Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
World Health Organization: 110 Potential Vaccines In Development; Johns Hopkins: More Than 4.4 Million Cases Worldwide; Countries In Asia- Pacific Region Taking Steps To Reopen; Mexican Health Official: Deaths Could Be Double Official Toll; People Escape, Rise To Stardom On TikTok While Staying At Home. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired May 15, 2020 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our continuing coverage of the Coronavirus pandemic. I'm Hala Gorani in London. Ahead this hour, an
unprecedented race for a vaccine as the deadly Coronavirus continues to take more lives every day.
Governments and pharmaceutical companies around the world are throwing everything they have got at finding a vaccine. This as the World Health
Organization warns this virus may never go away. I'll put that to the special envoy David Nabarro who joins me this hour.
And parts of Asia have reopened, and they could offer us a glimpse of what we might look like on the other side of this if we're in another part of
the world. Plus, sports starved fans rejoice as the top German Football League is set to resume.
Next hour, the American President Donald Trump will speak on vaccine development at the White House. Amid mixed signals on when or even if an
effective vaccine will appear, he said he's optimistic that it will be developed this year that goes against the predictions of really every
single expert we have spoken with including Dr. Anthony Fauci who says there should be a vaccine within a year or two but even then there's no
guarantee that it will work.
The President's remarks will come as the death toll of COVID-19 approaches 86,000 in the United States and now tops 300,000 worldwide. Joe Johns is at
the White House and we're expecting the President to make an announcement in about an hour. What is he going to say?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: We have gotten some - a bit of an idea from people here at the White House, including, of course, his
Counselor Kellyanne Conway. Kellyanne Conway talked to us earlier today she said that we do expect a couple people here to meet with the media, answer
some questions in the Rose Garden of the White House.
She would not identify those people. She did suggest that someone here might have some type of a military connection. So from CNN's own reporting,
we do know that one of the individuals the President is expected to name to this project of his, project warp speed he calls it, to try to quickly
develop a vaccine, will be the Former Chief of GlaxoSmithKline the pharmaceutical company that's - vaccines I should say and also a General,
United States Military General who is involved in logistics in other words, moving people and items place to place across the United States and the
world.
So that gives you some idea of what we do expect from this news conference? We also expect the President to talk once again about that cocktail of
drugs that he has said he thinks would be advantageous for people with Coronavirus that is among other things the Hydroxychloroquine which is
malaria drug, as well as an anti-bacterial.
So we'll see what happens here at this news conference. What is very clear in the big picture is that the President is trying very hard to show that
he's on top of things and is moving as quickly as possible to try to get to a vaccine solution because at the end of the day here in the United States
and across the world until there's a vaccine for Coronavirus it's going to be very difficult for people to get back to any semblance of normalcy, back
to you.
GORANI: Yes. And the President has been at odds with experts from the very beginning of this pandemic and the Lancet Medical Journal had really,
really waded into politics in a major way with this editorial writing Americans in 2021 must put in the White House a President who will
understand that public health should not be guided by partisan politics. That's very rare for a medical journal to write such an editorial any
reaction to this in Washington?
JOHNS: Not a lot of reaction so far from the White House but hopes to get some from the President later today. Look. That article, that editorial by
the "Lancet" was a stinging rebuke of this President. A lot of the things they talked about were the President's essential evisceration if you will
of the Centers for Disease Control down in Atlanta those are the people who have been the primary response figures for epidemics in the United States.
[11:05:00]
JOHNS: But they have seen their problems here and some of that goes to the foot of the President of the United States himself. "Lancet" also went
after the President for defunding the World Health Organization and that, too, is remaining controversial here in Washington.
So the bottom line on the President, the "Lancet" and the issues of science and health are that many of the President's critics have long said that he
disregards science and so do the people in his administration if the President doesn't like the science and that sort of shows you the back and
forth between him and Tony Fauci and others here in Washington just over the last week, Hala.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much, Joe Johns. In an hour as Joe mentioned we expect the President to appear at the White House in front of cameras.
There to announce this warp speed initiative to develop a vaccine. - is one of the experts that will be part of that group of experts trying to fast
track a vaccine. - used to work for GlaxoSmithKline.
And I want to bring in Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen she has been covering developments in vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 since
the beginning of this pandemic. I mean, really, there isn't a single expert I have spoken with in the last several months that said that it is
realistic to expect a vaccine this year.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I also have had that experience, Hala. I have not spoken to a single person who thinks it's
realistic. What could be realistic is that will be in these big studies and these phase three studies and that perhaps you want to invite front line
workers, doctors, nurses, emergency room et cetera to be a part of that study but that's different than having a vaccine on the market.
