% >> IT'S BEEN ANOTHER
% RECORD-SETTING WEEK OF COVID-19
% NUMBERS IN WISCONSIN, INCLUDING
% THE FIRST DAY OF OVER 1,000
% POSITIVE CASES REPORTED.
% SECRETARY OF HEALTH DESIGNEE
% ANDREA PALM SAID THERE ARE TWO
% MAIN REASONS FOR THE CONTINUED
% INCREASE.
% >> THESE NUMBERS ARE AT LEAST IN
% PART A REFLECTION OF TWO
% PATTERNS.
% SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF CASES THAT
% REPORTED ATTENDING GATHERINGS
% LIKE PARTIES AND BARS AND
% BARBECUES AND INCREASE IN CASES
% AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE.
% >> WE TAKE WISCONSIN'S ALARMING
% COVID-19 NUMBERS TO MINNESOTA
% NOW WHERE WE ARE JOINED BY ONE
% OF THE NATION'S TOP
% EPIDEMIOLOGISTS, DR. MICHAEL
% OSTERHOLM.
% DIRECTOR FOR THE CENTER OF
% INFECTIOUS DISEASE AT THE
% UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.
% DOCTOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
% BEING HERE.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> WISCONSIN HAS SEEN A SURGE IN
% POSITIVE CASES CHARTING DAY OVER
% DAY, RECORD NUMBERS JUST THIS
% WEEK.
% WHY IS THIS HAPPENING NOW?
% >> WELL, THIS VIRUS IS DOING
% WHAT IT WAS MADE TO DO.
% INFECT HUMANS.
% AND THE ONLY THING WE CAN DO TO
% STOP THAT FROM HAPPENING IS HOW
% WE DISTANCE OURSELVES FROM
% PEOPLE, HOW WE MAKE SURE THAT WE
% ARE NOT SHARING AIR WITH EACH
% OTHER.
% THAT IS WHERE THE VIRUS IS
% LARGELY BEING TRANSMITTED NOW.
% AND UNFORTUNATELY, AROUND
% MEMORIAL DAY WE DECIDED THAT WE
% WERE DONE TRYING TO DEAL WITH
% THE VIRUS AND WE WENT ON TO OUR
% EVERYDAY LIVES AS WE HAD LARGELY
% DONE BEFORE AND THE VIRUS NOW IS
% BEING TRANSMITTED AT LEVELS THAT
% ARE VERY CONCERNING.
% >> WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE FACT
% THAT PEOPLE DON'T SEEM TO
% UNDERSTAND THAT OR BE WILLING TO
% DISTANCE?
% >> WELL, YOU KNOW, AT THIS POINT
% I THINK WE ARE GOING TO BE
% SEEING SOME CHANGES IN THAT.
% ONLY BECAUSE WHEN THIS ALL
% STARTED IT SEEMED TO BE A BLUE
% STATE OR A RED STATE OR BLUE
% COUNTY OR RED COUNTY KIND OF
% EVENT.
% AND WHAT'S HAPPENING IS IT'S
% REALLY BECOMING A COVID COLOR
% EVENT, WE ARE SEEING MORE AND
% MORE CASES OCCURRING IN URBAN
% AND RURAL AREAS, WE ARE SEEING
% MORE DEATHS IN PEOPLE WE KNOW IN
% LOVED ONES, AND IN THE END WHEN
% YOU THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT
% RIGHT NOW ABOUT 8 TO 9% OF THE
% U.S. POPULATION HAS BEEN
% INFECTED WITH THIS VIRUS TO
% DATE, YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THE
% PAIN AND SUFFERING, ECONOMIC
% DISRUPTION AND DEATHS THAT HAVE
% OCCURRED JUST WITH THAT 8 TO 9%,
% THINK WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO
% GET US TO PROBABLY 50 TO 70% OF
% THE POPULATION INFECTED BEFORE
% WE WOULD REACH WHAT WE CALL HERD
% IMMUNITY, A STATE WHERE THE
% TRANSMISSION WOULD SLOW DOWN.
