Other side. That reality check from some of the most affected states is happening as the cdc director warns we should expect a second wave of Coronavirus Infections in the fall. And another one perhaps even sooner, that is if the reopening is done too quickly. Also, dr. Anthony fauci says that new cases, and this is good news, are flattening across the country, showing that social distancing measures are working. But the numbers still shocking. Yesterday, 2129 americans died of this disease. Lets begin this hour with our correspondent dan simon in san francisco. I just really, hearing from Governor Newsom got my head around what the future holds in a new normal. Thats right, poppy. I think were all sort of managing through this crisis day by day, and havent really thought, you know, too deeply about what things are going to look like a few month from now. What the governor is doing is managing expectations for what you can expect once society, once the economy opens up. And what he is saying is that youre not going to have large gatherings for some time, thats sporting events, concerts, schools will look a lot different. You might have staggered start times so you dont have everybody rushing the school at once. P. E. Classes, assemblies, lunches, they might have to be reconfigured for social distancing. He said face coverings, expect those to continue for some time, people wearing masks. You heard what he said about restaurants. Take a listen to what more he had to say. This is an imperfect science. There is no, you know, theres no playbook that someone else has put together. Theres no light switch here. I would argue its more like a dimmer. And that dimmer is about what i was talking about. This toggling back and forth between more restrictive and less restrictive measures. Well, he did not specify a date for all of this, when hes going to put pen to paper and lift the order, but he did say there are a couple of important benchmarks that need to be met. The first thing is widespread testing which does not yet exist in california and throughout much of the country and he also said the hospitals need to remain very vigilant. They have to be prepared in case you have another surge of patients. Poppy, jim. Dan simon, thanks so much for that reporting. Lets talk about all the developments overnight. Dr. Sanjay gupta is with us, and dr. Megan brainy, emergency physician and associate professor of emergency medicine at Brown University in rhode island. Good morning to you. Sanjay, can we just talk about this new normal . Even if it means going to restaurants with fewer people and masks or children going to staggered school days, if that happens a few months from now, how can that be effective for the most people without a vaccine if we dont have Contact Tracing and Rapid Testing for everyone . Yeah. No, i think thats absolutely right, poppy. I think all these things, if you listen closely to what Governor Newsom or other governors have said, and read these plans very carefully, which we have been doing, it really is predicated on this idea that you gotta have not only lots of testing available. Its got to be practically available to people. Poppy, if i were to say to people, you know, right now, if you want to get a test and get a result back within a day, could you do it . Theres a lot more people who would answer yes, but theres still too many people who say no. For vulnerable communities, to your point, i think we hear about these incremental changes in terms of reentry, if you will, for vulnerable people, that may be even slower, if at all, for a period of time still. I will say that, you know, theres certain things that are going to change this equation tremendously, a vaccine being one of them, how much Natural Immunity we have as a result of having been exposed. A lot of us may have immunity and not realize we have been exposed. For a time period, its going to be slow. Yeah. So dr. , i have asked this question of officials in new york, california, in the last 24, 48 hours. You know, they echo dr. Gupta saying you need testing can Contact Tracing to begin reopening, but in both of those states, they dont have it. Does rhode island have it . If you dont have the broadbased capacity for Contact Tracing and capacity, how can you reopen . So, our state is a relatively small one. We only have about a million people. But governor rumundo has been tremendously proactive. We have actually rolled out in conjunction with the National Chain cds as well as with our National Guard testing sites across the state. At this point, almost anyone in the state who wants a test can get one. And im able to test almost all of the patients who come through my Emergency Department with symptoms. So we are rolling that out here now. Were also rolling out Contact Tracing. Using technologies that we can check in with people on a daily basis, after we know they have been in touch with someone who has tested positive for covid19. That opens up the possibility of opening up the state, but gosh, as of yesterday, we have more than 80 people who have died in our state. That doesnt sound like a lot, but again, in a small state like rhode island, it means almost every one of us knows someone who has died and many of us, especially those of us in health care, of course, have touched the lives of many people who have died. Sanjay, there is a new letter, its written in the new england journal of medicine about pregnant women. It did another look at pregnant women here in new york city, and it found that the majority of them who tested positive for coronavirus were asymptomatic at the time of delivery, and