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New Day

Texas Mother Loses Home In Fire And Her Husband To Coronavirus; Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Make Final Split With Royal Family; Winter Storms Slow Vaccine Distribution. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired February 19, 2021 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

STEPHANIE RUBIO, HUSBAND DIED OF CORONAVIRUS LAST MONTH, LOST HOME IN FIRE (via Skype): And saying mom, our house is on fire. So we're in a very small community and so we rush up there to our home and there's smoke coming out everywhere.

I didn't know at the time if Blake and Allison were OK because we hadn't heard from them. We had called 911 on my way up to my house. And so, there's people rushing to me stating that Blake and Allison are OK. And before we knew it -- when I got to the house, the house was full of smoke already.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Oh my gosh. I mean, first of all, the sheer terror of not knowing if your kids were inside and then the horror of seeing your house. What happened when you came upon that sight?

RUBIO: Just my heart, it dropped. And, of course, Levi, too -- you know, he was panicky as well and we didn't know what to do. We were just scared at the time.

And then when they told us that Blake and Allison and our dogs were out and they were OK, that was so much relief and we were grateful to know that they were OK. And Allison, she came out and Blake came out -- and Allison, she just came out with a picture of her father and didn't come out with any shoes or anything. She came out barefooted and it was very cold that day. And so it was -- it was just a crazy time during that time.

CAMEROTA: Oh my gosh. I mean, you're not alone. I know that's, I'm sure, cold comfort, but you're not alone.

So many families in Texas have been trying to stay warm however they can. They've been burning their belongings and some -- I mean, at least 15 people have died because they've tried to bring in grills from outside to heat their home or they've tried to stay warm in their cars. I mean, people are obviously desperate.

Do you have any sense yet of why a fire in your fireplace ended up catching the house on fire?

RUBIO: No. The investigation is still going on and so the fire marshal has not declared yet exactly what had caused the fire in the fireplace, so it's still investigating on it.

CAMEROTA: And so, Stephanie, how are you? Where are you guys staying?

How are your kids? I see them all around you. I know that they're there for support. How's everybody doing right now?

RUBIO: We're doing OK. By our faith and everything, we're OK. A local citizen here in our Fort Davis community offered us a home, and so we're very grateful. And she offered the home for us for three months or however long we need it for.

CAMEROTA: And, Stephanie, in terms of your husband's death from coronavirus, I know that your -- much of your town got sick with this and --

RUBIO: Yes.

CAMEROTA: -- tell us about that. I mean, did you think that you all were out of the woods by the time that he got sick?

RUBIO: Pretty much, my kids Blake and Levi were. And then I got hit pretty hard with it. And then that's when Robert started feeling really bad as well. I couldn't attend to him because I was really sick. And so, before I knew it, it was pretty much too late to --

I took him to the hospital on Tuesday, January 26th, to our local hospital in Alpine, Texas. And so I took him in and they took him and when they came out and told me he had COVID pneumonia. And so -- and after that they had kept him there.

CAMEROTA: And so, Stephanie, how do you move on from this? I mean, all of the loss that has been compounded on you in just one month. What is going to happen with you and your family now?

RUBIO: Like I said, our faith in God, our surrounding community. We live in a small community and then our community around us are the Big Bend region. They've been here supporting us and loving us so, so much and we're so grateful.

And then, our new guardian angel, Robert. I truly believe he's our guardian angel. And so, with all their help and support and the outpouring of love, that's how we're getting through this.

CAMEROTA: We know you've set up a GoFundMe page. I want to put that up for everyone. This is to help your family rebuild and find another place to live. It's under Rubio House Fire -- that's your last name. You're only looking for $50,000. You're already up to $32,000.

[07:35:01]

Our viewers can be really generous and we hope that people help you out. Because I'm so happy that your community and your guardian angel are there for you but obviously, you guys are going to need some help.

Thank you all. Take care of yourselves. We'll check back with you.

RUBIO: Thank you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: For more help -- I mean, for more information on how you can help the victims of the winter storm in Texas, you can go to cnn.com/impact.

OK, we have breaking news right now -- breaking royal news. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle making a major announcement about their future inside the royal family. We have all the details for you in a live report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CAMEROTA: OK, breaking royal news. Buckingham Palace announcing moments ago that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will not return as working members of the royal family.

[07:40:05]

CNN's Max Foster is live in London for us with details. Did this come as a surprise to the queen, Max?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: I don't think it's a huge surprise. What happened last year was they obviously said they were going to leave and then what they all agreed between themselves was to review it in a year's time to see if the arrangements were working. So they left their positions as working royals but they did retain some key titles -- the honorary titles, which effectively mean you're representing the queen.

