good evening. today, the president of the united states did something rare. he expressed a notion that we can all agree on, that kids belong in the classroom. but then, he made it quite clear that, beyond what it means to himself and his re-election, he doesn't actually care about those kids, at all. he doesn't care about their health and safety, nor the health of their teachers or parents. he doesn't care about the federal guidelines put out by the cdc for keeping them safe. guidelines based on scientific fact, not fantasy. but facts about how this stop this virus from spreading in schools. the president bragged today about getting the cdc to change their guidelines, to weaken them. and, low and behold, the cdc, which used to be a respected organization, they are going to come up with new guidelines.

think about that. the cdc puts together guidelines, based on science, to protect kids and teachers. things like having air flow in rooms, washing hands. and because the president thinks they're too specific, too difficult, the cdc is just going to weaken them. and it's not me just saying that. the vice president, actually, said it out loud today. >> the president said today we just don't want the guidance to be too tough. that's the reason why, next week, cdc's going to be issuing a new set of tools. >> oh, we don't want -- we don't want guidance to be too tough, the vice president said. let's just have guidance based on magical thinking. today, the president threatened retribution for schools that don't open. i am quoting now from his tweet. in germany, denmark, and sweden, and many other countries, schools are open with no problems. but it's important for the children and families. may cut off funding, if not open.

germany, denmark, norway, and sweden. i just want to, quickly, show you what life looks like in those four countries the president named. there are the lines, all bunched together, at thewom bottom of t graph. germany reported 279 new cases yesterday. denmark, ten. norway, 11. sweden, 283. that's a total of 583 new cases yesterday, in a population of about 100 million. as for the united states, we had more than 60,000. 60,000 new cases. today, we surpassed 3 million since the outbreak began, 132,000 lives lost. cases rising, 35 states. holdi holding steady in 12. falling in just three. that is the reality today. and tomorrow looks worse, not better. >> i would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day, if this does not turn around. but i think it's important to tell you and the american public that i'm very concerned because it could get very bad. >> we are still knee deep in this, he says. a consequence, he goes on to

say, of states reopening too soon, and disregarding cdc guidelines for when and how to do it safely. disregarding cdc guidelines. just like the president is now doing with schools, and getting the cdc to rewrite the guidelines. here is his tweet. i disagree with cdc gov on their very tough and expensive guidelines for opening schools. while they want them open, they are asking schools to do very impractical things. i will be meeting with them. turns out, he didn't even have to meet with them. listen. >> the cdc will be issuing new guidance next week. part of a five-part series of recommendations, that will give all new tools to our schools. but what dr. redfield made clear yesterday, i'm sure he will make clear again today, is we're here to help. >> new guidance next week. five-part series of recommendations. here to help. i want to show you the cdc website and those tough and expensive guidelines that are currently there. page after page of science-based advice, considerations for

safely opening schools in the words of one section header. full of guiding principles to keep in mind. or another section, promoting behaviors th behavio behaviors that reduce spread. protecting staff. it's comprehensive and it's -- isn't exactly outdated information. the material came out back on the 19th of may. you may remember, after weeks and weeks of promises, and claims that, oh, they were just being edited, watered down. then, one night, with no fanfare, they just popped up on the cdc website. this was a little more than two weeks after the task force stopped giving daily briefings. and then, became evident the president essentially washed his hands of the whole crisis. but pushed mastates to reopen, which many did. and by that point, they're already open. the horse is out of the barn. or, more specifically, the virus was. flash forward to today as the president pushes to reopen schools, he's now openly trashing those very same

guidelines. coronavirus task force is folding like a bridge table, minus anthony fauci who wasn't at the briefing today in person. they are trying to spin it that everything they are doing is in the best interest of students. kaitlan collins asked this question of the vice president. >> can you explain why the president is threatening to cut funding from schools, at a time when educators are saying they need more so they can safely reopen? >> kaitlan, first and foremost, it's -- what you heard from the president is just a determination. to provide the kind of leadership, from the federal laef level, that says we're going to get our kids back to school because that's where they belong. and we know, based upon what -- what our best health officials tell us that, we can do that. >> he sounds so earnest when he says all that. but what does it actually mean? determination that provides leadership? that doesn't mean anything. it's got the focus-group tested buzz words.

