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U.S.A: Three Million Cases, 131,000 Deaths; Australian Prime Minister Backs Drastic Isolation Of Melbourne; Mexican President AMLO To Visit The White House; Bolsonaro Tests Positive But Maintains Bravado; Israel Reimposes Lockdown After All-Clear; New Antibodies Study Adds Evidence against Herd Immunity; Tiktok Leaving Hong Kong in Wake of National Security Law; Civil Rights Groups "Disappointed" after Zuckerberg Meeting; U.S. Federal Reserve Vice Chair: "No Limit" to Asset Purchases; Nice's Book Claims Trump Sees "Cheating as a Way of Life"; Dozens Killed as Rainfall Triggers Flash Flooding in Japan; English Football Effort to Boost Management Diversity. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 08, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
The United States sets another grim record on its way to three million coronavirus cases. And the country's most respected scientist said things are far from over.
While President Trump says the U.S. has done, quote, "things right."
Australia puts its second largest city back on strict lockdown for six weeks, as the country fight to get its coronavirus cases under control again.
And it's yet another book the White House doesn't want you to see. Why Donald Trump's niece says his family helped turn him into what she calls the world's most dangerous man.
As the U.S. deals with a surge in coronavirus, it has broken its own record for new daily cases. Johns Hopkins reports more than 58,000 infections on Tuesday alone.
The nation is closing in on three million cases in all and spikes in more than 30 states. And this could just be the beginning.
According to one projection, the death toll, now around 131,000, will top 200,000 by November.
One expert tells CNN's Anderson Cooper there is a way to save thousands of lives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. CHRIS MURRAY, DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH METRICS & EVALUATION: If people would wear masks, if we can get it up to that Singapore level of 95 percent of people wearing masks through, for example, mandates, that can reduce the death toll by November by about 45,000 deaths.
So if states start doing that then our forecasts will definitely come down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: So around the world, 11.7 million cases are confirmed with more than half a million people dead of the virus.
The World Health Organization says that since last April -- since April, pardon me, new cases have now doubled to 200,000 a day and it says the virus is only speeding up.
We can clearly see signs of that acceleration right here in America's sunbelt. And hospitals are having a tough time keeping up.
CNN's Erica Hill has an update.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cases surging in the sunshine state. More than 7,300 reported on Tuesday.
Forty-three hospitals in Florida report their ICU beds are now at capacity, nearly three dozen more are close.
Yet the governor is pushing forward with plans to open schools next month, touting his state's efforts to prepare for the long haul.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FLA): The whole point of the curve, flattening the curve, was to make sure we had enough health care capacity.
We're in a way better position today to be able to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Restaurants in Miami Dade County told to pull back as hospitalizations there surge. And that curve the governor mentioned? Looking more like a steep cliff.
Though it's not just Florida. Arizona now has the highest number of cases per capita in the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. PETER HOTEZ, TEXAS CHILDRENS' HOSPITAL CENTER FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENT: In Arizona, the cases are rising so rapidly that we cannot even do contact tracing.
The epidemic is out of control in the southern part of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Texas just reported more than 10,000 new cases, its highest single-day increase.
Houston's mayor urging the state's Republican Party to cancel its upcoming convention in his city scheduled for July 16th.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR SYLVETER TURNER, HOUSTON, TEXAS: I believe canceling the in- person convention is the responsible action to take.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: The Texas GOP still planning to hold the event, adding a mask requirement for attendees. Meantime, the Texas State Fair canceled for the first time since World War II.
The governor now saying he allowed bars to reopen too soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GREG ABBOTT, (R-TEXAS): You have to wonder if they should have ever been opened at all because bars really aren't made in a way that promotes social distancing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: California's state capital closed after at least five assembly members tested positive. And a new study finds so-called "silent spreaders" may account for as many as half of all cases.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. LEANA WEN, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN: Even the states that are doing well right now should be on guard because they could be next.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Erica Hill, CNN, New York.
NEWTON: Dr. Armand Dorian is a physician and chief medical officer at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital. He joins me now from Los Angeles.
And thanks so much for joining us.
The numbers are just staggering, really, they're hard to fathom. How frightening is this for you and your hospital right now?
DR. ARMAND DORIAN, PHYSICIAN & CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, USC VERDUGO HILLS HOSPITAL: It's frightening, but it's more disappointing. Because I guess you could say the virus fooled us once, shame on the virus; but now the virus has fooled us twice, shame on us.
Because we know now where the virus was going to go and how the trajectory was going to go higher. We know more about the virus. Now we shouldn't be fooled.
We know that stay-at-home worked and we know that masking works. Yet with all of those things that we know, we still can't control it.
NEWTON: And yet in terms of the implications for the hospital where you are now, California has been one of those places where it's been a bit puzzling. Because California did seem to do everything right.
Why do you think the surge is happening even in your state? And do you feel threatened by states even like Arizona that are now finding itself in the middle of a surge?
