Yahoo Finance’s Anjalee Khemlani joins the On The Move panel to discuss her conversation with Dr. Patrice Harris, the president of the American Medical Association.

Video Transcript

ADAM SHAPIRO: But right now, we want to get to the latest regarding coronavirus. And what we keep hearing is the issue of medical supplies for hospitals. Our Anjalee Khemlani actually spoke with Dr. Patrice Harris, the president of the American Medical Association. Here's what she had to say.

PATRICE HARRIS: Well, for physicians in this country, the metric is whether or not they have the supplies that they need in their hands. The gowns on their bodies, the masks on their faces. And so certainly we are glad and have been hearing that this equipment is coming. But for us, we will continue to sound the alarm until physicians and nurses get the equipment that they need.

It's about results. It's not enough to say the right things. We also have to do the right things, and those right things have to end in results. And so when we have the equipment that we need-- and we cannot forget the testing supplies that we need, including the chemicals. And then the ventilators.

I'm here in Atlanta, and our ICU beds are at capacity. And, of course, many of those patients in ICUs need ventilators, those machines that breathe for them, need to breathe for them. And so we need to see those supplies on the front lines. And so we will continue to raise the alarm until we get those results.

We have asked the president to implement the DPA, the Defense Production Act. It is an all-hands-on-deck endeavor here, but it has to end in results.

ADAM SHAPIRO: Again, that was Dr. Patrice Harris president of the American Medical Association, who spoke with our Anjalee Khemlani. Anjalee, I want to bring you into this, not only for the latest on coronavirus, but this issue of a billion dollars that was going to be spent to manufacture desperately needed ventilators. What's going on?

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: Right, Adam. So, as you heard, it is not about whether or not the national-- whether or not the federal government or if state governments are taking action. It's about when does it actually reach the front lines. And that's been one of the biggest issues.

We've heard some of the most harrowing stories about what hospitals are doing in a time like this, whether it's know make shifting how they handle patients. We're talking about you know transporting patients out of the hospital into other settings, and what does that look like. But nothing has actually been done yet because it's all still playing out.

We saw reports today of Dyson coming out with a prototype for a ventilator, but that won't reach the front lines just yet. So that's just speaks to the delay in the response time that we're seeing and how that is affecting the health care workers. And so even if there is a discussion about ramping up production, it's not going to be in time to specifically help New York, which, as we know, New York City is now a quarter of the US cases at more than 23,000. The US itself is that more than 86,000 cases. And the world has passed half a million more, then-- 550,000 cases worldwide right now.

We also know that the number of deaths has gone well past 25,000. And an important number to remember in all this also is that 127,000 people have recovered. So while it is still a concern to see what death toll looks like and how many people will be affected, we do know that there has been some hope in terms of recovery. But we are still waiting to see how it all plays out globally first, and then also here in the US. Adam.

ADAM SHAPIRO: Anjalee, thank you. And, of course, we heard from Dr. Harris from your interview. In, for instance, Atlanta, the ICU beds are already at maximum capacity. And we know that while New York might be a hotspot we're seeing cases quickly ascend in Detroit and New Orleans.