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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo: Need New Federal Stimulus Bill Before Economy Can Reopen; New York Governor Andrew Cuomo: 777 Deaths Thursday, 7,844 Total Deaths Statewide To Date; Dr. Anthony Fauci: The Virus Decides When It's Appropriate To Reopen; Coronavirus Taking Its Toll On Mental Health In The U.S.; Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte Expected To Extend Lockdown To May 3rd. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired April 10, 2020 - 12:00   ET

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


[12:00:00]

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): Let's study the data and let's look at what has happened around the world and let's make sure the best health minds in the country are giving us their best advice.

How do we go forward? We stay New York tough. New York tough means more than just tough means discipline means unified means loving and it means smart and now is the time to be smart and now more than ever. And that's what it means to be in New York tough and we are questions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: --used to their fullest potential and how long they stay up and running?

CUOMO: You should stay with that Bernadette you had it for a second. You had it for the first 10 seconds it was all you. I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: --hospitals currently being used to their full potential and how long they stay up and running?

CUOMO: The temporary hospitals are an overflow relief capacity valve. I showed you the projections which all called for a multiple number of hospital beds than we have. We took out 53,000 beds we raised it to 90,000 beds and then we created that still isn't enough by some of these projects from models.

We then created overflow facilities Javits several 200 bed overflow facilities and not for America we don't have to use them. If the hospitalization rate stays low they are being used to some extent. Javits is being used to some extent the companies being used to some extent. The Comfort has been used to some extent.

I've said to the hospital's a number of times if you need relief we have it. But if the hospitalization rate stays the same we have up to 90,000 bed capacity in our system fully taxed. You know up to the brim but that's an overflow capacity that I hope we don't use if we keep this curve down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can answer that closest. Do you want them around for a second week? CUOMO: I don't want a second wave. That's in my - I don't want a second wave I don't want a third wave. I don't want to 1.5 waves I want this to be it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you looking at indicating one is second wave the two regarding testing what is the holdup what's the log jam right now? And what exactly do you want the Fed?

CUOMO: What happens on the testing is basically we rely on private sector companies to do these tests. So private sector companies would have to develop a test they would have to buy acquire the reagents to compiled that test whatever physical equipment they need a finger, swap et cetera.

And then package them and they have to have millions and they would have to have millions quickly. And then we have to figure out how to actually take those tests once you had millions of products. We've been working with labs. We've been working with suppliers.

That is much easier said than done. We haven't found a private sector company that can come up to scale that quickly. They can't get the reagents they're not equipped. We said a few days ago we asked private sector companies to come forward that we would invest with them to develop capacity scale.

But I don't believe it happens without a significant partnership with government where government comes in and says I'm going to fund this. We're going to do it up to scale. We're going to form a coalition. We're going to form a consortium.

We're going to put together the New York State Department of Health with the Connecticut, New Jersey Department of Health. We're going to acquire the reagents from other countries. I don't even know that you can get all the supplies in this country.

So it's not an art form per se. We have the test there are private companies that have the test the art form is coming up to scale that quickly. It's the mobilization the creation of the operation that can make millions and millions of tests, right?

You could use 10 million tests in New York tomorrow. Just on the going back to work by the way I would love to see people before they go to a nursing home in the new normal. Before you start visiting people in a nursing home you take a rapid test at the front door and you get the results in twenty minutes before you walk in to visit someone.

Health care workers test them all but that are millions of tests. Now again, how do you make private sector companies do this? You don't if you're a Governor. If you're the President you have something called the Defense Production Act that can fund and mandate actions by private sector companies.

And again this is the private sector company would get paid. God bless them let them make a profit at it.

[12:05:00] CUOMO: But we need a tremendous mind-boggling increase in volume quickly and I don't believe just waiting for the private sector companies come up the scale. You're going to see it in the time frame that you need to get it done.

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Governor York Andrew Cuomo giving his daily briefing on the coronavirus epidemic pandemic in his State. The Governor with some encouraging news he says New York has flattened the curve is flattening the curve and will continue its efforts to keep people social distancing. So it continues to flatten the curve.

The sad part of the Governor's daily briefing as it always is 777 New Yorkers died yesterday from the coronavirus. The state totals by for at least the United States almost half of the United States total 7,844 deaths now in New York.