GORANI: Yes. It is different than having a vaccine on the market. And let's talk about some of those treatments, as well. And some of the health
concerns there surrounding COVID infections and those lingering effects. What have you found in the last 24 hours in your reporting?
COHEN: Yes, so we spent a lot of time talking about vaccines as we should be. But we shouldn't forget about treatments. Think about HIV there's no
vaccine but there are excellent treatments. So the treatment that we'll be talking about today involves cows that are a little bit like us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: Cows. They're just like us. Really, these cows are just like us in one important way a way that could possibly save lives during the pandemic.
These cows have human chromosomes. You have given the cow a human immune system.
DR. EDDIE J. SULLIVAN, SAB BIOTHERAPEUTICS: Well, we have certainly given the cow a part of a human immune system.
COHEN: And so this company SAB Bio Therapeutics in South Dakota is hoping their blood could help make a drug to fight COVID-19. Here's how it works.
Using genetic engineering, scientists create a cow embryo that contains parts of human chromosomes.
That embryo becomes a calf and then a cow and then a noninfectious part of the novel Coronavirus is injected into that cow because of the genetic
engineering the cow produces human antibodies to the virus. Those antibodies are collected from the cow and once purified become a drug. That
might work to combat the Coronavirus in humans.
So these cows are plasma donors just like humans who have recovered from Coronavirus and donate blood. But the cows have a big advantage. And that
is, they're big and have a lot of blood to give.
SULLIVAN: So it's one of the reasons that we chose cattle because, obviously, they are a large animal.
COHEN: Plus they can donate plasma three times a month. Humans can only donate once a month. Another company Regeneron is trying a similar approach
with mice who are engineered to have portions of the human immune system. The scientists call them magic mice. They extract and clone the best and
bodies.
DR. GEORGE YANCOPOULOS, REGENERON: We literally genetically humanized mice. We put in the genes for the human immune system into mice so that these
mice have pretty much exactly a human immune system.
COHEN: Both companies plan to start human clinical trials early this summer. If all goes well, when might this drug be on the market?
SULLIVAN: So if all goes well, we expect that we will have the drug on the market by early next year.
COHEN: Of course there's no telling if this will work but hopefully these part human animals will play a role in saving lives during the pandemic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: Now interesting, the cows that you just saw, they're all female that's because female cows produce more antibodies. Hala?
GORANI: All right. Six more weeks of lockdown and I'll be feeling a lot closer to those cows than I am now. Thanks very much, Elizabeth Cohen.
[11:10:00]
GORANI: Right now, there are more than 4.4 million COVID-19 cases around the world according to the numbers from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. David
Nabarro is the COVID-19 Special Envoy for the world Health Organization and he joins us now from Geneva, Switzerland with more. Thank you so much for
being with us.
Let me first ask you about, what is your assessment of some of these countries or even states in the United States that have started opening up
nonessential businesses and the impact on their infection rates and their hospitalization numbers? What is your overall assessment so far?
DR. DAVID NABARRO, COVID-19 SPECIAL ENVOY, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: My assessment is that countries have the capacity to get on top of this
disease and get ahead of the virus if they do one thing and that is to be able to detect people with the disease, to ensure that they isolate
quickly, to find their contacts, to isolate them and to protect the people who are most at risk.
If those basic defense mechanisms are in place then you can open up the economy quite widely and be prepared to have everybody moving around. You
need to also be ready when necessary to close down parts of the country that if there are new outbreaks develop but you can get back working again.
What disturb me are countries that are opening up their economy without putting those defense mechanisms in place. This virus hasn't gone away. It
is still very much around the place and countries all over the world and the capacity to be defended against new outbreaks is the key requirement
moving forward.
GORANI: Now, what I find interesting are some of these London numbers, just as an example, I'm sure some of these - London scenario is replicated
elsewhere but these are the newer numbers that we see over the last few days.
There are 24 new infections a day in London down from 200,000. When you have infection rates as low as this in a city the size of London, should
then authorities consider completely reopening the economy?
NABARRO: Well, what happens during lockdown is that you freeze the virus in place because it doesn't have an opportunity to move from person to person
because people are not in contact with each other.
As soon as everything opens up again, this virus goes on behaving exactly as it did at the beginning, like, for example, when we had the big
outbreaks in New York. It will just pick up again in super fast outbreaks doubling in every two and a half days.