DORIAN: Yes. By the way, state borders mean nothing because the virus will travel where humans will travel. And as people cross state lines, so will the virus.
But having said that, California's very interesting, specifically Southern California where we have multiple hotspots in one.
For example, Los Angeles County where I am, my hospital right now has a small protective field because in the literally five-mile radius, it's quiet. But five miles over, the hospital is literally at capacity.
So it's a very interesting dynamic and it provokes anxiety but also creates more frustration from the physician and the health care worker standpoint because we sacrificed so much to try to bring that curve down.
And we just gave it away in two seconds because of just people just wanted to go out and go to the bars.
NEWTON: Yes. We've heard this time and again, obviously, from medical professionals like yourself who, as you said, have sacrificed so much. Also just be away from your own families --
DORIAN: Right.
NEWTON: -- and really compromising your own health. I have to ask you. It's a good time to take stock of the virus itself, right?
What has surprised you about the community spread and really how it's growing?
DORIAN: There's two main characteristics about this virus that are extremely surprising.
One is the asymptomatic spread. Normally, what we are used to and what we've always been taught is, once you have symptoms, you can be infectious.
That is a game-changer with COVID-19. You can spread even before you know you're sick.
The second thing is it's quite easy to spread. So it's not that difficult for one person to be in a room for a little bit over 15 minutes with others and others will get it.
So both of those two things combined have really been shocking with this pandemic.
NEWTON: And as we wait for a vaccine, it's the only hope at this point in time. I think many people were expecting that there would be treatments by this time.
When you see what's happening with those treatments or even, I would say, the learning curve for doctors and hospitals like yours, has there been progress?
DORIAN: Yes. There definitely has been progress but we don't have a cure. We don't have the ability to stop the infection from really wreaking havoc if you are the chosen one.
Some medications like remdesivir and some steroids can actually help.
But here's the problem. The problem is we have an answer right now, and it's distancing, masking and hand sanitizing.
But even when something is so simple and so affordable, we have a difficult time doing it because people -- wearing a mask is helping others, it's not helping themselves.
So that concept of leaning on me or leaning each other to help each other, we're having a tough time here with that.
NEWTON: What do you think will turn it around?
DORIAN: That's a very tough question. I think we are going to get to a point where, unfortunately, the government is going to step in and mandate stay at home.
And that is when I don't believe we're going to get compliance by everybody.
So I'd rather us not have to have a mandate and instead come to grips with -- don't wait till it's your family member who's sick, don't wait till it's somebody you know who's in the ICU. If you wear a mask from now, you can actually help save lives.
How easy is that? I had to go to school for twenty years to be able to have the honor to help save lives.
You can save a life by just putting on a mask.
NEWTON: Before I let you go, the United States gave formal notice today that it's withdrawing from the WHO. The process itself will take a full year.
But what's at stake? Do you believe the United States or anyone else needs an international body navigating this? Especially where you find yourself, right? On the front line in a hospital in California?
DORIAN: Of course we do. Is this not proof that viruses travel all over the world?
[01:10:00]
And if we don't have an early presence and are on top of things from day one, sometimes it doesn't matter if you're really smart or have a lot of technology, once things get out of hand because you're too late, it is too late.
So we need a presence around the world.
And we have to get back to being the leaders in medicine, the leaders in health and the leaders in diplomacy.
NEWTON: Well, certainly given the latest and unfortunately staggering numbers, it will be interesting to see how much that modifies behavior in the United States.
Dr. Armand [sic], thank you so much. Live for us there, from Los Angeles.
To Australia now where millions of Melbourne residents are preparing to enter another lockdown as authorities scramble to prevent a second wave of the coronavirus.
Now starting a midnight local time, residents can only leave their homes for essential trips including getting food, going to work, exercising and caregiving.
Now a spike in cases in the state of Victoria has already forced the government to shut down roads out of New South Wales and that is unprecedented. In fact, it's been a century.
Anna Coren joins me now from Hong Kong. Its so good to have you following the story for us.
I keep looking at the fact that there are a few hundred new cases every day, and yet the measures being put into place are really drastic.
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know. It's day and night, isn't it, when we compare it to other parts of the world like the United States and the doctor that you were just speaking to.
Australia has tackled this extremely aggressively. It's a huge country, huge borders, but it locked down those borders back in March, and this spike in cases in Melbourne has really rattled the country.
The reason being is that authorities managed to flatten the curve.
The nation pretty much went into lockdown for two months. And as the states have gradually reopened, people have returned to these normal lives, a semblance of normal lives. But in doing so they become complacent, they've dropped their guard.
And that is where we have seen this virus return with a vengeance.
134 cases today out of Melbourne, that's down from the 191 cases that we saw yesterday, that record yesterday.
But this lockdown will go in effect as of midnight tonight and that will last for six weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Having aggressively tackled the pandemic, compared to other countries, Australia thought it had flattened the curve.
