recovered and you have antibodies. go back to work. >> reporteri'm sorry, i cut off. when i cut off jesse, he gets annoyed at me and then i pay. i'm kidding. >> reporter: the third of the icu beds that are currently available in the state, do we still not have a figure as to how much the availability of those beds currently is? so it's 3,000 minus -- >> the icu beds for our purposes are beds with ventilators. okay? that's really -- we can create, today, more icu beds with ventilators we already have in house. right? so we have 14,000 ventilators. if we had to, today, we could create 14,000 ventilated beds. if we were bumping up against capacity.

is that right? >> that's correct. i think th the term "icu beds" n this world we're living in now is different. the recovery room with a ventilator is an icu bed. so i think that is just -- but we have asked all the hospitals for that information. >> reporter: but the state only has about 7,000 licensed respiratory services, are there plans to try and increase that number? >> would put out a call for about 1.2 million additional health care workers to come to new york state. that's going on a rolling basis. he will see many of these numbers which the governmen govr presented to the increase asked initially. it's not just in-state, we asked for out-of-state retirees and health care workers respond from connecticut and new jersey and other parts of the country, as well. we are arranging for them to

come to this area as needed. >> you notice there are respiratory therapists in there who have volunteered, as well. >> reporter: to piggyback on that question, we've seen reports from federal sources saying basically new york city will run out of icu beds by friday. are you seeing similar reports and are you reacting to those? >> i didn't see those reports. i'm reacting to the numbers we have. show the numbers. the current number of icu beds with ventilators, that's one number. if you bring, jesse, the ventilators we have in hand, and add those two beds, that number goes up 14,000. >> i will that happen? >> we can move them today. >> reporter: when you say there's a stockpile, is that in albany? >> there are multiple stockpiles. which we did when we ramped up the whole disaster emergency

management system. we have multiple stockpiles. we have these placed in multiple stockpiles, where you have to go to the city. it's a shorter trip, we have a stockpile on long island, in the hudson valley, in albany, in my basement. just in case the stockpile runs out. >> but you aren't filling that out as of yet? >> we have the icu -- we have the ventilators in the stockpiles. we have not gone from the stockpile to a hospital because we don't have a hospital that is called up and said, "i need a ventilated bed." >> reporter: are they being deployed to the front lines? are they being sent to work in other parts of the hospital? >> the workers? >> reporter: the reserve medical providers being called up and asked to volunteer. >> they are not yet being deployed. if i'm incorrect, you can correct me. which he enjoys doing. i don't believe they are being deployed yet. they are reserve in case --

well, they are reserved for two purposes. he opened new beds, you now need staff for the new beds. we open up a dormitory, 200 beds. now you need staff to do the 200 beds. or you have a hospital that has a severe shortage of workers because of hours or sickness. i don't believe we are now deploying the reserves. >> that's correct. >> reporter: should we be concerned at all about the role back in some regulations, recordkeeping, medical malpractice protections, and other regulations that are rolled back? >> doctor? >> we are looking at those issues, as well. there are concerns that have been raised. as we mentioned, at previous press conferences, the governor said we should look at our rules and regulations and adapt accordingly. so we're going to do that, as well. >> i was on the phone with hospital administrators. the department of health -- i'm

going to say this in a nice way. the department of health has multiple regulations to run the best health system in the united states of america. and those regulations make it so. the regulations can sometimes get in the way of expedition and facilitation and mobilization. so we said, in this case, we are going to relax many of the regulations so they can staff up, they can increase capacity. the hospital could double capacity. we also have space regulations. you need flexibility for them to do what we are asking them to do. >> reporter: do you agree with the cure is worse than the disease mentality? >> i'm confused. >> reporter: [inaudible question]

>> if i -- rikers is run by new york city. >> do you have a point? >> i was going to say new york city is already doing on their own so it's not something they need us on. we talked to new york city 77 times a day. if that conversation needs to be had, it'll be had. >> 78. >> reporter: [inaudible question] >> no. i can't. you need to be a congressperson. you need to be a senator. i've communicated with all of them. i understand the washington bureaucracy. i was there. but i passed bills when i was a secretary, i know how hard it is. but i also know how high the stakes are here. you look at the loss in the revenue, what you guys have been talking about timmy, how do you do a state budget with that dramatic loss in revenue? they've been saying the federal

government is going to pass a stimulus package that delivers additional funding to state governments. okay, here's the package. it gives us $3.8 billion. the whole is as big -- as high as $15 billion. how do you plug a $15 billion hole with $3.8 billion? you don't. >> thank you, governor. how do you respond to the mentality out there that the cure is worse than the disease, and the suggestion by the president that he might want to open up the country by easter? >> look, i believe -- it's part language, right? nobody will say it is sustainable to keep the economy closed. it's not sustainable. we all got that. china got it, south korea got it, et cetera.

