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U.S Surgeon General Says, This Week, It's Going To Get Bad; 1,000+ Confirmed New Cases In Florida, 12 Deaths; 3D Printing Company Making Face Shields For New York Hospitals. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired March 23, 2020 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN NEWSROOM: A very good Monday morning to you. I'm Jim Sciutto.

This morning, on the same day that the U.S. surgeon general is warning this week might be bad, the president is signaling to aides that he is not sold on going much past the current 15-day period of social distancing.

Here are the facts as we know him this morning. There are more than 34,000 cases across the country now, more than 400 deaths, 16,000 cases in New York alone. We're going to hear from Governor Andrew Cuomo later this hour. We will bring that to you live.

Eight states in five major cities have now issued stay-at-home orders. I'm sure many of you listening today are under those orders. That means more than 100 million people in the U.S. are living under those restrictions.

President Trump is activating the National Guard to three of the hardest hit states. Those are New York, California and Washington. Hospitals across the country, they are desperate for supplies. New York's mayor is warning that they will only be able to get through this week without needed supplies, such as masks, also and crucial ventilators.

And on Capitol Hill, a fierce battle between Republicans and Democrats over what exactly goes into the stimulus pack anyone, this after it failed to pass last night. Negotiations resume today after Senate Democrats blocked the $2 trillion vote. They're concerned not enough of that money is going to individuals and small businesses. A vote is expected in just a few hours.

We will get through all of this, folks. We're going to do our best to bring you everything as we know it and there's a lot going on this morning. We're covering it from all angles.

Let's begin with CNN's Manu Raju on Capitol Hill. So the Senate, it is back at noon today. Tell us what the key disagreement is here between Democrats and Republicans, and is there progress this morning on bridging that disagreement?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is a critical meeting that is happening right now in Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's office. That's where Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is along with a top White House aide, Eric Ueland. I had a chance to ask both Mnuchin and Ueland about the state of the negotiations on their way in. Both indicated they still hope that a deal can be approved by the Senate today, and they're uncertain about whether or not they could actually get Democratic support, so the negotiations are critical right now.

One of the things that Democrats are concerned about is the way that the language is structured in the bill to provide billions of dollars to industries that need money right now. They will want more safeguards about exactly how that money would be provided, oversight of that as well as what they are contending needs to be more worker protection. And then they're also calling for more money for hospitals.

But overnight, there's been a lot of work. Ueland told me that he believes that there's been a lot of progress overnight, but the question is will they get that support to pass this roughly $2 trillion measure later today. And they're still uncertain too, Jim, about where the House comes down. Nancy Pelosi is not part of this latest round of negotiations, though she has been speaking with Mnuchin and others, so that's another big question as well. But critical moments ahead as the economy and a lot of Americans are waiting to see what Congress can do.

SCIUTTO: I mean, the numbers are amazing. It dwarfs the stimulus package after the 2008 financial crisis. It's just remarkable.

Let's talk about this, because you see the president today, signaling his apparent in-patients with the social distancing shelter-at-home measures, et cetera, saying that the fix could be worse -- the cure worse than the disease, in effect. Are you hearing that from the Republicans as well, saying that, hey, maybe we got to dial some of this stuff back now?

RAJU: No. In fact, most of them believe there needs to be an aggressive containment effort here in the United States, particularly in the aftermath they've been hitting home of sorts in the Senate, when Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican senator, announced yesterday that he has tested positive for the disease, this after he had been tested several days prior, but still continued to meet with his Republican senators, still went to the Senate gym and the like, even though the gym was closed itself. He entered on a keypad, entered the gym.

A lot of Republican and Democratic senators are wondering why he continued to meet. But Rand Paul's office contended he had no symptoms, believed that he did not contract the disease, that's why he carried on as he normally did and went into isolation immediately afterwards. But I can tell after we've learned of the results, but I can tell you, Jim, a lot of anxiety among House members, among senators about staying in session here, which is adding the pressure to approve this package immediately, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Nothing with those like hitting home, as we're seeing there.

[10:05:02]

Manu Raju on the Hill, thanks very much. We know you're going to stay on top of it.

Let's go to New York. This is an epicenter now of the outbreak here in the U.S. and even based on the numbers, really, around the world. CNN's Brynn Gingras, she is there.

