captioning sponsored by wnet >> sreenivasan: on this edition for sunday, april 5: warnings of a tough week ahead as the number of covid-19 cases continues to climb. in our signature segment: how telehealth is sing the burden r doctors and patients. and keeping spirits up in the wake of uncertainty. next on "pbs newshour weekend." >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. sue and edgar wachenheim iii. the cheryl and philip milstein family. rosalind. walter. barbara hope zuckerberg. charles rosenblum. we try to live in the moment, to not miss what's right in front of us.

at mutual of america, we believe taking care of tomorrow can help you make the most of today. mutual of america financial group, retirement services and investments. >> consumer cellular offers no desied to help you do more ofare the things you enjoy, whether you're a talker, texter, abrowser, photographer it of everything. our u.s.-based customer service team is here to find a plan that fits you. to learn more, go to www.consumercellular.tv. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, a private corporation fundme by the can people. and by contributions to your pbs station fr viewers like you. thank you. >> sreenivasan:ood evening and we are bringing you our broadcast tonight frote locations across the country for many of us are in new york city there are a lot of devopments in the coronavirus pandemic. let's get started with today's top news:

the oorther fer there are than 312,000 confirmed cases of covid-19 in the u.s., more than 8,500 people haveie. dr. anthony fauci of the international institute of health this morning. >> i would not say we have it under control. that would be a false statement. we are struggling to get it der control and that's the issue that is at hand right nows >> yterday, president t ump washed trse is yet to come. >> this will probably be the toughest week between this week and nex wee, and there will be a lot of death, unfortunately, but a lot less death, than if this wasn't done, but there will be death. >> sreenivasan: but the president also repeas desire for people to return tooo work s at least a quarter of the economy has quote gone i'd until the wae of the pandemic according to an analysis conduct gordwall street journal". >> in new y ok, the numbf deaths rose again today, governor andrew cuomo said the good news is the numbof deaths overall and new

coronavirus admissions to hospitals is dropping. but he cautionedthe medical system is still over capacity. >> we are dealing with this curve today and this intensity and thenal nati we shift of the resources to the next place that is imsacted, right? just what we are doing in new york city, new york sta on a microcosm, we shift resources from the bronx to brolyn to queens to nassau, shift national resources and state resosur from new york to florida, to illinois, whatever is nt on the curve. >> sreenivasan: former vice democratic convention already postponed to august may have to be a virtual convention. >> we may not be able to putin, 20, 30,000 people in one place, and that's very possible. i t think you just havefollow the science. listen to the experts, listen to the faucis of the world. >> sreenivasan: around the world as of this afternoon there

,re more than $1.2 million confirmed casefficials in britain reported 621 deaths from corovirus today and nearly 48,000 people in the uk are infected, including prime minister boris johnson andhe heir to the throne, prince charles. >> nine three-year-old queene elizabeth ackdged the pain that many e going through and said, quote, those that comeil after us say that the britains of this generation were as strong as any. ♪ ♪ >> sreenivasan: and inan empty st. peter's basilica pope ancis celebrated palm sundayng and the beginf holy week, the ceremony would usually have been held outdoors withtens of thousands of pilgrims carrying olive branches. >> thea tragedy we are experiencing in these days summons us to take seriously the things that are serious and not to bcaught up in those that matter less, to rediscover that life is of no use if not used to serve others. for all of our coverage of the

c hr all of our coverage of coronavirus outbreak in the u.s. d around the globe, visit pbs.org/newshour. >> sreenivasan: global threats like coronavirus and climate change bring their fair share of skeptics and deniers. harvard university science historian and professor naomi oreskes, studies how undermining public trust in science can lead to poor decision making.sh s the author of several books including "why trust science?" and i recently spoke with her from her home in boston, massachusetts. naomi, we're at a time wn science seems so crucial ing understandd dealing with ais pandemic, but at the same time, we also haenormous amount of skepticism towards the institution of science, towards the institution of pre government. has is happened before, and how do we deal with it? >> for a historian like me who studies science and studies

publicnderstanding of science and also trust and distrust in science, the current situation is unique in our lifetimes and tragically so, because as we know, back in january, therelr weredy medical and public ayalth experts saying that this virus would not n china, that it would come to the united states, and that an early response would be essential to controlling it. that advice was essentially ignored. the result is a rather late and scrambled response. and now we are seeing a very dire situation in which thousands, possibly tens or even hundreds of thousands of american people will die. deaths that could have been prevented d we listened back in january to what the scientific and medical experts were telling us. >> sreenivasan: some of that also seems to be rooted in our own, maybe, psychology of not ing to accept bad news. ne i think it's true that in l, humans are reluctant to accept bad news.