As the Governor made his case that New York is making progress hospitalizations are down excuse me. Intensive Care Unit use actually falling from yesterday to today. As the Governor made that case, he said, yes it is time just as President Trump suggested start thinking about when you can reopen the economy.

But the Governor is very calm low key language delivering a bit of a shot at the White House as the President claims to reopen the economy the Governor saying we better be careful and he says New York would need millions and millions of coronavirus tests first diagnostic tests as well as antibody test to see if people have already had the virus who didn't know it, didn't develop strong symptoms and have recovered.

He's calling on the Federal Government to ramp up the Defense Production Act to have wide scale testing something the President has said. He does not believe is necessary. Let's discuss this now with me Dr. Amy Compton Phillips she is the Chief Clinical Officer at Providence Health who oversees clinical care at 51 hospitals across 6 states.

Doctor Kevin Tabb is the CEO of the Beth Israel Lahey Health in Massachusetts. Dr Tabb, to you first when you hear the Governor of New York say we need millions and millions of tests the President of United States says we were not going to have massive testing across the United States. Can you reopen the economy?

I guess who's right? Who's right? Can you reopen the American economy without massive wide skill testing coast to coast?

DR. KEVIN TABB, CEO, BETH ISRAEL LAHEY HEALTH: I think the Governor is categorically correct. There is no question that we need large amounts of testing and the idea that we could at this moment in time be considering opening economy before we have really even gotten to the peak in this country is I think not really feasible.

You know for us we're still earlier in the curve but our numbers are rising significantly at this point.

KING: And Dr. Compton Phillips to that point he made - two sets of testing people get confused sometimes in this. Number one diagnostic tests for people who are developing symptoms do you have coronavirus? And then the antibody testing which should be did you have it in the past correct?

DR. AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER & VICE PRESIDENT, PROVIDENCE HEALTH SYSTEM: That's exactly right. And in fact it's critically important as we move forward down and on the West Coast we're coming down on the backside of this first wave.

And what we want to do as we think about opening the economy how do we not get a second wave? Exactly like the Governor was talking about if you have antibodies to the virus. If you've had the virus even without symptoms your immune, you should be immune and that's what we assume. It's like every other virus out there.

And so we want to be able to let those people start coming back into the economy. And other people that are in high risk if we can start screening but we have to have a lot more tests available to start screening people to be able to certify them as COVID clear and getting back to work.

And so trying to figure out the balance of those two things is how we're going to have to look forward carefully.

KING: And we. Go ahead doctor, go ahead.

TABB: Yes. I think that Dr. Compton-Phillips makes a really important point. The different places in this country are at different places in the in the curve and some people are on the downward and some people are still moving up. And it's really important for us to be able to understand where we are so that we can understand where we're going?

You know John I know that you're from Boston and you know that we typically have the Boston Marathon here next week and unfortunately, we won't have it. But we're at that steep upward that they call it heartbreak hill here and we're still going up and it will be some time before we plateau and get to the end.

KING: Right and so part of my question here is we try to deal with this is the President at times has talked about regional or piece by piece reopening. Doctors Tabb you're in Boston, you are 215 miles from New York City. Doctor Compton Phillips you're out on the West Coast where we have a global economy.

We have - if you want to start to reopen, people start getting back on airplanes and start traveling around the world. I want to listen to Dr. Fauci who this has been his consistent. You know he knows the President is clamoring to reopen the economy.

He is part of the team that convinced the President to extend the guidelines from expiring on Easter through the end of the month. Listen to him he keeps saying the virus is running the show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The virus kind of decides whether or not it's going to be appropriate to open or not. What we're seeing right now are some favorable signs.

[12:10:00]

DR. FAUCI: I would want to see a clear indication that you are very, very clearly and strongly going in the right direction because the one thing you don't want to do is you don't want to get out there prematurely and then wind up your bite back in the same situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That last part there is much like Governor Cuomo Doctor Compton Phillips saying you don't to be back in the same situation meaning you don't want another wave. You don't want to send people out of their houses send them back to work. Everybody starts affecting each other getting back up we go again.

Let me ask it this way pay little devil's advocate in defense of the President. He says there is 20 more days this. Do you see anything in the data that suggest to you if the current progress continues the 20 days from now we will have to have a conversation say, yes, we're ready?

