this. they've given information on how the drive-through tests will be. how they're interacting with private companies like google, alphabet, develop a questionnaire to triage this a little bit. let's listen to what the vice president has to say. it will be interesting to say what they say in the task force about the broader economy. >> hans, let me ask you while i have you, do we expect the president may come in and be part of this briefing? he's supposed to be in the white house. he came yesterday. do you expect an unannounced appearance by the president? >> potentially. i think when the president makes an appearance in the briefing room, we can all be shocked but never surprised. yesterday was the case you sort of got a hint he might be coming. there are a few tells always out there. there's no seal up. yesterday there wasn't. sometimes you see the president's personal photographer come in beforehand.

that's a strong indication he wants to come out. the president did tweet the vice president is going to be doing this. if pence is out there and the president has already indicated he wants pence to take the lead, but this is a president even when he does come to the cameras to make a statement and says no questions, he ends up taking questions and engaging with the press. i don't think it's a controversial statement to suggest that the president enjoys interaction with the press and sometimes can't help himself. >> thank you, hans nichols. now my panel, dr. george penjamin, exact director of the public health association. elaina beverly is a former national deputy director of american african outreach for the obama administration. joe watthouse, under george h.w. bush. and jameel for rolling stone. many of us have been critical about how the president has

handled this coronavirus situation from the beginning, starting with saying it was a hoax, then gradually coming closer and closer to reality. what do we need to hear today? they've now announced testing. they've now announced they were going to do things with glolg and alphabet. it seems that some of that is not exactly as they have said in terms of once we checked with google, once we check other things, they're now -- what do we want to hear specifically from this briefing from vice president pence any moment? >> well, reverent, i think we need to hear more governornance and less showmanship. i think we need to see a lot less of what we saw on friday in the rose garden where the president was marching out ceo's and brazing business and trying to get wall street's numbers up. we need to see a primary concern for people sick and who might be sick and not know it.

on that point i think what we need to see from the vice president is leadership. we need to see him talk to people who are out at bars and restaurants last night and this morning and reemphasize that that is not a safe activity. social distancing is the way to go. >> george, when we look at the fact that we are talking about people that may in fact be positive in terms of having the coronavirus, others that we're seeing the numbers begin to grow in certain cities of actual depth, what has to happen to make it possible for these tests to be on the ground, all over the country, as soon as possible? what does the national government, the trump administration, need to do? and should they listen to people like new york governor andrew cuomo who's saying, let the states do it. release the states to go forward and help the states to do this. what are we looking at? we are talking about life and death situations in some

instances here. >> well, we definitely need to make sure they move all the regulatory barriers out of the way to allow the whole plethora of people to do this tests. that means national level, private sector and state and public health agencies. they need to do everything they can to not only make sure that the dying knottic test itself is available but put processes in place to make sure we can do it. it also means educating people on when to go and how to get those tests done. >> elaina, when we hear them talk about a drive-by, a mobile testing, what about those areas where people may not have vehicles and may not be able to do that? how do they deal with underserved communities that have different social circumstances? by the way, we just got a two-minute warning before we go to the white house live. so let's go to nbc's richard

louie. richard? >> rev, thanks to that. we're watching the white house now as we are looking at live pictures. we do expect to have a briefing from the vice president as he has been giving daily. we do not know exactly what he will be announcing. we do understand we have a larger number of cases today, over 3,000. that's an increase from yesterday of at least 500, just within the last 24 hours. there is a question of the economy, a question of what potentially here google as well as alphabet might be doing to offset some of the lack of data that currently the administration has and those who have been following it. what we have learned today, as we've been watching the progress of the virus across the country, has been the question of this, as we look at the cases, airports, as they face more americans returning, the pictures have shown really the

chaos, that's the word that's been used, as they try to screen americans returning to the united states. that has been the big story line today as well as the progress of the virus, what the -- the big question stused on the sunday shows today, where will and when will the tests be available, these tests kits than so essential, to get the data to understand where we are in the arc of the coronavirus? how many cases are out there? how many tests have been given? and at this moment, the capacity has been in question. one of the common questions on the sunday shows today has been to dr. fouci, for instance, what does he see? does he feel comfortable with the progress as he is the top expert when it comes to understanding the coronavirus and its spread. france's prime minister today saying the country is getting ready to close all cafes,

restaurants, clubs and sin maz. will the vice president follow the lead that has been taken by other countries, as they have moved forward, all throughout europe, where countries have decided to suggest and require that places like restaurants and bars be closed? they limited some of the operating hours at some points, and then finally over this past weekend we've seen countries in the european union as well as in the schengen areas where they have decided, you must close your businesses if you have the issue of social distancing. hans nichols is watching as well with us. he's at the white house. and hans, we did get the two-minute warning. the vice president we expect to come out right now. you were just discussing a moment ago of how we don't expect necessarily that the president will be coming out, but you never know when he might come out, and also speak with the press. so we are expecting the vice

