CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: New York Mayor Bill De Blasio: We Could Have 5,000 People On Ventilators Next Week, We May Need 45,000 Doctors To Get Through This Crisis

Interview

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This as the city faces a critical shortage of medical supplies including of course ventilators. The New York's City Mayor Bill De Blasio is joining us right now. Mayor, I know you have a lot going on.

[19:10:00]

BLITZER: We appreciate the time you're going to share with us and our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world. Thanks so much for joining us and let's get right to the questions.

You previously told CNN in New York City would run out of these essential resources as early as tomorrow with Governor Cuomo's announcement that 1000 ventilators are going to be arriving from China another 140 from the State of Oregon is that still the case Mayor?

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: Wolf, it's going to be very tight going into next week. I am thrilled that Governor Brown Organ who I spoke to a short while ago that was extraordinarily kind decent thing one American state helping another.

So that's a step forward the additional ones from China that'll get us into next week for sure. How far into next week we're still not sure? We think at some point next week we could have 5000 people on ventilators that's a real potential a horrible milestone we might meet.

So it's going to be touch and go on the question ventilators next week. Also very, very concerned about the fact we need more and more medical personnel the doctors nurse every kind of personnel. We've lost a lot to the disease at least for a while.

The ones we have of course who have been fighting now for this last month a lot of them are really strained. I am thrilled to hear we are finally getting some help from the Federal Government in terms of military medical personnel.

We heard that announcement from the President that's something I've been asking him to do now for the last week or two. I'm glad that's happening that's going to help a lot. But Wolf, I think we need to go farther. I think the country has to mobilize fully because New York City is just the tip of the spear.

I think we need a national enlistment initiative for healthcare personnel to be listed by the Federal Government brought to where the need is greatest around the country. We have over million doctors over 3.8 million nurses so many of them right now we're doing good work but they could be doing even more crucial work saving lives in New York City.

And then all the other places that will experience this crisis over next few weeks. We need to mobilize and be on a war footing in this country we're not right now that's just a blunt truth. But if we do that quickly and if we get the military involved to coordinate it there's a chance to really get the kind of medical personnel that New York City needs in the other places need before this crisis gets much worse.

BLITZER: Because as you point out that the President did say he was ordering one 1000 U. S. military medical personnel to New York City to help out. But what you're suggesting is that is not enough. And when you say you want to compel do you want some sort of actual draft some sort of order telling medical personnel, doctors, nurses and medical technicians from all around the country to come to New York?

BLASIO: Yes Wolf, here's the reality. I liken it to what we saw after Katrina in New Orleans our whole nation watched in shock as so many people lost their lives that didn't need to. And who could have been saved.

Right now if we don't get a lot more medical personnel. I'm grateful to the President I did make that request. He is fulfilling at least a lot of it that's great. But if we don't get a lot more my projection for New York City over the next month or two is we're going to need 45000 doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists et cetera to get through this full crisis all the cases that are going to surge all the people going to need to be in the hospital for weeks and weeks.

Now this is just one place Wolf, so we do not have a national mechanism at all right now for ensuring that medical personnel are where they're needed in a time of national crisis. What we are going to go through here is going to happen in Detroit it's going to happen New Orleans is going to happen in Florida could happen all over the country in one form or another.

So instead of one place like we had in Katrina we're going to see many places in crisis simultaneously. This requires a national mobilization. So I think it should be a voluntary basis to begin but it must be coordinated by the Federal Government and must be cornered by the military.

People should be compensated of course but if there are not enough medical personnel to save thousands of American lives who could've been saved well then it has to be something stronger than that it should be this is a war.

Yes. If it was any other situation Wolf where thousands of American lives are at stake and I told you these thousands Americans can be saved of our national government acted and we don't. We'll lose them.

Are you would say bring in the military bring in everything we have even to save one American life let alone thousands. So why don't we mobilize this nation as if the lives of so many Americans depended on it because they actually do and it will be in state after state after state the country is not prepared. But if we act quickly this nation could actually get ahead of this crisis in time.

BLITZER: So let me just be precise. You're saying you need an additional 45000 medical personnel in addition to all of those who are already there in New York City who are genuine heroes and working around the clock is that right?

BLASIO: Yes. And Wolf here's the horrible math. Someone who comes in the Coronavirus who needs ICU treatment for example that could be three weeks four weeks that bed is taken up for a long time making sure we save that life.

[19:15:00]

BLASIO: We're projected to have a huge growth in the number of cases. I started the month of March with about 20000 hospital beds in my entire city. We have to add over 60000 more beds in places like the Javits Center in makeshift hospitals we are going to create in hotels in arenas. You name it.