COMPTON-PHILLIPS: I think what's essential is exactly what Dr. Fauci was just talking about is that the problem here and its physicians you know we're taught to treat the disease not the symptom. And the problem here is COVID is the disease and the economy shutting down is the symptom.

And what they've seen in other countries like look at South Korea where they've been able to test broadly and get the disease under control but the demand isn't shooting back up again to restart the economy because people are afraid, right?

They are free to go out of their house. They're afraid to restart their lives. And so without controlling COVID first and then starting to ratchet up the economy we will do ourselves to failure. We need to control the disease. We need to control fear of contracting the disease.

We need to be able to test broadly and figure out who's safe to go out. Then we can actually start seeing the demand that'll get the economy restarting.

KING: Doctor Amy Compton Phillips - please go ahead.

TABB: Yes. I think it's a - we both need to have more testing and we need a higher level of coordination. This can't be dealt with just on a state by state level. And the countries that have been successful of dealing with this have had a level of federal coordination that's really important here.

KING: Dr. Tabb, Dr. Compton Phillips I appreciate it very much. I suspect this question will come up a bit later today about an hour from now the White House coronavirus briefing we'll see if it comes up again and if we get more clear answers. I thank you both. Up next for us here President Trump highlight a very serious issues during this pandemic mental health this has nearly half of the country says they are stressed out. What should be done to help those suffering silently but that's ahead.

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[12:15:00]

KING: You know from the experts, coronavirus is taking a toll on the mental health here in the United States. Americans are practicing social distancing and some states of course putting in place stay-at- home orders. That isolation coupled with fear about the pandemic is leading more people to seek help.

It is something the President discussed yesterday after talking to a group of mental health leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Mental health, big factor. Not only as the virus inflicted physical suffering on many people but also mental and emotional sufferings as well. Even though we're staying physically apart no American is alone and we are all in this together. This is taking a tremendous toll mentally on a lot of people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Here with me to share their expertise and insights on this issue Matt Kudish he is Executive Director of New York's National Alliance on Mental Illness and Dr. Karla Ivankovich a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Chicago.

Doctor Ivankovich, let me start with you just in terms of what you are seeing, people are out of work and they are told to stay at home. They see these mounting cases and death tolls every day. What is the impact you are seeing?

DR. KARLA IVANKOVICH, LICENSED CLINICAL PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR: You have to remember that throughout just historically the three things that people are the most concerned about are safety, health and finances and all three of those are being hit right now. So previously you would have set approximately 20 percent of society that was already identifying with anxiety now I would honestly say that it is doubled or if not more.

KING: Doubled or if not more. And Matt as you come in, I just want to show this is from a federal crisis hotline. The increase from February 2020 is 338 percent the increase from if you go year to year is 891 percent.

In those numbers, of the people who are feeling significant stress are people free to reach out, is there still a stigma about reaching out or what is your sense of what you are seeing in this statistics and what's hidden? MATT KUDISH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS, NEW YORK: We are absolutely seeing more people reaching out to us every day. In the last two weeks alone, we've seen more than 60 percent increased in the number of calls we are receiving.

Some of these calls are from people who we've had relationships with in the past and others are newly reaching out wondering how to manage their stress and their anxiety concerned about the same things that we just mentioned.

People need to stay connected. We are physically distancing and that can lead to social isolation and it is really critical that folks are reaching out and getting support for whatever it is that they're feeling right now.

KING: Well, follow up, let me stay with you Matt. Follow up, if somebody calls or somebody is watching right now and they are feeling this anxiety and they want to know, help me? What are couple of ways that person can deal with it in their everyday life given the isolation, given the social distancing what should they do?

KUDISH: I think first and foremost, we want to recognize that we're going through a traumatizing event which means that there will likely be consequences of this pandemic that we may not even be experiencing yet. There is no right way to respond emotionally to something like the coronavirus pandemic.

So if people can give themselves permission to feel what it is they are feeling to reach out and talk to someone whether is a trusted friend or help lines like - or many other help lines that are available out there.

It is critically important that we are staying connected to people that we are giving ourselves permission to feel the reaction that we are having. And that we're taking care of ourselves which we hear a lot of things like yoga and exercise right now which can be critically important.

But I think reframing self-care to be making sure that whatever it is you need in that moment is whatever you get.

