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Trump Resurrecting Coronavirus Task Force Briefings; Study: Links Between Virus And Genetic, Blood Type Variables; U.K. Suspends Hong Kong Extradition Treaty. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired July 21, 2020 - 02:00   ET

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

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ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hi, everyone, I am Robyn Curnow. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM here in Atlanta. Coming up this hour:

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We did it. Europe is strong. Europe is connected.

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CURNOW (voice-over): Breakthrough in Brussels, E.U. leaders strike a huge deal, to help soften the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

And a big development in the big race for the vaccine but leaders caution there is still a long way to go.

And better late than never. Donald Trump keeps admits that wearing a mask is the patriotic thing to do.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.

CURNOW: Great to have you along.

So after a marathon summit lasting 5 days, E.U. leaders have agreed on a new plan to hopefully pull the E.U. out of a deep recession. The European Council president tweeted his excitement at the agreement. The new E.U. budget, includes over $859 billion in grants and loans for member countries. John Defterios joins us from Abu Dhabi.

So you are our numbers guru. E.U. leaders are calling this historic.

Why?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, historic in a sense, Robyn, because the original goal prior to the pandemic was to get a 7 year budget deal. They did that and the stimulus plan for the COVID-19 pandemic to the tune of better than $850 billion .

And it was the right mix at the end of the day, between direct aid and loans that got this through the finish line. When they started the negotiations nearly 5 days ago, it was going to be 2:1 of direct aid or a wealth transfer from the north and south. But because of resistance, from groups in the north, the core group called the frugal Four, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Austria, that split was almost in half.

But this hurt the southern Europeans, who are suggesting we are going through a deep crisis. Our medical systems are under strain, we do not have the money to take out long-term loans because the debt to GDP ratios, are so high from the last debt crisis.

At the end of the day, the president of the European Commission said it's the right balance between budget solidarity and also looking toward the environment and sustainability at the same time with the long term budget. Let's take a listen.

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URSULA VAN DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION (through translator): We are currently and one of the most difficult economic and health crises. But nonetheless Europe is managing, having worked really hard to tackle this crisis in a very effective way.

And this will benefit the E.U. budget and it will link solidarity with responsibility. Solidarity, because all 27 countries, together, bear and support next generation E.U. and the responsibility because next generation E.U. doesn't just point its way out of the crisis but is the very foundation of a modern and sustainable Europe.

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DEFTERIOS: And the modernizations, going back to what I was saying on the sustainable development here, are going to wind and solar and out of coal and oil. And Europe is leading on this front.

It is particularly important, Robyn, when they had to deal with -- and still are dealing with -- migration from Africa and the Middle East, they did not have the -- criticized roundly by those member states in the south, they said we didn't get the support when we needed it. This strikes that balance. And it's a huge package of nearly $2 trillion here, plus the stimulus package as part of the deal.

CURNOW: So then just, if you break it up for us, how is this going to be divided?

Who gets what?

DEFTERIOS: Well, the division is pretty clear here because there is always the development aid going from north to south, that'll be the case. So the Italians, the Greeks, the Spaniards and the Cypriots, they will get the aid that's needed here but less of it. And they will not have to borrow, with better than 100 percent of GDP in terms of debt to get there. So that is not ideal but I think it was the right balance at the end

of the day.

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DEFTERIOS: If you think about it Robyn, their failure was not an option. Let's put it that way. The world was watching to see, especially with Brexit at the door in 2021, could this group of 45 million citizens come together, with pressure of the pandemic, and unify or not.

And it didn't look like that, this was the longest summit since 2000 and the wrangling over the budget back then, this is more complicated because of COVID-19. But that is why Macron calls it historic. But 2 days ago he was so frustrated by this frugal four and the inability to find a compromise, he was actually stomping (sic) the table.

And it was Angela Merkel, chancellor for 15 years, that said, we can bring this together and that is where we stand tonight after burning the midnight oil, if you will.

CURNOW: OK, good to speak to you, thanks so much, John Defterios.

So now to a breakthrough for British scientists at Oxford and their candidate for the coronavirus vaccine. After early human trials, it appears to be safe and introduces immune response. Human trials from other vaccine makers have produced similar outcomes.

But, researchers say, it is far too soon to know if the vaccines will be safe for widespread use.

And as the number of confirmed cases continues to rise, with nearly 50 million reported cases worldwide, so, too, is pressure to develop this working vaccine. Researchers from Oxford University partnered with the drugmaker AstraZeneca and say if things go well their candidate could be ready by the end of the year. Here is Anna Stewart with that.

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ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Promising results, the vaccine being developed here by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. This was phase one and two of human trials. There are over 1,000 people on the study. It showed a strong immune response in terms of antibodies and T-cells. There were some side effects.