president in just a little bit, right, hans? >> vice president, not sure where they stand. 5:00 p.m. was the deadline. also news to get out there, the federal reserve. according to "the new york times," "washington post," "wall street journal," has just announced they are further lowering their interest rates to 0.0 to 0.25% rates, all the way down. that is a remarkable emergency move by the federal reserve. it gives you an indication about how concerned they are about what's happening in the economy. there's some purchases out there, known as quantitative easing, it's 50 to -- 500 to 200 billion. i realize i've taken off my microphone. the news is according to the journal, "the post," "the new

york times," the fed has acted in if a way that is quite dramatic, almost down to zero. the president said he has the authority to fire the chair, wasn't making the decision. we'll get into the details of what this fed decision means and the specifics on asset purchases. overall it is an indication that people of the federal reserve are very concerned about the state of the economy and what coronavirus can do to not just the united states economy but a global slowdown. richard? >> yeah, hands with that bit of news that is being reported on from other news agencies, as we understand the fed-cut rates are so essential to give confidence to the matrket, and effectively free money for folks that need to borrow it, if not being paid for money when you look at inflation itself. with that 500 billion or half a trillion dollars in treasuries and 200 billion in

mortgage-backed securities, as the fed says, they're concerned about economic disruptions from the coronavirus, you know, one of the questions that's been asked, hans, how much is needed? the black box is a black box. >> the answer is they don't know. because a lot of the data is lagging. and one of the criticisms, not just from the president but even from democratic economists, conservative left-leaning economists, was the fed raise interest rates a little too quickly everyone the last months? they always want to be one step ahead but it's difficult to get them right. they're going with overwhelming force on this. there have been cases where central banks have got it right and it's by using a basooka. you saw that with mario drawinga in the ecb in the greek debt crisis. this is a strong signal from the federal reserve they're going to continue to be involved. they want to send a message that

there will be liquidity, and that it will be very cheap to borrow money and banks should try to lend money to consumers to get the economy going again. the latest number we had was from eight days ago, which shows 273,000 in nonforeign payrolls? that is remarkable. the economy was very strong heading into this phase towards the end of february. thers a great unknown on what the economy looks like now. all kind of data comes in, they're in touch with industry, the fed is seeing how the gears of finance are working. they may be seeing something that's concerning them and taking this emergency action. trading is going to open up in a couple hours in asia. i believe it's about 6:00 a.m. in tokyo. markets will open up and we'll see where they go. i've been through too many of these to not hazard a prediction, they could like if or be worried about it.

it could go up or down. >> and as hans as i are talking right now, in the left-hand side of your screen, we are waiting for the vice president to provide with us a daily update on the coronavirus. it could include exactly what hans was bringing to us, again this breaking news that the fed is acting very aggressively to try to stem some of the losses that we have seen already just within the last week or so. we do not know necessarily what the vice president will be addressing specifically. we can probably imagine based on the news that just came out that hans was reporting to us that he may touch on the economic moves. but of course the concern here is, what are the number of cases in america? what is the situation as americans try to get back in through the major airports, the limited number that have been allowed to accept americans coming back from abroad, specifically europe a concern, formerly asia a concern before that. so the president may touch on those.

he may also touch on the availability of those test kits that has been asked. so let's go over to reverend al sharpton. rev, we are watching this right before a briefing from the vice president, and you heard the news from hans nichols here that the fed is going to be acting. that's got to be big for a lot of communities. >> it is. it indicates that the feds are going to remain involved in this, and there's a deep concern. i think it is unprecedented to bring down the rate to 0.2. i'm also curious, richard and hans if he's still listening, on whether or not the vice president is going to address the concerns people have raised about those that are incarcerated, how they're going to deal with that? and as you reported, the chaos at the airports? we saw people lined up for hours trying to come back in airports like jfk, new york, o'hare and

chicago, and how are they going to process that more effectively? there is a lot that they need to answer today. >> yeah. >> i think they're coming out. >> okay. it looks like now the rev and hans, if you stand by for two seconds, looks like the vice president and those that will be part of this briefing are now coming on to the briefing dayas and hans you're used to watching days like this. and dr. fouci there as we've seen him onstage typically during these updates and briefings. looks like they are waiting for the vice president, this as he will be coming to the stage soon. hans, quickly, since you're still with us, if you have a view, who do we have on the dais right now. >> dr. nancy bricks. alex azar, the hhr secretary. the surgeon general. those look to me like coast guard uniforms. and i don't -- i am in danger of being corrected here. they look like coast guard to