You can't just rely on the fact that the numbers are low to say let's open up. You have got to not only have the low numbers but also have the defense
mechanisms in place so that when new outbreaks come along you can stop them from growing very, very quickly.
I have to stress to everybody that defense mechanisms are key. Then the economy can open up. If you don't have the defense mechanisms in place
giant outbreaks will return. We have seen it in Singapore, we've seen it in South Korea, we have seen it in Germany and it will happen everywhere else,
as well.
Once you stop the lockdown unless you have defenses in place the big outbreaks will return. Hospitals will get overwhelmed and people will die.
GORANI: And that's why you say and argue that tracking and tracing is crucial to this - to any strategy.
NABARRO: Absolutely. Yes, totally. We say test, track, trace, isolate and protect. Test because without the testing it's really difficult to know
where the virus is? Tracking because you know how to find the disease?
Tracing you need to be very, very careful to ensure you know what contacts a person is in touch with? You need to isolate because that's the only way
to stop transmission and you need to protect the people most at risk. It is basic.
GORANI: So and if you don't have those defense mechanisms and those tools at your disposal, what other alternative do countries or cities have
because indefinite lockdowns are demolishing the world economy?
NABARRO: We must not go on with lockdowns. Lockdowns are brutal. They damage business. They destroy livelihoods. Instead, there's only one
solution which is to put the defenses in place and make sure they're working. It is difficult without testing but testing is being ramped up in
most places but just imagine you were in India right now.
The struggle in India in Mumbai, in Delhi and in Ahmadabad and in Chennai they have to really ramp up testing to get that right. Look at different
cities in Latin America where we got lots of disease moving around.
[11:15:00]
NABARRO: Again testing has become the key. The challenge for us is really looking at Africa and trying to get more testing into Africa is what we're
working on right now with huge, huge effort.
GORANI: Yes. But until we have a vaccine and I hear what you're saying about the tools and the testing and the defense mechanisms, but until we
have a vaccine can we ever completely go back to normal? Can we crowd subways and the tube in London? Can we have hot desk in our offices? Or
will we have to completely rethink how we live our lives?
NABARRO: I think there will be a lot of rethinking necessary. Of course poorer people in poorer countries often don't have the luxury to really
reengineer how they're living? People who work in meat processing don't have the luxury to change how they live.
Cruise and ships are not finding it easy to make the changes. People living in slums find it hard to make the changes, as well. So we all going to have
to find ways to adapt to our lives so that we could introduce as much physical distancing as possible, protecting ourselves with face coverings.
That's going to be the new reality.
I don't like to call it the new normal because it's nothing like the past but I believe in the capacity and engineer people, Hala. We can do it. This
is not something that's going to defeat us. It's a huge transformation but we're going to win.
GORANI: All right. And a quick last one because one of the things that you were quoted as saying is that authorities should not signpost when they
plan on reopening? So they shouldn't give specific dates for a next phase of reopening. Why not?
NABARRO: Well, my reason for that is twofold. One, you need to know what the virus is doing? Two, you need to have your defenses in place. Three,
you need to add to that - sorry the extra capacity of your hospitals so that they can work.
But unless you have some understanding of what the virus is doing, unless you have the defense mechanisms in place, if you open up too quickly you
just going to get huge rebound outbreaks because the virus is there that's why I encourage people not to put fixed dates on it.
World health Organization, all over the world, is saying make sure you have got the situation right before you reopen even though there are businesses
clamoring for reopen to happen just because you don't want to reopen then have another massive outbreak and then be forced to introduce another great
all over lockdown again. That's just not sustainable we need to get the basics right in order to be able to reopen gradually.
GORANI: Do you think it's a good idea to ease lockdown restrictions in one part of the country and not in others?
NABARRO: Yes. That does make sense, Hala, because if you know what the virus is doing, and also if you know how good your defenses are? Then you
can be perhaps more confident about releasing in one place.
Even in another place you're a bit unsure about the viruses you're your defenses are not strong and people particularly vulnerable then you might
have to retain a little bit - I don't like calling a lockdown but movement restriction there.
That - approach is going to happen and we're seeing it happening in other parts of the world now already. It is okay. Provided the basic principle of
knowing where the virus is, getting your community level and public health defenses in place, provided you have the two things there, then you can
afford to slightly adapt the way in which you release the lockdown in different places. That's the right way to go and that's the sensible
strategy.
GORANI: Thank you so much, David Nabarro. Really always appreciate having you--
NABARRO: Thank you.