determination. leadership. put it together, doesn't mean anything. determination provides leadership. it's just noise. it's lies and noise. yes, of course, kids belong in schools. those same public-health officials, when they are being honest, they don't believe that reopening schools or reopening states should take precedence over public safety. moreover, they recognize it's not an either/or choice. hence, the guidelines, hence the warnings. we have all seen what disregarding them leads to. today, the president's top team of scientists, minus dr. fauci, who they couldn't answer simple questions about what the science is on the risk of doing the exact thing the president is pushing to do. >> dr. birx, what's the infection rate among children? and what's the very latest in terms of, that you know, in terms of how the virus presents in children? how children transmit the virus to -- to older adults? nearly, a third of teachers across this country are age 50 and older. and what's the best practice in terms of testing children? i've never heard of a case where a school child is tested for

covid-19. >> those are all good questions. and i think it really comes to the -- the evidence base of what do we have as far as testing in children? so if you look across all of the tests that we've done and whether we -- when we had the age -- the portion that is in the lowest-tested portion is the under 10-year-olds. so we're putting into place, other ways to get testing results from them and looking at antibody in that discarded samples and try to figure this out. because parents, really, have done an amazing job of protecting their children. >> again, what does that mean? it all comes down to the evidence base, she said. yes, parents have done an amazing job protecting their children. we can all agree on that. but what about the rest of what she said? she went on like that for about two and a half minutes, without ever answering the question. what she said right there and what we played you was, essentially, we don't know. we don't know what the effect on kids is. we don't know about the transmission with kids. we don't know.

we just don't have the evidence. but rather than just saying that, because that would, then, suddenly, make it seem like, wow. maybe it's not a great idea to force kids back into school, and force teachers into rooms. you know, the -- she either couldn't say it or she wouldn't say it. as for cdc director robert redfield. i mean, this guy, wow. what he has done to the cdc. he wouldn't even acknowledge that he's bending to the president's wishes today. listen to this. >> dr. redfield, you're talking about the guidance that the cdc has put out. it sounds like you think it is in the best interest of students and ways to safely reopen schools, so far. so, are you going to change that guidance because the president said that he does not like it? >> well, i think i just want to reiterate, we're going to continue to work with local states and jurisdictions. i think the guidance that we've put out gives a series of different strategies for them to

consider. what is the most appropriate, in their unique situation, to adopt, again, and i want to come back to the goal. the goal of this is to get schools reopened. i did mention, and i want to reiterate, that goal's just not a goal to reopen schools. that's a goal because we believe that's in the best public-health interest of the students, for the reasons you've heard. >> yeah. fi if i was him, i'd close my eyes, too, when i was saying that stuff because it means nothing. it's a nonanswer answer. that is what passes leadership from this white house. nonsensical talk and lies and buzz words. we are in a pandemic. a virus is here, and it is killing us. and a lot of good people are fighting to stop it in hospitals and labs. and a lot of good people are fighting it, in their bodies, to stay alive. but lies and buzz words mean nothing. kaitlan collins did some of the questioning today. she joins us now. kaitlan, what was it like being there? i'm just stunned at the scientists, you know, just

saying nonsensical things, and doing backflips to keep employed, i guess. because they think that they're so essential to back up what the administration's doing. >> and i understand they feel like they have to walk this fine line of not contradicting or conflicting something that the president has said. but they are being asked legitimate questions that are informative and helpful for decisions that people are making about reopening schools. and then, we don't get straight answers on things as simple as, are you going to change the guidance because the president tweeted that he did not like the guidance? and so, you saw in his answer that he does say it's going to continue to evolve. but schools start to open in a matter of weeks. some of the teach fers are goin back in less than a month from now. so, if this guidance is still evolving because the president isn't happy with thwhat they pu out, that he that's not really for teachers that are going to be adapting to it as this comes