That's not uncommon actually and we've seen that in other phase one results from other candidate vaccines. What is so promising about this one is that it's one of just three that has already entered phase three of human trials.

AstraZeneca, which has partnered with the University of Oxford, says that it could produce the first vaccine as early as September. And it plans to make hundreds of millions of doses by the end of the year if successful. Two billion doses by end of next year.

They've already reached an agreement with the E.U., the U.K., the U.S., India, and developing nations through the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations or CEPI, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Serum Institute of India to ensure that this vaccine is distributed all around the world -- Anna Stewart, CNN, Oxford.

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CURNOW: Officials from around the world are expressing optimism but many people stress, we do have a long way to go before the pandemic is contained. British prime minister Boris Johnson congratulated the Oxford researchers but noted, quote, "There are no guarantees. We are not there yet and further trials will be necessary."

And the World Health Organization warns, even as a workable vaccine appears to be closer, the global crisis is far from over.

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DR. MICHAEL RYAN, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: This is a positive result but these are phase one studies. We now need to move into larger scale, real-world trials. But it is good to see more data and more products moving into this very important phase of vaccine discovery.

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CURNOW: And finally, after months of defying science and the advice of his own health experts, U.S. president Donald Trump tweeted on Monday a black and white photo of himself wearing a mask.

He said many people say it's patriotic to wear a face mask, when you can't socially distance. There is nobody more patriotic than me. This comes as many states are still refusing to make masks mandatory in public. Here's more now from Nick Watt.

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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): ... be a better option because ...

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NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT(voice-over): In Florida, the governor was heckled today. Florida's average death toll doubled these past two weeks. Monete Hicks lost two of her children to COVID-19, Byron Francis and Mychaela, in the space of 11 days.

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MONETE HICKS, LOST SON AND DAUGHTER TO CORONAVIRUS: Honestly, I can't say where they got this virus from because they basically was homebound. I mean only thing I'd say we went to Orlando for a vacation and all of a sudden they came home sick. Wear your mask. If you don't have to come out, stay home.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WATT (voice over): But the governor still won't mandate masks. So in Miami, the city will fine those with uncovered faces.

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DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: It's bizarre that we have turned the mask wearing into something political. Imagine you were an alien coming to planet Earth, you would be totally astounded, puzzled, amazed. You'd wonder what is going on here?

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WATT (voice over): Nationally, we're now seeing three times the number of new cases every day compared to mid June and nearly 60,000 Americans are right now hospitalized with COVID-19. Getting close to the grim record set back in April.

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ADMIRAL BRETT GIROIR, M.D., ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH: There is no question that we're having a surge right now.

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It really is all hands on deck. This is serious, but we know how to stop this.

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WATT (voice over): And in this graph, there might be some optimism. Average new case counts are flattening just a little in our hotspots; California, Arizona, Florida and Texas. Let's hope that holds. A possible reason ...

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since the mask order went into place, I have seen more people in my community who are wearing masks, who are doing more social distancing. I think some of these individual behavior changes are driving some of the improvement that we're seeing.

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WATT (voice over): As New York City moves into phase four opening today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a message aimed at young party goers.

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GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): I'm telling you in plain New York speak as a born and bred New Yorker, it's stupid what you're doing. It is stupid. Don't be stupid. What they're doing is stupid and reckless for themselves and for other people, and it has to stop.

WATT: And he has a message for police departments. Make people wear masks.

CUOMO: They have to enforce the law. That is the only line between anarchy and civilization.

WATT: Here in Los Angeles County, four days in the past week we've set a new record for the number of people in the hospital with COVID. The mayor here is saying we're on the brink of going back to stay-at- home orders. And the governor of California says that across the whole state, the next few weeks are going to be critical -- Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

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CURNOW: Thanks to Nick for that.

Dr. Esther Choo is a doctor of emergency medicine at Oregon Health and Science University and she joins us now from Portland.

So my colleague said it's critical, we certainly feel it across the new United States. And I want to show that photograph, of the U.S. president, wearing a mask, eventually and he is basically saying that he is patriotic to wear a mask.

This shouldn't be or non-patriotic decision. It's common sense.

So how confused or mistrustful are Americans right now, if this is the conflicting messages they are getting, about masks?

DR. ESTHER CHOO, OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY: Thank you Robyn, it's good to be back with you.

CURNOW: Good to see you too.

CHOO: I am at the point where, the data of spread and hospitalization and ICU visits and deaths, it's so concerning, I will take the message about masks anywhere comes, even if it's late or inconsistent because that is one of those things that we simply all have to do now.

And I will say you know if you look at polls, over the last month, there was a recent Gallup poll that showed that 70 percent or more of Americans say that they are wearing a mask outside of the home always or almost always good.

So I think for the most part now, that the virus is rising in the majority of our states, people are realizing that they need to do something. And mask wearing is one thing that we all have in our control.

