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More States Expand Vaccine Eligibility; Remembering Victims of Boulder Massacre. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired March 24, 2021 - 08:30   ET

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


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[08:33:31]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Utah and Arizona will expand vaccine eligibility today to anyone over the age of 16. Georgia will do the same tomorrow, and Texas expands on Monday. By the end of April, half the states in the U.S. will allow all adults to get vaccinated.

Joining us now, Dr. Jeremy Faust. He's an emergency physician at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston and an instructor at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Faust, thanks for being with us.

So, these states that are expanding eligibility all of a sudden, opening the doors completely, good sign, bad sign, you make the call.

DR. JEREMY FAUST, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL: Well, the one thing that's gone well lately is our vaccine rollout, 2 million vaccines a day, 3 million vaccines a day at times. That's finally something at the federal level that we can be proud of. So I am very happy to see that.

I suppose people could spin this and say, well, they're opening it up to lower ages because some people in the older age groups aren't on board. That's not perfect. I'll grant you that. But, ultimately, when you see the numbers of people becoming vaccinated, and a coinciding drop in hospitalizations and mortality, I am feeling pretty good about the overall situation.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: I'm with you, Dr. Faust, because I understand that the dream, the ideal, is to get the most vulnerable people, the elderly, people with co-morbidities, vaccinated. But doesn't, you know, a rising tide lift all boats? I mean isn't it true that even if you get 16, and 17 and 18-year-olds vaccinated, then it helps the most vulnerable.

[08:35:00]

FAUST: That's absolutely correct. And we actually are learning so much about how this vaccine -- this virus, excuse me, moves through communities and we have seen really, really good uptake in the most vulnerable. Again, not perfect, but I do believe that we are seeing enough of that population protected that it does make sense to get this vaccine into other arms.

BERMAN: You're particularly encouraged by some new studies that you've had a chance to read. Why don't you tell us what they say and what you like about them.

FAUST: Yes, in the past 24 hours we got what I call a data drop in "The New England Journal of Medicine." We had three or four small papers that looked at these vaccines, looking at not just their ability to stop serious, severe critical illness from occurring, but also just infection itself. I think many people don't realize that the major studies of the vaccines that we have for approved use right now really look mostly at whether they cause severe disease or not. They didn't check every single person for infection, which imply that you could become infected even if you're vaccinated, do well yourself, but then maybe spread it.

And there's still some degree of that, but now we're seeing in these new studies that the actual rate of infection, even asymptomatic infection, is really a lot lower than among people who have not been vaccinated. That means that the more people that get vaccinated, the sooner we can get back to regular interactions in our daily lives.

CAMEROTA: That is huge because that's the reason that we're all still wearing masks is because we don't know if we're sort of silent carriers, even if we're not having any symptoms, even if we've received one or more of the vaccines.

So if this bears out that it cuts down on all infection, what does that -- what does our summer look like, what does our fall look like?

FAUST: Well, it's a good situation as long as we don't have new variants. Right now the big concern I have is that the vaccines work very well against the original strain, the strain that sort of took this world by storm, and there's a little bit of signal that these variants that are emerging evade the antibodies that the vaccine helps us create. And that could really ruin the party.

So one thing we want to do is to make sure that as we relax our protective measures, we do so in a way that doesn't give this virus more opportunities to infect more people and make new variants that render my vaccination status moot. The last thing I want to do is wake up tomorrow and find out that the protection that I have no longer means what I think it means.

So I think we're on the right track, but we really have to make sure that we decrease the number of infections so that we decrease the number of new variants.

BERMAN: Dr. Jeremy Faust, always a pleasure to have you on. Thanks so much for being with us.

FAUST: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: OK, big, sweeping changes are planned at the U.S. Postal Service and how it will affect your mail delivery, maybe not for the better. That's next.

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[08:41:57]

BERMAN: Longer first class mail delivery times, shorter post office hours, part of a sweeping ten-year plan rolled out by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. So top Democrats immediately blasted the plan. The White House says President Biden's concerns about the Trump- appointed postmaster remain. Democrats accuse DeJoy of trying to sabotage postal delivery just as Democrats were encouraging Americans to vote by mail in the 2020 election.

I will tell you, I have some personal experience with the mail service.

CAMEROTA: I know. You sent me a lovely card and I received it about two and a half months later.

BERMAN: So, no. So I send valentines out to people.

CAMEROTA: I know you do.

BERMAN: We mail them like two weeks before Valentine's Day and people were getting them --

CAMEROTA: St. Patrick's Day. I got mine basically.

BERMAN: Yes, like barely. I just got one back. It was sent to the wrong address. But six weeks later it came back to me.

CAMEROTA: Something's terribly wrong if you don't get a Berman Valentine's Day card.

BERMAN: No. Really. Now it's serious.

CAMEROTA: OK, so is this story. Listen to this.

The Anti-Defamation League is calling for an investigation after a Massachusetts high school football team reportedly used anti-Semitic and Holocaust terms during a recent game. "The Boston Globe" reports that the Duxbury High School football players made calls using terms like Auschwitz, Rabbi and Dreidel. The team's head coach apologized for the use of language that he says was hurtful, unnecessary and inexcusable. "The Boston Globe" adds that the coach is not expected to return to work while an investigation is underway.

What?

BERMAN: It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable that the coach, if the coach knew it was happening, let it happen. It's also, frankly, if you're a high school kid, you should know better. You should know better.

CAMEROTA: Of course. Just really strange. So we need to find out more about that, which we will. BERMAN: In just a few hours, Boston will make history when Kim Janey, the city's first black and first female mayor, takes office. Janey is city council president, became acting mayor when President Biden chose Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to become his labor secretary. When the Senate confirmed Walsh Monday, Janey became official. She'll be sworn in just before noon today. As we said, history making in Boston.