And these were particularly important to Harry. They were things like military titles. He was a former military man, of course, and he was very keen to keep hold of those titles and continue representing the queen and those roles. But also, the Royal National Theater, for example, which is something that was very close to Meghan.

But they've come to some sort of agreement around this and it doesn't seem as though they have agreed fundamentally on what everyone wants and not everyone is happy in this situation. I know the royal family wanted them to continue in their working roles to some extent, but they couldn't allow them to also have private incomes at the same time.

So this is what the palace has said. In the following conversations with the Duke (Harry), the queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the royal family, it's not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with life in a royal service.

Now, a spokesperson for the Sussexes responded immediately, saying, "As evidenced by their work over the past year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organizations they've represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal." So there's something slightly pointed there. The queen saying they can't continue in public service, but Harry saying service is universal. So I don't think he's entirely happy he had to give up those roles --

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

FOSTER: -- that were so close to him. But he also wants to carry on with the work he's doing in the U.S.

SCIUTTO: Listen, the military titles must sting, particularly. As you said, he served. He was even deployed to Afghanistan.

You're standing outside the hospital where Prince Philip, 99 years old, is being treated now. What's his status?

FOSTER: Well, we haven't had an update since he went in on Tuesday. And the palace is very much playing down any sort of concern here -- you know, making the big point that he walked himself in and it wasn't an emergency admission. And they're not giving us any updates. They're literally saying we're not giving you a running commentary.

So all we know is that he's inside with an unknown illness and he's been in there for three nights. But that's not entirely unexpected for a 99-year-old. If there was any treatment to be done, they'd have to keep him in to check if it's working OK.

SCIUTTO: All right. We know you'll keep us up-to-date. Max Foster, in London, thanks so much.

Well, top Biden administration officials are warning about vaccine delays and shortages due to those big back-to-back winter storms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: We're just going to have to make up for it as soon as the weather lifts a bit, the ice melts, and we can get the trucks out and the people out, and getting the vaccine into people's arms. But we're going to just have to make up for it -- namely, do double time when this thing clears up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Thirty-one states are now experiencing some disruptions in supply or delivery, or both, forcing many to have their appointments rescheduled or canceled. That's a headache.

Joining us now, CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

You know, Sanjay, I've been asking a lot of people about this and hearing kind of conflicting stories. Peter Hotez, who we spoke to in the first hour -- he said it might be as much of a week -- as a weeklong delay. But I spoke to the head of the Houston Methodist hospitals and he said they're already getting back up to speed here.

And I wonder -- I know you're following this closely -- what are you hearing? How quickly can they make up for these delays?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're hearing about a week as well. I've talked to a few people who have sort of been responsible for administering or actually getting the vaccines to some of these states.

It's interesting. In some of these places, there's all sorts of different steps in the delay. If you are going to be sending these vaccines to a place that doesn't have power and you require the ultra- cold chain storage, that could be a problem. In other places, as you -- I think you heard probably earlier in the week, there were places that had the vaccine, worried about losing doses because of lack of power and they were administering quickly.

But overall, about a week, which probably just looking at the vaccine schedule should not have that much of a negative impact, thankfully, on overall immunity to people who are getting shots.

SCIUTTO: That's good to know.

CAMEROTA: Sanjay, we're just being told in our ears that there's breaking Pfizer news in terms of the vaccine. Do you know about this?

GUPTA: Yes, it's interesting. So we've talked about cold chain storage. Everyone has heard this term now for the last several months. Pfizer was the vaccine that needs this super-cold storage -- negative 75 degrees Celsius.

[07:45:00]

What we're just hearing is, I guess, based on some of their own data is that they're saying they don't need, necessarily, to have the vaccine stored at that super-cold temperature. It can be at more pharmaceutical-grade freezer temperatures close to negative-25 degrees -- negative-15 to negative-25 degrees Celsius.

So this is -- I think what happens in these situations, they err on the side of being conservative in terms of temperatures -- what's going to be the best, most stable protective temperatures. As they're getting more data -- and this is good news -- they're saying our vaccine stays stable for at least a few weeks at temperatures that are warmer than that and temperatures that are more accessible because these are more standard sort of freezer temperatures in pharmacies.

SCIUTTO: OK, yes. Just to be clear, like how much warmer? In other words, meaning what they already have in place. They don't need special equipment is what you're saying.