CURNOW: It certainly does but the issue of trust is such a political issue right now and it's really pervaded in all aspects of American society particularly around coronavirus. We are also seeing this in the question about, if a vaccine were available right now, go down to your pharmacy or your doctor and get your vaccine.

I understand only half of Americans say they would take it because of the lack of trust. That's according to a former U.S. surgeon general. That must worry you as well as a doctor.

CHOO: This is absolutely going to be a huge hurdle that we have in front of us. We are so dialed in on finding a vaccine, then after that, ramping up the manufacture and the distribution.

What if we get it out but we have so lost trust globally just because of things that you are pointing out, inconsistent messaging and the messaging that we're in a rush to get a vaccine out, which gives people the impression that we are not taking the time to be rigorous about safety, I think there's a lot of information flying around.

If you look at that data that the former surgeon general was referring to, there was an AP poll that showed that about half of Americans, a little less than half, said they would even take the vaccine.

But if you break that down by race, it's 56 percent of white Americans said they would take it, only a quarter of Black Americans and about a third of Hispanic Americans, so it breaks down by race and ethnicity.

And I think there are strong historical reasons for that hesitation. We have a history of racism in our medical research. And there is not a lot of trust there for very good reasons.

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CHOO: So we have a big public health job to do if we are going to get a vaccine out once we've developed it.

CURNOW: Yes, inequalities in health care, very much on the table and obviously in the U.S.

But we've also heard with that in mind and I know that we don't want to be alarmist here but one expert is also saying, that these first vaccines may not be the best vaccines.

Do you agree?

And that plays into the question of people saying, hey, are folks going to be rushing to the market here?

CHOO: There is such a tension between this urgency to get vaccine out so that could be in our armamentarium, so we can get back to our lives. And I think that is driving the speed of the studies. We never see studies go through this quickly.

However, the comforting thing is that there are so many of these trials. When you look across vaccine studies, only about 50 percent of the studies that get to phase 3 actually get out into the market. Because there are so many different groups and our strongest scientific groups around the globe are working on this and there are 4 candidate vaccines in human trials. I think we are stacking the deck.

So that is something we will get through. And we are assured by Francis Collins, from the NIH, and other leading scientists, that all the safety reassurances have to be there. They have to be there before we move on to dissemination.

CURNOW: Thanks for that. And just finally before we go and I know we have spoken about it but even again, we are getting more and more information on the variety of symptoms. How people's bodies are attacked.

Have you ever seen anything like this in terms of the virus?

In many ways it's like a sophisticated weapon.

CHOO: It is such an interesting virus and I keep on saying every week and month that goes by, I say I think we still have more to learn about the virus, than we have already learned. And I still feel like that many days. I think that we are learning more new and interesting things all the time, because we are seeing how this disease plays out month after month.

Some patients are just not recovering in a timeline that is typical of a virus. And the variety of symptoms is incredible, how it affects the nervous central system and the immune system, just myriad symptoms. So it is a very mysterious virus and we are learning so much about it still. So this does not feel comfortable yet.

CURNOW: No, it certainly doesn't, early days indeed. Thank you so much for joining us, Dr. Esther Choo.

CHOO: Thank you, Robyn.

CURNOW: So the World Health Organization says, that South Africa is going through a major jump in new coronavirus cases, ahead what that could mean also for the rest of the African continent.

Plus at the height of the holiday season in Spain, a major new COVID- 19 outbreak. A drastic step that they are taking. Stay with us for that as well.

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CURNOW: South Africa is seeing coronavirus infections spread at an accelerated rate. That has the World Health Organization concerned.

We know that South Africa has the fifth most cases confirmed in the world. That is really concerning and the World Health Organization says that cases there have risen by about 30 percent just in the past week alone.

Now we also know that neighboring countries, also then reporting a spike in new infections. World Health Organization officials say that this could signal greater spread across the continent. Take a listen.

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RYAN: While South Africa is experiencing a severe event I think it is really a marker of what the continent could face if urgent action is not taken to provide further support. So I am concerned right now that we are beginning to see an

acceleration of disease in Africa. And we all need to take that seriously.

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CURNOW: Well, Nigeria's foreign minister has tested positive for the coronavirus, the first member of the Nigerian cabinet known to have COVID-19. Stephanie Busari takes a look at why this virus is seen as a disease affecting only affluent people in Nigeria.

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STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN PRODUCER: When the pandemic first hit Nigeria, it was largely seen as a rich man's disease because it mostly affected those who had money to travel abroad.

And in Nigeria's ruling class, this theory has been borne out as politicians have been hit particularly hard. Nigeria's foreign minister has become the latest government official to test positive for COVID-19. He is currently being treated at an isolation center.

He joins the hopes of high ranking officials who have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. At least six of the country's governors have had COVID-19 with three of them becoming infected in March alone.

