1 00:00:02,033 --> 00:00:05,166 The Centers for Disease Control's new timeline for getting coronavirus diagnostic testing 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,800 kits to every state was welcome news today. But there have been questions about the country's 3 00:00:12,266 --> 00:00:15,233 ability to do enough tests in the event of a real outbreak. 4 00:00:15,233 --> 00:00:19,500 It's also raised larger questions about the health system's ability to deal with a major 5 00:00:19,500 --> 00:00:21,500 surge of patients. 6 00:00:21,500 --> 00:00:25,666 Dennis Carroll is the former director of the U.S. Agency For International Developments' 7 00:00:25,666 --> 00:00:30,666 Emerging Threats Division. He currently heads the Global Virome Project. It's a nonprofit 8 00:00:32,633 --> 00:00:36,533 global partnership working to prepare for potential future viral threats. 9 00:00:37,666 --> 00:00:39,666 Dennis Carroll, welcome to the "NewsHour." 10 00:00:39,666 --> 00:00:41,766 DENNIS CARROLL, Former Director, USAID Emerging Threats Division: Thank you. 11 00:00:41,766 --> 00:00:44,166 JUDY WOODRUFF: So, right now, does the United States have in place the systems, the materials 12 00:00:45,333 --> 00:00:47,000 that it needs to address what may be coming? 13 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,933 DENNIS CARROLL: The short answer is no. 14 00:00:49,933 --> 00:00:54,900 We do have the plans for what is needed. And I think the public health community in the 15 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:00,766 United States, and certainly those at the Centers for Disease Control, have arced out 16 00:01:00,766 --> 00:01:05,733 a very excellent plan over the years on how to deal with exactly this situation. 17 00:01:07,766 --> 00:01:11,233 And for two months, we have known, since the beginning of January, that this is an imminent 18 00:01:11,233 --> 00:01:16,233 threat. A month ago, the WHO signaled that this was a public held event of international 19 00:01:18,733 --> 00:01:22,333 concern, which should have initiated political leadership to step forward and began authorizing 20 00:01:24,233 --> 00:01:26,300 the use of these plans. 21 00:01:26,300 --> 00:01:30,833 And what we have not seen is the execution or the leadership from the political communities. 22 00:01:32,766 --> 00:01:37,000 JUDY WOODRUFF: So, you're saying it's been slow, slower than it should have been. 23 00:01:38,833 --> 00:01:42,700 What I want to ask you specifically about are those testing kits, a lot of focus on 24 00:01:42,700 --> 00:01:47,666 those. Are there enough available now for what may be coming in the near future? 25 00:01:48,833 --> 00:01:50,933 DENNIS CARROLL: Oh, absolutely not. 26 00:01:50,933 --> 00:01:55,200 I mean, I think the strategic use of these kits, as defined by the Centers for Disease 27 00:01:57,166 --> 00:02:02,033 Control right now, really limit where we are testing. And it's largely around populations 28 00:02:03,466 --> 00:02:06,133 coming in from what we know to be infected areas, largely Asia. 29 00:02:06,133 --> 00:02:11,133 We know nothing about what may or may not be circulating within the United States. So, 30 00:02:13,066 --> 00:02:16,933 we have only tested 500 people. South Korea has tested tens of thousands of people. 31 00:02:18,933 --> 00:02:22,633 JUDY WOODRUFF: Are there kits available elsewhere around the globe that the U.S. can access? 32 00:02:24,100 --> 00:02:26,233 DENNIS CARROLL: Well, I don't really have insight into that. 33 00:02:26,233 --> 00:02:31,233 But it's clear that there's been a real challenge on the part of the United States to provide 34 00:02:33,666 --> 00:02:38,533 these kits. And it's a real exception. Historically, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has really 35 00:02:40,566 --> 00:02:44,000 been a leader in being able to generate these kits for other epidemics, other outbreaks. 36 00:02:45,933 --> 00:02:49,466 I think what we're looking at is a consequence of underfunding and underattention to the 37 00:02:50,933 --> 00:02:52,766 systems that are required to make this happen too. 38 00:02:52,766 --> 00:02:55,500 You just can't turn on a spigot and make a kit available. 39 00:02:55,500 --> 00:03:00,500 JUDY WOODRUFF: We heard the secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, say today -- he 40 00:03:02,500 --> 00:03:04,800 said the risk of Americans contracting the virus remains low, but he also said some 30 41 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:09,800 percent of Americans could become infected, and the vast majority would have low-level 42 00:03:11,466 --> 00:03:13,500 symptoms. 43 00:03:13,500 --> 00:03:17,466 But 30 percent, does that all alarm you? Does that sound like what you would expect, given 44 00:03:19,866 --> 00:03:21,800 what we see so far? 45 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:24,700 DENNIS CARROLL: Well, first off, the World Health Organization declared that this is 46 00:03:24,700 --> 00:03:29,700 a very high-level emergency today for the whole globe. 47 00:03:31,633 --> 00:03:35,533 I think what we are recognizing, that we don't know how many people will be infected, but 48 00:03:37,500 --> 00:03:41,066 what we do know is that it will be -- community transmission will go on. We need to prepare 49 00:03:42,966 --> 00:03:46,333 for that. And significant parts of the population will be infected. 50 00:03:46,333 --> 00:03:51,066 And the numbers that we see coming out of Asia in terms of mortality, we should be very 51 00:03:51,066 --> 00:03:54,400 concerned about that happening here in the United States. 52 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,833 JUDY WOODRUFF: What would give you comfort? What would you -- what do you want to see 53 00:03:57,833 --> 00:04:02,800 coming from the federal government, the important points inside the federal government that 54 00:04:06,733 --> 00:04:11,733 would give you the confidence that -- frankly, that the country is more ready than you say 55 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:14,633 it is right now? 56 00:04:14,633 --> 00:04:18,600 DENNIS CARROLL: Well, we have seen in the past that an effective response begins with 57 00:04:19,566 --> 00:04:21,666 leadership at the top. 58 00:04:21,666 --> 00:04:26,666 And that has a way of trickling down through the entire system. And so you ask me what 59 00:04:28,666 --> 00:04:31,700 I would like to see. The White House really taking this issue seriously and recognizing 60 00:04:34,166 --> 00:04:38,633 that this represents an extraordinary public health risk to the people of the United States. 61 00:04:40,033 --> 00:04:42,133 JUDY WOODRUFF: Dennis Carroll, sobering words. Thank you. 62 00:04:42,133 --> 00:04:42,933 DENNIS CARROLL: Thank you.