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U.S. Braces for More COVID Casualties; Local Leaders and Healthcare Workers Pleas for More Supplies; Homeless People Forced to Stay in Tents; Mass Testing is a Must; Coronavirus Pandemic; President Trump Warns Of Very Painful Two Weeks Ahead; 13-Year-Old Boy Becomes The United Kingdom's Youngest Victim; Pop-Up Hospital With 4,000 Beds To Open In London; Renowned Neurosurgeon James Goodrich Dies From Covid-19; U.S. Seniors Isolated As Many Nursing Homes Ban Visitors; AS Roma Football Club Helping Out Elderly Fans; Striking The Right Record; A health expert from London shares the idea that a massive testing much be done in every country in the world and separate the infected people from non-infected because it is the only way that this virus could be eradicated. And unless it's been done, the economy will continue to cripple and millions more will sacrifice their lives. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired April 01, 2020 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: This hour an alarming message from the American president signals tragic days ahead.
You are watching CNN newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead. This is going to be a very painful, very, very painful two weeks. It's not a flu. It's vicious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: A staggering warning on a savage infection even with the most careful efforts possible. Almost a quarter million Americans could die from the coronavirus.
Then, the global message go home, stay home, keep your distance, but in South Africa, thousands who can't afford a place to live are being rounded up and crammed into tents.
Plus, one of Italy's best football clubs kept off the pitch doing what they can for a certain group of fans.
CHURCH: And we begin with a coronavirus crisis that has claimed the lives of at least 42,000 people around the world. According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been at least 860,000 cases of the virus. And these are mind-blowing numbers, but even more shocking and staggering are these images from around the world.
Field hospitals in Brazil have sprung up in the middle of famous soccer stadiums. The players and cheering fans replaced by rows and rows of white tents and hospital beds. These usually bustling streets of Lagos in Nigeria are now empty after the country began its two-week stay-at-home restrictions.
Back here in the United States, President Donald Trump is striking a somber tone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: A lot of people have said, a lot of people have thought about it, ride it out. Don't do anything. Just ride it out and think of it is the flu. But it's not the flu. It's vicious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, President Trump is asking Americans to stop wearing masks or scarves, specifically, if they go out. Although 80 percent of Americans are under some form of stay-at-home orders until the end of the month. And one of the country's top medical experts explains this is not the time to ease restrictions.
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ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The reason why we feel so strongly about the necessity of the additional 30 days is that now is the time, whenever you are having an effect, not to take your foot off the accelerator.
This is tough. People are suffering. People are dying. It's inconvenient from a societal standpoint, from an economic standpoint, to go through this. But this is going to be the answer to our problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, there are nearly 186,000 reported coronavirus cases in the United States. And hospitals around the country are improvising to treat the new cases coming in every single day.
CNN's Erica Hill has that report.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: The headline across America, hospitals need help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GINA RAIMONDO (D-RI): More testing. More beds. More ventilators. More doctors.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HILL: Convention centers in Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, and Los
Angeles are being transformed into overflow facilities as emergency rooms are overwhelmed with the coronavirus.
Navy hospital ships on both coasts available for non-COVID patient, while in Central Park, a field hospital is starting to treat those who have tested positive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAUCI: We are still in a very difficult situation. We hope, and I believe it will happen, that we may start seeing a turnaround. But we haven't seen it yet. We are just pushing on the mitigation to hope that we do see that turn around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: As beds, staff and supplies run low, there are new concerns about the impact on care.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, it's kind of like drinking out of a fire hydrant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: The chair of NYU Langone's emergency medicine department telling doctors in an e-mail to, quote, "think more critically about who we intubate." According to the Wall Street Journal.
In Georgia, the states' nurses association estimates as many as 3,500 retired nurses have ask to return to work, and they are needed. New modeling predicts the coming weeks will see a significant surge in cases. By mid-April, 2000 people could die each day in the U.S.
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[03:04:58]
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): We have been behind it from day one since it got here and we have been playing catch up. You don't win playing catch-up, we have to get ahead of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: In New York City, new data on who is affected. More than half of the nearly 41, 000 positive cases are under 50. Across the country a renewed push for more serious social distancing, as the White House considers new guidelines.
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FAUCI: When we get in a situation where we have enough masks, I believe there will be some very serious consideration about more broadening this recommendation of using masks. We're not there yet. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: On board the Holland America's Zaandam cruise ship, making its way towards Florida, the company says eight people have tested positive. Nearly 200 have flu-like symptoms. Four older passengers have died. Their cause of death hasn't been released. It's not clear when anyone will be back on land. Florida has not yet approved the ship to dock.
