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Trump Signs Executive Orders Extending Coronavirus Economic Relief; U.S. Schools Struggle To Maintain Safe Openings; Ohio Governor Tests Positive Then Negative For COVID-19; Brazil Second Only To U.S. Coronavirus Infections And Deaths; Beirut Protesters Call For A "Revolution"; Doctor: Biker Rally A Potential Super Spreader Event; U.S. Tops Five Million COVID-19 Cases. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired August 09, 2020 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST (voice-over): The U.S. nears yet another milestone, almost 5 million coronavirus cases and counting. Just think about that.
Pandemic relief: Donald Trump takes executive actions aimed at helping those struggling with the basics. But critics say it's just not enough.
And fed up and furious: protesters take to the streets in Lebanon, demanding change.
Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to you, our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
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BRUNHUBER: The U.S. is inching ever closer to a new tragic milestone, now just shy of 5 million confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. That's far more than any other country. More than 162,000 patients have died.
In Texas, the seven-day average for the test positivity rate is now higher than it's been since the start of the outbreak, almost 20 percent. The state now has extended its emergency declaration as it approaches 500,000 cases.
Illinois, you can see it there in red, reported its highest daily case count since May 24th on Saturday. Health experts say Americans and their government still are not doing enough to contain the virus and here's an example.
You're looking at crowds at an annual motorcycle rally this weekend in South Dakota, many people close together, very few wearing masks. One Florida mayor had a somber warning for the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MAYOR DAN GELBER (D), MIAMI BEACH, FL: My message is, the only way we're going to open up our economy is if you wear the mask and you exercise social distance.
I mean, we're giving fines out. We're giving free masks out. We're doing everything we can. But at the end of the day, people hear mixed messages, they see this bike rally, they hear the president -- you know, a lot of people still feel like it's just somebody else's problem. Of course, until it hits them or a loved one, then it's their problem.
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BRUNHUBER: U.S. president Donald Trump signed four coronavirus relief executive actions Saturday after Congress and the White House couldn't work out a deal. The signing event seemed like more of a campaign rally.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): One of the measures will provide as much as $400 in enhanced unemployment benefits but states will have to cover 25 percent of that.
He also signed actions authorizing a payroll tax holiday, preventing rental evictions and deferring student loan payments. But it's not clear he has the legal authority to do much of that. Democratic leaders call the orders "weak and meager."
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BRUNHUBER: And that includes presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden.
In a statement Biden called the measures "half baked." He also said in part, "This is no art of the deal, this is not presidential leadership, these orders are not real solutions, they are just another cynical ploy designed to deflect responsibility."
With stimulus talks stalled in Congress, more than 31 million out-of- work Americans are having to make do with a lot less. It's been more than a week since the $600 weekly unemployment benefit checks stopped coming from the U.S. government and the federal eviction protections are also expiring.
A new report from The Aspen Institute estimates 40 million Americans could face eviction by the end the year. Here's one more measure of how dire the situation is becoming during this pandemic, the growing lines forming at food banks across the country. CNN's Paul Vercammen reports from Los Angeles.
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PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Before us the cars just flowing in here. This is Saint Agnes' Church this was put on by USC and food bank of Los Angeles all of these families hoping to get themselves a box of food here.
This is the first time they did this on a Saturday. This was borne out of the need, especially for families with school children to get themselves extra food during the pandemic. L.A. unified schools has something like a half a million students who are on either a reduced meal plan or free meal plan.
So we're hearing a lot of grateful parents today. And Father Luis, this is your Parish 5,000 parishioners pre-pandemic 2500 after. What are they telling you as this pandemic has just gone on and on for them.
FATHER LUIS ESPINOZA, ST. AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH: Well, you know, they're having a really difficult time. It's hard for them, especially the ones that have lost their jobs. Some of them didn't make rent.
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ESPINOZA: They have a lot of difficulties with some of the bills that they have to pay.
So it's been really hard on families in the community. Some are doing okay but a big number of them are, you know, in need of assistance.
