WEBVTT - How Is Big Tech Responding to the Coronavirus Outbreak

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<v Speaker 1>It's Wednesday, March eighteen. I'm Oscar Ramirez from the Daily

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<v Speaker 1>Dive podcast in Los Angeles, and this is your daily

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<v Speaker 1>coronavirus update. How are the major tech companies responding to

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<v Speaker 1>the global pandemic. President Trump jumped the gun and announcing

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<v Speaker 1>a website that Google is working on to help people

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<v Speaker 1>get information and schedule tests for COVID nineteen. The site

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<v Speaker 1>is now up, but only in limited capacity in the

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<v Speaker 1>Bay Area. Also, could Amazon play a role by delivering

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<v Speaker 1>testing kids. Kara Swisher, host of the Pivot and Recode

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<v Speaker 1>Decode podcasts, join us for more on what big tech

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<v Speaker 1>can do. Thanks for joining us, Kara. We're gonna be

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<v Speaker 1>talking about more on coronavirus. Obviously, it's really all that

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<v Speaker 1>anybody is talking about right now. There's a travel restrictions,

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<v Speaker 1>their social distancing going on. The President just put out

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<v Speaker 1>new guidelines to help stop the spread. People shouldn't gather

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<v Speaker 1>in groups of more than ten and avoid bars and restaurants.

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<v Speaker 1>That's happening all across the country now. But we wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to talk about big tech and and these tech companies

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<v Speaker 1>and their involvement in this, trying to help out with this,

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<v Speaker 1>most notably Google, has just launched a new site through

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<v Speaker 1>one of their other companies, UH for Corona to help

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<v Speaker 1>people with coronavirus testing. I've seen things about how Amazon

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<v Speaker 1>could also help throughout all of this. So can tell

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<v Speaker 1>us a little bit about how tech companies are helping

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<v Speaker 1>or can be helping during this time right now? Sure?

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, well, the controversy were Google is because President

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<v Speaker 1>Trump pre announced something that didn't exist really and Google

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<v Speaker 1>had been in early talks with helping out. And so

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<v Speaker 1>what Google did is they moved quickly because they've got

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<v Speaker 1>lots of people to help them make things um and

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<v Speaker 1>created a website in order to allow people to find

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<v Speaker 1>a place to to to go over their symptoms and

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<v Speaker 1>then find a place to get a test. UM. That's

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<v Speaker 1>a site that's con become overwhelmed because it's only for

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<v Speaker 1>a small part of California, nor California, and it's not

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<v Speaker 1>been scaled out to the west of the the country by

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<v Speaker 1>any means. So don't imagine that regular that everybody can

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<v Speaker 1>get acts. Eventually, that would be great. They'd be very

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<v Speaker 1>good to do. That can eventually be great if you

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<v Speaker 1>could you could go on a website and make an

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<v Speaker 1>appointment and get a test instantly. It just went up

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<v Speaker 1>on Sunday and then today earlier this morning they had

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<v Speaker 1>a you know, uh this message that says, hey, we're

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<v Speaker 1>you know, unfortunately we're unable to schedule more appointments at

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<v Speaker 1>this time. So really just unable to handle the big

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<v Speaker 1>influx of testing your quest. Because everybody wants to know

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<v Speaker 1>if they have it so they can help self quarantine,

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<v Speaker 1>take care of themselves, all that stuff. Let's just say

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<v Speaker 1>everyone should assume they have it because it's going to

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<v Speaker 1>get to most of the population on much of the population,

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<v Speaker 1>and so I think people should behave as if they

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<v Speaker 1>have it, whether they feel sick or not, and assume

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<v Speaker 1>that they have been around someone who has. These things

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<v Speaker 1>are exponential for people who love check. That's a big

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<v Speaker 1>word for tech is and they and this virus scales

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<v Speaker 1>the way other things scale, and so it's critically important

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<v Speaker 1>to remember that another interesting for tech to do, besides

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<v Speaker 1>doing these websites and getting people to it is getting

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<v Speaker 1>people write information without having misinformation and disinformation out there

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<v Speaker 1>about this UM. It's really critical that Facebook and Twitter

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<v Speaker 1>and YouTube and all the platforms where people traffic and

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<v Speaker 1>social media um really do get it right as time

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<v Speaker 1>and not mess around as they have in politics where

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<v Speaker 1>they've sort of uh, you know, dropped the ball several times.