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MAXIMILIAN JO, PARENTS ON BOARD ZAANDAM CRUISE SHIP: It's truly a nightmare scenario. You know, if your own country won't take you in, where are you supposed to go?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: As more Americans begin to feel the economic impact of this pandemic, other needs are increasingly apparent. The line for this food bank outside of Pittsburgh stretching for more than a mile on Monday. Officials say they saw the demand increase three weeks ago when the virus first hit the area.
Here at the field hospital that is being finished behind me, Samaritans First tells us they are ready to begin receiving patients tomorrow. Meantime, here in New York City, the mayor announcing today an additional 250 ambulances and 500 EMTs and paramedics being sent to the city to help deal with the massive influx of 911 calls.
Back to you.
CHURCH: Thanks for that, Erica Hill. And the Zaandam cruise ship Erica mentioned is expected to reach Florida within the next day or two, even though it still hasn't received permission to dock.
So far, at least eight people on board have contracted the virus. And to prevent further infections, healthy passengers have been transferred to a second ship, which is also stranded at sea right now. On Tuesday, President Trump said he will speak with Florida's governor to resolve the issue. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What guidance are you offering to Florida when it comes to the two Holland American cruise ships that are seeking to dock?
TRUMP: Yes. Well, I'll be speaking -- I'm going to be speaking -- in fact, he hasn't call in to me. We'll be speaking -- we'll be speaking to the governor and we'll be speaking soon.
But there is a case. We have two ships. There are people that are sick on the ship, we don't want to be like they are going to be ghost ships. You know, people turn those ships away.
There was a ship, as you know, in a certain part of Asia and from port to port, nobody would take it. But in the meantime, you have people that are dying on the ship or are at least very sick, but they are dying on the ship.
So, I am going to, I am going to do what's right, not only for us but for humanity. I mean, these are two big ships and they have a lot of very sick people. I'll be speaking to -- I'll be speaking to the governor.
Let's do just a couple more back here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, meanwhile, at least 70 U.S. sailors have tested positive for COVID-19. They are aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt which is currently docked in Guam. The ship's commander says the spread of the disease is accelerating and he is calling for the navy leadership to take urgent action.
Well, doctors and nurses in Washington State where the coronavirus was first detected in the United States are adapting to a new reality and how they treat patients with the disease.
CNN Sara Sidner takes us inside one hospital completely revamped to battle COVID-19.
SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Harborview Medical Center here in Seattle is believed to be the first hospital in America to have a patient die of COVID-19. That was more than a month ago, and since then, everything has changed.
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JOHN LYNCH, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, HARBORVIEW MEDICAL CENTER-UW MEDICINE: It's changed how Harborview runs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: Nurses and doctors at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center stood up to go to battle with coronavirus. They have to go through an exhausted dressing regimen, hoods and tubes and masks and gowns, just to enter a patient's room.
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LYNCH: We think the greatest risk for health care workers is when they remove things that they contaminate themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: They have a checklist and a spotter helping with every step. They also have to adapt to new realities and shortages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNCH: So, these are what I call capper hoods. And this is the hose that hook up to these machines that filter air. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's the hose that goes on the back of the
hood.
LYNCH: They do get cleaned inside and out so they can be reused. Because the way they were built was for one-time use, but that's not the way -- if we did that we would already be out.
SIDNER: Wow.
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SIDNER: They have completely revamped two intensive care units.
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LYNCH: So, this whole unit was meant to be for people with brain injuries and strokes and so forth. And so now we have to move all of them someplace else, because we have to continue to take care.
SIDNER: So, all the people with brain injuries removed and this was turned into a COVID-19 ICU unit?
LYNCH: Correct.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: All to help coronavirus patients live, isolate them from others, and keep the staff safe too.
So, I am not wearing the full personal protection equipment because in these rooms, where the actual COVID-19 patients are, these are considered negative pressure rooms. That means that we are considered in a safe space not wearing full personal protections.
But patients are being cared for, but we don't need to wear the full apparatuses unless you are a doctor or nurse who has to go into the room to care for the patient.
Inside the rooms, patients are hooked up to a shocking number of tubes, using those precious ventilators, the only thing keeping them breathing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNCH: So, for the ICU patients, they tend to stay, they get very sick and they stay sick very long. So, they require the ventilator for weeks at a time. And that's really the big issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: Across just their four hospitals, 60 coronavirus patients were hospitalized last week, already this week, it's at least 100. For each one, a delicate dance to keep staff healthy and patients alive. It is just coming in here and seeing the work that's being done and
seeing the patients being cared for. It's stressful. It's -- I am scared for their families as well.