me. that looks like a four-star. dr. fouci going up there right now. i did see the vice president's press secretary. we see azar standing there on the left and taking his position there, now moving over to the right. i saw the vice president's press secretary. that was a similar situation to yesterday. so that just because we saw the vice president's press secretary doesn't mean that the president is not going to come. so i think we just have to keep our eyes on the door to the left to see whether or not we see the president. as to the reverend al's point, i suspect one of the first questions will be about those long lines at the airports for americans coming back as a direct result of the travel changes the trump administration made. we know the white house is very concerned about optics. and there is the president right now. we have our answer. >> i think we have some great things to talk about. i'll start by just going to say the federal reserve as you know, it just happened minutes ago, but to me it makes me very happy. and i want to congratulate the

federal reserve for starters, they've lowered the fed rate from what it was which was 1 to 1.25, and it's been lowered to 0.25, so it's 0.25, that's a big difference, quite a bit, about a point. in addition, very importantly the federal reserve is going to be purchasing $500 billion of treasuries and $200 billion of mortgage-backed securities, and that number can increase. but they're going to start with that. and that's really good news, really great for our country. it's something that we're very happy. i have to say this. i'm very happy. and they did it in one step. they didn't do it in four steps over a long period of time. they did it in one step. and i think that people in the market should be very thrilled

and that brings us, we're the strongest country in the world by far financially and every other way. that brings us in line with what other countries are. they actually have negative rates, but look, we got it down to potentially zero. so that's a big step, and i'm very happy they did it. and you will not hear anything bad about me unless it's about a month or two from now. so i congratulate the federal reserve. i think it's terrific. just came out just as we spoke. i wasn't going to mention federal reserve oar anything else but this came out as we were walking up. i want to thank the people at google. they substantiated what i said on friday. the head of google who is a great gentleman called us and he apologized. i don't know where the press got their fake news but got it someplace. as you know this is from google. they put out a release, and you guys can figure it out

yourselves and how that got out. i'm sure you'll all apologize. it will be great if we could give the news correctly. so, so wonderful. i just had a phone call with very impressive people, the biggest in the world, in the world of stores and groceries and all. and i'll give you the names. dave clark, whole foods. mark clou, ceo of campbell soup. brian cornell, ceo of target. randy etiker, chairman and ceo, president of high-v. jeff hammer ning, ceo of general mills, great company. kevin bowercan, president ceo of cisco. craig gelinick, ceo of costco. todd jones koechlt of publix. gunny king, tyson foods.

david maklennon, chairman ceo of car gill. rodney mcmullin, ceo chairman of kroger, big company. doug mcmilllan, ceo of walmart, he's been fantastic. doug was here as you know on friday and watched the market go up 2,000 points on friday. it went up 2,000, almost 2,000 points. tar vaso, dollar corporation. and koran, president ceo of albertsons. these are all phenomenal companies, great companies. we had a long conversation with them. and they've -- they're going to work 24 hours round the clock keeping their stores stocked. i would like to say people should -- we're going to be good. we're going to do -- what's

happened.fed is phenomenal news. what's happening with all of these incredible companies, this phenomenal news. but you don't have to buy so much. take it easy. relax. people are going in and buying more. i remember i guess during the conversation doug of walmart said that they're buying more than they buy at christmas. relax. we're doing great. it all will pass. the folks that we spoke to, they've done a fantastic job. they're going to meet the needs of the public. they're going round the clock if they have to and they're committed to the communities where they're serving and which they serve so beautifully and have for a long time, and they're buying a lot of additional things to sell. but again, they actually have asked me to say, could you buy a little bit less, please? i thought i'd never hear that from a retailer. all of them are working hand in hand with the federal government as well as state and local leaders to ensure food is

constantly available. we have no shortages other than people are buying anywhere from three to five times what they would normally buy. it's going to be there for a long time. we're doing numbers, and there's a pent-up demand that's incredible. when this passes you're going to see numbers, i think, i predict, i guess i'm allowed to predict just like wall street people, and they're pretty much in agreement, you're going to see there's a pent-up demand like a lot of people including me haven't seen before. but this has to get through. they know they're getting through the crisis and will require all of america approach. that's important. they're committed to remaining open during this crisis, totally open. they have to stay open. those stores have to stay open. they supply our country. our supply chains in the america, the most powerful in the world, and they're working very hard, around the clock, and the stores are stocking up at a level beyond christmastime.

