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CDC Now Projects Up to 233,000 U.S. Deaths by October 31; Orthodox Community Protests Business, Religious Restrictions; Trump Promises Green Light for Experimental Drug; Europe Struggles as Second Wave Hits Continent; Bars, Gyms, Sports Centers to Close in Four French Cities; COVID-19 and the Impact on Mental Health; U.S. Vice Presidential Debate Dominated by An Insect. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired October 09, 2020 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Amid all the bad coronavirus statistics in the U.S. in recent weeks there's been one bit of good news, a decline in COVID deaths. Well now, even that positive trend may soon come to an end. The infection rate is trending upward again and more cases likely will mean more deaths. A new CDC forecast predicts the U.S. death toll could rise to 233,000 by the end of this month. More now from CNN's Brian Todd.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the streets of Brooklyn, violent resistance to new coronavirus crackdowns. Fires set, melees in the street, a journalist severely beaten. Members of Orthodox Jewish communities, many not wearing masks, protesting the decision by New York officials to close certain non-essential businesses and limit indoor gatherings at religious institutions to ten people.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: We have state-mandated restrictions in particular areas to stop a resurgence, and that resurgence, if it is stopped, will overtake the whole city and will lead to an across the board set of restrictions on all of New York City.

TODD: The tougher measures are only in so-called cluster areas in Brooklyn, Queens and outlying New York City suburbs, where there have been alarming upticks in coronavirus cases. Do officials have a handle on it or is New York City on the verge of another widespread outbreak like the one that crippled the city in the spring?

DR. DARA KASS, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: The New York City officials and the governor know what to do. And the question is, will the people of New York, specifically in these communities let them do it?

The protests that are happening in Brooklyn are really an affront to everybody in New York who is doing the work to keep these cases down. TODD: The news across the country, no less alarming. Half of the states continue to see increased cases. Only two states are trending down. At least half a dozen states have seen record hospitalizations in the past few days. The surge is so bad in Wisconsin, that Governor Evers announced the state has to open a field hospital.

GOV. TONY EVERS (D) WISCONSIN: We obviously hoped this day wouldn't come. But unfortunately, Wisconsin is in a much different and more dire place today and our health care systems are being overwhelmed.

TODD: This comes as President Trump is promising FDA authorization of an experimental drug he is praising after taking it to combat his case of coronavirus. An antibody cocktail made by Regeneron which may reduce symptoms and can speed up recovery.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I view it as a cure, not just a therapeutic, I view it as a cure because I took it. It's great. And what I'm doing is I'm going to supply this drug.

TODD: But experts say the Regeneron cocktail is a treatment, not a cure. And Trump's praise muddies the waters.

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY: Regeneron monoclonal antibodies may actually work really well, but it's tough to take that seriously now, and it certainly isn't up to the President to decide what gets approved by the FDA.

TODD: The FDA isn't commenting, but Regeneron and Eli Lilly are seeking emergency authorization from the FDA for antibody treatments, and the U.S. is already putting up money for the companies to start producing therapeutics.

ALEX AZAR, U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: We could have tens or hundreds of thousands of doses this fall, pending FDA authorization.

TODD (on camera): What Trump and his aides have not mentioned is that the Regeneron antibody treatment was developed using technology that his administration has been trying to ban. The Regeneron therapy indirectly relied on tissue taken from an aborted fetus. Trump whose base is of course, staunchly against abortion rights has worked to reverse health policies from the Obama era, including those that forwarded scientific research involving human fetal tissue.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And it's not just the United States that's seen cases rise. Many countries across Europe are tightening restrictions as their numbers spike. The Paris region of France is mobilizing an emergency plan to deal with an expected flood of COVID-19 patients.

[04:35:00]

In Britain, the health secretary is warning that the country is at a perilous moment. That country reported more than 17,000 new cases on Thursday.

And Italy also has seen another jump. The largest daily increase there since the height of its first wave in April.

So we have reporters live across the continent this morning in Paris, Rome and London. But I'd like to begin in the French capital where Melissa Bell joins me live. Melissa, the situation across the country in key cities is worsening and now I understand some new restrictions in even more cities were just announced.

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Until now, there were three French regions, Kim, that had been in this maximum alert category. The greater Paris region, Marseilles in the very south, but also Guadalupe in the French Caribbean. Now in the maximum alert category, several other cities figure four extra cities that mean that they, too, will be seeing the sort of restrictions that go with the fresh categorization. So bars and cafes closing, restaurants stay open with certain restrictions and the number of social gatherings, the amount, the size of social gatherings further limited and gyms made to close as well.

So substantial restrictions added then to four extra French cities. But for the time being it has to be said that they haven't leading to the sort of reduction in the COVID-19 figures in cities like Paris that authorities had hoped for. Still the Paris region is looking at extremely worrying figures.

Even though these extra measures have now been in place for several days. With that fresh emergency plan, as you say, regional hospitals put in place that emergency plan yesterday because what authorities fear is over the coming days, the number of COVID-19 patients coming into prison hospitals is going to soar.