GORANI: --on the program.
NABARRO: I love it. Thank you.
GORANI: Thank you. We'll look at how the Asia Pacific region is reopening and what life after lockdown looks like there? And a simple light gives us
a frightening of frustrating and how easily and quickly a virus can spread, the details coming up?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:20:00]
GORANI: Well, after weeks of pandemic restrictions in the Asia Pacific region, some countries are beginning to reopen. And step by cautious step
it's offering a glimpse of what the - what may become everyday life for us all. CNN's Ivan Watson is in Hong Kong.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hala, here in Hong Kong and I think in a number of countries across the Asia-Pacific region,
people are breathing a tentative sigh of relief with the hope that they have survived the first deadly wave of this pandemic.
After a five-week closure, the bars in Hong Kong are back open. Oh, that's good. This is my first beer in a bar in more than a month. You know, this
city has done surprisingly well with the first wave of this deadly pandemic. And now after the partial shutdown, Hong Kong is trying to open
back up.
In the Asia-Pacific region South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand have all had far lower cases of confirmed infections and fatalities
compared to countries in much of the rest of the world. In fact, these five countries combined suffered a fraction of the death toll seen in the U.S.
State of New Jersey since the pandemic began.
And now these countries are starting to reopen. But the virus continues to present challenges. South Korea never imposed a nation or even city-wide
lockdown and only recorded 260 Coronavirus deaths. But now its frantically contact tracing and testing tens of thousands of people after an outbreak
in the nightclubs in Capital Seoul the South Korean President issuing a fresh warning to the people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOON JAE-IN, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT: It's not over until it's over. We must never lower our guard regarding epidemic prevention.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: In Mainland China, the country where the Coronavirus was first detected back in December. Shanghai Disney reopened this week with
visitors' wears masks and the park requiring new social distancing measures for added safety.
But after discovering six new Coronavirus cases in the original epicenter city of Wuhan, authorities vowed to test all 11 million residents for the
disease. It feels a little bit like two steps forward, one step back. The infection curve flattens, places start to reopen, and then unexpected
clusters of Coronavirus pop up again.
While some Asian countries are gradually reopening schools, shopping malls and movie theaters, international travel is still largely paralyzed. But
that could change. Australia and New Zealand, two countries on the Tasman Sea are discussing the possibility of a bilateral Coronavirus-free travel
bubble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACINDA ARDERN, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: I would note such a discussion is only being possible as a result of the world leading results on both
sides of the Tasman to get the virus under control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: In countries that so far escaped the worst of the pandemic, we may be getting a glimpse of what the new normal will look like in the age of
Coronavirus. Hala, though we see a number of countries like South Korea, for example, that have done pretty well and suffered very few victims to
the Coronavirus compared to many western countries, certainly, we also don't see a sprint from these countries to reopen.
[11:25:00]
WATSON: It is a phased reopening and it is clearly being calibrated depending on the threat and risk assessment from these outbreaks that are
taking place. Such as this nightclub outbreak that originated in Seoul that has had more than 150 cases confirmed thus far actually, 153 cases as of
Friday which has prompted the South Korean authorities to postpone the reopening of schools by a week and to shut down nightclubs. Hala?
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much, Ivan, for that. Well, do you ever wonder if there's a virus if you pick it up on your hands where does it end
up if you don't wash your hands? A viral video out of Japan is giving us an alarming look at just how quickly the Coronavirus can spread in places like
buffet-style restaurants. CNN's Anna Cronin brings us the stunning visuals.
ANNA CRONIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Common side on cruise ships results and the casinos, piles of hot food in communal trays, each patron helping
themselves to as many servings as desired. If just one is infected it may be the perfect setting for a virus to flourish and a new video out of Japan
shows how fast it can spread?
Medical experts teamed up with the country's public broadcaster NHK. In that experiment that stimulates a cruise ship's buffet style restaurant.
First one of ten participants rubs his palms with special liquid only visible on the black lash.
He represents an infected person who had coughed into his hands and then he joins nine others as they spoon food on to their plates and sit down to
eat. After 30 minutes, the room goes dark before an ultraviolet light comes on. The florescent liquid is now visible on a lot of surfaces.
The items so called infected person had touched. Left residue others picked up. In turn spread to silver ware, dishes, glass ware, clothing and phones.
