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U.S. Death Toll Nears 1,000 After Deadliest Day; Senate Comes Together on Stimulus Bill; Why It's Taking Days for Coronavirus Test Results. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired March 26, 2020 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[05:00:36]

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR: Hi. Welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and around the world. Thanks so much. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Robyn Curnow.

So, just ahead on the show, coming off the deadliest day so far in the U.S., over 200 lives lost on Wednesday. Dr. Anthony Fauci warns the virus is accelerating.

Also bipartisan politics. Overnight, the Senate passed a massive $2 trillion Senate bill. When will the American people see the money?

Also, as President Trump boasts about testing in the U.S., many Americans who want that test still can't get it. Those who have been tested are waiting days for their results. Many are asking why. That's also next.

(MUSIC)

CURNOW: So we begin in New York where right now it is just past 5:00 a.m., the beginning of another day at the center of this coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.

Now on Wednesday, we know at least 233 people died across the country, a new high for U.S. deaths recorded in a single day. Many of them were in New York. The city is struggling as the virus spreads like wildfire, and there are just not enough ventilators to go around. The state needs about 30,000 of them, but even after some help from the federal government they will only have about half of that number.

Also, at a New York hospital, staff are setting up a make shift morgue including tents and refrigerated trucks in preparation for what likely appears to come. These are really ominous images.

And this after the U.S. Senate passed a $2 trillion economic relief bill on Wednesday night.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer grew emotional when he talked about New York, his home state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The talk after 9/11 was Manhattan was gone as the center of the globe. That no one would ever live or work south of Chamber Street. I always had faith New Yorkers would come back. The same now. They say, well, the density of population and everything else, we're going to come to back.

But it pains me and it pains you in a certain sense because you can't be with the people. You have to talk to them on the telephone. That bothers me. I like to mix, and mingle, and press the flesh. Press the flesh is a bad word right now.

And so, I feel an ache for me people, and one of the things that guided me was to do as much as I could for them. END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Many people are feeling like that no matter where you are in the world.

So as the crisis is far from over, America's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says the pandemic is accelerating in the U.S. Here's what he told CNN's Chris Cuomo. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE: You've got to be realistic and you've got to understand that you don't make the time line, the virus makes the time line. So you've got to respond in what you see happen, and if you keep seeing this acceleration, it doesn't matter what you say, one week, two weeks, three weeks, you've got to go with what the situation on the ground is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Dr. Fauci there speaking to Chris.

So, New York's mayor is echoing his words. Bill de Blasio says the military must pitch in and help the city right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: I can tell you, I'm pretty confident about our hospital's ability to handle the crisis this week with an already astounding 18,000 cases confirmed as of earlier today. But going into next week, we're going to see more and more stress on our system. It's not just about equipment, it's also about the people we need, the personnel, and I fear that if the military doesn't get involved quickly, because they have a lot of great medical personnel and they can help personnel get moved from one part of the country to another, if they don't get involved very rapidly, we're going to have a problem up ahead, as there are other parts in the country if they don't have that kind of command and control the military brings to get people, get resources where they're needed most.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: A call for help there. A warning as well.

Let's go straight to New York and Brynn Gingras is standing by with more of that.

Certainly, a start of a new day, and we know these warnings are ominous.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are. And, listen, there's a report, Robyn, coming out where we are at right now. Elmhurst Hospital is one of the 11 public hospitals here in New York City, which we know, as you mentioned, it's the epicenter really at this point of this crisis in the United States.

And we're hearing that 13 people died of coronavirus in a 24-hour span just at this hospital alone. I mean, it's just incredible to hear, and it's the facts of what we're seeing here on the ground.

I can tell you that there's a line that forms every morning outside of this hospital of people that want to get tested, want to see just a doctor to see if they can get tested. And that hospital continues to grow every single day. We've been out here for the last four days. And it gets longer and longer, it starts earlier and earlier.

I mean, this is what we are seeing. The faces of the coronavirus and the surge it's having on these hospitals. We're told this specific hospital is seeing so many patients that they daily have to bring in new doctors, new nurses. They're constantly trying to replenish their equipment to keep up with the demand that they're seeing.

But, of course, there are going to be cases as they admit where there are deaths involved and the hospital said in a statement, quote, that the staff are doing everything in their power to save every person with COVID, but unfortunately, this virus continues to take a toll on the elderly and the people with pre-existing conditions.

Now, this is something that the governor has been talking about, the mayor has been talking about as you laid out for your viewers. They need equipment, particularly ventilators. We did get -- they did rather, the state got half of what they needed yesterday. That was the number they were giving us, contributions from the state getting their own, also the federal government. But it's only half.

There is a huge demand on this hospital system and it hasn't even reached its peak yet which the governor doesn't think could happen for another three weeks or so.

CURNOW: Wow. I mean, just anecdotally, looking at those lines that you mentioned, people waiting for coronavirus testing, but they're all standing in a line not practicing social distancing. Even if didn't have corona going into it, you would worry about what they've caught standing there waiting.

