1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 1: Hi, This is due to the virus. I'm recording from home, 2 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 1: so you may notice a difference in audio quality on 3 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:12,720 Speaker 1: this episode of news World. The epicenter of the coronavirus 4 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: outbreak in United States is in New York, and it's 5 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:19,800 Speaker 1: particularly concentrated in the New York City region. As of 6 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:22,479 Speaker 1: May twenty eighth, New York State has three hundred and 7 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:26,439 Speaker 1: sixty nine thousand, eight hundred and one confirmed cases and 8 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: twenty nine thousand, three hundred and thirty nine deaths. Most 9 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: of those cases are in New York City with two 10 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: hundred and four thousand, seven hundred eight one confirmed cases 11 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: and twenty thousand, eight hundred and forty four deaths. Why 12 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: is New York the epicenter of the virus to the 13 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: lack of leadership from New York State Governor and Grew Cuomo, 14 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,279 Speaker 1: a New York City mayor, build of Lasia contribute to 15 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: increasing the virus spirit. I'm pleased to welcome my guest, 16 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: doctor Betsy McCoy, author of The Next Pandemic and former 17 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 1: Lieutenant governor of New York from nineteen ninety five to 18 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety eight. I'm really delighted to have a personal 19 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 1: friend somebody who I admire enormously, Betsey McCoy, join us 20 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: to talk about her new book, The Next Pandemic. In 21 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: the book, Betsey shows how to battle the next pandemic 22 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 1: without an economic shutdown, including technologies to make workplaces safer, 23 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: healthier and protection for hospital workers and cut dependence on 24 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: China for medical supplies. I have been amazed at the 25 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: news media's unwillingness to tell the truth about New York State. 26 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: New York was the epicenter of death, not because of 27 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: bad luck, but because of really bad judgment. So let 28 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: me turn to Betsy and let her walk us through 29 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: what she's learned and what she knows, because she's one 30 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: of the great experts at taking apart data and making 31 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: sense of it. So basally, what's your whole reaction to 32 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 1: the New York experience. Well, it isn't shocking because I've 33 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:10,800 Speaker 1: spent so much time in Albany, But I have to 34 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: tell you it wasn't even a matter of bungling or 35 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: bad judgment. We've seen some of that during the pandemic. 36 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:22,079 Speaker 1: It's inevitable that health officials, governors will make some mistakes 37 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: in this unprecedented event, but this wasn't a mistake. This 38 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 1: was a sellout, big difference. This was a sellout to 39 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: the single industry that controls Albany, that gives the most 40 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:40,639 Speaker 1: money to the governor's campaign committees, over a million dollars 41 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 1: in twenty eighteen is last election cycle. This is the 42 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: hospital industry pulling the strings regardless of what the impact 43 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,639 Speaker 1: will be on nursing home residents, and in this case 44 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 1: it was a very deadly impact. The problem was that 45 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 1: back in early March hospital started to really fill up 46 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: with COVID nineteen patients. The hospital industry said to the governor, 47 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 1: we have to clear out these elderly patients. They're in 48 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 1: here for two or three weeks at a time on ventilators. 49 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: Not to mention the fact that the hospital isn't getting 50 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: paid for such long duration onto the Medicare system. But anyway, 51 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 1: these elderly patients are blocking our beds. They're still infected, 52 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 1: but we've got to send them out of here into 53 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 1: nursing homes that have empty beds. So to swing that, 54 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 1: the hospitals actually had to get rid of a safety 55 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 1: regulation that required patients to test negative for this infection 56 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 1: twice before going to a nursing home. The State Health 57 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 1: Department willingly complied. They just cowtowed to the industry because 58 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: of the huge amount of money at stake. And that's 59 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: why all these nursing home residents are dying, because the 60 00:03:54,400 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: state Health Department and the governor picked money over lives. 