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Fauci's Warnings Get Louder, U.S. In Very Serious Problem; Americans Waiting Hours For Tests, Multiple Days For Results; . Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired July 10, 2020 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: We should look at it. And good to see you, Jeff. Thank you so much.

And thank you all so much for joining us today and this week. I'm Kate Bolduan. Our coverage continues now with Brianna Keilar.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN NEWSROOM: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar, and I want to welcome viewers here in the U.S. and the around the world.

The nation's top infectious disease doctor is sounding the alarm with every breath he's taking right now. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has been restricted by the White House from going on television, has not briefed the president in two months as America's pandemic is only getting worse.

The country just saw more cases in a single day than ever before, with 63,247 new infections on Thursday alone. Today, Dr. Fauci told a World Aids conference that the situation is, quote, a true historic pandemic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It seemed that whatever we did in different parts of the world, there were responses that were sometimes favorable and that country has got it under control.

But as you can see from this slide here, my own country, the United States, as I'm sure we'll be able to discuss a little bit more, is in the middle right now, even as we speak, in a very serious problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Thursday's case count is second time this week the U.S. has broken its daily record and the figures from the states experiencing case surges are really just disturbing, Florida, California and Texas, all reporting their largest daily numbers yet of people dying from COVID.

Plus, the increases in daily case averages are off the charts. It's up more than 1,200 percent in Florida. In early May when reopening began, the state was averaging about 680 cases a day. Now, it's averaging about 9,000 cases a day.

In South Carolina, the average of daily new cases is up 942 percent. In Arizona and Texas, it's up more than 800 percent.

And now a CDC forecast which is based on 23 separate projections from varying experts predicts the U.S. will reach more than 147,000 deaths by the beginning of next month. Right now, the U.S. reports more than 133,000 people in the U.S. have died from coronavirus.

And despite all of this, moments ago, the president just landed in one of the nation's hotbeds for the pandemic and once again he was not wearing a mask as he greeted people getting off of Air Force One.

Miami-Dade is Florida's hardest hit county, where one in three of those tested is positive for COVID-19.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is traveling with the president. And, Kristen, the tension between the president and Dr. Fauci is really becoming more present by the day. Tell us about this.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really is and it's striking to watch because so much of this is playing out publicly and in the media. I mean, this is of the nation's top health experts. It is supposed to be an adviser to President Trump, a member of the coronavirus task force, and yet we haven't seen Dr. Fauci at the White House advising the president at all. You mentioned, he hadn't been there giving a briefing in person for two months.

I do want to note, we actually did see him there today so we will get a readout from that meeting. But the president himself is not there at that time, so something to note here.

But we have really watched this back and forth as President Trump has tried to separate himself from the virus, tried to downplay the virus, talking about how strong the government's response is, how the only reason there's so many high case numbers is because there's so much testing, where Fauci has obviously taken a different route.

Now, he isn't appearing on any of the major networks. He's going and getting his voice out there in other ways, doing these -- any interview, anyone who asks to talk to him. You said he slammed Florida's opening. He said that they had singled out the state.

He actually is talking to President Trump directly at one point. He responds in an interview to something Trump said, where he said 99 percent of COVID cases were totally harmless. He responded by saying that he doesn't know where the president got that number from.

And now, we have President Trump last night on Fox News saying that Fauci is a nice man but made a lot of mistakes. Brianna, you just listed off all of those numbers. It is a surge here in America. There are enormous amount of people who are scared right now suffering from this and we have this quibble playing out as President Trump undermines his top health officials. KEILAR: Yes. Well, he should be listening to him. Kristen, thank you for the report. Kristen Holmes in Doral, Florida.

And as Florida is continuing to push ahead with its reopening, today, the state is recording more than 11,000 new coronavirus cases. That is the second time this month the state has surpassed the 11,000 mark in a single day.

Rosa Flores is in Miami for us. Rosa, what is the latest here?

[13:05:00]

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, the reality is that here in Miami-Dade, this is the epicenter of this crisis. It accounts for about 24 percent of the more than 240,000 cases in Florida. And it doesn't look like it's getting any better.