that's point one. .2 two, everyone believes, i believe, in this state that we do everything we can to save a life. we are not going to triage and say -- >> melissa: you are listening to new york governor cuomo saying that the bill that is being considered right now that we are getting ready to vote on in congress does not provide enough relief for new york, saying that it allocates $3.8 billion for the state of new york, and he says the hole is closer to $15 billion. at the same time we want to take you to washington, where right now senate majority leader mitch mcconnell is on the floor discussing the very same legislation. let's listen in. >> i couldn't be prouder, mr. president, of our colleagu colleagues. our nation needed us to go big and go fast, and they did. the creative policies are

chairman crafted in just a couple days' time remain the central building block of the proposal we will pass today. but republicans new the nation had no time, no time, for conventional political gamesmanship. so the instant we released our first draft, i created a series of bipartisan working groups. i asked republicans and democrats to work together around the clock, literally around-the-clock, to make the bill even better. by sunday we had an updated proposal that was even stronger and contained even more ideas, literally, from both sides. both sides. republicans and democrats have worked together to dramatically strengthen and rework unemployment insurance during this crisis. we have worked together to make sure lower-income families can receive the full cash assistan assistance, and on and on.

mr. president, i will leave it to others to compare the bipartisan sunday bill to the final version we will pass tod today, and determine whether the last few changes really required or merited three days of delay. three days of delay, in the face of this worsening crisis. but that washington drama does not matter anymore. the senate is going to stand together, act together, and pass this historic relief package today. struggling americans are going to go to their mailboxes and find 4-figure checks to help with their bills. why? because the senate stepped up. many american families who poured everything into a restaurant or a shop or a small

manufacturer are going to keep making payroll and keep their businesses alive. because this senate stepped up. hundreds of thousands of workers in key sectors who might well have been laid off through no fault of their own will instead get to keep their job and continue their career, because this senate stepped up. for the health care heroes who leave their own sleeping children and drive to the hospital for an all-night shift, to spend hour after hour healing the sick, comforting strangers, and literally battling this disease, there will be more masks in their supply closets. more funding for their hospita hospitals. and soon, more treatments to administer to their

patients. because this senate stepped up. so, today, mr. president, the senate will act to help the people of this country weather this storm. nobody thinks legislation can end this. it cannot outlaw the virus, and note economic policy could fully end the hardship so long as we must put the nation's commerce n ice. this is not even a stimulus package. it is emergency relief. emergency relief, that's what this is. no, this fight is not going to be won or lost in washington. it's the american people who will beat this virus. americans will keep making sacrifices to slow down the

spread. americans will keep pitching in and looking after each other. americans will keep finding creative ways to stand united, even if they have to stand 6 feet apart. he will win this fight because of people like amy jean tyler, a stay-at-home mom home mom in kentucky who is leading a drive to so cotton masks for a local children's hospital. we will win this fight because of people like pastor grant hastie in stearns, kentucky, who has gathered volunteers to distribute more than 550 home-cooked meals. we will win this fight because people like peg hayes, who runs a distillery in kentucky, and is temporarily converting her bourbon making facilities to churn hand sanitizer. we will win this fight because national companies are switching

production lines to make medical supplies. because our largest high-tech companies are partnering with the government to through supercomputing power right into the race. we will win this fight because of families, neighbors, and church communities that cannot even worship together in person because of small businesses, big businesses, public health, phds, and local entrepreneurs. it's been 18 years since every american was united in amazement and prayer as firefighters and first responders rushed into burning buildings on september the 11th, 2001. in the coming days and weeks, our nation is going to meet new heroes. many may be police, firefighte firefighters, and emts once again. many others will be truck drivers, grocery store clerks,

and pharmacists who literally keep our supply chains running. utility workers and delivery drivers, who leave their homes so everyone else can remain in theirs. teachers who somehow managed to keep educating their students over the internet while looking after their own kids at the very same time. most of all, we are going to meet a whole lot of american heroes who wear scrubs and masks and gloves. heroes who rush toward the sick and wash their hands until they bleed, and work around the clock to heal our friends and our families. when our nation comes through this and takes flight again on the other side, it will be because american heroes won this fight.

