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White House Updates Public On U.S. Coronavirus Response; President Donald Trump: We Don't Foresee Prescription Drug Shortages; President Trump & Vice President Mike Pence Comment On Need For Medical Supplies And New Hospitals; Trump Administration Announces New Telehealth Initiatives Amid Crisis; President Trump Announces New Coronavirus Testing Authority For States. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired March 17, 2020 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look we have four or five ways we can do it. Four ways in particular, I think there is a fifth possibility but there is a very good ways of getting the money out and getting it out quickly.

Payroll tax is one way. It does come over a period of months many months. We want to do something much faster than that. So I think we have a ways of getting money out pretty quickly and very accurately.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, can you talk about the timeline please how quickly do you think you can get this done?

STEVEN MNUCHIN, TREASURY SECRETARY: The President has instructed me, we have to do this now. So this is now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like by the end of the week?

MNUCHIN: We are going to work with the Senate in session right now actively. We'll continue to have conversations with the House. I have already spoken to Speaker Pelosi once today. This is tough and these are to be done now.

The President has instructed me that this is no faults to American workers. For medical reasons we are shutting down parts of this economy and we're going to use all the tools we have as I have said and what tools we don't have, we are going back to Congress. I got to go back to--

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: --$850 billion to those who might be concerned--

TRUMP: We don't want to talk about it but it is substantial number. We are going big. The expression, we can do it two ways. We can keep going back every day or every week. We are going big. That's where Mitch McConnell that's where he wants to go and that's where I want to go.

I think we want to get it done and have a big infusion as opposed to going through little meetings every couple of days. We don't want to do it that way, we want to go big and go solid. The country is very strong. We've never been so strong and that's what we're going to be doing.

We don't want with this invisible enemy we don't want to airlines going out of business. We don't want people losing their jobs or not having money to live when they were doing very well just four weeks ago. So we are going big and that's the way it will be and that's the way everybody seems to like it on the Hill. Any other questions this --?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President just into airlines and hotels you would call it restaurants today was any type of emergencies assistance discussed on that call? A lot of restaurants have to close even if they are doing delivery they're not making as much money as they would with a full house.

MNUCHIN: Let me add two comments on the restaurants, the President understands this. This was emphasized this morning. First of all, we want to make sure that the states allow the drive-through portion of these fast foods to stay open. Particularly in a time period where we are telling people don't go to restaurants.

These companies feed a big part of America and I expect they're going to feed a bigger part of America. The second thing they asked me to emphasize I was not going to do it now but as long as you asked many of these companies have asked.

You can order ahead of time, that way when you get there it is as simple as they'll have it packed and they can give it to you with social distancing and it will be very fast. So we expect that they'll be able to feed a large part of the population.

And regards to support, I will say a lot of these businesses are small businesses, companies franchises, 500 or less. We have a specific program we'll be unveiling that helps all businesses, small and medium size businesses of 500 or less.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Question regarding Marriot Corporation has announced that it is furloughing thousands of individuals because of the impact of Coronavirus will your legislation help those individuals?

MNUCHIN: I hope so. That's one of the reasons why we got to act very quickly because we understand whether it is the airlines or hotels for good reasons to protect the United States on medical issues.

These businesses are shutdown and the President wants to make sure as I've said we will use all the powers we have. You saw this today the trillion dollars of potential liquidity into the market. And the power what we don't have, we are going to Congress. And I will say there is a lot of bipartisan support for these issues.

So I am going to apologize because I have to go deal with some other things if that's okay with Mr. President?

TRUMP: Thank you.

MNUCHIN: Oh, I do want to comment on this. We absolutely believe in keeping the markets open. Americans need to know they have access to their money. After September 11th, the only reason why the markets were closed was because the technology was disrupted. I've been on the phone with the major banks with the New York Stock Exchange.

Everybody wants to keep it open. We make it to a point where we shorten the hours. If that something they need to do but Americans should know that we are going to do everything to make sure that they have access to their money at their banks to their money in their 401- ks and to the money in stocks. So I wanted just to be very clear we intend to keep the markets open.

TRUMP: And the banks are record setting strong. So we have that which is a much different event than what we had not so long ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, you mentioned the army core of engineers, you've had a conversation with Governor Cuomo he believes that New York is going to run out of hospital beds. Are you prepared to mobilize?

TRUMP: Yes, we are starting to process. It is a process. We hope it won't be necessary but it could be necessary. The state is working on it hard themselves but we'll probably supplement what they are doing.

[12:05:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you have been given many of the - for pharmaceutical come from China. There have been supply disruptions that supply chain has been broken to some degree. You expect that we could run into a shortage of prescription drugs.