That was until COVID-19 reared its ugly head again, but this time, with a vengeance.
For the past week, cases have been surging in the state of Victoria. A record 191 new cases on Tuesday, prompting the Victorian premiere to take drastic action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PREMIER DANIEL ANDREWS, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA: The public health team have advised me to reimpose stage three stay-at-home restrictions, staying at home except for the four reasons to leave. For a period of six weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: It's deja vu for the more than five million residents of Melbourne.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROHAN BURGESS: We have to do what we need to do to make sure everybody's safe in Australia, and in particular our local community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: They went through a two-month lockdown back in March. But as the state reopened, residents dropped their guard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREWS: I think a sense of complacency has crept into us. I think each of us know that we've got no choice but to take these very, very difficult steps.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: But it's not just complacency, it's also potentially reckless and illegal behavior.
Australian officials have launched a judicial inquiry into allegations that the outbreak in Melbourne could have been sparked by contracted security guards not following protocols and interacting with international arrivals under government quarantine in a hotel.
The outbreak has led to a dozen suburbs in lockdown while the residents of nine housing commission tower blocks are not allowed to leave their homes under any circumstance until everyone has been tested.
The 3,000 residents locked inside are primarily refugees and immigrants, relying on authorities to deliver food and much-needed supplies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED DINI: We're waiting for people to drop supplies to us, the SES and emergency services. The situation is one of anxiety, it's one of -- a lot of people are scared.
These towers are basically vertical cruise ships and a lot of us are sitting ducks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: And in a move that hasn't happened since the Spanish flu 100 years ago, the border between Victoria and New South Wales will be closed.
Up to 1,000 police and military personnel will be deployed along the more than 1,000-kilometer border.
A logistical challenge but one considered necessary to try to prevent the virus spreading across the nation.
[01:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PREMIER GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN, NEW SOUTH WALES: This is unprecedented in Australia. That's why the decision of the New South Wales government is unprecedented. We've not seen anything like this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Now a short time ago we heard from the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, when he addressed the nation.
He said that the measures being taken in Victoria, specifically in Melbourne, were the right ones. That, basically, Victoria was self- isolating.
The plan is that by this lockdown and then the border closure between Victoria and New South Wales, it will hopefully stop the spread of the pandemic to other parts of the country which have relatively low numbers.
So he said we are all Melburnians, we are all in this together. That Melbourne went through this back in March and that they can do it again.
And that the country will prevail -- Paula.
NEWTON: And (inaudible), we'll all be watching. Really just to see if that's what it takes, right. Those drastic measures. Anna Coren for us. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
Now for months he's dismissed the coronavirus as just a little flu. But now Brazil's president has tested positive for COVID-19. Will his attitude toward the pandemic change?
We'll have a report from Sao Paulo. Plus once praised for its response to the coronavirus, Israel is struggling with a new spike in cases. And the country's public health director is calling it quits.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: The Mexican and U.S. presidents will meet in Washington in the coming hours.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador left Mexico City Tuesday on a commercial after he tested negative for the coronavirus.
Now his visit with President Trump is to celebrate the implementation of the new free trade deal, the US-Mexico-Canada agreement.
Matt Rivers takes a look at this meeting of the minds.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You might think that President Donald Trump and Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, wouldn't get along.
Demonizing Mexicans has been a key part of the Trump playbook. Build that wall, Mexican immigrants are criminals and invaders and so on.
And for his part, Lopez Obrador was asked in 2017, is Trump a racist?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"Yes, yes," he says. He incites racism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
But since he became president in 2018, Lopez Obrador, known here as AMLO, has for the most part refused to publicly criticize Trump.
And when the two men meet this week, expect it to go well.
Trump has said he likes the Mexican president and AMLO said this last month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"I am going to the U.S. to thank President Trump for his support and solidarity."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
The two presidents will mark the start of a new free trade deal that replaces NAFTA. And AMLO says he'll thank Trump for sending ventilators during the pandemic.
But critics in Mexico have urged him not to go saying an Oval Office visit gives Trump and his supporters a pass over their rhetoric on immigration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: How do you stop these people? You can't.
That's only in the panhandle you can get away with that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:20:00]
RIVERS: Some of them also argue that Lopez Obrador could be used as a political prop, saying the oval office photo op could be used to demonstrate international support for an embattled president in a re- election fight.
Asked about that criticism, Lopez Obrador dismissed it. And said the U.S. and Mexico have an essential economic relationship.
He says I'm not going to the U.S. for politics or elections issues. Politics is like walking a tightrope, you need to take risks and make decisions.
So as Mexico's economy has been crushed during this epidemic, shoring up the country's most important economic relationship could be at the top of his mind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY RUBIN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MEXICO: Almost 85 percent of all exports go to the States, which is obviously a huge number. So Mexico is highly dependent on trade.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: Plus, there's a lot the two men have agreed on recently.
