>> DISRUPTION TO EVERYDAY LIFE
MAY BE SEVERE.
THAT'S ACCORDING TO THE CENTERS
FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION THIS WEEK IN
DECLARING THAT THE NOVEL
CORONAVIRUS OR COVID-19, HAS
POTENTIAL TO SPREAD WIDELY IN
THE U.S.
IN TONIGHT'S CLOSER LOOK,
FEDERAL HEALTH OFFICIALS WARN
THAT SCHOOLS COULD BE CLOSED,
MASS PUBLIC GATHERINGS SUSPENDED
OR BUSINESSES FORCED TO HAVE
EMPLOYEES WORK REMOTELY.
WHAT IS WISCONSIN DOING TO
PREPARE IN WE TURN TO THE DEPUTY
ADMINISTRATOR OF THE STATE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES
CHUCK WARZECHA.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> THE CBC FURTHER SAYS THAT NOW
IS THE TIME FOR BUSINESSES,
HOSPITALS, COMMUNITIES, SCHOOLS
AND EVERYDAY PEOPLE, THEY SAY,
TO BEGIN PREPARING.
SO WHAT DOES ALL OF THAT LOOK
LIKE IN WISCONSIN?
>> SO I THINK THE KEY MOMENT
THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS THAT
THE POTENTIAL FOR THIS DISEASE
TO BECOME TRANSMITTED WIDELY IN
OUR COMMUNITIES, WE'VE SHIFTED
TO BECOMING PREPARED FOR THAT
FROM JUST WATCHING IT AND TRYING
TO PREVENT IT FROM COMING INTO
OUR COMMUNITIES, WE'RE REACHING
A POINT WHERE THE POTENTIAL AND
THE LIKELIHOOD IS THAT IT COULD.
SO WE'RE ASKING PEOPLE THINK
THROUGH WHAT THEY WOULD DO, HOW
THEY MIGHT SOCIALLY ISOLATE, HOW
WE MIGHT ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO
THINK ABOUT WHAT KINDS OF MASS
GATHERINGS ARE HAPPENING WHERE
TRANSMISSION COULD BE A PROBLEM
AND THEN AGAIN MAKING SURE WE'RE
MAKING GOOD DECISIONS BASED ON
RISK.
WE KNOW THAT SOME FOLKS HAVE
ALREADY SIGNALED THAT THEY'RE
MAKING THOSE DECISIONS EVEN
WITHOUT THAT RISK IN THE
COMMUNITY AND WE WANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE GET AHEAD OF THAT
AS WELL.
>> AND SO IF PEOPLE WERE MAKING
THOSE DECISIONS ON THEIR OWN NOT
TO ATTEND, YOU KNOW, BIG
CONCERTS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
SHOULD THE PUBLIC ACTUALLY
EXPECT THE PUBLIC HEALTH
INFRASTRUCTURE TO TELL US WHEN
THE POINT HAS COME?
>> YES.
IN FACT, WHEN PEOPLE MAKE THOSE
DECISIONS, IT'S USUALLY BECAUSE
THEY DON'T KNOW THERE IS HELP.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WHEN FOLKS
WONDER WHAT THEY SHOULD DO, MAKE
THAT CONTACT WITH THEIR LOCAL
PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCY.
IN WISCONSIN WE'VE GOT REALLY
STRONG PUBLIC HEALTH SUPPORT AT
THE LOCAL LEVEL.
>> NOW, WITH WISCONSIN HAVING
JUST A SINGLE POSITIVE CASE, IT
SEEMS HARD TO UNDERSTAND HOW A
WILD SPREAD OF COVID-19 COULD
HAPPEN HERE.
HOW COULD IT?
>> IT'S LIKE H1N1 VIRUS IF
YOU REMEMBER FROM ABOUT TEN
YEARS AGO.
WHEN THAT FIRST ARRIVED ON THE
SCENE, BUT LIKE INFLUENZA, THIS
HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SPREAD
RAPIDLY.
WE WATCHED THAT HAPPEN IN CHINA
FROM THE EARLY OUTBREAK TO
BROADER COMMUNITY SPREAD.
THAT CAN HAPPEN QUICKLY WITH ANY
VIRUS THAT COMMUNICATES IN THE
COMMUNITY.