the suggestion is you should be testing every pregnant person to come into the hospitals. Is that right . I think so. Yeah. I mean, you know, i think pregnant women are a good example of a group of people who should be tested. But i think, you know, were going to get to the point where hopefully everybody who goes to the hospital can get tested, even if they dont have symptoms. In part because you want to know if theyre positive, but also, thats part of the surveillance that everyone is talking about. Widespread testing doesnt mean we need to test every Single Person in the United States. That would be impractical, 325 million tests. But it does start to mean strategic surveillance. And that would be a good way to do it. You know, if you do the numbers and say how many people visit a doctor on any given week, the number is around, i think dr. Gottlieb quoted around 4 million people. Youre talking 750,000 tests a day that would need to be done in the country. These are arbitrary numbers, but that gives you a number of how widespread the testing would need to be. So doctor, you see new york is now counting probable deaths of coronavirus in addition to the confirmed cases. Recognizing what experts in a number of countries have said, because testing is not broadbased, a lot of people die at home, were really understating. I wonder if thats your experience in rhode island, at the end of the day, the numbers on the right side of the screen dont reflect the true scale of this outbreak. Yeah, that is absolutely true across the nation. The medical examiners are working as quickly as they can, but doing those examinations takes time, even in normal times. And our medical examiners are just overwhelmed. Again, testing is not widely available in much of the country. And medical examiners, like everyone else in health care, are lacking in adequate protective equipment. Theyre, again, literally putting their lives on the line by doing these autopsies and this testing. Bier hearing increasing numbers of people dying at home or in Nursing Homes with suspected covid19, where we cant get testing done for weeks if at all. Because of those limitations in testing and limitations of the number of bodies honestly that the medical examiners can take on. Amazing. I do expect theres a tremendous undercounting, yeah. So im going to jump in, sanjay, and ask jims smart question here, because he alerted me to this last night, sending me the wall street journal piece that made my jaw drop reading it. It talked about your area of expertise, brain damage. Longterm brain damage thats being found because of coronavirus. What do we know about that . Yeah, i mean, we have heard evidence of this now for a little bit of time. I think we have a list of the various types of symptoms that people may have that arent just affecting their lungs but affecting their nervous system overall. But you may remember, poppy, there was some evidence early on that loss of smell could be one of those symptoms that people develop as a first symptom even of this coronavirus infection. And even back then, people were saying, well, look, how does that fit in . Whats going on here . Is this some sort of inflammation thats happening at the base of the brain thats causing this or is there Something Else going on . Still not clear, but now theres a much larger list of symptoms, dizziness, headache, things like that that again, may not only being symptoms of this coronavirus infection, but first symptoms. Its a little bit of a thing for people to watch out for. Am i having symptoms that are unusual . Not affecting my lungs, but affecting my nervous system in some way. That might be an early sign. We dont know why thats occurring. Thats going to be something researchers need to figure out. But thats, you know, thats another surprise about this illness that were all learning about together. Wow. Goodness. And we are learning, as we go, arent we . Dr. Gupta, dr. Ranney, thanks to both of you. Thank you. Be sure to watch dr. Gumenta and Anderson Cooper for a new cnn town hall. Answers so many of your questions. Tomorrow, 8 00 eastern time, only on cnn. A new sobering number of the coronavirus pandemic has reached a grim milestone. A number of global cases has now crossed over 2 million. The United States has the highest number of cases, and the most deaths in the world. Yeah, and as we just heard, likely understating the true scope of this. Still to come, as Antibody Testing ramps up in some places, there are concerns about the accuracy. Just how reliable are these new tests that are popping up on the market . And later, we focus on Mental Health. Academy award nominated actress, golden globe winner taraji p. Henson is live with us about the new campaign she has promoted and is working on with tremendous work through her foundation to provide Mental Health care to africanamericans in communities hardest hit by this pandemic. She joins us live ahead. Lactaid is 100 real milk, just without the lactose. So you can enjoy it even if youre sensitive. Yet some say it isnt real milk. I guess those cows must actually be big dogs. Sit i said sit listen to doctors from the start. The coronavirus. What would joe biden do differently . Restore the white house pandemic office. Open 10 mobile testing sites per state. Faster hospital expansion. Produce enough safety gear. Vaccines at no cost. And extend obamacare enrollment. When im president , we will be better prepared, respond better and recover better. Unite the country is responsible for the content of this advertising. Aand were here for you ry day fespecially now,rs. Doing Everything