Earlier this week, experts were concerned because the positivity rate here in Miami-Dade was 27 percent. Well, it grew to 28 percent. Well, now, the latest number, 33.5 percent. And the goal for this county is not to exceed 10 percent and they've exceeded 18 percent for the past 14 days.

Now, the hospital system is getting tested. The infrastructure is getting tested. Take a look at these numbers. In the past 14 days, hospitalization of COVID-19 patients has increased 76 percent, of ICU beds 86 percent and of ventilators 124 percent.

And yesterday, Governor Ron DeSantis acknowledging another problem that they're seeing around the state, and that is that they're getting delayed test results. So if you don't know you have COVID and you're still out in the community, you are still spreading this virus.

According to the governor, the way that they're going to solve this is, starting next week, they're going to have specific lanes for symptomatic individuals, Brianna. So, hopefully, they can route those tests first and get those results quicker. Brianna?

KEILAR: All right. Even though we know so many people are asymptomatic, so it's going to be a challenge posed by that. Rosa, thank you so much for that report. It's really been excellent from Florida this week. Thank you.

I want to talk with our medical expert. We have Dr. Peter Hotez, who is the Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and he's also the co-Director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development.

Dr. Hotez, what's your reaction to the president traveling to the most infectious area in the country, and he's there not for an issue related to coronavirus as one in three tests in the area coming back positive?

DR. PETER HOTEZ, PROFESSOR AND DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: You know, there seems to be a lack of understanding or awareness that we are in one of the most extraordinary public health crises that our nation has ever faced, maybe our worst public health crisis ever. And we are in the very worst part of this epidemic with no end in sight.

We were at 40,000, I think, when we spoke a couple weeks ago, and then 50,000 per day, new cases, now 60,000. It will be 70,000 by next week and rapidly approaching at 100,000 cases per day, apocalyptic prediction that Dr. Fauci. And now the hospitalizations are rising, the ICU admissions are up and now the deaths are starting.

So there was this fake narrative out there that's saying, hey, this is -- the death rates down, this doesn't cause death anymore, it's a mild illness. Now, the deaths are rising in Texas, Arizona and Florida. We knew this is happening, there was going to be a delay.

So the problem is, one, a massive public health crisis and failed response and no response from the federal government, and now what seems to be this misinformation campaign being waged by the White House and trying to deflect and minimize the problem. And it's not going to work. We have to start a federal response pretty soon. Otherwise, this is already in danger of getting out of control.

KEILAR: It is kind of crazy to hear you talking about starting a federal response kind of soon considering that this has been going on for months. But, look, we are in this situation we are in and right now the conversation is centered around what happens next month, what happens going into September as kids are supposed to go back to school.

Right now, the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis is pushing for schools to reopen month with in-person instruction next month. He says that if Home Depot and Walmart can do it, schools should be able to. How do you -- what do you think about that comparison?

HOTEZ: Well, all you have to do is imagine what it's going to be like when the school year starts in places like Florida and Texas and Arizona. Kids will start going to school. Forget about social distancing among kids. That's not what kids do, right? Kids hug each other, they cry, they get upset, they need to be comforted by their teacher, they throw up, they have accidents. This is what kids do and teachers have the hardest job on the planet, and even under the best of circumstances.

Now, to ask them to do this and expose them to COVID-19, especially teachers who are older, who have co-morbid conditions, you know it's going to fail. Eventually, some of these teachers will get sick. We saw that happen in New York City this past spring. I think there were 21 teachers who passed away from COVID-19 in New York. All it takes is one or two teachers doing that in some of the schools in Florida or Texas, it will be lights out. It will destabilize very quickly.

Here is what need to do. We now need to have a national roadmap, a national strategy where we look at every state and instruct and direct each state to get into containment mode or close to it by October 1.

[13:10:15] We can do this. In some states, we're already there. Other states, we may have to do a full shutdown. But you do it with a promise that by October 1, you can start to reopen and make -- reopen school safely, reopen up colleges and universities safely, we can even have sporting events, maybe college football and NFL by the fall if we do that. And with that hope, I think the American people will buy into it. But they need leadership. They need somebody at the top saying that we can do this.

