GUPTA.

LET'S TALK ABOUT YOU MENTIONED THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ARE

EXPOSED TO THIS, YOU MIGHT BE TESTED AND, YOU KNOW, FIND OUT

THAT YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED AND THEN PEOPLE THAT YOU EXPOSED

HAVE TO BE QUARANTINED, HOW DO YOU GET TESTED?

>> UM -- >> Stephen: HAVE YOU BEEN

TESTED?

>> I HAVE NOT BEEN TESTED.

I DON'T THINK EVERYONE NEEDS TO GET TESTED.

I THINK DOCTORS NEED TO MAKE GOOD JUDGMENT HERE.

I DON'T THINK YOU WANT TO CAUSE PANIC BY SAYING EVERYONE SHOULD

GET TESTED.

THERE ARE 350 MILLION PEOPLE.

>> Stephen: THE PRESIDENT HAS SAID, LAST WEEK, THAT THERE ARE

TESTS OUT THERE FOR EVERYONE, PRESENTLY TESTS FOR EVERYONE,

THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL TESTS, GREAT TESTS, EVERYONE WHO WANTS A TEST

CAN GET ONE TODAY, AS OF YESTERDAY, HE SAID.

IS THAT TRUE OR FALSE, SANJAY GUPTA?

>> IT'S FALSE.

>> Stephen: OKAY.

AND IT'S SAD BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT WORK SO

WELL WITH OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

I'M A MEMBER OF THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT WORK.

WE FAIL WITH REGARD TO TESTING IN THIS COUNTRY.

>> Stephen: WHY, THOUGH?

WE DO HAVE EXCELLENT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND FANTASTIC

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE UNITED STATES, WHY DON'T WE HAVE A TEST

AND WHY DID WE REFUSE THE GERMAN TEST?

>> WELL, WITH REGARD TO THAT SECOND QUESTION, I THINK THAT'S

A REALLY INTERESTING THING.

WE GET VERY PROVINCIAL IN THE UNITED STATES, IF IT'S NOT

STAMPED WITH A MADE IN AMERICA SIGN, WE TEND TO THINK OF OTHER

THINGS AS INFERIOR.

THINGS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES, WE AUAUTOMATICALLY THINK THEY'RE NO

GOING TO MEET OUR STANDARDS.

THAT'S NOT THE CASE.

THOSE TESTS WERE GOOD AND GOT OUT THERE --

>> Stephen: IS THAT THE TEST THAT'S USED IN OTHER PARTS TO

HAVE THE WORLD?

>> THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ADOPTED IT AND IT GOT USED IN

MANY COUNTRIES.

THEY'RE USING IT IN MANY COUNTRIES IN EUROPE.

>> Stephen: IS THERE GOING TO BE A TEST SOON THAT CAN BE MASS

PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES?

>> YES, THERE IS A TEST, AND THERE HAS BEEN A TEST, BUT THEY

TRIED TO SCALE IT UP AND SEND IT OUT TO ALL THE PLACES.

THE INITIAL TEST WAS FLAWED, IT DIDN'T WORK.

THEY COULDN'T COUNT ON IT GIVING CONCLUSIVE RESULTS.

THEY PULLED EVERYTHING BACK AND SAID WE'RE GOING TO DO

EVERYTHING OUT TO HAVE THE C.D.C.

WHAT'S STRIKING, THIS WEEK, IF YOU GO TO THE C.D.C.'S

WEB SITE -- AND WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR SIX

WEEKS, I FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN SCREAMING INTO THE ABYSS, AND,

FRANKLY, YOU GET A LOT OF PUSHBACK ON SOCIAL MEDIA SAYING

YOU'RE FEAR MONGERING, WHY ARE YOU BEING SO CRITICAL, AND EVEN

IF YOU GO TO THE C.D.C.'S WEB SITE NOW, ZERO TESTS BY THE

C.D.C. ON SOME DAYS THIS WEEK, EIGHT TESTS BY THE PUBLIC HEALTH

DEPARTMENTS.

EIGHT.

NOT 8,000 OR 8 MILLION, EIGHT TESTS TOTE BILL OUR PUBLIC OUR P

HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

>> Stephen: AND HOW MANY IN SOUTH KOREA?

>> SOUTH KOREA WAS DOING 10,000 A DAY FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.

WE DON'T HAVE EYES ON THIS THING.

IT'S ALWAYS DESCRIBED IN HUNTING MMETAPHORS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE

EYES ON THIS.

EVEN THE NUMBERS TODAY WHICH HAVE GONE UP SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE

LAST WEEK, WHEN THERE WERE 15 CASES, NOW THERE ARE MORE THAN

1,000 CASES.

I THINK THAT'S A GROSS UNDERESTIMATE OF WHAT'S

HAPPENING HERE.

>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ADDRESS THE PRESIDENT GAVE

TO THE COUNTRY LAST NIGHT.

PRESIDENTS RARELY SPEAK FROM THE OVAL OFFICE, ONLY TIMES USUALLY

OF CRISIS.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: LAST NIGHT, THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCE ADD EUROPEAN

TRAVEL BAN.

EUROPEAN LEADERS WERE CAUGHT FLAT-FOOTED.

THEY WERE NOT GIVEN A HEADS UP.

THEY DENOUNCED IT, AND GLOBAL STOCKS PLUNGED OVERNIGHT.

IS THERE VALUE TO WHAT THE PRESIDENT PROPOSED?

OR IS IT THE BARN DOOR IS SHUT?