GUPTA: Right. So these standard sort of pharmacy freezers, they should work now.

SCIUTTO: OK.

GUPTA: So this is good because the idea that you needed to set up separate cold chain for that vaccine was a challenge. So this will be easier. SCIUTTO: Yes, absolutely. As they're getting out more and when you're thinking about these doses getting out to the private pharmacies, too.

I know you're big on what we're learning about pregnant women and vaccines. Tell us what we are learning.

GUPTA: Yes, you know -- so we're seeing science unfold here in real time. You'll remember in the original trials, pregnant women were not part of those trials. There were women who became pregnant during those vaccine trials.

And there's been about 20,000 women after the vaccines were authorized that said I know there's not data but I'm going to go ahead and get the vaccine anyway because I'm worried. And of those 20,000 women, there haven't been significant side effects.

But now, they're actually going to do the trials. So they got these 4,000 women, roughly, that are in trials. They're going to continue to follow them for the obvious things. Does the -- is the vaccine safe in these women? Is it as effective?

Do they make the same sort of antibody response when they are pregnant? And also, do those antibodies, once they develop in the woman who is pregnant, are they then transmitted on to the baby? And if so, how long does that immunity last in the baby?

So there's a lot to unpack there but that's part of the reason you do trials. Again, so far, the sort of more anecdotal evidence has been positive but you've got to prove it.

CAMEROTA: So if a woman is pregnant right now, does she get the vaccine?

GUPTA: Well, I think the way a lot of people have been sort of approaching that is saying -- you know, being honest. There's not the data from the original trials. There's no reason to suspect that it wouldn't be safe and effective. If you are in some sort of high-risk situation, if you're a healthcare worker, if you're worried about exposures for some reason think about it, but that may be a good reason to go ahead and get the vaccine.

But it's been on a sort of case-by-case basis for pregnant women. If you're largely at home, you may say well, I'm going to wait for the data to come out, and that's the data that we're talking about here.

SCIUTTO: Understood. Well, we know you'll bring the latest as it comes, and a lot of people listening. They want to know.

Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much.

GUPTA: Yes.

SCIUTTO: Other news we're following this morning.

An elderly woman lost everything in a fire, but she gained a friend that she now calls her angel. Meet the firefighter who helped put out that fire that went far beyond the call of duty.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:52:39]

CAMEROTA: A North Carolina firefighter helping an elderly woman who lost everything. CNN's Amara Walker tells us how he (sic) went beyond the call of duty.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This New Year's Eve fire destroyed everything Betty Campbell owned.

BETTY CAMPBELL, FIRE VICTIM: It started at the end in front of the air conditioning.

WALKER (voice-over): Even the urn containing her son's ashes are now gone. He died last year after contracting COVID-19.

CAPT. DENA ALI, RALEIGH FIRE DEPARTMENT: It was just heartbreaking to think that somebody has lost everything that they owned.

WALKER (voice-over): When Capt. Dena Ali and fellow firefighters from Fire House 11 in Raleigh responded to the scene, she found the 76- year-old woman who had recently moved into the shed behind her sister's home was more concerned about getting to work the next day.

ALI: And after she found out that she lost everything she asked me if I would see if I could find her car keys because she works two jobs and she still had to get to work the next day.

WALKER (voice-over): When Ali went home that night she couldn't sleep. She worried about Campbell, where she would stay, and how she'd make ends meet.

ALI: When I left, I just kind of felt a little defeated because my job is to help people and I did not help her. I -- we put water on the fire but everything she owned was destroyed. I couldn't get her off my mind -- my worry for her -- so I decided that I would just do a Facebook post.

WALKER (voice-over): That Facebook post led to $4,000 in donations and an electric stairlift for Campbell to use while she temporarily lives with her sister.

ALI: It wasn't just me, I had a whole community. Several firefighters from the Raleigh Fire Department donated money. Several firefighters from across the country. My mom gave me money.

WALKER (voice-over): Serving others is in her blood. Ali, who previously worked as a police officer, is also involved in two non- profit organizations -- one that honors fallen first responders across North Carolina, and another that supports their mental health. To her, being a firefighter is more than a job. ALI: We are fortunate that we have a unique opportunity to meet people -- meet them on their worst day. And when we realize that they need a little backup and we can help them, we can step up for them.

CHIEF HERBERT GRIFFIN, RALEIGH FIRE DEPARTMENT: But to go above and beyond like she did on a personal level by assisting this lady with monetary value, it goes beyond what the scope is asked for her in the Raleigh Fire Department.

