CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: State Rep. David Bowen (D-WI) Discusses Over 1,100 Cases In Wisconsin, 13 Dead, & African-American Community Hit Hard

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As the public service announcement notes, there are people out there who thinks this is over hyped and this is not so bad. You ,more than anybody, can help people understand that's not the case. Tell me your story.

STATE REP. DAVID BOWEN (D-WI): Thank you for having me on, John. This virus is much more easier to get than people think. I had a

chance to see a colleague elected on the local level at a cafe, clearly, he didn't know he had the virus. I didn't know he had the virus. Just like what I was contracted by the virus several days after that.

I experienced very intensive symptoms that really that resemble the common cold but they do intensify. And I was wondering why I was experiencing symptoms that is were so strong. I got a call from the Health Department that I was exposed to somebody that was exposed to COVID-19.

Everything made sense at that point. It made sense for me to seek medical attention for my primary health care physician, which a lot of people in my community don't have access to health care and it is blowing up this problem.

KING: Let me jump in on that point. The contact-tracing work. You had symptoms but, when you're calling, they found you and said may have a problem, too.

Take me inside of uninsured community. This proportion number of African-Americans and Latinos at the moment. What can be done? We are in this now. What can be done to raise awareness when it comes to healthcare disparity.

BOWEN: Absolutely. You are seeing a majority African-American population on the north side of the city accumulates the vast majority of the cases we are seeing, the big chunk of the cases we are seeing statewide.

And essentially we need to get resources to families and we need to get especially for folks feeling the economic brunt and problem with the economy right now trying to provide for their family and trying to provide for their family and where we need to get those resources on the ground for families.

There are a lot of misinformation that was shared and especially when you have folks from the top, down spreading this information both to the public and it allows folks not to take it seriously as they should.

KING: Have you turned the corner from yours experience, friends you're talking to, not just people involving in politics? Do you get a sense even the president of the United States as the country shuts down for the month of April, is it sinking in for those reluctant to acknowledge this severity?

BOWEN: I think it is almost there. The problem is people are still trying to find help to help pay their rent or mortgage, a number of different things. They don't have a certainty those things will be taken care of or they'll be given the help to take care of those things.

At the same time, you have a lot of people in our community, all African-Americans, passing away in Milwaukee County from COVID-19. And essentially we have to get the information out there of how easy

it is to contract this virus, spread it, to get people the medical attention they need that we know they were cutting through years of disparities. Equity that needs to be used to get folks access to the help they need. Right now, we are so far behind.

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KING: I hope your experience helps us catch up.

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