TRIAL, INVOLVING 30,000 PEOPLE.
THAT WILL TAKE PLACE LATER THIS
MONTH.
MORE ON THE VACCINE IN A MOMENT.
FIRST, I WANT TO GET TO OUR
REPORTERS, SPREAD OUT ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, STARTING WITH MY
COLLEAGUE, ELLISON BARBER, AT A
TESTING SITE IN JACKSONVILLE,
FLORIDA.
IS THERE ANY CONNECTION BETWEEN
THE BIG SURGE IN JACKSONVILLE
AND THE FACT THAT IT’S HOSTING
THE GOP CONVENTION NEXT MONTH?
>> Reporter: REPORTERS ASKED THE
MAYOR OF JACKSONVILLE ABOUT THAT
DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE
YESTERDAY.
HE SAID THAT HE IS NOT AWARE OF
ANY CONNECTION.
ABOUT A WEEK AGO, THE
ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED THEIR
INTENTION TO RAMP UP AND OFFER
WHAT THEY CALL SURGE TESTING IN
THREE DIFFERENT STATES, FLORIDA,
LOUISIANA AND HERE IN FLORIDA.
THE TESTING CZAR, THE TESTING
COVID CZAR DENIED HAVING ANY,
YOU KNOW, REASON FOR PICKING
JACKSONVILLE OTHER THAN IN HIS
WORDS, THEY CALL IT THE CRITERIA
FOR THIS.
HE CLAIMED HE WAS NOT EVEN AWARE
THAT THE CONVENTION, RNC
CONVENTION WAS GOING TO BE
HAPPENING IN JACKSONVILLE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ASKING THAT
QUESTION, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THE
FEDERAL TESTING SITES IN
JACKSONVILLE.
WE’RE AT ONE OF THEM.
THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO CLOSE
TODAY.
INSTEAD, THEY’VE BEEN EXTENDED
AND THEY’LL BE STAYING OPEN
UNTIL FRIDAY AT 6:00 P.M.
I ASKED THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
ABOUT THAT, IF OTHER SITES WERE
EXTENDING THE DAY SS THEY WOULD
STAY OPEN.
ANOTHER SITE HAD PLANS TO STAY
OPEN THAN INITIALLY PLANNED.
THE INITIAL IDEA IS THAT THESE
SITES WOULD BE OPEN FIVE TO
SEVEN DAYS UP TO 12 DAYS AS LONG
AS THEY HAD RESOURCES AVAILABLE.
WHAT THEY’RE DOING HERE IS
THEY’RE TRYING TO TEST 5,000
PEOPLE A DAY PER CITY.
THEY SAY THAT JACKSONVILLE, AS
WELL AS THE OTHER CITIES THAT
WERE CHOSEN, THAT THEY ARE SORT
OF A PLACE WHERE THEY HAVE
MODERATE GROWING NUMBER OF CASES
BUT THEY’RE NOT THE WORST OF THE
WORST.
THE IDEA IS THAT IF THEY FLOOD
THIS AREA WITH TESTING, COULD
THEY POTENTIALLY FLATTEN THE
CURVE?
WE’VE SPOKEN TO A LOT OF PEOPLE
HERE ABOUT THE CONNECTION
BETWEEN -- THE POTENTIAL
CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TESTING
SITES AS WELL AS THE CONVENTION.
MOST OF THEM, THEY SAY EITHER
THEY WANTED TO COME OR DON’T
WANT IT TO COME.
THEY’RE NOT SURE ABOUT THE
CONNECTION HERE, BUT MOST
EVERYONE WE TALK TO, WHETHER
DOCTORS OR PEOPLE, THEY DO FEEL
LIKE THEY NEED MORE TESTING.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THEY SAY
THIS IS THE EFFORTS TO INCREASE
TESTING IN THIS AREA.
WE KNOW THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IS
TALKING ABOUT THE IDEA OF MOVING