no one likes bad news. but, of cothat's why we have leadership. hrt of the reason we need leadership is p compensate for the gaps in our own n understandings, the gapse way we behave. and in this case, we had leadershipm the medical community, from the public health community. but we didn't have the political leadersthhi was necessary to accept and implement the advice teahat the publich community was offering us. >> sreenivasan: what about the growth of the skeptical community, of vaccines, of interventions? opthere are still even today who automatically say, you know what, this is nothing more tn a bad case of u. >> well, if there's any silver lining in this situation, i think one potential silver lining is that people will now recognize the essential role of and safety.lth we live in a world where many of us no longer remember what it

was like when polio was a terrible threat. many of us grew up with vaccinations for meaes, mumps, rubella, chicken pox. so, childhood diseases are something that we don't really have a personal memory of. andhen under that sort of situation, it's very easy to become cothlacent. and k we have good evidence that the american people have become very compla and so this is a wake up call. this is a reminder that infecretious diseasestill with us. as nd the strongest thi have to fight them are preparedness, which has been woefully lacking in this case, and vaccinations which, the problem with vaccinations is, if you wait until people are sick,t is too late. it takes time to develop a vaccination and it takes time to tet.st typically, at least a year, sometimes longer. and so this is also why preparedness is so important. >> sreenivas: have there been instances in the past where policymakers have been convinced do things differently as collective? because, for example, preparedness, we are in st of a just-in-time perfect deficiency economy and society

where we don't necessarily value that excess capacity. >> correct. so what we're seeing here is that the just-in-time mentality, which might work perfectly well for inventory in a facr for automobile parts, simply does n work when you're lblooking at a health threat or an environmental threat. the good news is that we do actually have positive examples from a past that we can draw on to think about how we cado different things differently going forward. the example i know best and have worked on in my own research is the history of the ozone hole.in he case of ozone, scientists back in the 1970's recognized that certain chemicals that were in refrigerants and hairspray coyould destratospheric ozone. that ozone is essential for protecting life on earth from deadly ultraviolet radiation. but the huge difference then compared to now was political leadership. our political leadership at that time was willing to accept the scientific evince, did not dis sdain experts as egghe worse.

seriously.ken and the result was an international treaty. it wasimplemented. it's worked. and we are alive here to tell the tale becauswe listen to scientific information. political leadership and the importance of scientific expertise.re >>ivasan: naomi oreskes, thanks so much for joining . >> thank you. it's a pleasure to be with you. and stay safe. >> sreenivasan: for those amerans living in rural communities and even small towns, a visit to the doctor can turn into a full day's trip. to lessen that burden in recent years, some physicians ban to see their patients online. the practice is known as "teleheth," and in the age of the coronavirus pandemic, it has suddenly become more importantth ever. newshour weekend's mori rothman has our story; it's part of our ongoing series "csing the dream: poverty and opportunity in america."

>> reporter: missiippi has a lot of small towns, and lena might be the smallest with a popution of less than 200. but that's the perfect size for 73-ldyearster denson. >> it's a big difference i guess. but i love the country. i just love being out here. >> reporter: like many rural areas, lena h nital. >> that's the only drawback of living in the country you're not a heart attack or something you might die. >> reporter: denson has type two when she needs to visit the doctor, is an hour's trip each way. she used to have to make that any more.otthree mo >> these are the strips i use right here. >> reporter: now she uses a to check her blood sugar three times a day. she's part of a trial run by the university of mississii medical center. >> testing. oo- h, i'm uightly. i'm usually 114 one something but i'm up to 137. >> reporter: denson's nurse, cindy broome, keeps track of denson's blood glucose from her office 40 miles away, and checks in with her if she spots a

problem.>> her numbers come to e able to review it on our dashboard. but we're rely looking for a pattern, is she coming down, is she going up, is it uand down, up and yesterday's blood sugar, 104. >> reporter: because of the trial, denson sees the doctor half as often she did before. it part of a larger effort to increase care for rural patients in mississippi where access to healthcare is a major problem. >> mississippi is a state that has a lot of healthcare issues. we're ranked at the, at top of all the bad list, at the bottom of most of the good lists. >> reporter: michaeldcock led what's known as telehealth at the university of mississippi medical center in jackson for the past four years. >> we have a very high incidence of chronic disease burden, and we have the lowest or the next f to lowest numberoviders per capita in the united states. so we don't have enough providers, and we have a very sick population in most cases. so it's-- it's bleak picture