VERCAMMEN: And for many of them, this box of food really is a godsend.
ESPINOZA: Yes, you know, I think it goes a long way and they are grateful for anything they can receive.
VERCAMMEN: Well, thank you so much for putting on this event, Father Luis.
As you can see the cars not stopping at all they expect to give hundreds and hundreds of boxes away, just another stop gap in Los Angeles where there are so many families struggling as we've had such a long run of COVID-19 economic woes. Back to you now.
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BRUNHUBER: Public schools in the U.S. are trying to balance the safety and education of more than 50 million students as the nation struggles to contain the pandemic. For some, it's an exercise in frustration and confusion. CNN's Natasha Chen reports from the state of Georgia.
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NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Teachers are sounding the alarm over Georgia's largest school districts new plan to phase in face to face instruction later in August, after starting with all virtual classes next week.
BRIAN WESTLAKE, GWINNETT COUNTY TEACHER: It seems like standardized test scores matter a whole lot to this county but overall test scores don't seem to matter enough.
CHEN: Teachers honked from inside their cars in Gwinnett County outside of Atlanta this week as a socially distant protest, in contrast to the one organized by some parents two weeks ago in the same spot, calling for face to face instruction.
A district spokesperson said their difficult decisions will not be popular with everyone but say they're committed to student's health, safety and education.
ANTHONY DOWNER, GWINNETT COUNTY TEACHER: But it seems that they keep making the decisions, milk toast decisions that placate different parties without considering that we need consistency and we need bold leadership.
CHEN: Toye Powell teaches second grade students who would be back in the classroom at the end of August but no one's given her any detailed plans of what that looks like.
TOYE POWELL, SECOND GRADE TEACHER: I'll be in the room teaching children on top of also teaching online children, so I actually have three jobs, a mom, a classroom teacher and an online teacher.
CHEN: Her own children are allowed to go with her to work which alleviates childcare concerns but she says it's not ideal since they have asthma.
POWELL: This is not well-thought out at all.
CHEN: The fears are real, with about 260 Gwinnett employees already testing positive or in quarantine before school has even started.
In Cherokee County, at least 260 students and eight teachers are quarantined after several people tested positive during the first week of school.
In Effingham County, WTOC reports one person tested positive at an elementary school resulting in an entire class being sent home.
And in Paulding County, this image resulted in a suspension than a reversal of that suspension for the student who posted it on social media.
HANNAH WATTERS, PAULDING COUNTY, GEORGIA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: This is some good and necessary trouble, so I don't regret this because it's -- it needed to be said.
CHEN: Watters said she was concerned for everyone's safety. The Paulding County Superintendent sent a letter to families saying crowding in between classes for five minutes may happen in a school with more than 2,000 students and they're complying with state guidelines.
This kind of anxiety is what Gwinnett teachers say keeps them up at night. Even though special ed teacher, Nicole Conway, loves her job and her students.
NICOLE CONWAY, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER: If the students do come back into the building, it's really like a 90 percent chance right now that I'm probably going to end up resigning to make sure that my personal babies are safe.
CHEN (voice-over): Natasha Chen, CNN, Suwanee, Georgia.
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BRUNHUBER: The failure of America's testing regimen is a key reason why many health experts say the coronavirus crisis is still out of control. The White House's top testing official told CNN the federal government is doing everything it can to facilitate testing.
But CNN Senior Investigative Correspondent, Drew Griffin, talked to more than 20 experts and they made it clear the federal government isn't doing nearly enough.
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DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Why is coronavirus testing in the U.S. still a debacle?
CNN spoke to state health officials, testing labs, test suppliers, hospitals and industry insiders, more than 20 testing experts, the overwhelming consensus, no federal plan.
HEATHER PIERCE, SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR SCIENCE POLICY & REGULATORY COUNSEL, ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGES: We need to have a better national strategy to deal with testing.
GRIFFIN: But wait a minute.
