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CNN TONIGHT

U.S. May Soon Follow Italy's Path; Medical Health Workers Asking For More Supplies; Busy World Simultaneously Pause Activities; How To Cope With Drastic Changes Brought By Coronavirus; United States Has At Least 6,118 Known Cases Of Coronavirus And 111 Deaths; How Small Businesses Are Stepping Up During The Coronavirus Outbreak. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired March 17, 2020 - 23:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[23:00:00]

SHAMS CHARANIA, SPORTS REPORTER, THE ATHLETIC: And he let owners know there is a sobering reality of this, is that cases will likely go off and increase over this next two to three weeks -- two to three months, should say just as they have in Italy.

And so, there was a sobering truth. But one thing I can tell you, Don, is, you know, players whether you are talking about LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, owners, the league office. They all want to resume the season. Whether that's in May, June, July, August. Players want to salvage this 2019, '20 season whenever that period is.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: All right. Shams, Carolyn, thank you so much. I really appreciate you joining us. Updating us on this very important story.

This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon.

It is a top of the hour. And we've got a very busy hour coming up for you. Covering all the angles of the coronavirus pandemic. And here are tonight's big headlines.

Coronavirus is spreading. It is now in all 50 states with West Virginia confirming its first case today. Now more than 5,800 confirmed cases nationwide. The pandemic is responsible for more than 100 deaths in the United States. Millions of Americans ordered to stay in their home. Away from their jobs, schools closed for millions of children across the country.

And there's no end in sight. So, is social distancing, is it helping to limit the spread of this virus? Dr. Anthony Fauci says it could be weeks or longer before we know. There are still not enough coronavirus tests for those who want them. And that's causing negative consequences for the nation's healthcare system.

We'll see how the federal government has a giant stockpile of medical supplies. But are those supplies reaching state and local governments? And we'll see why some states are more vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic than others.

Now Erica Hill has the story of how everyday life in America is changing under the coronavirus.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Empty restaurants, lonely streets, millions ordered to stay in their homes without a clear end in sight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR LONDON BREED, (D) SAN FRANCISCO: These measures will be disruptive to day-to-day life, but there is no need to panic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The San Francisco Bay Area shelter in place order has prompted questions about whether similar measures could spread.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): Part of the fear the anxiety, people spread rumors. Maybe you're going to quarantine New York City. And I have no interest whatsoever and no plan whatsoever to quarantine any city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: And yet concern is growing by the day. About how long any measure will last. And what will be left when it's over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JEFF MERKLEY (D-OR): Small businesses are calling into my office one after another. People are not going to the barbershop; they're not going to the restaurants. Restaurants are being shut down, et cetera. We are seeing a massive collapse in the economy around this country.

GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ): The unemployment request first time request for benefits that are coming in literally this week as we sit here are overwhelming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The White House today announced help is coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVEN MNUCHIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY: We're looking at sending checks to Americans immediately. Americans need cash now and the president wants to get cash now. And I mean now in the next two weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: How much, when and who will be eligible remains unknown. The pledge comes as airlines are asking for an estimated $50 billion government bailout. And dozens of retailers announce nationwide closings, including Disney, Macy's, Nordstrom, and Foot Locker.

Supermarkets across the U.S. are adjusting their hours. Opening early for seniors in an effort to minimize their exposure. State and local officials preparing for an anticipated surge at hospitals and medical centers as elective surgeries are cancelled. Patients are discharged more quickly. And new facilities are prepped to offer additional capacity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY FAUST, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN: We can't do our jobs if we do not have access to our equipment and we don't have access to, you know, plus supply lines. And so, we need to do everything we can to stay that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The government has yet to provide a clear answer on how they'll meet the need for life saving ventilators. Advising states to get their own. While calling on other industries to help meet the need for industrial masks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're asking them to donate their N95 masks to their local hospitals and also forego making additional orders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Questions about supply as the demand for answers grows.