They both have routinely ignored scientific advice during the coronavirus pandemic, they don't wear masks in public, have pushed for an economic reopening and aren't pushing for more testing.
A new free trade agreement is the reason for the meeting but it seems like there could be a lot of common ground.
Matt Rivers. CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: More than three million of all confirmed cases of the coronavirus now come from Latin America and the Caribbean.
Now according to Johns Hopkins University, that's almost a quarter of the global tally.
Countries like Peru, Mexico and Chile are seeing some of the largest outbreaks in the region. But Brazil, with more than 1.6 million cases so far, is the worst affected.
Brazil's president has consistently downplayed the threat of the pandemic. But on Tuesday, Jair Bolsonaro announced he's tested positive for COVID-19.
He's one of a staggering 45,000 new cases confirmed on Tuesday alone.
Health officials also reported more than 1,200 more fatalities, about twice as many as the day before.
CNN's Bill Weir is in Sao Paulo with more.
BILL WEIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After months of sneering at "a little flu." and wading into crowds of unmasked fans, Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro told his country today that he has COVID-19.
But there was no sign of a president humbled.
"I'm feeling very well," he said. And gave much of the credit to two doses of hydroxychloroquine, the controversial anti-malarial drug first pushed by Donald Trump then stockpiled by Bolsonaro but unproven as a treatment for COVID-19.
And he insisted that the millions of young people he's urging back to work can still feel invincible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAIR BOLSONARO, PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL (through translator): Younger people, take care. But if you are affected by the virus, rest assured that, for you, the possibility of something more serious is close to zero.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WEIR: When you were health minister, did you try to warn him? Try to get him out of those crowds, for his own health?
DR. LUIZ HENRIQUE MANDETTA, FMR. HEALTH MINISTER, BRAZIL: Yes. Everybody did. Not only the health minister, all the other ministers. We all advised him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WEIR: Dr. Luiz Mandetta was Brazil's health minister until Bolsonaro fired him for trying to get the nation to stay distant or stay home.
But instead of the virus converting the president to science, Mandetta worries it will only amplify a pseudo-scientific message of more malaria pills and less quarantines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MANDETTA: He stands for it and makes a political stand for, well, I had the disease, here, look at me. I'm OK, I'm a superhero. I took this medicine, I really did well. And you should do this also.
His message could be a disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WEIR: Meanwhile, the largest cemetery in Latin America is not large enough these days.
And in his 25 years of digging at Vila Formosa, Andenelson Costa (ph) has never seen fresh graves fill up so fast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"There were four COVID families here this morning, and we're shocked," he says. "Everyone is the same. Ten minutes, max. No wake, no way to look in the coffin.
Because it is the last greeting they will ever give to the loved one they lost. And there is no time for a ceremony."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Bill Weir, CNN. Sao Paulo, Brazil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And now to Iran. Which is reporting the most coronavirus deaths in a single day there, 200 on Tuesday.
Now the country also registered more than 2,600 new cases.
Masks are now required in public spaces in Iran due to the recent spike.
According to Johns Hopkins, Iran has more than 245,000 cases in all. Nearly 12,000 people have died.
Israel's public health director has quit over the soaring rate of new coronavirus cases in that country. She says her warnings about trying to return to normal too quickly were ignored.
Israel won early praise for how it handled the pandemic, but now it's re-opening strategy is, in fact, under fire.
CNN's Oren Liebermann has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If Israel's first wave of COVID-19 was a success story, its second wave appears on pace for a very different ending.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BAR COHEN: I'm still taking care of myself. And washing my hands and not getting close to people so much. I hope it will be fine soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: As coronavirus cases surge across the country, the government has reimposed closures of public halls, pubs, gyms, pools and more.
With unemployment already more than 20 percent, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to avoid another complete lockdown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINSTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): Today, there are around 90 severe cases and the number is doubling every four days.
If we do not act now, there will be hundreds, perhaps thousands, of severe cases in the coming weeks which will paralyze our systems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: When the country reopened in early May, Israel looks like an international coronavirus success story.
Low mortality rate, few new infections, available hospital space. And Netanyahu was riding that first wave to high approval ratings.
Then came the second wave. Daily infections have increased fifty fold. Twenty new cases a day are now 1,000 new cases. Active infections hit record highs.
And Netanyahu's approval rating on the handling of COVID-19 has plummeted; 74 percent in May to 46 percent now. According to recent polling.
The National Unity Government, formed specifically to deal with coronavirus, appears more concerned with political squabbles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This government is crap, and the prime minister is full of crap.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: Sixty percent of Israelis fear for their financial future. The worry is that bad can still become worse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI BAROZ: My heart goes out. I don't know how people are maintaining, people raising families, people who have lost their businesses.