% NOW WE ARE HOPING WE CAN GET A
% VACCINE TO BE AVAILABLE BEFORE
% WE GET THERE THROUGH ILLNESS,
% BUT RATHER THROUGH PROTECTION
% WITH THE VACCINE.
% BUT OVER THE NEXT 6 TO 10 MONTHS
% AT A MINIMUM, WE ARE GOING TO
% SEE LOTS AND LOTS OF THIS
% TRANSMISSION UNLESS PEOPLE
% UNDERSTAND THAT THIS, YOU KNOW,
% WE WON'T WIN A DEBATE WITH THIS
% VIRUS.
% YOU HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF
% WINNING A DEBATE WITH 2,000
% TIRED ANGRY 2-YEAR-OLDS THAN YOU
% DO WITH THIS VIRUS.
% AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE
% HAVE NOT UNDERSTOOD YET.
% >> DID IT SURPRISE YOU THAT THIS
% VIRUS TURNED RED AND BLUE OR
% POLITICAL?
% >> YOU KNOW, GIVEN THE
% CONDITIONS IN THE COUNTRY BEFORE
% THIS PANDEMIC BEGAN, AND
% REALIZING THAT IT GOES TO THE
% VERY HEART OF WHO WE ARE AS A
% SOCIETY IN TERMS OF ECONOMIC
% ISSUES, ACCENTUATING THE ISSUES
% WITH CLASS AND FINANCIAL
% SECURITY, IT'S NOT SURPRISING.
% THE POINT IS THOUGH IF THERE WAS
% EVER A TIME THAT ANYTHING COULD
% AND SHOULD RALLY US TO COME
% TOGETHER, IT'S ABOUT THIS VIRUS.
% THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE ABOUT, YOU
% KNOW, ONE POLITICAL PARTY OR ONE
% SKIN COLOR OR ONE GEOGRAPHIC
% LOCATION.
% IT'S ABOUT US AGAINST THE VIRUS.
% AND IF WE CAN JUST STICK WITH
% THAT, IF WE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT
% WE ARE ALL IN THIS TO HELP EACH
% OTHER, I THINK THAT THAT WILL
% SURELY BE A START FOR US TO
% ACTUALLY HAVE MORE IMPACT ON
% THIS VIRUS.
% PLEASE DON'T FORGET, THERE ARE
% LESSONS TO BE LEARNED HERE THAT
% HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED.
% IF WE LOOK AT MANY OF THE
% COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD,
% EARLIER THIS SPRING IN THE SAME
% DIRE STRAITS WE WERE WHEN WE SAW
% THIS VIRUS GOING THROUGH NEW
% YORK AND PLACES LIKE THAT,
% CAUSING THE DAMAGE, THESE
% COUNTRIES STAYED THE COURSE.
% THEY GOT THE VIRUS LEVELS DOWN
% TO A VERY LOW LEVEL AND THEN
% THEY COULD USE TESTING AND
% CONTACT TRACING TO TRY TO KEEP
% THEM DOWN.
% WE NEVER DID THAT.
% WE DECIDED WE WERE DONE BEFORE
% WE GOT THOSE NUMBERS DOWN LIKE
% THAT AND NOW YOU ARE SEEING THE
% SITUATION AND I THINK IT'S NOT
% UNTIL WE ACTUALLY TAKE SOME MORE
% EXTREME MEASURES TO DO A RE-DO,
% TO TRY TO GET THE NUMBERS DOWN,
% TO TRY TO DO THE TESTING,
% CONTACT TRACING, FOLLOW-UP
% BEFORE WE ARE GOING TO SEE
% REALLY REDUCTION IN THESE CASES.
% THEY ARE JUST GOING TO CONTINUE
% OTHERWISE.
% >> IF WE DID A RE-DO, COULD WE
% REDUCE THE INFECTION RATE TO,
% SAY, NEAR 0 BEFORE WE COULD SEE
% A VACCINE?
% >> YOU KNOW, LOOK AT ALL THE
% OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD
% THAT HAVE DONE IT.
% SOME SAY IT'S THE ASIAN
% COUNTRIES THAT ARE UNIQUE, AND
% LOOK AT THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES,
% THEY HAVE DONE IT TOO.
