>> 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