WALKER (voice-over): In a male-dominated field, women make up just four percent of the Raleigh Fire Department.

[07:55:00]

And, Ali's good deeds stand out. She'll be recognized with a letter of commendation and the opportunity to apply for a promotion as battalion chief.

ALI: Oh, I'm excited.

WALKER (voice-over): Until then, she's making sure Campbell is taken care of.

CAMPBELL: This is my angel.

WALKER (voice-over): She may have lost her son, but from the ashes, Campbell has gained a daughter.

CAMPBELL: We just clicked and I've just loved her ever since. I took her in as one of my daughters.

ALI: That's awesome.

CAMPBELL: And so she's a daughter.

ALI: Nothing better than having a second mom.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Well, one more story to restore your faith and maybe put a smile on your face. Just an awesome achievement in science. NASA's Perseverance rover has touched down on Mars. It's now combing the surface of the red planet for signs, perhaps, of life.

The first images it sent back to earth just stunning. A little view from its camera there.

Perseverance was what it took to complete the nearly-300-mile (sic) trip. It was remarkable, really.

CNN's Randi Kaye has more on its incredible journey and the joy that followed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The vehicle thinks it's in good shape to land, which is a great sign.

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That vehicle is the Mars rover known as Perseverance.

SWATI MOHAN, LEAD CONTROLLER, NASA: We are one minute from entry interface.

KAYE (voice-over): Inside NASA's control center in Pasadena, California, they are on the edge of their seats. This seven minutes of terror are almost up as the rover attempts to land itself on Mars without any help from NASA, given a communications delay with earth.

MOHAN: About 30 seconds from entering interface. Once there is enough atmosphere it will start controlling its path to the landing target.

KAYE (voice-over): This is the fifth and most sophisticated rover NASA has ever sent to Mars. Its mission, gather data and look for signs of ancient life in a crater that once contained a lake -- oh, something like 3.9 billion years ago.

MOHAN: We can see a little bit of that slowdown of the atmosphere on the Perseverance entry capsule.

KAYE (voice-over): Perseverance needs to slow down from 12,000 miles per hour to zero in just seven minutes in order to land safely.

MOHAN: Navigation has confirmed that the parachute has deployed and we are seeing significant deceleration in velocity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, yes.

MOHAN: Perseverance now has radar locked on the ground. We have timing of the landing engines.

KAYE (voice-over): As Perseverance inches closer to the surface of Mars the anticipation grows.

MOHAN: Ground speed is about 30 meters per second, altitude of about 300 meters off the surface of Mars. About 20 meters off the surface. Touchdown confirmed. Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars ready to begin seeking the signs of past life.

(Cheering)

KAYE (voice-over): Relief and now, celebration in NASA control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is so exciting. The team is beside themselves. It's so surreal.

Stay tuned. We might get some pictures.

KAYE (voice-over): They didn't have to wait long. Perseverance got right to work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well (ph) three, I have the target points on the map when you are ready. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are ready in well (ph) three. Go for it.

(Applause)

KAYE (voice-over): And before they called it a day, the rover sent its first tweet from the Martian surface. It reads simply, "I'm safe on Mars. Perseverance will get you anywhere."

Randy Kaye, CNN, Palm Beach County, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: I like that message, perseverance will get you anywhere. And also, I guess they only have black and white TV on Mars. It looked like --

SCIUTTO: Don't take shots, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: It looked like --

SCIUTTO: That's 301 million miles away.

CAMEROTA: -- a TV screen from the 50s that we were looking at.

SCIUTTO: Well, it makes me smile. I hope it makes you smile, too.

CAMEROTA: I know. You're so excited about it. And you would volunteer, you said, to go up into space.

SCIUTTO: Absolutely, when the price comes down.

NEW DAY continues right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

CAMEROTA: And good morning, everyone. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world.

John Berman is off this morning. Jim Sciutto is in. Great to have you.

SCIUTTO: We've got a lot of big interviews this hour.

CAMEROTA: OK. Coming right up, first, the crisis in Texas continues. This morning, many begin to get their power back but they are still grappling with this massive water crisis now. Millions of Texans do not have safe drinking water. Nearly half of the state has been ordered to boil their water. Some only have access to snow.

Many people still dealing with these burst pipes and major damage to their homes.

Overnight, a huge fire broke out at this San Antonio apartment building shortly after the water was turned off there.

The water crisis is also putting a major strain on hospitals.