61 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:03,279 Speaker 1: That's astonishing. So do you think that the hospital Association 62 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: realized how profoundly wrong. The day the mandate was announced, 63 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 1: patient advocates from all over the country urged them not 64 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 1: to do it. The Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths my 65 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: organization issued a statement that day saying, please don't do this, 66 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: it will be a death sentence. The American Healthcare Association, 67 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 1: representing doctors and nursing home operators, said please don't do it. 68 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 1: Health professors from Harvard Medical School said this is a 69 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:40,840 Speaker 1: recipe for disaster. But they did it anyway and stuck 70 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 1: to it until May because of the money. So on interview, 71 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: this was literally Cuomo selling out senior citizens in New York. Yes, 72 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:54,480 Speaker 1: his biggest donor, his mega donor, the Greater New York 73 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 1: Hospital Association, and he sold out for that reason, There's 74 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: no question about it. And and to cover up the carnage, 75 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 1: the State Health Department quietly changed how it was calculating 76 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: who's dying in a nursing home. Every state counts both 77 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 1: those who die in the home and those who are 78 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: sent to the hospital and then succumb to the illness. 79 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: They quietly changed those figures so that they could slice 80 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: in half what the actual death toll is. And that's 81 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: why as we speak this week, it's twelve thousand, not 82 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:36,159 Speaker 1: six thousand. Of course, every life matters, but the fact 83 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 1: is the consequences of this very venal decision are twice 84 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 1: as bad as the state has admitted, and people beginning 85 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: to admit to that number now. I had a back 86 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 1: and forth with the State Health Department press office until 87 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,559 Speaker 1: I finally got them to admit, yes, it's a different 88 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:57,359 Speaker 1: way of calculating it. Now it's clear that the death 89 00:05:57,360 --> 00:05:59,919 Speaker 1: toll is far higher once you count the number of 90 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:02,720 Speaker 1: people who have gone to the hospital first, and all 91 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: you have to do is look at the records in 92 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: other states and the record in New York before the 93 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:11,920 Speaker 1: change was made to realize it's about double across the nation, 94 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:16,159 Speaker 1: about fifty one percent of all the deaths related to 95 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: the coronavirus or nursing home residents. Here you have a 96 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:24,719 Speaker 1: governor deliberately lying to his fate about the fate of 97 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: their grandparents. And it wasn't the first lie, and it's 98 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:31,560 Speaker 1: not the last lie. Last week he tried depended on 99 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: the Trump administration, claiming that federal agencies had ordered the 100 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:40,599 Speaker 1: state to make this mandate that patients from hospitals be 101 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:43,240 Speaker 1: admitted to nursing homes even if they're still infected with 102 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:46,680 Speaker 1: the coronavirus. Of course that's not true, not at all. 103 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:50,279 Speaker 1: In fact, the CDC on March eighteenth warned in their 104 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:54,840 Speaker 1: monthly newsletter, warned, the states do everything you can to 105 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: prevent COVID from entering a nursing home. I thought it 106 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:03,599 Speaker 1: was fascinating because when I saw Governor Cuomo blaming the 107 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,800 Speaker 1: Trump administration and saying, hey, don't blame me, I went 108 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: to Vice President Prince's task force and said, what's the deal. 109 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 1: They promptly sent me the statement that was sent out 110 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 1: by Sema Verma. What they had issued as guidance was 111 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:23,560 Speaker 1: the opposite of what Cuomo was doing. So on the 112 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:26,640 Speaker 1: one hand, he adopts a rule which guarantees that a 113 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 1: substantial number of grandparents in New York would then he 114 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:35,239 Speaker 1: modifies the reporting rule to minimize our ability to realize 115 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:41,240 Speaker 1: how disastrous his decision was a very word modify. And 116 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 1: then he lies about the Trump administration to try to 117 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: put the blame on them when he in fact was 118 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:49,400 Speaker 1: doing the opposite of what they told him to do. 119 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 1: That's right, and this is a disqualifying series of really crimes, lies, 120 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:04,040 Speaker 1: and venal decision that should disqualify him from higher office, 121 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: even from running for governor again, because it is at 122 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 