After half an hour, every participant had come in contact with the liquid. Three of them had gotten it on their faces, a visual show of how easily a
contaminated substance can travel?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN NICHOLLS, CLINICAL PROFESSOR IN PATHOLOGY, HONG KONG UNIVERSITY: This is where the video, there is a lot of material which is put on the hands
and so that's a very artificial situation. But I think what they have been able to do is just actually show just what the consequences are of the
spreading of the potential infectious disease from hands when proper hand hygiene not performed?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CRONIN: Video of the experiment has been viewed millions of times since it was posted by NHK. The Joint Project Supervisor says it's partly meant to
illustrate how often some surfaces a touch by many people like handrails, light switches or door handles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICHOLLS: May seem radical but I think the video should be put in front of every single public restroom. Many of the countries which were opened up -
the outbreaks linked to small clusters, what people call not necessarily the people being super spreaders but the locations being super spreaders
which highlights the need of you must be - having much more attention to hand hygiene as well as the social distancing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CRONIN: NHK and its collaborators did a second cleaner version of the experiment using hygiene changes like separating dishes, replacing tongs
frequently and asking participants to wash their hands during and after the meal. 30 minutes into that experiment, no one picked up the fluorescent
plant. Anna Cronin, CNN.
GORANI: Well, that is remarkable. Just ahead on the program, 50 states but hundreds of different guidelines in the U.S. about shopping, lockdowns and
social distancing during this health crisis. We will have the latest on what's going on in the U.S. after the break?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
GORANI: Well, in the U.S., it is hard to keep up with guidelines on what is open and what is not during this health and economic crisis? Restrictions
on companies and individuals are different depending on what state and even what city you are in?
While businesses are beginning to open up across the country, feuding politicians are making things even more confusing. Jason Carroll is here
now to show us how some people are coping in one New York Town. Jason?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, really, try to show you because if you're looking for a national approach to this, Hala, you are not going to
find it because as you rightly pointed out all the states here are basically doing their own thing.
What you see happening in New York State is very different from what you're going to see in, say, a Michigan or a Wisconsin. I mean, even take New York
State, for example. The Governor had decided that he is going to have a regional approach to how things reopen here?
And so, what you are going to have in a place like Binghamton, less sparsely populated obviously than a place like New York so what you're
going to see is five regions in the state and the upper part of the state that are already now starting to reopen.
Where they starting to reopen in industries such as manufacturing and construction, you're going to have curbside retail that also that's going
to start reopening, as well? You know I spoke to a man who owns a coffee shop and he is really been trying to get his business off the ground
getting going again. He talked to us about how important it is to reopen but also to be cautious about it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM SHEREDY, PARTNER, BLUE CULTURE COFFEE: We think it's important, obviously, to - the social distancing, working together, wearing our mask,
having supplies on hand asking the contractors if they feel comfortable about coming to work and if they don't we respect that.
I think it's going to be a slow start as much as everybody's eager to get out there and do everything. We can't do it all at once so doing it in
phases I think is a healthy approach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: So you have got a place like Binghamton in upstate New York Hala that can begin to reopen compare that to New York City, still very much
underneath that stay-at-home order. That's actually been extended from today until the end of the month.
That's simply because New York hasn't meet some of the criteria in order to reopen. That criteria being hospital stays, the number of folks who are in
Intensive Care, those numbers still not where they need to be in New York City.
So New York City is still extending the stay-at-home that's where most of the people live in this state but then you have got upstate, more sparsely
populated beginning to reopen, Hala?
GORANI: If some employees don't feel comfortable, the gentleman you were speaking with said they're not forcing anyone to come back to work. Do they
get to keep that are jobs?
CARROLL: Well look, I think that's going to be a very big question and I think that's just going to be business by business. From the business
owners that we spoke to, they're very much relying on the science behind all of this, listening to the health experts, what they're saying.
And it wasn't just that particular business owner. Last week I was up here, as well, Hala, and spoke to some of those in the restaurant industry and I
basically heard the same thing over and over again which is, look, we're going to defer to the scientists on all this.
That's a big difference in terms of what we are hearing from some of the more conservative states in the Midwest, Wisconsin and Michigan where you
have a lot of people out there who are feeling much more aggressive about their approach to trying to get to reopening.
GORANI: Jason Carroll in Binghamton, New York, thank you very much.