and it's great. it was very reassuring speaking to these people. they have it in hand. there's no need for anybody in the country to horde essential food surpripplies. they said, go and buy, enjoy, have a nice dinner, relax because there's plenty. you don't have to buy the quantities because it's hard to refill the stores on a basis as rapid as they're refilling them. we are using the full power of the federal government to defeat the coronavirus and we will do whatever it takes, and we're doing i think really, really well. a lot of good things are going to happen. i want to thank all of the people standing behind me. these are phenomenal people. and we have some of them rietz over here. but the people behind me have been working round the clock, and they're doing an incredible job. we see what's happening. we see what's going on in other countries.

we're looking at -- we're learning from watching other countries, frankly. there's a very contagious -- there's a very contagious virus. it's incredible. but it's something that we have tremendous control over. i think very important, the young people, people of good health, and groups of people just are not strongly affected. elderly people that are not well or not well in certain respects are really a very dangerous group. we have to watch them, we have to protect them very much. we have to watch over them and protect them because they are very vulnerable. with that if it's okay i'm going to go and make calls. i'm talking about federal reserve. i think it's a tremendous thing that took place just now. i didn't know i'd be surprised, i don't know if that's ever happened on a sunday before. i would think a lot of people on wall street that are happy. i'm happy. i didn't expect this. and i like being surprised. so our vice president is doing an incredible job, is going to

take over, and i will see you probably tomorrow. thank you very much. >> thank you, mr. president. and good afternoon. with more than 2,900 cases of coronavirus in 49 states across the country, i want to assure the american people that this administration all of our partners at the state level and local health officials have no higher priority than the health and safety of the american public. and at the president's direction, we will continue not only a whole of government approach, but we'll continue to build on a whole of america approach to confront the coronavirus across the country. the health experts continue to confirm to us that based on the latest information, for the

american people as a whole, the risk of serious illness remains low. but because the risk is heavily weighted to the most vulnerable, to people with immuneo deficiencies and to people who are elderly with serious underlying chronic health conditions, our administration, and i know state administrations, will continue to focus on the most vulnerable, and we will continue to urge every american to be vigilant in practicing good hygiene, taking the advice of the cdc and local health experts, to keep those most vulnerable safe. i know i speak on behalf of the president and our entire team when i say how grateful we are for governors all across the country, and the seamless partnership that we have forged with them and with state health officials, with our federal team. i spoke today to governor

pritzker of illinois, and we are in continuous communication with governors, a phone call away. they know that they can contact us and address even the smallest need. because as a former governor, i know first hand that when it comes to health challenges in america, our states are on the ground in the lead, our local health organizations, and we've built a great partnership. we also want to express great appreciation to the american people. not surprisingly, it is inspiring to see the way tens of millions of americans are responding with compassion, common sense, and we want to express particular gratitude to communities of faith that participated in today's national day of prayer. we've seen places of worship implementing policies to keep those most vulnerable safe, and also we're seeing communities of faith already stepping forward. and to support and to encourage those most vulnerable. i heard tell of a church back in

indiana that's actually no longer having services until april 10th, but in the meantime they'll be offering daycare to the children of health care workers in central indiana, and churches all across the country are taking the opportunity to reach out and put feet on their faith and its truly inspiring. as the president mentioned today he spoke today to leaders in the grocery store industry, and where people buy our food. we heard and were reminded that america has the most efficient and effective supply chain in the world. and it's working just fine. as the president said, he received a commitment from those grocery store executives that stores will stay open throughout the days that lie ahead. we were told that hours may be reduced to allow for cleaning and to resupply. but american families can be

confident your local grocery store is going to be opened, well supplied, and they asked us to encourage americans, just buy your weekly needs in kbroesry, because the grocery stores will remain open. also very movingly those same executives all reiterated their commitment to continue to support local food banks in the way that our grocers continue to do around american. tomorrow, president and i will be briefing all the nation's governors, states and territories and the district of columbia, speaking about the progress that we're making, and we'll be speaking to them specifically about our widening partnership on expanding testing to the american people. so allow me to speak to that issue, and then i'm going to recognize admiral brett gar, who will describe for us to the excellent work the public health

service is doing, dr. burks will describe the national public private partnership for testing that is going to open the door to thousands of more tests in realtime for the american people in the days ahead. first some fundamentals, as the american people know testing is now available in all 50 states. either state labs are either conducting the tests themselves, or the cdc is processing tests. they're using the traditional manner of a manual test that allows for 40 to 60 tests a day. it is among the reasons why the president several weeks ago tasked this group at the white house to reach out to commercial labs around the country and forge that public/private partnership that would bring the high speed or more accurately the high through put testing for coronavirus available in realtime. and based on the unprecedented

speed of the fda, which last week approved high through put coronavirus testing for roche and thermo fisher we will have access to more than 2,000 labs across the country that have the equipment today to process the tests much more rapidly and a higher volume. in terms of delivering those services, more than ten states in addition to cdc labs, public health labs, and labs that states can now authorize in their state, more than ten states have implemented their own drive-through testing sites. we want to commend new york, colorado, delaware, washington state, texas and others that have implemented these on-site places where people can obtain tests. most are using the current cdc testing, manual testing. but we are working closely with