1: these times that leaders are tested. And as I said before, 123 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:14,840 Speaker 1: there are many governors and health officials in the federal 124 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 1: government as well who have made mistakes, mistakes about mass 125 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: mistakes about testing. We're in new territory here, and we're 126 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: constantly learning new things about this virus. But there's a 127 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:45,040 Speaker 1: difference between making a mistake and selling out. If you 128 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:50,439 Speaker 1: have a state government which is methodically doing the wrong 129 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:54,199 Speaker 1: thing for senior citizens on Medicare and Medicaid, aren't there 130 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 1: some grounds for considering putting that state's health system in 131 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 1: a receivers and having somebody appointed to run it who 132 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:05,680 Speaker 1: is not part of the corruption and not part of 133 00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:10,280 Speaker 1: the disoption. Well, that's a possibility, but certainly the public 134 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: should demand a health department that looks out for the public, 135 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: looks out for patients, rather than simply cowtowing to the 136 00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: highest bidder, which is what happened here. Let me just 137 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:23,959 Speaker 1: point out that despite the fact that New York is 138 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 1: known as one of the hospital capitals of the nation, 139 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 1: New York hospitals have higher than average infection rates. And 140 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:34,320 Speaker 1: they have those higher than average infection rates because the 141 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: state Health Department doesn't want to ask the hospitals to 142 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:41,080 Speaker 1: do what they call too much to clean up to 143 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: make their hospitals safer to reduce the infection rates, so 144 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 1: patients have to tolerate high infection rates because the hospital 145 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:52,199 Speaker 1: industry is so powerful in this state. That means when 146 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: you go in for a knee replacement, or a hip 147 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 1: replacement or a bypass, you are at higher risk of 148 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 1: getting deadly infection. Yet some of the most famous hospitals 149 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 1: in the nicer are in New York City. That's right, 150 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: New York Presbyterian, for example, hospital for special surgery. But 151 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:13,320 Speaker 1: even New York Presbyterian, which is rated in the top 152 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 1: ten in the nation, the highest in New York, it 153 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: still has only average infection rates. You'd think that would 154 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:23,200 Speaker 1: be a place where you could go and be assured 155 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:27,679 Speaker 1: that you are getting the safest care. Not true. That's astonishing. 156 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,199 Speaker 1: Is this in part of a much larger general aura 157 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:34,960 Speaker 1: of corruption which in facts the city and state governments. 158 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 1: I can only address state government, and I can tell 159 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 1: you in the state government, money talks. And if you 160 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 1: go to a political dinner. For example, the paid lobbyist 161 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:49,920 Speaker 1: Ken Raski, who runs the Greater New York Hospital Association, 162 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,760 Speaker 1: in the industry lobby, he has always seated at the 163 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 1: Governor's table, often right next to the governor, at the 164 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 1: prized seat. This is a man who has paid eight 165 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:03,240 Speaker 1: million dollars a year and he's a lobbyist. He hasn't 166 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: cured anything, he hasn't developed the next vaccine, he doesn't 167 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:12,120 Speaker 1: perform life saving surgeries. He's a lobbyist and he's paid 168 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:15,720 Speaker 1: eight million dollars a year. Think what he must be 169 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 1: getting from the government and the governor for those hospitals. 170 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:22,959 Speaker 1: Because of the nature of the news media, they are 171 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 1: then shaped by the disaster in New York, and then 172 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:30,560 Speaker 1: they want to deal with the entire country as though 173 00:11:30,559 --> 00:11:33,080 Speaker 1: it was as bad as New York, when in fact 174 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:39,600 Speaker 1: New York candaled COVID nineteen dramatically worse. Yes, And it's 175 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:44,160 Speaker 1: really quite stunning to see how much higher the death 176 00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: rate is from this disease in New York than in 177 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:51,760 Speaker 1: the rest of the nation. It's disturbing, it's very troubling, 178 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,719 Speaker 1: and there are many reasons for that. One is that 179 00:11:55,760 --> 00:12:02,440 Speaker 1: we know that obesity, diabetes, hypertension, those comorbidities make it 180 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 1: less likely that a patient who catches the coronavirus will survive, 181 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:11,000 Speaker 1: and those particular comorbidities are very prevalent in New York, 182 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:14,960 Speaker 1: especially in minority communities. But we also know that's true 183 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:17,959 Speaker 1: in many other parts of the nation, Louisiana, the whole 184 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:22,520 Speaker 1: southern obesity belt that runs from Virginia and the Carolinas 185 00:12:22,559 --> 00:12:26,720 Speaker 1: across Louisiana into Texas. We know it's true in Illinois. 