Transcripts For KGO This Week With George Stephanopoulos 202

KGO This Week With George Stephanopoulos July 13, 2024

Recordsetting rescue bill. Were in uncharted and unfamiliar territory. This morning, we cover the very latest developments in the fight against the pandemic from the front lines of hospitals to the shuttered storefronts across america. Our guests, two governors at the forefront of this fight, and dr. Jen ashton and tom bossert tracking the virus, plus top trump adviser larry kudlow on the white house plan for economic recovery. Announcer from abc news, its this week. Here now, coanchor, martha raddatz. Good morning and thanks for joining us this sunday. Its been another shocking and sobering week since we came on the air last sunday the number of cases in the u. S. Has skyrocketed. Climbing from roughly 25,000 cases to nearly 125,000 cases this morning. And worldwide, close to 700,000 confirmed cases. In the u. S. , the virus has now claimed more than 2100 lives including the tragic death of an infant in illinois announced yesterday. While new york has emerged as the epicenter in the u. S. , cities like detroit, boston, new orleans and chicago are experiencing a dramatic rise in cases and bracing for impact. President trumps response has run the gambit this week, the on tuesday, he said hes aimed to having the country reopen and just rarg to go on easter. On wednesday, that goal was modified to a recommendation by easter. On thursday, in letter to governors trump suggested a type of triage system, relaxing social distancing guidelines and other measures based on the number of cases in each county, and just yesterday, he raised taking a tougher approach, at least for some areas of the country, threatening a twoweek quarantine for parts of hardhit new york, new jersey and connecticut. Before asking the cdc to issue a travel advisory instead. New jerseys Governor Phil Murphy joins me now. There are more than 11,000 confirmed cases in that state. Governor murphy, good morning. The president said saturday he was considering an enforceable quarantine on new york, new jersey and connecticut. New yorks Governor Cuomo said that he considered that an act of war on the states. Trump has now said that after consulting with you, Governor Cuomo and the governor of connecticut, that hell issue a strong advisory. What can you tell us about that consultation . Good to be back, martha. We had a lot of back and forth. Among the three governors, as we do regularly now, as well as with the white house, the fact of the matter is, our three states and i know new jersey obviously the best were doing about as aggressive set of steps as any states in america right now. As challenging as this is, and youre right, over 11,000 positives and tragically 140 dead as of yesterday in the garden state, the fact of the matter is, people really arent traveling a whole lot, a travel warning were fine with. The fact of the matter is, were allin on flattening that curve, social distancing as aggressive as any states in america. And well continue to be that way. No real reinforcement of this because people arent traveling . Well, its travel advisory, so we take that seriously and well execute it by the states and thats something as i say its de facto happening already. And well make sure listen, were pounding the table morning, noon and night, stay home, stay home, stay home. So if theres another message point to add to that, were happy to add to that. We want people to stay home and flatten this curve. New jersey has more than eighttimes the number of confirmed cases now compared to when we spoke a week ago and you have already issued that stayathome order, so why wouldnt a quarantine like this be effective . Again, martha, we are de facto staying at home as a state. There are 9 million of us. We expected this. We told our folks it would happen. Part of it is due to community spread, but a big part of it is, we have open up testing aggressively. The fact of the matter is, folks are getting the message to stay at home and were enforcing that. If we think there are stronger steps to take within new jersey well consider regularly and well take them. This is an advisory, adds to a message that we have already been stark about. Remember, the tests were getting back yesterday may be a week or so since the specimen was collected. Were not yet seeing the numbers for the most dramatic steps we have taken on social distancing. We probably wont see that for another week or so. And lets talk about the situation in your hospitals. Last week you told me new jersey was desperate for personal protective equipment and the federal government had only given you a fraction of what you asked. Youve now received a shipment from the stockpile including 120,000 n95 masks and 1,000 medical beds, is that enough . Listen, we got another shipment in our private sector, in our hospital systems. Weve shut down elective surgeries, but were still way short. We have a long way to go. Id say, martha, the big headline right now for us is ventilators. We had a very specific conversation with the white house last night about ventilators, thats our number one ask, our number need and thats the one were focused most on right now. We have a long way to go on the ppe front. We made more progress in other areas than ventilators, thats our big focus. You asked about ventilators, what was the answer . Theyre trying to work with us and listen, were trying to find Common Ground 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we had a very specific conversation about our ask and the potential to perhaps phase that in as they can deliver. We need them, though, no question about it. Sure do. Like so many others. Governor, we thank you for joining us again this morning. Thanks for having me, martha. And as officials race to contain the outbreak in the tristate area, new hotspots are emerging here in the u. S. , among them louisiana, last sunday, there were 837 confirmed cases in the state. Today, there are over 3300. Joining me now is the governor of louisiana, john bel edwards. And governor edwards, our condolences to you this morning with the sad announcement that you lost a young staffer to complications from the virus, 33yearold april dunn, shes part of an alarming rise of infections and deaths