Possible to keep you connected. Through the resilience of our network and people. We can keep learning, keep sharing, keep watching, and most of all, keep together. Its the job weve always done. It is the job we will always do. How do you gaveeno® happy 24 7 . With prebiotic oat. It hydrates and softens skin. So it looks like this. And you feel like this. Aveeno® daily moisturizer get skin healthy™ infda is now reviewing data on coronavirus antibody tests after loosening restrictions and standards on them. It comes after antibody tests flooded the market. Many of them, though, and this is key, really just unreliable. This morning, americas top Infectious Disease expert, dr. Anthony fauci says having antibodies may not even mean a person is safe. We have to be humble and modest and appreciate that we dont have all the answers with the antibody. When you develop an antibody after infection, it almost invariably means youre protected. We dont absolutely know that for sure yet. I think it is going to be the case. So lets dive into this. Joining me is dr. Angela rasmussen, a virologist. Thank you for taking the time today. Help folks at home understand, first of all, antibodies means your body has been exposed to the infection before. Why dont weknow if with this particular virus that that gives you immunity from another infection . So, conventional wisdom does suggest that for most viral infections, when you get over that viral infection and recover, you develop antibodies. And most of the time, these antibodies are what we call neutralizing, meaning they can bind the virus directly and inactivate it, render it not infectious. We just dont know if antibodies developed by patients who have recovered from covid19 have this neutralizing activity all the time. Our data so far suggests that many of them likely do, but we dont know for sure, and we dont know how many patients this applies to. Okay, so you find out, i imagine, by continuing to do tests. How soon before theres enough data to answer the question definitively . So, we actually need to do a lot more antibody tests in order to figure that out. There have been several papers that have been published that do show in a number of survivors or recovered patients that they do have levels of what we call igg antibody. The next step is to determine if those patients with that igg antibody have actually igg neutralizing antibody that can inactivate the virus, as i mentioned. And there are tests that can look at this that have been developed. We just need to run more of those samples. Thats interesting because, you know, you need to keep doing the tests so you can find out the answer to that question, but it doesnt necessarily mean if you get the test, all of a sudden you have this biological suit of armor as you go out there. So if volume is key here, does any state, does any community have the capacity yet to do these tests on a broad scale to get that answer . That i dont know. That is partly dependent on the supply chain and the availability of these tests to individual states. One thing to consider is that some recent data out of europe suggests that actually the overall rate of infection is quite low, which means that if we start looking in the population, theres only going to be a few people or a relatively low percentage of people who have actually been infected with covid at this point who have these antibodies. Were actually going to have to test quite a few people to find enough people that have recovered from covid, are for sure people who had it, and then make sure that we test enough of those people that were getting around the false positive, false negative rate of these tests. Because these tests are not 100 reliable. Just to be clear, youre saying data is showing fewer people have been infected with this than expected or fewer people have the antibodies to this . Recent study out of germany suggested that the majority of people in a population thats been heavily affected by covid will not have been exposed to covid. So they have not had it and they do not have antibodies to it. Understood. Okay. So that hampers this as we go forward. Listen, we wish you good luck. This is important work. Thank you very much. Thank you. Millions of children, your children, our children, out of school because of this pandemic. Many still dont have what they need, dont have wifi, dont have compurptcomputers. What one of the nations largest cities is doing to try to change that, next. Medication of its kind, tremfya® can help adults with moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis uncover clearer skin that can last. Most patients who saw 90 clearer skin at 28 weeks stayed clearer through 48 weeks. In another study, the majority of tremfya® patients saw 90 clearer skin at 3 years. Tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. Serious allergic reactions may occur. Tremfya®. Uncover clearer skin that can last. Janssen can help you explore cost support options. Shbecause xfinity mobilehen ygives you more flexible data. You can choose to share data between lines, mix with unlimited, or switch it up at any time. All on the most reliable wireless network. Which means you can save money without compromising on coverage. Get more flexible data, the most reliable network, and more savings. Plus, get 200 off when you buy an eligible phone. Thats simple, easy, awesome. Go to xfinitymobile. Com today. Excuse me for one second. I apologize, guys. Were having some audio issues with my phone. Weeks after shutting down classrooms and shifting to Virtual Learning, there are growing concerns about the longterm impact that