186 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: We know it's true in Michigan. But that only partially 187 00:12:30,559 --> 00:12:34,439 Speaker 1: explains it. It also has to be explained in part 188 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:39,360 Speaker 1: by the disarray in New York hospitals. And does that 189 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:42,760 Speaker 1: disarray just because of the lack of any kind of 190 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: actage state health program, a very ineffective state health department. 191 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:53,680 Speaker 1: And don't forget over the years Cuomo left New York 192 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:59,760 Speaker 1: very vulnerable to the coronavirus. He consistently reduced the number 193 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:05,240 Speaker 1: of hospital beds across the state, closing hospitals. He also 194 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 1: paid hospitals far less to take care of Medicaid patients 195 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:12,480 Speaker 1: than any other state in the nation. It was a 196 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:16,719 Speaker 1: big promise them everything, deliver very little. He wanted to 197 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:20,720 Speaker 1: expand Medicaid as rapidly as possible and tell every New 198 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:24,640 Speaker 1: Yorker you can have free healthcare. But then when it 199 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:28,959 Speaker 1: came to paying the hospitals, the reimbursement rates were so 200 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:32,920 Speaker 1: low that public hospitals and hospitals that serve low income 201 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:38,000 Speaker 1: communities literally were operating in the most dire austerity environment. 202 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:40,720 Speaker 1: And now you see it. They're hit with the pandemic 203 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,800 Speaker 1: and they have too little of all the things they need. 204 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:48,440 Speaker 1: Your new book, The Next Pandemic, talk about what should happen. 205 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:54,160 Speaker 1: It's quite clear that our enemies have been watching watching 206 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:59,440 Speaker 1: how America has been clabered by this virus, and of 207 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:04,600 Speaker 1: course our enemies are saying, look at what a highly 208 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:10,320 Speaker 1: contagious and relatively untreatable virus can do to the biggest 209 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 1: superpower in the world. Who needs intercontinental missiles when all 210 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:19,880 Speaker 1: you need is a germ. So it's obvious that the 211 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 1: risk of some sort of germ attack is increasing. Security 212 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,880 Speaker 1: experts are warning of that. So I took a look 213 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 1: at how are we doing, how well prepared are we 214 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:36,960 Speaker 1: compared with two years ago, ten years ago. And I 215 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 1: have to say that after two decades of real neglect 216 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 1: under presidents from both parties, ever since about two thousand 217 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:49,920 Speaker 1: and four, the President has turned this around. And it 218 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:53,480 Speaker 1: is remarkable. Think about it, mister speaker. In the midst 219 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:58,400 Speaker 1: of marshaling resources to treat patients in a pandemic, marshaling 220 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 1: the private sector, the US Corps of Army, engineers, the governors, 221 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 1: and the private sector of course, to produce ventilators, to 222 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:12,760 Speaker 1: build field hospitals, to deliver care directly to patients in 223 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:15,440 Speaker 1: the midst of all that, and it's been an amazing 224 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 1: achievement on the President's part. He has also, in the 225 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:25,520 Speaker 1: matter of three months, dramatically increased our preparedness for any 226 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 1: kind of germ attack. We suddenly have a US strategic 227 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 1: national stockpile that's actually going to be stocked. When you 228 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 1: look at what's happened over the last two decades, the 229 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:42,320 Speaker 1: federal Health administrators, the bureaucracy failed to do that. They 230 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:46,240 Speaker 1: were much more interested in conducting health programs in forty 231 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:51,040 Speaker 1: nine other countries than in preparing the US for some 232 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 1: sort of health crisis. And it showed wasn't part of 233 00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:59,320 Speaker 1: that because the Obama administration made a delibered decision not 234 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: to replace the equipment that have been used up in Fars. Yes, 235 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:08,240 Speaker 1: they failed to replace the mass and other equipment. So 236 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:12,280 Speaker 1: when Secretary Arizar looked at how many and ninety five 237 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:15,880 Speaker 1: mass do we have a mere thirteen million? By August, 238 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 1: by the way, we will have three hundred million in 239 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:24,480 Speaker 1: that stockpile and the target number eventually is a billion. 