We have to add 60000 more beds in the course of the next month or so because there's going explosion of cases and then people are going to need treatment for weeks and weeks. Each person will need a lot of treatment and that's going to require a huge amount of medical personnel.

This is going to happen everywhere else after us. So rather than you know the country look away from it and then be shocked when it happens in our own home towns we have a chance right now to actually build up a muscular you know national effort.

Again lead and coordinated by the military because there's no other organization that could possibly do the logistical the command and control tasks that's needed here to actually move these personnel where they're needed on time.

We need a national mobilization if it was wartime we know what to do if we were dealing with a foreign enemy a foreign army this is an invisible enemy but it is killing thousands of Americans. And we know it's going to affect the whole country. Why don't we mobilize for the kind of war now?

You and I have never experienced before but it is what our generation is called to do. We heard the stories from our parents and grandparents World War II and that greatest generation fought that battle.

We have to fight a very different battle but we have to mobilize with the same spirit that our forebears had. They created something great. They created a national mobilization single minded save every American life that could be saved. We have to do that now in our time.

BLITZER: Well and the only way that's going to be done as you well know Mayor is for the President of the United States to issue a directive in order along those lines to declare not just an emergency but this is a disaster.

And you're going to need that kind of assistance from the Federal Government especially the U. S. military. Have you been in touch with the White House are you begging for that kind of action by the President?

BLASIO: I've had this discussion with the President. It's been a respectful conversation but I've made clear to him that I believe we need to go to a much higher level. I've talked to our military leadership at the Pentagon.

I've made clear to them that in my view when you think about our men and women in uniform right now who are at their bases are going about their normal work when there's a war going on. I know they want to serve they should be called up the Commander in Chief needs give the order to mobilize our military to create the listening system for civilian medical personnel.

I've made this case to the leadership in Washington. I'm going to keep making the case but what I hope the President and everyone around him understands is time is running out so severely Wolf to set something like this up I believe America could do it.

I believe we have the finest military in the world and we have that millions of people who have come forward to help their fellow Americans. But for it to be organized in time before this virus overtakes more and more parts of the country that order needs to be given right now.

BLITZER: And so you're appealing to the President to do it. He's a New Yorker as you well know and I assume he might be watching us right now. He's listening very carefully he did at his news conference just a little while ago Mayor accused various Governors of playing politics about getting critical medical supplies. As the Mayor of the country's hardest hit city do you think your Governor, Governor Cuomo is playing politics right now?

BLASIO: No of course not. I think Governor Cuomo and Governors all over the country are just trying to get action to protect our people. I think you know what a look what Governor Brown of Oregon did as an example of the decency of so many of our leaders who are trying to help people.

I mean imagine the beauty, the power of her saying look New York is that the place is hurting we'll come to New York's defense and we know New York will be there for Oregon when their moment comes.

I mean that's what we should all be talking about. Now I see a lot of people just trying to fight for help for the people who are suffering. But it's not going to happen if it's left to each state and each city to fend for itself.

I think states right now should start their own enlistment structure for those medical personnel. I think every state in the country should start the ball rolling. Get a list of all medical personnel willing to come forward and serve where the need is greatest around the country?

And then the Federal Government should make that a system that can move rapidly with the military coordinating. Get - look if there's a 1000 doctors in Missouri right now who could get to a place like New York and help save us and then we'll send our doctors to them when on our crisis is over.

[19:20:00]

BLASIO: Well wouldn't it be a beautiful thing of those doctors who were ready to come forward. If they said I'm ready to serve and the military was there. There was a staging area the military knew exactly where to bring them in rapid fire.

Get him to the front and then when the front shift somewhere else the military is ready to move doctors including the doctors that we would donate to the next place. The ventilators all the equipment moves toward a crisis is.

Again think about a hurricane, think about natural disaster the whole country converges on that site sends our best to help that place in need but this time unlike anything we've experienced before it's going to be ten places need simultaneously, twenty places in need.

The only way to address that is with the entire nation mobilized in common cause with our military coordinating a full scale response. And yes the President has to give that order. He has to say this is the equivalent of war.

Thousands are dying we have the power, we have the finest military in the world and we have people good human beings all over America. Millions of medical professionals ready to do the right thing. Let's put it together and one plan and save thousands of American lives.

BLITZER: Well, let's hope that President's been watching this interview. He did say in his news conference New York City is the hottest of hot spots and he also praised you Mayor. He said Mayor De Blasio has been very nice. He's watching hopefully he'll respond and take some of those steps that you are pleading to him to take.

Good luck to you and good luck to everyone in New York. Mayor I know you got a lot going on. Thanks so much for joining us.

BLASIO: Thank you, Wolf.

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