a lot of ways, but that's also what helped push us into tesolehealth. this is our electrosoc i.c.u. e're monitoring patients in the intensive care setti. >> reporter: the medical center began offeng telehealth rvices to faraway patients in 2003 because in mississippi a good number of patients are far away. >> when i think of, if i'm sick or if i have an emergency, i live in new york, i can go to >> right.st hospital. >> reporter: how is that different here in mississippi ft or folks if they're ght in jackson? >> sure. so, mississippi has one level i trauma center. t's in jackson. we have one children's hospital. it's in jackson. we have one school of medicine. it's in jackson. so,th all oe things are located in jackson. there are some great medical centers, but they're all in the populated areas. and, you know, a very large percentage of the population ves outside those populated eas. so it-- it creates a barrier to care when you, you know, when your-- when you have poverty and you have virality, it makes it sometimes difficult to be able to get to the provider's office, much less go to the hospital if

it 1may or 2.5 hours away. it might as well be in another stat ce or anothntry. >> many of our patients don't even have their own transportation, so they may have to rr ely on a neigh a cousin or friend to bring them to their appointments. >> reporter: shannon fryery is the director of telehealth at northississippi medical cente in tupelo, mississippi. it's the largest rural hoss.tal in the fryery also works as a nurse-practitioner. she says telemedicine has made itar easier for her to cfor her patients. >> well hey miss betty how are you doing today? >> just fine, thank you. >> reporter: her patient betty lloway uses telehealth t receive care for a bone infection. fryery can remotely discuss abmedication, viework, and using a stethoscope and camera connected to the internet, nly listen to holloway's heartbeat but also inspect any >> you still got a little scab there don't you? you don't think about it, but when you're in pain, it's not easy for you to sit or stand, of your housed ou

to a car, to get in and out, >> reporter: specialists like mental health practitioners are a rarity in remote areas. >> we are one of the lowest ranked states in services available. there is about, depending on what year you look at, it's about 4-6 psychiatrists per 100,000 people. that in contrast which-- with, for example, washington, d.c., ich has about 24. so we're at the-- at the-- at the very over the time that we have been talking and knowing each other, how do you think-- >> reporter: doctor demetrio prota is based in tupelo, but can reach his patients wherever they are through telepsychiatry. prota usays patients shto more appointments when given the option of telepsychiatry. in a conversation this week, shannon fryery said because of the covid-19 pandemic, telehealth has been tdust into the ical spotlight. k we do need to be utious at times, but i this virus is really throwing telehealth in

the forefront and has really helped some providers who had some concerns about, is this wareally a gooto patient care? they certainly see the value. >> reporter: mississippi doctors aren't alone in adjusting to the covid-19 pandemic. before tdemic there were few states that allowed patients to see a doctor from their home via telehealth, but now, most have waived those restrictions. to fryery. sens >> and now that we're trying to limit patients, especially those lnerable patients, so nonessential visits, we don't wt those patients to come into our clinic and risk exposure not necessarily in our office but just getting out and about, getting in town, stopping to get gas, doing other things that they might be tempted to do. we really, really, really need people to stay at home. and so we're now able to do a virtual visit into their homes using some of those platforms that are available. >> reporter: but telehealth is not a panacea. in mississippi, as with many states with large rural

populations, a major obstacle to its expansion is lof high-speed internet access. shannon fryery says that the connectivity gap is especially glaring n that the pandemic has increased the number of telehealth visits. >> not all of our pients have fancy-dancy iphones or andanids have that connectivity so there's certaly is some restrictions. and that's where broadband and the push to move that forward is just so critical, especially in this rural state like mississippi. >> reporter: but shpes says she's l that the connectivity challenges can be overcome, and that the surge inm telehealth win long after the coronavirus crisis is over. >> i feel like having this unfortunate, unfortunate outbreak has really opened up the guidelines to be able to help us to deliveretter care, more timely, re effective. my hope and my prayer really is that once this crisis is over, that the guidelines will stay,

rela or that we can at least go back and reevaluate kind of where we are, what worked well and leave things open so that we can continue to use and refine this very, very valuable and critical tool to patient care. >> sreenivan: jugglinboth rk and parenting can be trying under the best of circumstances. being a parent and suddenly studying at home, too? your kids well, that's another story. with millions of americans suddenly finding themselves in that position, newshour weekend's zachary greene sought some advice from writer kimberly harrington, who has worked d parented from home for the past 11 years. magazine's "the cut" is titled "now is the perfect time to lower thparenting bar." >> reporter: could you just start by telling us a little bit about what it was like for you when you first started working from home? >> the biggest mistake i made

when i started working from home was trying to just replicate office.ike to work in an it was right at the height of the crash 2009, and at the time my kids were three and five. so when we're, you know, we're in an office, we have a structure, we're with other adults, weinof know how things are going to go. we don't schedule a workday depending on when everyone's in a great mood or is likly well-rested or had breakst. really what i learned was i had to really structure-- as much as doing around what were going to be the best times of day for them, when they were going to be rested, when they were going to lhavetle bit more energy or a little bit more ability to focus. >> reporter: so, how do you balance working from home and parenting from home, eecially nt ow when-- i don't know we situation is with your kids, but i know my kid is now home every y. >> "is there balance?" is a grt question.