out. we didn't get a ton of answers from this. this is only the second briefing from the coronavirus task force that we have gotten in about two months. so i asked the press secretary, what specifically in the cdc guidance is it that the president doesn't think or thinks is too impractical or expensive? expensive was the word he used. they only listed one thing, anderson. and that was this guidance that most students should bring their lunch to schools and said that wouldn't work because, of course, so many kids rely on schools to get their lunch. but they didn't list any of the other issues that the president had with this guidance he was publicly attacking. >> in the briefing today, press secretary was asked about the president's confidence in dr. fauci. what did she say? >> well, you notice dr. fauci wasn't there on that stage today. that's because he was here, at the white house, for that task force meeting. while the rest of the task force, majority of them, were at the department of education. why is dr. fauci not there? the president's been criticizing him. and instead, kayleigh mcenany would not say, yes, the president does have confidence

in the nih director. she just said he has confidence in the conclusion that his medical advisers are bringing to him. but she did say he basically takes the information they give to him, and he pulls that information and makes his decisions off of that. not always exactly what they have recommended, is basically the way she answered that. >> wait a minute. i don't understand. they had a meeting. the task force had a briefing, with all the members of the task force that we say. they told dr. fauci, oh, don't go to that. go to the white house and just listen on a conference call? >> yeah. he was -- a teleconference in the situation room, here, at the white house. that's how he participated in that meeting. instead of actually going to the department of education. you know, washington isn't that big. it's only about a mile and a half down the street. so, that's why you did not see him on stage at that briefing afterward. even though he was at the briefing, you know, a few weeks ago, that was at hhs. >> and -- wow. i mean, you know, if you're in a job and everybody schedules a

meeting. but they tell you, oh, yeah, don't go to that meeting. that's, you know, where everyone's going to be and where decisions are made and where cameras are going to be. you go to the utility closet and sit in there and listen on the conference call. that's not a good sign. you asked about the president and the cdc being on the same page. what was the reasoning for that? >> well, they clearly aren't on the same page, and they really haven't been throughout this entire pandemic. the president has often been at odds with them. or, you know, privately fumed about the cdc director at times. so clearly, they weren't today with his tweet attacking the guidance that they put out. but the question of that is so much more than just the white house insisting they are on the same page. but the president has not attended a task force meeting, since the month of april. and so the question is -- i asked kayleigh mcenany today, why isn't he actually going to these meetings if he wants to have input on this guidance that cdc is putting out? and they want to talk about it before cdc puts it out? and she just said that the president is briefed on what goes on at those meetings.

>> okay. wait a minute. the president hasn't been to a task force meeting since april? >> that's right. he has not attended a task force meeting since the month of april. and before that, when they were meeting every single day, including weekends, he would go about once every eight days or so according to multiple people attending those meetings. but he has not attended one since the month of april. >> coming up next, the man who runs new york city schools and what he heard today. plus, a top former public official. >> and later, with people still packing beaches in places, new research on so-called silent spreaders and how widespread they may by. -that's how a home and auto bundle is made.

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we're talking tonight about the president, again, trying to take a shortcut it seems back to

normality. telling states and localities to get kids back in school, or else lose federal assistance. on monday, florida's education commissioner ordered all schools to reopen for in-person learning. late today, that same commissioner even thanked president trump for criticizing the reopening guidelines. again, this in florida, where 42 hospitals report they have no available icu beds due to the outbreak. joining us, leana wen, baltimore health commissioner. and chancellor of the new york department of education. chancellor, let me start with you. the cdc guidelines that currently exist. i don't know if you have seen them. the cdc says they're just recommendations, you know, not mandatory. do you think they are too onerous or too difficult? and the notion that the cdc is now just going to redo them, because the president is --