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<v Speaker 1>And to get make sure bad information is completely off

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<v Speaker 1>these sites immediately, um and to not allow bad information

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<v Speaker 1>me that's another way they can really help. And to

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<v Speaker 1>get out good information and get where people go to

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<v Speaker 1>know what to do and various things. I mean, I

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<v Speaker 1>think a lot of what's great about social media and

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<v Speaker 1>and the internet is general is people get information instantly

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<v Speaker 1>and can react instantly. So that's terrific and if it's

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<v Speaker 1>done right, it can be a great thing. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>that's wonderful. And then lastly delivery, you know, home delivery

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<v Speaker 1>and things like that. And the one thing to keep

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<v Speaker 1>in mind is a lot of the people who work

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<v Speaker 1>for a lot of these delivery services or ubers or

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<v Speaker 1>things like that are gig economy workers and they are

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<v Speaker 1>they are unprotected in times they have to work um

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<v Speaker 1>and so they don't get paid time often. So it's

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<v Speaker 1>really important for the tech companies it's really lean in

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<v Speaker 1>and take care of the people who who um, who

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<v Speaker 1>have been working for them, uh you know, in some

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<v Speaker 1>cases not with enough wages and certainly not enough health

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<v Speaker 1>care protection yeah, and that's going to be an increasing

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<v Speaker 1>need specifically because of these guidelines and state officials saying

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<v Speaker 1>that bars and restaurants need to be closed, they say

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<v Speaker 1>they can be open for takeout only or delivery things

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<v Speaker 1>like that. So I mean, I'm I'm certain that a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of people are gonna be staying at home and

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<v Speaker 1>use these apps a lot more even to get their

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<v Speaker 1>delivery of their food and other groceries, different things like that. Absolutely,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's it's important to keep in mind, you know, again,

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<v Speaker 1>besides these issues around cleanliness and washing your hands everything else,

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<v Speaker 1>is that there are people out there doing work for

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<v Speaker 1>you that you're you're at home or self quarantining. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>the's people who bringing you food and they're putting their

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<v Speaker 1>lives and so it's really important that we protect them

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<v Speaker 1>and everyone else and also to stop the spread. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>there's going to be some movement, you know, no matter what,

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<v Speaker 1>in order to get food, in order to you know,

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<v Speaker 1>live you know, an analog life. The problem is here

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<v Speaker 1>is digital doesn't solve everything. Life is analog in the end,

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<v Speaker 1>and this virus is analog, and so it's important to

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<v Speaker 1>use digital means to help you guide your way through it,

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<v Speaker 1>but understand that most of the solutions here have to

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<v Speaker 1>do with you know, living living in the real world,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's important to to think about that and get

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<v Speaker 1>the best information you can. So we talked a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit about Google UH and and the new site that

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<v Speaker 1>they're getting implemented. Hopefully they can ramp that of Obviously

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<v Speaker 1>they're pushing verified information from the CDC or the World

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<v Speaker 1>Health Organization on their sites and other UH sites that

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<v Speaker 1>they own. UM one of the questions I had was

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<v Speaker 1>about Amazon because we increasingly we've been talking about it.

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<v Speaker 1>We live in this world where we get all this

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<v Speaker 1>delivery and all these crazy things like that. UM, So

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<v Speaker 1>what role can Amazon play because they're going to be

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<v Speaker 1>an overtime as well, where you know, their workers are

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<v Speaker 1>going to have to be working at fulfillment centers all that,

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<v Speaker 1>But what other types of things can this company, one

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<v Speaker 1>of the hugest companies in the world right now, what

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<v Speaker 1>can they do to help Well, we've posited that they

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<v Speaker 1>could be a great way to get delivery of tests

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<v Speaker 1>or or other other stuff we need UH as this

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<v Speaker 1>crisis progresses and mitigation strategies. I mean, at some point

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<v Speaker 1>in the future, Amazon is going to get very heavy

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<v Speaker 1>into healthcare, and in a situation like this, you could

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<v Speaker 1>have imagined them being a great place to deliver testing

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<v Speaker 1>or deliver like lots of things. Um. You know what

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<v Speaker 1>the problem with the Google site is where nowhere near

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<v Speaker 1>the testing levels we need to get to. So they

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<v Speaker 1>can't make more appointments if there are not enough tests,

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<v Speaker 1>if you're not personnel to to give those tests. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>And so that's that's one area that can be in.

