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Study: Cancer Patients 3 Times as Likely to Die of Coronavirus; Dr. George Diaz Discusses Treating a Man with COVID-19 with Remdesivir & How it Helped Him Recover; Update on Coronavirus Impact Across the Country. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired April 30, 2020 - 14:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


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[14:34:04]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: A new study conducted in China with help from U.S. researchers found that cancer patients are three times as likely to die if they're diagnosed with COVID-19. The risk especially heightened for people with blood and lung cancers or those with tumors that spread throughout the body.

But there are stories of hope. Cancer patients battling COVID and winning. My next guest knows all about that.

Eliza Paris is with me now.

Eliza, nice to meet you. Welcome.

ELIZA PARIS, CANCER PATIENT WHO SURVIVED COVID-19: Thank you so much for having me.

BALDWIN: I am so happy to see that you're on the other side of COVID.

I know that you have stage IV appendix cancer diagnosed at age 25, two years ago. And then you were seeking treatment, you got sick with COVID. How tough was that fight for you?

PARIS: It was a very tough fight. You know, I thought I'd been through everything that could be thrown at me with cancer and then COVID came in and it's just a whole other battle.

And I think one of the biggest parts about it is it's just so unknown. There's not a lot of research out there, and there's not data, a lot of data behind it.

[14:35:07]

And the symptoms are a lot different, too. Not being able to catch your breath is a very scary feeling and being totally isolated because of how contagious it is was a whole different experience for me because I was used to having my support system around me in the hospital and this is a battle I had to go through totally isolated and alone. BALDWIN: That's awful to begin with, but then to have to isolate

yourself, and I know a sliver of what that isolation feels like and you want to wish it on anyone.

I know you getting coronavirus disrupted your chemotherapy appointments. It's my understanding that today, it's your first day back and of course, the world-renowned cancer hospital, Sloane Kettering. What was it like though to hear your chemo had to be stopped because of COVID?

PARIS: It was defeating. Going to chemotherapy is what keeps me going because I know it's controlling the cancer and it's letting me live longer and live a fulfilling life. And knowing I had to stop and the risk of the tumors to grow was upsetting.

But I know my oncologist knows best and she studied cancer for decades and knows my body needed to get stronger to fight the cancer and that meant taking a break and getting over COVID and my body strong again.

And so now I'm just ready to get back to fighting cancer after beating COVID. It gives me a little more determination, if I can beat COVID, I could take down cancer as well.

BALDWIN: I am hopeful for you right along with you, and I mean, as we talk, I'm so aware. We know so many Americans are battling cancer right now whose lives have been totally disrupted because of coronavirus.

So, Eliza, what would you say to them in those darker moments? You are obviously so brave and I love your optimism but what would you share with them right now?

PARIS: I think the biggest advice I have for them is to advocate for yourself. If you're not feeling well, go to the hospital and make sure that they know that you have an underlying condition or cancer, the medications you're on and what you need and to get in touch with your oncologist.

When I was at Kenneth Stone in Atlanta, they talked to my oncologist at Sloane Kettering every day and collaborated to come up with a plan. And I think that's how I got over COVID and got back and ready so quickly to fight cancer again.

So I think to advocate for yourself is very important. And I also think for those that are hypersensitive to us, to wear masks and wash hands, follow the guidelines so we have a better chance at this. If we act as a community, we can get through this together.

BALDWIN: I couldn't have said it better than myself. You are a warrior.

Eliza Paris, good luck. Let's stay in touch.

PARIS: Thank you so much.

BALDWIN: Thank you so much. PARIS: Thank you.

BALDWIN: You, too.

The FDA is expected to quickly approve emergency use of Remdesivir after promising results on recovery time of coronavirus patients. Coming up, I'll talk to the first doctor in the world to actually try the treatment.

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[14:42:38]

BALDWIN: A federally funded trial of the anti-viral drug, Remdesivir, showed it helped improve recovery time in coronavirus patients, which is great. The FDA has not yet approved any drugs for the treatment of coronavirus.

And Dr. Anthony Fauci was, however, optimistic about the study's result and doesn't think it will be long before the drug is approved for treatment.

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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Well, it's going to be really quickly. I was speaking with the commissioner of the FDA yesterday evening, last night, and he's moving along quickly. They have not made a final decision or announced it yet. But I project we'll see that reasonably soon.

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BALDWIN: My next guest has used and seen this drug firsthand. Dr. George Diaz joins me now. He heads the infectious disease program at Providence Regional Medical Center, in Everett, Washington.

Dr. Diaz, a pleasure to talk to you.

You were the first in the world to treat a patient with Remdesivir after getting permission from the FDA. How did you even think to use Remdesivir and how did it go?

DR. GEORGE DIAZ, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST, PROVIDENCE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, EVERETT: Well, first of all, I'd like to thank the CDC. They were with us when the patient arrived. They provided a lot of on the ground expertise for us to manage this patient and the ones to advise us on this potential experimental therapy.

We reviewed it with the patient and FDA, got approval, and the patient was willing to receive treatment based on the reports coming out of China.