The last shoe hasn't yet dropped, unfortunately. So it's concerning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: On Tuesday, the top public health official at the ministry of health resigned, saying her professional opinion was no longer accepted. And warning that the country is approaching a dangerous place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"To my regret, for a number of weeks, the handling of the outbreak has lost direction," she wrote in her resignation. "Despite systemic and regular warnings in the various systems and in the discussions in different forums, we watch with frustration as the hourglass of opportunities runs low."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
In late April, Netanyahu said Israel had been successful in its mission to combat coronavirus as he began easing restrictions and opening the economy.
But the mission isn't over yet.
Oren Liebermann. CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: So a new study on coronavirus antibodies delivers some dismal results.
What it tells us about so-called herd immunity. And why we shouldn't be hanging our hopes on it.
Plus why civil rights leaders are furious after a meeting with Facebook's CEO.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:27]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: The World Health Organization is examining new research on how the coronavirus spreads. Now, a group of scientists says there is growing evidence that virus particles can float in the air and infect those who inhale them. The WHO had stated earlier that the virus mainly spread through droplets that quickly hit the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENEDETTA ALLEGRANZI, TECHNICAL LEAD FOR INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: We acknowledge that there is emerging evidence in this field, as in all other fields, regarding the COVID-19 virus and pandemic. And therefore, we believe that we have to be open to this evidence, and understand its implications regarding the modes of transmission and also regarding the precautions that need to be taken.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, the possibility of transmission through airborne spread versus larger droplets is in fact huge because it could change the guidance on physical distancing and how to stay safe.
Now, another new study is bad news for those hoping for so called herd immunity. That is when enough of a population gets infected with the virus to actually stop it circulation. The virus no longer has the host that it needs, and people effectively become vaccinated against it.
But the latest research out of Spain finds just 5 percent of its population had developed antibodies, meaning the other 95 percent are still susceptible to COVID-19 which suggests herd immunity is unachievable.
Dr. Isabella Eckerle is a virologist and the head of the Center for Emerging Viral Diseases at the University of Geneva. And we really appreciate your expertise on this because I think everyone acknowledges a lot of us are just out of our league and we really need the information.
I mean first to this study, why is it an important study? And specifically given its methodology, why do you believe that it makes a convincing case, you know, that herd immunity is impossible?
DR. ISABELLA ECKERLE, CENTER FOR EMERGING VIRAL DISEASES, UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA: Yes. So the striking thing about this study is that it investigated more than 60,000 individuals across the whole country. And in terms of methodology so the antibody prevalence was assessed by two tests that were run in 29 laboratories.
So from a technical side, it's a very well done study on a huge number of individuals. It's the biggest so far in Europe. And it gives us a very detailed picture what happens not just in one place but across the whole country.
NEWTON: And given what it shows then, is that the conclusion? That in fact herd immunity was something that no country could have been striving for?
ECKERLE: So the interesting fact about this study as it looks a the whole of Spain is that they found areas where they had highest seroprevalence, that was mainly in Madrid and the provinces around Madrid which exceeded in some places 10 percent and these were in fact all through the regions that were severely infected where they had a lot of hospitalized cases, a lot of deaths.
And then in the more rural areas and the coastal areas, the seroprevalence was much lower. So first of all, it shows that the seroprevalence correlates quite well with what we see in terms of cases and in terms of deaths although we know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. So it gives us a real picture of the people who have been exposed. And in fact it means that the people who have been exposed, it's just a small minority of the population. And still they had this many deaths and an overwhelmed health system.
NEWTON: Yes. And it certainly shows that all of the warnings that we continue to have about this virus are definitely warranted.
And what does this mean? Because, you know, so many of us have come to think of heard immunity as the holy grail. I mean, does it basically give us the conclusion that look, we are going to be living with this virus for a very long time? And that the public needs to be maintaining those public health measures in order to avoid these second, third, and fourth waves of this epidemic until we have a vaccine?
ECKERLE: I don't think we should think that it will be a very, very long time like many years. I think there will be a vaccine. There are many approaches coming, and the vaccine will be the solution to achieve herd immunity.
[01:34:49]
ECKERLE: But with the seroprevalence data that we have now not only from Spain but also from other places, it shows us that the natural herd immunity, it will not be possible to achieve that or if we would aim for that, we would pay a very high price in terms of completely overwhelmed health care systems and a lot of deaths. So it is quite unrealistic to achieve that. And it will also take a very long time.
On the other hand, as you say, the large majority of the population has not been exposed so it means that we still have to keep some measures in place to avoid a second wave and to protect those that have not been exposed until we have a vaccine.
NEWTON: You know, it's been an open question, this issue of a vaccine. Everyone has been hopeful so far, not just on timeline, but the fact that a vaccine will be discovered and that it will be effective.
Is that still in keeping with the research that you've reviewed?
ECKERLE: Yes. So there are many studies ongoing on vaccines. Actually many people think that coronaviruses maybe not even that difficult because it's not like the flu that they change a lot but they stay very similar in their genetic sequence.