Already we've seen the substantial increase over the course of the who weeks with a number of COVID-19 patients in ICU in the greater Paris region doubling in just two weeks. And according to the projections of local authorities here, that will continue to rise substantially and could threaten the functioning of the health care system all together -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: How are they planning to deal with that, and are other cities also potentially facing the same jeopardy?

BELL: It is that question of the trajectories of these new cases that are coming in then leading to people who have to get into ICU. And look, nationally, the picture is extremely worrying. We've now seen two days in a row this week, Kim, of rises in the number of new coronavirus cases above 18,000. A fresh record was set on Wednesday above 18,000 new cases announced in a 24 hour period. Just below that on Thursday. But still, more than 18,000 people were found to have coronavirus on top of those announced today before on Thursday.

So nationally, the picture is extremely worrying and for these cities now obliged to put in place these fresh measures associated with the maximum alert category, extremely worrying times, as in cities like Paris and Marseille, already we've seen other emergency procedures have to be put aside in order to allow COVID-19 patients to be treated in ICU. So these are extremely worrying times, again, with health systems fighting for their survival to ensure that they're able to continue coping.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thank you so much, Melissa Bell in Paris.

Let's go to the U.K. now, where rising case numbers have officials considering a range of options to stop the spread of the virus. Salma Abdelaziz is in London. Salma, I saw that some hospitals in the north of England may actually run out of beds for COVID patients within a week. You know, in the country, they're talking more and more about that so called circuit breaker. Take us through the situation there.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Kim, we're hearing yesterday from the Health Secretary Matt Hancock that the U.K. is at a perilous moment, and this is of course as these numbers you are mentioning for in hospitalizations are increasing, particularly in the north of the country. It was found that cases increased by more than 56 percent in a single week. That was the last week of September.

We've had outbreaks, for example, the one in New Castle at a university, a thousand cases at that university. So the government really is dealing here with a rise, and the fear is that that could turn into a second wave.

Now they have said that they are considering options. Those are yet to be announced. We're expecting an announcement next week. But of course some information has leaked to local media, and that is that they are considering a three-tiered system. So you would carve out the country and put each geographic region in one of these three levels. If a certain area is found to be at the highest level, level 3, that area would have new restrictions imposed upon it, which would include the closure of restaurants, bars, pubs, the banning of mixing of households and other restrictions, that may also include an economic relief package of some sort, because of course shutting down businesses is of great financial concerns in the region. Because of course, cutting down these businesses is a great financial concern in these regions.

[04:40:00]

So all of this not official yet but it is stirring controversy across the country, particularly, again, in the north, which is seeing a rise in cases, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle. In these areas, we are hearing from local city councils that are saying we're being cut out of the loop. Westminster is not telling us what's happening. We are not part of the decision making. We're finding out from front page newspapers. So a true concern that this is not a cooperative effort, but the biggest worry here of course is to avoid a second wave -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, thank you so much, Salma Abdelaziz in London. Appreciate it.

Let's go now to Rome for the latest on the jump in cases in Italy. Delia Gallagher joins me now. The situation there not quite as dire as some European countries but still the cases are up significantly, and it seems the government is tracking down.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Kim, you know, as we have just heard, compared to France or the U.K., Italy has lower numbers. On Thursday, they reported 4,458 new cases. So they're not as high as other European countries but still that's the highest for Italy in six months.

Now, they haven't had to put in place curfews on bars and restaurants, like in other European cities but what they have done is made mandatory face masks, even outdoors. So we've already had to wear face masks in public spaces inside. Now we have to wear them outside. Basically the only place in Italy where you're not wearing a face mask at this point is in your home. And even there, the Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said it was strongly recommended that if you're having people over to your house that you also wear face masks.

Another thing Italy is doing, Kim, they have put the United Kingdom on their list of high risk countries. That means anybody traveling to Italy from the U.K., must now undergo a swab test at the airport or at other points of entry. There are already other European countries like France, Greece, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands on that list. The other thing they've done, Kim, is extended their state of emergency until January 31st -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, all of these of measures and stark contrast to what's going on here in the U.S. Thank you so much, Delia Gallagher in Rome. Appreciate it.

Still to come, the pandemic and its impact on mental health.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just felt like hopeless, I felt like there was nothing in the future that I was going to be able to accomplish.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And the threat of another lock down could make things worse for people already living with anxiety and depression. We'll have more on that ahead. Please do stay with us.

[04:45:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Lock downs and social isolation, might have been effective ways to handle the coronavirus pandemic, but they can also have a severe impact on mental health. CNN's Isa Soares brings us the story of a young woman whose struggles got much more difficult when the U.K. locked down.

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ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sun may be shining on Pip Rudge but this 23-year-old knows that a dark cloud could come at any moment. PIP RUDGE, BEING TREATED FOR ANXIETY, DEPRESSION: Having an ice cream

since I was like eight.