Wasn't there supposed to be a plan, a White House Coronavirus Task Force?
And wasn't this man, Admiral Brett Giroir, tasked with fixing testing?
The answer to all three is yes. And according to Admiral Brett Giroir, the federal government is doing all it can.
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JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: It's not enough.
ADMIRAL BRETT GIROIR, M.D., ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH: Of course, it's enough. Tell me one thing that we should be doing with any of these private labs that we're not doing or they're not doing on their own. And I'm happy to do it.
GRIFFIN: Well, here, Admiral Giroir, is what the federal government should be doing according to those experts. First, national coordination of supplies.
PIERCE: You have, whether intentionally or not, competition across states, across labs.
GRIFFIN: There is not enough of anything -- the swabs, pipettes, the chemicals needed to perform a test called reagents, which is leading to huge competition between states and labs. KARISSA CULBREATH, PHD, TRICORE REFERENCE LABORATORIES: So if we had all of these supplies that we could use, we could perform around 10,000 tests per day. But we just don't have all of the supplies or all of the people.
GRIFFIN: Case in point, TriCore, New Mexico's largest medical lab is running just 3,700 tests a day instead of the 10,000 it could handle, nowhere near its capacity.
CULBREATH: We need goals at a federal level and the support at the federal level for us to get to where we need to be for testing.
GRIFFIN (on camera): It sounds like a very polite way to say that if there is a national strategy, nobody in New Mexico knows about it.
CULBREATH: Probably, yes.
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GRIFFIN (voice-over): One way to get more of those supplies is increase use of the Defense Production Act or DPA. CNN previously reported how the administration isn't using the DPA as much as it could.
A plan released by The Rockefeller Foundation said the government should immediately invoke the act, specifically to increase supplies for reagents and machinery to process testing.
DR. RAJIV SHAH, THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION PRESIDENT: What we have seen is that industry left to its own devices is not going to produce the types of tests and the scale of tests necessary.
GRIFFIN: And several of the experts say the Trump administration needs to abandon its idea that the competitive marketplace will solve supply issues. It simply won't. And if you want proof, Dr. Rajiv Shah of The Rockefeller Foundation says turn on your TV and watch sports.
SHAH: If you are a multimillion dollar baseball or basketball player, you're getting tested quite often so that you can go to work. But if you're a teacher, if you're a health care worker, if you're out there doing your job and asked to do your job without the benefit of support for testing, that's not fair and that's not right.
GRIFFIN: Heather Pierce with Association of American Medical Colleges says it's time to let science lead this U.S. response.
PIERCE: That is not a market-driven response. That is something that requires the engagement of the public health community, the academic community and the government public health forces.
GRIFFIN: In other words, a federal plan.
The response to the story from the Department of Health and Human Services is that the department does have a plan and works with states to implement that every single day but that a single national plan isn't appropriate because states have different needs. On the issue of supplies, the department says it's simply unrealistic that the federal government can manage the supplies of every lab in the country -- Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
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BRUNHUBER: Brazil's health ministry reports that more than 100,000 Brazilians have now died from coronavirus and more than 3 million have been infected. It took the country less than five months to reach that mark.
As the #100,000Deaths was trending, Brazilians on Saturday took to the streets and social media in solidarity with victims and their families and to criticize the government's failure to contain the pandemic. CNN's Matt Rivers has more on Brazil's double milestone.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know that the outbreak in Brazil is one of the worst in the world. And the data that we get just continues to back that up.
A horrible new milestone has been reached in Brazil, with the country's death toll now surpassing 100,000 for the first time. The overall number of cases in that country is also now topping 3 million for the first time.
This after some new information on Saturday from the country's health ministry recorded nearly 50,000 newly confirmed cases and just over 900 newly confirmed deaths.
Meanwhile, we did hear from president Jair Bolsonaro, who, from the get-go, has basically been flippant about the fact that tens of thousands of Brazilians have lost their lives. It was reacting to the news of 100,000 deaths that the president said, "We are going to get on with life and look for a way to get away from this problem."
Now nearly 25 percent of all deaths recorded have come from the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, which just, on Saturday, surpassed the 25,000-death threshold. But despite that, the state continues to advance its reopening plan.
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RIVERS: Since Thursday, bars and restaurants in the capital of Sao Paulo state can be open during the night. But the governor there said he is not going to allow in-person schooling to resume because he said any slip-up during this reopening could be fatal -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
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BRUNHUBER: Now Brazil, of course, is only one of many countries struggling to get everyone to maintain social distancing. The U.K. and France, not to mention the U.S., are also seeing large crowds at busy outdoor areas. Call it pandemic fatigue or just not caring. Michael Holmes reports.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Crowded streets, packed bars: it's the weekend in Rio de Janeiro and people are partying like there's no pandemic. There are few masks, no social distancing, even though the country's death toll from the coronavirus is around 100,000.
"I know that I'm not doing the best thing in being here," one student says, "but at least I'm using a face mask. Those people are drinking, having a good time. They don't know where their cup came from."
But Rio isn't the only place where people are out and about without taking proper precautions. Crowds packing the seaside resort of Blackpool in northwest England, filling the promenade and the beaches, with people trying to escape the summer heat even though cases are on the rise across the U.K.
Paris is taking measures to crack down on scenes like this. As of Monday, masks will be required by everyone over 11 years of age in busy outdoor areas. Reaction so far: mixed.
"I find it unnecessary when there aren't many people," one resident says. "But when there are more people, it is good that people wear masks."
Vietnam is testing and testing again to contain an outbreak that began in the city of Da Nang. Officials say thousands of people who recently returned from the resort town will get more accurate swab tests instead of the ones they initially took. They say large-scale testing and strict community guidelines helped keep infections low once before.
"We got through the last time," one person says. "As long as all of us comply with these policies, we will get through this together."
Following the rules, heeding the science, right now, they could be the best options to beat back the coronavirus.
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BRUNHUBER: Beirut, Lebanon's busy port in ruins. Just ahead, ground zero of Tuesday's horrifying explosion.
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BRUNHUBER: Months of political unrest in Lebanon erupted on Saturday into some of the largest and most violent street protests seen in the capital since last October. Out of the ruins of Tuesday's catastrophic explosion has emerged anti-government rage as thousands of people filled Beirut's Martyrs Square, protesters stormed ministry buildings and set fire to its main banking institution.
Hundreds of people were hurt as they faced off against security forces. Tear gas choked the streets. For some, the blast that rocked the city was a point of no return.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We cannot bear it as a people anymore. Now the prime minister is giving politicians a two-month deadline, after all the time we have given them. We cannot accept this. We are on the edge, we are completely burnt out, our homes are destroyed, we have no jobs and those who are still here want to leave.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because if they had a bit of dignity, a bit of truth and honesty, Beirut wouldn't be destroyed right now. We're here to just show the international community what we're going through. We are facing the worst days of our lives with a government that doesn't give one -- they don't care about us.
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BRUNHUBER: Let's bring in CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Arwa Damon, joining us live from Beirut.
You hear the intensity, anger, visceral rage, the disgust for the political class. It's palpable from here. You're there, amidst the outpouring of emotion. You've spoken to those outraged by how the city has been torn apart, as we can see behind you there.
What struck you most about this reaction?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, look. It's worth remembering that that outrage and disgust with the government and this country's ruling elite existed well before this devastating explosion.
But what this has done, especially given the circumstances that led to it, the fact that the ammonium nitrate had been stored here for six years in these unsafe conditions, that the government had been warned of it, all that did was amplify this already pre-existing rage.
And just to give you an idea of why there is such rage, prior to this explosion, the devaluation of the Lebanese pound had really hit people. Basically, their money was worth 75 percent less than it used to be. They weren't able to access it.
They had dollars, U.S. dollars, inside the bank and somehow exchanged that on the black market currency. To give you an idea what that has meant for even basic supplies, we did a fairly standard grocery run yesterday.
