Atlanta. This is our 14th cnn global town hall coronavirus facts and fears. In the weeks since our last town hall, so much has changed in the country, including the outbreak. And though, we would all like to think that this pandemic is over, it isnt. Experts say we are far from that. We have just gotten a new estimate from the cdc, and its pretty grim. Projecting more than 135,000 deaths by coronavirus by the 11th of next month. On top of that, ten states now this week have seen record numbers of new cases, including oklahoma, where the president , as you know, is going to be holding a massive indoor rally on saturday. And we want to begin by showing you two different pandemics. The pandemic, as its been in europe, and the United States. Take a look at your screen. Two charts and the difference you see between them. On the top of the screen, thats the course in the european union. On the bottom, the course of covid in the u. S. On the top, you see cases, rising, peaking, and falling. On the bottom, you see them stuck, on a plateau of sorts, and starting to rise again from there. And thats the picture in this country. And many are fred thafraid thatd of taking the steps other countries have taken so successfully to get where they are, were simply falling into this acceptance that hundreds of people dying every day. Were getting numb to it like mass killings but on a far larger scale. Whether the white house wants to admit it or not, the worst Public Health disaster this countrys seen in a century. And the president , after declaring himself a wartime president battling an invisible enemy now seems to want nothing to do with the virus, the task force, the sick, and the dead. In an interview published today in the wall street journal, the president was asked whether he thought people were wearing mask to show their disapproval of him. Could be, yeah, he said could be. He also called testing overrated. Meantime, dr. Anthony fauci on tape what he calls the bias some people have. Wed like to ask dr. Fauci about that, among other things, but our request to have him on the program was denied, yet again. You see, he may be one of the nations top scientists, but he is under the thumb of the white house. Our requests to interview him, have to go through the white house. They have to approve it. Our nations scientist, being paid with taxpayer money on coronavirus, cannot speak unless the white house lets them speak to us. We actually asked for any doctor from the task force to join us, but we were denied. Now, remember, we used to see fauci and birx every day, when they used to answer questions from the briefing room. But the white house doesnt do that anymore because the president suggested we inject disinfectant into humans, to experiment on them, to see if you can bleach the invisible enemy out of the body. He embarrassed himself and, for that, the Coronavirus Task force were brought to an end. The white house doesnt want to talk about this virus. And they couldnt be clearer about that. They want you, they want the American People, to believe that its nearly gone away. Dying out, as the president just said. Not a great choice of words, by the way. The virus is not dying out but people continue to die. 617 today, as of 7 00 tonight. The Coronavirus Task force that was famously taking that big, strong, quote, wholeofgovernment approach that Vice President pence talked a about so often. Theyve gone into hiding. Like theyre in the witness protection program. They dont update American People about new hotspots that are flaring up daily, including where the president is going this weekend. No. This administration wants you to believe the only reason were seeing increasing numbers of cases is because of increased testing and thats simply a lie and they know it. Vice president pence violating his own Task Force Guidelines about wearing mask. He still wants to curry favorite with the president that he doesnt wear a mask. He even tried earlier this week to get governors to perpetuate the lies about testing. Then, he got caught and just merely moved along. But be that as it may, the absence of someone from the task force wont stop us from bringing you everything we can in an hour. Thats right, anderson. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is going to be joining us. His state has gone from the epicenter to perhaps the biggest Success Story in containing the outbreak. So much so, in fact, that he may impose a quarantine on people coming into new york. Were going to ask him about that. Also, tonight. Why covid19 has taken such a disproportionate toll on africanamericans, and what can be done to thang cchange that. We are also going to be taking questions for our medical and health experts. Tweet them with the hashtag cnn town hall or leave a comment on cnns facebook page. As always, lot of you have sent in questions. Well try to get to as many as we can. We have reports around the world, including beijing, where theyre clamping down hard. But first, where this country stands, with more than 118,000 lives lost and states that once thought themselves safe, now facing some very hard facts. Tonight, more than 118,000 people in the u. S. Have died from the coronavirus. And more than 2. 1 million have tested positive. Infection rates in more than 20 states are climbing, with ten states seeing their highest sevenday average of new, daily cases since the pandemic began. Florida, alone, reporting more than 3,000 new cases. The highest the state has seen in a single day. Clearly, there were states who, left to their own decision about that, went ahead and opened to a varying degree. Maybe even i wouldnt say too soon, but certainly before they got to the benchmarks that they needed to get. Were not shutting down. You know, were going to go forward. Were going to continue to protect. Some cities that were doing well in the early months of the pandemic have seen a sudden surge since reopening. This is not a coincidence. For communities that have followed the guidelines, encouraged the use of masks, the mitigation efforts have worked. If we do not treat this threat seriously, more lives will be lost. New york city plans to enter phase two of reopening, next week. While the rest of the state has moved onto phase three, which allows for Indoor Dining at restaurants. But it all comes with a warning from new yorks governor, andrew cuomo. Stay vigilant. Could come back. You dont stay smart, it will come back. Could be a second wave. Groups of people, from those attending protests to potential political rallies, remain a high risk. The effort to find a vaccine continues worldwide. 