SOARES: For months, she has been seeking treatment for anxiety and depression, exacerbated by COVID-19.

RUDGE: I just felt like, hopeless. I felt like there was nothing in the future that I was going to be able to accomplish. And I just felt completely lost and alone, really. So it was really hard, and I was struggling with self-harm at the time as well, and it was just one of those really, really dark places that I just hope that I never get back to.

SOARES: Like so many others, lock down and isolation pushed her mental health to the brink as her support network crumbled and she was unable to seek help of mental health professionals. She said a suicide attempt forced her to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for three weeks. These images show her inside the ward.

According to a June report from mental health charity Mind, the devastating loss of life, the impact of lock down, and the inevitable recession has made life bleaker for those with mental health problems. With 65 percent of adults and 75 percent of young people reporting their mental health got worse during lock down.

STEVEN BUCKLEY, HEAD OF INFORMATION, MIND MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY: And what we've seen during lock down and immediately after is people contacting us because they're having difficulty accessing their formal support services. Unfortunately there seem to be more young people self-harming as a coping strategy.

SOARES: With the number of COVID-19 infections on the rise here in the U.K. and in Europe, and more restrictions being put in place, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control is warning about the impact of new lock downs on people's mental health.

(on camera): When you hear the Prime Minister talk about further restrictions, do you worry about that? How about lock down? How does that -- what kind of anxiety does that create in you?

RUDGE: It does make me anxious that ultimately, I would end up back in hospital or I would be really, really, really struggling with my mental health. All I can do is look after myself. Take it day by day.

SOARES (voice-over): For now, Rudge maintains a support network, and says she's focusing on the positives, has small victories.

RUDGE: So like I have an app on my phone, and I'm like 133 days of self-harm free and I'm really proud of that.

SOARES: Small steps that will give her a better chance to overcome her darkest demons should lock down come knocking again.

Isa Soares, CNN, Stratford-upon-Avon, in England's West Midlands.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: And if you or someone you know is experiencing mental health difficulties, well there's a worldwide directory of resources and international hot lines provided by the International Association for Suicide Prevention. You can also turn to Befrienders worldwide or go to the web site, iasp.info/resources for more information.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

[04:50:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Well, if you believe the internet, and why shouldn't you, the true star of Wednesday night's U.S. vice presidential debate wasn't either of the candidates. It was, well, you know where I'm going with this, the fly. Jeanne Moos explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whatever you say about the V.P. debate, you can't say what fly? The fly that landed --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a great insult.

MOOS: -- on Mike Pence's head, was on everybody's lips.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my god, look at his hair.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, THE VIEW: The real winner from last night, is the fly.

JIMMY KIMMEL, ABC, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: Mike Pence's fly, just became the most popular Halloween costume of 2020.

MOOS: There were jokes about how the fly has been diagnosed with COVID, and it embodied Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Tell Pence, I want him to know the fly, it was me. The Biden campaign sold 35,000 fly swatters with the words, "truth over flies," a ripped on their slogan, "truth over lies." That fly --

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- stand with you.

MOOS: -- raised $350,000 before the swatters sold out. Mr. Fly, you get two minutes, uninterrupted. And that's almost exactly how long it stayed.

PENCE: Record investments in education --

MOOS: And even withstood repeated nodding. All of that nodding is great for the Pence fly bobblehead now being rushed into production. There's plenty of stuff on Etsy, for instance, say, a pretty fly for a white guy shirt. Even Republican Rand Paul, joke, the deep state planted a bug on the V.P. It was depicted as a fly dancer. It got the remixed treatment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have a fly on your head. But wouldn't it be nice ...

Moos: And, of course, it created its own parity Twitter account. If you could land on one person's head for 5 minutes, who would it be? This cat --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God. There's a fly on his head.

[04:55:00]

MOOS: Seemed just as captivated as the rest of us. The fly finally departed, joining the ranks of other hero flies that landed on Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama, the owner of the Bates Motel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're not even going to swat that fly.

MOOS: Was echoed and what the "Daily Show" called, the debates motel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're not even going to swat that fly. Why she wouldn't even harm a fly.

MOOS: The 2020 race sure has been kind of psycho.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And as our Mike Holmes said, that fly has more Twitter followers than I do.

Well, we are just minutes away from the announcement of one of the world's most important awards, the Nobel Peace Prize, and online bookmakers have been setting the odds. Gambling.com for instance calls it a tossup with the World Health Organization as a two to one favorite with a 33 percent chance of winning. The teenage Swedish climate activists Greta Thunberg has 25 percent chance of winning and then comes New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. U.S. President Donald Trump is tied in the fourth spot with the U.N. Refugee Agency as 12-1 long shots. Members of the Nobel committee considered 318 candidates this year.

Well that's it. Thanks for spending your time with me. I'm Kim Brunhuber, "EARLY START" is up next. You're watching CNN.

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