And so, as you walk through and you see the hard work being done and people doing everything they need to take care of patients, it's (Inaudible) considering the fact that they too could be putting themselves in harm's way.
Outside the hospital a large tent has been erected to assess and test potential coronavirus patients and this is happening before the anticipated surge here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: I feel dread and I feel fear, and I'm not working on the front lines. What are you feeling as you're dealing with all these COVID-19 patients?
ARIEL ROGOZINSKI, REGISTERED NURSE, HARBORVIEW MEDICAL CENTER: It's certainly a sense of anxiety because we've, you know, right now, we're kind of wondering, what it's going to be like when that hit comes and once people are, you know, flooding in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: While the number of new infections in Washington seems to be slowing down, there's a growing sense they haven't seen the worst of it yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNCH: What they do every day is heroic. Going and taking care of patients without protection is not acceptable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: The surge everyone is worried about is expected to happen here on April 19th. And all of the hospitals in this region are hoping they're prepared.
Sara Sidner, CNN, Seattle, Washington.
CHURCH: Anthony Costello professor of Global Health at University College London joins me now from the United Kingdom. Thank you so much for speaking with us.
ANTHONY COSTELLO, GLOBAL HEALTH PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: No problem.
CHURCH: The numbers are simply staggering. Nearly 900,000 cases worldwide, more than 42,000 deaths. You have warned that western nations are not testing enough and you've been calling on the U.K. government to put in place mass COVID-19 testing at universities and hospitals. How would that work and why isn't that happening already? COSTELLO: Well, we -- there are two strategic objectives. First, to suppress transmission of this from hotspot areas to low-intense areas in every country and then to have a mechanism to get the economy going without total national lockdowns.
Now all countries are doing social distancing but what we really need is also a mass testing program. Of course, that will do what WHO has recommended to find the cases, to trace the contacts either directly or thru ITFs as they used in Korea, and to quarantine.
I hope that both of those there's a hope that you can really suppress transmission, find where the hotspots and low-intensity areas are. And then you'll be able to loosen the lockdown with much less isolation.
This is something that Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize winning economist from the United States has just modeled. And he says, by far, the best way to get control is by using a mass testing program and we know it works. Because in the Asian states, and indeed, in Germany and Denmark where they're doing this, they've got much lower death rates.
[03:14:57]
In Korea three per million and they've got their epidemic suppressed. The U.K. is up at 26 per million and it's early on and there's a huge surge coming. But the U.K. there are certain governments, the U.K. sweep Netherlands, possibly France, who have taken a decision not to suppress it but to simply delay it, flatten the surge and let the epidemic spread through the population.
CHURCH: All right. So, what we're seeing in the United States the largest number of cases of any country across the globe and it's having problems getting tests done, isn't it?
We heard Tuesday that there is some confusion with which labs to be used, apparently the federal government has sent out these tests but they're not going any further. So clearly, if the United States can't get organized on any level of testing here, never mind mass testing, how would any other nation get this organized?
COSTELLO: Well, yes. I mean the problem that United States faced was a bit like Britain they have to centralized the testing process initially.
And in addition, you had a faulty test where they couldn't roll it out in any way quick enough, and the infection spread throughout to many states in the country without people knowing about it.
So, like Italy and Spain and elsewhere, U.S. is specifically trying to catch up, hugely ramped up testing for the last week or two but it's going to be a very big challenge for the United States to get this back under control.
In the U.K., it's being kept rather under control by what's called public health England. And there is criticism that they haven't wrap this up to all the laboratories around the country where they could've done it. The government is saying that they are having problems accessing, you know, the chemicals required for these tests.
But back in January, early February, the strategic committee apparently decided that they wouldn't have the capacity to do large- scale testing, and so the mathematical model didn't actually evaluate that as a strategy, which I think --
CHURCH: I mean, it is so confounding, isn't it? Because meantime, doctors and nurses on the front line they're begging, sometimes sobbing for more personal protective equipment to help them save the lives of their patients.
President Trump tells us he is sending this protective gear to hospitals but that's not what medical professionals are telling us. So, how is it possible that western nations that were supposed to be poisoned ready for a possible flu pandemic are not ready for this? In any way it seems in terms of protective gear, testing people, ventilators. I mean, it sort of, laid them bare, hasn't it?
COSTELLO: It certainly has. I believe that your -- in the U.S. the pandemic surveillance team was disbanded a couple of years ago. In the United Kingdom it seems to have been a strategic issue early on to simply delay the epidemic not try to suppress it.
But with protective equipment we are having the same problem that we are not even at a testing level that enables us to simply protect health workers. And I think that is a huge failing.