our governors, as you will hear moment airily, to make sure that the new oopz otesting is availa. as i mentioned, as i monday we will have more than 2,000 labs coming online with the high-speed testing and we are connecting states to those testing methods. we're also working with a number of retail partners to add to the work that states are doing around the country. working to set up parking lot testing centers outside of stores, and admiral brett gar will detail the progress we've made. following the president's declaration of emergency, the admiral and our public health service have forged a partnership now with fema, made possible by that declaration. and they've reached out to all 50 states to create a process that will enable all americans who need to be tested to go to a

community-based testing site outside of the usual health care facilities. the focus of these tests, as dr. burks will describe momentarily, will be on those most in need. a priority will be placed on health care workers and first responders, who are out there coming alongside people being impacted by the coronavirus. we want to make sure they have access to the testing as a priority. and then americans 65 or over with a cough or fever or other symptoms will be prioritized over other tests that are extended. as i mentioned, admiral gar will describe the progress that we've made in just a few moments, but we're going to continue to work very diligently, hour by hour, day by day, in the days ahead, to expand testing around the country, and access to this extraordinary and unprecedented national public/private

partnership for diagnostic testing. with regard to testing, as we expand testing we're so pleased that congress joined with our administration to make sure that cost is never going to be a barrier to anyone getting a coronavirus test. as you recall several weeks ago, the president directed a change in our medicare and 34edcade programs to ensure the testing was included. health insurers were brought in. they all agreed to wave co-pays. but because of the good bipartisan work done in the house of representatives, coronavirus testing is free, and it's free for every american including uninsured americans. and we continue to urge passage of the legislation that will be considered by the senate this week. let me say one final word about the testing issue. and that is that we, as the president often says, we're all in this together. and it's absolutely important that as we expand testing

resources across the country beginning by prioritizing the areas the cdc and our state leadership tell us are most important, it's important that the tests are available for people that are most in need. and for our health care workers and first responders that are helping them and supporting them. as dr. burks will describe, the testing that is available should only be done if for any reason you think you may have the coronavirus. we encourage people to consult with their doctor. and if you're symptom free, we encourage you to work with us to make sure the testing is available for people that are experiencing symptoms. it's extremely important that we have the continuing cooperation of every american as we expand testing and make it available during this challenging time in the life of our nation.

with that, i'm going to ask dr. burks -- excuse me, i'm going to ask admiral brett gar of the public health service and leader of this great commission corp behind me to come up and describe the work they have done over the last 72 hours and will be doing each and every day in conjunction with our states, to expand testing to community-based testing across the country for the american people, using this new public/private partnership diagnostic testing. admiral? >> thank you, mr. vice president. and thank you for your personal interest in support of our team over the last 72 hours, as we worked on this critically important project. as the vice president said, over the past 72 hours, we have developed and are beginning to implement now a process and a program of testing that will enable americans who are in need

of coronavirus testing to be tested effectively and efficiently according to principles. number one, we want to make sure those most vulnerable and impacted are able to be prioritized 37 number two, we don't want to do testing that in any way threatens the acute care systems. we don't want people going to hospitals and acute claire clinics where, number one, they could infect other people or subject themselves to infections. and number three, we want to balance the needs across the entire health care system among diagnosis but also treatment. in other words, we want to balance the stress on the strategic national stockpile and all our commodities to everyone gets what they need. what do we do? because as the vice president said, last week's historically fast approval of high through put testing, we are now in a new phase. you've heard dr. fouci talk about the new phase.

we're going from somewhat manual relatively slow phases to a testing regimen that we can test many tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of individuals per week and maybe even more. we will have 1.9 million of these high through put tests available this week, with numerous labs, up to 2,000, starting to turn the lights on beginning this week and rolling out over the week. that is really a game changer for us because the back of the shop testing capability is there. the front of the shop is what we've been really working on. in order to get a test there, you've got to be able to swab individuals, get them into the system without completely paralyzing the entire health care system as we have. so with the emergency declaration, this was very, very important to us because it really enabled the historically effective processes of working at empowering states, federally-supported state-led

efforts through the normal fema mechanisms. for the last 72 hours, representatives of fema from across the government and our commission corp have been working on joining the unique and unprecedented public health mission with the historically successful mission of personal -- distribution centers, places for distribution, the pod system of fema. our public health service we've already deployed over a thousand officers in support of the coronavirus mission. that includes to the diamond princess, to the borders, to the quarantine stations, to the acute care settings where we're caring for nursing home residents in seattle. so we have a very experienced group and we brought these together. what we've really designed and how we're working with the states, we have contacted all 50 states through the fema system.