CAMEROTA: Oh, absolutely, things are changing in Boston.

OK, just in to CNN, the dogs are back at the White House. According to the first lady's office, Major and Champ, the family's German shepherds, spent some time with a trainer at the Biden's home in Delaware but have since returned to Washington. Major, a three-year- old rescue dog, you'll remember, had a biting incident with a Secret Service agent earlier this month causing a minor injury, but has apparently been cured.

BERMAN: He sat up. He liked -- he like your read there.

CAMEROTA: I'm not sure exactly which one is Champ and which one is Major, but one -- I got one of their attention right there.

BERMAN: You know, Major's a rescue dog and, obviously, there are issues there. I felt really bad for everyone involved here. The poor dogs got sent away. It's like a time-out.

CAMEROTA: I know. And President Biden really seemed to love having those dogs around. So this is -- well, we'll see. We'll see if they're on their best behavior.

BERMAN: Fingers crossed. And I will say, again, I've said this before, there's a record of nasty dogs at the White House. Barney bit a reporter, OK? Barney bit a reporter.

[08:45:00]

There's some First Amendment issues there. And we know (INAUDIBLE) do. But, again, so there's a history here. Hopefully they'll figure out a way to make this work.

CAMEROTA: That's really ruff.

BERMAN: Oh, man.

All right.

CAMEROTA: Moving on.

BERMAN: Here's where we need something. Here's what else to watch today.

ON SCREEN TEXT: 12:30 p.m. ET, White House press briefing.

4:15 p.m. ET, President hosts U.S. Women's soccer team.

8:00 p.m. ET, Boulder City Council special meeting. BERMAN: The family of one of the Colorado shooting victims actually came to this country seeking safety. We're going to remember the young man, next.

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BERMAN: New information this morning about the victims in Boulder, Colorado.

Neven Stanisic was 23-years-old. His parents came to this country in the late '90s fleeing war in the Balkans. On Monday he was killed in the parking lot of Kings Soopers as he was likely heading home.

[08:50:02]

Joining us now is Reverend Radovan Petrovic. He is Neven Stanisic' family pastor.

You've known Neven since he was six years old, Reverend. Tell us about him.

REV. RADOVAN PETROVIC, PASTOR OF MASSACRE VICTIM NEVEN STANISIC: Good morning, John. Thank you for having me.

Yes, it is very difficult situation. Very difficult for me as a priest of the family, having known Neven since he was six years old. To even talk about this, you can just imagine what grief and pain the family is going through. It is a terrible loss, and we are all shocked with this happening to him and to his family.

BERMAN: Tell us about him.

PETROVIC: Yes, he was a very good boy, I can tell you. Very well- mannered. He was brought up very well. His parents, people of faith. He was a quiet and hard-working boy. He understood that he needs to help his family that he loved so much that he decided to start working right after he graduated high school. So he was a very good boy. Done nothing wrong to any person. I have never heard anything bad, you know, being said or told to me about him.

He was very dedicated to his work, which was technically helping other people like fixing coffee machines that we all enjoy every morning. So that was his responsibility. Unfortunately, that morning, that day actually, in Boulder, he was there to fix some Starbucks coffee machines and he was able to complete that and on his way to another project, it is my understanding, that he was gunned down in his vehicle as he was about to leave as the shooter was parking right next to him.

BERMAN: Have you had a chance to talk to the family? How are they doing?

PETROVIC: I have been with the family and spent some time with them. They're not doing well. I cannot describe the pain and agony that they are going through. You know, the screams of a mother in that situation, it's something that cannot be described, but rather when you see that, and when you experience that in person, it's very disturbing.

We are all here for them. You know, a lot of friends in our community are expressing condolences to them. And actually I'm going to their home and visiting with them, trying to share some of the grief and pain that they are enduring. And as we are all faithful to God, I hope that, you know, in this time of great Lent for us Orthodox Christians that the message of resurrection, that we are looking forward to will help them overcome this terrible, terrible loss.

BERMAN: What do you say when you're with a family like that going through so much grief? How do you try to help them?

PETROVIC: Well, I can tell you right now it's very difficult because it's -- everything is very fresh and they are not, you know, doing particularly well. But, you know, we try -- I try to encourage them to be there for their daughter. They have a younger daughter. And, of course, we encourage their daughter to be there for them. And also to look out for the family members and to somehow find a way to overcome this tragedy.

BERMAN: How did you find out about his death?

PETROVIC: To be honest, I heard and got the message on my cell phone as I was driving home that there's a shooting going on in Boulder. But I didn't, you know, read much about it. But, unfortunately, the family received the news from the coroner's office at 3:00 a.m. They called me right away. And that's how I found out. And I had to go and visit with them. And it was very, very difficult and painful for them and for all of us.

[08:55:05]

BERMAN: Reverend Radovan Petrovic, listen, we thank you for being with us. We're glad you're there for the family. I think they probably need you more -- more than ever. So we appreciate you. We appreciate the work you're doing. Please send our love to the family.

PETROVIC: Thank you very much. And we are praying for all the victims and their families and especially for our own family, as you said, who were seeking refuge here and a better life and to have this unfortunate tragedy happen to them, it is very sad and very puzzling to them.

BERMAN: They fled one war and they've arrived here in the middle of, in a way, a different kind of violent war.

Reverend, thank you for being with us. Appreciate it.

PETROVIC: Yes, thank you very much. God bless you.

BERMAN: CNN's coverage continues, next.

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