And, of course, we'll have to look at all with the measures. I mean, the only defense I guess is that this is the worst pandemic really for 100 years. But nonetheless, we have warning signs from SARS from MERS from swine fever that we should be prepared for this.
And I mean, Bill Gates talked earlier about three years ago on a well- known TED talk that this was coming and that we had to be prepared. And sadly, the western states haven't.
Just one other thing is that the other group states are urging and low-income economy is simply beyond their resources. They can't really do social distancing, they're not going to be able to do testing, they won't have anything like the protective equipment and ventilators.
So, we are facing a potential catastrophe and the knock-on effects on the economy in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
CHURCH: Yes. I mean, the warnings have been there and then we're seeing this disconnect between what the authorities are saying and what the doctors and nurses on the front lines are experiencing. And it is just horrendous. When it's over they'll be able to access what when wrong here. But until then, we need to deal with this, right?
Anthony Costello, thank you so much for talking with us. I appreciate it.
Well, President Trump has now approved disaster declarations for at least 29 states and territories. Among them hard-hit areas like New York, Michigan, and Maryland. Here are some of the drastic measures those states are taking to fight the pandemic.
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BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brynn Gingras in New York City where there continues to be a critical need for supplies.
[03:19:57]
We've learned that the federal government is sending 250 ambulances to New York City along with that 500 emergency personnel those working on the front lines. We've also learned that the city has put in a second request for a disaster relief morgue. Likely, that will be set up in Queens which is the borough hardest hit by this pandemic.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ryan Young in Detroit.
Behind me is a TCF Center where they're going to add some 900 beds to help with capacity as this city is inundated with patients with COVID- 19. The National Guard is also coming in to help with food banks. But as the numbers surge here, we're starting to see that community spread. The streets are empty but doctors and nurses are worried about what's going to happen in the next few weeks.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brian Todd in Washington.
Maryland governor Larry Hogan his stay-at-home order issued yesterday was one of the last tools in their arsenal that they could pull out to fight coronavirus.
Hogan says under his order people can only leave their homes if they're going to seek medical attention, get groceries, visit a pharmacy, maybe go outside and get some exercise but only in small groups. Hogan said there been such an explosion of cases in recent days that he had to take this step.
Virginia and Washington have also issued similar orders.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alison Kosik in New York.
Walmart will begin taking temperatures of all its employees when they report to work at stores and distribution centers. Anyone with temperatures of 100 degrees or higher will be asked to stay home and seek medical care and not to return to work until they're fever free for at least three days.
The world's biggest retailer will also provide masks and gloves to employees to wear at work to employees who want to wear them. The masks will arrive in one to two weeks, thermometers could take three weeks.
Walmart is also beginning to install sneeze guards at pharmacies and checkouts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, New York City is receiving some much-needed relief to handle the increased volume of 911 calls during the coronavirus pandemic. As part of a deal with FEMA 250 more ambulances and approximately 500 more EMTs and paramedics will be brought to the city. It will help authorities keep up with a record number of medical calls and ease the strain on the city's first responders.
On Tuesday alone, 2,800 members of the fire department were out sick, including 23 percent of the EMS workforce.
We'll take a short break here. Still to come, in South Africa police are moving the homeless off the streets from one at risk area to another, all to prevent the spread of the virus.
We're back in a moment.
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[03:24:55]
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.
Well, South Africa is right now in the midst of a 21-day lockdown. The South African president is calling on the country to urgently and dramatically speed up its response to the coronavirus. In Johannesburg, the homeless are being relocated to designated shelters.
And our David McKenzie is live in Johannesburg. David, what is happening in South Africa when it comes to the homeless there on the streets, and how is the government overall handling this pandemic?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you look behind me, Rosemary, this is 7th Street in Johannesburg, all the shops are shuttered. Very few people in the street. It shows just in some areas this is a very effective lockdown. Just essential services and food are being allowed to go to places like grocery stores and also medical supplies.
But there are thousands of people in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and of course in other parts of the country who live on the street. What happens to them? We found out.
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MCKENZIE: On day one of the lockdown the army and police ordered them to go to a home they do not have.
What do you think of this lockdown?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to give us a tough time.
MCKENZIE: On day four around 1,000 of them were taken here to a soccer stadium in the nation's capital. South Africa's homeless rounded up and confined. Ten people to a tent. Many instead, choosing to sleep in the stands.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our hope is that no one here is -- has COVID-19.
MCKENZIE: But it's a real risk if one person gets it, everyone could get it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: it will be like wildfire.
MCKENZIE: Before the pandemic Shasha Lalla's program treated many of these men for substance abuse. Now he is here to make sure they aren't locked away and forgotten.