every single region, every single state, to understand where they are. as the vice president said, some states are rolling out some of their own community-based testing. they need to be augmented. we believe we've created a model based on the public health and the fema system that is optimized, that can be used for drive-through or potentially walkthrough, each of these pod-based units we believe can screen 2,000 to 4,000 individuals a day for testing, with all the appropriate personal protective gear, all the appropriate back-end and linkage to the public health system, including testing. we know that we have the log iftics to do that. we know we have the materials to do that. again, this is federally supported state-led efforts. many states need the full meal deal. they want dozens of public health service officers to work in protective gear to actually test. they need supplies like protective gear. they need swabs.

they need the logistical supports. other states only need a fraction of that. they may have all the personnel but really need the know-how, template and some of the gear we provide. we are going to start implementing this system this week. in a number of states, primarily those that are the hardest hit right now or are on the rise in the cdc advices us that's when they need the testing. i want to emphasize again that we're focusing on two very important groups. you'll hear this said three or four ways, in the groups that really can be the most impacted or impactful in our outbreak. number one is health care workers and first responders. this is very important for two reasons. number one, we have to take care of the health care workers and responders, because when america needs them they need to be available, healthy to provide the care we all deserve. but it's also important if they feel they have a resk of having contacted coronavirus, we test

them so that they cannot spread that, for example, in long-term care afacilities where the elderly are. the second group would be the elderly. we are classifying that according to risk as those 65 years of age or older who have a respiratory symptom and a fever of 99.6. that's a lower number than you've seen before, because those who are older do not spike high fevers like children do, 104 or 105. so you set the bar lower. we do that because they're a high risk of bad consequences. if they test positive, they can engage with the doctor, telehealth provider, get in the health system to make sure they have a good outcome. that is where we are. we have made unprecedented progress. you will see these sites rolling out progressively over the week. this is not make-believe. this is not fantasy. we've developed the model. we've talked to the states.

we're foxing on specific locations now. we will start shipping gear, stuff, tomorrow. we will start deploying officers tomorrow and tuesday. and we'll begin seeing these sites in addition to the ones that are springing up now implemented during this week. we will have the capability of testing tens of thousands of additional people through these sites every week in addition to all the capabilities that's now going to be distributed in the 2,000 laboratories in the major central corp laboratories. i know you have a number of questions that hopefully we'll be able to answer in the q&a session. i'm a pediatric doctor. i take care of sick people. i know what happens when you get sick. the surgeon general takes care of people who have rispertry difficulties. we know how this works. we've been there. the most important thing we've worked on is making testing

accessible because of the advances of the fda and private industry to make these high through put tests. now we can work on the front end with the emergency declaration. we have all the tools and all of the government has come together, not just, it's been the manufacturers to bring the swabs, the personal protective gear, the laboratory testing, the shipping, the fronts with walgreens and wall marks working as potential sites. this has been something in my mind unprecedented the entire society approach working so intensely over the past weeks. but incredibly on this project over the past 72 hours. >> thank you, admiral. and let me say, we are moving out now that we have have the public/private partnership with the major commercial labs, now you have the public health team as well as fema moving out, connecting to the states to deploy these point of distribution community centers.

we'll also be working closely with members of the media in individual jursditions, as wells with we're working with gloomg and other tech companies to make sure there's online resources where people can readily access a questionnaire that will walk them through the symptoms and whether or not a test might be indicated. and also in the days ahead we look forward to that same website being able to direct people to the nearest community center or drive-through center that's available. but let me introduce dr. debra first to speak about that patient experience, and about the importance of the right to people seeking the testing in the days ahead. >> thank you. let me start by recognizing the men and women of the military who are serving us every day. they are my brothers and sisters. i was privileged to serve alongside them for quite a long time. critically i want to recognize

at this moment, the public health commission corp behind me. the vice president, although he didn't speak to this, actually went to see them yesterday at the place where they were working so that we wouldn't disturb them, because of their level of dedication and work through the last really 48 hours nonstop. so thank you for your work and for the work you've brought together and thank you admiral for explaining it so quickly. let me just go back to the way laboratory work is done in the united states. i think all of you know when you go to your doctor and you need a lab test, it is either done in your doctor's office or it's done in the lab that they send you to. when we started this emergency response to this virus, we started with what we knew, and that was the flu platform that we use for surveillance. it wasn't saidr set set up in doctor's office or hospital laboratories. it was set up in state and local

