He is director of the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and Chris Meekins, former HHS deputy assistant secretary for preparedness in the Trump on response in the Trump administration.

He's now Washington health policy director of Raymond James.

Thanks for for joining us, Michael.

Let me just start with you.

So we've seen these breakouts that you can't immediately point to where it came from.

A lot of places in South Korea, in Europe and Iran and on elsewhere, and may be here now.

So it's not a huge jump to say that it will be here at some point, is it?

Why should we be surprised that at that?

Or should we just the probability is, what, 90% at least more than that.

Yeah, Well, first of all, the world just has to wake up to the fact that we're in the middle of a Corona virus pandemic.

This is a worldwide epidemic of this virus.

Even here in the United States, we have this one case that everyone's focusing on.

But we failed to mrs the fact that the CDC because of a problem in getting their test free agents out to the local labs.

We've hardly tested anyone.

And so here the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

I think we have much more robust transmission going on in this country right now that we just haven't picked up, and this is happening in the countries around the world you heard from Meg.

It's already now in 47 countries confirmed, and I suspect it's in many, many more than that that will be confirmed in the days ahead.

The what China has been able to do.

A.

Do you believe that that they've slowed the spread and it's down in the less than 100,000?

Or do you believe you don't believe those numbers at this point?

And is it possible?

Oh, no.

Is a powerful for other countries, too, to slow the spread to the point where by maybe summer it it it it peters out, Or is that that's too much to hope for?

Well, first of all, you again you have to interpret what's happened in China.

Remember, they just put in place the most extreme limitations on human movement that we can't be done.

And, well, it's not only that, but once those air released and people go back to work, subways again are filled.

Trains, air filled, public spaces.

Air filled manufacturing plants were filled.

I'm certain we're going to see a major resurgence of activity in China.

So please don't interpret what's happened today.

Is meaning that that the kind of, uh, stopping of cases as we've seen them, what we can continue once the population movement sections removed back.

Chris, Is there reason to think that that if it does become a pandemic, it would be a lager lage rhythmically worse than a flu season or similar Thio to a nasty flu season?

I mean, are we sure would be much, much worse, Chris.

I mean, I don't think we can be sure it's going to be much, much worse because the response from the U.

S.

Government is going to be much, much different in an election year, which is where we are.

You're gonna have a president and local elected officials that are going to try to probably shut things down.

So as was just reported, you have Japan saying we're gonna basically not have school for the month of March, It sounds like and the U.

S you could if you do have widespread outbreaks and you do have multiple clusters of widespread outbreaks in cities and regions, the U.

S.

People are going to self quarantine and take steps to make sure you don't see the spread you would see from the normal seasonal flu.