Why does it worry you if COVID-19 could get into these communities?
SASHA LALLA, COSUP: Because I think then we'll be seeing a situation where people with compromised immune systems aren't just at risk of COVID-19, they are at risk of death. And so, we have a responsibility to keep our most vulnerable safe.
MCKENZIE: The city said it's working on more permanent safer shelters, but the need is now.
It strikes me even if just one person in here becomes positive. It's almost impossible to slow this virus
OMOGOLO TAUNYANE, SPOKESPERSON AND DIRECTOR FOR MAYORAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND MEDIA RELATIONS, TSHWANE: Almost impossible. But we're really hoping that we don't have anyone right now who has contracted the disease. And if that is the case, we will be moving them to some of our quarantine facilities.
MCKENZIE: Here the positive cases number more than 1,300 but the virus is already hurting everyone.
Africa's economic capital is shattered and millions could lose their jobs in South Africa alone. Across the continent, the U.N. says half of all jobs are at direct risk because of the virus.
For any government there are no easy answers to this pandemic, but in South Africa where social distancing is a privilege, the task is enormous.
Are you scared of this virus?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very scared. Two weeks and we are carrying our dead bodies here.
MCKENZIE: And the cost of getting it wrong, unimaginable.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE: Well, they've moved those homeless or some of them at least into other areas to try and ease that burden. But this is a problem, Rosemary, that governments are facing across the world. What to do with the most vulnerable?
You know, self-isolation as I said there is a privilege, and if the virus anchors itself in some of these communities or in shantytowns across the continent and elsewhere in India especially, it could prove extremely catastrophic for health system in these regions. And many health professionals I speak to said that, you know, places like across Africa and the subcontinent shouldn't be forgotten in this fight. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Yes, indeed. David McKenzie, many thanks to you bringing us that story from Johannesburg. I appreciate it.
Well, another place at risk is the Central African Republic. With a population of five million, it only has three ventilators as it starts an uphill battle against COVID-19.
So far, the country has six diagnosed cases, but there are fears the virus will spread undetected due to a lack of testing.
And still to come, London turns a convention center into a massive makeshift hospital preparing for the city's peak in coronavirus cases. The latest from the frontlines in Britain. That's next.
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[03:30:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Back to our top story now, and President Donald Trump is warning of a very painful two weeks ahead as the number of coronavirus deaths rise in the United States. On Tuesday, the president and top health officials said models show 100 to 240,000 Americans could potentially die from the virus in the months to come.
That data surpasses the American death toll from the Vietnam War, and it is the first time the Trump administration is offering official projections of how many Americans might die from the virus. To help fight the battle, field hospitals are going up in New York and other U.S. cities to deal with the anticipated flood of new patients. The president and his advisers are also weighing the idea of encouraging Americans to wear masks, scarves, or other face coverings. His remarks come as the nation is already grappling with a shortage of protective gear and other medical supplies.
Well, turning to the United Kingdom now, where a London boy has become the youngest known coronavirus victim in the U.K. He was just 13 years old, barely a teenager. The U.K. reported a 14 percent spike in cases on Tuesday. With those at the front lines facing challenges due to a scarcity of medical equipment. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh joins me now from London. And Nick, tragically, there is a lack of protective equipment for medical professionals all around the world. But talk to us about what the latest situation is in Britain and of course that facility you talked about.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, startling bringing into focus the peak that seems to be almost upon the United Kingdom, particularly in the capital of London. The death of that 13-year-old boy, Kings College Hospital here in the capital announced last night. He is not thought, according to friends of the family to have had any pre-existing medical conditions. Remember the most vulnerable to this disease often have other illnesses that means they are more vulnerable to its symptoms.
But this would be a startling outlier, frankly, given how so few of those being rushed to intensive care are as young as 13 years old. He certainly at seems to be the youngest patient or victim in the United Kingdom, possibly one of the youngest in all of Europe. But we have heard yesterday, chilling numbers from the U.K. government saying that we saw about 27 percent day on day rise in the number of dead announced to 17 -- sorry, 1,789.
As I say as we edge towards this possible peek here in the capital, where authorities are very quickly in just over a week, put together an extraordinary capacity, 4,000 beds, possibly convention center to act as a makeshift pop-up hospital on the banks of the times. Here is what we saw.
[03:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATON WALSH: This is NHS nightingale, potentially a 4,000 bed capacity pop-up hospital here in just over a week. And behind me is very much the showcase of what they want us to see about the United Kingdom's readiness for the surge in cases they think could possibly be happening in the week ahead. But it is still a work in progress, tireless efforts to get up these separate boots in an area which was an empty conference center just 10 days ago. A startling bid to be sure. In the event that they have to receive the overflow from other hospitals in London, that the equipment and the beds are already here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will only receive patients who are covid-19.