labs and at the cdc. over the last two weeks we've been working with the groups that have served you for decades. the commercial laboratories that you don't see but your specimen goes to, to ensure they have the full capacity to meet the needs of the american people. because it wasn't going to be 50 to 100 to one thousand tests. it was going to be tens of thousands of tests that would be needed to be done. and so the last two weeks has been spent on really getting what you are used to, the full force of the clinical laboratories and service. at the same time, what you heard described here is how do we serve the needs of the people in the community? where they reside? where we know when we're talking about people with vulnerable conditions, immuno suppression, the elderly, we don't want them having to sit for long times in doctors' offices and hospital waiting rooms. you see what state and local governors have done, to move past what we would normally do,

a referral to doctor's office and hospital, but really providing community-led services to provide this testing. what the federal government is doing is augmenting that. augmenting the innovation that existed in south korea, brought here to the shores of the united states, and brought in our own novel way but using our health care delivery system which is different than south korea and adapting our work to our system. so to the hospitals and to the laboratories, we know that there will be pent up demand for this. make sure every hospital, every laboratory, i'm speaking to my -- the people who work in labs like i did myself. make sure you have enough pipette tips, piepetters, all of the equipped that you need to run this laboratory. you know what you need. make sure you have that and have that available for these tests. because we know what this increased sampling, ability to have community access,

additional samples will be going to these laboratories. they can manage the high through put, but they need all of the supplies that they would normally need to run these tests. think of it, if you're doing h.i.v. viral load, same thing. you know what you need. make sure you have that. that will be run. the most important thing i know for each and every one of you is how am i going to get my results? we're making sure also that the end of the reporting is also there. that the reporting is available to you, to your doctor, and also to the state and local governments and the federal government, not with your personal identifiers, but to re really understand where there are positives and negatives so we can ensure that health care providers have what they need to meet the demands of the american people and their health needs when they're there. let me just say one bit about reporting. so you will notice as these tests roll out over this next week, we will have a spike in our curve. for those of who you watched

china and china reporting, remember when they changed their definition and there was a blip in their curve? we are going to see that. we are going to see a spike as more and more people have access. i want to finish by again reminding people how important it is. i know everybody is going to want to go to these drive-throughs. but we have asked you to prioritize the care of every person with a pre-existing division and immuneno suppression, we've asked you to prioritize them, and we ask you to prioritize them in the lines, so that our first responders and health care providers and everybody who has difficulty to get to doctors' offices can utilize this system while we bring all the other traditional systems that you are used to and have availability for you online over the next few days and weeks. so thank you, thank you for

constantly reminding us how important. it's the response of all of america for americans. all of america for americans. it's a privilege to be part of this solution and be part of this team. and again i want to close by an eat for the last two days. >> donuts. >> all right. don't follow their guidance. >> dr. fauci? >> thank you mr. vice president. i will be very brief. i want to say listening to the description of the admiral, i am very pleased to see how thing have evolved. i think we can describe this as entering into a new phase in the testing space available here in the united states. you heard me on many of these briefings talk about the multifaceted armament air yum that we have to address the crisis of what the world is seeing and the challenge that we are seeing right here in the united states. i mean, obviously, the travel restrictions have been in my mind a very, very positive way

that we have prevented more of the input from outside in that would seed us and make our job more difficult. then we have as i mentioned the containment and the mitigation from within. you are going be the hearing more advanced guidelines about that, more precise instructions of how we can implement this mitigation within the community. now that we have a situation that is going to be rolled out -- remember, want to emphasize what was just said. we are not going to go from here to there overnight. it is going to be a kbradual ratcheting up that i believe is going to happen quickly so that then we can start talking about thing and put behind us the multiple understandable questions about testing and move on to see how woke make this multifaceted approach really work for us. as i have said many times, and i will repeat it, the worst is yet ahead for us. it is how we respond to that challenge that is going to determine what the ultimate end

point is going to be. we have a very, very critical point now if you look at the curves that i have described multiple times, this window that we are in is going to be very important for us to stay ahead of this curve. thank you. >> stay close. questions? >> mr. vice president -- >> mr. vice president -- >> we have seen a number of communities across the nation they are starting to close restaurants, some are doing curfews. do you envision this happening nigs nationwide where you will see rules coming out saying we don't want people out at places that aren't walmart or grocery or testing centers. and the other thing, travelers are coming back from the airports, they were concerned -- i am sure the secretary will address this, but folks wondering now did they catch it because they were stuck waiting in line for hours and hours in customs? your thoughts on that? >> we will have updated guidelines tomorrow morning for

you that are being vetted now with cdc and all of our top health care experts. but what i would just recommend to the american people is to review those federal guidelines and know that we will also respect and defer to decisions that are made by governors, by state health departments about what is best for that community. what my health care team -- some of the best people in the world -- tell me very regularly that it is very important that you follow the data, you make decisions based on the circumstances that are taking place in that community. and we will have more broad based recommendations for the american public tomorrow. let me say -- i am going to ask the secretary to come up and speak about the screening issue. the president made a decision to suspend all travel from europe that is under way now. and as of midnight, monday