% IT'S VERY POSSIBLE.
% WE HAVE THE TOOLS IN THE
% COUNTRY, DO WE HAVE THE
% POLITICAL WILL TO DO IT AND HOW
% ARE WE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF
% THOSE WHO MIGHT SUFFER UNDER
% FURTHER RESTRICTIONS.
% ECONOMICALLY, PEOPLE NEED TO
% WORK, PEOPLE NEED TO HAVE JOB,
% NEED TO SEND THEIR KIDS TO
% SCHOOL WE KNOW ALL THOSE THINGS.
% AS A SOCIETY AND THE NEXT YEAR
% WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WE MAY
% HAVE THE COVID YEAR.
% WHETHER IT'S ABOUT SCHOOLS,
% WORK, PUBLICLY, GET OVER THE
% COVID YEAR, GET IT DONE, GET IT
% BEHIND US AND MOVE ON.
% IF WE DON'T ADDRESS THOSE
% THINGS, WE ARE JUST GOING TO BE
% IN THIS LIMBO LAND WHERE
% BASICALLY YOU ARE GOING TO SEE A
% HUGE FOREST FIRE OF THE VIRUS
% TRANSMISSION THROUGH THE COUNTRY
% AND LOOKING FOR EVERY PIECE OF
% HUMAN WOOD IT CAN BURN AND WILL
% FIND MANY OF THEM.
% >> AS TO A VACCINE, HOW FAR ARE
% WE FROM HAVING AN EFFECTIVE ONE?
% >> THIS IS THE TRILLION DOLLAR
% QUESTION.
% WE WILL HAVE VACCINES, WE HAVE
% OVER 200 RIGHT NOW TO SEE HOW
% THEY WILL PROTECT.
% THE CHALLENGE, THIS IS THE
% CORONAVIRUS, HISTORICALLY
% UNSATISFIED ABILITY TO DEVELOP A
% VACCINE THAT MAY PROVIDE DURABLE
% OR LONG-TERM IMMUNITY.
% WHEN WE FIND THE EFFECTIVE
% VACCINE, WHAT DOES IT MEAN, WHAT
% IT PROTECTS ONLY 50% OF THE
% POPULATION AND NOT THE
% POPULATION AT RISK FOR SERIOUS
% DISEASE, IS THAT CONSIDERED
% ACCEPTABLE.
% AND WHAT IF WE FIND ONE THAT
% WORKS FOR 6 TO 12 AND 18 MONTHS
% AND KEEP VACCINATING LIKE
% INFLUENZA, INTERNATIONAL LEVEL
% WOULD BE AN INCREDIBLE EFFORT TO
% BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
% A LOT OF QUESTIONS LEFT AND
% FINALLY ASSURE IT'S SAFE AND
% DECISIONS WHETHER TO GO FORWARD
% WITH THE VACCINE.
% WE CAN'T WAIT FOR FIVE YEARS TO
% FIND OUT HOW DURABLE THE
% IMMUNITY IS BEFORE WE USE IT.
% WE ARE GOING TO BE DOING
% INTENSIVE STUDIES, LOOK AT THE
% POTENTIAL FOR REACTIONS EARLY
% ON, AND ALSO TELL THE PUBLIC
% WE'LL KEEP THEM INFORMED.
% MOST OF ALL, WE NEED A VACCINE.
% WE ARE HEADED BACK TO WHERE WE
% WERE IN LATE APRIL OR EARLY MAY.
% IF YOU THINK ABOUT THIS, THE
% FIRST WEEK OF MARCH IN THE
% COUNTRY, COVID-19 WAS NOT THE
% TOP 75 CAUSES OF DEATH.
% BY APRIL AND MAY, THE NUMBER ONE
% CAUSE OF DEATH EVERY DAY.
% NOW WE SAW THE NUMBERS COME DOWN
% AS A RESULT OF THE IMPROVEMENT
% BUT UNFORTUNATELY THEY ARE GOING
% RIGHT BACK UP AND VERY POSSIBLE
% SOON COVID WILL AGAIN BE THE
% NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATH IN
% THIS COUNTRY.
% >> WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE,
% DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, THANK YOU