11 vaccine studies are now in human trials. Four, in the United States, even as the fight against the virus is made tougher, by those who dont believe the threat is real. One of the problems we face, in the United States, is that, unfortunately, there is a combination of an antiscience bias that people are, for reasons that sometimes are inconceivable and not understandable, they just dont believe science and they dont believe authority. Unless youre effective at other things, like wearing a mask, avoiding contact, its going to lead to the second wave. To underscore that point, dr. Murrays institute that week just raised its estimate from about 170,000 by october to more than 201,000. The same part of the government that seems to believe the virus is no big deal anymore, has just put out that estimate. Projecting 135,000 americans by july 11th. Its been two weeks since our last town hall so i am curious where you think we are with this pandemic. You remember, anderson, this began along the coast with Major International airports. Thats where the virus probably first entered the United States. And thats why we saw peaks early in places like new york. But now, we are seeing the rest of america becoming increasingly infected by this virus as well. Arizona, which is a third the population of new york, may soon surpass new york in hospitalizations. And icu beds are growing increasingly full in several states, including texas and florida. We see the numbers change. We see our attitudes change. The thing that is not changing is the virus, itself. Its still very contagious. Since the last town hall, there was some confusion over asymptomatic spread. So i want to be clear about this. People can spread the virus, even if theyre not showing symptoms. Thats why masks are so important. They can decrease transmission sixfold. Being outside can also decrease transmission eighteen fold. Most of all, anderson, i think we are slowly figuring out what is acceptable in the United States, as you said. Where more people are now dying every day, than have died in other countries, throughout this entire pandemic. Essentially, two jumbo jets full of people every 24 hours. No one wants to shut down again. And there is a plmiddle ground here that may prevent us from having to do so but i worry the very people who would never accept shutting down again, are hardly doing anything to prevent that from happening. As we mentioned at the top, new york seeing progress. Erica hill joins us with details on that and more. Lets talk about the good news for new york. And there is some good news. Governor andrew cuomo. I know you will be speaking to him a little bit later. Saying they just had the highest number of tests done in new york state, and the lowest positivepercentage rate. Thats good, right . The more testing you do, the fewer people who are testing positive. Here, in new york city, mayor bill de blasio says theyre ready to move into phase two. Governor cuomo says he will announce that officially on friday. But noted new york is doing well but Governor Cuomo says he is concerned about what hes seeing, and he is concerned about people bringing the virus into yonew york state. He was asked specifically if he would consider a quarantine of travelers coming from florida. He might consider it, noting this was really a 180degree turn from what we saw 100 days ago when florida put similar measures of travel into place for new york. Yeah, erica. There is a lot of discussion about florida and people heard, in our opening piece, they are seeing that dramatic rise in cases. So much so, that there are fears that florida could become the next epicenter. What more can you tell us about whats happening there . Yeah, absolutely. There is modeling from the Childrens Hospital of philadelphia and the university of pennsylvania that is concerned thats exactly what could happen. Florida could become the next epicenter. Today, florida reporting its highest single day for new cases since this pandemic began. 3,207. The mayor of st. Petersburg, actually telling cnn earlier, that he suspected there would be a rise but did not expect it to be like this. And when we look at the number, i know you know this so well, sanjay, and you talk about it all the time. Its not just new cases but its hospitalizations. And one number giving a lot of people pause today out of florida is the fact that threequarters of the adult icu beds are occupied now in that state. 75 of General Hospital beds, also, occupied. Erica hill. Thanks. Now, oklahoma and tulsa the president s saturday rally said, quote, i wish we could postpone this to a time when the virus isnt as large a concern as it is today. Abby phillip is there today. Abby, how big a crowd do they expect . Well, anderson, we are expecting some 20,000 people to be at the bok center, behind me. But the bigger crowd is likely to be outside in the overflow. We could see some 40,000 people. We have even heard local officials saying there could be 100,000 people coming into tulsa, both for this event, and other events, counter events, happening a few blocks away across town. I want to show you some of the people that are out here, lined up. They are the dyed in the wool donald trump fans. Virtually, none of them are wearing face masks. They are outside, we should note. But theyre out here, the way we often see them at trump events. With their flags. With their coolers. Basically, camping out and making