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CNN 10
Corona Virus May Threaten Plans for this Year`s Summer Olympics; Tech Company Agrees to Settle a Lawsuit; Attitude Likely Plays a Role in Longevity
Aired March 04, 2020 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: As one disaster subsides in part of the world, a new disease continues to spread around the world and that`s where we start
today`s show. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10. First, the good news, the Australian state that had seen the worst of the nations bush fires is now
officially free of them. The flames have been extinguished in New South Wales. Wildfires had been burning there in some form since last July.
There are still fires burning in Australia but recent rains in the nation`s southeast has helped a great deal in stopping their spread or putting them
out entirely. What is still spreading as far as the planet is concerned is the new corona virus we`ve been telling you about this year.
The outbreak that started in a Chinese city has spread to every inhabited continent. It`s infected more than 90,000 people and caused the deaths of
more than 3,100. For perspective though, the flu can infect tens of millions every year and kill tens of thousands and that`s just in the
United States alone but the corona virus is new. There`s no universal treatment for it yet. Doctors still have questions about it and Chinese
health officials say it can be transmitted from person to person by direct contact and through droplet transmission like when someone who has it
sneezes or coughs into the air. Doctors say if you`re concerned about corona virus and want to help prevent it spread, the best ways are to
regularly wash your hands with soap and water, to avoid touching your face and to regularly clean the surfaces you touch.
As the U.S. Surgeon General puts it, it`s appropriate to be prepared for corona virus. It`s not appropriate to panic about it but concerns about it
are having an impact worldwide. The United States Federal Reserve, the country`s central bank, cut a key interest rate yesterday. It`s a move
intended to protect the economy from being hurt. Worldwide, flights have been cancelled to countries with outbreaks. Schools have been closed in
countries with outbreaks. Some major gatherings and sports events have been cancelled or postponed and one question that keeps coming up is will
the corona virus effect this summer`s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Five months to go until Tokyo 2020 and rehearsals are in full swing. They`ve practiced torch run
outside Tokyo but the flame hasn`t arrived yet. Some crowds, (inaudible), corporate sponsors - - this is the fun stuff. This is what organizers want
to be practicing for, want to be preparing for but given what`s going on in this part of the world, they`re also preparing for something else.
Specifically the corona virus outbreak, dozens of cases have been reported in Japan. As Japanese officials try to stop its spread, it`s safe to say
they`re worried about crowds. The new emperor`s birthday celebration cancelled. March 1st Tokyo Marathon called off for all but elite runners.
So the natural question is the Olympics next.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s no case or any contingency plans of cancelling the games or moving the games.
RIVERS: Officials with the International Olympic Committee say they base that decision on guidance from the World Health Organization which has told
them as of now, there`s no reason to cancel. IOC officials have already set up a virus task force and are working closely with Japanese health
authorities but for those people who`ve prepared their entire lives for this summer, the athletes who will stay in this village behind me. Any
thought of the games possibly being interrupted is tough to think about so they`re staying positive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks bad now but I think by (inaudible) the Olympic Games coming to the country, you know, they have everything under control.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully they have everything figured out and by then - -
RIVERS: Here in Japan, ping pong practice goes on unabated. The virus threat moves (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE TRANSLATED: I`m worried about whether Japan can actually host international guests if this infection keeps spreading.
RIVERS: But Japanese officials say that`s currently their top priority.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE TRANSLATED: It`s important for us to have visitors feel safe and enjoy Japan while here the vice-health minister says, so this is
our big focus.
RIVERS: Japan wants the game to be safe and successful but only so much is in their control. A lot is still unknown about the corona virus and who
knows what happens between now and the July kickoff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don`t know how far it`s going to spread and we don`t know if it spreads how long that will last. Could that put the Olympics at
risk? Yes. I have tickets though and I`m not giving them up.
RIVERS: Nobody wants the virus to ruin the games. The Olympic flame after all is designed to not go out. The hope, that this rehearsal turns into
the real thing by the end of July. Matt Rivers, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. What company made the Newton? A personal digital assistant released in 1993. Apple, Casio, IBM or PalmPilot. Though it
wasn`t the first PBA and though it wasn`t successful, the Newton was released by Apple in 1993.
Twenty-seven years later smartphones accomplish many if not of the functions of the early PBAs. And while Apple`s Newton didn`t take off,
it`s Iphone has been a tremendous success but the company`s been accused of intentionally slowing down older Iphones in order to influence users to buy
newer ones. To settle a lawsuit about that, Apple just agreed to pay as much as $500 million. This would translate to $25 per phone to people who
own certain Iphone 6`s and 7`s that were bought before December 21st, 2017.
In that year, angry customers and technology analysts found that Apple`s software updates were actually slowing down their Iphones. Apple admitted
it was slowing them down but the company said it did that to protect the phones from issues with their older batteries. Apple apologized and
offered to replace Iphone batteries for $79 then it reduced that price to $29 in January of 2018. The company says the battery replacement program
did hurt its revenue that year.
In his research into longevity, CNN`s Dr. Sanjay Gupta found that our lifestyles probably play a bigger role on how long we live than our
individual genetics do. A study from the Harvard School of Public Health found that five healthy habits can increase a woman`s lifespan by 14 years
and a man`s by 12. They include diet and exercise, you`ve heard that before but they work.
In addition to keeping a healthy body weight, not drinking a lot of alcohol and never smoking and Dr. Gupta adds that having a strong social network
can also help. Not Facebook but actual people you spend actual time doing actual stuff with. Seems a positive attitude makes a difference too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think how we respect the elderly is quite a problem in some places around the world. In the
United States often times people are seen as less capable, seen as people who no longer have anything to contribute. I thought it was really
interesting to find that countries that really don`t seem to have as much respect for the elderly found perhaps not surprisingly, elderly people have
suffered more both mental and physical health conditions. But they also found in those countries that a relatively simple shift in attitude could
have an outsized impact on longevity and joy overall as people get older.
Becca Levy (ph), one of the leading researchers in the psychology of aging from the Yale School of Public Health, says that the elderly who have
positive views of aging live about seven and a half years longer than those who have negative views of aging. They`re less likely to have dementia as
well as some of the markers of Alzheimer`s disease. If you`re an elderly person who has a positive view of aging, you`re more likely to exercise.
You`re more likely to eat right. You`re more likely to want to be around and take care of yourself better. I think for the younger people as well,
when you get a glimpse of what old age can be like it may actually inspire you to take better of yourself. To eat right, to exercise, to try to be a
strong both mentally and physically as you can be when you get to be an elderly person yourself. And that could be why you`re more likely to live
to 100.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: For 10 out of 10, roller man sounds interesting. Let`s see a suit made out of carbon fiber and roller skate wheels, check. Dude willing to
wear it and turn it into an extreme sport, check. Speed, as much as 60 miles per hour, check. A plan that turned roller man into a comic book
character, OK. Personally I think roller man would make a great pizza delivery man as long as he keeps the pie intact and manages not to have a
wreck. He could redefine the category of "meals on wheels". Someone say a suit of plastic wheels is "polyurinsane" but when roller man`s out for a
spin he might look comical but knows how to book it.
So once he`s got his "bearings" and he`s ready to roll and totally follows "suit" the guys`s keeping it "wheel" ya`ll. Every day at CNN 10 when I`m
not making up horrible puns, I`ve said the name of a school that uses our show and subscribes to our official You Tube channel. Today, that school
is Barnes County North. It`s in Wimbledon, North Dakota where we "herd" from the Bison. Thanks for watching everyone. I`m Carl Azuz.
END