Tell us, Brynn, the latest numbers today and what that means for the response there in New York.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, the numbers just keep going up, Jim. And New York, obviously, as you said, the epicenter of this coronavirus in all of the United States. And we've heard from the medical professionals saying the crush that they're feeling on the hospitals. I can tell you, Jim, we're on the ground here in Queens and we can see it for ourselves.

Let me show you behind what we see. You can see there is a whole line of people with their umbrellas in line in order to get into a tent. That is an annex, really, to the emergency room. Jim, when have you ever seen this line of people trying to just get to the emergency room? This has really been copy and pasted at hospitals all around New York City and areas around here.

And, really, this means now that New York has changed its focus to only testing people who are at highest risk, basically, people who are coming in wanting to get tested, wanting to know if they had the virus, but they were using medical professionals, people who needed that equipment, they are using that hospital space, so now it's only those who are at high risk.

And, of course, this brings me to my next point. Mayor Bill de Blasio was on New Day this morning essentially saying that they're going to run out of equipment by the end of this week, making a plea to the federal government that Cuomo, governor, has said as well that they need those resources immediately.

SCIUTTO: Yes. A lot of that is not new. Folks have been warning about this for some time, particularly a shortness of respirators, so essential to treating the more severe cases. Brynn Gingras, thanks very much.

Now to the field hospital being set up in the very heart of New York. Shimon Prokupecz, he is there outside Javits Center in Manhattan. It's a big convention center, of course, normally but now a thousand beds expected to be ready soon. Are those beds getting occupied already, and how quickly do they expect the center to fill up?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's a great question, Jim. Right now, we've seen no sign of any of the resources, no signs of FEMA here, no signs of the Army Corps of Engineers, the folks that the president yesterday said would be arriving here within 48 hours. So far, we have not seen any sign of them.

Of course, the governor yesterday pleading for this, telling the president that he would like another thousand beds behind me here inside this convention center, which stretches some six blocks on the west side of Manhattan. Inside, there will be four sections that are going to be basic hospitals, four federal hospitals is how they're described. And they will be divided into four sections with 250 beds in each section.

The other thing, by doing this, FEMA, by designating this a hospital here behind me, they're going to bring their own staff, they'll bring their own equipment, and a lot of the critical equipment and the critical care that so many are saying New Yorkers are going to need as the days go on, as this disease progresses. FEMA is supposed to bring all of that here.

So far, we have seen no sign of them today. The president yesterday saying they should be starting to arrive within the next 48 hours, so we'll see. But behind me, certainly, it is expected to get busy as the days progress, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Shimon Prokupecz there, thanks very much.

Folks, we know you want answers to the questions from the experts. So let's get them now. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, of course, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, he is a CNN Contributor and epidemiologist and public health expert. Thanks to both of you.

Sanjay, if I could start with you, you saw the president's comment today, his tweet saying that we cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself, and at the end of a 15-day period, we will make a decision as to which way we want to go, seeming to indicate he might relax some of these restrictions. What does the medicine and the science tell us? Is 15 days enough?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, probably not. We don't know for sure, but there is evidence from other places around the world, there is evidence throughout history, and when I first heard some of these recommendations, the 15 days, I think among public health officials, the assumption was after 15 days, the reassessment might lead to even more strict guidelines when it comes to these social distancing mechanisms.

It's tough. I mean, there is no two ways about it. But I think the real issue is if you are more diligent and consistent about it now, you might reduce the overall pain later with regard to hospitalizations, with regard to the impact on the economy.

You know, Jim, one thing that's worth pointing out, you and I have talked about this, when you think about what we're seeing right now, the numbers of cases, we are behind the curve, right?

[10:10:02] Because from the time someone is exposed to the time they develop symptoms could be, you know, up to 10, 12 days. Then if they do get tested, another two to three days after that. So we're a couple weeks behind right now. It's kind of like looking at a light from a star. You know that light was started many, many years ago. Here, what we're seeing is reflection from a couple weeks ago.

Keep that in mind, we're behind the curve, so at least a few more weeks, I think, before we really get a better picture of what's happening.

SCIUTTO: It's a great point. Dr. Fauci made that point too. What you're looking at -- the numbers you're seeing today actually are not reflecting the situation today.