And I know we can. But it's -- who's going to take that role? So far, the White House coronavirus task force has not been willing to take that role or unable to. The White House know the CDC has not willing to take on this role. Who are we going to find to do that? And that's going to be the big question now for the next few weeks.

KEILAR: Dr. Fauci, who so many people have been looking to for sound advice, is now receiving criticism from the president after he commented on coronavirus crisis in parts of the country. You know him personally, Dr. Hotez. You have known him for years. When you hear his recent blunt warnings and the tone that he's taking here just sort in the immediate past after he's walked a fine line for several months, what does that tell you?

HOTEZ: Well, you know, I have known Tony, Dr. Fauci for 40 years. He is a mentor. And one of the things that not many people use to describe Tony is that he is an incredible patriot, an American patriotic, loves his country. And so he's walked that fine line for a number of months in order to stay engaged and keep the president focused and it's just getting harder and harder for him.

And he, like many of us, feel the need to speak out because saying nothing now is allowing so many people to get exposed. And, remember, who's getting hit the worst right now. It's those living in the low- income neighbors and the big metro areas in Miami, in Houston and Dallas and Austin, Phoenix. That's the most vulnerable because you can't do social distancing in low-income neighborhoods easily.

People have to be in the workplace in order to support their families and high rates of underlying diabetes and hypertension and other conditions among the poor, and who's protecting our most vulnerable. And I think that's why you are starting to see scientists like myself and Tony, Dr. Fauci, you know, have to take on that political role even though it's not in our comfort zone, because saying nothing in itself becomes immoral.

I don't want -- and I have this conversation with my wife. And she said to me, you know, you don't want to wake up five weeks from now, six weeks from now and know that all of these people have perished, especially those who are vulnerable, and realize you did nothing, that you didn't do all you could. And that's why it is not fun for me to go out there and take on this political role.

I have tried to stay very focused on the science for the last few months and now I realize that just only doing the science in the midst of this massive misinformation campaign would be an immoral position to take. I know how to go after empty science movements. I have done this my whole life because I'm an vaccine scientist and also the parent of an adult daughter with autism and wrote a book of called, Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism, which made me public enemy number one with the anti-vaccine movement. They called me the original gangster villain.

So I know what an organized misinformation, anti-science movement looks like and this has all the elements of it. And people are dying, especially our most vulnerable. And this is not what we do in America.

KEILAR: Well, you know, I have to say, Peter, you are a patriot too, because you are out there searching for a solution and you're sounding the alarm and we have been talking for months now. It's so clear how much you care about Americans and their health. So thank you for joining us.

HOTEZ: Well, thank you for giving me a voice. I deeply appreciate it.

KEILAR: Yes, we do too. Thank you, sir. We'll see you again very soon.

Americans are waiting hours in line for COVID tests and days to see the results. I'm going to speak live with a testing site coordinator who had to turn people away.

Plus, an alarming revelation from Dr. Fauci, nearly 50 percent of infected people are asymptomatic.

And as Tulsa says, there's been a spike in cases after the president's rally there. The president says his New Hampshire rally tomorrow night is postponed due to weather.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:00]

KEILAR: As the number of coronavirus cases goes up, so does the demand for tests, but that demand has made states scrambling. This is Texas. You can see just how long the line is here for testing there in Edinburg. We are seeing similar scenes playing out all across the U.S., in Arizona, where cases are spiking, people are waiting several hours for a test. And what's sores, they're waiting one, two and even in some cases three weeks to get the results of the test.

If you're in a state like California, which is reporting a record number of deaths, folks need to know if they have the virus and they need to know soon. Finding out weeks later does nothing to slow the spread. In fact, it can actually exacerbate the spread as asymptomatic spreaders in your neighborhood, your community roam around, unaware that they have been infected.

[13:20:01]

The situation is hard all around and one group of non-profits has banded together, they're trying to provide a free testing site in Arizona, but they too have been frustrated by this process.