TRUMP: No, I don't see that at all. And I think China has every incentive to make sure that things work well. China wants to make sure that things work very well. They have every incentive to do so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, the Governor of Ohio has called off the election that was supposed to happen there the primary election, do you agree with that decision? What steps are you taking to ensure those elections going forward if this pandemic continues that elections will be able to happen and including the course the big on in the fall?

TRUMP: Well, the Governor of Ohio is doing a great job. He called it off and we'll see what happens. It is quick case. It has not been fully determined yet. But if he called it off, I could understand that because you know he's definitely somebody that knows what he's doing.

We'll be seeing very soon. They're going by the rule of 10 as opposed to 50 and it is pretty tough. I would say probably you could violate that if you wanted to for an election. I just think an election is a very special thing. He is going to choose - he chose a different date.

I think the date sometime in June. But that would be a decision that's made by him. He felt that it was necessary. The courts are - somebody is challenging and so the courts will ultimately decide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing to ensure that further elections, if we're still in this situation a month from now two months from now?

TRUMP: Yes. What I am doing John is very simple we're getting rid of this virus. That's what we're doing. That's the best thing we can do by the way for the markets where it is very simple. Very simple solution, we want to get rid of it and few deaths as possible. This is a horrible thing.

You look at what's going on with Italy. We don't want to be in a position like that. But a much larger because we are a much larger country, we don't want to be there. I think we have done very well. I think we've done well I think the states have done well. We're all working together.

The best thing we can do is get rid of the virus, once that is gone it's going to pop back like nobody has ever seen before. That's my opinion but I think it will pop back like nobody has ever seen before.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, just to follow up on John's question, specifically how many new hospital facilities could the army core of engineers build? And also what specific measures are you taking to try to increase the number of ventilators in this country?

TRUMP: Right. We have ordered massive numbers of ventilators. We have by any normal standards we have a lot of respirators and ventilators. We have tremendous amount of equipment but compared to what we are talking about here, this has never been done before.

And yesterday I gave the Governors the right to go order directly if they want, if they feel they can do it faster than going through the federal government. Now we've knocked out all of the bureaucracy. It is very direct but it is still always faster to order directly. And I gave them that were totally misinterpreted by "The New York Times" on purpose unfortunately. But it is very important.

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I could amplify.

TRUMP: Yes, please.

PENCE: The President directed us to work with the Department of France. There are two ways that DOD can be helpful in terms of expanding medical capacity. I know the Governor of New York has asked us to look at the army core of engineers which could perhaps renovate existing buildings.

But the President also has us inventorying what you all will understand as field hospitals or mash hospitals that can be deployed very quickly. We spoke with Governor Inslee yesterday in Washington State.

We have resources in that part of the country that we could move. And as Governors make these request, we'll process them bring them to the President. But there are two different lanes that DOD can provide in addition to many medical supplies to augment our national reserve.

And the President has tasked us to evaluate make available and to consider every request from Governors for field hospitals, expanding facility or the core of engineers that could retrofit existing buildings.

TRUMP: The army core is very prepared to do as we say and we are looking at where it is going. But and they do call the mash hospitals but the field hospitals are going very quickly. We have them and we have all of this equipment in stock and we are looking at different sites and a few different locations.

We are not going to need them in West Virginia where so far I guess they have none? Still none right? West Virginia. The Governor, he must be a good job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what reported.

TRUMP: That's what is reported.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But is that a reporting issue or is that they have no case?

TRUMP: Well, that's all of it. I just see West Virginia is the only one that has no cases. So obviously that's being treated differently than a New York or California different parts of California. I do say this so the army core of engineers is ready and willing and able. We have to give them the go ahead. If we find that it is going to be necessary.

[12:10:00]

TRUMP: We think we can have quite a few units up very rapidly. I am going to work with Governor Cuomo I am going to work with a number of the Governors. Governor Newsom has been very generous in his words and I am being generous to him too because we are all working together very well.

I think a lot of very positive things have taken place. We are talking to California about different sites. We can have a lot of units up fairly quickly if we think we need them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, a follow up on that--

TRUMP: I think what I'll do is that I might ask Seema to say a few words on the Telehealth and then we can get back to this. Please Seema.

SEEMA VERMA, ADMINISTRATOR, CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES: Thank you, Mr. President. As our President announced earlier we are doing a dramatic expansion of what's known as Telehealth for 62 million Medicare beneficiaries who are amongst the most vulnerable to the Coronavirus.

