WEBVTT - U.S. Is Eyeing a Second Coronavirus Outbreak in China

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<v Speaker 1>It's Thursday, April nine. 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. The US is eyeing a second coronavirus outbreak

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<v Speaker 1>in China. In the past few days, officials have noted

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<v Speaker 1>an emergence of new cases, particularly in asymptomatic and presymptomatic individuals.

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<v Speaker 1>The administration is closely monitoring how China handles this next

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<v Speaker 1>wave to better understand what we could expect later this year,

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<v Speaker 1>when we too could possibly see a second outbreak. Aaron Banko,

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<v Speaker 1>national security reporter at The Daily Beast, joins us for

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<v Speaker 1>how we're keeping an eye on China. Thanks for joinings, Saren.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, since this whole outbreak began, all eyes have

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<v Speaker 1>been on China. That is where the outbreak first began

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<v Speaker 1>in Wuhan, China. We've been looking at them for numbers

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<v Speaker 1>as far as confirmed cases and death toll. We've been

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<v Speaker 1>looking at them as far as how they reacted to

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<v Speaker 1>all this, what they did, how they shut Wuhan down.

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<v Speaker 1>And the eyes continue there because they're the first ones

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<v Speaker 1>that went through this and right now the Trump administration

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<v Speaker 1>is looking at them to see if a second coronavirus

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<v Speaker 1>outbreak could be coming, and this one is centering more

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<v Speaker 1>around people that are asymptomatic. They're fearing that arise in

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<v Speaker 1>asymptomatic cases could trigger a second outbreak very soon or

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<v Speaker 1>maybe later in the year. Aaron tell us a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit about this. So at the end of the day,

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<v Speaker 1>from the officials we've been speaking to, it is still

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<v Speaker 1>all not clear to this day the exact amount of

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<v Speaker 1>people in China who have contracted the coronavirus, and we're

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<v Speaker 1>still not sure how many people have done. Basically, what

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<v Speaker 1>officials in the US are telling us is we can't

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<v Speaker 1>really trust the data that's coming out of China at

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<v Speaker 1>this moment in time. So this sort of serves up

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<v Speaker 1>all kinds of issues and problems through the Trump administration

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<v Speaker 1>when they're trying to learn not only about how the

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<v Speaker 1>first outbreak happened and how China handled that initial sort

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<v Speaker 1>of round of patients and yes, but also what it

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<v Speaker 1>means going forward. What we've seen in China is small

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<v Speaker 1>pool of people test positive for the coronavirus recently within

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<v Speaker 1>the past week, and these individuals are many of them

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<v Speaker 1>asymptomatic or pre symptomatic, and this is the sort of

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<v Speaker 1>first indication that we're getting that there's this second wave

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<v Speaker 1>of coronavirus cases that China may be experiencing over the

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<v Speaker 1>next couple of weeks. And what the Trumpet administration is

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<v Speaker 1>really trying to do is figure out how this new

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<v Speaker 1>outbreak started and really get on the ground intel on

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<v Speaker 1>exactly how many people have tested positive over the past

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<v Speaker 1>few days and how the Chinese government is handling this all. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and the concerns are there. We ourselves in the United

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<v Speaker 1>States could possibly expect another round later this year. That's

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<v Speaker 1>why Dr Anthony Fauci said this could be a seasonal thing.

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<v Speaker 1>It can maybe taper off in the summer months and

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<v Speaker 1>then come back again when cold and flu season starts

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<v Speaker 1>all over again. Whether it's a mutated version of COVID

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen or the same exact thing, it could still have

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<v Speaker 1>its re emergence. And there's always been this thing about

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<v Speaker 1>people that are asymptomatic or pre symptomatic. That's the trickiest part.

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<v Speaker 1>People can be shedding the virus and other people can

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<v Speaker 1>get affected and not know it because the others aren't

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<v Speaker 1>showing those symptoms. So what's happening is the trump administration

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<v Speaker 1>is leaning on the State Department for a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>this stuff to keep an eye out for the second wave.