PATON WALSH: So, you have to have a positive test to come here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right. I understand that if we have to open all our beds, then yes I believe we will be one of the biggest hospitals.
PATON WALSH: But of course, it is important they stress, this will not be a hospital that directly receives patients. They will have to coordinate the task of trying to work out who amongst the other facilities around London and the United Kingdom urgently needs this kind of help and also managing expectations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is worth emphasizing over and over again that this is a hospital that gets referred to by another NHS hospital. So we don't have an (inaudible), we don't have a front door. It is really important that any physical care nurse could volunteer, recently retired, or (inaudible), if they come back into the system that would be excellent for us. Because those are the ones that we are in a short of supply.
PATON WALSH: There has been a lot of publicity about what this venue might be able to do, but in the weeks ahead, they will find out what the limits of that exactly are and also the troubling truth about exactly how many patients there will be. That require intensive care in the surge in the United Kingdom that could possibly happen over the next two to three weeks.
It is the only country whose leader has been tested positive for coronavirus, and the efforts here are a bid to reassure people in the U.K. that everything that's possible is being done to be sure they are ready for whatever numbers come in the weeks ahead.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PATON WALSH: There is great uncertainty in the United Kingdom as for exactly how bad the weeks ahead will be. We heard from government officials last evening. The notion that quote, green shoots are beginning to be seen within the numbers in the United Kingdom, suggesting that possibly, the restrictions of the movement are paying off. But maybe some of the rises in cases and certainly in deaths that was atrocious yesterday may be a sign that those movement restrictions are in fact working.
But they also caution to that the toughest moments are ahead, and certainly some of the projections suggest that we are entering in the next 10 days into the worst period certainly across the country. That convention center, a massive effort by the military and the free health care service in the U.K., the NHS, to get as many beds ready as they possibly can.
But I have to tell you as we went around there, you know, you could probably count the number that we could see that were immediately available in the hundreds they want to get into 4,000. They hope desperately to not have to need that many, but they hope people are heeding governments advice by staying home so they won't need that enormous over flow from the normal hospital system here in the capital and elsewhere.
Other such venues are planned around the country too, but you have to remember, every government in the world is simply going day by day to do as much as they possibly can with the great unknown for all of them exactly how bad is it going to get and what resources are they going to need. But when you see statistics coming out of Italy and an increase in the United States. It's again and again one of the worst pictures that could have been predicted. Rosemary?
CHURCH: It is a grim outlook, and we prevail on everyone throughout the world stay home, stay safe and this will help at least. It will not feed this virus and that is key. Nick Paton Walsh, bringing us the very latest from London. Many thanks.
Well, on Monday the coronavirus claimed the life of a man who saved so many others, renowned neuro surgeon Dr. James Goodrich. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, knew Dr. Goodrich and once spent 27 hours with him in an operating room during a procedure to separate conjoined twins. Dr. Gupta reflected on their time together.
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SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You may not have immediately recognized him behind the mask, but the tufts of gray hair and twinkling eyes would eventually give him away. For 27 hours we sat together as he meticulously operated on Anais and Jadon McDonald separating their brains.
Two children, among countless others, alive, thriving because of Dr. James Goodrich.
DR. JAMES GOODRICH, NEURO SURGEON: You got to think after a while they kind of like your own kids, and my God, the Christmas cards you get from families that you've taken care of for 30 years,
[03:40:00]
It's like you operate on a child that's just been born, it's a life altering experience for a parent.
GUPTA: For Anais and Jadon's mom, Nicole, it was like watching a superhero.
NICOLE MCDONALD, MOTHER OF TWINS ANAIS AND JADON: I am so blessed to say that I got to see and know Dr. Goodrich with his cape on, doing the most brilliant complex surgeries that anybody could do. And I got to know him with his cape off.
GUPTA: We bonded over our shared calling, neurosurgery, in our world we pretty much all know each other because there are just about 4600 neurosurgeons in the country and we also bonded over our shared love of kids. All kids.
MCDONALD: This is for you, and all the work that you have done and what you did to make our family hole, by making our baby separate. We love you.
GUPTA: So dedicated to his work, Dr. Goodrich never had kids of his own.
GUPTA: It was as a conscious decision to not to have kids, because you didn't want that emotional?