>> YEAH, I THINK THAT METAPHOR IS APPROPRIATE HERE, STEPHEN.

I MEAN, PEOPLE WILL SAY, WHAT ABOUT THE TRAVEL BAN ON CHINA

BACK IN JANUARY?

YOU REMEMBER, 195 AMERICANS BROUGHT IN BY THAT FLIGHT AND

THEN PUT IN QUARANTINE AT THAT AIR FORCE BASE, HUGE MOVE.

THAT HASN'T HAPPENED IN 60 YEARS IN THIS COUNTRY.

LAST TIME THAT HAPPENED WAS SMALLPOX.

IT WAS A BIG DECISION TO DO THIS.

THE PROBLEM NOW IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CASES OF CORONAVIRUS IN

THIS COUNTRY, AND THEY ARE SPREADING IN COMMUNITIES.

SO YOU REALLY HAVE TO JUSTIFY WWHY YOU WOULD DO A TRAVEL BAN

FROM COUNTRIES THAT MAY HAVE A SIMILAR NUMBER OF CORONAVIRUS AS

WE DO AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY CASES WE HAVE BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T

BEEN TESTING.

>> Stephen: AS A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL, HAVE YOU HEARD

FROM THE ADMINISTRATION A RATIONALE AS TO WHY CONTINENTAL

EUROPE MAY BE CUT OFF BUT THE U.K. IS NOT OR SOUTH KOREA WAS

NOT?

>> YEAH, I MEAN, THEY DID HAVE THESE LEVEL THREE RESTRICTIONS

IN SOUTH KOREA, SO THEY HAD SOME NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL AND THINGS

LIKE THAT, BUT, NO, IT DIDN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE, ESPECIALLY

GIVEN THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A LITTLE STRAND OF RNA THAT

DOESN'T RESPECT BORDERS OR BOUNDARIES, IT TRAVELS FREELY

ALL AROUND THESE PLACES.

SO THE FACT YOU COULD ASH ARBITRARILY SAY THIS -- AND

CHINA IS SAYING WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES COME

TOGETHERROUS BECAUSE WE'VE GOT IT UNDER CONTROL.

>> Stephen: THEY BELIEVE THEY'RE PAST THE PEAK OF THE

EPIDEMIC.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

>> Stephen: WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE CHINESE?

>> CHINA WAS VERY HEAVY HANDED.

THEY WERE SLOW COMING OUT TO HAVE THE GATE IN NOVEMBER AND

DECEMBER, BUT VERY HEAVY-HANDED.

THEY BASICALLY HAD THE LARGEST QUARANTINE EVER RECORDED IN THE

HISTORY OF THE WORLD, 60 MILLION PEOPLE UNDER QUARANTINE OVER

THERE, NOT LETTING PEOPLE IN OR OUT, REALLY TRYING TO CONTAIN

THIS VIRUS.

THAT'S CONTAINMENT, WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN MITIGATION, WHICH

IS JUST SLOWING THE SPREAD OF IT.

CONTAINMENT WAS THE NAME OF THE GAME OVER THERE, SOMETHING THAT

COULD HAPPEN IN CHINA, AND I THINK YOU SAW THE --

>> Stephen: CAN IT HAPPEN IN THE UNITED STATES?

WUHAN WAS THE FIRST PLACE THEY CONTAINED AND THE AREA AROUND

IT.

THAT CITY ITSELF IS 11 MILLION PEOPLE.

>> RIGHT, SMALL CHINESE CITY.

>> Stephen: EXACTLY, A SMALL CHINESE CITY.

IT WOULD BE THE EQUIVALENT OF SAY FOG ONE IN THE NEW YORK

METROPOLITAN AREA CAN GO IN OR GO OUT.

ARE WE HEADED THAT WAY?

>> I DON'T THINK WE COULD EVER DO WHAT THEY DID IN CHINA.

IN ORDER FOR QUARANTINES LIKE THAT TO WORK, FIRST OF ALL, YOU

HAVE TO DO IT EARLY, YOU HAVE TO BE VERY CONSISTENT, AND EVERYONE

HAS TO BE SUPER HONEST ABOUT THIS.

IN CHINA, IT WAS MANDATED.

IT'S A DIFFERENT RULE OF LAW THERE.

EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT THIS -- THE AUTOCRACY AND WHAT THAT REALLY

MEANS WHEN IT COMES TO GOVERNMENT, AND, IN MANY WAYS,

THERE'S A LOT OF NEGATIVES, BUT WITH THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION,

THEY WERE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING THAT I DON'T THINK CAN BE DONE

IN HARDLY ANY TO HAVE THE OTHER PLACES IN THE WORLD.

BUT ONE THING I WANT TO POINT OUT, THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY MODEL

OF SUCCESS.

YOU LOOK AT SINGAPORE, HONG KONG UPTHAT BORDERS MAINLAND CHINA,

THEY HAVE HAD ABOUT 120 PATIENTS DIAGNOSED.

BUT A LOT OF THINGS CAN BE DONE BUT THEY HAVE TO BE DONE EARLY.

TALL MEASURES IN TERMS OF SOCIAL DISTANCING CAN HAVE A REAL

IMPACT THEN.

>> Stephen: IF YOU CAN STICK AROUND FOR ONE MORE ACT, WE HAVE

TO TAKE ANOTHER COMMERCIAL BREAK, BUT COME BACK BECAUSE

WE'LL HAVE MORE OF DR. SANJAY GUPTA TALKING ABOUT CORONAVIRUS,

FACT VERSUS FICTION.

STICK AROUND.