in louisiana, tell us what youre seeing this morning in your state and again, our condolences. Thank you very much, martha, and its good to be with you. We obviously have a spread thats growing faster than wed like to see. We remain on the trajectory to really overwhelm our capacity to deliver healthcare by the end of the first weekend in april. We think the first real issue is going to be ventilators, and we think its about the 4th or 5th of april down in new orleans area unable to put people on ventilators. And then several days later, well be out of beds. Were surging capacity with our existing footprint of hospitals and also in the Convention Center down in new orleans, so well be able to get those beds up but the staffing remains very difficult and the ventilators are what we need right now. You know, we have had orders in for more than 12,000 ventilators, some through the National Stockpile and others through private vendors, thus far over the last several weeks weve been able to get only 192, and so we continue to work this extremely hard. But in the meantime, my message to louisiana is really no different than the message that youre seeing out the new york governor, new jersey governor, we need people to practice the mitigation measures we have in place the shelter at home that we have statewide now so we can slow the spread. We cant everyone presenting to the hospital at once. Which is what well happen if we dont slow the spread. We should know in the next three or four days whether the stayathome order that i put in place will have the intended effect but we know that mitigation works but it only works to the extent that its actually complied with. Were hopeful that the curve flattens here in the next few days. Were in a difficult spot in louisiana, were number three per capita case count. Number two per capita deaths. Were in a very difficult place, martha. Governor, you said in your press conference were not going to force our way through this, meaning keeping people home, people need to comply, if the outbreak continues to worsen and residents dont comply, will you consider stronger enforcement measures . Oh, sure, and when i said that its not like we dont have Law Enforcement out going to businesses and telling them whether theyre supposed to be closed or not, or if you have a large group of people theyre telling them they have to leave. We have 4. 7 Million People, tens of thousands of businesses, so my point to the people of louisiana is, look, dont look for us to come and enforce this, we need you to take it upon yourself to comply. Thats the only way were going to be successful. So its not that were not going to enforce these measures at all but we shouldnt be made to enforce them is the point i was trying to deliver to residents. For for mardi gras, the dr. Fauci said your state likely should have issued a stayathome order. The louisiana mayor said just yesterday, it wasnt cancelled because the federal government said it was contained, is that the reason . Well, look, there was never any hint from anyone to me or to the mayor of new orleans that there should be any consideration to downsizing or cancelling mardi gras. I think if you look back, there were about 15 cases of the country, all tied indirectly to travel and there was never any hint of this. If you go back, well see that the federal government was saying things were well under control. So this is some mondaymorning quarterbacking going on. Quite frankly, i believe its likely that mardi gras contributed to the ceding of the virus around new orleans. Before the first confirmed case on march 9th. But thats looking back. Right now, we need to spend our time, our energy, we need to be focused on doing what we can do right now in Going Forward and im sure that somebodys going to do a study about the impact of mardi gras on this particular Public Health emergency later. And thank you very much for joining us this morning. Governor and we wish you all the best. Martha, thank you so much. Up next we take you inside one hospital emergency room for a firsthand look on how doctors on the front line are coping with the nations surge in coronavirus patients. Plus, dr. Jen ashton and tom bossert are standing by. Well be right back. Ashton and tom bossert are standing by. Well be right back. This is charlie not coughing because he took delsym 12hour. And this is charlie still not coughing while trying his hardest not to wake zeus. Delsym 12hour. Nothing lasts longer for powerful cough relief. Liz, you nerd, cough if youre in here shhhh. I took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. What about robs dry cough . Works on that too. And last 12 hours. 12 hours . Who studies that long . mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs for 12 hours with 2 medicines in 1 pill. Keeping our customers, employees, and communities safe. During these Uncertain Times we want you to get the Great Service you expect without leaving the safety of your home. Sprint. Com makes shopping easier by offering free next day shipping and no activation fees on our best new phone deals, like the amazing iphone 11 for just 15 a month when you switch. For now sprint. Com is the best way to learn about our plans, buy new phones and get the services you need. Stay healthy and go to sprint. Com today. For people with hearing loss, visit sprintrelay. Com [coughs] kim is now demonstrating her congestion. Save it, slimeball. Ive upgraded to mucinex. We still have 12 hours to australia. Mucinex lasts 12 hours, so im good. Now move kim nooooo mucinex has a patented tablet that lasts 3x longer, for 12 hours. To be most successful, connectivity is vital. Verizon, really for us, has been a partner for years. Allows us to stay connected to our 80 plus locations across the country. We use verizon throughout our entire day. Its an integral part of how our practice runs. We need our project managers and our superintendents to be able to communicate. We dont have to be together to Work Together. vo at verizon, were here, and were ready. Were open 24 7 online with tools and support to help your business stay connected at verizon. Com ready. [ aevery box has a mission to protect everything inside from everything outside. That is where the true glory lies. When whats inside matters, [ doorbell