240 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,960 Speaker 1: So they have the stockpile stocked. Hospital capacity. This is 241 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 1: an amazing story. I remember when the previous CDC Director 242 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:37,920 Speaker 1: of Public Health Ali Khan said, this nation doesn't have 243 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 1: enough bed capacity for even a bad flu season, much 244 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 1: less a biological attack. Yet he did nothing about it. 245 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:47,680 Speaker 1: What has the president done. He brought in the Army 246 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 1: Corps of Engineers and he erected surge capacity all over 247 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: the country. Field hospitals. Those aren't disappearing. They can be 248 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 1: staffed and in operation in less than two weeks. So 249 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:06,120 Speaker 1: we now have a permanent method of surging to meet 250 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:10,000 Speaker 1: a pandemic, a second wave of coronavirus, or even a 251 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:13,439 Speaker 1: germ warfare attack. I don't think there's any place in 252 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:17,560 Speaker 1: the country where we ever ran out of intensive periods. 253 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:21,240 Speaker 1: We didn't run out of units or ventilators. By the way, 254 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: the President proudly said into Rose Garden one day, recently, 255 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:29,919 Speaker 1: every American who needed a ventilator got a ventilator. That was, 256 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 1: in itself an amazing achievement. We're now supplying ventilators to 257 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:37,159 Speaker 1: much of the world, sending them to Mexico, Russia and 258 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:41,200 Speaker 1: other places. That's how many ventilators we now have. The 259 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 1: most important thing he did was to address the medical 260 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:49,960 Speaker 1: supply chain. When the pandemic began, China was the number 261 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:56,719 Speaker 1: one supplier of imported surgical mass goggles, generic antibiotics like tetracycline, 262 00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:02,080 Speaker 1: and the second biggest source of imported ventilator and hand sanitizers, alcohol, 263 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:05,159 Speaker 1: all the things you need to treat these patients. But 264 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:10,919 Speaker 1: the President just signed an arrangement to manufacture many of 265 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:15,199 Speaker 1: these items, including the raw materials for pharmaceutical drugs, in 266 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:19,760 Speaker 1: the United States. He is turning that around because we 267 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:22,600 Speaker 1: do not want to be dependent on our enemies for 268 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,679 Speaker 1: the things we need to stay a lot. We're making 269 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:46,800 Speaker 1: progress pretty rapidly right now. I think our biggest need 270 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:52,320 Speaker 1: to fight another pandemic, and you know, these viruses will 271 00:18:52,359 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 1: be winging their way to our part of the globe again. 272 00:18:55,000 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 1: They're occurring with increasing frequencies, Stars, mirrors, swine flu, all 273 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:04,199 Speaker 1: of these viruses that originate in animals. Now we're in 274 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:08,400 Speaker 1: a global environment and they're arriving with alarming frequencies. So 275 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:11,000 Speaker 1: we do need a way to detect them very early. 276 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:14,720 Speaker 1: And that is probably the missing element that we need 277 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:18,160 Speaker 1: to invest in, which is a kind of surveillance testing. 278 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 1: So when any private or public lab is doing routine tests, 279 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:27,240 Speaker 1: blood tests, urine tests, they also start looking for a 280 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:31,760 Speaker 1: newly arriving virus anonymously they just sampled the tests. Is 281 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:35,119 Speaker 1: there something in all of these samples that we should 282 00:19:35,119 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 1: be aware of and that will allow us to know 283 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:41,879 Speaker 1: that a disease has entered the United States before people 284 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,280 Speaker 1: start rushing to the emergency room. I might imagine eventually. 285 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 1: We did a podcast a couple of weeks ago with 286 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:54,720 Speaker 1: Blue Dot. They have a worldwide tracking system and they 287 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:58,520 Speaker 1: first alerted their clients about what was going on in 288 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: Wuhan in last day of twenty nineteen. They were well 289 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:06,639 Speaker 1: ahead of CDC or anybody else. They're the kind of 290 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:10,080 Speaker 1: advanced surveillance you're describing where you begin to pick up 291 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:14,359 Speaker 1: all sorts of anonymized data. We were talking about what 292 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:17,840 Speaker 1: else needs to be done to prepare us for a 293 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:22,760 Speaker 1: second coronavirus wave, or some other viral pandemic, or even 294 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,800 Speaker 1: a germ warfare attack. And I noticed when the CDC 295 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:31,679 Speaker 1: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued their guidelines a 296 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:34,480 Speaker 1: couple of weeks ago on how to reopen the economy. 