thinks they're too tough. does that make sense to you, from a scientific standpoint? >> anderson, thanks for the opportunity. not at all. look. i'm an educator. i'm not a physician. i don't play a physician on tv. we depend on the guidance that we're getting from the cdc and public health officials. to make sure that we're being safe, as we go forward. we are depending on science, not science fiction, in terms of how our students will come back to in-person learning. so those are not recommendations. they're not just off-the-cuff things. we're taking them very seriously. every word. every syllable of that guidance is like gold for us because, literally, the lives of children and adults are depending on that guidance that we receive, in terms of coming back to in-person learning. >> so, explain how you're going to do this, now, in new york. >> so in new york, we have one of the most densely compacted cities in the world. and our schools are no different. we have 1,800 schools. some of them are over a century

old. so we are taking all of the social distancing requirements, all of the health and safety requirements, all of the requirements and guidelines around disinfecting and ppe. the use of masks. the use of handwashing. temperature checks. they are all part of our reopening plan, for whenever we do come back to in-person learning. now, that's critical for us because we know that of the 1.1 million students -- we did a student and parent survey. we had over 450,000 respondents. and the number one concern that parents had, as well as our staff members are having is, is it a safe and is it a medically safe environment for us to come back to in-person learning? so we're planning for all contingencies. >> dr. wen, in a "washington post" op-ed you wrote, you said the single-most important requirement for resuming in-person instruction is the level of infection in the community. so if the level of infections we are seeing across the u.s. right

now continues or increases, can schools safely reopen, do you think, dr. wen? >> well, that's the question, anderson. and right now, the answer is no. especially, if you look at these areas that are actively having surges. so in some of these communities in arizona, texas, florida, we're seeing an infection rate of 1 in 100. so think about a school that has a thousand students. that means that ten people are walking in, on day one, who are actively infectious. not knowing it and spreading it to others and the school would have to close down pretty soon after. but with multiple clusters of infection on its hands. that's just not tenable. and the single-most important thing that the trump administration can do if their goal really is to reopen, is to put in the hard work and support the states that are trying to get these infections under control. these states are going to be faced with some really difficult decisions, such as, do they close down bars and restaurants and nightclubs over the summer, in order to allow for the

infection level to be low enough that schools can reopen? and the trump administration should be supporting those goals, and not threatening funding. >> chancellor, obviously, new york is doing better than -- than it was, thank goodness. in the fall, will students be going to classrooms? >> well, in the fall, our c contingency plans and i couldn't agree more with dr. wen. i mean, we should be talking about federal funding to allow school districts to be able to open safely. not cutting funding. that is just -- that's just not realistic for us. but, in the fall, we know that the physical-distancing requirements that -- and the guidelines -- will not allow us to have 100% of our students in a classroom, on any given day. so for us, we put out guidance today and we have five models that we're asking our principals to try on for size, if you will. that will -- will require, on a couple of days, students are in person. some of them are based on 50% capacity. some of them are based on 33%

capacity. and the idea is in a blended learning model, some students will have two days in-person learning. and then, the rest of the week, they'll have remote learning, while other students come in to remote learning. because we just can't accommodate all of 100% of our students, on any given day. so it's going to look very different for, not only students and families and teachers, we are in a position of choosing the least onerous of a portfolio of onerous choices. and we're not being helped by the federal government, without clear direction and funding to be able to put the safety measures in place. >> dr. wen, during the virus task force briefing today, the cdc director, dr. redfield, said that his agency's guidance were just recommendations, not requirements. as someone who's crafted public policy, does that make any sense to you? i mean, obviously, look, they can't you know, force everybody to do something. but shouldn't there be sort of firmer language, at the very least?

