UW SYSTEM PRESIDENT TOMMY
THOMPSON IS TAKING IT OUT ON
COVID.
>> TIME TO PUT THE HAMMER DOWN.
SMASH COVID.
>> THOMPSON IS SMASHING
PUMPKINS TO PROMOTE SURGE
TESTING ON UW CAMPUSES.
WE SAT DOWN WITH THE FORMER
SECRETARY OF THE U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES, FORMER GOVERNOR AND
NOW INTERIM PRESIDENT OF THE UW
TO ASK ABOUT THE SYSTEM'S
APPROACH TO MITIGATING
INFECTION, ESPECIALLY AHEAD OF
THE HOLIDAYS.
WE SHOULD NOTE PBS WISCONSIN IS
PART OF THE UW SYSTEM.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING
US, GOVERNOR.
>> ALWAYS A PRIVILEGE TO BE ON
YOUR PROGRAM AND BE INTERVIEWED
BY YOU.
IT'S BEEN MANY YEARS THAT YOU
AND I HAVE HAD INTERVIEWS AND
ALWAYS A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE.
THANK YOU.
>> YOU ARE WELCOME, TRUE ENOUGH.
I WANTED TO ASK FIRST WHY DID
YOU PARTNER WITH THE U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES TO SET UP THESE SURGE
RAPID RESULTS TESTING SITES ON
UW CAMPUSES?
>> WE DIDN'T ACTUALLY JOIN WITH
THEM, THEY OBSERVED WHAT WE
WERE DOING.
WE WERE QUITE SUCCESSFUL IN
KNOCKING DOWN THE SPREAD OF
THIS TERRIBLE INSIDIOUS VIRUS
EPIDEMIC.
THEY ASKED WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE
TO DO THAT IN A WIDER PLAN TO
GIVE US THE TEST AND GIVE US
SOME RESOURCES TO HIRE
INDIVIDUALS.
AND THEY CAME IN AND GAVE US
208 INDIVIDUALS TO HELP
IMPLEMENT IT AND 250,000 CASES.
THEY WANTED US TO SEE IF WE
COULD KNOCK DOWN THIS TERRIBLE
SPIRAL THAT'S GOING ON IN THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN.
WE'RE JUST GETTING HIT TERRIBLY
WITH THIS VIRUS AND IT IS
AFFECTING EVERYBODY EDUCATION,
TV, COMMUNICATION, FARMERS,
BUSINESS PEOPLE, ALL OVER.
ESPECIALLY THE EDUCATORS.
SO I WANTED TO HELP THEM AND
THEY GAVE ME THIS OPPORTUNITY.
WE WERE CHOSEN BY THEM TO BE
THE BETA CASE TO TRY SOMETHING
NEW AND IF WE'RE SUCCESSFUL
HERE THEY WANT TO TURN IT OUT
ACROSS THE NATION AND THE BIDEN
PEOPLE ARE CALLING ME TOMORROW
TO TALK TO ME ABOUT IT.
SO IT'S GETTING SOME EXPOSURE
BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
>> HOW SUCCESSFUL HAS IT BEEN?
HOW MANY PEOPLE ON CAMPUSES AND
IN THE COMMUNITY HAVE AVAILED
THEMSELVES OF THOSE TESTS AT
THOSE SITES?
>> WE'VE ONLY BEEN IN OPERATION
A LITTLE -- ABOUT TWO WEEKS AND
WE'RE STILL SETTING UP SITES
BUT WE'VE ALREADY TESTED 35,000
INDIVIDUALS.
COMMUNITIES ALL OVER THE STATE
WHERE WE HAVE A CAMPUS CAN COME
IN FREE OF CHARGE, GET A VERY
QUICK TEST.
WE CAN BE IN AND OUT IN ABOUT
30 MINUTES AND HAVE A TEST
EITHER NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE.
POSITIVE WE WANT YOU TO
QUARANTINE AND WE HAVE WHAT IS
CALLED THE TEST TO MAKE SURE
THAT IF YOU TEST POSITIVE, YOU
HAVE A SECOND TEST WHICH GOES
INTO A LABORATORY WHICH IS MORE
EXPENSIVE.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET 6,000
CASES SO FAR THAT ARE POSITIVE.
6,500 OUT OF THAT 35,000 THAT
WERE POSITIVE.
>> OKAY.