Before he got treated, he was having really high fevers. He had oxygen, evidence of pneumonia on his x-ray. Shortly after starting treatment, he improved quite a bit. Able to come off of oxygen and his fevers went away. And was able to go home in a few days.

Our experience with the first patient was very, very positive. And that certainly made us very optimistic and we certainly are looking forward to these results that are coming out now.

BALDWIN: How optimistic are you? I mean, since you've seen this firsthand and to hear you say he was able to leave the hospital in days is extraordinary. Do you think this could be it?

DIAZ: Well, I think Dr. Fauci said this is not, at this point, a home run. He, thankfully, in his study, saw some benefit in recovery times and they won't be enrolling patients in the placebo anymore. It's not ethical anymore to give someone a placebo for this disease.

[14:45:11]

There was a second announcement that came out yesterday from the manufacturer, Gilead, that gave us preliminary results from another study that they've been working on that we've been in as well, looking at treating patients with Remdesivir in severe pneumonia. And in that study, there was a difference in terms of being able to send people home when the treatment was started early versus late.

And so that, I think, sort of makes sense that patients are treated early in the disease are able to go home sooner than those treated much later with the disease.

And so both of these studies, that have not been published yet, give us a lot of optimism that this may be an effective treatment for coronavirus.

BALDWIN: Let's go back to your experience with the patient. I want to know specifics because we hear, I mean, all these stories of folks in the hospital for weeks and weeks, fortunate enough to get healthy again and get out. It just takes -- the virus takes really assault to your immune system.

So I want to go back to you saying just a couple of days, this guy was able to leave the hospital. Explain more about that compared to other coronavirus patients that I know you're treating as well.

DIAZ: Yes, I think there's a variation in how patients present to the hospital. Some patients will come in not that sick, and early treatment of those folks may result in sort of rapid recovery. And then there's people that become quite sick, requiring a ventilator and then potentially die.

And so what we're trying to tease out at this point is really, when is the right time to treat patients? And it seems though earlier. likely makes a difference. And also, it seems that any treatment also improves your time of recovery.

So I think that our patient, when we treated him in the spectrum of disease, although he had pneumonia and was on oxygen, he was not among the sickest of the patients we see in the hospital. So we certainly are waiting for further information about people that are sicker. And really, I think what we'd like to know is, is there a difference

in mortality. Are we seeing any improvement in people with Remdesivir in respect to whether or not they survive? And I think those studies, hopefully, will be coming out soon.

BALDWIN: We'll be looking for them. We'll talk again.

Dr. George Diaz, thank you for everything you're doing.

DIAZ: Thank you so much.

BALDWIN: We're getting new video in that marks an interesting change to the vice president's public appearance. He wore a mask today when touring the G.M. plant in Kokomo Indiana, seen on the right of your screen. And of course, we talked about this the other day, received all kinds of criticism for going out without one while visiting the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

We'll be right back.

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[14:52:29]

BALDWIN: Georgia's governor to sign an executive order allowing teenagers who are turning 16 years of age to get their driver's license without ever taking a road test. Those who already having instructional permits can qualify.

Our CNN correspondents have more on the national impact of this pandemic.

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AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Amara Walker, in Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the University of Alabama, Texas Tech University and the University of North Carolina systems have announced plans to re-open their campuses for in-person teaching by this fall.

The re-opening at the UNC system's 17 campuses may look different from each other with some opting to shorten the academic year or reducing class sizes.

Texas Tech' president says he'll be implementing a phased re-opening. The University of Georgia and the University of Alabama say they have created working groups or a task force to ensure a safe transition.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Lauren Fox, in Washington. More issues with that small business loan program. The "New York Times" reporting that some private schools have received funding that's supposed to go to small businesses on Main Street.

One of those schools is St. Andrews, the school where President Trump's son, Barron, is a student. In a statement to CNN, St. Andrews wrote, quote, "We feel fortunate to have received funds that will allow us to maintain our promise to support our employees and to help school families facing hardship remaining at St. Andrews next year."

This is a question about optics, whether or not a school that has students with wealthy and well-connected parents should be eligible for the money.

But after the rules were written by Congress, there's nothing that bars them from being able to receive this funding. There's nothing illegal about them getting some of it. Instead it's just a question of whether or not this looks good.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jason Carroll, in New York. Food banks across the country are seeing a huge spike in demand as more and more people line up for food assistance help.

In New Jersey, for example, cars lined up for more than a mile this week. States seeing the biggest demand? States such as Ohio, Florida, California and Texas. In Arkansas, things got so bad this week they ran out of food in less than an hour.

Feeding America, the nation's largest group of food banks, says it's now seen a staggering 100 percent increase in demand. Much of it coming from first timers, people who have never had to apply for food assistance in the past.

[14:55:09]

Adding to the problem, not only is there demand but food donations during the pandemic is shrinking.

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BALDWIN: Everyone, thank you.

Russia's prime minister has just tested positive for COVID-19 as cases in that country continue to escalate.

Plus, a clash in California as the governor is set to announce the closure of beaches statewide. The mayor of San Diego saying moments ago that the move, quote, "sends the wrong message."

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