>> absolutely. look, when i was the health commissioner for baltimore, i looked to the cdc all the time for unambiguous, very clear, and specific, directive guidance. it's not taking away the autonomy of local officials to provide that guidance. actually, that's what empowers local officials. i agree with the chancellor. i mean, i pored over cdc guidelines because i wanted to do what was right for the people that i served. in this case, for the students, teachers, the staff, and their families. we need that kind of clear guidance and it's just so backwards, anderson, to be hearing comments about how we need to be revising these guidelines because they are preventing reopening. that's just as backwards as saying that testing is causing infections. i mean, it doesn't make sense. actually, you should be looking at that and saying, huh, if we can't meet these guidelines. it means, then, we are not safe to reopen. so let's work on these safety precautions to protect our students and staff and their families. >> yeah. dr. leana wen, chancellor, thank

you so much. appreciate all you do. appreciate it. up next, as the president pushes for schools to reopen, cases are surging across the sunbelt. we have two health experts to make sense of it all, when we come back. ♪ ♪ [ engines revving ] ♪ ♪ it's amazing to see them in the wild like th-- shhh. for those who were born to ride, there's progressive.

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president trump's determination to reopen schools is -- increasing cases and hospitalizations in a region of the country that helped elect him four years ago. southern parts of the united states. cnn's erica hill has the latest on the spread of the virus. >> reporter: as cases surge across the sunbelt, the white house task force is advising hotspots to buckle down. >> really, asking the american people in those counties and in those states to, not only use the face coverings, not going to bars, not going to indoor dining but, really, not gathering in

homes, either. and decreasing those gatherings, back down to our phase one recommendation, which was ten or less. >> in less than a month, the united states has added a million new cases. now, adding more than 51,000, every day. former hotspots, also, seeing new spikes. >> we have lost all the gains made in june. and are now seeing some numbers that rival our peak, back in april. >> as cases climb in louisiana, new orleans limiting patrons in bars and restaurants. mandating masks, at all times, unless you're eating or drinking. in los angeles, the infection rate, also, rising. houston's mayor cancelling the texas gop convention scheduled for next week. >> if you still refuse to recognize the public health danger, to everyone involved, then, i am still the mayor. >> the city added more than a thousand new cases on tuesday. a daily high.

>> the cases don't really tell the true tragedy of this. that the patients are piling, now, into hospitals, into icus. >> 42 hospital icus in florida are now full. more than 50 have just 10% of their beds available. in miami-dade county, where the positivity rate just hit 28%, the number of patients on ventilators is up more than 100%. arizona has just 145 icu beds remaining. >> the best that we can hope for, now, is to put out these multiple fires around the country. and get to a point of a slow burn. where there is a steady rate of infections and, unfortunately, deaths. >> these aren't 880-year-olds that should die. these are 80-year-olds that contracted a virus because a group of people just didn't want to wear a mask and they had to go out and have fun. i had a mom and grandmother drive themselves into my hospital. and only one drove home. >> joins us now. what are officials saying about

those increasing infections in los angeles county, erica? >> so, in los angeles county, what they said today is what they're seeing in terms of the rise in cases and infections and hospitalizations. they're really crediting that rise in hospitalizations to community spread. there's also been a slight uppi uptick in deaths. and the health director today, said, listen, i want to warn you, we are going to see more deaths among our loved ones, among our neighbors. because, as we know, anderson, deaths indicator, lag here two, three, four, five weeks sometimes. that number will lag behind the rising cases and hospitalizations. >> erica hill. thanks. perspective now from two leading public health experts. michael osterholm, director of the center for infectious disease, research, and policy. and dr. peter hotez, dean in the national school of tropical medicine at houston's baylor college of medicine. what do you expect will happen in the coming weeks? >> well, the numbers only going

to continue to rise. many of these cases are already in the pipeline. you know, just as we've sat here a month ago and talked about 20,000 cases and 40,000 seemed like it could never happen. and suddenly, now, we're talking 60,000. as we, also, talked about, 100,000 cases a day are not out of the question. this is just going to continue to spread, as it is right now. >> and so, how does it start to go down? i mean, is it -- i mean, what -- is there something to pin some hope on? >> well, i think the one thing we have to acknowledge is we have to go back and no one wants to use the word lockdown. even today, they were very cautious about talking about what we needed to do at the task force press briefing. but the bottom line is, we're going to have to really clamp back down again. the countries that have successfully contained this virus were able to get it down to a level of one to two cases per 100,000 population. then, testing and contact tracing will work. in a situation like this, when the entire forest is on fire,

