My check testing.

123 Mic, check. 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:0.150 Mic check. 00:03:1.040 --> 00:03:2.910 March 2nd, 2020. 00:03:2.920 --> 00:03:4.950 Press conference might check my check. 00:03:5.840 --> 00:03:6.400 Testing. 00:03:6.400 --> 00:03:8.510 123 Can I get a thumbs up? 00:03:8.510 --> 00:03:9.350 Everyone's okay. 00:03:9.740 --> 00:03:10.450 Thank you.

Yeah.

Good morning.

Thank you all for being here. 00:03:53.710 --> 00:04:0.790 First introduce who's here and then I'll make some opening comments and then I'll turn it over to Mayor de Blasio. 00:04:0.880 --> 00:04:2.450 My far right. 00:04:3.240 --> 00:04:3.550 Dr. 00:04:3.550 --> 00:04:8.510 Ken Davis from President, CEO of Mount Sinai Health Systems. 00:04:9.340 --> 00:04:9.700 Dr. 00:04:9.700 --> 00:04:14.180 David Wright from a Mount Sinai hospital systems.

Also Ken Rasky, who is the president CEO of the Greater New York Hospital Association.

I want to thank him.

Parole is good work.

Our state Health Commissioner, Dr Zucker, This gentleman, you know, be grouse who is the president of the Health Association of New York State.

Hey, Knees.

Dr Steve Corwin, who is the president of New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Joe Loda, executive vice president from N Y u Langone Medical Center.

But one time he had a really important job, but yeah, and we have Dr Bob Oh, Commissioner of New York City Health Department. 00:04:57.540 --> 00:05:7.490 Um, the first we're going to speak about the situation reported last night with a person who tested positive for the Corona virus. 00:05:9.230 --> 00:05:15.190 Uh, that that woman is a health care worker, was 39 years old.

She had been working in Iran and came back on Tuesday to New York.

She did not take any public transportation, a CZ.

She was a health care worker.

She was very aware of this situation and the potential for this situation.

We don't believe that she was contagious when she was on the plane or when she took a private car from the airport to her residence. 00:05:48.740 --> 00:06:8.840 But out of an abundance of caution, we will be contacting the people who were on the flight with her, from Iran to New York and the driver of that car service, and we'll be contacting them and following up with them a CZ. 00:06:8.840 --> 00:06:10.350 The fax dictate.

The health care worker also was with her spouse.

He was also a health care worker, so they were both aware of the situation.

Her husband is being tested also, but we are assuming that he would be positive given the circumstances, and he has been following the same protocols that she has been following.

The testing was done at Mount Sinai again.

Since they were healthcare workers, they contacted Mt.

Sinai.

Before that, they were coming in, and they took all precautions necessary.

They are at home at their home.

She, the health care worker, has manifested some respiratory illnesses, but her condition is mild, so she's at home and she's not even hospitalized.

Even though she has tested positive for the virus, her spouse is with her.

In general, there is no doubt that there will be mawr cases where we find people who test positive.

We said early on, it wasn't a question of if, but when.

This is New York, where gateway to the world.

You see all these cases around the world around the country.

Of course we're gonna have it here.

And that's why the whole challenge is about containment off the number of people who become exposed on who become infected. 00:07:55.840 --> 00:08:2.550 Our challenge now is to test as many people as you can. 00:08:2.990 --> 00:08:12.150 You're not going to eliminate the spread, but you can limit the spread, and testing is very important on that's why the C.

D.

C.

The federal government's now allowing us to test is a very big deal on will make it have a dramatic effect on how quickly we can mobilize and respond.

We are coordinating with private hospitals, private labs around the state.

We want to get our testing capacity as high as possible.

I said to the people around this table that I would like to have a goal off 1000 tests per day capacity within one week, because again, the more testing the better. 00:08:51.200 --> 00:09:1.050 Once you can test and find a person who is positive, then you can isolate that person so they don't infect additional people. 00:09:1.840 --> 00:09:12.790 Uh, will be moving a piece of emergency legislation on the state's side that will authorize an additional $40 million for additional staff additional equipment.

I want to make sure that the health care system has everything it needs.

We're going to be instituting new cleaning protocols in our schools, on public transportation, et cetera, where they will use a disinfectant.

Many will use bleach, which is a good protocol in the flu season.

Anyway, eso people smell it smells like bleach it when you get on a bus or when a child goes to school.

It's not bad cologne.

A perfume.

It is bleach, uh, and again we're gonna be focusing on our facilities that treat our senior citizens debilitated people or immune compromised people, because those are the people who are most likely most affected by, uh, this virus.

My last point is this, uh late last night, my daughter called me and I could hear in her voice that she was anxious.

She had seen on the news that a person tested positive on and my daughter said, You know, what's this?

And I could hear in her voice she was nervous on and my daughter said, Don't tell me to relax.

