The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Coronavirus Resurgences in Areas Where It Was Once Eliminated

Episode Date: June 21, 2020

New COVID-19 cases flare up in New Zealand and China, researchers make potential breakthroughs, and President Trump keeps dismissing the danger as U.S. cases surge. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. You may remember, the reason that I'm

shooting the show in my apartment is not because I forgot to pay the utility bill at the studio, but because coronavirus shut down the planet. And although the coronavirus devastated the globe, some countries managed to beat it, which gave the rest of us hope. Countries like New Zealand, the Canada of Australia, they've been celebrating because they had completely gotten rid of coronavirus. But then this week, they discovered that even they can't go back to normal just yet.

After more than three weeks of no new cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand, with authorities believing the country had managed to eliminate the virus, the Ministry of Health today announced two new cases. They are both women who had traveled from the UK via Australia. It's a major blow for the country that has aggressively tackled the virus. Only last week New Zealand lifted almost all domestic coronavirus restrictions. Oh no, New Zealand you made the classic zombie movie mistake. When you're in the house and everything is fine and someone knocks on the door you do not let that person in! when you open that door it's gonna be a zombie or a Jehovah's Witness either way don't open the door. That said it is crazy that

two cases is described as a major blow to the country and that's how differently New Zealand is taking this to other places because I mean if that's a major blow America is taking in Corona like the guy in an old wind tunnel experiment. And I mean this just goes to show how hard it's going to be to defeat coronavirus without a vaccine. Right? Because all it takes is one little slip up for all your work to collapse. It's kind of like the game Jenga. In the sense that it's not fun at all and I wish it was over over. th over. minutes nervous but also bored? Try Jenga. Now while New Zealand is racing to contain these two cases, in the country where this all started,

they're looking at an outbreak that could be a lot worse. China is racing to contain a new outbreak of COVID-19. After reporting no new infections in Beijing for more than 50 days, the virus has returned. Parts of Beijing under lockdown again. According no new infections in Beijing for more than 50 days, the virus has returned. Parts of Beijing under lockdown again. Officials there calling it wartime mode. Schools closed, transport in and out of the city, shut down. There are now more than 100 coronavirus cases linked to Beijing's Shinfadi wholesale market.

Health officials scrambling to quickly contact trace, testing an estimated 200,000 people, from market workers to recent visitors. Near the area, images seen of hundreds of military police deployed to freeze the flow of people. Okay, wait a minute. China is shutting down Beijing because of 100 cases? Either China takes this way more seriously than everyone else, or there's something they're not telling us again. Now look, China, I know it's embarrassing to have more corona, especially when everyone in the world is blaming you for this thing.

But you need to be honest with us about what's happening. Because you saw what secrets did the last time. One minute, it was a few cases in Wuhan. us about what's happening. Because you saw what secrets did the last time. One minute it was a few cases in Wuhan. The next thing you know we were all making face masks out of our roommates underwear. Now there is some good news in the battle against COVID-19. Researchers at Oxford say that a common steroid that's been around for 60 years can dramatically reduce the risk of death and severely ill coronavirus patients. Basically scientists have now just started doing the same thing that you do at home.

You know, when you get sick, and you just go through your medicine cabinet trying random stuff to see if it'll work. Oh, there's peptobisnal cure herpes. Well, it's worth a shot. And in another big research development, experts are now confident that the virus mostly isn't spread by touching surfaces or brief outdoor contact. Instead, they're saying that there's now a consensus that most spreading comes from close-up, person-to-person interactions for extended periods and crowded events where people are talking loudly. So basically, this is good news for us. We're understanding Corona, you know? Like now we know the total nightmare scenario

for catching coronavirus would be like, like I don't know, like a big crowded indoor event, you know, where thousands of people are packed together, screaming and chanting about locking someone up. But luckily, no one would do such a thing. Speaking of no one, President Trump and his administration have come under fire for not encouraging Americans to take this pandemic seriously, which is unfortunate because the pandemic is still taking America very seriously.

This morning, record-breaking one-day increases. Arizona, Florida and Texas, all reporting their largest one-day increases in new COVID cases. They are among 20 states that have seen the number of newly reported cases grow over the last two weeks. Both President Trump and Vice President Pence, however, are yet again downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak, blaming testing for the climbing numbers. I can tell you on COVID or coronavirus or whatever you want to call it, plenty of names. Tremendous progress is being made. A lot of cases that other countries who don't even test don't have.

If you don't test you don't have any cases. If we stop testing right now, we would have very few cases, if any. Okay. Technically, Trump is right. If you don't test anybody, then you don't have any cases. The same way if black people stop recording the cops, we would have zero cases of police brutality. Ah, ignorance is bliss. You know what the problem is here? The problem is that Trump thinks of coronavirus as a PR issue and not as a pandemic. He's less concerned with fixing coronavirus and more concerned with fixing how coronavirus makes him look,

which probably explains those pictures he brought to yesterday's press conference. I mean, yeah, it looks better, but it doesn't help. Now, look, if all of this seems a little like deja vu to you, you're not losing your mind. China is saying that the virus is completely under control, but at the same time, they're shutting down one of their largest cities. And the US is seeing a surge in many states, yet Trump is claiming that everything is fine. So the bad news is, the world might be going down a path that we've already been down. It's happening all over again. The good news is, that means that I know the winning lottery numbers.

Hmm. I'm gonna go play that shit now. The Daily Show with Cover Noa, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.

Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts.