDS TO ADULTS TO
FREE UP BEDS FOR OTHER COVID
PATIENTS.
HOW DO YOU ACCOUNT FOR THE
UPTICK IN THESE NUMBERS AND DO
YOU THINK WE’RE READY?
>> GOOD MORNING.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON.
YOU KNOW, ABOUT A MONTH AND A
HALF AGO, -- CRITERIA FOR WHAT
STATES SHOULD USE WHEN THEY OPEN
UP.
A GOOD NUMBER OF STATES, MANY OF
THE PLACES WHERE WE’RE SEEING
SPIKES IGNORED THOSE CRITERIA
AND OPENED UP WHEN THE CASE
NUMBERS WERE HIGH AND NOT COMING
DOWN.
IN MANY WAYS, THIS WAS EXPECTED.
AS UPSETTING AS IT IS TO SEE
THESE CASES, IT’S NOT
SURPRISING.
AND THE QUESTION NOW IN FRONT OF
US IS WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO TO
CURTAIL THESE SPIKES AND WE
DON’T HAVE TO SHUT DOWN GERNAGAI
I’M WORRIED WE’RE NOT TAKING IT
SERIOUSLY ENOUGH.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT CURTAILING
IT, BECAUSE ONE OF THE BIG
ISSUES IS MASKS.
SOME PEOPLE WEAR THEM.
SOME PEOPLE DON’T WEAR THEM.
PEOPLE ARE GETTING IN FIGHTS
OVER THEM LIKE AT A WALMART.
SOME PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO WEAR
THEM ON PLANES.
DO YOU THINK THERE SHOULD BE
KIND OF A NATIONAL STANDARD FOR
MASK WEARING?
>> YOU KNOW, WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE
OF A PANDEMIC AND PEOPLE ARE
BRINGING UP -- YOU KNOW, PEOPLE
WANT TO HAVE FREEDOM TO NOT WEAR
MASKS.
I UNDERSTAND.
SOMETIMES MASKS CAN BE A LITTLE
UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT THE BOTTOM
LINE IS THAT WE KNOW THAT MASKS
REDUCE INFECTIONS AND THEY SAVE
LIVES.
AND JUST AS, YOU KNOW, I CAN’T
WALK INTO A RETAIL STORE AND
LIGHT UP A CIGARETTE, I
SHOULDN’T BE ABLE TO WALK INTO A
RETAIL STORE WITHOUT WEARING A
MASK.
THESE ARE BASIC PUBLIC HEALTH
MEASURES THAT I THINK SHOULD BE
IMPLEMENTED ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
IT’S NOT THAT INCONVENIENT.
AND IF IT HELPS US STAY OPEN AND
AVOID OUR HOSPITALS GETTING
OVERWHELMED, IT FEELS TO ME IT’S
WELL WORTH THE COST.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WONDERING
WHAT IF I DO WEAR A MASK AND
WASH MY HANDS AND TAKE ALL THE
PRECAUTIONS?
IS IT COOL I GO OUT TO A TOWN
AND GO SHOPPING OR GO OUT AND
ABOUT?
WOULD I BE OKAY IN THAT
INSTANCE?
>> YOU KNOW, THERE IS NO SUCH
THING AS PERFECT SAFETY.
ALL YOU CAN DO IS REDUCE YOUR
RISKS.
BUT IF YOU’RE WEARING A MASK,
WASHING HANDS, AND YOU’RE IN A
COMMUNITY NOT HAVING A LARGE
OUTBREAK, THEN YEAH.
GOING OUT AND ABOUT IS A
REASONABLE THING TO DO.
BUT STILL WORTH MAINTAINING
SOCIAL DISTANCING.
WHEN YOU GO INTO A RETAIL SHOP,
NOT SPENDING LOTS OF TIME IN
INDOOR CROWDED SPACES.
BUT THE BIGGEST FACTOR IS HOW
BIG OF AN OUTBREAK DO YOU HAVE
IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
AND SO FOR EVERYBODY, THE KEY IS
MAKE SURE YOUR POLITICAL LEADERS
ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO
KEEP THE LEVEL OF VIRUS DOWN IN
YOUR COMMUNITY.
>> QUICKLY I WANT TO ASK ABOUT
THIS ONE OTHER HEADLINE.
THE NUMBER OF YOUNG PEOPLE --
THE CASES IN YOUNG PEOPLE IS
SPIKING.
HOW DO YOU ACCOUNT FOR THAT AND
WHAT’S THE REAL CONCERN IF
THAT’S THE CASE?
>> YEAH.
SO I THINK A LOT OF IT IS
BECAUSE WHEN PLACES OPENED UP,
THE BARS, RESTAURANTS, AND
NIGHTCLUBS, IT’S MORE OFTEN
FREQUENTED BY YOUNG PEOPLE.
SO THEY’RE GOING TO BE THE FIRST
ONES TO GET INFECTED.
SOME PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SAY
THAT’S NOT A BIG DEAL BECAUSE
YOUNG PEOPLE DON’T GET AS SICK.
THAT’S TRUE, BUT THEY’RE GOING
TO GO THEN SPEND WITH THEIR
PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS.
SO I’M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT
THIS.
JUST BECAUSE IT STARTS WITH
YOUNG PEOPLE DOESN’T MEAN IT’LL
STAY WITH YOUNG PEOPLE.
WE’VE GOT TO CURTAIL INFECTIONS