Dr. El-Sayed, I want to ask a question because Sanjay brought this up, and it's a question about diligence with these recommendations about social distancing. And we'll throw some of these pictures up on the air. Beaches in Florida crowded this weekend. The actual application of these rules has not been consistent in many communities. Does that then defeat the purpose, in effect, or mute the purpose of social distancing?

DR. ABDUL EL-SAYED, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I'll say a couple of things about this. Number one, the thing about public health -- I'm a former health director for a city. The thing about public health is it takes all of us being part of the solution. And if any of us sort of cheat on that, it makes all of our impact a little bit more muted.

That being said, the answer here isn't to let up, it's to continue forward. We've got to convince those folks who are revelers on the beach right now that they've got to stay indoors because it's not just themselves they're protecting, it's their loved ones as well.

But there are two parts to this. We talk a lot about flattening the curve. The other part about this is anticipating the curve. And the same president saying that the cure may be worse than the disease is not willing to activate the Defense Production Act to actively get the resources that we need on the frontlines.

I'm hearing from my colleagues, physicians on the frontlines every day, and they're worried about whether or not they'll have the tested, they'll have the masks, they've have the ventilators to be able to anticipate the curve that the curve we know is coming.

SCIUTTO: Dr. Gupta, this is a question I get so often from family and friends, and I'm sure you do as well. When do you test, right? So for folks watching at home, they have a dry cough or their child does or they grandparents does, they're not a professional athlete, they're not a serving member of Congress, they can get tests very quickly and easily. For most of us, that's just not the case. And I talked to friends that had to wait days or couldn't get a test. What should people do? Call their G.P.? Go to the emergency room? What do you recommend?

GUPTA: Well, look, I mean, this answer may surprise you a little bit, but I'll preface by saying that in New York and California, you're already seeing a shift in the testing strategy.

Now, think about this just from an individual perspective. You're a patient or you're someone who is starting to develop some of these symptoms, if you go get the test and you come back and it's positive, how is that going to change what you should do? Will it change what you should do? If you have symptoms, you should isolate yourself no matter what, whether you know it's coronavirus or not.

So it doesn't really change the life of somebody who has these symptoms. If they're severe symptoms, obviously, they should go to the doctor, they should go to the hospital. But I think that I sort of tell people, and a lot of patients have been asking me, rewind one year and say, okay, I had these symptoms a year ago with no coronavirus outbreak. Would I have gone to the hospital, would I have called my doctor at that point, yes or no? If the answer is no, you might want to stick with that answer today as well.

The real point of this testing initially, and I think Dr. El-Sayed has talked about this as well, was to sort of get an idea of how just widespread this was in communities. I think we could safely say that it is spreading in most communities. We see New York, California, Washington. But my guess is that other communities, like where Dr. El- Sayed is, in Michigan, it is spreading there. We know from a public health perspective.

So testing is important right now, but I wouldn't focus on that as being the metric of success.

SCIUTTO: Yes. We might have missed the window.

Listen, that's all we have time for now, but we know we're going to keep bringing you back. And folks at home, we're going to ask every question we can from the experts because those are the folks you should be listening to. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Dr. El-Sayed, thanks very much.

And still to come this hour, some people were partying on boats this weekend. Look at that. Look at those pictures there. As the mayor of Miami fights his own case of coronavirus, Francis Suarez, he's going to join me next about the response there and his experience there.

Plus, volunteers giving back from a basement in Upstate New York. The high-tech way medical masks are being made for workers on the frontlines of the pandemic. This is people stepping up. It's so good to see.

Then later, will the Olympic Games take place this year? How Canada is responding to the growing health concerns.

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SCIUTTO: Not mincing words in the State of Florida, the Miami Herald Editorial Board writes, quote, the coronavirus is killing us in Florida. Governor DeSantis, act like you give a damn. Official figures show at least 12 people have died from the virus so far in Florida, the number of confirmed cases now tops 1,000. One of those is my next guest. He's the mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez. Mayor Suarez, thanks so much for taking the time this morning.

First question to you, you've tested positive for this, how are you doing and what are the next steps?

MAYOR FRANCIS SUAREZ (R-MIAMI, FL): I'm doing well. I'm on my second week, coming up on my 14th day. The next step for me is following the strict CDC guidelines is to take two consecutive tests in a 24-hour period.