Don, in terms of testing, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio saying today that starting on Thursday they're going to be really ramping up the testing, they're going to be very soon at a place where they can be doing 5,000 test a day. And that those results, Don, will be back within just one to two days.

LEMON: Erica, thank you so much. Joining me now is Dr. James Phillips, assistant professor of George Washington University Hospital. Thank you for joining us, Dr. Phillips. I really appreciate it. You know you just heard Erica the hospitals don't have enough ventilators and intensive care beds. How dire is this situation?

[23:05:06]

JAMES PHILLIPS, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: For right now we do. But what we're looking at projections of what's to come. The purpose of the strategic national stockpile is plan for surges in patients like what we're expecting.

But what we're seeing from modelling and there's a lot of different folks doing modelling but it's all looks unfavorable. It looks like we are at pretty significant risk of overwhelming the number of beds and ventilators we have. So, it's very important that we start to take some very drastic public health measures to try to keep that from happening.

LEMON: So, Dr. Phillips, you know, when we finish the show last night there were 4,465 cases of coronavirus in the U.S. and 87 deaths. Tonight, 500 -- 800 -- 5,000 -- excuse me -- 839 cases, 107 deaths. What more needs to be done so we don't have the same fate as Italy?

PHILLIPS: Well, the question is whether or not we can stop that in a short term. So, as I heard earlier on --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Really? Say that again?

PHILLIPS: You know what we're seeing --

LEMON: The question is whether or not we can stop it?

PHILLIPS: Well, the question is whether or not we can prevent it from getting as serious right now. So, let me explain or as what we're seeing in Italy right now. So, where we are right now what we're seeing as far as the number of newly reported cases and the number of deaths is really reflection of where the disease spread was 5 to 10 days ago.

And what we're expecting and there's no reason to discount this is that as we expand testing we're going to see a very exponential rise in the number of cases that we see. What we're afraid of is that that's also going to reflect in the number of deaths that we see.

When we take a look at the analysis of those first hundred patients that have died in the United States, we see that the majority f them are elderly, 70s, 80s and 90s.

And what we saw in the nursing home out west is unfortunately a real risk at nursing homes across the United States. Those are the most vulnerable areas. Nursing homes, homeless shelters, places like that. Prisons even.

And so, the bottom line is things are going to get much worse. These numbers are going to get so unpalatable. And I'm afraid that we're going to start seeing similar numbers like Italy where they are reporting 200 and 300 deaths per day. I'm afraid that that's where we're headed.

LEMON: My gosh. OK. Well, you know, the president has said that everyone doesn't need to be tested. But we know that people with COVID-19 maybe asymptomatic. So, wouldn't testing help identify who is spreading the virus? Where are the tests?

PHILLIPS: A hundred percent, yes. They're coming. And you know, I'm an emergency physician. I'm not a politician. I don't make excuses nor do I excuse the delays that have happened so far.

My colleagues and I need this testing opt front lines. We need priority testing for the patients that are clearly sick. We need priority testing for healthcare providers who may be exposed.

Right now, I have one of my own fellows who is awaiting his test results to find out when he can go back to work. Hopeful, you know, he's feeling good. We hope that it's going to be negative. But he's waiting five days to get this testing done.

And while physicians and nurses are out, patients are suffering. So, with all due respect to the previous discussion about NBA players, what we need to be focusing on is keeping the people on the front lines in the fight so we can continue to provide care to our patients. Because in the long run this is all about patients and keeping people from getting sick and dying.

LEMON: Yes. So, Dr. Phillips, let's talk about, you know, those people on the front lines. Because they really are, you know, our defense right now. What more can be done? I mean, besides testing. I mean, because they do need as we've said they do need the respirators, they do need equipment. What more can be done to help the folks who are on the front lines?

PHILLIPS: Well, I'll tell you what I -- what I would like to have. What I would like to have is some hope. I think people in America right now, people around the world are really looking for some small glimmer of hope as to when this might pass and that someone is looking out for us. Right?