the point that they are treating this, 48 hours before the event, just like any other donald trump rally. Even though, as you noted, this will be the largest event, largest gathering really of any kind, probably happening in the entire country since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. I guess, abby, is the concern is this rally could become a superspreadertype event. And i think the question is, is there anything being done, to try to prevent that from happening . Well, the campaign has put forward their plans, which include giving out Hand Sanitizer, giving out masks. But there are two Big Questions theyre facing. Its, one, are they going to enforce any kind of social distancing . And will they require those masks to be worn . Weve already heard that they do not expect to require that masks will be worn indoors. But the center, the bok center, has just sent a letter this afternoon, asking the campaign for a written plan about how they are going to enforce publicsafety measures, within that arena. And particularly, as it relates to social distancing. The campaign has not yet responded but it is hard to see, sanjay, how they will enforce any kind of social distancing if they plan to pack that arena to its almost19,000seat capacity. That is the central question, here, for attendees. The bok center says theyll have hundreds of handsanitizing locations. Therell be testing attendees for their temperatures before they come in. But an indoor event, 19,000 people, virtually no social distancing. Its hard to see how this will not become a superspreading event. If anyone in that crowd has coronavirus and perhaps doesnt know it. Abby phillip, thanks very much. Talking to the wall street journal, the president again called coronavirus, quote, the plague that was sent by china. He suggested china might have spread it intentionally to hurt the u. S. Economy because its so incendiary, i want to read you the president s exact words when asked, quote, is that your gut on that . Or do you have intelligence they may have pushed this beyond their border . President s reply, its my sense. I hope not and i hope well be able to find it out. Right now, china has an outbreak in its capital. Cnns david culver is live for us in beijing. Some of the strictest measures in the world to get a grip on the virus in wuhan. What sparked this new cluster . It was interesting, anderson, listening to you and sanjay as you started off this town hall. Mention, you know, as much as we want to think this is over, and perhaps move on with t. I mean, we have been dealing with this now since late january, five months. And it has now made a resurgence. And, in all places, the capital. And thats incredible to think about. I mean, this place was impenetrable. It was the fortress. Beijing was really tightly protected, and was one of the last places to start easing those restrictions. What we know about the most recent cluster is, according to Health Officials here, its once again linked to a market, eerily similar to wuhan. They say there are two theories behind that. One, potentially, it came in on seafood. They are saying maybe salmon. Another is that, and this is more likely, it was transmitted from a person, who went in, infected. And then, with the shouldertoshoulder interactions, theres still a lot of contact. So it likely transmitted human to human in that setting. This is the narrative they are really pushing here and that is its an imported case. Saying its a european strand, differentiating it from the one that originated in wuhan. Fascinating. But, david, theyre also saying its largely contained now, right . What exactly is the effort looking like, to get that done . Well, they are saying it is contained and under control. Thats the most recent update that weve heard. It is with massive numbers, right . So they do this hundreds of thousands of people of testing they have done, by bussing people to certain stadiums. And then, we see the closures coming back. This is a place we started to enjoy some of the freedoms again. Right away, you start to see gyms close again. You start to see restaurants. Public spaces. And then, you have physical barriers going up. And i want to show you what we recorded just yesterday here. Takes you a little bit closer to the market. Obviously, we didnt get out of the vehicle. But this gives you an idea as to what those barriers look like. Take a look. Im going to give you a little look right here, through the window. This is the outskirts of the market. You can see, there are some folks back there with hazmat suits on. All of this is shut off. Lets keep driving because i dont want to draw too much attention is because, if we were to cross into this restricted zone, we would then be, potentially, flagged and put into government quarantine. How do they know . A few ways. One, they could physically stop us and get our information. Another is they would see the tags of the car, and they would mark that down and track us down. And another, big data that weve been living by here, they would trace you through your cell phone. Weve heard several reports of people being flagged because of where their cell phones were located, geographically, within those highrisk areas. And then, being contacted and told they essentially need to be sealed off from the rest of the world. Contact tracing, of course, weve talked about the Technology Used behind all of this, anderson and sanjay. Its through those qr codes weve shown you over the past several weeks. Its gotten a little bit redundant and, at times, inefficient. Several jurisdictions have these. This is mine alone. Ive got one, two, three, four different qrs as i have been traveling throughout china. Fascinating to see. David culver, thank you very much. More on the progress made this week on treatments and vaccines. Cnns Elizabeth Cohen joins us with more on that. Thats right. It had to do with steroids, actually. So this was a study that was done in the united kingdom. And what they found that patients when they were on