all the senate can do is to give them the resources to do it, and that's exactly what we're going to do today. >> melissa: that was senator mitch mcconnell, talking about the $2 trillion stimulus bill that they are getting ready to vote on there. we are awaiting a response from minority leader chuck schumer. while we do that, i want to bring in the rest of the group here. dr. marc siegel joins us. he was talking right there about where this money is going, to our health care workers who are right now on the front line trying to battle this virus, and they don't have the supplies that they need. isn't that at the heart of what congress is supposed to be doing right now? getting them the money for the supplies? >> dr. siegel: yes, i think

that's where all of this has to go. i had an off the record conversation with hh the s secretary alex azar a little while ago. i can't give you the details of that. it's clear to me that the focus right now is getting n95 respirator masks for health care workers. the government is involved with that, dealing with the private sector. it's more than that, though. it's also getting the rest of the agreement. gowning, proper gloves, getting the surgical masks used in different ways, not with the covid-19 patients. but one source of real disagreement here is how many ventilators we need. i have to tell you, with about 1.5% of covid-19 patients actually needing ventilators, maybe 3% in icus, i think the numbers the governor is throwing out here are vastly exaggerated. consider that 300,000 ventilators would probably be enough to take care of 1-2000000 patients. we are nowhere near that situation. the feds are sending 4,400 ventilators to new york.

i think the issue is triaging patients properly and getting health care workers outfitted. >> melissa: yeah. harris, i would say, it's been astounding to me to watch the explosion in new york overnight. you know, the new numbers we've had in our area. really, that order that anyone who has left the new york area needs to go isolate themselves, because we are the epicenter. >> harris: because of our proximity to all of you, melis melissa, in new york city. we are on the same lockdown today. the county i live in is number 12 on the list for the most cases out of counties in the nation. the other, like, 9 on that list are in your estate. some of it we anticipated, because you and i have been talking about if you test more people you find out more information. there is a testing center just up the road for me, and i can tell you it's been overrun by people trying to get tested. and the rules are strict. so they are not testing you

unless somebody suspects that you have this. your doctor, you, you've got to have symptoms to come in. so it is a process that is burdened now -- it got cold, started snowing, people are sniffling. a gift, located over the weekend. i do want to bring this up, melissa, because i want to pick your financial brain on this. so, senator mcconnell just said that no one thinks legislation can end this. "you cannot outlaw the virus. it's not even a stimulus package, it's an emergency relief." maybe we can talk, melissa, what's the difference? >> melissa: well, i mean, that's an interesting question. we heard the governor of new york saying at the beginning of this that the money that is coming to new york isn't nearly enough for the needs. that it's $3.8 billion, the hole anticipates being $15 billion. i don't know what he thinks this is the only money coming his way. i think this is a start. i don't love wild spending, but we have a lot of different moving parts here.

dagen, let me ask you really quickly before chuck schumer comes out here. a lot of the plans for getting money into people's' pockets, though, look very promising in this bill. what jumps out at you? >> dagen: the one word here is "speed." i call it a rescue package. this is to ease the financial hardship, literally, of millions of americans have lost their jobs overnight. $3400 to a family of four. we have to get this money to them immediately. back in 2008 when president bush signed this relief into law, it was in mid-february. that money didn't start going out to people until late april. the payments not completed until summer. this money needs to get there quickly prayed also, unemployment benefits greatly enhanced, additional benefits for four months.

gig employees, freelance employees -- >> melissa: a lot more details. i don't want to cut you off but we have a break right here, we have a lot more details that we are going to get to as well as gillian turner on the other side of the break. we are waiting for the democrat response right now on the senate floor. we'll be right back. r? by refinancing your va loan at today's incredibly low rates at newday usa. newday's va streamline refi is the quickest and easiest refi they've ever offered. you can lower your payments by this time next month without having to verify your income, without getting your home appraised, and there's no money out of pocket. one call to start saving $2000 a year. every year. then, sit back, relax and think about what you'll do with the savings. call newday right now.