And day after day we're getting bombarded with this news that a, we don't have enough testing and now stories that we're running out of PPEI. I talk to friends all over the country and get e-mails all the time, there are hospitals that are starting to run short on supplies. Real supplies like the masks that will protect healthcare workers from getting this disease.

And that means that my friends and I are going to be going into the battle without equipment. We wouldn't send our soldiers in without guns but we're going to send doctors and nurses into the fray without proper equipment. That's happened in Italy.

[23:10:00]

And every single day that these doctors and nurses are taking care of patients they are risking their lives. You know, I'm the son of a firefighter, the nephew of a firefighter, the grandfather of a firefighter -- grandson of a firefighter. And my -- they risk their lives every day. That's not something we're used to thinking about in our jobs but it is right now.

What I want is some hope from my federal government saying that we're going to get you that equipment. I know that the testing is coming and I realize that.

LEMON: Yes.

PHILLIPS: But we need equipment. We need N95 masks and the we need the Defense Production Act to kick into gear and make us masks. Get ventilators for our patients.

LEMON: Well, I think --

PHILLIPS: Because every day that goes by, we're in trouble.

LEMON: I think everyone agrees with that and we need to take care of them. Thank you, Dr. James Phillips. We really appreciate that.

Listen, we have some breaking news that we need to report to you about Super Tuesday. CNN is ready to project Arizona for Joe Biden.

Our Phil Mattingly is at the magic wall for us. Phil, take us through it. This is a huge night for Joe Biden. He has won Florida, Illinois and now Arizona.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A clean sweep for Joe Biden on the night. Very delegate rich between Florida, between Illinois and now we have Arizona. We're just seeing the results start to pop in Arizona. Polls close at 10. We're getting the results now.

And the reason why CNN is able to project right now starts right here. Maricopa County, it's the largest county in the state. It's a crucial county for any -- or county for anybody who wants to win it.

And take a look at this margin. Seventy-six percent reporting. Joe Biden 41.7 percent, Bernie Sanders 29.7 percent. Right about 35,000, 40,000 votes ahead at this point in time. Again, the state still not quite to 50 percent reporting yet.

But this margin 40,000 votes ahead and dominating in the largest county in the state, that tells you all you need to know as to why Joe Biden was able to win the state of Arizona or will win the state of Arizona based on CNN projections.

I think what this also underscores, Don, is the Sanders campaign knew going into this night this was going to be a difficult night. Florida was a no-win situation for them. Illinois, particularly given some of the day of turn out that they were expecting it wasn't going to be good.

Arizona was one of the wild cards to some degree because of Bernie Sanders strength over the course of the last couple of months with the Latino population. It has not been the case today that that is going to play out.

Just like 2016 when Bernie Sanders, we're going to tick back to 2016, Bernie Sanders lost this state pretty handily. This is going to be a repeat this time around. When you're able to make a call this quickly after results starts flooding in from our projection team, that underscores that this is not going to be a close race by the end of the night.

And again, I keep going back to the biggest county in state, Maricopa County, 60 percent of the population lives here. This is the key. This is the be all end all county. And Joe Biden with a very significant margin right now in that county. One that we expect might actually grow over the course of the next couple hours as results come in, John -- Don.

So when you look at things over the course of this night, Florida, Illinois, Arizona for the third consecutive Tuesday, Joe Biden dominating making clear who not just the front runner of the race is but just the prohibited favorite almost at this point when you look at the math, Don.

LEMON: As you said, clean sweep tonight. A big night for him. The question is, what do Bernie Sanders do now? I guess we'll see in the coming days. Thank you, Phil. We appreciate it.

With the coronavirus still soaring far too many Americans still can't get tested. And CNN is digging into exactly what's gone wrong. And what it will take to fix it.

[23:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The death toll -- the toll, I should say, of coronavirus rising again tonight, 6,118 known cases, 110 deaths. That as official tell CNN the Trump administration is trying to use this pandemic to push through tough immigration restrictions.