ventilators, like very sick, if they would give them steroids, it really helped them. In fact, it decreased the death rate by about a third. Now, anderson, ill tell you that doctors i have been talking to in the u. S. , they say theyve been using these steroids for months. So this is not a new idea. But the doctor said look, its great to see theres data behind what we were doing sort of instinctively because steroids reduce inflammation, and thats so important when treating very sicko v sic sick Covid Patients. Another class of drugs used to treat arthritis, one of these drugs was studied by yale. Still unclear exactly what it showed but lots of interest in these il6 drugs already on the market for rheumatoid arthritis. So pretty easy to transfer them over to Covid Patients and see if they work. Anderson. Elizabeth, there is also a lot of news about the vaccines. Weve been hearing a lot about the moderna vaccine. Thats an mrna vaccine. Thats something thats never before been on the market. What is the benefit in using these sorts of new technologies . Versus the sort of tried and true vaccine methods . Sanjay, its interesting because nearly all of the government funding for new vaccines has been to these new technologies. They have been tried out experimentally. They have not gone on the market. And that includes moderna. The thinking is theyre much quicker to market. Just because the way theyre made, you can get them out much more quickly and that, of course, is important. Theres also, some people think theyre actually safer as well. Lets take a look, sanjay, a sort of the global effort to get a vaccine. The w. H. O. Reports there are 13 teams in clinical trials. In other words, they are trying these out in human beings. Five of those teams are in china. Four are in the u. S. Two in the uk. One in germany and one in russia. Anderson, sanjay. Elizabeth cohen, thanks very much. Coming up next, well talk to new York Governor Andrew Cuomo about what the state is doing, and the step he is considering to keep out of staters from coming in, and perhaps bringing the virus with them. Later, we are going to be talking to a doctor whos been leading the fight to change one of the saddest realities of this outbreak. The fact that people of color are bearing the brunt of it. That and answers to your questions and much more as our cnn global town hall continues. With a truly longterm view thats been through multiple market cycles for over 85 years . With capital group, i can. Talk to your financial professional or consultant for investment risks and information. Talk to your financial professional or consultant [shouting] [clapping and shouting] [cymbals clanging] [knocking] room for seven. And much, much more. The firstever glb. Get 0 apr financing up to 36 months on most models, and 90day firstpayment deferral on any model. 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Its why, at xfinity, were committed to helping kids keep learning through the summer. And help College Students studying at home stay connected through our university program. Were providing affordable Internet Access to low income families through our internet essentials program. And this summer, xfinity is creating a Virtual Summer camp for kids at home all on xfinity x1. Were committed to helping all families stay connected. Learn more at xfinity. Com education. The cdcs new forecast tonight of 135,000 coronavirus deaths by july 11th. That would mean about 17,000 deaths, in about the next three weeks. There is modeling that suggests florida could be the next epicenter. There are more than just warning flags. They are a bitter reminder of what we have a seen once before. Sanjay and i remember all too well in the early days of our cnn global town halls, the state of new york was seeing upwards of 10,000 new Coronavirus Infections every single day. Anyone, all of us, who live in new york city remember the time when ambulance sirens were what you heard, and people were dying, almost every single minute, for days on end. Today, new york has done much more than just turned a corner. So much so, the governor is considering a step that other states once took for new yorkers or at least talked about taking. Imposing a quarantine to keep the virus out. Joining us now is governor andrew cuomo. First of all, just, you got to feel pretty good about what is happening in the state. How does it feel to you . What do you see in the numbers . Anderson, where we sit, its been a dramatic turnaround, as you mentioned. We did have the worstcase scenario and began with the highest infection rate. Thats because, remember, the virus came to new york from europe. And the federal government thought it was still in china. So we were blindsided by the virus. It landed in our airports, and we had the worst situation in the country. We had the worst situation on the globe. But we took it very seriously. We followed the science. We did the testing, et cetera. We now have the lowest infection rate in the country. We went from the highest infection rate, to the lowest infection rate. And were reopening our regions, and weve been phasing in the economic activity. So our numbers are doing very, very well. We have less than a 1 infection rate. We did 60,000 tests yesterday. Less than 1 infection rate. Im not worried about the other states, as an american. But also, selfishly, people get on airplanes and they come to new york and they could bring the infection with them. So what do you do about that . I mean, do you talk about a mandatory quarantine for people enteri entering the state . Is that is that actually doable . It is doable. And that thats what happened at the beginning of this, if you remember. Seems like a lifetime ago. People put a quarantine on in their states, that people coming into their state, needed to be quarantined for 14 days. What they were saying is if you come to their state, and you come from a state that had a high infection rate, it was a mandatory quarantine, for 14 days, so you didnt infect their sfat. State. Now, the