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>> harris: coronavirus cases are surging across america. we anticipated some of this, as we continue to do more testing of people, but these numbers are eye-popping today. there are now more than 50,000 confirmed cases, with at least 802 deaths. the death rate has spiked nationwide, and that is something we keep our eye on more than anything. it's up by 35% since just yesterday. cases in new york city, melissa

and i were talking about this a few minutes ago, in new york city alone cases have increased by nearly 45% since monday. a member of the white house task force with this warning. watch. >> everybody who was in new york should be self quarantining for the next 14 days to ensure that the virus doesn't spread to others, no matter where they have gone. whether it's florida, north carolina, or out too far reaches of long island. we are starting to see new cases across long island that suggest people have left the city. >> harris: i want to go straight away to dr. siegel for a couple reasons. no one knows the east coast like you do, and the travel patterns we all have, hopping in our cars. we are now in jersey in new york, in a real hold in place order. is this going to help, and how long will it take? >> dr. siegel: i think it's going to help. again, i was talking to hhs secretary azar about this this

morning. my opinion is that a more effective strategy here, harris, would be to bring in more rapid testing, self-administered testing, serology testing where you can check a blood test and know right away if you've been exposed to this. they are trying that out in seattle now. if we could have that, i could blanket the population with testing, figure out who's been exposed to this, separate them out, but them and special hotels or areas, keep them away from their families. if i knew who actually have this, i wouldn't have to say, "if you leave new york, you have to be self quarantined for 14 days." i would know who actually had it. that's the big problem here and that's why we see such widespread problems with this virus. it's secret -- it can spread under the radar. you have mild symptoms, you think you have something else. you have no symptoms at all. i want to be able to test all contacts. i don't know how effective this strategy is to robe off the whole area. i do think they are heading toward the idea of travel restrictions in and out of new york, though.

see one right. well, when you look at the situation, gillian, of what we have done in florida with the governor there and others looking and saying, "if you try to come into the state of florida and you've been to new york, you need to be quarantined." now you are really almost shutting down travel without actually saying it. >> gillian: i think there has really been under the radar kind of mass exodus outside of new york city for weeks now. people who can, who have the means, who have friends, family members who live outside the city, are trying to get out of there. because talking to a lot of new yorkers, being a native manhattanite myself, they've been saying for weeks that we expect a total lockdown. the city, as you know, is one of the most densely-backed cities in the entire country. a quick note on the spread, here -- new york city is going to be a barometer for the rest of the nation in terms of how they are going to be able to contain this virus. it is true that a nation's only ever as safe and as healthy as its most vulnerable people right now.

new york city is this hotbed. what they are able to do here in terms of preventing spread elsewhere is going to tell us a lot, a lot about how america writ large is going to be able to absorb the hits from this virus. >> harris: melissa, i don't want to make this too personal for anybody, but i have been following what you're doing in new york, and things are changing for you. >> melissa: yeah. no, i mean, i would just say that everybody we know is gone. the building i live in is basically empty. you know, my kids' friends, all those families have left. as they say, if you left new york in the last week or two, those people are everywhere. i don't know, to lockdown the state now, the cats out of the bag. everyone is gone. you go down and walk around on the street, it's very empty, and yes, people who continue to work in the city are heroic health care workers, have stayeo help people.

but the only people who are still here really are the people who have continued to work one way or the other. so to try and track where now we new yorkers have spread is kind of a terrifying idea. >> harris: yeah, that's a really good point. >> dr. siegel: it's too late. >> harris: dagen, very quickly, the economy and what impact this possibly has -- and i have to be quick. >> dagen: that's why this rescue packages broad-based. people have left new york, frankly, and taking this virus elsewhere. and we don't know where it is at this point. from the moment this virus arrived on u.s. shores, i chose not to go see my at risk 83-year-old father in southern virginia for that very reason. because i didn't know -- i could be in a symptom that carrier. self quarantining, i don't think people understand how restrictive that his prey that means no contact with anybody and really walling yourself off in a room in someone's home. follow instagram, people who are

taking off weeks ago, going off to florida, going to warmer places. that's why we covered governor cuomo's press conferences, because this is what the rest of the nation needs to see, so they protect themselves. >> harris: and you bring up a good point, because it really does affect everybody. we don't know the where they have fanned out to. we will talk more about this later, but you can look outside and see it, melissa, as he said. even here in a city and a state that are not new york. moving on, president trump says he wants to see the nation reopen on easter. that's 18 days from now. is that possible? feasible? we'll talk about it. about making choices.

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that. >> melissa: coronavirus task force member dr. anthony fauci last night on president trump's strong desire to reboot the u.s. economy by easter, which is just about two and a half weeks away. the president has said he wants to reassess the state of the country and potentially phase out his administration's guidelines on social distancing after the 15-day period ends next tuesday. dr. siegel, i will bring you in here. because, you know, part of being a leader through a crisis like this, whether you are a ceo or a coach or whatever it is, you are trying to set goals, you are trying to put out aspirational ideas that maybe we can get to. not a total reopening, not a place like new york, obviously, where we are being really hard-hit. maybe he means a beginning in some places. there's also come as a religious person myself, there is the season of lent this has corresponded with. and the idea of an ending or

some sort of beacon of hope, easter, is meaningful. what are your thoughts on maybe getting everyone's hopes up? or is this a good idea? >> dr. siegel: of course you are thinking also of the economy. i had an off the record talk with dr. fauci about this, and i will tell you what my opinion is. i think new york has become such an epicenter here, with 36,000 cases, that i think the president has an idea that might be useful here. which is this -- i mentioned this before but i was saved in a different way. let's find out anybody in new york who has this. let's focus on new york. maybe, with the weather warming up, we can loosen things in areas like montana or north dakota where people are living far apart to begin with. maybe reinvigorating business would be the right thing to do. with this being such an epicenter here, i think we have to look at it like -- and please excuse this -- the second wuhan. new york is the second wuhan. lon ended up being quarantined,

the whole region, but the rest f china went about its business. i'd like to see that here. i want us to focus on new york and loosen things up elsewhere. that's with the president -- >> harris: may i ask a quick follow-up to that, guys? hearing gillian talk, hearing dagen talk about how -- you, too, melissa -- how everyone fanned out from new york and things are relatively much more empty in certain sectors, because they are in other parts of the country. is there a chance -- and it wouldn't be a good thing -- is there a chance that people have gone to all these other areas, and we'll see other hot spots because we took what we had here, the second wuhan, and moves it across the country? dr. siegel? >> dr. siegel: yeah, i think that's a really fair point. it's sounding like l.a. may become another hot spot. i'm glad you gave me a chance to restate that. it's a hot spots i want focused on, more than just new york. new york, l.a., seattle, san francisco. but maybe not billings, montana. we should look at each case

differently and that will help our economy. >> dagen: i can add to that really quickly. it's ultimately up to the governors. it's up to the governors of all the states, whether they have these shelter in place orders, or stay-in-place orders, or containment orders. that's ultimately up to the governors. >> melissa: gillian, what do you think a map looks like? let me lean on your national security background a little bit, as the people have fanned out all of it please. i don't know, what you think about the risk? >> gillian: we've heard reports from white house sources in washington, and a couple hill sources, too, that one of the things they're considering -- the administration is considering -- is a tiered response. they're not sure how they will develop the criteria. whether it's people who can go back to work and when, whether it's based on age, relative health and fitness, whether it's based on need, how important to the nation's economy their jobs

are, so on and so forth. if they provide critical services. one question here that we are not talking about, though, in addition to when we are all going back to work, is how americans are going back to work. a lot of tech experts are saying the face of how americans do business has changed forever during this pandemic. the rate of people working online, teleworking, was already accelerating. they have a whole new class of millions of americans who have the technology in the palm of the hand. they've seen that they can do their jobs remotely online. our employers going to take a liking to that end have more people do that on a more permanent basis? >> harris: great question. >> melissa: that is such a vessel in question. >> dagen: my answer is no because productivity collapses. [laughs] >> melissa: interesting. well, we'll see. thanks, guys. health officials say the uss turned the corner on coronavirus testing, at least. the details on that next.