We are acting in accord with the appropriations bill that was signed on March 6th as well as the President's Emergency Declaration last week. This action is a part of our broader effort to ensure that government requirements, rules and regulations don't get in the way of patient care during an emergency.

Today's announcement builds on the significant progress that the President has already made over the past three years around Telehealth services. And while we have allowed for a virtual check-ins full Telehealth benefits have been restricted to those living in rural areas and established patients and just for those brief visits.

But no longer will Medicare beneficiaries across the nation, no matter where they live now are able to receive a wide range of services via Telehealth without ever having to leave home. And these services can also be provided in a variety of settings including Nursing Homes, Hospital Out-Patient Departments and more.

And thanks to the leadership of HHS will also be temporarily relaxing certain HIPPA requirements so that doctors can provide Telehealth with their own phones and will be using enforcement discretion when it comes to collecting Co-pays so that cost won't be a barrier.

This is a part of our larger efforts around mitigation and as we're encouraging Americans to stay home whenever possible we don't want our Medicare policies getting in the way. And so consider the implications of this, perhaps an elderly patient with diabetes needs a routine check-up. And this has nothing to do with the Coronavirus.

And so with our new Telehealth benefit this person who's not really - who's at risk for the Coronavirus does not have to venture outside their home. They can talk to their doctor via Skype. And they don't have to risk exposure to the virus and they can receive that care from the safety of their home.

It could be another Medicare recipient who is experiencing mild flu like symptoms and instead of leaving the house and sitting in a waiting room full of other vulnerable people they can also receive the advice from their doctor from their home.

And this shift is very important for clinicians and providers who over the coming weeks will face considerable strain on their time and resources. And now Medicare patients who don't absolutely need to come in to an office won't have to and this allows the healthcare system to prioritize for care for those that are more - that have more needs or in dire need and preserved protected equipment as well.

And state agencies can also provide Telehealth services without federal approval and so we're asking all states to make this available as well. And we've also asked private insurance companies to expand their Telehealth benefits and make it clear to their providers and their members what they cover.

As our nation seeks to balance the twin imperatives of getting Americans the care that they need during this outbreak and limiting the spread of the virus the impact of this historic actions simply cannot be overstated. In an emergency those on the front line shouldn't have to worry about federal rules and red tape hamstringing them when they need flexibility above all else.

And we are doing everything in our power to make sure that does not happen. I also just want to briefly mention that because of the President's Emergency Declaration we do have the ability to provide a lot of Medicaid, waivers and Florida was the first state to be approved. We were able to do that in a matter of days. Thank you.

TRUMP: Any questions?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do you see your citizens go from instructions on how to do Telehealth?

VERMA: They should call their doctor's office and their doctor's office they can tell them how to do that. And also you know there may be some of our Medicare members that may not have access to equipment, so we are asking family members to help with this but also respecting the requirements around social distancing and if any of those family members or neighbors have symptoms they should obviously stay away.

TRUMP: Will you be posting numbers also?

VERMA: That's correct.

TRUMP: That might be the easiest way to do it.

VERMA: Exactly, yes.

TRUMP: If you post in ads if you post some numbers.

VERMA: And they can also call our 1800 Medicare number and they can also get information, those phone lines are open.

TRUMP: Thank you very much. Admiral, will you say a few words about where we're going?

[12:15:00]

ADMIRAL BRETT GIROIR, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF HEALTH: Well, thank you very much. As we talked about earlier this week the commercial system is rapidly advancing in the testing capabilities.

As of today our Public Health Laboratories, meaning the CDC and the public health labs have reported out 31,878 tests, so almost 32,000 tests. The clinical laboratories the Association of Clinical Laboratories have reported out about 27,000 tests and most importantly of those 27,000 during the cumulative period of time, 8,200 of them were yesterday.

This is showing the dramatic ramp as the high threw put comes in. We don't have the numbers this morning from the American Hospital Association, which means all the individual hospital laboratories we'll have that upcoming in the next day or so and then Ambassador Burke will have this whole process fixed under the legislation that everyone will roll up into a common reporting probably by the end of next week.

In terms of our drive-through laboratories, again these are blossoming all over the country, by individual states the one that we are heavily involved in, in really pushing equipment to, we expect over the next few days to begin setting up in 47 of these in approximately 12 states. The material is already palletized and being shipped to the locations. Most cities have the specific locations. Some do not but it's still going to a central receiving and we know that will be deploying at least 140 commission core officers about half of the site have reported their requirements.

