Coronavirus Conversation With Sen. Doug Jones

WAAY 31 News at 6 featured Senator Doug Jones, discussing coronavirus in depth and the new changes taking place.

>> dan shaffer: every night at 6:00 p.m.

We are taking you deeper into the impact of the coronavirus.

>> najahe sherman: tonight we're joined by senator doug jones.

Thank you for joining us.

>> senator jones: my pleasure.

>> najahe sherman: senator jones, you were part of the testimony that heard testimony from the dr. fauci and the other task force.

What was your biggest take-aways?

>> senator jones: the biggest take-away is that we're not out of the woods yet.

This crisis is still continuing.

Rises in cases, rises in deaths.

I think the strongest message was dr. fauci's message today that we unfortunately seemed in many places to be what he said skipping over checkpoints about opening up and that could very well lead to spikes and an outbreak in this virus in the summer or fall.

That could lead to more needless cases and more needless deaths.

That's the biggest take-away but i think that's consistent with what the governor was doing the other day when she first started her press conference by saying we are not out of the woods yet.

This is still a deadly virus.

People have to be careful.

Do the social distancing.

Wash your hands and wear masks when you're out in public.

That was the biggest take-aways today.

>> dan shaffer: they said dr. fauci might taint the markets if we open too soon.

Were there encouraging things you heard today?

>> senator jones: absolutely.

I mean, there are encouraging things about trying to ramp up testing and how we're putting in place now the ability to try to get more testing.

There's technology that is being worked on right now to get different kinds of tests that are more rapid testing.

There's testing for the antibody testing that both of those are going to be very, very important.

There's a plan to try to get people engaged.

We're going to talk about 100,000 people that are going to be necessary to do contact tracing.

Once we can get the testing going and get ramped up.

Plus, the ability for a vaccine.

There was, you know, it's not been quite as accelerated as the administration would have you believe.

Dr. fauci said that vaccine research and development is going fast but it will probably be the first of the year before likely to have a vaccine.

Then we've got to talk about the distribution.

But plans are being put in place for all of that.

>> najahe sherman: were there any questions you still had or what did you walk away wanting to know more about?

>> senator jones: well, i really want to know more about the plans.

There was a lot of general discussions about the work with states.

I'm concerned and have been concerned that the administration is leaning too much on the states to develop all these plans and to basically let folks do what they did with trying to get personal protective equipment.

But the doctor with the cdc promised this would be a transparent process as we start to move toward getting more test, getting the supplies for those tests, getting them distributed and.

That is going to be a critical thing because the distribution network for the test as they ramp up can also be part of the distribution network for the vaccine once we have it.

We've got to make sure we've got a lot of folks in alabama that are in underserved areas that just haven't been getting these tests.

We need to get those tests to them and once we get a vaccine we can get those vaccines to them.

>> dan shaffer: let's go back to that for a second.

We've seen a huge focus on increased testing capabilities.

You mentioned that.

Is there a reason we're aim sewed much at finding people have the virus instead of finding a cure?

>> senator jones: we need to find a vaccine but everybody recognizes that is going to take time.

As dr. fauci says late fall, early next year before a vaccine a approved and then ramp up a manufacturer.

Two kinds of testing.

The one to determine whether you've got the virus at the time of the test or whether you've got the antibodies for immunities will help us try to reopen up the government, reopen our economy because with people have this, once you see if you can get the test going, and you can do it on more than we're doing now, people are going to need to get more than one test, for instance, to make sure that if they get this virus, that they can quarantine and we can stop this spread.

So i think between the testing, that's going to be important.

That is not to say in any way that there is any mushback from not ramping up the research and development on a vaccine.

That is going on all over the world.

And it is an accelerated pace and those two are not inconsistent at all.

>> najahe sherman: senator jones, you have loved ones in alabama.

What are your personal thoughts on this reopening process?

>> senator jones: i wish people would listen to the health care professionals.

I'm afraid that right now too many people are listening to we're reopening and the shopping malls are open and the hair salons are open and they're not listening to the prefaces that the health care professionals are saying, the public health officials, to say, yes, but do it the right way.

Wear the mask when you get out in public.

Masks are important because so many people asymptomatic but they can spread the disease.

I think we can have both opening but also do it in a very safe and healthful way.

But if we don't do that, if people don't exercise and wear those masks and exercise the social distancing precaution, washing your hands, we're going to have a problem.

Dr. fauci said it best today.

If we start jumping over those benchmarks and areas that we should be doing and let our guard down, we could have a bigger problem in the fall and next year as flu season starts up and get a double and triple whammy.

That would be really, really bad for the economy, it would be bad for everybody.

We want to do it right.

>> dan shaffer: elder care facilities have really taken a hit.

On the federal level we heard more money coming to states to cover the cost of expanded testing, especially in nursing homes.

Do you have a timeline on that or are you waiting to learn that, too?

>> senator jones: no, i think the state is working very hard to try to get more testing into our assisted care living.

That is in nursing homes.

That is on a personal level, that's important to me.

That's where my mom is in an assisted care facility.

I haven't been able to see her for the last two months.

They've been take the precautions that they need to do but they need to get more testing, too.

Again, it's both the workers as well as the residents.

They can be real incubators.

Again, the testing has to be done not just one time.

It's got to be done consistently to make sure that if someone who is asymptomatic, tests positive, they can be isolated.

And kept in a quarantine and away from everyone else.

We've really got to get more tests, the state is doing their best to get more of these tests.

We're still a ways off, but i think the tests are coming.

There are more tests being developed.

That's going to be the key.

The new tests that are going to come on that are going to be saliva tests, things that can give you an instantaneous result and they can do it effectively, efficiently and do it without having to go to the hospital and you can do it right then in your own home if necessary.

>> najahe sherman: the house could vote on the proposed $3 trillion coronavirus relief package later this week.

Right now it appears the bill may be dead on arrival to the senate.

If this proposal gets shut down, what's the timeline for americans to get more coronavirus relief?

>> senator jones: well, i don't think anybody should look at this about it being just dead on arrival.

Yes, i don't -- i really prefer they don't vote on it.

I'd like to see them not vote and just use it as an opportunity to start talking.

Put the plan out there.

I'm not even sure -- it's got some really good things in there, i will tell you that.

It's a big package that i think is needed.

Senator mcconnell says he doesn't see an urgency.

I think there is an urgency.

I think there's a huge urgency.

So whenever we can get this over here, that will be discussions that we'll try to work through and to make sure we get some -- something will pass in the coming weeks.

>> dan shaffer: senator doug jones, that's all the time we have tonight.

Thank you for joining us.

We appreciate it.