So it's one serotype. Basically it's one virus for which we have to find a vaccine. It's not expected that this virus will change as much, for example, as influenza. And there are already many, many candidates, many different methods, also a lot of innovative techniques. Some of them are already assessed in humans. And I think we have a good reason to be very hopeful in that area.
NEWTON: Yes. We will certainly be going to hang on to that piece of information. I want to backtrack to another study that we have been talking about over the last few days. And that is the fact that the antibodies in some people who have been asymptomatic have not been very strong. They have not produced very strong antibodies.
ECKERLE: Yes.
NEWTON: I personally know people in my family who have had COVID-19 and the health professionals told them directly, do not assume that you are immune right now even though you have had the virus.
Is this, you know, another so-called curveball that this virus keeps throwing at us?
ECKERLE: So there are two things. There are some studies that show that people who are very mild or asymptomatic do not develop a good antibody responses or do not develop an antibody response at all. But it seems that this is really just a small part.
More than 90 percent of people seem to develop an antibody response. So far, we do not know if this antibodies are protective, but again we know already coronaviruses so we have coronaviruses that cause the common cold and we know for those, that if you have antibodies, you are protected for a certain time. It may be between one or two years but you will not be immediately re-infected.
And then also we don't know maybe you can get infected but your disease does not exhibit the same severity like the first time. So I think we have good hope to think that we do have some kind of protection. But it will not be a long-lasting or lifelong protection like it is maybe for other diseases, for measles or so.
NEWTON: Well, Doctor, I want to thank you. Some of the most informative vie minutes I have had on this issue and a lot of it hopeful so we really appreciate it. Dr. Isabella Eckerle there for us -- thanks so much.
ECKERLE: Thank you very much.
NEWTON: Now, the hugely popular social media app Tiktok says it is pulling out of Hong Kong in the wake of the controversial new national security law.
CNN's Hadas Gold has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN REPORTER: This decision by Tiktok to pull out of Hong Kong should really be seen as part of a broader messaging effort by Tiktok to try to distance itself from China, despite the fact that it is owned by the Beijing-based company ByteDance.
Because Hong Kong is actually not a big market at all for Tiktok, it's nowhere near, for example, India which recently banned Tiktok from the country. But what Tiktok is trying to do here is send the message to its critics that it is not in the pocket of the Chinese government. This despite calls from people like U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who called Tiktok a security threat because of laws in China which require Chinese companies to work with the Chinese government when asked. And that is part of the reason why Mike Pompeo says they are actually considering banning Tiktok in the United States.
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We are taking this very seriously. We are certainly looking at it. We've worked on this very issue for a long time, whether it was the problems of having Huawei technology in your infrastructure. We've gone all over the world and we're making real progress getting that out.
We declared ZTE a danger to American national security. We've done all of these things. With respect to Chinese apps on people's cellphones I can assure you the United States will get this one right, too.
GOLD: But Tiktok has always maintained it never has and never will hand user data over to the Chinese government even if asked. And that move comes at the same time as some of the biggest Internet and social media platforms in the world, including Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Zoom have said that they're going to stop processing user data requests from Hong Kong authorities as a result of this national security law.
[01:39:52]
GOLD: Because this new national security law gives Hong Kong police the authority to demand these platforms handover user data or that they remove content from their platforms that the authorities deemed to be somehow breaking this national security law which, keep in mind, can be something like calling for Hong Kong independence.
Facebook, for example, for its part says it wants to consult with human rights experts before they decide on their next steps forward.
Hadas Gold, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: So activists and civil rights groups say they are disappointed in Facebook's leadership after meeting with CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg. Now, they were discussing how the company can better combat hate speech. It comes as dozens of advertisers are boycotting the social media giant until it changes its policy.
For more, we are joined by CNN's John Defterios who joins me now from Abu Dhabi.
I mean there is a lot at stake in this meeting -- highly anticipated. It only lasted an hour. And clearly, things didn't go well.
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yes, that is for sure, Paula. This was a Zoom meeting to bring all the stakeholders together, at least face to face via the screen, as you're suggesting. And by all accounts, it ended up to be a pretty nasty affair. We set the scene here as the activists against the behemoth, 2.6 billion monthly users, nearly $70 billions a year in terms of ad revenue. But there is 750 companies in this boycott against Facebook for the month of July.
So as you suggested Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg and other Facebook executives did show up, but the context from the activists is they didn't really offer much more than that, particularly when it comes to rooting out all the hate crime material that's posted on Facebook, but also they're pushing for diversity within the company.
And this is not often spoken about but there is a 10-point checklist from the activists that they want to see met and they don't see progress. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN GREENBLATT, CEO, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: Our recommendations are simple and straightforward and transparent. They have been published on our Web site since mid June. Facebook asked us for this meeting. And we expected them to share details and timeframes, to act (INAUDIBLE) on those recommendations.
Instead we didn't get any details. We didn't get any timeframe. No commitment, no outcomes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEFTERIOS: Pretty clear communication there by the activists. They are suggesting, Paula, that Facebook told them that their AI, the artificial intelligence is rooting out 89 percent of the hate postings as they see it and they're making progress on that other 11 percent.