CNN's Senior Justice Correspondent, Evan Perez joins me now. Evan, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it. What are your sources telling you?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, you know, as they say in politics never let a good crisis go to waste. And that's what appears to be happening with the Trump administration.

They're trying to push through a new plan essentially to turn away all asylum -- asylum seekers on the southern border. The idea being that the coronavirus is a national security emergency, essentially. And that these people who would be seeking asylum pose a risk because they may be carrying the virus.

The idea is to make sure that border patrol stations and that other immigrants who are being held in detention don't get the virus. That's the idea behind this plan.

Now, Don, as you know, this is an administration that's been pushing for tough immigration policies, and this is one idea that's been floating around. They've never really been able to do it but the coronavirus pandemic is the reason that they believe they can do it now.

LEMON: Evan, you know, Trump is trying to close the southern border before. Why does the administration think it's possible now?

PEREZ: Well, you know, I think they're looking at the legal options. The lawyers, the administration's lawyers have been looking at this, Don, over the last few weeks. And what they've come upon is the idea that, you know, let's say someone who is seeking asylum presents himself at the border and they have the virus.

They could infect any number of border patrol agents and all -- you know, you have an entire section of the border that would have to be essentially evacuated or quarantined. And they say that that poses a national security risk to the country. Now, again, this is something that, you know, various parts of

administration and some of the hardliners have kind of tried to figure out a way to do. There are treaties, there are U.S. laws that protect refugees that give them a right to at least make a claim. And so, they are looking at this as a way to get around that.

LEMON: All right. Even Perez, thank you very much. I appreciate it your reporting.

Health officials saying that coronavirus testing is ramping up across the country even though many Americans say that they still can't get tested. Our scientist calling the current testing capacity, quote, "abysmal for every day Americans."

[23:19:59]

CNN's Drew Griffin has been investigating and he joins me now. Drew, thank you so much. I appreciate you joining us. Your team has been digging into this lack of testing and it's not just the tests that are in short supply, right?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Don, there's a lack of testing kits in some areas, no question. But we're also hearing about the shortages in just the swabs used to collect samples. The pipe etches used to transport this reagent solution for this test.

And by the way, the reagent chemicals they are also in short supply. Qiagen is one of the major suppliers, that company is ramping up production, as you said, as fast as possible. Also, pushing the FDA to get other companies to do the same.

But a spokesperson for the German-based company says that this afternoon its unprecedented demand. We have already shipped twice as many kits to the United States in the first two and a half months of this year than we did in all of 2019.

Adding that they are, this is the testing provider, prioritizing customers. A spokesperson for Ohio's Department of Health calls it a global shortage. Ohio and its labs are making sure the CDC and the FDA are aware of this. But right now, all we keep hearing, Don, is we're going to ramp up the testing. The question is when, where are the supplies.

LEMON: Drew, so can you say for sure that people who should be getting tested are not?

GRIFFIN: Without a doubt. We've heard not just from patients who have been sick tested negative for the flu are told they cannot get a COVID-19 test because of the supply issues. Hospitals telling their own doctors the threshold for conducting tests is getting more strict because of the supplies.

One hospital in New Jersey, for instance, sent a note to doctors just yesterday saying no longer the policy to test all suspected case. Only those suspected cases with serious symptoms. Mild cases, just go home. There is not going to be testing done for you.

LEMON: And without testing, how is it possible to even determine if things are improving if things are getting worse or, you know, if it's even spreading to new areas?

GRIFFIN: That is exactly why you would have testing, Don, to figure out where this is. Infectious disease experts are telling us it also maybe irrelevant pretty soon as the disease spreads. But you know, there is no medicine to give. But the testing especially early on would have helped to try to mitigate outbreaks, isolate people, slow the spread.

LEMON: Right.

GRIFFIN: Probably too late. Quite frankly, the next issues, as you've already talked about in your show, shortages of ventilators, bed space, masks like we've been hearing about. But the testing, that was the first line of defense. That was a failure of preparation. No doubt about it. Six to eight weeks behind is what I'm hearing.

