News Information and Media Site: We're all in this together ... and the roadmap for getting back to (some) normal

From NBC's Ben Kamisar

If it's Sunday, we're all in this together.

That's the message World Health Organization Special Envoy David Nabarro preached during an exclusive interview on today's "Meet the Press," one that comes after President Trump's criticism of the WHO.

Last week, Trump accused the WHO of being "very China-centric," and confirmed his administration is looking at "ending funding" by America to the group.

When faced with that allegation of being too deferential to China (an allegation levied by multiple Republicans on Capitol Hill too), Nabarro said that China gave the WHO "access to the information we requested" during a mid-February inspection.

And while he said the WHO has the "best information ... under current circumstances," he added he's confident in the data that supports the WHO's work.

"We believe what we've got. We work with what we've got. That's how we operate in the World Health Organization."

— Nabarro on "MTP."

Nabarro repeatedly stressed international cooperation and underscored his belief that the virus will stalk the world until a vaccine is developed.

That's why he said it's vital for every country and every community to create a "defensive shield" to help contain future outbreaks before citizens of the world can begin the march back to some kind of normalcy.

REUTERS/Mike Segar

As far as the question of when that long march might begin, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn told "Meet the Press" that the administrations is aiming for "as soon as possible."

But he didn't shed light on any specific timeline, noting that the top priority will be keeping Americans safe.

Click on the images above and below to watch the full interview with both guests.

The roadmap for getting back to (some semblance of) normal

When will this end?

It's the question that's on the minds of many Americans who are heading into their second month of practicing severe social distancing and isolation measures.

And it's the question "Meet the Press" asked of two experts: former CMS Administrator and FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan and University of Washington Affiliate Assistant Professor and NBC News medical contributor Dr. Vin Gupta.

Here's a rundown of what they said is needed:

"Adequate" health care capacity to deal with a future increase in cases.
Enough testing to take an "offensive approach" that allows us to identify and contain small outbreaks.
More guidance from the federal government about how to scale up at-home testing options.
It's possible to get back to a semblance of normalcy before a vaccine is developed, they said, but only with a robust commitment to testing, contact tracing and support to the nation's public health departments.

Click on the photo below to watch the full interview.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Boris Johnson is discharged from hospital

DATA DOWNLOAD: The racial disparities of the pandemic

Unequal access to health care has been a sad reality of American life since long before coronavirus swept the globe. And the effects of that dynamic are playing out in a tragic way right now.

As Dante Chinni writes in today's Data Download, the "racial disparities around the virus are impossible to ignore, with African-Americans seeing higher rates of hospitalization and of fatalities."

Click on the graphic below for more on the data behind the alarming trend.

ICYMI: Postal service strained by coronavirus

Coronavirus has hit virtually every sector of American life, but is proving to be particularly dire for the Postal Service.

The USPS will "run out of cash this fiscal year" unless Congress acts, Postmaster General Megan Brennan told Congress last week in a video briefing. The service predicts it will lose $13 billion in revenue this year directly related to coronavirus, and $54.3 billion additionally over ten years.

And that longer lens comes as in the immediate term, postal workers risk their own safety by continuing the USPS' operations across the country.

Amid that dynamic, the Washington Post is reporting that the Trump administration signaled to Congress that the president wouldn't sign a coronavirus relief package that included a postal service bailout.

The story adds that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told lawmakers the Postal Service could "have a loan" or "nothing."