all of this is having on our children. One major issue is access. Access to what it takes to actually learn remotely. In atlanta, some 6,000 children still dont have access to Remote Learning because they either dont have wifi or they dont have a computer. Im joined now by Atlanta Public School superintendent maria carstarfan. Thank you for being with us and what youre doing. Thank you for having us, poppy. According to your own data, more than 56 of prek and kindergarten students have not logged on to the Virtual Learning system. Im struggling with it as a parent of a 4yearold. You went to one of the home wheres the children were not logging on. Can you just talk about what you saw and whats actually going on . Yes, so i think laenltd Public Schools is like a lot of districts across the country. While we had a lot of technology, moving toward 100 online testing for spring state assessments and things of the sort, its just very hard to feel confident you have one to one technology with a device as well as connectivity for the students. So its not one or the other. It has to be both. The device and the connectivity have to go hand in hand. What were seeing out in the field is a lot of patchy connectivity, and were certainly seeing where students, because the closure was so fast and so aggressive across the country, we were not able to get all of those devices in the hands of kids before they walked out the door. So many of them just still dont have them. 6,000. Yeah, so we track we know that our universe of need sits at around 40,000 students. So before we left school, we were able to push out about a third of the technology. But then we had to go back and do things like dismantle every tech lab in the district, dismantle all of the Technology Cards for online testing for the georgia milestones to be able to have a second wave of devices to push out. So we did another 10,000 after closure, and then we did some direct distribution, having families come to a centralized location as well as schools to pick up technology, but as the virus continues to spread, were trying to reduce the exposure of staff and families as well. So its now this careful balance of getting the technology out in a safe way while at the same time addressing the device need and the connectivity need. Well, you know, on top of that, theres the issue of just lost time and lost progress for these kids. Exactly. You have been trying to do some things. You have been talking about a longer school day, a longer school year, trying to not let the kids fall behind. But you face pushback from parents . Well, i think that a lot of people are feeling the stress of doing the instruction in home while also trying to telework as the care giver. I always say as people are having these conversations about where we are in education today, is that our teachers are often parents too. So theyre trying to do the instructional component for classes and schools while also holding their own family and household together in Virtual Learning with other teachers in other schools. So you have what were seeing is yes, a lot of lost time, especially for those kids who dont have the devices and connectivity. But were also seeing how difficult it is for teachers to actually be prepared to do Virtual Learning for this extended period of time. If its a bad weather day, you can hold it together for three or four days. But if its a three to four months, thats a completely different proposition, and i dont feel like theres been enough professional learning for educators to be able to successfully do it. There are just so many parts to this. Youre completely right. Thank you for what you and all the teachers there are doing. We appreciate it. Thank you. We appreciate your time. Thanks. And good luck. We appreciate you. The teachers doing so much here. Well, another group doing a whole lot, Grocery Store workers. Theyre essential during this pandemic. We have all been to the grocery. We have seen them at work. Dozens sadly have died from covid19. What is being done then to protect them . Im going to speak with the president of the union for Grocery Store workers. Thats next. I have moderate to severe pnow, theres skyrizi. Things are getting clearer, yeah i feel free to bare my skin yeah thats all me. Nothing and me go hand in hand nothing on my skin thats my new plan. Nothing is everything. Keep your skin clearer with skyrizi. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90 clearer skin at 4 months. Of those, nearly 9 out of 10 sustained it through 1 year. And skyrizi is 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. I see nothing in a different way and its my moment so i just gotta say nothing is everything skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. Before treatment your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms such as fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or coughs, or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. Nothing is everything ask your dermatologist about skyrizi. That Liberty Mutual customizes your insurance, i just love hitting the open road and telling people so you only pay for what you need [squawks] only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. vo are nearly invisible, so no one will notice. , our hearing aids call our toll free number today to start your 30day risk free trial at your locally owned miracle ear. This morning, one of the largest Food Workers Union in the u. S. Is pushing to label grocery employees as First Responders. This after at least 30 Union Members have now died from the coronavirus, thousands more directly impacted. Joining me now to discuss, mark perone. Mark, thanks for taking the time this morning. Tell us what this First Responder designation would mean for Grocery Store workers. What protections would it give them . Well, first of all, its going to give them access to testing. And Rapid Response results to the tests. I think thats imperative if in fact were going to slow the transmission of the disease down within those stores as well as within our communities that we offer it in. In addition, its going to give them access to get in the queue to receive personal Protection Equipment, which has been very difficult to do because at this point in time, all that personal protective equipment is being sent into areas like hospitals and or emts. We solidly support that. We really do. However, when that Protection Equipment becomes available, we would certainly like to see it in our stores. And in some cases, some of the governors have already done that, and in some cities they have already done it. I want to ask you this, because theres been some reporting, and i have spoken to some people involved, that when employees, grocery employees have tried to organize in the midst of this, tried to get Union Representation to get more protections like the ones youre talking about, they have been pressured not to. Including by companies such as trader joes. Have you seen this on a broad basis . And whats your reaction to that . Well, we have seen it. We have had reports from trader joe employees as well as sprouts employees. Contacts from people from whole foods where they were not allowed when they started asking questions about personal Protection Equipment, they werent given the same sort of freedoms that i think that our members have been given. Of course, we have been advocating for our members, so you know, i guess there can be some anonymity in our membership that they dont have to necessarily ask for it. They ask us, and we ultimately have the conversations with all the employers. Now, i would tell you that our employers have been very good. Whether or not its been kroger or whether or not it was safeway, they have been very forthright about coming forward and trying to get the personal Protection Equipment. In some cases, they lost the equipment to other countries like italy. You know, because we are in a system since theres no federal, you know, guidelines as how theyre going to control that supply, things have been going to the highest bidders. We have heard some of the governors report. So i think thats been a challenge. I think its the same thing as it relates to the testing. You know, and we think that the cdc honestly could have done a better job on the front end. If the cdc had said look, we think people should fashion their own masks and people should wear them into the stores, if i have one on and you have one on, then theres a less of a likelihood were going to transmit the virus to each other. And i think that was a big mistake. I think it sent the wrong signal. I understand why they did it. Earlier . Across the board, it would have made a big difference. I want to ask before you go, hazard pay. Is that something youre looking for now for grocery workers given the increased exposure they have . Well, yes. And i think heres the real reason. If you talk to an investor or talk to anybody in business, and you ask them the following question, if risks go up, what is your expected rate of return . Your expected rate of return is to go up as well. And so since our workers and all grocery workers whether or not theyre union or not union, are at a greater risk today than they were say eight months ago. And under those circumstances, do i think that they should receive hazard pay or appreciation pay or whatever kind of pay you want to call it . The answer is yes. I do, because theyre taking more risks every single day. Understood. Listen, we wish them the best of luck. When i go shopping, im always amazed at the work they do, and they are exposed. Marc perrone, thank you for your time. Thank you, jim. Health experts in japan are warning, if immediate action is not taken, 400,000 people there could die from coronavirus. Well have more on that ahead as well. You wouldnt accept an incomplete job from anyone else. Why accept it from your allergy pills . Flonase sensimist. Nothing stronger. Nothing gentler. Nothing lasts longer. Flonase sensimist. 24 hour nondrowsy allergy relief ive always been faand still going for my best, even though i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. So if theres a better treatment than warfarin. I want that too. Eliquis. Eliquis is proven to reduce stroke risk better than warfarin. Plus has significantly less major bleeding than warfarin. Eliquis is fdaapproved and has both. Whats next . Reeling in a nice one. Dont stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. Eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. Dont take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. While taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. Seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. Eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. Eliquis, the number one cardiologistprescribed blood thinner. Ask your doctor if eliquis is whats next for you. Wont be a new thing. And it wont be their First Experience with social distancing. Overcoming challenges is what defines the military community. Usaa has been standing with them, for nearly a hundred years. And well be here to serve for a hundred more. Aand were here for you ry day fespecially now,rs. Doing Everything Possible to keep you connected. Through the resilience