However, they used the analogy of Ford Motor Company, for example. And they said, which is part of the boycott, if Ford said that their seatbelts worked 89 percent of the time, it wouldn't be acceptable and it would be regulated by consumer protection agencies.
So you can hear the narrative right now. You're unregulated. You tell us this is what you're doing, take it or leave. And in this context, at least during this July boycott, they are saying it's not acceptable. So the heat is still on.
NEWTON: And obviously, they are not seeing the contrition they want clearly, the action.
I want to turn now to trying to get through this COVID economy. $10 trillion to fight the economic fallout from this, nearly a third of that is from just the United States. And yet the Central Bank really wants more done here, right?
DEFTERIOS: I think the signal being sent by the U.S. Federal Reserve is that we will do whatever it takes to make sure that this recovery is sustained. And $3 trillion of that $10 trillion is coming from the United States and they are working on more packages from Congress although that may be delayed until September as we see it work through the system.
There are many facets to it. There's bond buying overnight lending to the banks in terms of liquidity, and then Main Street lending for small and medium sized enterprises which has been slow to take off.
But Richard Clarida, who is the vice chair of the Federal Reserve, told our Richard Quest here is the signal. We will do everything that we have in our toolbox, pull it out and use it as long as necessary. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD CLARIDA, VICE CHAIRMAN, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE: When it comes to the size of our balance sheet, we make those decisions. There is no limit to how much we can purchase in terms of treasuries and mortgage backed securities.
You talk about the alphabet soup of programs. I think it is important for your viewers to know, Richard, these programs are meant to encourage and support the flow of credit to households and businesses and the economy. And those will remain in place as long as they are -- as long as they're needed. So there is more that we can do and there's more that we will do if we have to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEFTERIOS: And there is a downside to this (INAUDIBLE) and we talked about it 24 hours ago. With so much liquidity in the system, that has been a green light for investors to pile into the stock market and why we've seen the rally. And they have not been able to fine-tune this idea of what goes to Main Street and what is needed in the banking system, which keeps interest rates low and the evaluations of the stock market extremely high as we have witnessed.
[01:44:52]
NEWTON: Yes. That is where people are going to get a return on their money definitely when interest rates are so low.
John Defterios for us live from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you. Thanks so much.
Now, President Trump tried to block its release, but now a scathing tell-all book is hitting shelves next week literally. Why his own niece claims the President cheated his way through his entire life.
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NEWTON: U.S. President Donald Trump's own niece isn't holding back. In an explosive tell-all book, Mary Trump paints a scathing picture of the President. She's a clinical psychologist and accuses him of being a sociopath who cheated his way through life.
CNN's Sara Murray has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: There's a skating new critique of President Trump and this time it's coming from his own niece. CNN obtained an early copy of Mary Trump's book and in it she writes about the toxic culture that Fred Trump, the patriarch of the family, Donald Trump's father created.
She says that's why Donald Trump is the way he is. And she describes her uncle as a liar, a cheater, essentially a sociopath. You know, at one point in her book, she writes, "The lies may become true in his mind as soon as he utters them, but they're still lies. It's just another way for him to see what he can get away with, and so far, he's gotten away with everything."
Mary Trump includes a number of embarrassing anecdotes from the President. It's clear that there is bad blood in the family. It goes back decades.
One of these anecdotes is actually when Donald Trump was younger, he wanted to get into the University of Pennsylvania and she says he paid another kid to take the SATs for him.
Now, the White House says that is absurd. They're say it's false and they are questioning why this book is coming out now.
Well Mary Trump says that Donald Trump destroyed her father, her father Freddie Trump who struggled with alcoholism and has since passed. She says she's not going to stand by while Donald Trump destroys the country.
Sara Murray, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: At least 50 people have been killed as flash flooding devastates southern Japan. Heavy rainfall has caused the flooding and landslides in recent days. Nearly one and a half million people are right now under an evacuation order.
Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins me now. And good to see you. Yes, I mean really sad here to see the loss of life.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Nice to see you as well.
NEWTON: And obviously it's still a risk, right?
JAVAHERI: Absolutely a risk. You know, the condition's actually going to worsen over the next couple of days before they improve and we are absolutely in the heart of the wet season.
So this is as wet as it gets this time of year across this particular region of Japan. But the amount of rainfall, what has come down, what has caused this mess here across some of the southern prefectures really nothing short of remarkable in the last several days.
To kind of show you exactly what we were talking about, you kind of see these broad scope of the amount of water on the ground, and then the damage left behind.
And of course, we're amid a pandemic here so when you're talk about evacuations, folks have to try to social distance indoors, get away from one another, try to keep safe in that sense but hundreds of thousands of people have already been asked to leave certain areas in these southern prefectures in far greater numbers when you look at the larger regions.