[11:35:00]
GORANI: With summer approaching in the COVID-19 crisis dragging on, in the United States, both children and working parents are wondering what will
happen to their summer vacations and whether summer camps will open this year at all. That is leaving many families very much in limbo. CNN's Laura
Jarrett has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA RUTKOWSKI, DIRECTOR, IHC CAMP: Outdoors and socializing is the medicine that everybody needs. We know how advantageous the camp experience
is in every domain psychologically, physically, emotionally?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA JARRETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Across the country parents, children and camp directors all wondering if a summer rite of passage will be lost to
COVID-19?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was supposed to go to sleep away camp for the first time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Without any federal guidance camps are taking direction from state and local government officials. Camp industry groups are also crafting
guidelines to help recommending camps stock up on supplies and ideally test every camper for COVID ahead of time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUTKOWSKI: We are not public health experts. We're experts in running Camp IHC.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: But whether to open camp fluctuates from state to state?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're working on that, see if there's a way we can safely allow them to reopen in some capacity, some degree.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: In states like Illinois, some camps opting not to open this season. Others like in Connecticut announcing day camps will open.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometime in July we will have outdoor camps, they're outdoor smaller groups.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: But sleep away camps aren't there yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And if you have got children being transported from a high impact area with children that aren't there's risk there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: From California to Maine, plans are in flux leaving many families in limbo and working parents like Kelly Foster a mom of two bracing for
disappointment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY FOSTER, PARENT: I have always counted on summer camps to help watch them so that I can work during the summer. And I know that they're getting
some fun different experiences and I'm able to work so - not sure what we're going to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: And families aren't the only ones worried. With an estimated 20 million kids going to camp each year, if camps don't open this summer, they
could see a devastating loss in earnings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our overnight camps do over $300 million of revenue. Our day camps do over $400 million or almost $500 million for revenue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: The challenge now for camp directors, how to open safely and keep camp, well, like camp? Even if camps get the green light to open this
summer, bunks, dining halls and activities will all look different and no visitors allowed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUTKOWSKI: Typically our campers would receive letters in the mail. We've already talked about that we won't be receiving letters this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Some directors like Lauren Rutkowski say they're not sure they should open.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUTKOWSKI: I want to be able to look my parents in the eye and say, no matter what the decision is that I make, whether it's to open or not to
open, I want to be able to look them in the eye and say, I left no stone unturned to even sure the safety of your child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, it is a different world for these kids this year, for sure. A rare condition linked to COVID is showing up more often in Paris. The
details are ahead. Also, a rapidly rising death toll in Mexico and even a top health official admits the actual numbers could be double what's being
reported?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:00]
GORANI: Doctors at a Paris hospital are treating more than a dozen children for a condition that is being linked to the Coronavirus. Doctors say the
symptoms are similar to Kawasaki disease with fever, stomach pain and inflammation. It is not clear how the children became infected?
The World Health Organization says they're closely monitoring this rare syndrome. Cyril Vanier joins me from Paris on this one. Are doctors making
a definitive link between a COVID infection and this disease? Are they saying one is causing the other?
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not yet. But they're saying that's very likely the case and, Hala, I have some sad news to report. For the first
time a child has died in France of Kawasaki-like symptoms, so it was a 9- year-old boy, happened a few days ago but was reported yesterday and today by the hospital.
And they explained a little bit more about his circumstances and he presented the same symptoms as this rare pediatric disease that we have
come to know and it is called Kawasaki disease, that's to say a high constant temperature and acute inflammatory symptoms.
Now you can have inflammation of your organs and in the worse cases of the heart and this boy this 9-year-old died of a heart failure. And he was
tested positive for COVID. Now, he was either an asymptomatic carrier which means at the time that he had COVID nobody realized it or he was a mildly
symptomatic carrier at most.
And this Hala is totally consistent with the cases you were talking about, which is a study that has just been done about Kawasaki-like cases at the
main pediatric hospital in Paris where it is exactly the same scenario that plays out. These children come in with these Kawasaki-like symptoms a
majority of them had to be taken into intensive care. In Paris fortunately they responded well to treatment.
Again, to your question, the doctors were asked, is this caused by COVID? They said, very, very, very likely yes. But we cannot at this stage with
such a small sample size confirm that from a medical standpoint and there is going to have to be an international consensus on that.
GORANI: As our viewers know in the beginning of this pandemic we were being told that children were most likely asymptomatic carriers and very seldom
became ill. How concerned should parents be here?
VANIER: Well, look, the doctors today were in pains to point out that these cases are very rare. There have been 135 cases of children who have been
admitted to hospital presenting these Kawasaki-like symptoms. There's been one death.