night, we will be suspending all travel from the uk and ireland as well. but americans may come home. but out of an abundance of caution, we are engaging in health care screenings at 13 different airports around the country. we are working diligently in that regard to put the safety of the american public first. and we are asking returning americans to self quarantine for 14 days if they have been in those countries, in europe. and as of monday, the uk and ireland haare being impacted by coronavirus. but the secretary and i spoke this morning. i spoke with govern oor prytz kr and senator bushin of illinois about challenges at o'hare airport. i am going to let the secretary speak the how we are addressing those going forward. >> yesterday we began processing again travel restrictions for

passengers from the shin begin area which total 40d,000 passengers yesterday. to give you an idea, in one day we processed over half of the total number of individuals with medical screenings since february 2nd. that's an enormous challenge we placed on our officers and contract medical staff at airports and they are stepping up. to be clear, the lines that we saw overnight at limited number of airports including chicago are unacceptable. acting cbp commissioner morgan also believes they are unacceptable and personally engaged leadership in all of the funneling airports. we made adjustments at 12 of the airports, however again at chicago those adjust its were not made quick enough. we continue to adjust processes, personnel and we are glad to see airlines stepping up, partnering with us and helping address this unpress dentaled sways. as i walked in here today, so far today at all of our funneling airports, to include

chicago, we have an average wait time of 30 minutes. we addressed the problem. -- identified the problem, addressed it, and we have fixed it. and we look forward again to accommodating passengers this evening as well. let me -- i understand the frustration that some passengers who are returning to the u.s. might have with some of these procedures. but i would just say, and rest assure that we are continuing our strict protocols of looking at individuals as they come in to the country, making sure that they are medically screens. making sure we are capturing the information for the public health officials, the state and health officials. we continue to do that specifically at the president's request. >> has there any been talk of shutdown of domestic air travel? >> we look at all options. all options remain on the table to address. we will certainly adjust as the medical professionals at cdc adjust the medical situation. >> mr. vice president, dr. fauci

this morning said that the federal government should do whatever it takes to increase americans' social distancing and encourage that practice. he didn't rule out the possibility of a national lockdown. if americans don't take those steps on their own, is that something that the federal government is prepared to do? secondly, i would also like to know, you know, the president -- we just heard him say americans should relax. why aren't we hearing more from him about what americans can do as they are seeing this huge impact on their daily lives, whether it is at airport, at restaurants, or other places around the country? >> well, everything that the white house coronavirus task force does is at the direction of the president of the united states. all the efforts of all federal agencies in cooperation with state governments and local health officials is reflective of the decisive leadership the president has brought this early

on. it is important to remember that the president, on january 31st, suspended all travel from china. i said to dr. fauci, who i will call up to address your other question in a moment. i said to dr. fauci today as we look at europe now being the epicenter of the coronavirus, that -- i asked him if we had not suspended all travel from china, what are circumstance would be. he essentially said, we would be where europe is today. the president also took the actions with regard to europe and recently expanded those. the american people can be confident that president trump is going to continue to act without hesitation on the advice of our health care professionals to put the health and safety of the american people first. but with regard to the statement that you made, i am going to let dr. fauci address that as well. >> yeah, i meant everything i said this morning on the shows. that, really, to protect the

american people, we will consider anything and everything on the table. you are going to see some advanced and updated guidelines tomorrow that are going to address some but not all of the questions and concerns. but on a day-by-day basis we look at this and literally we will do everything that we can to make sure we safeguard the health and the well-being of the american people. that means anything and everything we will consider. >> dr. fauci, can you give us examples? you say anything and everything. like what? like what europe is doing? no bars, no restaurants? >> that could be. absolutely. that could be. >> if new guidance is coming tomorrow, can you give us guidance right now? you must know what it is. >> i don't want to jump ahead of the gun. i promise you, let theed by thence come out. we will be here every day. i will answer the questions after the guidance. thank you. >> mr. vice president --

>> mr. vice president, what is your plan to build more hospital beds so tens of thousands of americans don't die? and how many more ventilators are you looking at ordering so people don't suffocate? >> let me let the secretary step up. i know there is long term planning that takes place at hhs for those circumstances. when i traveled to hhs yesterday we reviewed all the numbers about stockpiles, everything from masks to ventilators to gowns. mr. secretary you might speak about capacity issues. let me say it is a very good question on your part. right now, our focus as the white house coronavirus task force is -- is to have widespread testing across the country using this new partnership with our commercial labs that the president has forged and work with states to make those tests available. we are also going continue to work every single day to promote best