Nigeria, the continent's most populous nation, has so far recorded more than 36,000 cases and 789 deaths. Among those who have died include President Buhari's chief of staff, who was buried in April.

A popular former governor, 70 years old, also passed away from complications due to COVID-19 late last month.

The government's initial response to the pandemic was swift but it has since been hampered by extremely low testing numbers. Nigeria has a population of 200 million people but the most recent data shows just over 212,000 tests have been carried out.

Compare that to South Africa, a country of 58 million people, which has already conducted more than 2.4 million tests. Certainly Nigeria's death rate is extremely low compared to other countries. But will less than 1 percent of the population tested, health experts fear the case numbers are much higher than reported.

And there was no doubt that non elites, too, will become casualties -- Stephanie Busari, CNN, Lagos.

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CURNOW: In Brazil, more than 80,000 people have now died from COVID- 19, that's according to Johns Hopkins University. The total number of reported infections, is more than 2 million, second highest in the world. Two members of Bolsonaro's cabinet are among the latest to test positive for the virus.

Mr. Bolsonaro says the infected ministers took hydroxychloroquine and are, quote, "already doing well."

And as many of you know, many health officials warn against using that drug to treat coronavirus patients.

And in neighboring Colombia, more than 200,000 coronavirus cases have been and the death toll is nearly 7,000 but despite the number of cases, Colombia's president has resisted calls to reimpose strict lockdown measures.

In the Dominican Republic the president has declared a state of emergency for the next 45 days. He made the decision due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.

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CURNOW: And he wants to protect the health care system from overflowing. The Dominican Republic has reported about 54,000 cases and nearly 1,000 deaths there since the pandemic started. That is according to Johns Hopkins University.

When Spain reopened last month, following a 3-month lockdown, COVID-19 cases were on the decline. But since Friday, more than 4,500 new cases have been reported. Health officials there fear a new surge. They are asking residents now to stay at home. Atika Shubert now reports from Barcelona.

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ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This summer Spain hoped its beaches would be the safest holiday destination in Europe.

Now at the height of the holiday season, some three million residence are being urged to stay home. The urban major outbreak on the streets of Barcelona and in surrounding areas.

Over the weekend almost 3,000 new infections were detected in the Catalonia region. Now according to one epidemiologists we spoke to, 75 percent of those cannot be traced back to any known cases of COVID-19. That suggests, uncontrolled community transmission.

How did Barcelona become the epicenter of the new outbreak?

Critical lack of staff to trace and isolate COVID cases, says epidemiologist Helena Legido-Quigley.

HELENA LEGIDO-QUIGLEY, EPIDEMIOLOGIST: We have had three months to prepare and we have not done it. It's a good investment, to invest on those people and pay them their salary. It's much cheaper than having to lock down the whole city, which might happen in the near future.

SHUBERT: By her estimate, Catalonia needs a minimum of 2,000 contact tracers. The government admitted to us it currently has less than half of that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We should have double, Atika. We are trying to do so, but you should bear in mind that we weren't we are preparing ourselves for an outbreak at the end of October, September. We fought, but we have been told by experts, that the high temperatures will slow down, will calm the virus.

SHUBERT: No such luck for Barcelona, even though the government is urging people to stay home, it is not mandatory. Which is why the beaches are full and cafes and shops are still open at 50 percent capacity. Residents are confused.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It wasn't clear and also that people can go outside of Barcelona, but their recommendations is to stay at home, but you can go to the beach, but you have to wear a mask, if you are in (inaudible) you have to wear it.

SHUBERT: Meanwhile tourists continue to stream in, though few seemed worried by news of the outbreak.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You catch it in the air in the U.K. You just be careful, you keep on the symptoms and the face mask.

SHUBERT: Barcelona's experience is a warning to other cities to get their monitoring systems up to speed now or face another lockdown -- Atika Shubert, CNN, Barcelona, Spain.

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CURNOW: Thank you, Atika, for that.

Now the Tower of London has stood in the British capital for nearly 1,000 years. That doesn't mean it is immune to the effects of the coronavirus as well. The Tower's iconic Beefeaters are now facing redundancy.

Officially known as the Yeomen Warders, the Beefeaters live and work at the Tower, providing tours. The organization that runs the Tower says the pandemic has dealt, quote, "a devastating blow" to its finances. Some of the approximately 3 dozen Beefeaters could lose their jobs.

Unraveling one of the mysteries of the coronavirus, why some people who survive COVID-19 never seem to make a full recovery. That is next.

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CURNOW: Welcome back. I'm Robyn Curnow live from Atlanta. It is 30 minutes past the hour. So with his poll numbers falling on Monday, U.S. President Trump tweeted a photo of himself wearing a face mask. He tweeted that it's patriotic to wear a mask when you can't socially distance. And then he said, "there's nobody more patriotic than me," because he's finally following the advice of his own health experts.