So if you relative to the number of Coronavirus cases, yes, statistically very low, but, Hala, you know, as a parent I can tell you every parent's
going to be worried and it does mean that the possibility does exist that the Coronavirus could have serious, even life threatening consequences for
children even if it's statistically improbable.
And what we saw today was just that. And it explains why so many people have been so cautious because I think there's now a national understanding
and an international understanding, in fact, that we're finding out more and more about the virus every day and that, yes, we were told a month ago
this was relatively safe for children and relatively benign and turns out that's not always the case.
GORANI: Thank you, Cyril Vanier in Paris. The increase in Coronavirus cases since the pandemic began in Mexico is staggering. More than 2,400 new
infections were reported on Thursday. Meanwhile, the government is trying to move toward lifting restrictions next month. Matt Rivers is in Mexico
with this report.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miguel hasn't slept more than a few hours at a time in weeks. Working so much, he says, and the numbers just get
higher every day. He is referring the number of dead. The funeral home he works at in Mexico City has almost run out of coffins. They've processed 7
times more bodies than normal in the last month reason, COVID-19.
[11:45:00]
RIVERS: So what he is saying here is on this death certificate there are three causes of death. There's acute respiratory failure, there is atypical
pneumonia and there is also probable COVID-19 and that's what we're seeing on certificate after certificate after certificate.
He had an appointment to pick up a body that afternoon, so we went with him. This person probably didn't die of COVID but Miguel says it doesn't
really matter. It is yet another coffin in a seemingly endless parade on the way to the crematorium.
Mexico only tested about 150,000 people and confirmed roughly 40,000 cases. But the government has always said that relatively low number is just a
scientific sample.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUGO LOPEZ-GATELL, MEXICAN DEPUTY HEALTH SECRETARY: Nobody is able to identify every single case that occurs in an epidemic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: The actual number could be well into the millions says Hugo Lopez- Gatell the Epidemiologist leading Mexico's response he quickly added that every country around the world has an untold number of unconfirmed cases
that why the government shut down the economy nearly two months ago and urging people to stay home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ-GATELL: The size of the epidemic in Mexico is substantially lower than those in other countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: But funeral home worker Miguel is worried that won't last. He drives all day through places with plenty people still out and abound. If
the government gave us the real number he says I think we would all go out less?
The official death toll is about 4,500. Lopez-Gatell says the actual number could easily be double that. Miguel thinks it might even be higher but
admits he doesn't know the whole picture. All he knows is what's right in front of him and today that's body number six being pulled from his truck
to be cremated.
I'm just really tired he told us outside the crematorium and this is going to keep happening. Nearby earlier in the day we watched a typical funeral
procession go by. Social distancing, not a part of this tradition amongst those who are seen all these deaths up close there is genuine fear that the
people holding the casket could soon end up inside one just like it. Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico.
GORANI: Well, the Bundesliga is coming back. With that means for football fans and other leagues as Germany experiments with a return to sports. And
later, CNN's own TikTok Loyalty takes us on the social media platform and shows us the new stars including himself. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Sunday the first of Europe's big five football leagues will be playing again and experimenting that other leagues will be watching
closely. The German Bundesliga is attempting to finish out the full season but has already faced a few obstacles.
Our Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen joins me now with that story. So Fred, talk to me about how this is going to unfold? How are they
going to play these games? And how will they keep people safe?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Hala, those are really the big questions is what sort of venue or what are the venues going
to be like? And how are they going to do this with all these hygiene measures that have to be in place?
And the Bundesliga has put forward an elaborate hygiene concept to try and come to terms with that and already telling their fans none of them are
going to be allowed to be in the stadium. So it is going to be empty games or as they call them in Germany ghost games that are going to be played.
[11:50:00]
PLEITGEN: Nevertheless, the Bundesliga says that they believe it's vital, that they're going to back on the pitch and obviously they think that it is
going to be good entertainment for the fans. Here is what we learnt.
The Bundesliga is coming back. After more than two months Germany's top soccer league will play again this weekend although some fans seem to have
mixed emotions about the move. I don't think it's a good idea this man says. People in Germany are suffering from Coronavirus. And we're now
making exceptions for soccer players?
But she says I think a little step back to normality that we can at least watch football on TV is a good thing. We just have to see if it will all
work. The Bundesliga hopes an extensive hygiene concept will make it work. Stadiums will be empty. The matches can only be viewed on TV.
Players won't have to wear masks on the field but coaches will. That will require some coordination a manager says. I have to pull the mask off
shortly before yelling commands and then put it back on right after I stop screaming that's not so easy.