About 140 officers will be going, we expect for it to go up. So this is going on the way we expected. We did a trial site yesterday with a full mobile unit for drive-through with full PPE. We had a lot of kings in the system as you can expect. That's why we do a test before we go out into the field, don't expect these to be 100 percent perfect the moment they come.

They're going to be adapted to the state and local situation. We are very confident that these will add testing to be already very robust healthcare system and commercial system. Thank you Mr. President.

TRUMP: And this has never been done before? And it sets a great roadmap for future. Should we have something like this in the future? I hope we don't. But it's never been done before and they have done an incredible job and again we're working with the states and relying on the states.

We have to because - they have its point of sale, it is point of site and I think just about every instance getting along really well with the states. If I could, Dr. Birx if you could say a couple of words, please?

DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE RESPONSE COORDINATOR: Thank you Mr. President. So I think what you have been hearing from us is define solutions that are high quality and sustainable based on the front line workers and Governor's requests. Those come in on the Governors' calls and we have been responsive to those.

And that's the level of red tape and bureaucracy that we have removed. I think that point about sustainability and quality is very important because as the President says we are creating a road map for a different level of functionality for future pandemics.

Our flu pandemic preparedness plan was a plan. Now we are seeing where we have to revise where we have to create new avenues of research and new avenues of work to really ensure that the need of the American people can be reached.

We were adamant about having a high quality tests based on our commercial vendors. Over the next few months, you will begin to see that other tests that were utilized around the world were not of the same quality resulting in false positives and potentially false negatives.

These tests were studied and studied by the FDA to really ensure that they are at that level of quality. We have given the states, the permission to ensure that same level of quality. Now I wanted to say one minute on the testing. Testing should not be used as an assessment of your risk. We are asking every single American no matter what your generation from Z and up to X and millennials and in between to really ensure that you are following these guidelines.

We hear every night of people who are not in work moving that time into bars and other areas of large gatherings. If we continue with that process, we'll fail in containing this virus. So every single generation has a role to play.

We are asking our older generation to stay in their home and we're asking the younger generations to support them in contacting through videos and other Skype type function or just the simple telephone.

[12:20:00]

BIRX: We are asking the younger generation to stop going out in public places to bars and restaurants and spreading to asymptomatic virus on to counter tops and knobs and grocery stores and grocery carts.

I heard an innovation last night and this morning again on the news. I really want to applaud the private sector who are now creating senior only shopping times. I think that's extraordinary I think that shows what America brings and I think other countries will learn from us about how to really protect seniors in this type of way?

I am hoping it carries through to next year when we have our flu epidemic where we can really have a different profile of the mortality that we have during flu that we never talk about, anywhere from 15,000 or 45,000 individuals are lost every year.

If we learn how to do this well, and sustain some of those core changes we can change the way respiratory viruses not only for this but the future affecting Americans.

TRUMP: It is a big thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The question on the clinical data. We've had now more than 5,000 people tested positive, we've had 90 deaths or so, when are we going to know the data of who those people are? Who's been infected and what the ages are? What the pre-conditions are? How serious it was both for those who have been tested positive but also those who have died?

BIRX: Well, you are singing my sheet of music, I am very data oriented, so thank you for bringing up this issues of data. I really want to applaud HHS we had a discussion about this several days ago. They've made calls into Seattle and California to really understand that.

And also importantly to understand, how many of their patients needed ventilators? How many of them needed oxygen support? How many of them needed and what they needed? Could we predict early someone who was going to have a more difficult course?

These are all questions we are asking right and answering right now. We did get an early report back from Santa Clara and Seattle we are digesting it. We just got it this morning. We are looking at that carefully because we think that road map is very important to other communities.

We have not discussed this with New York yet. We do know from other countries and all that is available online, that profile. You can see that mortality under 30 is extraordinary low. The mortally across the board outside of Wuhan is now settling somewhere around .7 but that should not be reassuring because it is much higher in people with preexisting medical conditions even if young and people that are older with preexisting medical conditions.

So we still want every American focused on doing what they can do today to change the course of this pandemic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will commit to making that data problem so we will all know?

BIRX: We are committed not only to making it public but to have a website that everyone can see in real time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Birx if I can just follow on - there you are signaling a much more aggressive posture toward containing mitigation now in many states have been very aggressive. But there are a small number of states that have not issued public guidance to their residence.

Is it important for the success of the effort that 100 percent of the states be forward leaning on this and if so Mr. President, what would be your message to those states that have not?

BIRX: So that's why the Vice President and the President yesterday issued those critical guidelines. As I said this morning on "Fox and Friends," you can look at them as guidelines, you can look at them as requirements and you can look at them as the President asking every American and every state to follow those.