AND THAT 6,000 IS JUST WITHIN
THE COUPLE OF WEEKS THAT YOU'VE
BEEN TESTING OR SINCE THE
BEGINNING KIND OF OF THE
PANDEMIC?
>> SINCE THE BEGINNING AND
240,000 TESTS.
AND OUT OF THE 640,000 TESTS WE
HAVE 6,591.
>> BACK TO THE RAPID TEST, HOW
RELIABLE ARE THOSE?
>> I WOULD SAY THEY ARE IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD OF 80 TO 85%.
THERE WILL BE SOME FALSE
NEGATIVES AND SOME FALSE
POSITIVE BUT THE TRUTH OF THE
MATTER IS -- YOU WANT THE LOOK
AT HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE
POSITIVE.
IF YOU'RE POSITIVE AND IT IS
CONFIRMED POSITIVE THE
QUARANTINE THEM SO THEY DON'T
SPREAD IT.
THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH THIS
PANDEMIC IS THE FACT THAT YOU
HAVE -- [INAUDIBLE] HE OR SHE
IS ASYMPTOMATIC, NO SIGNS BUT
STILL SPEWING THE VIRUS OUT
WHEN HE OR SHE IS OUT AND
AROUND IN THE PUBLIC.
FOR THE FIRST 72 HOURS THERE
ARE USUALLY NO SYMPTOMS.
WE WANT TO SAY TO THAT YOUNG
MAN, YOUNG LADY OR WHOEVER IT
IS, ELDERLY PERSON, SAY STAY
HOME, QUARANTINE.
YOU MAY HAVE IT.
GET READY, GET RESTED AND GET
SOME THERAPIES READY TO TAKE.
>> SO WISCONSIN COVID CASES ARE
SURGING AS WE'VE DESCRIBED IT
CRISIS NUMBERS ACCORDING TO
STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS, DANE
COUNTY'S NEW EMERGENCY ORDER
BANS INDOOR GATHERINGS OF
PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT
HOUSEHOLDS.
AS STUDENTS FROM WISCONSIN
PREPARE FOR THANKSGIVING BREAK
WHAT IS UW GUIDANCE TO THEM?
>> WE'RE TELLING THOSE STUDENTS
WE WOULD RATHER HAVE YOU STAY
ON CAMPUS.
WE WOULD RATHER HAVE YOU STAY
IN YOUR DORM.
THAT'S OUR PREFERENCE.
BUT WE KNOW STUDENTS ARE GOING
TO GO HOME OVER THANKSGIVING.
I DID AND YOU DID.
THAT'S THE RITE OF PASSAGE.
YOU GO HOME FOR THANKSGIVING
AND CHRISTMAS.
WE KNOW THAT.
SINCE WE DON'T WANT THEM TO GO
HOME AND INFECT THEIR FAMILIES,
WE WANT THEM TESTED BEFORE THEY
GO HOME.
THAT YOUNG MAN OR WOMAN THAT'S
A STUDENT, GET TESTED AND IF
THEY WANT TO COME BACK AFTER
THANKSGIVING THEY HAVE TO GET
TESTED TWICE.
ONCE BEFORE THEY CAN MOVE BACK
INTO THE DORMS OR BACK INTO
SCHOOL, THEY HAVE TO BE TESTED
AND THEN THEY HAVE TO BE TESTED
AGAIN THAT FIRST WEEK.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY DON'T
BRING THE EPIDEMIC, THE VIRUS
BACK HOME FROM HOME BACK TO THE
CAMPUS.
SO WE'RE BEING EXTRA CAREFUL.
BUT THIS IS HOW WE'VE BEEN
SUCCESSFUL.
WE'VE BEEN DILIGENT, TAKEN A
LEADERSHIP POSITION, AND WE'RE
DRIVING DOWN THOSE INDIVIDUALS
THAT ARE SPREADING IT AND
QUARANTINING THEM.
IF THEY TEST POSITIVE ISOLATE
THEM.
>> GOVERNOR TOMMY THOMPSON,
PRESIDENT OF THE UW SYSTEM WE
NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> YOU'RE WONDERFUL.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.
THANK YOU.
>> THOMPSON SAYS CLASSES ON
MOST UW CAMPUSES WILL BE FULLY
ONLINE AFTER THANKSGIVING
EXCEPT FOR GREEN BAY