But as CNN's Jim Acosta tells us, the mask might be part of the larger plan to win favor with voters instead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: With more than 140,000 deaths from the Coronavirus in the U.S. and counting, President Trump is offering up a new proposal to show he's dealing with the pandemic, resurrecting the briefing room news conferences on the administration's response to COVID-19.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'll do it at 5:00 like we were doing. We had a good slot and a lot of people were watching and that's a good thing.

ACOSTA: As Mr. Trump made the announcement, the former reality T.V. host turned president appear to be more focused on the ratings for the briefings than the surging number of cases across the country.

TRUMP: Well, we had very successful briefings. I was doing them and we had a lot of people watching, record numbers watching. In the history of cable television, there's never been anything like it.

ACOSTA: The briefings were sometimes useful when they featured the expertise of health experts like doctors Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci. But Mr. Trump suspended the news conferences back in April, shortly after he suggested people could inject themselves with disinfectants to kill the virus.

TRUMP: Then, I say the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute.

ACOSTA: The President is still misleading the public about the virus insisting he was right when he predicted COVID-19 would miraculously vanish.

TRUMP: It's going to disappear one day. It's like a miracle, it will disappear.

ACOSTA: Mr. Trump defended that comment on Fox.

TRUMP: I'll be right eventually. I will be right eventually. You know, I said it's going to disappear. I'll say it again, it's going to disappear and I'll be right.

CHRIS WALLACE, ANCHOR, FOX NEWS CHANNEL: But does that -- does that discredit you?

TRUMP: I don't think so.

ACOSTA: And his lukewarm support for wearing masks still runs counter to what the experts are telling Americans.

JEROME ADAMS, SURGEON GENERAL, UNITED STATES: I'm begging you, please understand that we're not trying to take away your freedoms when we say wear a face covering.

ACOSTA: The President still faces tough questions over his handling of the pandemic like why the White House is seeking to block new funding for testing for the virus, a stance that irks some in his own party and surprised administration health officials. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH: The opening

bid from the White House was a bit surprising, certainly for many of us who are certainly hoping to see more in the way of support.

ACOSTA: A new ABC-Washington Post poll finds Mr. Trump far behind former Vice President Joe Biden. So, the President and his team are turning to former aides, Corey Lewandowski and Steve Bannon for advice.

TRUMP: We have Corey and we have all the people. And actually, Steve Bannon has been much better not being involved. He says the greatest president ever. I mean, he's saying things that I said, let's keep Steve out there. He's doing a good job. Bannon's message to Mr. Trump, pay more attention to the pandemic.

STEVE BANNON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: My recommendation would be, every day start to have the top people around you Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx, the Vice President, Dr. Redfield at CDC, Chief of Staff Meadows. Have them in the Oval, get briefed every day on an action plan.

ACOSTA: The president's interview on Fox concerned even some of his own aides with one advisor telling CNN, it was embarrassing. His total lack of preparation is catching up. One awkward moment came when Mr. Trump bragged about passing his cognitive assessment test.

TRUMP: Well, I tell you what, let's take a test. Let's take a test right now. Let's go down. Joe and I will take a test. Let him take the same --

WALLACE: I took the test to when I heard that you passed it.

TRUMP: Yes, how did you do?

WALLACE: It's not the hard -- well, it's not the hardest test.

TRUMP: No, but the last -- the last --

WALLACE: They have a picture and it says, "what's that" and it's an elephant.

TRUMP: No, no. You see, that's all misrepresentation.

ACOSTA: As for the president, he posted an unusual tweet, at least for him. All of a sudden, the president is now encouraging mask use, something his advisors have been urging him to do for weeks. It is quite the reversal for the president who once mocks Joe Biden for wearing a mask back in May. Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.

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CURNOW: In France, health officials say the coronavirus is spreading with at least 400 active clusters across the country. Now, France has mandated people to wear masks in indoor places, malls, bookstores, supermarkets, and the like. Officials fear the rate of infection will likely increase after months of decline. Those caught not wearing masks could be fined around $150.

And one thing is becoming increasingly clear about the Coronavirus. For some, the symptoms can linger for months. Symptoms like pain, fatigue, and trouble breathing. Well, a lot of doctors are racing to find out why. Here's Isa Soares with more on that.

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ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Emiliano Pescarolo is taking each day one breath at a time. With every exercise, a chance for this professional diver to train the muscles and his chest which have been weakened by COVID-19.

EMILIANO PESCAROLO, RECOVERING FROM COVID-19: Your strength is less than before. So, if you go for a walk, you have to take two or three hours to rest later.

SOARES: Three months since he contracted the virus --

PESCAROLO: Ever simple things like a walk for a couple of miles, it was like running a marathon.