Jarvis Reddick is the Commander of American Legion Post 65 there. This is one of the groups that's organizing this effort. Jarvis, thank you so much for being with us to tell us what's going on there. Tell us what you are seeing on the ground.

JARVIS REDDICK, LEADER OF ARIZONA NON-PROFIT WORKING ON FREET TESTING: Right on the ground, we are having extremely long lines. People have been waiting, probably got in line this morning around 12:30 A.M. And, again, we open up at 6:00 A.M. and we are getting through the line pretty fast right now. But we have to understand, with more volunteers, the faster we can actually do this.

KEILAR: Okay. So how long does it take right now to get through the line?

REDDICK: I would say probably three hours.

KEILAR: Probably three hours. And that is sort of -- that's moving pretty quickly, right?

REDDICK: Yes. We are actually on the Southbound Community College Campus. And once we get you on campus, it takes about three hours to get you through to testing.

KEILAR: Okay, so three hours. That's a long time for people waiting. What kind of help do you need right now? You said volunteers. Anything else that you need?

REDDICK: Well, what people have to understand is this. The other cars that we have is averaging three to four people in it, so that's what slows the line down also. It's not just one person in the car. So even though we go them on campus and try to get through the line, where we run into situations, we have, like I said, averaging four people in a car and sometimes we have ten people in a van. So that slows the line down a lot.

KEILAR: Okay. And so in terms of the volunteers, you have enough? You don't have enough volunteers? Is that really the sort of problem here?

REDDICK: Well, the more the better because we in Phoenix, Arizona, the heat, the volunteers can only work so many hours before they need a break and so forth. So we have to relieve them and have a place to cool down and so forth. So, yes, the more volunteers that we have, the more we can give volunteers a break so we can be more productive.

KEILAR: Do you have the personal protection equipment that you need for testing?

REDDICK: Yes. We do.

KEILAR: Okay. So is there anything that you need of your state and local leaders or that you want them to know about what you're seeing?

REDDICK: Simply because the non-profits, again, our post and also here in Arizona Foundation, we just found out that we had to kind of do it for ourselves. The local officials, again, they're welcome to come out and give is any assistance that's needed. That would be helpful. So this is non-political for us.

KEILAR: Yes, you're just doing it yourselves. And, Jarvis, you're doing God's work. Thank you so much for coming on to tell us about it.

REDDICK: Thank you.

KEILAR: As health officials are pleading with young people to stop spreading this virus, one university is blaming frat and sorority parties for its surge.

Plus, the governor of California is under pressure as the number of deadly outbreaks grows inside of prisons.

And the school superintendent in Dallas says high school football is unlikely this year in Texas, in Texas, right, where football is religion. What does that mean for other sports hoping to return?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:25:00]

KEILAR: The spiking coronavirus numbers in Florida have some Disney workers pleading with the company to postpone reopening but Walt Disney World is moving forward with opening the doors to the public tomorrow.

This video is from the theme park opening to season passholders on -- this happened yesterday, so this is just a day-old video.

And for more of the day's top headlines, let's check in with my colleagues across the country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN MCMORRIS SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONENT: I'm Evan McMorris-Santoro in Arizona. Restaurants like these in Scottsdale are open again today but under strict new rules, a 50 percent cap on indoor dining. The governor says the new rule is enough to help to bend the curve of the pandemic here, but public health officials worry it's not enough.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NAIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kyung Lah in El Centro, California, where the governor of this state is facing mounting pressure after outbreaks in the state prison system. At San Quentin State Prison, that has become a major hotspot. Seven prisoners have died from coronavirus. San Quentin, so far, has released 500 detainees early but the families say the prison needs to do more to contain the outbreak.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Coy Wire in Atlanta. High school football is as important to the State of Texas as any state in the country, but they're even more concerned that football won't be played at this fall after Dallas School Superintendent Michael Hinojosa told MSNBC he has serious doubts about playing a contact sport with coronavirus cases on the rise in his area. [13:30:00]

One state title game played in Dallas last season had 47,000 fans, more than two-thirds of all college ball games last season.