[12:20:00]

KUDISH: Whether that's going for a run or doing yoga or just sort of staring out the window and kind of disconnecting for a little bit letting yourself feel permission to feel whatever it is that you're feeling and connect with other people you don't need a group of twenty friends to connect with every day you need one or two people just to stay connected so that you're not experiencing this isolations in such - all by yourself.

KING: I think that's fantastic advice and Dr. Ivankovich Kaiser looked at this and they said 45 percent of Americans say they have some negative impact from coronavirus worry or stress 37 percent of men reported that 54 percent of women. Among whites it was 44 percent Hispanics 48 percent African Americans 49 percent. I want to look at the male female thing do you believe that women have higher stress or women just more likely to reach out and report it?

IVANKOVICH: Most definitely women are more likely to report it but also many women are home caring for the children, caring for the families which causes - I mean that's exponential stress added for them.

KING: And Doctor Ivankovich stay with you in the sense that so you know how - you have this stress now we are in this for months. So let's hope that the curve is flattening and the things are getting "Less bleak" but things that I could be great for how do you have a long term plan to get through this?

IVANKOVICH: Well, I think the most important thing as Matt said is to recognize that it's okay to feel whatever you are feeling. And regardless of any social stigma I do think mental health right now is being recognized and accepted more than any other time in the past because we are - we're all in this together.

I do think that it will be important when the antibody testing comes out to help people lessen the stress load but in the interim you've got to work with whatever you have. The people you have to have virtual dates have virtual dinners whatever it takes and if not reach out to a therapist for help.

KING: Dr. Karla Ivankovich and Matt Kudish, I really appreciate you're coming in and help us through this today. Thank you for your work.

KUDISH: Thank you.

IVANKOVICH: Thank you.

KING: Thank you. Up next for us here the global impact of this pandemic with nationwide lockdowns likely around the globe to be extended.

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[12:25:00]

KING: As we head into the Easter weekend governments around the world urging their citizens to stay home to help cut down the spread of the coronavirus. Here's one example why just days ago Germany had a relatively low death toll with more than 100,000 cases but just in the last 24 hours it experienced its largest daily increase.

Our Correspondents around the world have more now on the measures being taken to keep people safe.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: I'm Nick Paton Walsh in London where Prime Minister Boris Johnson is "Just at the beginning of his recovery" says his spokesperson in the hospital behind me where he has left the intensive care ward and apparently waving to doctors and nurses in gratitude be moved into the normal beds in the normal ward there. But still a lengthy journey ahead of him for sure I mean understand he hasn't as of today being in contact with number ten his main offices still letting his Deputy Dominic Raab run the governments. The u. K. it seems beginning to plateau according to key officials briefing today but still the restrictions on movement unprecedented since World War II likely to carry on for the weeks ahead.

A key figure emerging yesterday this troubling some suggestion that the number of people in the United Kingdom who had the disease who have been infected maybe as low as a percentage that is in single digits meaning that the way ahead is complex particularly given the U. K. is so far behind on testing. So it's going to be hard to know who those people actually are.

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in China as restrictions at the original epicenter of the novel coronavirus ease up another city has gone into strict Wuhan like lockdown. Officials in Northeastern Chinese City on the border with Russia have ordered all 70,000 residents to be confined to their homes and are given limited freedoms to leave just for groceries.

All due to growing concerns of imported cases particularly from Russia as was the case with Wuhan. State media reports that a make shift hospital is being constructed so as to increase capacity there.

Meantime the Chinese government has issued a new draft list of livestock that can be farmed for meat. The list includes pigs, cows, chickens and sheep the coronavirus as you may know is suspected to have originated from wild animals in a Wuhan wet market.

The consumption of wild animals is not common in most of China but there is a highly lucrative trade especially in the country's south. The new draft list does not mention any of the animals that scientists suspect might have spread the virus to humans such as pangolins, bats or civic cats.

Dogs are also absent from the list of livestock which if formally enforced would lead to China's first country wide ban on their consumption. It would be a victory for animal rights activists. The draft has still yet to be finalized. David Culver, Shanghai.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here in Italy Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is expected to announce that the nationwide lockdown that's been in place since the 8th of March will be extended all the way to the 3 of May even though Italy's coronavirus numbers are improving.