tables have turned, 180 degrees, and were considering it for new york. You have a lot of people in these states, where the infection rate is going through the roof. New york is in better shape than their state. And were seeing people who want to come to new york, and i understand that. But we worked very hard to get the infection rate down. I dont want to see it going back up. Seems like you always have to think a few chess moves ahead, governor. And if the state does decide someone must quarantine, for example, i think you have to think about where, exactly, are they going to go . How long . I guess, 14 days, you said. But how will that be enforceable . Will you be able to enforce that, in some way . Well, again, sanjay, we this happened the first go around, and it can be enforced and it can be done. I mean, the cruel irony is why are we here, right . If you could take new york state, that had the worst infection rate on the globe, per capita, and we turned it around, in a matter of 100 days. Why are we seeing these increases in other states . Thats the question we have to be asking ourselves. We know that more people are going to wind up dying, now. Weve seen the models that anderson was just referring to. In one week, they said another 30,000 people would die by october. They made that shift, in one week, because theyre extrapolating from this new viral spread. 30,000 people. W who, they project, will die, who didnt need to die. I dont know why what we have to do to get a wakeup call in this nation. Well, how do you move forward, in a city like like new york . I mean, you have, now, restaurants, bars, doing takeout. But, you know, youve seen large crowds gathering, hanging out on streets, on a weekend night. The city doesnt seem to be able to really do anything about that. Businesses, i guess, they can police whats right out in front of their business. But i mean, can they tell, you know, somebody half a block away to to to move along . Or is that the citys responsibility . How does the city move through these stages now . Yeah. Two things. First, you are seeing increased activity. Thats because were phasing in the reopening of the economy. And we do it by following the metrics. And were following the infection rate, literally, every day. About 60,000 tests per day. Sanjay can tell you thats an enormous number of tests. No state in the United States does that many tests per capita. No country does that many tests. When you get that much information, per day, you can calibrate your reopening. And i said, from day one, on your show, rather than telling states just reopen. And say hallelujah and watch that virus take off. Do a phased reopening, monitor it, and control the virus. And that will even be better for the economy because you wont see these starts and stops, that now rile the markets. And youll save lives. So yes, youre seeing more activity. We monitor the infection rate. Also, were very serious about compliance. It is the responsibility of the city, new york city, that local government is responsible for the compliance. If the city doesnt do it, the state is a a backdrop to the city. I have the authority, on the state side, to actually close down a business, close down a restaurant, close down a bar thats violating it because we take it very seriously, as well as the mandatory mask policy. That weve had in place for two months, which has been very effective. But its the local governments responsibility. If they fail, the state can step in. If everything goes bad and the City Government is incompetent, then, we can slow down the opening of the economy, if we see any tick up in that infection rate. You know, masks have become such a contentious issue, its remarkable, governor. As you know, probably, Governor Newsom ordered that masks are now mandatory in most Public Places in california. Something that you did, you just mentioned, back in april for new york. Why do you think that this has become such a contentious issue when the when the evidence is clear . Weve been talking about it can reduce transmission significantly. Is there a way to move beyond this so its not so contentious anymore . Sanjay, its all been contentious, right . When i had to stand up and tell people you have to stay home, it was contentious. When i said schools are closed, it was contentious. When i said businesses are closed, it was contentious. When i said you have to wear a mask, it was contentious. It is disruptive and, you know, people dont want to be disrupted. They want to solve the virus, but they dont want disruption. But thats where government has to step in. We did the masks two months ago. I got beaten up for it. But it worked and we knew it worked, and you knew it worked. The scientists, all, knew that it worked. The numbers that are now coming out, world health organization, says its even more effective than we knew weari, wearing a m. So none of these things were easy. But, its following the science. You know, the difference in these states. Some follow the politics, and some follow the public relations, frankly. And those are the states where you now see the virus going up. Some states were smart. They made the tough decisions, but they did it early. And thats where you see it going down. This was always about the science, and not the politics. And if you handle this as a publicrelations issue, then, of course, youre going to let people do whatever they want to do. Let the economy open. No controls. And now, you see the virus go up. Is you know, were seeing this now. This rally this weekend in oklahoma. The president s going to, you know, theoretically pack 19,000 people into an indoor arena. Doesnt seem like theres any social distancing. No ones required to wear a mask, though theyll probably hand them out. Would you allow a large political rally in new york, in these circumstances, in this time . No. No. No. Look. The president s position, all along, has been a political position. His position was, you know, this is a virus. Its a flu. Dont worry about it. Reopen the