LEMON: And this is where we are. Drew Griffin, thank you so much for your reporting.

Inadequate testing is not the only issue this country faces. Officials from all levels of government urging people to follow social distancing guidelines. But there's still confusion about exactly what that all means.

Here to discuss is Andy Slavitt, former acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services in the Obama administration. I appreciate you joining us. Are you doing OK?

ANDY SLAVITT, ACTING ADMINISTRATOR, CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES: Yes. Thanks, Don. How about you?

LEMON: Absolutely. I'm doing fine, just fine under the circumstances.

If you look at the chart of the number of cases in the country by day it is growing exponentially. And then you look at the places like San Francisco today which was supposed to be under a shelter in place order. People are going outside. But do you think that that is the result of confusion? I mean, they think it is OK since they are, you know, in fresh air. Not in the confined spaces.

I mean, listen, you heard the governor of New York today saying go, take your kids outside. Go to a park. Just don't be in confined space. What do you think?

SLAVITT: Well, look, there's nothing I'd love to be doing more today than going to Chicago and visiting my mom who I haven't seen in a little while and hanging out. But you know, she's 79 and we are living in a world where today there's a virus that not a single one of us has immunity for.

We will eventually. We'll build here to have immunity. But we have to build that over a slow period of time because if we don't as your -- as your last report and some of your earlier reports on the show have indicated today, the healthcare system just doesn't have any of the supplies and things. You know, some of it may be in fact scandalous. And we should have done better or mistakes made.

But also, to be fair, you know, we didn't build, you know, quote, unquote, "build a church for Easter Sunday." So, you know, we didn't build a hospital for 10 times the ICU beds that you'd normally have in the case of a pandemic. That's why you got to contain these things.

But once you don't, the best option you have is to do what we say is hash tag stay home.

[23:25:00]

And 15 experts and myself put together a list of 30 recommendations for individuals, for state officials and for healthcare workers that we published in the USA Today. it's at www.stayhomesave lives.us. And that's really where I think Americans need to be.

We will only be able to slow down the spread and slowdown that curve if we follow that.

LEMON: Yes. OK, so listen, let's talk about the curve. And what I hear people say bending the curve but it's actually flattening the curve is what it is. Because it's so important to understanding social distancing.

The dash line -- we're going to put that up -- on this animation you see that, that represents the capacity for healthcare system. The big spike shows what happens if no measures are taken to stop the spread. And the healthcare system would be overrun.

The flattened curve shows what happens if the measures like social distancing are put in place. A much slower increase of case putting less pressure on hospitals.

SLAVITT: Right.

LEMON: So, if cases keep growing how soon will hospitals be overwhelmed?

SLAVITT: So, the answer is different depending on what part of the country you live in. In New York, we are within probably certainly within a two-week if the outside three-week period. But maybe even less than that.

I think that we are following the curve of Italy almost exactly. Actually, today a little bit worse. Maybe even more than a little bit worse by about 14 days. So, if you look at where Italy was 14 days ago and that's where we are today. Fourteen days you can expect us without a radical change in how this disease spreads by hash tag stay home and staying home. Then you'll expect us to be where Italy is today in two weeks.

Now, again, you may live in West Virginia and in West Virginia that may not happen until May. Depending on how well we do at containing city to stay and state to state travel. But eventually it's going to -- it's going to travel there. What we want is we want this thing to actually get drawn out. Believe it or not. We want to go through this for a longer time. Which is why the economic conversation you had earlier is so important.

Because from a health standpoint we want this to take a longer time for the system. But from an economic and social standpoint, that's quite difficult. I'd like to go see my mom. We all like to go see and socializing get back to normal. So, we're going to have to wrestle with the tradeoff.

LEMON: Interesting. Thank you. Andy Slavitt, I appreciate it.

SLAVITT: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: You know, we're all feeling anxious as coronavirus spreads. You know, we're going to hear your questions about the virus and talk about how to keep your stress levels down. That's next.

