New rules double coronavirus testing capacity at Massachusetts state lab Number of tests completed nearly doubles in approx. 48 hours Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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ED: WELCOME BACK. THE GOVERNOR IS STILL WITH US. WE ARE JOINED AT THE TABLE BY THE STATE’S COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, DR. MONICA BHAREL. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. JANET: THERE ARE MODELS OUT THERE PREDICTING THE NUMBER OF LIKELY CONFIRMED CASES. ONE FROM HARVARD PUBLIC SCHOOL OF HEALTH ESTIMATES 20% ARE INFECTED THAT WOULD TRANSLATE TO OVER ONE MILLION IN MASSACHUSETTS. DOES THAT NUMBER SEEM ACCURATE TO EITHER OF YOU? GOV. BAKER: OVER WHAT TIME? THAT IS THE KEY QUESTION. THE GOAL IS TO AVOID THE SPIKE. IF W80% OF THEM HAVE SOMETHING THAT FEELS LIKE THE FLU, YOU HAVE ANOTHER GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO WILL BE HOSPITALIZED BUT MAYBE NOT FOR A LONG TIME. THING YOU HAVE THE FOLKS FOR WHOM THIS WILL BE A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION. JANET: FOR THE REST OF THIS YEAR, OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, MANY MONTHS? GOV. BAKER: IT SEEMS TO ME THE GOAL SHOULD BE TO USE SOCIAL DISTANCING AND OTHER VEHICLES TO AVOID THAT SITUATION. WE LOOK AT DATA FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, I DON’T THINK IT IS UNREASONABLE. DR. BHAREL: THE EVIDENCE IS UNFOLDING. EVERY DAY, WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DISEASE. PART OF THE REASON THE DISEASE FRIGHTENS PEOPLE IS BECAUSE WE ARE STILL LEARNING ABOUT IT. IS A NEW STRAIN OF CORONAVIRUS. COVID-19, THE INFORMATION IS EVOLVING EVERY DAY. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS MOST INDIVIDUALS WHO GET THIS ILLNESS WILL RECOVER ON THEIR OWN. THE VAST MAJORITY. SO WHAT WE ARE ALL TRYING TO COLLECTIVELY DO IS MAKE SURE WE DO THE SOCIAL DISTANCING THE GOVERNOR IS TALKING ABOUT SO EACH ONE OF US TAKES RESPONSIBILITY TO NOT ONLY NOT EXPOSING OURSELVES BUT EXPOSING THOSE WHO ARE AT HIGHEST RISK, WHICH YOU SPOKE ABOUT, INDIVIDUALS OVER 60 AND WITH UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS. GOV. BAKER: SWINE FLU, 2009- 2010, 60 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE U.S. GOT SWINE FLU, BUT THEY GOT IT OVER ALMOST A YEAR AND A HALF. I THINK TO SOME EXTENT, THE BIG ISSUE HERE IS THE NUMBERS ARE HUGELY IMPORTANT. THE LEVEL OF CONTAGIOUS THIS IS HUGELY IMPORTANT. THE OTHER THING IS TO REMEMBER THE COMPRESSED NATURE OF THE TIMEFRAME WHICH IS WHAT THE HEALTH COMMUNITY HAS SAID THEY NEED US TO WORK HARDEST ON, TO SPREAD IT OUT. JANET: YOU HAVE BEEN SAYING YOU WILL RELEASE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE TESTED EVERY WEEK. BUT SOME HOSPITALS ARE SAYING THEY NEED THESE NUMBERS EVERY DAY. COULD YOU CHANGE THAT? WILL YOU BE LEADING HOSPITALS KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE TESTED EVERY DAY? DR. BHAREL: SINCE WE STARTED DOING THE TESTS ON THE 20 FEBRUARY, WE HAVE TESTED AT THE STATE PUBLIC HEALTH LAB 799 INDIVIDUALS. WE HAVE FOLLOWED THE GUIDANCE AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CDC OF WHO COULD GET TESTED. AS THAT HAS CHANGED AND BROADENED AS THE DATA EVOLVES, WE HAVE EXPANDED THE CAPACITY TO TEST. WE ARE VERY APPRECIATIVE THAT NOW COMMERCIAL LABS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COME ON BOARD. THIS WILL GREATLY EXPAND THE NUMBERS. ED: DO YOU THINK YOU WILL BE REVEALING DAILY NUMBERS? DR. BHAREL: WE WILL PUT OUT ALL THE INFORMATION WE HAVE IN A WAY THAT IS ACCURATE AND TIMELY SO INDIVIDUALS CAN BE INFORMED. RIGHT NOW IF YOU GO TO OUR WEBSITE, YOU CAN FIND THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS AND SOME OF THOSE DETAILS. JANET: IS THE GOLD DAILY RELEASE -- IS THE GOAL DAILY RELEASE? GOV. BAKER: IF WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE ARE DOING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF TESTS THE DAY, YOU WILL HAVE A TON OF TESTS IN PROCESS. ED: AND NUMBERS CHANGING IMMEDIATELY. GOV. BAKER: EVERY DAY. THE GOAL WOULD BE TO FIGURE OUT SOME WAY TO MAXIMIZE THE WAY WE SHARE INFORMATION AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE BUT DO IT IN SOME WAY WHERE THERE IS SOME UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE BREAK POINT IN TERMS OF WHAT IS COMING OUT NOW VERSUS WHAT IS A WORK IN PROCESS. ED: THE MARATHON HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL SEPTEMBER. THE BRUINS AND THE CELTICS ARE SHUT DOWN. THE RED SOX ARE PAUSED FOR A BIT. IS IS GOING TO SLOW DOWN THE SPREAD OR STOP