all the testing and contact tracing in the world isn't going to shut it down. it's going to have to take a lot of distancing issues. and we're back to square zero, in a sense, from where we were in march. >> dr. hotez, the vice president said today there are early indications that positivity rates are flattening. isn't that misleading? i mean, if they are flattening at all, they're doing so, at very high numbers, right? >> well, there was a disconnect, anderson, between the charts that dr. birx showed. the chart showed a pretty steep acceleration in the major metropolitan areas of arizona, texas, florida, across the south. and that really hasn't changed, and the numbers continue to accelerate in our hospitals, in our icus. and we remain in a terrible public health crisis, and i completely agree with mike. the -- there is no end to this increase, unless we do the hard work to start bringing this back. and really -- and try to create a national plan, state by state

by state, and bring this down to some level of containment. because the contact tracing's not going to work, and we're not going to be able to open up schools safely in areas where you've got this kind of acceleration. we're supposed to open up schools in houston towards the end of august. i don't see how you do that, as students get sick and teachers start to get sick. >> professor osterholm, do you still believe, i mean, that, you know, come november, december, january, that as seasonal flu comes around, there's going to be another sort of wave? i don't know if wave is the right word. but of covid? >> well, i think covid is not going to slow down, unless we make every effort to make it slow down. remember, we're in a debate with a virus that doesn't really care what our message is. it's going to do what it's going to do. and i think that we have to understand that. the best we can do is the kind of distancing mitt dwaigation strategies we have talked about to get like other countries. influenza. we're not sure what it'll do this fall. in some cases, there may be interference between the two

viruses and we have less activity. there could be more. i think the bottom-line message is, keep thinking about the covid situation from the sta standpoint that right now, probably about 7% of the u.s. population's been infected with this to date. it's not going to slow down its transmission until it it gets to 50 to 60%. i said slow down, i didn't say stop. so, when you think about the number of people that still have yet to be effeinfected, we are on the beginning of this pandemic and we have to help the public and our leaders understand. we have to be in this for the long haul. and that means shutting it down now would pay big dividends before, hopefully, we get a vaccine. >> professor osterholm, 239 scientists or so from around the world published a letter to ask the w.h.o. to be more clear in how coronavirus can transmit in the air. there is emerging evidence, that is their term, of airborne transmission. can you explain what that means for our lives every day? >> yeah.

well, first of all, when we talk about respiratory transmitted viruses, we're talking about what comes out of our breathing tract, where we cough. there are very small particles, if i liken them, the size of marbles. there are particles the size of bowling balls. and there is everything in between. the w.h.o. said basically just those big particles that fall out close by you. and that's where you have to be. in fact, these particles we call aerosols, the things that float in the air. next time you're in your home and you see the sunlight and think, my, i have a dusty house. that's aerosol. when i talk, i am filling this studio with these aerosols. you can't see them. but they're there. and what this group is saying to the w.h.o., you have to understand that aerosols, themselves, can transmit this virus. they can float in the air for some time, and it's not just those that you cough out or sneeze out that are going to continue to spread this disease. and the data, i think, are compelling to support their message. >> dr. hotez, i mean, essentially, that means, you

know, whoever has used this studio, that i am in right now. if they used it, you know, an hour ago and they've left and i walk into this. it could -- there could, still, be aerosol particles in the air? >> that's right, unless you have a mask on. and that's why we encourage people to wear masks. this virus replicates in high amounts in our upper airway. and that's one of the distinguishing features of this virus. so as you are speaking, it's releasing huge numbers of virus particles and that's why the masks can work so well. look. i mean, we can make a big difference in this country. if we're willing to do the hard work now. it's still not too late, if we implement a very aggressive strategy. over the summer, when things are relatively quiet, we can make a big impact and start to open up schools safely. start to open up colleges and universities safely. maybe, even have the national football league, college football, and the nba, if we do the hard work this summer. the problem is there's no leadership that's willing to take that on.