[23:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: As the coronavirus spreads across the country, local governments and every day Americans are ramping up efforts to fight the pandemic. How is all of this affecting our mental well-being and how can we manage our stress levels as our daily routines are upended?

Let's discuss now with Dr. Sue Varma, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU Langone, and also Dr. Esther Choo, associate professor at Oregon Health and Science University. Welcome back, Dr. Choo. Welcome to the program, Dr. Varma.

SUE VARMA, CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY, NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER: Thank you.

LEMON: I appreciate you joining us. I want to start -- so let us talk about the mental and emotional toll this pandemic is taking. People are really anxious right now about these radical changes that are happening not only to them but to our society.

So one viewer is -- our viewer questions reflect how people can cope with the stress at their daily life and how that daily life is sort of grinding to a halt. Just give us a little advice about that.

VARMA: Sure, yes. So as somebody who has worked with trauma survivors over the last 20 years starting with 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, the tsunami, I think that it is really important for us to understand what puts us at risk for mental health problems, and here, what puts us more at risk for everything from anxiety, depression, substance abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder is that the fact that we are experiencing losses on multiple levels.

So it is not only the social distancing and the isolation. We know that the economy, our jobs are being impacted. You're talking about health stress and you're also talking about potential displacement for people. So, the losses are on multiple levels.

We also know from that trauma and large scale disaster is the concept of resilience. In my mind, there's a bridge between the two. I like to call that practical optimism. The practical part or all the tangible tips and takeaways that we are talking about is what can you do when you're staying at home.

If you're taking care of young children, you happen to be working from home, you can't see your elder -- you know, sort of grandparents, what can you do to maintain a routine. I like to call it the four Ms of mental health, mindfulness, movement, meaningful engagement, and mastery. I think it is really important that people do this on a daily basis.

LEMON: I want to get to some of the viewer questions. Dr. Choo, this one is for you. This is from Facebook. How do you self-quarantine when you have three other family members? Doctor?

ESTHER CHOO, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY: Yeah, it's really hard and particularly so when you have to have close contact if you're a care provider of young children or older family members. It's just not possible to retreat into separate bedrooms and the reality is people simply don't have giant mansions where everybody gets a section of the home and you can just retreat and maintain the distance.

[23:35:00]

CHOO: So, I think, you know, we -- there are our recommendations and then there is simply the best that you can do. So you try to be very vigilant about not sharing cups and plates and drinks and a lot of hand hygiene and being mindful of cleaning surfaces. I think we have to do the best we can in the house, particularly when there are people who have symptoms and people who are medically fragile.

LEMON: OK. So, being outside is actually not in a confined area, doctor, so can kids play outside with other kids? Is that a no, no?

CHOO: I think social distancing now has this indeterminate timeline. In my own community, initially we started with school closings in Oregon that were two and a half weeks, and now we're closing schools for the entire month of April. I have four young children. I will tell you since we're here speaking about mental health, keeping them inside with me during the entire period is not going to be good for anybody.

So I think it's good to get outside. I think we can still maintain social distancing, avoid any gatherings. We are not having play dates but we are getting them out the house and walking and getting exercise and those things that we need to maintain both our physical and our mental health.

I mean, this is not going to be a sprint. It is going to be a marathon. So we need to make things as sustainable as they can be while still trying to live up to the standards that our public health officials are telling us so that we can avoid again that curve that you just put up, the steep curve, and try to do our part to flatten the curve.

LEMON: OK. We're out of time. But I need to talk to both of you about how to keep me away from the refrigerator from all those snacks that I bought. Thank you.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: I appreciate it. We'll be right back.

(LAUGHTER)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:40:00]

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LEMON: The number of Americans infected with the coronavirus is now over 6,100. The big concern now, will our hospitals be able to handle the surge in patients?

Joining me now is Lisa Monaco, CNN national security analyst and former assistant to President Barack Obama for homeland security and counterterrorism. Lisa, I'm so happy that you're joining us. Thank you so much for doing this.

