PATH WITHOUT IMPLEMENTING "SAFER
AT HOME" TO PLATEN FLATTEN THE CURVE,
WE WOULD LIKELY HAVE 22,000
WISCONSINITES WHO ARE POSITIVE
FOR CORONAVIRUS BY APRIL 8 AND
AN ESTIMATED 40 TO 500 DEATHS.
>> THOSE ARE THE NUMBERS
PROVIDED BY THE WISCONSIN
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES IN
DEFENSE OF THE "SAFER AT HOME"
ORDER.
THE GOAL IS TO KEEP PEOPLE OFF
THE STREETS AND AT HOME ACROSS
WISCONSIN IN THE WAKE OF THE
OUTBREAK.
IT CLOSES ALL NONESSENTIAL
BUSINESSES ONE WEEK AFTER
GOVERNOR EVERS SAID HE DIDN'T
BELIEVE A SHELTER IN PLACE ORDER
WOULD BE NECESSARY.
AFTER CONSULTING WITH HEALTH
PROSTLES
PROFESSIONALS AND SCIENTISTS,
THE GOVERNOR SAID IT WAS
NECESSARY.
>> HERE'S A SNAPSHOT OF HOW THE
VIRUS HAS SPREAD ACROSS OUR
STATE.
IN THE PAST WEEK, THE NUMBER OF
POSITIVE CASES HAS MORE THAN
QUADRUPLED TO 842.
THIS WEEK, STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST
DR. RYAN WESTERGAARD SAYS BASED
ON THE MODELS, THE INFECTION
RATE IN WISCONSIN IS LIKELY TWO
TO THREE TIMES WORSE THAN WHAT
THE NUMBERS SHOW.
IN THAT SAME ONE-WEEK TIME
PERIOD, DEATHS IN THE STATE HAVE
INCREASED FROM THREE TO 13.
>> THERE ARE NOW MORE COVID-19
POSITIVE CASES IN THE UNITED
STATES THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE
WORLD.
WORKING OVERTIME AND ON THE
FRONT LINES OF WISCONSIN FIGHT
AGAINST THE VIRUS IS ANDREA
PALM.
SHE JOINS US TONIGHT VIA SKYPE
WITH THE VERY LATEST INFORMATION
AND THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR
JOINING US.
DANE COUNTY PUT OUT AN EMERGENCY
ALERT TODAY SAYING IF YOU LEAVE
YOUR HOME, YOU SHOULD ASSUME YOU
HAVE BEEN EXPOSED.
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT
ACTION ON THE COUNTY'S PART?
>> SO WE WORKED VERY CLOSELY
WITH OUR LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH
PARTNERS AROUND THE STATE.
OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE HOME RULE HERE
IN WISCONSIN.
SO OUR LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH
DEPARTMENTS ARE DOING WHAT THEY
NEED AND WANT AND HAVE TO DO
BASED ON THE OUTBREAK, THE
NUMBER OF CASES IN THEIR OWN
COMMUNITIES.
AND SO HERE IN DANE COUNTY OUR
LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH FOLKS
DECIDED THAT BASED ON WHAT THEY
ARE AREA SEEING IN THEIR OWN
DATA THEY NEEDED TO MAKE THIS
ALERT.
WE OBVIOUSLY CONTINUE TO WORK
VERY CLOSELY WITH THEM TO MAKE
SURE THEY HAVE THE ASSETS AND
RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED TO
CONTINUE TO DO THE NECESSARY
CONTACTS TRACING TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE ARE STOPPING THE SPREAD
OF THIS DISEASE.
BUT I THINK IT SPEAKS TO THE
LARGER ORDER THAT WAS SIGNED
EARLIER THIS WEEK.
FOLKS NEED TO TAKE THIS
SERIOUSLY.
THEY NEED TO PITCH IN.
WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN
TO BREAK THE SPREAD OF THIS
TRANSMISSION AND STAYING HOME
AND REMAINING PHYSICALLY DISTANT
FROM OTHER PEOPLE IS THE WAY WE
HAVE TO DO THAT.
>> THE GOVERNOR TODAY CALLED
CASES AND DEATHS IN THE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN
MILWAUKEE A CRISIS WITHIN A
CRISIS.
WHY IS THAT HAPPENING?