297 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:38,200 Speaker 1: I read those guidelines, mister speaker, and I said, these 298 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:42,160 Speaker 1: could have been written fifty or even a hundred years ago. 299 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:46,320 Speaker 1: For example, they were talking about desks in schools or 300 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:49,159 Speaker 1: in a workplace, and they said place the desks six 301 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:53,320 Speaker 1: feet apart and open up the windows for ventilation, right, 302 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:57,240 Speaker 1: And I thought, well, what about all the technologies we 303 00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:01,440 Speaker 1: have today that enable us to provide a far safer environment, 304 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 1: whether we can open the windows and put the death 305 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:08,119 Speaker 1: six feet apart or not. What about antimicrobial keyboards, what 306 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: about antimicrobial coatings for surfaces, on desks. We have devices 307 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:17,200 Speaker 1: now that can be inserted into the air conditioning system 308 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:23,760 Speaker 1: to automatically deactivate viruses in the air and destroy viral 309 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:27,879 Speaker 1: load on surfaces. These things are already being used in 310 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:34,159 Speaker 1: food production plants, in hospital operating rooms. They can be 311 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:37,160 Speaker 1: brought into the workplace to make going back to work, 312 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 1: or going back to school for that matter, much safer. 313 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:44,080 Speaker 1: I would urge the CDC to get on board with 314 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:48,600 Speaker 1: twenty first century technology. I think that's a very important point. 315 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:54,240 Speaker 1: I've been very disappointed in the absence of imagination in 316 00:21:54,920 --> 00:21:58,720 Speaker 1: thinking through how we can apply all the different technological 317 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 1: breakthroughs enable us to really dramatically accelerate both our understanding 318 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:08,639 Speaker 1: of a particular disease, but also how people can be safe. 319 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:13,439 Speaker 1: If you look at sports teams locker rooms, they're using 320 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:17,120 Speaker 1: these technologies because if one of their professional football players 321 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:21,840 Speaker 1: develops an infection, WHOA, they're losing millions of dollars. So 322 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 1: they're using these codings on all their training equipment. They're 323 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:28,520 Speaker 1: destroying viruses in the air and making sure they have 324 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 1: a clean environment. We could be doing those same things, 325 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:35,320 Speaker 1: and I'll tell you I learned something curious but troubling 326 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:38,800 Speaker 1: when you talk to federal agencies. If you're a scientist 327 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:42,360 Speaker 1: in the academic world or in government, you can pick 328 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,280 Speaker 1: up the phone and talk to these regulators anytime. But 329 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 1: if you work for the private sector, you have to 330 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,320 Speaker 1: wait for a vendor day. Believe it or not, because 331 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:54,280 Speaker 1: you have this scarlet letter on your forehead, you're in 332 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:58,840 Speaker 1: the world of commerce. We have to break down that barrier. Well, 333 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:02,240 Speaker 1: I think that's right. You would be doing the country 334 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:04,360 Speaker 1: or real service if over the next month or two 335 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:08,119 Speaker 1: you were to pull together ten or fifteen examples of 336 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:12,159 Speaker 1: the kind of existing practical, common sense breakthroughs that government 337 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:15,320 Speaker 1: hasn't discovered yet. Some of them are in my new book, 338 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:18,399 Speaker 1: The Next Pandemic. That's great. I do think this is 339 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:21,320 Speaker 1: a very important point, and I think, frankly, in some 340 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:24,760 Speaker 1: ways you can sense the degree to which the Center 341 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:27,679 Speaker 1: for Disease Control has begun to get sort of a 342 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 1: half step behind the modern world, both of the way 343 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:33,639 Speaker 1: they gather information and in the way they tried to 344 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:36,760 Speaker 1: develop the original tests, and in the attitude of over 345 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:41,120 Speaker 1: control which seems to afflict all large bureaucracies. It would 346 00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:44,000 Speaker 1: be a very good idea for the Department of Health 347 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:49,480 Speaker 1: and human services to create something comparable to the way 348 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:53,440 Speaker 1: in which the defensive Advanced Research Projects Agency reaches out 349 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:56,360 Speaker 1: on a regular basis to the commercial world to try 350 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 1: to find the kind of things that are being developed 351 