GOODRICH: Not really. Consciousness -- I was in the military before college, and so when I came out I had to go back basically community college and then college and then PHD, so then graduate school, medical school, then residency. And I kept talking about it but we kept postponing it and the next thing I know, I'm too old.
GUPTA: You've been busy taking care of the world's kids.
GOODRICH: It seems that way at times.
GUPTA: Next to him for the past 10 years helping him take care of those kids craniofacial surgeon, Dr. Oren Tepper.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We used to joke we would call in the world's most interesting man, because he was. He was a wine connoisseur, he was a surfer, until his very last days. I imagine he was surfing.
GUPTA: There will be too many cool and unfair stories like this one, this new disease thrust upon us, covid-19 doesn't discriminate based on what you do, or who you are. In this case, robbing the life of someone who would save so many. This past Monday morning, he died.
MCDONALD: He fought with the ferocity from my family in a way I will never ever forget, that I will forever appreciate. There will never be another James Goodrich not even close. He will never be matched and no one will replace him in the whole world.
GUPTA: We knew the losses would come, but they are no less painful when they do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: A true superhero along with all of the other doctors and nurses, medical professionals here in the United States and right across the globe. We thank you all.
And you are watching CNN Newsroom, up next.
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CHURCH: People across the United States are finding creative ways to connect with the loved ones in isolation. We hear one woman's story. That is next.
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CHURCH: One of the most difficult parts of the coronavirus pandemic is not being able to visit loved ones, especially the elderly. The viruses too contagious for nursing homes to risk allowing any visitors. Well, since the first outbreak in Washington State, about 400 long-term care facilities across the U.S. are reporting cases.
Joining me now is Melissa Gayle West. She lives in Seattle and her 95- year-old mother-in-law is in a nursing home there. Thank you so much for talking with us.
MELISSA GAYLE WEST, MOTHER-IN-LAW IN SEATTLE NURSING HOME: Thanks for being able to letting me tell my story.
CHURCH: It is so important, I think, for people out there to get the human face of this. Because we are not seeing a lot of this because of the isolation and I know how difficult this has been for you and your family, particularly your mother-in-law. You are also a psychotherapist and so that brings us a personal and professional approach to all of this. How is your mother-in-law coping with this prolonged isolation and what is your biggest concern at this time?
GAYLE WEST: Well, I think she is coping relatively well. She is a Londoner and went through the blitz as a teenager. So, she knows how to take things in stride, but she is really lonely, Rosemary. She is a woman for whom family is the most important thing. She has got three sons. And her family is the most important thing to her and she is really feeling that we cannot actually come visit her.
CHURCH: Yes, I totally understand that and I want to show everyone a video that actually went viral of you and your family serenading your mother-in-law. Let's just bring that up.
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CHURCH: This is so wonderful, because it is a ground floor level, so it gives you that opportunity to look through the window and you are able to do this. There are so many other people who would not be able to do this. But talk to us about how important these moments are for your mother-in-law, for your whole family and how often you are able to go and do this.
GAYLE WEST: You know, we were able to do this once before Washington State, we could not leave our homes at all. So, we were hoping to do it every five days or so, but I am glad we at least got that one time in and it was great because since she was on the ground floor, the staff went around once they saw what was happening and had all the other residents open their windows so they got to listen to us as well.
CHURCH: I just love that. And of course I understand that a number of residence at your mother-in-law's nursing home tested positive for covid-19. Your mother-in-law did not. What procedures do they have in place to ensure that your mother-in-law and of course the other residents remain safe at this time?
GAYLE WEST: They are doing the best they can and they can't protect them completely. What they have done is taken the residents who tested positive to the hospital and they have moved everybody in her wing which is the memory unit to another wing today and they are going to disinfect her wing and bring them back.
But the trouble is, I am really concerned that we can't talk to her today because she is in transit, that she not going to know where she is or why this is happening to her and why none of her family is talking to her. And we cannot explain that to her right now, it is really hard.
CHURCH: So, was she having trouble understanding what was going on? Because I look at the picture of her, she looks incredible. And I cannot believe she is 95 years old. But talk to us about her current condition, her vulnerability, and when you will get an opportunity to talk with her and try to explain what is going on right now.
GAYLE WEST: Well, she is in reasonably good shape for a 95 year old, but, you know, her memory is going and the more stressed she is, the more tired she is. That is how it works. And I know the staff there is working overtime and have probably explained to her many times, but I think uprooting her and putting her in a completely different place without her family being able to talk to her, she is probably really confused tonight and it just breaks my heart that we can't be there and hold her hand and kind of explain to her 10 times why this is happening and that she is safe. It is so hard not being able to talk to her at all.