Tell me why I should be relaxed, which is a very big difference.

There s o. 00:10:48.780 --> 00:11:2.350 I want to make sure I tell the people of New York what I told my daughter in this situation, the fax defeat fear because the real reality is reassured. 00:11:3.200 --> 00:11:4.950 It is deep breath time. 00:11:5.540 --> 00:11:14.420 This First of all, this is not our first rodeo with this type of situation in New York 1968 we had the Hong Kong flu 2009.

We had the swine flu where we actually closed like 100 schools in New York state.

Avian flu, Ebola, SARS MERS measles, right?

So we have gone through this before.

When you look at the reality here, about 80% of the people who are infected with the Corona virus self resolved.

They have symptoms.

The symptoms are similar to what you would have with the normal flow.

And for most people, they treat themselves over 80% and the virus resolves that way. 00:11:58.120 --> 00:12:0.190 About 20% get ill. 00:12:1.330 --> 00:12:7.900 The mortality rate is estimated to be about 1.4% 1.4%. 00:12:7.910 --> 00:12:8.650 What does that mean? 00:12:9.200 --> 00:12:17.630 The normal flu mortality rate is about 0.6% and the CDC says 1.4.

But they're extrapolating from what we know from countries around the world.

First, even on the 1.4%.

Again, that is tends to be people who are debilitated senior citizens, many of whom have an underlying illness that tends to be the people who are vulnerable to this good news.

Children do not appear as vulnerable to this virus less vulnerable than to the normal flu, so that is good news. 00:12:57.290 --> 00:13:7.550 But 1.4% that's extrapolating from China and other countries, uh, 80% it'll resolve on their own. 00:13:7.940 --> 00:13:10.970 The woman who was now tested positive.

She's at home.

She's not even in the hospital.

So the perspective here is is important.

And the fax, once you know the facts, once you know the reality, it is reassured and we should relax because that's what's dictated by the reality of the situation.

I get the emotion.

I understand it, understand the anxiety.

I'm a native born New Yorker.

We live with anxiety, But the facts don't back it up here.

Also, we're extrapolating from what happened in China, other countries. 00:13:54.710 --> 00:14:6.120 We have the best health care system in the world here on and excuse our arrogance as New Yorkers. 00:14:6.120 --> 00:14:7.950 I speak for the mayor also in this one. 00:14:8.130 --> 00:14:14.730 We think we have the best health care system on the planet right here in New York.

So, uh, when you're saying what happened in other countries versus what happened here, we don't even think it's going to be as bad as it was in other countries were fully coordinated, were fully mobilized.

This is all about mobilization of a public health system, getting the test, that testing done, getting the information out on, then having the health care resources to treat people who are going to need help again.

That is going to be primarily senior citizens, people who were debilitated.

And we're gonna have a special effort for our nursing homes, et cetera. 00:14:55.970 --> 00:15:1.070 Congregate facilities where senior citizens are being treated. 00:15:1.740 --> 00:15:5.150 Andi, I can't thank our partners enough. 00:15:6.040 --> 00:15:10.750 Um, everybody is doing exactly what we need to do.

We have been ahead of this from day one.

From day one, there was a big break when the federal government allowed us to do our own testing because now we are actually in control of the system ourselves on his New Yorkers.

We like control eso with that.

Let me turn it over to the good mayor of the city of New York.

Thank you very much, Governor and Governor.

First of all, Ah, a compliment to your daughter.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

She is asking The tough Socratic question is that I know you're known for and I think it's a really great vignette to use to help everyone understand what's going on and that particularly look, as a parent, I want to say I know parents all over the city have been deeply concerned. 00:15:58.610 --> 00:16:2.390 I really want you to heed the points that the governor just made. 00:16:2.450 --> 00:16:7.350 This is, ah, a disease were learning about the international medical community is learning about. 00:16:7.360 --> 00:16:13.210 But but so far it does not seem to be a disease that focuses on our kids.

In fact, the opposite, but the point have been yet with your daughter.

Let in fact, the facts are reassuring.

All New Yorkers should really pay attention to this.

We have a lot of information now.

Information is actually showing us things that should give us more reason to stay calm and go about our lives.

Also, if I have one difference with the governor's remarks is that we don't think we have the best health care system in the country.

In the world we know we do on.

It's a credit to everyone here, and I want to thank each and every one of you and all the professionals who work with you, and that's what we'll take it in the in the private voluntary hospitals are nonprofit healthcare providers and our public health care system. 00:16:55.120 --> 00:17:7.850 There's literally no parallel on Earth s, so there's a lot of places for New Yorkers to turn for help and I want to emphasize today how important it is to turn for that help to go get that help the second you think you might need it. 00:17:8.340 --> 00:17:16.010 So the fax, in fact, show us this is a situation that can be managed but bluntly.