and to create strategies for every state, to tell the states, this is what you need to do for -- for your particular state. and some states, they're already there. they don't have to do that much. other states, like texas and florida and arizona, have a lot of work to do. but it is doable, if there is the political will and the leadership. and that's what's so tragic. we could have an extraordinary fall in the united states in 2020 if people were willing to let that happen. >> yeah. professor, just lastly, you know, when you and i have spoken over the course of this spring, you often said we're in the second inning of a nine-inning game. are we still -- what inning are we in now? >> we're definitely in the third or fourth. what got me from second to third or fourth was we weren't sure if this was going to act like an influenza pandemic. where there are really, truly, waves just like you'd see in the ocean. where you have a block of first cases that occur. and then for reasons, that have nothing to do with human mitigation or anything we try to do, they just tend to fall off. and go through a period of very low activity for several months. and then, you see a big second

wave. we now realize this is not like an influenza virus. this is a coronavirus, all by itself. the first time we're aware this has happened. and this is just one heavy burn. as i describe it, it's like one raging forest fire looking for human wood right now. and i don't think it's going to slow down. those who said seasonality would play a role. you can remember, anderson, the discussion we had about that and i didn't think back in april and may, that this would be seasonally adjusted. it surely isn't right now. so i think that's the key. it's going to keep going. >> michael osterholm, appreciate it as always. dr. hotez, thank you so much. a new study called silent spreaders could be responsible for half of the covid-19 cases. we'll talk with one of the co-authors, when we continue. for the sweaty faces,

and the hidden smiles. the foggy glasses, and the muffled laughs. a simple piece of fabric makes a big statement: i care. wear a mask. let's all do our part to slow the spread. new study out of yale says that half of the coronavirus cases, half, could be caused by so-called silent spreaders. people who are asymptomatic or those who are presymptomatic. the study suggests the onset of the virus may be most contagious in that presymptomatic stage. i am joined by one of the study

at yale university. professor, thanks so much for being with us. can you just walk us through what your research found? because i think for a lot of us, it's pretty frieghtening to thik a majority of the people might have the virus, and be transmitting it without even knowing it. >> thank you for inviting me, anderson. so an unusual aspect of covid-19 is that the peak of infectiousness occurs during the presymptomatic phase, as you just summarized. so by translating clinical data on viral load to population, epidemiological impact, we thought the majority of transmission is attributable to people who are not exhibiting symptoms. either, because they are still in the presymptomatic stage or the infection is asymptomatic. so, not only are people infectious when they're not sim to symptomatic, that's actually when they are the most infectious. >> so from a public health standpoint, what do you do about that? if someone doesn't even know they have it, i mean, that's --

that's not good news. >> exactly. so this makes control of covid-19 particularly challenging. in some ways, more challenging than a disease even as frightening as ebola. so, for example, with ebola, people did not become really infectious until they are extremely sick. so measures based on early symptoms, such as temperature checks, are quite effective in the control of ebola. by contrast, with covid-19, people are most infectious before any symptoms appear. so most people who are transmitting the virus are doing so, inadvertently, without even realizing that they're sick. for example, younger people are at lower risk of serious covid outcomes. but they're disproportionately responsible for silent transmission. >> so that -- that's -- that's, also, something that came out of this. that young people are disproportionately responsible for transmitting the virus?