LISA MONACO, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, FORMER ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA FOR HOMELAND SECURITY AND COUNTERTERRORISM: Good to be with you, Don.

LEMON: Absolutely. Listen, there's a massive strain on hospitals around the country right now. We are told the U.S. government has a stockpile of emergency medical supplies. As a former homeland security official, what can you tell us about this? What do you know?

MONACO: So, there is something called the Strategic National Stockpile. It was started a few decades ago in the late 90s. It was originally envisioned to respond to a chemical or biological or nuclear attack and stocked with drugs and countermeasures and vaccines for that type of an event.

Over time, it really evolved to be something that is stocked up and prepared for other types of disasters, hurricanes, earthquakes, you name it, and of course, pandemics.

So it has grown over time to have vaccines, medical equipment, personal protective equipment that doctors and nurses and frontline health care workers need to respond to a pandemic, ventilators, masks, all the things that we have been talking about over the last several weeks.

LEMON: Mm-hmm. So, the acting director of the stockpile program, the acting director tells NPR that it currently holds about 30 million simple surgical masks, another 12 million of the more protective masks --

MONACO: Yeah.

LEMON: So, what are they waiting for? At what point will they release these crucial supplies, Lisa?

MONACO: So, it's a good question, Don. I mean, I know that there have been requests already. I have seen reports requests that there have been requests from Washington State and those are getting fulfilled. I think what is important to remember about the stockpile though is it was never intended to be a complete replacement. It has always been envisioned as a bridge to fill needs and gaps as they arise and to provide needed surge capacity.

But the point you make is a really important one which is we have a freight train coming at our head in the form of this escalating number of cases and we have been talking about the serious danger of our hospital system and our health care system being overrun by this escalation of cases.

And so we need to be moving now quickly to get these resources out and if we need more which we most certainly do given the numbers we are talking about, get those manufacturing agreements in place, activate authorities that we have things like the Defense Production Act. These are authorities that we have that we can exercise that we need in this urgent public health crisis.

LEMON: I just -- I have a quick question for you before I move on to one that, I think, is going to take longer. Do you think that this pandemic is being treated like a national security threat?

MONACO: I don't think it's being treated like a national security threat.

LEMON: OK.

MONACO: I think we're getting there.

LEMON: OK. So, let me ask this next question and I think you can answer the rest of it in this. The president claims that this virus came out of nowhere, Lisa. But you were in a meeting with Trump before the inauguration where he was warned about a pandemic like this. What was then president-elect Trump told and -- you know, continue on because I think this sort of goes into how this has been treated.

[23:45:05]

MONACO: So just to be clear, I think you are referring to the exercise that we ran during the transition. President Trump or then president- elect Trump was not present at that exercise.

This was something that the outgoing team, the Obama national security team, did with the incoming Trump administration national security team, and we really were doing something that the Bush administration had done when they were going out the door with the incoming Obama team, which is to sit down and say, what are the urgent threats that you are going to face based on our experience over the last eight years? What are the urgent threats? What are the issues you're going to face? How should you be in -- these are the things you need to be anticipating, these are the authorities you're going to have to exercise, these are the things that you should anticipate and think about now because these are the top threats that you're going to face.

I was responsible for helping to design that exercise. We addressed terrorism, cyber, hurricane, but we also added pandemic scenarios because we believed at the time that it was likely to pose one of the gravest threats that this administration would face. And the whole point of doing this was to say these are the types of things you should be thinking about. And I want to say, Don, this is not about got you.

LEMON: Right.

MONACO: This is not about pointing fingers in a crisis. This is about saying, look, these are the things that need to be focused on and need to be treated as an urgent national security issue. And today, right now, we are in a public health crisis and we should be coming together to treat it with the urgency that it deserves and getting those resources out right now to those frontline health care workers.

LEMON: Lisa Monaco, thank you so much. I really appreciate your time and hearing your expertise on this. Thank you.