SOARES: And after spending 17 days in hospital --

PESCAROLO: I cannot do the same thing that I did in the past.

SOARES: He needs to pause to catch his breath. He's one of dozens of COVID-19 patients being evaluated by a team of doctors at this Rehabilitation Institute in Genoa, Italy. And while the peak of infection may have passed here, medical professionals are only now coming to grips the long-term effects of the virus.

PIERO CLAVARIO, DIRECTOR, ASL 3 COVID REHABILITATION CENTER, GENOA: COVID patients, they have three main problems. The first one could be the lung problems, and this is the fear of most of the doctors. But the other one, less known probably, is the loss of strength, the fatigue that they very easily feel. And the last one is a psychological problem.

SOARES: As initially, here in the U.K., Professor Chris Brightling, who is leading a new major study into the long-term effects of COVID- 19 tells me he's also been seeing patients with fatigue and chronic pain that is now investigating other potential conditions.

CHRIS BRIGHTLING, PROFESSOR OF RESPIRATORY MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER: It might be that they actually develop new problems such as scarring on the lungs. And in some people, we've also observed that the blood becomes more sticky making them more prone to getting clots which can then occur in the lungs and also in the brain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thousands and thousands of us have been struggling --

SOARES: This is all very unsettling for people who have suffered for months on end with the virus.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some of us have been ill throughout with others having relapses.

SOARES: This video made by an 8,000 strong Facebook support group who are calling for rehab, research, as well as recognition.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As you can see --

SOARES: Senior intensive care nurse Claudia de Freitas is one of them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And good things about today will be, we made it through the day.

SOARES: Like so many others, she's been meticulously jotting down his symptoms since she first fell ill with a cough and chest pains in mid- March.

CLAUDIA DE FREITAS, SENIOR INTENSIVE CARE NURSE: I felt like I was going to have a cardiac arrest. That's how I felt the way that my heart was. And I get quite upset because it just takes you back to -- I'm sorry.

SOARES: It's clearly been a very long and difficult medical journey for Claudia.

DE FREITAS: You just get -- I'm sorry.

SOARES: Four months on since the onset of symptoms, she tells me, she's finally coming out of it.

Are you feeling better now?

DE FREITAS: I still have two chest pains but very mild, but I feel much better so I think I'm recovering.

SOARES: Like so many others, she hopes this will be the end of the battle with suspected COVID-19. But with so much we don't know about this virus, Research into its long-term consequences can come soon enough. Isa Soares, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: So there are growing questions about whether blood type affects the risk of being infected with coronavirus. One study suggests people with type A blood may have a higher risk of catching a virus and developing severe symptoms, while people with type O may have a lower risk. But a recent us study finds no evidence linking blood type to severe COVID-19 symptoms.

Well, let's go straight to Dr. Tom Hemming Karlsen. He's with Oslo University in Norway, of course. He's the head of research in the division of surgery, inflammatory diseases, and transplantation. And you initiated and led that one study that I was talking about. Doctor, great to have you on the show. Thank you very much. I do want you to talk us through the emerging evidence that your genes

but also interestingly, your blood type could potentially impact how your body deals with a virus.

TOM HEMMING KARLSEN, OSLO UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: Yes, I mean, what we actually asked ourselves was why do patients develops severe diseases in some instances. And we did a pretty simple, I would say, genetic analysis comparing individuals with severe disease to general population, and we found two gene that seemed to increase the risk of severe COVID-19.

The one is, I would say, an immune cluster on chromosome three, and the other one interestingly was the ABO gene locus on chromosome nine, which had already been implicated in COVID-19 previously by other researchers.

[02:40:19]

CURNOW: And ABO are the blood groups. So then why potentially would Blood Group O have a protective effect and not so possibly with Blood Group A? Why is there disparity in that?

KARLSEN: I think this is the question that now needs to be asked. We receive a lot of questions about should I get my blood type done, etcetera. I think this is not the time to go around doing blood typing of patients of yourself. This is the time for research to ask exactly the question that you are now asking me.

And for the moment we do not know, I think that there are, I would also say, various types of reports, some are more supportive of this fact, others are less supportive. And I think this in some, if you look at it, still indicates that something is going on. Whether this has to do with immune function, that's one hypothesis, or whether it has to do with blood clotting, which is also influenced by the blood type locus. We do not know yet.

I think the important message is that our findings is the starting point of research. It shouldn't enter clinical practice as of now.

CURNOW: But what was the discrepancy? I mean, you know, if you have A positive blood, I mean, how much more vulnerable are you potentially then than somebody else who has O?

KARLSEN: I would say that you're less than twice. And I think that as we see the various studies coming out now on blood type, I think the effect is probably even smaller. So it's a small risk effect. And comparing it to the clinical risk factors like hypertension, obesity, diabetes, I think this is going to be a minor risk factor.