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,240 Speaker 1: that may not on the surface of any direct relationship 352 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:06,320 Speaker 1: that may provide a dramatic empowerment. So I think that's 353 00:24:06,320 --> 00:24:09,240 Speaker 1: a very important part of this and could be a 354 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,800 Speaker 1: significant part of how we plan for handling starting in 355 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:17,960 Speaker 1: the fall. The truth is we may well have various 356 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 1: biological challenges coming from almost anywhere, not just South Asia. 357 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:27,320 Speaker 1: Are there technologies just as we have things to fireproof 358 00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:30,200 Speaker 1: our homes and things to make our car saver. Are 359 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:33,800 Speaker 1: the ways that we can actually develop a dramatically safer 360 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:38,439 Speaker 1: society by using all of these new emerging technologies. And 361 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:41,639 Speaker 1: the answer is we can. And now that our businesses, 362 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 1: unfortunately have experienced firsthand the devastating financial cost of having 363 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:51,000 Speaker 1: to shut down because of a virus, they will see 364 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:55,440 Speaker 1: that investing in these technologies to make their workplace safer 365 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,080 Speaker 1: is a win win. If no virus attacks, they're going 366 00:24:59,119 --> 00:25:02,840 Speaker 1: to have lower sentism and a healthier workforce anyway, And 367 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:06,000 Speaker 1: if the virus does attack, they can continue to operate 368 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:10,880 Speaker 1: because they have a safeguard for their employees. It's exactly 369 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,840 Speaker 1: right now. I like this approach very very much, and 370 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:16,760 Speaker 1: I think it's something that Vice President Pencil's Task Force 371 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:19,880 Speaker 1: should take very seriously as an entire new way of 372 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:24,200 Speaker 1: thinking about creating a pandemic free America. And that's really 373 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:27,200 Speaker 1: what we're talking about. I want to thank you as 374 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:29,720 Speaker 1: always when we get a chance to talk with you. 375 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,480 Speaker 1: You're amazingly informed and insightful, and I hope that you 376 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:37,480 Speaker 1: do very very well with the next pandemic. I encourage 377 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:39,840 Speaker 1: all of our listeners to get a copy of it 378 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:42,920 Speaker 1: and to recognize that you have now for a quite 379 00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: a long time been a key player in trying to 380 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:48,159 Speaker 1: make this country a better place, and I think you 381 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:51,440 Speaker 1: are once again playing that role. So this has been 382 00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 1: very educational and very helpful, and I'm very grateful that 383 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:56,800 Speaker 1: you would take the time to share with all of 384 00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:59,720 Speaker 1: us the things that you've learned, particularly about New York 385 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:03,640 Speaker 1: so about the whole process of dealing with the nets pendom. Well, 386 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,200 Speaker 1: it's an honor to be in any program with you. 387 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:12,040 Speaker 1: You are a national treasure, mister Speaker, Thank you, Thank you. 388 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 1: To my guest doctor Betsy McCoy. You can read more 389 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:17,760 Speaker 1: about how New York has handled the pandemic on our 390 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 1: show page at newtsworld dot com. Nets World is produced 391 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:25,800 Speaker 1: by English three sixty and iHeartMedia. Our executive producer is 392 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:29,760 Speaker 1: Debbie Myers and our producer is Garnsey Slam. The artwork 393 00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:33,360 Speaker 1: for the show was created by Steve Penley. Special thanks 394 00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:36,720 Speaker 1: to the team at Gingwish three sixty. Please email me 395 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:40,360 Speaker 1: with your questions at Gingwish three sixty dot com slash questions. 396 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:44,639 Speaker 1: I'll answer them in future episodes. If you've been enjoying Newtsworld, 397 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: I hope you'll go to Apple Podcast and both rate 398 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:50,359 Speaker 1: us with five stars and give us a review so 399 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:55,080 Speaker 1: others can learn what it's all about on the next 400 00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:59,199 Speaker 1: episode of Netsworld. On May thirtieth, the space X Falcon 401 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:03,680 Speaker 1: nine and launched a manned space mission. The launch brings 402 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,639 Speaker 1: a new era of space exploration to the space coast 403 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:10,119 Speaker 1: of Florida. This historic mission is the first launch from 404 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:13,640 Speaker 1: US soil since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle program. 405 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:16,560 Speaker 1: I thought this is a great opportunity to discuss the 406 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:21,159 Speaker 1: future of space exploration and space as an infrastructure investment. 407 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:23,800 Speaker 1: I'm new Gingrich. This is news work.