That's why we put them out at the federal level. We wanted to make sure every American knew what they could do today to change the course of this epidemic. I think it is empowering. I think it says all of us have a social responsibility to each other.

That's why we believe that every Mayor and every Governor should be instituting these guidelines that came from the White House and the President of the United States.

TRUMP: And we have been very tough in those states. I know exactly what you're talking about. We've been very tough on that. Thank you. Please go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Question on the testing, you have been telling us for days now that millions of tests have been sent out. So why have fewer than 60,000 people actually been tested?

BRIX: I think you will see different numbers this week. You heard just of 8,000. Remember all of these tests the high speed tests were approved last Friday night and last Thursday night. I think if I could talk to Thermo Fisher and the other groups that have these platforms out there do not rely on a pull technology push out those tests.

We can only make them available and groups have to order them. So we've been talking to Thermo Fisher one of the key platforms to push out tests based on need and not wait for orders.

[12:25:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's where the issues are getting a test out or is it getting the test conducted?

BIRX: That's a great question. I know part of it is getting the tests out right now. I think the Admiral and others are working on getting the issues related to getting the tests conducted. Obviously that does take time. He's working on innovated solutions that are creative and sustainable that'll be a game changer in testing.

But we don't have the data yet. This is critical comparer, can you do it yourself? Can you actually sample yourself? These are the kinds of things we are working on right now and he's getting the data for us.

TRUMP: And the states are actually doing a lot of it. The Governors and the states are doing a lot of it with even our tests. Sorry go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Can you give us a sense of how long these tough new restrictions will need to be in place until we start to see the rate of this virus going down? Also can you speak to the study that as many as 2.2 million people in the United States could die if they work this type of action by the government taken towards that exact count we saw yesterday?

BIRX: So I think you know models are models and they are based on input and they're based on infectiousness without any controls. I can tell you we've never seen that level of infections that modeled up to that 2.2 million in mortality.

So we are looking at that. We are having a particularly model meeting tomorrow. I think that's really going to be important. I dealt with a lot of modelers in my time, they're wonderful people. But they all have their favorite inputs and they all have their favorite integration functions. So we're evaluating all of those so we can integrate and create the best model for the United States based on the best data.

And that first set of recommendations you saw were based on what we could do today to prevent anything that looks like that. If I could just say one other thing to the hospitals and dentists out there, things that don't need to be done over the next two weeks, don't get it done.

If you are a person with elected surgeries, you don't want the go to the hospital right now. There are a lot of distractions. There are a lot of people doing a lot of other things to save people's lives. So let's all be responsible and cancel things we that can cancel to really free up hospital beds and space.

And then let's do everything that we can to ensure that we don't need the ventilators because we protected the people who would have needed to use them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you looking at the possibility of more actions like for example limiting travel within the United States?

TRUMP: It is possible. We'll see how it goes. It has been great co- operation with the local government and states. We'll see how it goes. It is going right now pretty well. Yes please go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I please follow on that Mr. President very quickly?

TRUMP: Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you need to invoke the defense production as to get more of those medical supplies to different --?

TRUMP: Well, we are able to do that and we have to. And right now we haven't had to but if certainly ready if I want it, we can do it very quickly. We've studied it very closely over two weeks ago actually. We'll make that decision pretty quickly if we need it. We hope we don't need it. It is a big step.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are states that need more help from the federal government when it comes to those--

TRUMP: You know when you the states, in particular three states need some help and some states, two or three people, no people in the case of again West Virginia. So we are looking at it very closely. We've taking apart 15 different ways it's a very difficult thing to do. It is a very big step. And if we need that step we'll take it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A quick follow up on the first question, a lot of people got traveled to places that are considered hot spots and Caribbean and Mexico that sort of things over the next few weeks would you recommend that they follow through those plans?

TRUMP: I would just say enjoy your home, stay, I would say right now. We have to get this problem fixed and then we'll get back into business. We'll really quick we'll open up our country. We'll open up our society the world will hopefully open up.

We see areas of the world that are - that haven't have done well and we see areas that are doing very well. And that would put us in the category of doing were well for a country that's so big. I think that I would recommend that they just enjoy their living room.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What would you say to people who are not heeding these guidelines from the White House and then also I have a question on asymptomatic people as Dr. Birx was mentioning.

TRUMP: I am not happy with those people if they're not. But those people are being shouted down by other people. They know it, they're being it is almost like self policing. People went in there a couple of instances I guess probably more than a couple where people are not happy when they see others doing what they are not supposed to be doing.

We have to get rid of this. We have to win this work and ideally quickly.