Also, we're hearing about morgues, refrigerated trucks. Essentially, many of these hospitals preparing for a massive influx of people who they just don't know what to do with once they've died.

GINGRAS: Yes. This is all part of the city's disaster plan.

CURNOW: Yes.

GINGRAS: We started seeing this big tent be set up outside of Bellevue Hospital, which is another public hospital in New York City. This tent was familiar to people who are from around here because this was set up right after 9/11 when the morgues were overwhelmed at that time.

So, this is basically a make shift military grade hospital that will be transformed into a tent that will only be used for autopsies should the need be there, which obviously they are expecting because they're setting it up. We also know that the city has contracts with refrigerated truck companies and they will be able to utilize those trucks at separate locations. Hospitals like the one here behind me, possible, the Javits Center which we know is a huge conference center here being transformed into a federal hospital.

So those plans are all going into place and that is something that the city has had on the shelf for a while. But now having to use it, it's another grim reminder of what we're seeing here in the city.

CURNOW: You live there. You've been reporting there for so long. What is the mood like? How are New Yorkers adapting to this? The city that never sleeps is being told to stay home.

GINGRAS: Yes. I think it just depends on who you ask. There are some people who are stuck in their homes, trying their best to do social distancing for whatever matter. If they have a family member that's elderly, has underlying conditions. There's frustration there but understanding as well.

And then there's, you know, the front line workers. Not just the health care workers who of course we owe so much to at this point who are exhausted, working many shifts, in many cases getting coronavirus themselves. But also, we have EMS workers, the FDNY, the NYPD.

We know that the NYPD has over 200 staff that are with the coronavirus and about 6.6 percent or even more than that has called out sick. I mean, think about that. We have the largest police department in the entire United States and a big part of them are calling out sick because of family members or they're sick themselves.

So, it's honestly taking a toll on everyone emotionally and physically. And again, we're not at that peak yet. We're still almost at the beginning.

CURNOW: Yes. This is a scene and an occurrence that's playing out across the world.

Brynn Gingras in New York, thanks so much for your reporting. Thanks, Brynn.

So, I want to take you to California where the number of confirmed cases is spiking there. This increase as the U.S.'s largest state has California's top health official saying the rate is on par with New York's pace. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MARK GHALY, SECRETARY, CALIFORNIA HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: Today, we feel like we're looking at our doubling rate. We originally thought it would be doubling every six to seven days.

[05:10:01]

We see cases doubling every three to four days, and we're watching that trend very, very closely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: So, governor -- California's governor issued a stay at home order last week. He says it is likely to remain in place during the next two to three months to protect the people of the state.

So despite dramatically rising numbers and public health officials warning against easing guidelines, U.S. President Donald Trump pushed back. On Wednesday, he talked about areas of the U.S. that are, quote, no problems. And he questioned whether it was necessary to test as many people as possible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Many states that I'm talking about, they don't have a problem. We have some big problems, but it's confined to certain areas, high density areas. So why would we test the entire nation, 350 people.

With that being said, I'm going to say it again. We tested far more than anybody else. We are -- we have the ability to test -- I mean, we've come a long way from an obsolete broken system that I inherited. We have now tested with the best tests far more than anybody else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Well, let's bring in CNN medical analyst, Dr. Saju Mathew, here in Atlanta.

Doctor, good to see you. Good day to you.

You heard the president there. Do you agree with him, that you don't need to test as much?

DR. SAJU MATHEW, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: You know, look, Robyn, at the end of the day, there are two buzz words in public health, you know, surveillance and preparedness. If you don't survey the population, which means if you don't know the bottom number, how many people are infected, you can't do anything about preparedness. So, my thought as a primary care my thought as a primary care physician on the front lines, we need to test, test, test, just like the World Health Organization has echoed one too many times.

CURNOW: We've been hearing about people lining up to test or feeling sick and then going to the hospitals and waiting in lines in cues. Does that worry you as a medical professional?

MATHEW: Of course. It shows me we are not prepared. Every state in the U.S. most likely will have a hot spot. And, you know, that curve could go up. If we're looking at 50 plus states, it's going to be difficult to contain until we're really aggressive about trying a containment strategy that actually works.

CURNOW: You work here in Atlanta. Many cities are preparing for some sort of peak, you know, ahead of New York. We're already hearing that ICUs are starting to fill up.

What is the status in terms of capacity?

MATHEW: You know, that's a good question, Robyn. Ultimately, the bottom line is going to be we're going to have a surge in the next four or six weeks as a lot of epidemiologists are predicting.

So, are we really prepared? You know, hospitals where I am, we're trying our best. We're trying our best to make sure we have enough ventilators and masks.

But the problem is still the same, Robyn. Just like in any other part of the U.S. We're expecting the worse, and are we truly prepared? You know, unfortunately, I don't think we are. I don't think we have enough equipments. You know, a lot of our health care providers, the front lines are falling sick just like we heard the reporter mention a few minutes ago.