What has been the advantage here in New York?

We've kind of been the anti China in this sense, has been to say from the beginning, it's coming here.

It's a real thing Everyone get ready for, to be transparent, to be open about it from day one.

And the coordination between the city and state, as is always the case on these issues of health care, has been a consistent and strong from the beginning.

I want thank you and your team governor for that.

So the fact is, we have told New Yorkers from beginning, Get ready.

Here it comes.

We're gonna all be able to deal with it together.

By the way, crucially important, the message to New Yorkers from the beginning has been, This is something we all can handle together. 00:17:58.580 --> 00:18:0.890 Go about your lives, go about your business. 00:18:1.020 --> 00:18:2.750 People are doing that consistently. 00:18:2.750 --> 00:18:4.870 New Yorkers do not scare easily. 00:18:4.870 --> 00:18:6.110 Do not intimidate easily. 00:18:6.640 --> 00:18:18.290 Second, we've said If you have the symptoms and have any nexus to the nation's where the issue is profound at this point, go get health care.

Guess what people have been doing that the reason has taken all this time to get to the first case.

I fundamentally believe it's a matter of common sense is that people been heeding the warnings going and getting tested.

Going again, checked on, and that's helped us to stay ahead of it.

Now we need to keep doing that.

Obviously, if you have the symptoms.

Ah, and you have a nexus to the nations that are suffering the most, whether it's you yourself have traveled or a family member or loved one to someone you're in close, close contact with.

Go get help, get to a medical facility, get to a doctor immediately.

It's crucial to understand, and this is again an evolving situation. 00:18:59.380 --> 00:19:2.430 I'm briefed constantly by our health care professionals. 00:19:2.610 --> 00:19:6.350 No one is saying they know everything about Corona virus yet, but we do know a lot. 00:19:6.870 --> 00:19:10.830 This is not so far something that you get through casual contact.

There has to be some prolonged exposure and I think it's really important to get that information out to all New Yorkers.

People need to be aware of their patterns.

If you've had contact with someone who may have had a nexus to one of those countries, that's an important indicator act on it.

Listen, there was some question earlier about in the last few days about whether you go directly a health care.

You place a call first.

Here's the bottom line.

Don't hesitate to get to a doctor or a health care facility if you can call first and let him know you're coming and let him know your symptoms.

That's ideal and helpful.

But the most important thing is not to hesitate.

We all know a lot of people and particularly New Yorkers, tend to shrug things off.

Tend to say, I'll get to it when I get to it on.

My schedule is so busy I got something else have to do. 00:19:59.540 --> 00:20:0.850 That's not the way to think about this. 00:20:1.430 --> 00:20:7.400 If you have the symptoms, if there's any possibility, it may be this disease, get toe health care right away. 00:20:8.040 --> 00:20:19.080 I want to also say that the, um, the case here that the governor described eyes an example of the work that is done.

We all know this.

We remember when we all went through Ebola together in other situations.

I appreciate the governor's point.

We've been down this road as a city as a state many times before.

We have disease.

Detectives at the New York City Department of Health York City Health Department is renowned all over the world.

One of great public health agencies on earth disease detectives who literally track back everyone's interactions if contracted disease do the work to figure out who they've come in contact with, Governor said.

In this case, this individual has only one person they've been in prolonged contact with.

That's their husband. 00:20:54.740 --> 00:21:0.130 Uh, that capacity has been honed over years, so we have other cases. 00:21:0.140 --> 00:21:7.000 We're going to be able to do very fine tuned work to know who those individuals have come in contact with and do the kind of follow we need. 00:21:7.910 --> 00:21:15.220 Finally, the key point about having the ability of your own testing city and state.

But working together with the Wadsworth lab, the state labs been fantastic.

We've been able to get a lot done.

We're going to do so much more now, Starting this week, cities capacity will be up and running for the testing as of Friday.

That means results will come in hours, not days.

This is gonna be a much better situation for all of us.

In addition, where initiating this week and early detection system, we're working with a number of hospital systems to bring together information gleaned from thousands of health care professionals as they're having appointments with individual patients.

And there are cases that have relevance here.

Respiratory diseases.

The information coming from those visits is going to be pooled.

Tow watch for any trends. 00:21:57.830 --> 00:22:2.180 Tow watch for any areas where we need to do additional outreach of work at the neighborhood level. 00:22:2.740 --> 00:22:6.380 This is very much a grassroots reality. 00:22:6.380 --> 00:22:7.660 How you address something like this. 00:22:8.110 --> 00:22:10.980 It's making sure information flows right down into each neighborhood.

In each household.

It's making sure we have people out there.

Giving people accurate information is making sure if someone needs help, they can get it.

And I want emphasized all New Yorkers.

There are people in this city who right now may feel they need to get to a doctor but don't know how they don't have their own doctors.