economy. Reopen the economy. Reopen the economy. He believes his reelection is correlated to the economy. I dont even think thats right, politically. I think its correlated to leadership, not to the dow jones stockmarket index. But thats always been his position. Just reopen the economy. The states that are doing that are seeing the virus go up. And seeing their hospitals fill up, and their icu beds fill up. And thats going to, not only hurt the economy, its, also, going to cause more americans to die. When they raise up those projection models, which theyre now doing, that is just an extrapolation on the viral rate that theyre seeing. And when you see the spike, they then update the projection, which extrapolates out, how many more people die. 30,000 more people die, by october, in the model that the white house accepts. Just think about that. And the president of the United States, knowing that the models now say another 30,000 people die by october, still, insists that we shouldnt be careful. We shouldnt follow the science. Dont worry about the Public Health. Have a political arena. I mean, it makes it makes no sense. And its the exact wrong signal. And thats what the states who are getting into trouble are all following. Governor andrew cuomo, appreciate your time. Thank you. Thanks. Just ahead. More on the surge in cases including the high death rate among africanamericans and why dr. Anthony fauci says they have suffered disproportionately. We will also be answering your coronavirus questions when our global town hall continues. And right now, love is more important than ever. In response to covid19, subaru and our retailers are donating fifty million meals to feeding america, to help feed those who now need our help. Its all part of our commitment to our communities through subaru loves to help. Love, its what makes subaru, subaru. Did you know Liberty Mutual customizes your Car Insurance tada so you only pay for what you need . I should get a quote. Do it. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Cdc guidance recommends topical pain relievers first. Like salonpas patch large. Its powerful, fdaapproved to relieve moderate pain for up to 12 hours, yet nonaddictive and gentle on the body. Salonpas. Its good medicine. Hisamitsu. The increase in new daily cases of coronavirus across the sunbelt of the United States could hit black americans particularly hard. In fact, today, dr. Anthony fauci explained why its been the case, so far. Africanamericans have suffered, disproportionately, from coronavirus disease. Theyve suffered in that their rate of infection is higher because of the nature of the economic status that many of them find themselves in. Where theyre outside working, being unable to physically separate. And then, when they do get infected, given the social determinants of health, make it, you know, for them, have a higher incidence of diseases like hypertension, obesity, diabetes. They are at much greater risk of experiencing the deleterious consequences, including death. Show you what dr. Fauci is talking about. This is from the brookings institution, which breaks down who exactly has died from the virus. Thats despite the fact there are about four and a halftimes more white than black americans in this country. Joining me now is dr. Ayla stanford, pediatric surgeon who founded the covid19 consortium, which provides mobile testing unit. Doctor, thanks so much for being with us. Based on everything you are seeing on the front lines, why do you think is virus is so disproportionately affecting black americans . Theres a myriad of reasons. Some of which, dr. Fauci mentioned. But id really like to focus on the tangible ones, that are happening, in realtime, with covid. And it has to do with particularly, when africanamericans were being turned away from testing at work, even. Doctors and nurses, where a white supervisor would say, well, youre not sick enough. These are folks we were testing, and then we would test them and they were positive. Or a elderly mortician, who comes to get tested, and he doesnt have a prescription. And even though hes been burying people with covid, all day long, you wont test him because he doesnt have a script. No, its well, i really admire what youre doing, dr. Stanford. You have been doing this mobile testing around philadelphia. My understanding is you have tested nearly 6,000 people so far and you are going to where people are, right . Neighborhoods, churches, parks, and shelters. I guess this is the whole point. But why did you youre a pediatric surgeon. Thats what you do. What made you do this . Be the person to do this . Well, sanjay, if its okay to call you sanjay. Please. Okay. Sanjay, when you and i were both in medical school, we heard about these social determinants of health for over two decades. And when you hear dr. Fauci say them now, theyre no different than what we heard when we were in our 20s. And so, as i was sitting, watching these reports, hearing the same rhetoric, over and over. I said im not going to sit and listen, and have another town hall. And sit around the table and talk about it. I can do something, at this point. Im a business owner. I have access to i have an account with lap corps, i can order testing kits. I have colleagues, who are board certified, that would donate their time. And we needed to just identify the individuals. So, when we started, we literally went to peoples homes. And we went to where they were. We parked the van outside. They came outside of their homes, and we tested them, on the street. And we did that, throughout the city. And then, as we grew, we knew we had to go to places that africanamericans trust, and thats the church. Whether you go to church or not, theyre in their community. So people walked. Then, they walked home and told a neighbor. They walked. They rode their bikes. And someone saw them with a mask and theyd say, hey, whered you get that mask . Oh, around the corner at the church. And then, folks came over. We also went to homeless shelters. And when