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>> there is, in fact, good news. we've turned the corner on testing. we've now done more testing in the last eight days then korea has done in eight weeks. so that will give us more and better information. >> harris: and of course that was the surgeon general, dr. jerome adams. he told us that during the fox news town hall yesterday, about that south korea detail. he said the increase in coronavirus testing in the united states will now allow officials greater insight on the trajectory of the deadly virus within our own nation. meanwhile, scientists reportedly say the virus is not mutating significantly, and it's not doing so quickly as it's spreading. suggesting that an eventual vaccine could offer longless in production. boy, i'm always looking for the silver lining, dr. siegel. you know this about me. is this one?

>> dr. siegel: the second thing you said is one, let's start with that. vaccines, i think that's absolutely right. they've been watching this virus under the electron microscope. it is not changing significantly. it is not spinning off subtypes. it looks like the vaccines they have in the works will cover it. i spoke to dr. fauci about it the other day. he's very optimistic we will get a usable vaccine. to your other point, from the surgeon general, i think there's been a tremendous increase in testing. over 350,000 tests. but i still think we need to self administer nasal swab. much easier than all this protective agreement. we have it now, we've got to start using it. i would like to see double or triple the number of tests. we are not south korea, harris. we are a lot bigger. so we need more testing. >> harris: that's an excellent point. what they do on a smaller scale can be a template for us, but it can't be a tapestry to overlay on everything we do because we are so much bigger in our numbers. doctor, i want to have this quick follow with you about the testing and the swab.

on the task force yesterday, during the town hall, dr. birx was talking about the difference between what's going on now in the test that you should be on set couple weeks ago, which is much more involved than having somebody swab, and protectively, with gloves on, putting it in a vial and they run and test it and you find out that way whether or not you have it. how widespread is that? i mean, i'm not seeing that here in bergen county, the 12th leader in the nation in terms of cases. in the testing centers, in the drive throughs. that would make sense, to put it there. >> dr. siegel: exactly where they intend to put it, harris. by the way, you are amazing yesterday at that town hall. the thing is the type of swab we are using now goes away in the back of the nasal passages. you can't do it to yourself, it's impossible. you need somebody in protective equipment. the new swab is just the nasal swab someone can put in themselves. it's been a compared, it can be used. we need in the test sensors now. it should be now.

>> gillian: a quick note, harris, on the dash i was just going to add that in addition to, as you all know, the testing, there's a question of a vaccine on the national security front. there is now this worldwide race to get to a vaccine. a few countries like the united states, china, israel, or getting out in front of this and making quick progress. i interviewed the ceo of one of those vaccine companies here in the u.s. he said a great thing he is seeing is collaboration between countries that are otherwise adversarial, including the u.s. and china. something -- i know you guys like good, hopeful news, something to watch there. are we going to start working more tightly with countries like this for a global solution? >> harris: well, you know, necessity is the mother of invention. sometimes you invent relationships that are deeper. gillian, thank you for that. new on the front lines today in the fight against coronavirus, the growing concerns among american doctors and nurses that they could be spreading the virus rather than healing

patients. or maybe they are doing both. dr. siegel on what can be done about this, and, of course, the rest of our panel. stay tuned. the newday va streamline refi is the reason why. it lets you shortcut the loan process and refinance with no income verification, no appraisal, and no out of pocket costs. one call can save you $2000 every year. call my team at newday usa right now.

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>> melissa: doctors and nurses in the u.s. are becoming increasingly worried that they

will end up spreading the coronavirus rather than healing it, as has happened in italy. this, as the world health organization has stepped up its warnings that health care workers themselves could be vectors for the disease. in the meantime, beleaguered health care workers may be getting an influx of new talent. new york university reportedly allowing its senior med students to graduate three months early so they cannot help overworked doctors fight the coronavirus pandemic on the front lines. dr. siegel, your reaction? >> dr. siegel: i know a lot about this, and it's happening not just at nyu but all across new york, where residents from different specialties are being brought in. extra rotations are occurring, attending physicians are now going back on the front lines. medical students graduating early. all of this is a good idea, provided that you managed to keep patients in rooms with negative pressure. that you have proper personal protective equipment.

they don't put doctors and nurses on at risk, which is what i'm really worried about today,f protective agreement. that's what has to be fixed. we don't want our doctors getting sick. >> melissa: dagen, that's the number one issue. getting that ppe out tomorrow health care providers. that's what we are looking at with this bill. the people are so frustrated. how are the materials not getting where they are supposed to go? >> dagen: i know that's part of the problem with the supply chain, and i just want to give a shout out to all the people who are keeping us said and keeping this economy running. i'm talking about people restocking grocery stores and drugstores, delivery drivers who are also out there putting themselves at the greatest risk but certainly risking their owne sure our lives continue. dr. siegel, really quickly, on the serological tests to determine if there are antibodies, if someone has had this virus, if someone has developed immunity, how quickly can we get these tests out?