i don't, i don't think balance isbl pos i don't think most parents would think balance was possible even before this happened. sort of the gold standard of stories in o family is when i hamy kids at home. and i was in a massive conference call for a super wl commercial presentation. so, really, professionally, one of the most important calls i've probably ever been on as a-- as a writer and a creative director. and my kids at that point really knowew the rule that, you you don't interrupt me unless someone is bleeding. and i heard at one point in this call, this massive scream from the other room, and my daughter coming in with a post-it and the post-it read, "he's bleeding." and then i had to try to stay on okthe phone and walk out, t my son, who-- basically they were horsing around on the couch and he got a knee in the nose and ended up with a bloody nose.

and i had to basically look at him and go, "not bad enough." and i just backtracked down the hall and continued my call. so, oh, yeah, yeah. e.i've been th >> reporter: so, my wife is a teacher and a lot of her students' parents aring to her with their concerns about how they're gonna be educating their kids during this time when the schools are all closed. what would you tell those parents based on your ow experiences? >> i think it's really important to realize y't instantly be school. even in good times before this all happened, parents in this country felt really overwhelmed. and i think what parents really need to remember is it's going to suddenly be able to do another job that you're not trained for. even the teachers i know can balance all of this. and i think what really immediately overwhelmed parents was this idea that we had to replicate a 7-8 hour school day. and, you know, i think if you

get a little bit done and you're able to have the afternoon off, that's a very reasonable benchmark. >> reporter: any words of advice or comfort youould give us ght now as we're all sheltering in place? >> i think the really g thing to think about, and i have to remind myself of this all the time is feeling grateful to still be making money while being at home. and that's not an option for a lot of people right now. it's-- there are a lot of people doon the frontlineg brave, dangerous work right now, and putting themselves at risk. that's a great placecus your gratitude and put it-- it halelps put iin perspective, i think. >> sree is deadly, and terrifying. and in every country, people are trying to find ways to reliever th fear and come together. here are just a feexamples

from the past weeks of how the those not infected with the virus are coping with corona. in berlin, a michelin starred restaurant closed by the virus is now "cooking for heroes." >> ( translated ): we are doing "cooking f heroes." th means we are cooking for people in operational professions where it's not an option to work fr a home offi, rather they are trying to keep the system going. >> sreenivasan: in switzerland,r where bakerieconsidered essential, one shop began dressing its chocolate easter rabbits in protective masks-- a sweet reminder to stay safe. ♪ ♪ in paris, an opera singer opens his window each evening to serenade his neighbors, bringi a message of strength and hope. >> ( translated ): the first message is stay at home, please. like that, you help. you are helpi all the doctors, all those who are caring for us. the second message is that we

can have plenty en solidarity t home. there are lots of little things we hecan do becausehole world, the whole universe, is lituving in this tragic ion. and everyone can share their voice. for me, it's with singing, but others could bring something else. ♪ ♪ >> sreenivasan: and in chile, a young man with an accordion plays outsideis parents' ndow every day. ♪ ♪ as thyey waltz in their volunt isolation, they say his music is a "gift from god." ( translated ): i'm here visiting my parents because with this pandemic they've been staying locked up. we've done that to safeguard their health and i come to keep them company every day. i play for them, i play a little bit of music, i talk to them, and we try to have a nice little moment. and, when i leave my heart is full and they e happy. ♪ ♪

>> sreenivasan: that's all for this edition of "pbs newshour weekend." fesor the latest news upd visit pbs.org/newshour. i'm hari sreenivasan. thinanks for wat stay well and have a good night. captioning sponsored by wnet captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> pbs newshour epossible by:e bernard and irene schwartz.

sue and edgar wachenheim iii. the cheryl and philip milstein family. rosalind p. walter. barbara hope zuckerberg. charles rosenblu to not miss what's right int, front of us. at mutual of america, we believe taking care of tomorrow can help you make the most of today. mutual of america financial group, retirement inices and stments. additional support has been ov ed by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. you're watching pbs.

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