the residents were there for a meal, we stood outside. We answered their questions. They were scared that we might be giving them the disease, or that it would hurt. We answered their questions. And then, we tested them. We went to street corners. We wept nt to parks. Wherever people were, we went to them because when they try to go to most of the testing sites that were in the suburbs, which they had to take buses and trains to get to, they were turned away because they werent in a car. So we created barrierfree testing, to test folks. How do i mean, inequalities in how black, americans are treated in the Healthcare System have existed before covid. Covid has certainly brought them to the fore. How does that change . I mean, you know, that is a systematic issue, which we have, you know, has been reported on, for years and years and years. Well, ill tell you. The mantra that i developed for the black doctors covid19 consortium is simply access, empathy, and action. So you need to open your doors. There were so many restrictions on people that needed the test the most. And then, when they come to you, welcome them. Treat them like you would treat your mother, your brother, your sister, someone you care about. Maybe when they come in the room, sit down, instead of standing up and being in a rush to go somewhere. And its great to talk about it. But things need to happen. Ive been part of so many nih studies, where we come up with great ideas. You form focus groups and communities. You come with coffee and treats. And then, once your study is done and you publish the paper, everybody leaves. All the support that was there is gone. And someone has a new paper on their resume. Dr. Ayla stanford, yeah, thank you. Thank you for what youre doing, thank you for being with us tonight. Really appreciate it. Absolutely. Reminder. At the bottom of your screen, you are going to see our social media scroll that shows the questions people are asking. You can tweet us your questions with hashtag cnn town hall. You can also leave comment on the cnn facebook page. Want to bring in dr. Leana wen, emergency physician and baltimores former health commissioner. Dr. Wen, lets get to viewer questions. One from lark in huntsville, alabama, sent in this video. How long will those of us who are at risk or vulnerable to covid19 have to continue isolation . Will we need to wait until a vaccine is available and widely distributed . Dr. Wen . Its going to take a year, a year and a half, or more, for a vaccine to be available and distributed. And its not feasible to stay locked down until then. And so, i would do the things that you really love doing, but safely. So if you want to see family and friends, maybe meet in a backyard or in a park, outdoors, where you are spaced at least six feet apart. And if youre going Grocery Shopping or something else, make sure that you wear a mask, and keep up really good hand hygiene. And can i just say, as well, i really feel more ms. Lark, who asked that question, right . Shes stuck in her home. Vulnerable. So i just got to say here for a year and a half. We wear masks for people like ms. Lark. We have to do that, right . So she can leave her home and have some semblance of a life. So were not just wearing them for ourselves, as lena and i have been talking about. So you should think about her. Sorry. It is just kind of crazy that, on the one hand, were being told businesses should open. Economys got to get going. And and and i certainly understand that. Desperate, desperate economic straits. You know, and yet, i think it was you pointed this out earlier, sanjay. The administration whos pushing this is not continuing to push for the very safeguards that would allow for the reopening. I mean, just the wearing of masks. N its now become this political signpost of where you stand, as opposed to helping out your neighbor. And its not a test of your masculinity. Yeah. I was really struck, even, you know, talking to Governor Cuomo about that. He said, look, its a real contentious issue shutting down the economy. Its really contentious shutting down schools. Yeah, i get that. Those are big. Put on a mask to protect people around you, its this. Its just a twosecond action to do that, and it can make such a huge difference. People who are so against possibly having to shut things down arent doing the things that would prevent that from happening. And masks make such a big difference, at this point. Dr. Wen, im interested in your answer for this one. Jessica asked i am a mother of three with a newborn and needless to say very busy. The House Cleaning is definitely an extra burden and stress on the family. I was wondering whats the risk of having cleaners come in . And we would return once theyre gone. So, its probably safe. Especially, if you are not going to be home, at the same time. And you can even use an abundance of caution, and make sure that the windows are open. And that they use your cleaning supplies. So that theyre not bringing in a mop, thats being used from from house to house. Its so hard, dr. Wen. I mean, i cant believe im saying this sentence. You and i both have newborns at home. I never even imagined i would say such a sentence. Not about you but about me. But it is really hard because pd be able to hold the baby and stuff and its a really tricky situation. Absolutely. And anderson, i hope that wyatt is doing well and happy early fathers day to both you and sanjay. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, i mean, it is really hard and i think people are faced with a decision about risk and i do think that if both families, if there are two families, grandparents and parents who are both reducing their risk as much as possible and theyre willing to even selfquarantine for 14 days, lets say, that they can see each other and we do need that human contact. Sanjay, nathan from new jersey sent in this question. Is working in a High Rise Office building with no fresh air a safe or a dangerous covid19 environment . If its dangerous, shouldnt the public be made aware of it . Yeah, i mean, this is an important point. Ideally, youd like to have as much ventilation in the area as possible, because youre trying to reduce the airborne time of these viral particles, make them not hang in the air as long, its hard in high rise buildings. Hopefully you have good filtration systems, good ventilation within the building, but it is a challenge and hopefully employ years are addressing this. And we asked you to shoot a video on the safety tips on going back to the office. Lets take a look. Theres no question things are going to look different at work the first time you go there. First of all, everyones going to be wearing one of these. At our workplace, its going to be a rule. The other thing i do when i go to the hospital is, i always stay bare below the elbow, that way my watch, my jewelry, my ring doesnt get contaminated. Also easier to wash the hands. Speaking of which carry Hand Sanitizer now, most people do. Workplaces are going to make it easier by having stations like this. Its probably a better idea to take the stairs, but if you have to take an elevator, this is going to be one of the higher risk situations a small space, indoors. Try and find an elevator thats not that crowded. Everyone should face in the same direction to reduce the spread of the virus and use Something Like a pen to push the button. So, it goes without saying, you want to think about every surface you touch. Got to be thinking about this constantly. Door will likely be propped open so you dont have to touch the handles. Everyones going to be disinfecting all their surfaces. This is going to be a very common thing. Thinking about where youre sitting and who is sitting next to you. Youre going to want to leave space, obviously. This way, but also, try not to sit directly across from someone. Thats because you want to reduce the viral transfer. There was a single floor in south korea, according to this one study, where 94 people got infected. Thats what youre trying t sta even before you come to work. Take your temperature at home and if you have any symptoms, you should obviously stay there. And ill tell you guys, a lot of this is going to be company to company. There arent sort of nationwide policies or even statewide policies yet. People are still trying to figure this out as people return to work. Yeah. Im in a flash studio we call it at cnn headquarters in new york and they thankfully provide, ive got wipes here and this, as well, which, as sanjay knows, ive used his hair gel when i forgot i wasnt going to tell anybody. Sanjay took a picture of it the other night. I dont recommend that. You should not be using purell as hair gel. Lets get one more in before the break. A andrea asked this question. Covid19 seems to be an opportunistic disease. Can breathinger stands like tear gas, smoke and pepper spray weaken the immune system and make people more susceptible to infection . And if so, do we know how this sort of soupor irritants might Effect People . What can people do to protect themselves . Thats a great question. Yeah, so, tear gas does increase respiratory secretions. They make people sneeze and cough and rub their eyes, which are all risk factors in transmitting and acquiring covid19. Were going to take a break. And then answer more of your questions, one i personally cannot wait to hear. When we come back. Now anyin the s p 500,panies even if their shares cost more. At 5 a slice, you could own Ten Companies for 50 instead of paying thousands. All Commission Free online. Schwab stock slices an easy way to start investing or to give the gift of stock ownership. 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So, whether you visit your local dealer or prefer the comfort of home you can count on the very highest level of service. Get 0 apr financing up to 36 months on most models, and 90day firstpayment deferral on any model. Welcome back to our global town hall. I want to get to another question. A concerned aunt named donna writes in, my niece lives in crosby, texas, she has a 6 month old. For new moms, at what age can Children Wear a mask . I heard not before 2 years, also, how can we protect our Young Children when we take walks in the strollers . Well, the cdc recommends that children above the age of 2 wear masks, although, i have an almost 3yearold and its very hard for him to keep his mask on. It is pretty safe to take your kids out for a walk in a stroller, just make sure that there is enough distance around you to keep that sixfo feet as much as possible. If its not, a lot of strollers have a cover that protects from the sun or rain, you can put that on and also, i like to carry a blanket with me and put the blanket on top of the stroller handle and that adds another level of protection, too. All right. Thanks so much. Loved hearing questions about babies now. Never thank you so much, doctor. Sanjay, thank you. Also, big thanks to new yorks governor, andrew cuomo and dr. Stamford who was fantastic, as well. Also, thanks to all of you who wrote in with your questions. If you didnt get your question answered tonight, the conversation continues at cnn. Com coronavirusanswers. Sanjay, thank you so much for doing it again. Yeah, thank you, anderson. And by the way, have a great weekend. Your first fathers day. I know. Its its big. Surreal. Really surreal. Theres a lot of people who, you know, fathers day, mothers day are hard for people who have lost a parent and growing up, i never paid attention to fathers day because my dad passed away and it was just too painful. So, to be celebrating fathers day is it blows my mind. So, just another of the kind of wonders of whats going on. Sanjay, thank you. Happy fathers day. And the news continues right now with another father, chris cuomo. Chris . Im chris cuomo. Welcome to prime time. Its time now, if you will indulge me, for a different kind of diagnosidiagnosis. One of a sickness that is even more pervasive than covid19. I want you to witness the verl lens in realtime. President trump h