CURNOW: You talk about where the U.S. is. Let's look at this curve. I mean, everybody is talking about flattening the curve, but if we bring up some later stats, if you take a look at the red line, that's the USA, and the trajectory doesn't look so good if you compare it to where Italy and other countries such as Spain were now. And we know what's happening there. How worrying are time lines like this for you?

MATHEW: It's extremely worrying, Robyn. The bottom line is, you know, we've gone and Wuhan that has showed us what an extensive quarantine looks like and how effective that can be. You know, we'll see what that looks like once they relax their social distancing to see if the cases grow back again.

But, you know, ultimately, yes. I'm extremely concerned. You know, we're not even at the beginning and if every state has a hot spot, this could be, you know, really difficult to control. But we need to just, you know, calm down, do our best to be prepared for this.

CURNOW: There's obviously because of the federal system in the U.S., it's sort of piecemeal the way this is playing out. Each state is kind of dealing with it in their own way, but at the same time with asking for help from the federal authorities.

As you can hear, I'm from South Africa. In South Africa, the government has issued a 21 day total lockdown. People are not allowed to get out of their houses.

Do you think that needs to be done in a place like the U.S.? Do you think it can be done?

MATHEW: You know, good question, tough answer. We're looking at a heterogeneous population. We're also looking at heterogeneous data. You know, we're not comparing apple to apple when it comes to looking at the different states.

You know, you're from South Africa. I was born and raised in Nigeria to East Indian parents. India, the second most populous country in the world has gone to a lockdown of 21 days. This is 1.3 billion people.

But to answer your question, sometimes you have to go into those draconian methods, of aggressive methods to contain this virus because this virus is sneaky. It doesn't respect geographic, you know, guidelines. At the same time, we understand more about the virus with asymptomatic transmission.

So, if you're not testing, and you don't have symptoms, that one person can spread the virus to three people, and you can do the math in a few weeks. We're talking about hundreds of thousands of people that are infected.

CURNOW: Yes, that's a no-brainer to figure out how it's spread, but people don't seem to be getting that which is why you're seeing people not practicing social distancing. If they knew what the virus actually did to you when you got into that ICU, do you think people would social distance more? Can you explain how this virus ravages the lungs in particular? And also, things like you lose your sense of taste and smell.

Give us a sense of what this means if you get corona.

MATHEW: You know, if you get corona, I've had a friend -- nurse friend of mine explain it's not just a mild flu. This is a bad flu and if for some reason, unfortunately, you have to go into the ICU and get on a breathing machine, it's basically your lungs filling up with fluid. You can't breathe.

And there's a condition called ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome that ultimately goes into organ failure. So, this is -- this is not a disease to play with. It's 20 to 30 more times infectious than the common flu.

CURNOW: And we also know that it's not just killing old people, 20 percent of people who are making it into a lot of these ICUs and hospitals are younger people, so this is not just hitting older people.

Dr. Mathew, great to have your perspective. Thanks for all the work that you're doing. Appreciate it.

MATHEW: Thank you, Robyn.

CURNOW: So, we're going to stick with the doctors because they're the ones that count in a time line this. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will join Anderson Cooper for our next town hall, "FACTS AND FEARS" about the coronavirus. That is Thursday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time in New York. You want to join for that. That is Friday morning, 8:00 a.m. in Hong Kong.

And the program will replay at 9:00 a.m. Abu Dhabi time, 1:00 p.m. in Hong Kong.

So, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Robyn Curnow.

Still to come, a rescue package unlike any other in U.S. history. It promises a lifeline for U.S. hospitals and businesses struggling with the pandemic.

Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

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CURNOW: So the coronavirus pandemic has created something rarely, rarely seen in Washington these days -- unity.

Late Wednesday, the Senate unanimously passed the biggest economic rescue package in U.S. history. The $2 trillion deal goes to the house on Friday. Now, besides giving cash payments to many Americans, it's set aside $150 billion for state and local governments, $130 billion for hospitals, and $50 billion for the airline industry.

Well, let's bring in Christine Romans in New York to talk about all of this.

Christine, you are the best person to give us a sense of what these numbers mean. Lay it out for us. You know, this is a whole lot of cash and it's pretty big.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It really is. And the government wants to get that cash out the door as quickly as it possibly can.

I mean, it still has to go through the House here but there's a feeling this could be on the president's desk and signed by Friday, and the Treasury Department working furiously to find the quickest way to get those cash payments to workers. And the states and federal government working furiously to implement this enhanced unemployment insurance, $250 billion for that which, Robyn, will be very, very important for all of these people we know that have been laid off or will be laid off in the past few days and in the coming weeks.

So, you know, this is -- it's meant to try to get money to people to stop the hole from swallowing them here. It's also meant to give a lot of money to small businesses and companies and encourage them to keep their workers so the jobless crisis doesn't get too deep.

CURNOW: Well, let's talk about them. We've heard from a number of people, whether they're waitresses, freelancers, single moms, folks working two jobs, ordinary folks, what this crisis has meant for them. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was a director of a child care facility. When the schools closed down, so did I. Anything to pay the bills, got to keep my house, got to keep my kids safe.

END