The league's Coronavirus testing scheme is extensive. All players, coaches and other staffs will continuously be tested for Coronavirus requiring
thousands of tests. And the teams have gone through quarantine training camps to try and ensure no one will be infected when the matches start.
Germany is one of the first big soccer countries to restart its professional league and many football confederates will be looking to see
whether the Bundesliga's path and it's hygiene concept will prevail. But there have been problems. Three people of - tested positive for COVID-19
and were quarantined. And two players from second division club also came down with the disease.
And there have been disciplinary issues. A forward was suspended by the club after seemingly laughing off Coronavirus safety rules in a leaked
video. If there are new Coronavirus infections the league's play could be shut down again by the German government says Phillip a football magazine?
This is an experiment with an unknown outcome, he says. It could indeed happen that we might see two or three weeks of football and then everything
gets canceled if teams don't have the same capabilities if for instance there are many infections or if there are very serious infections.
The Head of Germany's Football League has said they are playing on parole. Soccer is coming back to Germany but no one knows if it's here to stay.
Playing on parole Hala, not necessarily playing with the majority of the German nation behind them. There was a poll that came out overnight saying
that a majority of Germans are against the Bundesliga starting off again, Hala.
GORANI: Well, I find that poll interesting, actually, because I would have expected fans to be happy that the game is returning, that football is
returning. Why they are against it because with no fans in the stadiums then the atmosphere isn't there and that's kind of part of the fun?
PLEITGEN: I think that there are several factors to that and several factors that people have been talking about. On the one hand you do indeed
have some of the fan representatives even the clubs saying look, we don't believe that soccer games without fans really have the right atmosphere for
it to be started off again it is not something that they want to see.
There is another part of the fans also, I thought this was quite interesting, who believe that professional football in general and the
Bundesliga specifically have become somewhat too elite with ticket prices having gone up recently with also lot of money obviously being made with
the television rights as well.
And so they believe that this would make it even more distanced from the fans if fans were not in the stadium as these games are taking part. And
then obviously one gentleman in the report saying and I think that's something that a lot of people are thinking about, as well, whether it is
saying look, Germany is still dealing with the pandemic.
The issue of testing a lot of players very often is also, of course, a very dicey one, as well, as isn't necessarily possible for everyone in Germany
to even get Coronavirus tests. So those issues really are things that are on people's minds when they say maybe it's a little bit too early to start
off with sports on TV again.
GORANI: All right. Fred thanks very much. Sports might have always been an escape but when teams are not playing platforms such as TikTok are doing
very well. They're helping us all pass the time and shooting some people to stardom even. CNN's Max Foster and he's our own TikTok sensation, Max
Foster, has the story.
MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When a guy drops off shopping for his grandmother during lockdown, he asks her to do a TikTok dance with him. The
same dance is being done many times before.
[11:55:00]
FOSTER: But the secret to TikTok is making it your own and if the lockdown had an anthem on the platform, this is it. The platform's biggest star,
American teenager Charlidamelio garnering 8 million likes with her take on the sound.
Damelio's profile reveals she has an astonishing 55 million followers and getting over 4 billion likes on her videos, dwarfing any of the celebrities
that joined the platform after her. Like Damelio Australian Dante Moeller found stardom dancing and lip syncing in his bedroom his mother getting in
on the act in this video which has been viewed nearly 5 million times.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANTE MOELLER, TIKTOK STAR: Beforehand I think everyone was kind of just doing it for fun and now it's kind of like a way to escape but now I think
everyone's doing it, everyone, grandma, just because they're bored sitting at home and might as well do something creative.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: And the power of the platform lies in the fact that anyone can go viral if they hit the right vibe. British Psychologist Julie Smith has
gained hundreds of thousands of followers with educational videos like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JULIE SMITH, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Your brain can read a word faster than it can label a color. It is a lovely light hearted platform that's
partly what drew me to it in the first place is things that give you a little lift, that just bring you a moment's joy or make you laugh for a
moment so, you know, those little - those little moments aren't to be, you know, dismissed, helping to get you through a day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Even journalists are finding the joy on TikTok trying to make sense of lockdown like everyone else. Max Foster, CNN, in Social Media's Wild
West.
GORANI: All right. Well, thanks to all of you for watching. If it is your weekend, I hope you have a great one. I hope you are feeling healthy and
that you're safe wherever you are. Coming up, U.S. President Donald Trump will be holding remarks at the White House in the next few minutes. We'll
bring those to you those live. I'm Hala Gorani and I will see you next time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