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<v Speaker 1>The Trump administration is looking at a couple of different

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<v Speaker 1>agencies to try to gather as much information as possible

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<v Speaker 1>on the ground from the Chinese settlement about this new

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<v Speaker 1>small outbreak. But the State Department has really been leaving

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<v Speaker 1>the effort and not only trying to figure out from

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<v Speaker 1>the consulate and embassies and representatives on the ground in

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<v Speaker 1>China just how many people have contracted the virus over

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<v Speaker 1>the last week, but also how the Chinese government may

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<v Speaker 1>or may not be spinning that kind of information. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>we've had problems trying to reliable data out of China

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<v Speaker 1>for quite some time now on the coronavirus, and so

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<v Speaker 1>they're kind of really get ahead of the game on

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<v Speaker 1>this second wave and trying to dispel any sort of

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<v Speaker 1>inaccurate information or talking point set up here in news

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<v Speaker 1>reports or elsewhere, and trying to sort of camper down

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<v Speaker 1>on that and track it all and make sure that

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<v Speaker 1>the US has a very clear understanding of what the

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<v Speaker 1>actual data is, yes, but also how it's being distorted,

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<v Speaker 1>if at all. And so the State Department is really

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<v Speaker 1>relying on its partners across the world to help them,

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<v Speaker 1>and of course officials who are working in the department

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<v Speaker 1>across the world as well. It was really a team

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<v Speaker 1>effort within the State Department. Now we also know that

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<v Speaker 1>officials in the intelligence community are taking a really close

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<v Speaker 1>look at this. But it's like you said, it's very

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<v Speaker 1>important for the US scientists and academics to really try

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<v Speaker 1>to understand what led to this second wave in China

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<v Speaker 1>and how to mitigate that here in the United States

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<v Speaker 1>as the months before, the last thing the US wants

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<v Speaker 1>to do is to put out guidance that says, all right,

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<v Speaker 1>we're all good, everybody go back to work, and then

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<v Speaker 1>we see this new second wave sooner than maybe we

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<v Speaker 1>would have anticipated in first place. So I think it's

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<v Speaker 1>really trying to understand how to aid our own policies

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<v Speaker 1>and guidance around the coronaveries based off of very limited

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<v Speaker 1>data that we're getting out of China. And China just

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<v Speaker 1>lifted the lockdown on Wuhan, so obviously people are going

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<v Speaker 1>to be paying attention specifically there to see how they

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<v Speaker 1>get back to normal business and everyday operating business, and

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<v Speaker 1>obviously to see what we can translate that over back

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<v Speaker 1>to us. The other thing that's happening as well with

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<v Speaker 1>China is that some of the equipment that we're getting

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<v Speaker 1>from there, and other countries have been getting there, there's

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<v Speaker 1>been reports of faulty equipment, I think things in Spain

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<v Speaker 1>and the Netherlands. Britain was one of the latest countries

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<v Speaker 1>to complain about these antibody test kits and other equipment

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<v Speaker 1>that they were getting, saying that they were faulty. The

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<v Speaker 1>FDA has approved the use of K and N masks

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<v Speaker 1>were started like the N nine MASS, but these are

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<v Speaker 1>ones that are approved by China standards. So that's just

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<v Speaker 1>another concern is some of the equipment that we're getting

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<v Speaker 1>from there as well. So what we know as the

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<v Speaker 1>State Department is actually tracking some of those deliveries that

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<v Speaker 1>have been flagged as faulty or not functioning incorrectly until

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<v Speaker 1>What we know from some of the State Department cables

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<v Speaker 1>that I reviewed is that China is pushing a new

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<v Speaker 1>program whereby they will be delivering more and more supplies

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<v Speaker 1>increasingly so, but they put sort of new standards in

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<v Speaker 1>place to ensure that on their end the devices are

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<v Speaker 1>working before they export them to other countries, and I

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<v Speaker 1>will just say about the point on Wuhan. Yes, they

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<v Speaker 1>have lifted the lockdown sort of orders and guidance, but

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<v Speaker 1>what we do know is that local officials and Luhan

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<v Speaker 1>are also considering testing everybody in the province to make

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<v Speaker 1>sure that they are not testing positive for the coronavirus.

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<v Speaker 1>Their real concern right now is asymptomatic or pre symptomatic spread,

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<v Speaker 1>which is of course what the administration and the US

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<v Speaker 1>scientists and academics are worried about here as well. It's

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<v Speaker 1>hearing as though they're returning back to normal, but I

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<v Speaker 1>think it's fair to say from the cables and officials

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<v Speaker 1>be spoken to that China is still very worried about

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<v Speaker 1>the transmission asymptomatic to asmatic and stematic. Person Aaron Banko,

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<v Speaker 1>national security reporter at The Daily Beast, thank you very

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<v Speaker 1>much for joining us. Thanks for having me. I'm Oscar

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<v Speaker 1>Ramirez and this has been your daily coronavirus update. Don't

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<v Speaker 1>forget that. For today's big news stories, you can check

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<v Speaker 1>me out on the Daily Dive podcast every Monday through Friday,

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<v Speaker 1>So follow us on I Heart Radio or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>get your podcasts.