What this risk factor can tell us about, like also the chromosome three gene locus, is something about the pathophysiology. You can think about the genome as a big collection of biology. What we did, we had two hotspots within this big collection of biology where researchers can now probe into the questions of what does this mean. And ultimately, then, of course, this may have therapeutic implications. But as for now, it's a research implication. CURNOW: You know, what's also interesting and we had another doctor on a little bit earlier on in the show, it's just the variety of symptoms that hit people, that the amount of ways this virus attacks the body in different ways. Would that impact on potentially your blood type, you know, whether you linger or whether you bounce back, whether you get symptoms or you don't? Would that also play into it?

KARLSEN: If I look at our data, it seems that the blood type association seems to be with COVID-19 risk per se, whereas this other chromosome locus that I mentioned, chromosome three, is immune gene cluster. However, it seems to link with severity so that the patients with a more severe disease have more of the risk variants in chromosome three.

So, for the ABO locus, so far, I'm not sure we can say anything about that. However, some of the variability that we see between the various studies that some studies show a strong effect, other studies show a weaker effect, may indicate that there are actually subgroups in which the blood type is more relevant than in others. But as for now, we cannot tell which.

CURNOW: And also, you make a point to say you're a starting point and this disease is as we know, in very early stages in terms of understanding how it attacks the body. Some have criticized, you know, many of these studies saying the methodology is wrong. Perhaps you didn't -- you know, you didn't, you know, have enough O-positive people, that these were blood donors, and that tends to weigh in in terms of O-positive, that perhaps not enough African Americans or Hispanic communities were tested. You know, how do you respond to that, that this is a methodology issue, and that perhaps, you know, these this might be not a cause for concern?

KARLSEN: I think what we see is, as the reassuring point here, is that there are many other reports coming out now also from studies not using blood donors, showing exactly the same indications. So, I think as always in science, the independent verification is the most important sign. I think if you look at the aggregated data, there is an effect. As I said, it's probably less than double the risk of a -- regular -- of the general population.

So maybe the effect is inflated but I think that there is something going on here and I think is biologically relevant. And I've seen data coming out that may suggest why this is happening. But as for now, I think we need more research and I would welcome all assessments into trying to dig out which is actually the most important patient population for this gene finding.

[02:45:31]

CURNOW: Well, thank you so much for all of your work, sir. It's all important, all part of it. Dr. Tom Hemming Karlsen from Oslo, thank you very much, sir. Good luck.

KARLSEN: Thank you. Goodbye.

CURNOW: So the flood -- coming up after this, the flooding across parts of Asia certainly becoming far more deadly by the hour. Millions are displaced. We'll show you some of the worst-hit areas and we have a forecast.

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CURNOW: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in London and will talk pandemic, China, and Hong Kong with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The U.K. has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and will no longer export lethal weapons to the region.

This after Beijing passed a controversial national security law which effectively increases the Mainland's control over Hong Kong, a breach of the so-called one country two systems, which of course was the basis of the 1997 handover deal with Britain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINIC RAAB, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: The specific measures I've announced today are a reasonable and proportionate response to China's failure to live up to those international obligations with respect to Hong Kong, and I commend the state into the house. There remains considerable uncertainty about the way in which the new national security law will be enforced. I would just say this. The United Kingdom is watching and the whole world is watching.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Kristie Lu Stout joins me now from Hong Kong. That was Dominic Raab speaking there. Certainly, the U.K. making a statement. What's the reaction where you are?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we heard that Chinese Embassy in London gave a statement. In this written statement, it criticized the British government over its actions, accusing it of gross interference in China's internal affairs. It also urged the U.K. to stop or ultimately it would have to pay the price.

Now, on Monday, the British government announced that it plans to end its extradition treaty to Hong Kong over fears that because of the new national security law, anyone extradited from the U.K. to Hong Kong could easily be handed over to mainland China.

Also, on Monday, we heard that announcement from the British government saying that it plans to extend an arms embargo -- an arms embargo with China that's already been in place since 1989 will be extended to Hong Kong. It will stop the shipment of items including smoke grenades and firearms. Earlier, we heard reaction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. Take a listen.

[02:50:25]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WANG WENBIN, SPOKESMAN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY (through translator): We urge the U.K. not to make further steps down the wrong path in order to avoid further damage to the bilateral relations. I would also like to add that China will make resolute reaction to actions to interfere in China's internal affairs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: And as tension is rising between the U.K. and China, we know that the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in London for two days of meetings. He will be meeting with his British counterpart Dominic Raab, as well as the British Prime Minister on the agenda, China. It is very likely that Secretary Pompeo will congratulate the U.K. for its ban on Huawei 5G products and it will also discuss the national security law.