because it would really dramatically change how other states, municipalities, are fighting this. because they are pretty easy to scale, aren't they? they are cheap and straightforward, as well. >> dr. siegel: before i answer that directly, i want to emphasize the shout out to doctors. they are getting very depressed. they are heroes. in terms of -- and nurses. to your point about testing, we have to really urge the government and the private sector to get this going now. we have the test, it's already being used in washington state. i want it all across the country. i wanted in new york, in this epicenter. as you said, we can tell who is exposed and who has the current illness. today. >> melissa: thank you for that. let's get back to the senate floor right now where we have minority leader chuck schumer addressing this trillion dollar coronavirus rescue package. let's listen. >> get the job done in the new few hours. the american people watching should know what's in this bill,

which has undergone many revisions over the past 48 hours. many of the programs and funding authorities that are being finalized as we speak will go to them directly, the american people, and could make the difference in the next few months between putting food on the table and going hungry. between surviving this period of unemployment and financial ruin. so let me briefly run through the major components of the bill. first, as i mentioned, a marshall plan for the american medical system is now underway. this agreement will inject $150 billion into our hospitals and health system, headlined by a new $100 billion fund to provide our health system with whatever needs to fight back. the grants in that fund will be available to everyone who is fighting coronavirus. hospitals, nursing homes, community health centers, and all types of medicaid providers and safety net providers.

it includes funding for personal protective equipment, testing supplies, a surgeon or health care workforce, additional medicare funding, research into coronavirus treatments, and more. the funding will literally act as a lifeline as the number of covid-19 cases continues to climb. as i said, a marshall plan for american medical system is now underway. second, workers first. millions of workers, through no fault of their own, are losing paychecks with no way to cover their daily expenses and monthly bills. coming to the rescue is a program democrats devised to boost unemployment insurance. we call it "unemployment insurance on steroids. clues to the agreement increases the maximum on employment benefit by $600 per week, and ensures that we often workers on average will receive pay for fo.

it will be expanded to include part-time, self-employed, freelancers, and gig economy workers. the new program has -- the first job of this program, get money into the pockets of people who are losing all of their jobs through no fault of their own. it will come through quickly and generously. but as a second purpose. it will also allow companies to further workers so they can stay on as employees. when god willing, this crisis abates, they can resume work with their employer and businesses could reassemble. when this crisis is over, we don't want every worker who's losing their job to scatter to the winds, and so many good businesses through no fault of their own will fall apart. by keeping them on furlough, paying them, the business can reassemble quickly. this proposal, unemployment insurance on steroids, will be the greatest expansion of unemployment benefits in decades.

a social safety net wide enough to catch the millions of american workers who became unemployed virtually overnight. move in with fibers strong enough to hold them through the worst of this crisis. as i said, we are going to pass unemployment insurance on steroids. third, oversight, transparency, and accountability of all loans made to corporations. the republican bill initially put the focus on rescuing industry and did not do enough to protect the hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of workers, that those industries employ. as a result of our negotiations, democrats have secured crucial worker protections throughout the bill as conditions to rescuing our companies, including incentives for businesses to keep workers on the payroll -- >> melissa: you are listening to minority leader chuck schumer right now talking about the aid package they're getting ready to vote on. one of the biggest elements of it is this enhanced unemployment insurance that covers those who

are generally not covered by an appointment insurance. this includes gig workers, part-time workers, and it's also going to go on for a period of time than normal. and there is a supplement coming from the fed in addition to what you get from state and local governments there. they're calling it "unemployment on steroids." we will cover more of it in the next hour. think you to our virtual couch. i handed over to harris faulkner ♪ >> harris: this is "coronavirus pandemic: questions answered." i'm harris faulkner. nearly one-third of the world is under lockdown or other movement restrictions as the number of coronavirus cases continues to spike. something we kind of anticipated, because of the accelerated testing we are doing across the country now. nevertheless, let's check the worldwide numbers. now