IS NOW TALKING ABOUT A NATIONAL
MASK MANDATE.
AND WISCONSIN IS AMONG THE
NATION'S HOT SPOTS.
TODAY AGAIN POSTING MORE THAN
5,000 POSITIVE CASES.
FOR THE LATEST ON OUR SITUATION
WE TURN TO CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER
FOR WISCONSIN, DR. RYAN
WESTERGAARD.
THAIFNTION VERY MUCHTHANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
WISCONSIN EXCEEDED 5,000 CASES
TWICE THIS WEEK, INCLUDING
TODAY.
YOU SAID THIS WEEK THAT WE WERE
IN A NIGHTMARE SCENARIO.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
>> THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN
MOST FEARFUL OF AND MOST
CONCERNED ABOUT FOR THE PAST SIX
MONTHS OR SO IS THAT WHEN THE
RESPIRATORY VIRUS SEASON COMES,
WHICH GENERALLY STARTS IN
OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, THAT THIS
COULD REALLY TAKE OFF.
AND THOSE WERE THE REASONS THAT
WE WERE REALLY AGGRESSIVELY
TRYING TO DO WHAT WE COULD TO
STOP TRANSMISSION, TO TAKE THE
EPIDEMIC AS SMALL, AS MILD AS IT
COULD BE OVER THE SUMMER.
WE FAILED TO DO THAT AND WE'RE
NOW SEEING WITH THE CHANGE IN
THE WEATHER AND MORE PEOPLE
COMING INSIDE THAT THE EPIDEMIC
IS ACTUALLY ACCELERATING AND
DOING SO FASTER AND EARLIER THAN
WE HAD FEARED.
THAT'S TRANSLATING TO LARGER
NUMBER OF HOSPITALIZATIONS AND
CASES EVERY DAY LIKE YOU
MENTIONED AND A LARGER NUMBER OF
DEATHS THAN WE HOPED TO SEE AT
THIS POINT.
>> YOU ALSO SAY THAT YOU ARE
SURPRISED TOO THAT WE HAVE
FAILED TO SLOW THE SPREAD.
10% OF THE POPULATION IN
WISCONSIN HAS BEEN INFECTED SO
FAR.
WHAT HAPPENS IF WE CONTINUE TO
FAIL TO SLOW THE SPREAD?
>> WELL, THE VERY CONCERNING
THING ABOUT THIS NOVEL
CORONAVIRUS IS THAT IT'S NOVEL,
THAT THE HUMAN POPULATION
DOESN'T HAVE IMMUNITY TO IT IN
THE SAME WAY THAT FOR SEASONAL
INFLUENZA WE DO.
WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN SMALL
OUTBREAKS IN CLOSE SETTINGS IS
70%, 8 # 0%, 90% CAN BECOME
INFECTED.
THAT COULD HAPPEN ON A
POPULATION LEVEL.
THAT WOULD TRANSLATE TO REALLY
HIGH NUMBERS OF DEATHS.
SO WE REALLY NEED TO NOT LET
THAT HAPPEN.
WE NEED TO IMPLEMENT A PLAN TO
REDUCE INFECTIONS AND TRY TO GET
IT TO A MANAGEABLE LEVEL SO WE
CAN MINIMIZE THE DEATHS.
>> BECAUSE YOURSELF AND OTHER
PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY
THERE IS STILL TIME TO REVERSE
THIS TRAJECTORY, BUT HOW DO WE
DO THAT?
>> WELL, WE KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS
LIKE AND IT FEELS LIKE.
AND IT'S NOT EASY.
WE HAVE TO THINK BACK TO MARCH,
WHERE WE IN WISCONSIN AND MUCH
OF THE WORLD WAS REALLY SHUT
DOWN.
THE STREETS WERE LARGELY EMPTY.
PEOPLE WERE DRAMATICALLY
RESTRICTING THEIR ACTIVITY AND
THEIR MOVEMENTS.
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT, AS
EVERYBODY KNOWS.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S THE
PLAYBOOK THAT WE HAVE.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT COUNTRIES THAT
HAVE FLATTENED THE CURVE, THAT
HAVE LARGELY ELIMINATED
TRANSMISSION OF THIS VIRUS,
THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES.
SO WE REALLY NEED TO GET BACK TO
THAT PLACE WHERE WE ARE VERY
AGGRESSIVELY LIMITING OUR
INTERACTION WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
>> MEANWHILE, PRESIDENT DONALD
TRUMP HAS BEEN HOLDING MEGA
RALLIES IN WISCONSIN, ANOTHER
DAY.
IF YOU LOOK AT THOSE ATTENDING
THEY'RE CLOSE TOGETHER MOST OF
THEM NOT WEARING MASKS.
DO THESE RALLIES CONTRIBUTE TO
THE SPREAD IN THESE STATES?
>> IT'S LIKELY THAT THEY DO.
THOSE CONDITIONS THAT YOU
DESCRIBED, CLOSE TOGETHER, NOT
WEARING MASKS, TALKING LOUDLY,
THAT'S THE RECIPE FOR SPREADING
THIS VIRUS.
WE DON'T KNOW FOR CERTAIN.
WE HAVE LOST THE ABILITY TO
MEASURE WITH A GREAT DEAL OF
PRECISION WHERE AND HOW BIG
THESE CLUSTERS ARE BECAUSE THE
CASES HAVE GOTTEN SO LARGE.
SO OUR LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH
WORKFORCE THAT TRIES TO TRACK
OUTBREAKS AND CLUSTERS, THEY
CAN'T KEEP UP.
SO WE'RE IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE
THE VIRUS IS EVERYWHERE.
WE DON'T HAVE THE INFORMATION WE
NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHO IS AT
RISK AND WHEN.
AND THAT MAKES THESE TYPES OF
GATHERINGS EVEN MORE DANGEROUS.
>> DOES THE MESSAGE REMAIN WEAR
MASKS, WASH HANDS, DISTANCE AND
NOW STAY HOME?
>> YES.
THOSE ARE THE TOOLS THAT WE
HAVE.
AND I THINK WHAT YOU MENTIONED,
THE DISTANCING AND THE STAYING
HOME, WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW
WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT THOSE IN
MORE AGGRESSIVE TERMS THAN WE
HAVE IN THE PAST IF WE'RE GOING
TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
>> ALL RIGHT.
THANKS VERY