of our network and people. We can keep learning, keep sharing, keep watching, and most of all, keep together. Its the job weve always done. It is the job we will always do. Health experts in japan say more than 400,000 people there could die if the country does fought do more to contain coronavirus. They are calling on every citizen to do their part now to stop the outbreak, as japan sees a spike with more than 8,000 reported cases so far. Cnns will ripley joins us from tokyo with more on the rising numbers. Will, japan was slow on this. Why are we just learning this now . Well, because theyre waking up to the fact, as they start to test more people and uncover more cases that the situation in japan is growing larger by the day. And this panel of experts, some of the top epidemiologists in this country, they do say this is the worst Case Scenario based on a model of no social distancing whatsoever. And we know that japan is attempting social distancing. But theyre having a real problem getting a lot of people to stay home because 80 of Japanese Companies are not equipped to allow employees to telework. Its just not part of the culture here. There are a lot of people still riding crowded subways and this warning that 400,000 or more people could die without social distancing is in many ways kind of of one last warning from the government. Their most dire warning yet that if they dont do something, if people dont do something to change their habits right now, the coming months could be very bad for japan. Early on, the japanese prime minister, shinzo abe, was being concerned of saving the summer olympics than saving lives. Did that late start hurt japan . Japan was focusing in the early weeks of this epidemic on a theory of tracing clusters. And aggressive Contact Tracing. Which also involved very minimal testing, which was deliberate on the part of the japanese. This was convenient for abes administration because they were trying to save the olympics, and the minimal testing allows the official case count to stay very low for a very long time. The problem epidemiologists say, is japan really doesnt have a sense of how many people are Walking Around asymptomatic with the virus, and you need to have those numbers to shape public policy. After the olympics were postponed, all of a sudden, the government messaging has gotten much more serious. The problem was a lot of people didnt get the mesige time or now theyre confused because they were told things in japan were pretty good for quite a long time. Thats why we saw people out viewing the cherry blossoms. Thats why people are going about their daily lives. A lot of businesses remain open. The messages didnt get to people in time. Theres a sense of complacency on the streets of tokyo, but experts are telling me complacency starts at the top. 100 . Will, thank you for that reporting live for us in tokyo this morning. So we know the numbers that coronavirus is infecting and killing africanamericans at an alarming and disproportionate rate. Well, now oscarnominated actress taraji p. Henson is offering a free surface to help with the Mental Health impact of the pandemic on black communities. Shes with us live to talk about it. T in our yard, but so are they. Scotts turf builder triple action. It kills weeds, prevents crabgrass and feeds so grass can thrive, guaranteed. 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So, to everyone who is helping to keep us safe against covid19 day in and day out, all of us at amgen say,. Thank you. Confident financial plans, calming financial plans, complete financial plans. Theyre all possible with a cfp® professional. Find yours at letsmakeaplan. Org. Theyre all possible with a cfp® professional. This virus is testing all of us. And its testing the people on the front lines of this fight most of all. So abbott is getting new tests into their hands, delivering the critical results they need. And until this fight is over, we. Will. Never. Quit. Because they never quit. Another tragedy of this pandemic, africanamericans are dying at higher rates than any other racial group in this country from coronavirus. Not to mention the Mental Health impact of all of it. Academy award nominated and golden globe winning actress taraji p. Henson has been an advocate for Mental Health treatment for a long time. Last year, she made a plea to lawmakers on capitol hill. So im here to appeal to you because this is a national crisis. When i hear of kids going into bathrooms, cutting themselves, youre supposed to feel safe at school. Im here using my celebrity, using my voice to put a face to this. Because i also suffer from depression and anxiety. And if youre a human living in todays world, i dont know how youre not suffering in any way. Yeah, well now shes launching a Free Virtual Therapy Campaign for black communities dealing with this crisis. Im so happy to say that now were joined by Mental Health advocate, Academy Award nominated and golden globe winning actress taraji p. Henson. Thank you for talking about this so personally and openly. Can you tell everyone what youre doing now through your foundation that was named after your father . Yeah. Were offering up to five therapy sessions to those underserved communities who have been devastated by this pandemic. And the conditions are listed in our online resource guide. We begin registration today, so those who need help should go to borislfoundation. Org. We really need everyone to step up and support this campaign, and you can do it by texing no stigma to 707070 or donate on our website, because you know, we dont know how long this pandemic will