CHURCH: Totally understandably. It is a heartbreaking, it is a story being told across the United States, across the globe. Our elderly, are the most vulnerable at this time throughout this pandemic. Thank you so much for talking with us, and we wish you all the very best from all of us here at CNN. Do take care.
[03:50:08]
GAYLE WEST: Thank you.
CHURCH: And football clubs in Italy have had much the same idea, a desire to give back to their oldest fans, those most at risk through this crisis. Our Amanda Davies has this report on AS, Roma.
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AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORTS: As this football club AS Roma can't do their bit on the pitch at the moment, so they are making sure they are doing what they can of it with some special deliveries for their oldest season ticket holders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe we have a big responsibility to our fans and to our community. We know that football is not really the top priority at the moment, even if the social aspect of football is pretty important and we want to entertain people even now a day. And while we know well, we cannot solve all the problems that this crisis is bringing with it. We can do something positive for the people to have an impacted on the daily lives of the people.
DAVIES: With all of Italy and it's 60 million residents under lockdown since March the 9th, and the most senior members of society, the most vulnerable to infection, four specially designed vans distributed care packages to around 250 of the clubs season ticket holders over the age of 75, including things like hand sanitizer, pasta and biscuits.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are physically doing the deliveries, they told me that the experience was amazing because of the affection and the gratitude they received from the fans to whom they brought the boxes. These are small things but which give us the motivation to continue.
DAVIES: And there was a special surprise for the club's oldest fan, 96-year-old, Eliseo Lorenzetti, born four years before the club was even founded. He was presented with a shirt signed by striker, Edin Dzeko.
EDIN DZEKO, AS ROMA FORWARD: I am incredibly proud of all the initiatives the club has been working on. From the very start, us, players have tried to support him in every way we can. During this difficult time, we all have to come together as a family, helping each other where we can. And that is exactly what we are trying to do. DAVIES: And it's not just the elderly. The club is showing their
support the medical staff who has been on the front line in the fight against the coronavirus as well. They said to honor those who've lost their lives during the crisis and will make up to 5000 free tickets available for their first open home game after football resumes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is making all of us very proud to work for a club that we believe is different from many other club. For the impact and the relationship that we have in the community.
DAVIES: Fans in Italy and across Europe are desperately waiting for when football will kick off again. Football clubs have always had a pretty unique impact on people's lives, but sometimes, as we have been finding out recently, it is not always the winning that counts. Amanda Davies, CNN, London.
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CHURCH: Coldplay like you have never heard them before. An uplifting performance by two young violinists spreads much-needed joy to millions in quarantine.
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CHURCH: In Italy, two young brothers have made the most of their time stuck indoors and found international fame along the way.
Truly brilliant, 12-year-old twins, Merko and Valerio posted this cover of Coldplay's Viva la Vida a couple of weeks ago. It has since had more than 15 million views on Facebook. It's also got the attention of Coldplay themselves. The ban sent this, thanks guys, message with love from all the band members. That is just brilliant. I could listen to that all day.
Cheering for health care workers and first responders is nothing new in the age of coronavirus. But leave it to New Yorkers to put a special spin on it. Here is Jeanne Moos.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Why are New Yorkers heading for the windows at 7:00 sharp every night? To clap. They are clapping from balconies. They are clapping from door stoops. It is a standing ovation for the performance by nurses, doctors, sanitation workers and store clerks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. We are so appreciative.
MOOS: It comes across as a distant din, across the cityscape where a loud woo up close. Normally cool New Yorkers are banging pots and ringing cow bells. So, who knows where a New Yorker gets a cow bell. It's enough to touch even a comedian's heart.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have never been more moved by applause that was not for me.
MOOS: Online, it goes by the hashtag #clapbecausewecare.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Got to keep clapping for two minutes.
MOOS: In addition to applause, the empire state building lit itself up like a flashing police light to honor first responders. And how about a hand for Dr. Anthony Fauci. We don't mean the hand on the head, for his shining role.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALERGY AND INFECTOUS DISEASE: We are starting to see glimmers.
MOOS: He has been plastered on t-shirts, even turned into customized socks. Peter's clam bar on Long Island has named a linguini with white clam sauce dish after him. Just order the Fauci. And a donut store in Rochester New York that added his image to their donuts, has now been imitated by other bakers. Adding butterscotch homemade cream and quarantining sprinkles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Making donuts to bring attention to a health crisis might be the most American thing.
MOOS: The accolades are not a cure. But the, I love New York treatment makes it all feel a little better. Even man's best friend chimed in. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
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CHURCH: They are our warriors, our superheroes. We thank all medical professionals across the globe. Thank you so much for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more news in just a moment.
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