In fact, Secretary Pompeo will be meeting with Nathan Law, he is the former student activists based here in Hong Kong, still a pro- democracy leader, former lawmaker, fled Hong Kong to go to London. We know Secretary Pompeo will also meet with Chris Patten, the former colonial governor who has called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator.

CURNOW: Kristie Lu Stout there. Thanks, Kristie. So now, two severe weather across parts of Asia. In Nepal, more than 100 people have been killed by flooding and landslides. And then in northeast India, authorities now say the death toll has risen to 85 with nearly 50,000 people in relief camps,

Unrelenting rains submerged villages in Assam state affecting millions of people. The situation is also quite dire in Bangladesh and China. Well, Pedram Javaheri is tracking all of this for us. Those images certainly giving us a sense of the scale of this. Hi, Pedram.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's an incredible scene taking place here. Great seeing you. And you know, this particular setup here that's produced the amount of rainfall leading to officials across portions of China even on some of the tributaries of the Yangtze river there to essentially use explosives to try to detonate and weaken portions of their dams here to release water as quickly as possible because the situation again getting very dangerous across a large area, very densely populated area.

And now of course, you notice some of the scenes even in Wuhan city, there were significant flooding taking place across this region. Recent days' worth of rainfall generally about 150 or so millimeters, but it is the ongoing day to day basis here. From the month of May through July now here we've seen tremendous rainfall each and every single day.

In fact, compare these satellite imagery across the Yangtze River there and Poyang Lake to its south. And notice, from December to just recent days, we kind of advanced this for you and you'll see it balloon here dramatically across that region. So again, tremendous rainfall in place. Unfortunately, the wet season continues for at least another six to eight weeks across that particular area.

But let me take you over the Indian subcontinent and notice what's happening on that northeastern corner as you work away into Bangladesh. Of course, we know Bangladesh, a land of many rivers and tributaries. In fact, 24,000 kilometers of waterways across this particular nation. Official saying one-third of the country underwater at this point because of the tremendous deluge of rainfall in recent weeks.

And you'll notice, again, similar scenes playing out across this region where we've had upwards of at least a million people displaced across the area as well. So, the flooding continues unfortunately here for at least the next week. I'll send it back to you.

CURNOW: OK, thanks so much. Pedram Javaheri there, I appreciate it. An attorney posing as a delivery man is accused of ambushing a U.S. federal judge's home and killing a son. Well, now the hunt is on for the reason why.

[02:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: In New Jersey, authorities say an attorney suspected of shooting a judge's son over the weekend has apparently killed himself. Here's Alexandra Field with more than that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On Sunday afternoon, Judge Esther Salas and her husband Mark Anderl were at home in North Brunswick, New Jersey. Esther was working in the basement, according to The New York Times, while Mark and their son Daniel were upstairs.

A gunman wearing what appeared to be a FedEx uniform approach the house. Danny opened the door with his father right behind him. That's when the gunman opened fire shooting both of them before fleeing. Judge Salas was unharmed in the attack but Daniel died from his wounds. He was their only child. Mark Anderl is now in the hospital in stable condition.

FRANCIS WOMACK, MAYOR, NORTH BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY: It's a stomach punch, not just for me, but for everybody who lives in this town. It's a horrible and terrible thing. And it could not have happened to a nicer family.

FIELD: Esther Salas is a U.S. District Court judge and Mark Anderl is a prominent criminal defense attorney. So, who was the target in this attack? According to law enforcement, there were no prior threats to the family, and they don't yet have a motive, but they do have a suspect.

The body of Roy Den Hollander was found today about two hours north of the attack. The FBI says he is the primary subject in the shooting. He appears to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was an attorney who argued one case before Judge Salas. A FedEx package addressed to the judge was also found.

ESTHER SALAS, JUDGE, U.S. DISTRICT COURT: Here is my husband Mark Anderl, my son Daniel Mark, who's really excited --

FIELD: Judge Salas is the first Latina U.S. District Court judge in New Jersey. She has presided over a number of high-profiled cases. Her son Daniel wanted to study law just like both of his parents. Friends and families say he was a good kid who was often seen playing basketball in the driveway with his dad. He was a rising junior at Catholic University. He was only 20 years old.

That suspect Roy Den Hollander has described himself as a men's rights attorney. He has prolifically espoused anti-feminist views. He has been part of a string of failed lawsuits at one point targeting bars for their ladies nights. At another time, the federal government for its Violence Against Women Act and even Columbia University for their Women's Studies program.

But it was in 2015, that he crossed paths with Judge Salas arguing against an all-male military draft. At the time, the judge agreed with some of his arguments, rejected others of those arguments. However, he went on to write about the judge on his own Web site in highly sexist and racist terms. In North Brunswick, New Jersey, Alexandra Field, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: You are watching CNN. I'm Robyn Curnow. The news of course continues in the next hour. Rosemary will join you.

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