[01:50:00]
JAVAHERI: But upwards of 500, 600 and 800 millimeter rainfall totals coming in. This is an incredible number.
I was looking into this. For Berlin, for example, if you're waking up this morning, got cloudy morning across Berlin, for you to get 860 millimeters, it would take 18 months on average to do so.
For London, it would take -- 550 millimeters is about what they get an entire. Minamata, Japan, this is in southern Japan picked up about that amount just on Sunday alone. So again, when you bring that much water down on the ground, no matter who you are, it is going to lead significant damage, significant destruction and Japan has all the resources it takes to be able to cope with these sort of weather events, they see them rather frequently.
But the among of rainfall is certainly nothing that you can really gain control of. And unfortunately this is the wet season. We call this the Mayubayu (ph), the ancient Chinese will tell you all about it. You have the winds that collide across this region, the seasonal sending permanent boundary that sets up.
And that translation of Mayubayu Paula, means the plum rains, and the ancient Chinese near the typically for May, for June and July -- about a 40-day stretch when you get rainfall almost every single day, and then, you know it was time to harvest the plums.
And of course, this time of year, the population increasing greatly across the region. This leaves a lot of damage and destruction as we're seeing.
NEWTON: Yes, and it's good you pointed that out, obviously trying to evacuate that many people during a pandemic is obviously a much greater task than otherwise would be.
Pedram, thanks so much. Good to see you.
Now, players in the English football league are a globally diverse group but their managers, not so much. Ahead a push to get more ethnic minorities into coaching.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: The return of English football has brought players to the pitch in Black Lives Matter attire. And it's put a renewed focused on leveling the playing field for everyone and the sport. And that includes coaches. World Sport contributor Darren Lewis has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARREN LEWIS, CNN WORLD SPORT CONTRIBUTOR: English football's governing bodies have announced the new scheme to boost representation in management. While almost a third of professional players across the country are black or from other ethnic minority populations, those statistics are not reflected in managerial positions.
The EPL said its new scheme is aimed at broadening the base of coaches on 23-month placements with a view to those coaches moving into the dugout.
DARREN MOORE, EPL BLACK PARTICIPANTS ADVISORY GROUP CHAIR: I would say to that the numbers are alarming. and yet let's not go away from the fact that they are alarming and that there's only five serving within the game.
What the scheme does is it allows the individuals that are best selected to join these clubs is to work and sort of get their hands dirty in the clubs terms of the coaching and analysis work or the development of players and the development itself.
LEWIS: The EPL says six placements which will include intensive training will be handed out in at least one or two and the championships which sits just one below the premier league.
Crucially, the coaching scheme does not extend to the premier league which is English football's top tier competition. That is something of which campaigners have been critical.
[01:54:53]
TROY TOWNSEND, HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT, KICK IT OUT: I'm a little bit underwhelmed, if you want to be totally honest. We've been in this place before where we've spoken up about lack of representation in coaching circles. But I'm not sure what this addresses.
So I'm just a little bit skeptical as to why the Premier League have now opened their doors up and why, you know, there seems to be just an entry level for these coaches, you know, six coaches over 23 months, you know, best part of two years.
It strikes a chord to me that we'll only go so far. And just looking and wondering why it's only acceptable to have six coaches and why we cannot progress something that has rolled out right across the leagues and has a little bit more impact as well.
LEWIS: At present, there is only one black manager in the Premier League. That's Nuno Espiritu Santo. The coaches were perhaps wondrous that across English football's 91 professional clubs, there are only five serving black or ethnic minority managers.
The Premier League and England's Football Association acknowledged more needs to be done to tackle the under representation, particularly at a time when social movements and the current generation are pushing for change.
Players across England have been taking a knee to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement. It's this kind of action that has shed a light on the issues of systemic racism in both society and across the game.
Management and coaching, well they're just two of the areas in dire need of change and the success of the new scheme will be something that fans, players and campaigners will be watching very closely next season.
Darren Lewis, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Ok. So an Australian man had the fright of his life fighting off a deadly snake, wait for it, while speeding down the highway. Police say the man, identified only as Jimmy, noticed an eastern brown snake in his truck. It's highly venomous, in case you are wondering, and causes most of the snakebite deaths in Australia. Now, the man killed the snake and police him over as he was speeding to a hospital.
Here's Jimmy telling them what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM: This came right like up and ran and came like in between my legs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you're driving over 100.
JIM: I'm driving over 100 and I just started to break. And the more I move my legs, the more -- because it's pretty big.
(CROSSTALK)
JIM: He's wrapped around me. And then it's head just started striking at the chair like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Just listening to that was terrifying. The police called for help and paramedics said the man hadn't been bitten, but he was of course, in shock.
Jimmy says he's never been so happy to see those red and blue lights. I'll bet. He didn't really figure out how the snake got in the car, but oh well.
Thanks for watching. I'm Paula Newton.
CNN NEWSROOM is back after a quick break.
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