[10:20:06]

If I come out negative on both of them, and I'm taking my first one in just a couple minutes, then the medical doctors for the city will clear me to leave quarantine.

SCIUTTO: Understood. I want to talk about Florida's response to some degree. And to be fair, it's not just Florida because we've seen this in other places. Central Park, a lot of folks were out in Central Park in New York, social distancing. And we have some pictures of Florida beaches that were still crowded in the midst of this, people violating, really, some of these recommendations about staying out of large groups, et cetera.

To people who are doing that, what do you say to the folks who don't seem to be taking these orders that seriously?

SUAREZ: My message, and I conveyed it by video conference, is very clear. Stay home. If you're a Miami resident, stay home. If you're not a Miami resident, go home, because, essentially, everything here is closed. Our non-essential businesses are closed, our beaches are closed, our parks are closed, our boat ramps are closed, our hotels are closed, so there's really -- we're in a virtual state of lockdown here in the city, and so there really isn't a reason to be congregating.

And what we're asking people to do is to listen to the medical experts that are telling us that we need to not congregate, as you said. And the fear here is that if we don't take these precautions seriously, our hospitals, our first responders, our nurses and our doctors are going to be overrun and they don't have the supplies, unfortunately, or the capacity to deal with a rush on the hospitals.

SCIUTTO: Yes, that's the real concern. You hear that from so many communities.

You're aware of the president's public comments over the last 24 hours saying in a tweet that he may reconsider some of these recommendations, social distancing, et cetera, after 15 days. From your perspective, is that the right thing to do?

SUAREZ: Right now, I think what we have to do is we need to buckle down. We need to be disciplined, we need to follow the advice of the medical experts and stay home. If we stay home, we're respecting social distancing. If we stay home, we are doing everything that we can in our power to flatten or actually reduce the growth curves of the virus spreading throughout our community.

If we do that, if we're disciplined, then I think we're going to get ahead of this sooner rather than later. As you've seen from countries like Italy and Iran and even in certain parts of the U.S., like New York, this can get out of control very quickly and the death rates can get close to 9 percent in the case of Italy, 7 percent in Iran. We don't want to see anything like that happening in Miami and certainly we don't want to see that happening in any other parts of the country.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I mean, we have the data. It's out there. We've seen, in effect, experiments on how this spreads in other countries.

I want to ask you this, because as a mayor, also somebody who is personally experiencing this right now, there is a big debate on Capitol Hill as to what kind of help Congress brings here, where is the money focused, et cetera. When you speak to local businesses, when you speak to individuals who are now out of work and may be for some time, what is the help they say they need most from the government right now?

SUAREZ: The biggest help is going to be needed in small businesses. It's going to be needed in hourly workers and people who work paycheck to paycheck. So we're looking to the federal government and the state as a conduit for federal help to get as much help, as much financial help in the pockets of residents of our community.

We know that there have been massive layoffs. Pretty much every single business that's non-essential, it's not a hospital, it's not a supermarket, it's not a restaurant just for drive-thru is closed, and so people are not making money. Myself along with other mayors have urged the governor to suspend mortgages, which will hopefully suspend rent payments for a period of time where folks, unfortunately, are not making money.

SCIUTTO: Understood. Well, our hearts go out to them. And, listen, we want to wish you the best. We know you have another test coming up. We hope that that's negative as you go through this yourself. Mayor Francis Suarez, thanks very much.

SUAREZ: Thank you so much.

SCIUTTO: Coming up still this hour, Mayor de Blasio of New York says that the situation is only going to get worse there. Will there be enough medical supplies and hospital beds for the most severe cases of coronavirus? I'm going to speak with the city's emergency management commissioner.

Up next, real perspective here on exactly what cities need and when.

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[10:25:00] SCIUTTO: So one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare workers right now is a lack of personal protective equipment, simple things like masks. Enter a company in upstate New York and an army of online helpers.

CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro reports.

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EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Medical workers across the country are searching everywhere for basic supplies these days. Some may have found what they're looking for in a basement in Liverpool, New York. That's where Stephanie Keefe and Isaac Budmen run Budmen Industries.

[10:30:01]

The couple normally makes 3D printers and shares plans and tips online as part of an international underground home printing culture.

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