Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Appears in a Taped Interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe

February 14, 2020

Mika Brzezinski: Now to the concerning new development with the coronavirus. That the number of cases just in mainland China has surged past 63,000 with more than 5,000 news cases reported in just the last 24 hours. The increase comes after authorities began using a broader definition in diagnosing people which is believed to account for much of the increase in cases. The Chinese government is now seeking plasma from surviving coronavirus patients in hopes of developing a new treatment to control the spread of the virus. Morning Joe’s medical contributor Dr. Dave Campbell spoke to local officials in New York City to see what preventative measures they are taking to combat a potential outbreak here.

President of the United States, Donald Trump: Now the virus that we are talking about having to do, you know a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat, as the heat comes in. Typically that will go away in April. We are in great shape.

[Dr. Dave Campbell: President Trump floated a theory that by April when it warms up, miraculously the coronavirus may go away. Mayor Bill de Blasio: I think it’s dangerous for any of us in public life to pretend to replace the doctors who know best and to put out theories that might in fact cause people to underestimate the problem. Dr. Campbell: Bring us up to date on where we are in New York City with preparation and prevention for the novel coronavirus? Mayor: We do not know exactly how people get this. We don’t know the full effect of it… but I will tell you something, we have an extraordinary public health apparatus here in New York City… and what became clear to me was it was really about telling the people of our city, this is something we can handle, but you got to follow some basic rules.]

Dr. Campbell: We checked in with those health officials to see how the looming threat of a coronavirus outbreak has affected their day to day responsibilities.

[Dr. Campbell: What does the average New Yorker need to know about the coronavirus here and now? Commissioner Deanne Criswell, NYC Emergency Management: The risk to New Yorkers is still very low but the City is prepared and very prepared to respond if it escalates… the President put out a proclamation to quarantine all individuals coming in from the Hubei Province for 14 days and then the rest of mainland China, they would be doing in home quarantine. And what I have been doing to support the Department of Health with this, is we have identified a quarantine facility where we can transport passengers… and then we have put together and helped devise a plan to support all the wrap around services – laundry, feeding, anything that they might need while they are in that quarantine situation.]

Dr. Campbell: Our next stop was the esteemed Bellevue Hospital Center where we learned about the differences and similarities between coronavirus and traditional strains of influenza.

[Commissioner Oxiris Barbot, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: The coronavirus is part of a family of known viruses. There are four strains that we see commonly here in New York City and across the country that cause the flu, that the symptoms can be very familiar. If you have had travel to the affected areas in China and you are not feeling well, and you have returned within the last 14 days, call your health care provider, and get tested. Dr. Campbell: What does the mask do? Is it protecting the person and how does it do that? Commissioner Barbot: Having a mask in place, doesn’t protect them, but it keeps them from spreading the virus to others – Dr. Campbell: How are you helping New Yorkers prevent the stigma that is attached to this infection? Commissioner Barbot: This outbreak is because of a virus. It’s not because of a group of people… fear is not an excuse for spreading bigotry and spreading misinformation.]

Dr. Campbell: Finally we spoke to special pathogen expert Dr. Madad who discussed how government support or the lack there of affects research, response and treatment for outbreaks.

[Dr. Campbell: China locked down a lot of its borders, and the United States is doing that to a certain extent. What’s the logic there? Will that work? Dr. Syra Madad: Historically we’ve seen these types of travel bans and restrictions have not worked because one of the things that we don’t want to do is take away the public trust. And so if folks are fearful of coming forward, it gets harder for public health to do any contact tracing. Dr. Campbell: Tell us a little bit about antiviral medications that could treat the disease perhaps, but aren’t readily available, certainly for the coronavirus? Dr. Madad: Unfortunately it’s one of those games of, is there a market for it? There’s a big hype in the beginning and then it dissipates. And so there needs to be political will and there needs to be financial support. Dr. Campbell: Could we prevent future epidemics, future special pathogens? Dr. Madad: So these types are natural. But what we can do is if we invest in them, we can lower the human toll, the economic toll and the social toll that it takes on just countries in general. And we are able to respond faster, better and more efficiently.]

Mayor: This should not stop you from going about your life. It should not stop you from going to Chinatown and going out to eat. I am going to do that today myself. Until we know fully how to handle this virus, we have to assume it will be with us for a long time. We have to assume it may throw curve balls at us and be in a vigilant state as a city, as a nation until this crisis is over.