>> yes, they have more contacts, and they're more likely to be asymptomatic. and that means that they are disproportionately transmitting, as well. >> wow. so i mean, is there any -- so then, what do you recommend? i mean, just from a public health standpoint. i guess, it just makes it all the more important that people are wearing masks and social distancing, and doing these things. which we know helps stop the spread of the virus. and it's more important than ever, based on your research, to do that because you can't wait until you feel sick to start wearing a mask so you don't infect others. >> exactly. our results underscore the importance of contact tracing and testing, that is fast enough and extensive enough to identify presymptomatic cases, prior to the onset of symptoms. right now, the gap between that goal and the reality, in america, today, continues to

expand as the outbreak accelerates. and currently, the epidemic is far outpacing the availability of tests. >> right. >> until we have adequate contact tracing and testing capacity, staying at home is still the best thing you can do to keep yourself and others safe. masks help. keeping a distance helps. but if folks are frequently adjusting or removing their masks, they may actually be transferring virus from their hands, to their face. >> then, when you think about schools reopening, if -- you know, if it's young people transmitting the virus, disproportionately, not showing symptoms. i mean, that, again, just raises a whole bunch of red flags about the ability to reopen schools safely. >> absolutely. given that people are disproportionately responsible for silent transmission, reopening schools would be adding fuel to the fire. even if all symptomatic cases were kept at home, like when

kids started to feel sick, our study shows that a vast outbreak would likely, nonetheless, unfold from silent transmission, alone. >> allison, i really appreciate your research. i mean, it's -- i got to say,an with a lot of bad news, but it's important to know the facts and i really appreciate it. thank you. >> thank you. coming up, we remember some of the victims of the pandemic. don't just think about where you're headed this summer. think about how you'll get there. and now that you can lease or buy a new lincoln remotely or in person... discovering that feeling has never been more effortless. accept our summer invitation to get 0% apr on all 2020 lincoln vehicles. only at your lincoln dealer.

and the hidden smiles. the foggy glasses, and the sore ears. the determined looks, and the muffled laughs. a simple piece of fabric makes a big statement: i care. let's all do our part to slow the spread. wear a mask. learn more at covid19.ca.gov.

let's check in with chris, to see what he's working on for "cuomo prime time." chris? >> coop, you see these numbers out of california? hospitalizations are up 44% in the last two weeks. intensive care cases are up 34% in the last two weeks, 14 days. california's seven-day positive rate is at about 8%. and the 14-day rate stands at

7%. remember, you want it to below about half of that. why? we're going to take that on with a couple different experts tonight. we'll take that on with a couple of different experts tonight. and we'll also go to the front lines of arizona. we'll show you the truth in real time, where it's happening. >> all right, chris, look forward to that, about five minutes from now. thank you very much. still to come, remembering the lives lost due to the virus, including a couple married for more than 50 years. (vo) the time is coming for us to get out and go again. to visit all the places we didn't know meant so much. but we're all going at our own speed. at enterprise, peace-of-mind starts with our complete clean pledge, curbside rentals and low-touch transactions. with so many vehicles of so many kinds, you can count on us to help you get everywhere you want to go... again. whenever you're ready, we're ready for you.

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we try to take time every night to remember the lives lost to this virus. i want you to meet linika, she was a researcher at the field museum in chicago. as a kid, she was determined to have a career in science. she had a severe learning disability which interfered with her reading and math, but that didn't stop her. she went on to earn two masters degrees in biology and science education. she was known for her dedication to her work and a smile, a role model for aspiring african-american women. she wanted to become a biology instructor. and just before her death, she landed her dream job. linika was 35 years old. betty and curtis tarpley, they knew each other since they were kids. they went to the same high school in illinois, then later, as adults, they met up again and they fell in love and they got married. they were together for 53 years

before they both came down with the virus. betty was the first to be admitted to the hospital and two days later, curtis was also sent to the icu. curtis seemed to respond well to treatment, but betty continued to go worse. she told her son she was ready to go. after hearing that news, curtis started to deteriorate. their son says he believes his dad was only fighting the virus because he thought they would pull through it together. nurses were able to bring them together one last time, and they died within an hour of each other. an icu nurse put betty's hand on curtis's arm and they held ontd each other until the very end. that's it for us. the news continues. i want to hand it over to chris for "cuomo prime time." >> when we hear about the stories, we say, they had a good life. it didn't have to end right now. but what if they could have had six more months or another year or two? ask their families how they feel about that, anderson. we both know the answer, having lost parents, you would give anything for a little bit more time.