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<v Speaker 1>Another thing is they own AWS, which is a massive

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<v Speaker 1>cloud computing platform really how and heavy uses of AI,

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<v Speaker 1>both Google, Microsoft, Amazon. You know, we're going to need

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<v Speaker 1>to use AI and other highvy computing means to understand

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<v Speaker 1>the patterns of these viruses and to understand where they're

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<v Speaker 1>going next and to make projections and things like that.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's really important that tech works hand in hand

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<v Speaker 1>with government in that regard to Yeah, and as private

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<v Speaker 1>companies are stepping up their tests and helping out with

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<v Speaker 1>that front, we're going to get more results and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>we're gonna need all this tech to kind of really

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<v Speaker 1>map that out. So that's going to be really important,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's kind of what people have been saying. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>once the testing starts ramping up. We're going to see

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<v Speaker 1>a huge influx of confirmed cases and then it goes

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<v Speaker 1>into into you know, the rest not testing. It's not

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<v Speaker 1>just testing because this vaccine is not going to be

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<v Speaker 1>here for a little while, and that's what happens when

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<v Speaker 1>we have to make new vaccines, and it could also

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<v Speaker 1>morphed and change everything else. And so really what we've

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<v Speaker 1>got to do is figure out mitigation strategies in terms

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<v Speaker 1>of making more innovative ways to uh to to do

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<v Speaker 1>lots of things like there hasn't been a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>innovation in ventil latter ventilators. I mean, they do work

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<v Speaker 1>a certain way, but you know, it's really important for

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<v Speaker 1>tech to really lean in heavily on lots of scanning.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, they're doing some really interesting things around scanning

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<v Speaker 1>in China to do it more quickly, scanning of chests

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<v Speaker 1>to see who's really serious and who could just be

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<v Speaker 1>at home and be quietly, quietly get better from this um.

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<v Speaker 1>And so it's really important that that tech really leans

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<v Speaker 1>into innovation and the healthcare field so that we have

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<v Speaker 1>better diagnostic tools going forward, because this is going to

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<v Speaker 1>be a diagnostic game and a mitigation game for a

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<v Speaker 1>very long time and getting most of the population through hopefully,

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<v Speaker 1>which is just a bet, you know, just feeling badly

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<v Speaker 1>and not getting to the levels of stars, which is

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<v Speaker 1>these acute respiratory syndromes which are so dangerous for anyone

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<v Speaker 1>who gets them, no matter what age they have. Obviously,

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<v Speaker 1>if you're older where you have you know underlying issues,

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<v Speaker 1>you're gonna have a harder time. But anyone, even a

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<v Speaker 1>young person, That's the last thing I'd say is young people,

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<v Speaker 1>you think that is all you know, you don't have

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<v Speaker 1>to worry about it. If you get this, You're not

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<v Speaker 1>going to have a great life the rest of your

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<v Speaker 1>lives either. Um, this could be very damaging to your

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<v Speaker 1>lungs if if you have a serious about with with

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<v Speaker 1>this disease, and therefore it's important for everybody, including as citizens,

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<v Speaker 1>to help other citizens to make sure that you don't

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<v Speaker 1>you're not the one making other people sick at the

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<v Speaker 1>same time not making yourself sick. Kara Swisher, host of

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<v Speaker 1>the Pivot and Recode Decode podcasts, thank you very much

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<v Speaker 1>for joining me. Thanks a lot. This has been your

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<v Speaker 1>daily coronavirus update. Don't forget that. For today's big news stories,

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<v Speaker 1>You can check me out on the Daily Dive podcast

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<v Speaker 1>every Monday through Friday, follow us on I Heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>or where ever you get your podcast