IT FROM REACHING PEOPLE? WILL IT COUNT IN STOPPING IT AND REACHING MORE PEOPLE? DR. BHAREL: THE ENTIRE GOAL OF WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW IS TO DO WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT, FLATTENING THE CURVE. THAT IS MAKING SURE AS LITTLE PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE BECOME SICK FROM THIS VIRUS AND AS LITTLE PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE END UP NEEDING HOSPITALIZATION. THEREFORE, BEING ABLE TO GET OUR HEALTH CARE CAPACITY THE ROOM IT NEEDS TO DO THE WORK IT NEEDS TO DO. JANET: AS OPPOSED TO LIMITING THE NUMBERS, THAT IS NOT LIKELY, THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE SAYING? DR. BHAREL: WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MODELING RELATED TO THE DISEASE, THE PENDING ON THE MODEL, WE ARE NOT ONLY LIMITING THE NUMBER BUT WE ARE SPREADING IT OVER LONGER TIME AND HAVING THE SEVERITY OF THE ILLNESS BE LESS. ED: WHEN I WALK IN THE GROCERY STORE, THE TOILET PAPER AND PAPER TOWEL SHELF IS EMPTY. THE STUFF IS STILL BEING PRODUCED. WHAT IS THE ISSUE? JUST A SCARE? GOV. BAKER: IF YOU HAVE A ROOM OR THE ADMINISTRATION IS ABOUT TO IMPOSE SHELTER IN PLACE, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HEAD TO THE STORE AND BUY WHAT THEY THINK THEY NEED TO SURVIVE TWO WEEKS SHELTER IN PLACE. I SAID YESTERDAY THAT THE STORES GET RESTOCKED EVERY DAY. AGO. YOU CAN WATCH IT HAPPEN. WE DO NOT HAVE A SHORTAGE PROBLEM HERE. I THINK PEOPLE ARE WORKING ON THE THEORY EITHER THE RUMORS OR WHATEVER ELSE, THEY WANT TO BE SURE IF THEY HAVE TO STAY HOME FOR AN EXTENDED TIME THEY HAVE ALL THE STUFF THEY NEED TO DO SO. JANET: FRANCE YESTERDAY BANNED RESTAURANTS AND CAFÉS FROM OPENING. THEY ARE ALL CLOSED. DO YOU FORESEE A POSSIBILITY THIS COULD HAPPEN IN MASSACHUSETTS? GOV. BAKER: WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE OUR DECISIONS BASED ON THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM AND POINTING OUT THIS IS ANY BOBBING SITUATION. I THINK THE EXAMPLE OF WHAT BOSTON DID WHICH WAS SHUTDOWN THE BARS IN SOUTH BOSTON YESTERDAY AT 11:00, SHUT THEM DOWN AGAIN TODAY, I BELIEVE THEY WILLPROBABLY SHUT THEM DOWN ON TUESDAY, THAT IS A FACTS ON THE GROUND, EVOLVING SITUATION DECISION. JANET: PATRICK’S -- ST. PATRICK’S DAY BEING A BIG HOLIDAY. GOV. BAKER: I THINK WE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO NEED TO TALK WITH OUR COLLEAGUES IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND COME UP WITH STRATEGIES TO ENSURE WE DELIVER ON THE SOCIAL DISTANCING THING. IF WHAT WE HAVE PUT IN PLACE WITH THE 250 A LARGE GATHERINGS IS NOT GETTING IT DONE, WE NEED TO RECONSIDER. ED: JANET ASKED THE GOVERNOR THIS IN THE LAST SEGMENT. WILL YOU GET ON AN AIRPLANE? DR. BHAREL: AT THIS TIME, I WOULD NOT GET ON AN AIRPLANE FOR NONESSENTIAL TRAVEL. ED: WOULD YOU EAT IN A RESTAURANT? DR. BHAREL: I WOULD DO THE SAME TING THE GOVERNOR SUGGESTED. IF I COULD KEEP A SAFE DISTANCE, I WOULD. I ALSO AGREE WITH DOING TAKEOUT AND OTHER MEANS AS WELL. ED: DO YOU FEEL YOU SHOULD BE TESTED? DR. BHAREL: I DON’T NEED TO BE TESTED AT THIS TIME AS I DO NOT HAVE SYMPTOMS. IF I WERE TO DEVELOP SYSTEMS -- SYMPTOMS, I WOULD BE TESTED. I WANT TO SAY THIS THING ABOUT TESTING AND SYMPTOMS. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US ALL TO SHARE THE MESSAGE THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF INDIVIDUALS WILL HAVE A COLD OR FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS FROM THIS ILLNESS THAT COULD BE CARED FOR AT HOME. IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IF ANYBODY HAS COLDS OR FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS, THEY SHOULD STAY AT HOME AND NOT EXPOSE OTHER INDIVIDUALS. IF THEY FEEL LIKE THEIR SYMPTOMS ARE GETTING WORSE, THEY SHOULD CALL THEIR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER AND POTENTIALLY GET TESTING AND OTHER TREATMENT. IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US COLLECTIVELY AS A COMMUNITY TO STAY AT HOME IF WE ARE SICK, TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER, AND DO THE SOCIAL DISTANCING SO YOU ARE NOT DOING NONESSENTIAL THINGS IN YOUR LIFE THAT CAN EXPOSE YOURSELF AND OTHERS AT RISK. ED: THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. GOV. BAKER: COULD I SAY ONE FINAL THING TO YOUR AUDIENCE? WILL PROBABLY BE DOING MEDIA UNVEILS EVERY DAY. THIS IS MOVING QUICKLY. PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW. WE WANT TO KNOW TO THE EXTENT WE CAN DELIVER OFFICIAL MESSAGES, WE ARE D

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