>> ARE THERE NEW GUIDANCES FROM
PEOPLE GETTING IT FROM OTHER
PEOPLE IN TERMS OF TESTING?
DO YOU STILL HAVE TO HAVE COME
FROM A PLACE LIKE CHINA WHERE IT
IS WIDESPREAD TO BE TESTED OR IS
THAT BEING EXPANDED AS WELL?
>> THAT IS BEING EXPANDED.
WE'RE GETTING UPDATED GUIDANCE
ON THAT.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS ARE
MONITORING WHAT'S HAPPENING
AROUND THE GLOBE AND THAT'S
CHANGING WHAT WE'RE GIVING OUT
IN ADD ADVICE AND CONSIDERING RISK
LEVELS WHEN PEOPLE COME BACK
INTO THE COUNTRY, WHETHER
THEY'VE HAD CONTACT WITH PEOPLE
FROM THE HIGHER-RISK REGIONS.
WE EXPECT THAT TO CONTINUE TO
CHANGE AS THIS DEVELOPS AND
EVOLVES AT THE GLOBAL LEVEL.
>> ARE CASES UNDER INVESTIGATION
IN WISCONSIN AT THIS MOMENT
EXPANDING?
>> NO.
ACTUALLY, WE CURRENTLY HAVE HAD
17 CASES UNDER -- PERSONS UNDER
INVESTIGATION.
THAT'S BEEN THE CASE FOR SOME
TIME.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE NO PENDING
CASES.
SO ALL BUT ONE OF THOSE WAS
NEGATIVE AND THEN THAT ONE CASE
YOU MENTIONED EARLIER IS OUR
ONLY POSITIVE CASE THAT WE'VE
HAD.
>> I UNDERSTAND THAT THE CDC
SAYS IT HAS NOW KIND OF FIXED
THE TEST KITS THAT CAN BE SENT
OUT TO STATES.
HAS WISCONSIN RECEIVED ITS TEST
KITS?
AND WHEN DO YOU EXPECT THAT TO
HAPPEN?
>> SO I KNOW OUR STATE
LABORATORY OF HYGIENE HAS BEEN
WORKING WITH THE CDC ON GETTING
THAT TEST UP AND RUNNING.
I CAN'T FORECAST WHEN THAT WILL
HAPPEN.
I EXPECT IT WILL BE RELATIVELY
SOON, WITHIN A WEEK OR TWO AT
THE VERY LONGEST.
WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE IN
WISCONSIN TO HAVE A VERY
HIGH-QUALITY STATE LABORATORY OF
HYGIENE.
>> GIVEN THE ISSUES IN CHINA
WITH THIS, ARE THERE SUPPLY
CHAIN PROBLEMS IN TERMS OF
GETTING EVEN PHARMACEUTICALS OR
EQUIPMENT OR THE PROTECTIVE GEAR
THAT WE NEED HERE?
>> SO FROM A PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT STANDPOINT, YES.
FDA SUS SENT A MESSAGE OUT I
THINK THIS MORNING ANNOUNCING
THEY DON'T HAVE AN ONGOING
SHORTAGE OF PHARMACEUTICALS AT
THIS POINT, SO I'M NOT SURE I'VE
HEARD AN UPDATE ON THAT.
BUT FROM THE STANDPOINT OF
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, FACE
MASKS, GOWNS, THINGS LIKE THAT,
YEAH, WE DEFINITELY ARE SEEING
CHALLENGES IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN
AND THAT'S AN AREA THAT WE'RE
WORKING ON GUIDANCE ON AS WELL
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GIVE
PEOPLE ALTERNATIVE
RECOMMENDATIONS, WE CAN GIVE
GUIDANCE ON CONSERVATION UNTIL
THE SUPPLY CHAIN CAN BE
RESTABILIZED AND ALSO MAKE A
PITCH THAT EVERYONE GET THEIR
FLU SHOT, BECAUSE THAT IS
CIRCULATING IN THE COMMUNITY AT
A HIGH LEVEL AND THAT PUTS
STRESS ON THE SAME HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM THAT WE NEED TO BE
PREPARED FOR THI RIGHT.
CHUCK WARZECHA, THANKS VERY MUCH
FOR