rings ]. Count on boxes. Paper and packaging. How life unfolds. This is charlie not coughing because he took delsym 12hour. And this is charlie still not coughing while trying his hardest not to wake zeus. Delsym 12hour. Nothing lasts longer for powerful cough relief. Theryoure not good enough. Hard to control. But i am enough. And i know what im made of. Put your skin in the game. Tinr. In a sea of statistics and neverending headlines in this coronavirus crisis, its easy to overlook the human toll of it all. And sometimes its personal. This week, i checked in with dr. Erin beaumont. A young emergency medicine doctor in massachusetts. Who i have known since she was in college. On the monday, the icu with the emergency room at everett hospital was already filling up. I asked her to keep a video diary as she waits for a surge of patients she expects in the coming days. Thursday, march 24th, 4 48 p. M. Im about to go in for my shift. Yesterday when i left, our icu was full. We havent come close to starting our surge yet. Im nervous about that. Once we get our surge, i dont know where were going to put these people. I dont know how were going to treat these people appropriately. I dont know what were going to do. I just got out of my shift, i took care of a patient whos my age, normal healthy person, who i admitted because he, im guessing, we wont know yet, but im guessing he has covid19, based on the way he looked, on the way he was breathing, his chest xray, it was heartbreaking, it makes me nervous because hes my age, hes young and healthy. I worry were just going to see more and more like that. I went to look in on the patient that i was taking care of last night, the one thats my age whos there with presumed covid19, and he is now in the intensive care unit. Its thursday, march 26th, about 11 30 at night. I just got back from my shift. Were just waiting. Were sitting here waiting for the inevitable terribleness that we know its going to happen. It kind of eats away at you and its really hard. And the prospect of this country being open for business and back to normal in a couple of weeks by easter is both ridiculous and dangerous and theres no way. I spoke to my mom today, she asked me a question, do you have enough ppe to get through this surge . And my answer was, i dont know. Which brings up another interesting point which is, you know, what do you do where do you draw the line between protecting yourself and helping your patients . Thats something that ive been kind of grappling with morally. I feel that im in a very unique position to be able to help people right now. I have asthma and i worry that if i do get sick i wont do well. And so, its a really its a really hard position to be in. At some point this evening, all of a sudden we just got overwhelmed, ambulance after ambulance. It all happened at once. Our icus are full. Our floors are full. The emergency room is full. So distressing to hear and our thanks to dr. Beaumont for sharing her story. For more on how hospitals and communities are dealing with this crisis, lets bring in abc news chief medical correspondent dr. Jennifer ashton, and former trump Homeland Security adviser and abc contributor, tom bossert. Let me start with you, dr. Jen, heartbreaking stories from that doctor and so many other Healthcare Workers, i know your brothers on the front lines as well. The United States now has more than 120,000 confirmed cases, the most in the world, and hit that horrible 2,000death milestone, where would you say we are today in the cycle, has the curve been flatten at all in any places . Well, we dont know. Only time will tell, martha, because when youre dealing with an Infectious Disease outbreak, as dr. Tony fauci has said, youre always behind so its important to remember we still dont know a lot about how this virus behaves, we think that there could be up to twoweek incubation period. Then it takes time for people to develop symptoms and become sick. What were seeing today, actually probably represents something that happened two to four weeks ago, and if you think that way, we dont two to four weeks from now will look like. Tom, the president floated that easter deadline, you heard what the doctor said to get the economy up and running again, said he would release guidelines early next week, certain lowrisk areas would be able to ease up on social distancing. We continue to see new hotspots emerge on this country, how can you set guidelines when we have so little data . You cant. What a week. He started the week, dont flatten the market, flatten the curve line. Hopeful easter deadline. Later in the week, 180degree reversed with a datadriven letter to the governors suggesting, were going to move out of this in a careful manner and even conceded that some places will have to increase their social distancing measures. I think at this stage, as this expires on monday, 15 days, responsibly i think the president has no choice but to extend this National Blanket intervention order. Because, tom, even if there are fewer cases than predicted that doesnt mean these extreme measures werent necessary. In fact, i would argue that while we cant quantitative it to the doctors standpoint, we can see some evidence that its working, its working if we hadnt taken these extreme measures, we would expect to see an unfortunately higher number. We cant prove that negative but its clearly less than the 20 attack rate that we had feared and that we had seen elsewhere. We have to stay this course. Our message to people we have to stop cheating. Any time, even a small percentage of our society steps out of these lines, the cheating has a significant effect on the slope of this infection curve. And jen, more and more states and cities, and you heard the governors sayg theyre desperate for equipment in hospitals, you have seen the images out of hospitals like elmhurst hospital in new york, but this is what dr. Deborah birx on the president s Task Force Said on thursday. To say to the American People, when they need a hospital bed its not going to be there, or when they need that ventilator is not going to be there, we dont have an evidence of that right now. She was clearly trying to reassure but how do you see that . Heres the thing about ventilators when you take into accoun

© 2025 Vimarsana