MONACO: Thanks for having me.

LEMON: How the CDC is tracking the most vulnerable people in the U.S., that's next.

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[23:50:00]

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LEMON: The coronavirus has now spread through all 50 states, but not all of them are feeling its impact equally. CNN's Tom Foreman explains why. Tom?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don. Well, anyone of any age in any state can get sick and even die from COVID-19. Being much older raises the danger level, according to medical authorities. About 52 million Americans are over the age of 65, according to census data and analysis by the non-profit Population Reference Bureau.

But those people are not evenly distributed. For example, a quarter of them live in California, Florida, and Texas, and the next quarter live in a handful of other states seen here in red, meaning those 10 health systems or so could bear the brunt of age-related complications from this outbreak in terms of raw numbers.

But for the individual viewer watching now, some other states may face arguably worse challenges and even more so when you consider underlying medical issues which also make people more susceptible to this virus.

Let's look at some of those on this map from the CDC starting with heart disease. In raw numbers, California has the most people with heart issues. But person for person states in the middle of the country, particularly in the south, could be more vulnerable because these states have the highest percentages of people already suffering from heart disease and so more susceptible to the virus.

Same goes for diabetes. Yes, the big states have the most cases because they also have the most people. But look at the middle of the country again. For every 100 people here, more have diabetes than in some of the larger states and they're at a greater risk for COVID-19.

And finally is chronic lung disease. Remember, a key symptom of this virus is shortness of breath and it can cause catastrophic pneumonia. So all these areas with elevated levels of lung disease, whether related to smoking or work conditions or whatever, people there theoretically face a higher risk than some other areas.

These are general snapshots and there's much we don't know like how well public health measures may help some people in some places. But these maps tell us while everyone is at risk. there are already reasons we may see worse outcomes in some states. Don?

LEMON: Tom, thank you so much. A bakery in Queens is feeding kids who rely on the free meals their schools usually supply. I'm going to talk to the co-owner of that bakery. You don't want to miss it. That's next.

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[23:55:00]

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LEMON: We are hearing the stories of more and more Americans taking care of their neighbors in the face of the coronavirus. Farine Bakery Company in Queens, New York has been giving out bags of food, a free food to those in need and feeding children under 12, free of charge.

Joining me now is Michael Mignano. He is a co-owner of Farine Bakery Company. Listen, the big news tonight -- so sorry, we're going to have to cut this a little short. But we're so grateful to you. Thank you so much for joining us. What made you decide to do this, offering these kids free meals under 12, children under 12?

MICHAEL MIGNANO, CO-OWNER, FARINE BAKING COMPANY: It's just the fact that I just felt like I have to do something. I believe that the majority of restaurants have the capacity to do this. And I figured myself and my partner, Babu Khan (ph), that we just start this initiative so other restaurants can sort of follow suit.

LEMON: Yeah. What do the kids like that you're feeding? What do they say to you? How do they react?

MIGNANO: They're appreciative. The parents are very appreciative. At the end of the day, it's saving them money. And since the schools are closed, I believe now they're offering school meals but before they weren't, so, I mean, if you're on certain fixed income, you know, having to feel worried about how you're going to feed your child, it is concerning.

LEMON: You're paying a lot of this out of your own pocket. Have you gotten any help from others?

MIGNANO: Yes. So, myself and my partner, Babu (ph), we have sort of dug into our pocket's business to sort of support. The help I have is my partner's grocery stores, premium supermarkets, are actually donating some food. We have a lot of local residents of Jackson Heights that are supporting us on our "GoFundMe" page or also just dropping off food and groceries and money that we're just sort of replenishing the table. So, you know, the whole community can benefit from this.

LEMON: The owner of Farine Baking Company in Queens, New York, Michael Mignano, thank you so much for doing what you do. We really appreciate it, sir.

MIGNANO: Thank you. You're welcome.

LEMON: Thank you, thank you. And thank for watching, everyone. Our live coverage continues now with Mr. Christopher Cuomo.