last, and we dont know the scars. We do know that scars, these scars will last forever. They wont go away. People will be traumatized forever. Families will be destroyed and ripped apart. You have generational families that have been living together under one roof. I know a family, theres nine of them living in a threebedroom apartment. When you say social distancing, we throw that out like everybody can do it. Where are they going to go . I mean, youre of course. Of course. I mean, and thats a huge concern, you know. Look, let me ask you about what drove you to this, because obviously, you have talked about your own personal struggles. We see the disparity in the Africanamerican Community in terms of the higher death rate and infection rate from coronavirus, which i think is a National Tragedy for this country. What caused you to want to launch this . I had to do something because i know people are suffering. And theyre suffering in isolation. I am blessed enough to be able to be able to pick up the phone and call my family and i think twice about how much it costs, but you have people who have to decide between a meal and their Mental Health. Not only that. Its hard enough and most difficult for the black community to even speak up about Mental Illnesses or Mental Health because of the stigma around it in the community. So i felt like i had to do something in this moment in time to relieve the stress, the anxiety, to save some lives. What was alarming to me are the numbers. Im going to read these to you. In illinois, 43 of people who have died from the disease and 28 of those who have tested positive are africanamericans. A group that only makes up 15 of the states population. These are alarming numbers. Africanamericans account for a third of positive tests in michigan represents 40 of the deaths in that state. Even though they make up only 14 of the population. These are alarming. And louisiana, about sfen70 of people who died are black. Though only a third of the states population is nonblack. Those numbers to me are alarming. I cant just sit by and hear those numbers spewed out and not do something. You took the words out of my mouth. Literally, i had those same stats written in front of me. Jim and i talk about it every day on the show. We knew Something Like this was going to come because of the disparity on so many levels. So many Different Levels that African Americans have been facing in this country for so long. It is a national crisis. When you first saw those numbers, taraji, what did you think . I just felt like i had to do something. I mean, im blessed, and my father always said, may he rest in peace, vietnam vet, and also had his issues with Mental Illnesses. He, you know, also told me, baby, if you are blessed, you have to go out into the world and be a blessing. This is through gods gift, the blessings he bestowed upon me, im trying to do what i can as a human, because we all need each other. We all need each other in this thing called life. And so here i am. Trying to use my voice in the best way i can. Can you finally talk about your message right now to anyone who is suffering in silence . Because in your congressional testimony, you talked about how the black community, many people often do suffer in silence and dont feel like theyre allowed to talk about Mental Health suffering. Whats your message to anyone watching right now living that . My message to you right now is that if you ever second guess or had some reservations or were afraid to reach out or deal with Mental Illness or check on your Mental Health, now is the perfect time. Because we are in a situation where we can do it from home. The comforts of our own home. You can research. You can take your time, because all we have right now is time. And i suggest that in this time, you dig deep down within yourself and just take care of your mental. Let this be the time where you try it out. You know, and its for free. You know, so i mean, no one should be no one should be suffering right now in silence. That breaks my heart to know that so many people are. And you should not be afraid to talk about your Mental Health. And you shouldnt have to choose between a meal and your Mental Health. That breaks my heart. Taraji, thank you for doing this. For putting your celebrity, your power, your money, your effort behind this. Ill post this on social media, on instagram, on twitter. Well put it up on the newsroom site. People can go there for help. Thank you for what youre doing. Thank you so much. God bless you and stay safe. And to you. Thanks to all of you for joining us today. Im poppy harlow. And im jim sciutto. Newsroom continues with john king right now. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around thurld. Im john king in washington. This is cnns continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. The global case count now topping 2 million. Theres also global outrage over president trumps decision to withhold any u. S. Funding for the world health organization. In japan, new projections that hundreds of thousands may die. This as workers in the countrys in the country with the worlds oldest population are still going to the office. In singapore, deaths up sharply again. Masks are now mandatory in public. In africa, coronavirus precaution is disrupting the food supply. Now putting millions at possible risk of starvation. Here in the United States, another sobering record. 2400 people died here in the United States on tuesday. That is a single day high for coronavirus deaths. The upticks snaps a streak. The death number had beencoming down. Still, the belief is the un