1 00:00:01,966 --> 00:00:04,833 JUDY WOODRUFF: The number of hospitalizations in New York state has slowed, a pattern that 2 00:00:04,833 --> 00:00:07,133 has been consistent for more than a week now. 3 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:12,133 But to give you some perspective, more than 15,000 people in the state have died from 4 00:00:14,133 --> 00:00:17,600 COVID-related complications. In New York City alone, 35,000 people are estimated now to 5 00:00:19,333 --> 00:00:22,500 be hospitalized with COVID-19. 6 00:00:22,500 --> 00:00:27,366 William Brangham gets a front-line dispatch from a group assisting the hospitals there. 7 00:00:27,366 --> 00:00:32,266 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The International Medical Corps is working right now in New York City, 8 00:00:32,266 --> 00:00:34,900 the epicenter of America's outbreak. 9 00:00:34,900 --> 00:00:39,800 They're bringing in volunteers from across the country to help four different hospitals 10 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:44,400 to help support the people who are working in those hospitals as they deal with COVID-19 11 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:46,600 patients. 12 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:50,133 Susan Mangicaro is the New York coordinator for the International Medical Corps. And she 13 00:00:50,133 --> 00:00:53,100 joins me now from the Javits Center in New York. 14 00:00:53,100 --> 00:00:55,900 Susan, thank you very, very much for being here. 15 00:00:55,900 --> 00:01:00,600 Could you just start off by telling us -- you're in New York City. Most of our viewers are 16 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,600 elsewhere in the country, watching what's going on in New York. Could you give us a 17 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:08,600 sense, broadly, of what you have been seeing over the last weeks, the last month or so? 18 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,000 SUSAN MANGICARO, International Medical Corps: When we arrived on April 2, it was really 19 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,700 at the peak of the storm here. 20 00:01:14,700 --> 00:01:19,700 I have served in disasters for International Medical Corps across the world, and I have 21 00:01:21,700 --> 00:01:25,000 never seen anything like this in the United States. It was truly unprecedented. The hospitals 22 00:01:27,300 --> 00:01:31,200 were completely overwhelmed. Staff was -- was basically in shock and traumatized from having 23 00:01:33,233 --> 00:01:37,133 to make some choices that we're not accustomed to in the United States, and simply the number 24 00:01:37,133 --> 00:01:39,666 of deaths of patients dying alone. 25 00:01:39,666 --> 00:01:44,666 The supplies that were needed were eventually brought in. But, initially, things were very, 26 00:01:46,700 --> 00:01:50,366 very tight. Luckily, things are slightly improved this week, but still quite devastating. The 27 00:01:53,333 --> 00:01:55,833 system is in a state of shock. 28 00:01:55,833 --> 00:01:59,733 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: As you alluded to, the International Medical Corps normally responds to wars, conflicts, 29 00:02:01,233 --> 00:02:03,300 disasters in other nations. 30 00:02:03,300 --> 00:02:07,733 Do you ever stop for a moment and just sit back and think, we're doing this here in the 31 00:02:07,733 --> 00:02:09,233 middle of New York City? 32 00:02:09,233 --> 00:02:13,566 SUSAN MANGICARO: Yes, all the time. It's -- it's surreal. 33 00:02:13,566 --> 00:02:18,566 Seeing and witnessing in hospital emergency departments the stress that the system was 34 00:02:20,633 --> 00:02:24,866 under, it's something that, again, you're kind of not -- we're just not accustomed to 35 00:02:24,866 --> 00:02:29,566 this in the United States. You're used to seeing that perhaps in resource-poor regions 36 00:02:29,566 --> 00:02:34,566 or regions that have been devastated from natural disasters or work conflict areas, 37 00:02:36,300 --> 00:02:38,366 but certainly not here in our own country. 38 00:02:38,366 --> 00:02:41,933 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Are there lessons that you have learned from doing humanitarian work 39 00:02:41,933 --> 00:02:44,800 of this sort in other nations that are -- that's applicable here? 40 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:47,000 SUSAN MANGICARO: Absolutely. 41 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,800 We have done this both in disaster response, but infectious disease outbreak from Ebola 42 00:02:52,866 --> 00:02:57,833 to cholera. We know how to set up quickly. We know how to bring in the people that are 43 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,466 accustomed to dealing with trauma very rapidly. And we know -- and we have support from wonderful 44 00:03:05,466 --> 00:03:10,400 partners and organizations that allow us to do what we do and bring in the relief where 45 00:03:11,133 --> 00:03:13,266 it's needed most. 46 00:03:13,266 --> 00:03:17,166 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: You're obviously there to help backstop the front-line health care workers 47 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,300 that are working in these hospitals, and provide relief and sort of rotate in when they need 48 00:03:22,766 --> 00:03:24,200 it. 49 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:25,666 How are those people doing, from your experience? 50 00:03:25,666 --> 00:03:28,200 SUSAN MANGICARO: So, I will tell you from both perspectives. 51 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:32,533 We have done a number of things here. We have brought in emergency field shelters for them 52 00:03:32,533 --> 00:03:36,733 to use as surge capacity. We have brought in supplies and PPE. 53 00:03:36,733 --> 00:03:41,733 But most important, we have brought in medical staff to help relieve those overburdened staff 54 00:03:43,700 --> 00:03:46,966 workers. Some facilities were down 25 percent of patients because -- or of staff, because 55 00:03:48,100 --> 00:03:50,266 they were COVID-positive and sick. 56 00:03:50,266 --> 00:03:55,266 And those that were there were working very long shifts and in very critical areas that 57 00:03:56,833 --> 00:03:58,900 the hospitals had to adapt to. 58 00:03:58,900 --> 00:04:02,766 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: You're standing there in the Javits Center, which we know was an -- is 59 00:04:02,766 --> 00:04:07,766 an overflow, a big convention center now turned into an overflow hospital. 60 00:04:09,666 --> 00:04:13,733 We have been seeing some reports that New York state and New York City might be bending 61 00:04:13,733 --> 00:04:18,733 its curve a little bit, and seeing some plateauing of cases. Has that been your experience thus 62 00:04:19,266 --> 00:04:21,366 far? 63 00:04:21,366 --> 00:04:24,533 SUSAN MANGICARO: Yes, certainly, in the emergency department, the number of admissions are down. 64 00:04:24,533 --> 00:04:29,233 That is help, providing some relief and to decompress a little bit. 65 00:04:29,233 --> 00:04:34,066 However, if you look at the number of patients still in the intensive care unit, and the 66 00:04:34,066 --> 00:04:39,066 acuity level of those patients, they're still at capacity, if not over, beginning to decompress 67 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:42,866 some. 68 00:04:42,866 --> 00:04:46,800 So there is a little sense of relief here in the health care system. They're -- they're 69 00:04:48,900 --> 00:04:53,033 very trepidatious about backing off, because the concern is, what if it -- what if it skyrockets 70 00:04:54,966 --> 00:04:58,800 again? We certainly do not want to see what happened the first time around happen again. 71 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:04,766 And I don't think it will. I think one of the biggest lessons for all of us is that, 72 00:05:05,933 --> 00:05:08,100 you know, preparedness is really important. 73 00:05:08,100 --> 00:05:10,766 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All right, Susan Mangicaro from the International Medical Corps, thank 74 00:05:10,766 --> 00:05:12,266 you very, very much. 75 00:05:12,266 --> 00:05:13,500 And thank you for all the work that you're doing. 76 00:05:13,500 --> 00:05:13,733 SUSAN MANGICARO: Thank you so much.