>> SO I THINK THE SCIENCE, LIKE
ALL THE SCIENCE IN THIS
OUTBREAK, IS CONTINUING TO
DEVELOP AND EMERGE AND WE ARE --
OUR SCIENTISTS AND SCIENTISTS
AROUND THE GLOBE ARE WORKING
CAREFULLY AND CLOSELY TO HELP US
UNDERSTAND AS DATA EMERGES
WHAT'S GOING ON AND HOW WE USE
THAT TO INFORM OUR RESPONSE AND
THE CLINICAL CARE THAT IS
PROVIDED TO THOSE WHO ARE MORE
SEVERELY ILL.
I THINK IF DR. WESTERGAARD WERE
HERE, HE WOULD SAY THAT IT'S TOO
EARLY TO KNOW THAT WE -- IT'S
TOO EARLY KNOW ANYTHING
SPECIFIC ABOUT THE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY AS IT
- RELATES TO THIS OUTBREAK, BUT IT
IS ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING WHEN IT
COMES TO HEALTH EQUITY, WHEN IT
COMES TO MAKING SURE WE KNOW
WHAT TO DO TO TREAT FOLKS
APPROPRIATELY, THAT WE
ABSOLUTELY WANT TO LEARN AND
UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT.
>> I BELIEVE IT'S TRUE THAT THE
STATE IS STILL IN SHORT SUPPLY
OF THOSE REAGENTS TO COMPLETE
THE TESTS.
WHO ARE YOU CALLING ON TO GET
THOSE TO US?
>> SO WE ARE TALKING CLOSELY THE
DIFFERENT INGREDIENTS THAT ARE
NECESSARY TO RUN THESE TESTS.
AND I SHOULD SAY THAT AS AN
ADDITIONAL TYPES OF TESTS ARE
COMING ONLINE, IT DOES EXPAND
THE TYPES OF INGREDIENTS THAT
CAN BE USED.
AND SO THEY TALK ABOUT PLATFORM,
WHAT PLATFORM ARE YOU RUNNING
THE TEST ON, AND THOSE TAKE
DIFFERENT KINDS OF INGREDIENTS.
AND SO THAT WILL HELP US RELIEVE
SOME OF THAT PRESSURE.
BUT THERE ABSOLUTELY ARE AND
CONTINUE TO BE NEAR FUTURE
SHORTAGES OF SOME OF THE PIECES
OF THESE TESTS THAT WE NEED.
>> IT SEEMS THAT OTHER STATES
LIKE NEW YORK IN PARTICULAR ARE
TESTING AT VERY HIGH VOLUMES.
ARE WE LOSING CRITICAL SUPPLIES
TO STATES LIKE THAT BECAUSE THEY
ARE BEING DIVERTED?
>> SO WE ARE HEARING REPORTS
FROM OUR PARTNERS AROUND THE
STATES THAT THERE IS SOME
DIVERSION HAPPENING SHES, THAT THEY
ARE HEARING FROM THEIR
SUPPLIERS, THAT THEY ARE MOVING
PRODUCT TO OTHER STATES.
AND SO WE HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERN
TO OUR PARTNERS AT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT ABOUT THAT DIVERSION.
AND SO WE -- I THINK IT'S
GENERALLY ONE OF THE ISSUES IN
THIS RESPONSE NATIONALLY, WE ARE
COMPETING WITH OUR FELLOW STATES
FOR LIMITED RESOURCES, RIGHT?
THERE ARE GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN
ISSUES, WHETHER IT'S PPE OR
WHETHER IT'S SOME OF THESE
REAGENTS, AND THE IDEA THAT IT
IS AN EFFICIENT WAY TO BE
RESPONDING TO THIS EPIDEMIC BY
ALL OF US CHASING THE SAME
SUPPLIES WHEN IT WOULD BE
REALLY, REALLY HELPFUL
COORDINATION FUNCTION FOR THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO HELP US
NOT BE COMPETING AGAINST EACH
OTHER AND DOING SOME EXTRA WORK
WITH US TO HELP US GET THE
SUPPLIES THAT WE NEED.
>> ARE YOU BEING HEARD ON THAT?
ARE STATES BEING HEARD ON THAT
BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?
>> SO WE CONTINUE TO PRESS.
I MEAN, I RECOGNIZE WE HERE IN
THE STATE OF WISCONSIN ARE A FEW
WEEKS BEHIND SOME OF THE HOT
SPOTS AROUND THE NATION.
BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE
DON'T HAVE CRITICAL NEEDS THAT
NEED TO BE FULFILLED AND THAT WE
NEED THIS CAPACITY TO TEST HERE
IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN.
AND SO I THINK THE GOVERNOR HAS
BEEN PARTICIPATING ON THESE --
IN THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE
WHITE HOUSE.
HE CONTINUES TO PRESS THE NEED
TO MAKE SURE THAT STATES ARE ARE
RECEIVING THE KINDS OF RESOURCES
THAT THEY NEED, WHETHER IT'S
PPE, WHETHER IT'S REAGENTS AND
OTHER CRITICAL MEDICAL SUPPLIES.
AND WE WILL JUST CONTINUE TO
PRESS ON THAT.
>> GIVEN YOUR MODELS, DO WE HAVE
ENOUGH ICU BEDS AND VENTILATORS
IN WISCONSIN AND, IF NOT, WHAT
WILL WE DO?
>> SO THAT IS -- THAT GETS TO
THE HEART OF WHY FLATTEN THE
CURVE AND "SAFER AT HOME," THIS
IS LIKE A CRITICAL MOMENT FOR
THAT, RIGHT?
SO OUR GOAL, AS WE DISCUSSED, IS
FOR THE PEAK TO BE LOWER AND
SOONER.
THAT IS ABOUT WHERE -- THAT IS
ABOUT HITTING A NUMBER THAT IS
BELOW THAT CAPACITY AND OUR
MANPOWER CAPACITY.
AND SO WHILE WE ARE ALL
DILIGENTLY WORKING TO FLATTEN
THE CURVE AND LOWER OUR PEAK TO
BE UNDER THAT CAPACITY, WE ARE
DOING ALL THE OTHER THINGS WE
NEED TO DO IN CASE.
AND THOSE ARE THE STRIKE TEAMS
THAT ARE WORKING WITH ALL OF OUR
STATEWIDE RESOURCES TO DO SURGE
PLANNING SO THAT WE ARE -- WE
KNOW WHERE OUR POTENTIAL
ADDITIONAL FACILITIES ARE TO
BUILD HOSPITAL BED CAPACITY SO
THAT WE KNOW HOW HOSPITALS ARE
GOING TO SHARE RESOURCES AND
BEDS AND TRIAGE AND DO THE KINDS
OF MOVEMENT AND THINGS THAT THEY
CAN DO TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE
THAT OUR CAPACITY IS AS NEXTABLE
AND AS ADAPTABLE TO SERVE THOSE
WHO NEED TO BE SERVED.
BUT ALL OF THOSE ACTIVITIES ARE
GOING ON IN REAL EARNEST RIGHT
NOW.
AND STAYING AT HOME AND THE
ORDER ARE PART OF ALSO GIVING US
THE LEAD TIME TO DO THAT KIND OF
WORK, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IF THE
PEAKING IS ABOVE WHERE IT SHOULD
BE, IF WE'RE ALL DOING STAY AT
HOME WELL, WE WILL HAVE LESS
TIME AND LESS RESOURCES TO BE
READY FOR THE SURGE THAT WILL
COME.
>> MEANWHILE, IN THE MIDST OF
ALL OF THIS, THERE'S SUCH A
SHORTAGE OF PERSONAL
PROBABILITYTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR
DOCTORS AND FRONTLINE WORKERS
THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS ASKING
FOR DONATIONS OR THAT THE STATE
WILL BUY LARGE QUANTITIES OF
THESE, EVERYTHING FROM MASKS TO
THERMOMETERS.
HOW DIRE IS THIS?
>> IT'S NOT ENOUGH, AND WE
CONTINUE TO HEAR FROM THE FRONT
LINES THAT THEY NEED MORE
SUPPLIES.
AND SO WE ARE TRACKING CLOSELY
WITH THOSE PARTNERS, OUR COUNTY
AND LOCAL PARTNERS, ABOUT THEIR
NEEDS AND CONTINUE TO PRESS BOTH
ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND
PRIVATE SUPPLY CHAINS SO THAT
WE'RE ABLE TO MEET THESE NEEDS.
BUT I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO
SUGARCOAT IT.
THIS IS AN ISSUE AND IT IS WHY
IT IS ONE OF OUR TOP PRIORITIES.
AND WE'RE NOT ALONE.
STATES AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE
EXPERIENCING THE EXACT SAME
THINGS.
>> SECRETARY-DESIGNEE ANDREA
PALM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> THANK