So coffee, chips, biscuits, cheese, whatever, it cost around $100. That's at the bank exchange rate of 1,500. But that's basically what prices are in the market. If you exchange on the black market, for $1 you get 7,000 lira. But you need to have dollars in your pocket to do that, which a lot of people simply don't have.
So now they're dealing already with this economic hardship, one that some international organizations warned had already left 70 percent of the Lebanese population needing humanitarian aid.
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DAMON: Also dealing with this, how are they supposed to be able to rebuild, buy glass and other things they need to begin to put their homes together, never mind the greater task of actually trying to put this country together?
It is perfectly understandable, that rage that we're seeing out on the streets.
BRUNHUBER: For all those people desperate for political change, you know this country so well.
Do you have any confidence that this tragedy could lead to lasting change?
DAMON: I mean, look, Kim. If this tragedy doesn't lead to lasting change, it's hard to see what will. But the population here has had enough. It can't be pushed any further than it already has been without completely and totally cracking. And it is already very, very shattered.
But it is not going to be something that happens overnight because the kind of political change that Lebanon needs, that kind of long-term, sustainable political change, that means an entire upheaval of the current status quo, not just new elections, because that will effectively bring in the same political figures that we already have in power.
It means an entire revamping of the entire political system. At the moment, the political system that has been in place for decades is deeply entrenched in sectarianism. And by that I mean that individuals do not get their posts necessarily based on merit.
The presidency always goes to the Christians, the premiership to the Sunnis, speaker of parliament, that's to the Shia. This is entrenched in the fabric of Lebanese politics, as is corruption. That needs to change. That is going to require electoral legislative change, constitutional change, potentially, but also a change in mindset.
And sadly, this tragedy that we've seen, coupled with the ongoing economic crisis, on top of that, the effect of COVID-19, because none of this is sparing anyone in this country, it might just be what is needed to get people on that path, to show the politicians that, no, the Lebanese will not stand for this any longer.
Look, spray painted on the wall right next to us are the words, "My government did this to us."
No country deserves to have a government that is meant to in fear be (ph) protecting its people, lead to this kind of destruction. BRUNHUBER: Well said, Arwa Damon. We appreciate your insightful
analysis from Beirut, thank you so much.
Coming up, hundreds of thousands of people roar into a small South Dakota town.
Pandemic?
What pandemic?
Why these bikers say a virus won't stop their annual motorcycle rally.
And a possible lifesaver for people with COVID-19 but your chances of getting the treatment if you need it, well, they're not very good. We'll tell you why, coming up.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to you, our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
The U.S. is getting ever closer to an alarming new milestone, 5 million confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. Already more than 162,000 people have died.
On Saturday, U.S. president Donald Trump signed four coronavirus relief executive actions after the White House and Congress couldn't work out a deal. Among them, promising up to $400 a week in additional unemployment benefits.
But it's up to states to cover 25 percent of that. And some say they just don't have the money to pay for that.
Well, thousands of people are descending on Sturgis, South Dakota, for its annual motorcycle rally. Only 7,000 people actually live in the small town but they're expecting around 250,000 visitors. Residents worry some of those visitors will bring coronavirus with them. CNN's Ryan Young tells us what the bikers have to say about it.
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RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When we get to Sturgis, South Dakota, one thing you'll notice, right off the bat, the traffic has slowed here. This is a town of 7,000 normally. But right now this city is full of people.
Look all the way down the road here and I can tell you, this multiplies itself mile by mile. It takes a half hour to go a mile here, as thousands have descended on the city for the rally they say they wanted to be a part of. One of the things that stands out here is a lot of people are choosing
not to wear masks. They believe that's their right. And you do see some people wearing masks but we understand those are decisions they have made before arriving here.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are trying to kind of social distance. We haven't -- like when we went to the bar, just a drink here or there and then leave, if it's too crowded we really stepped out. So trying to still practice social distancing while enjoying the event.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One thing I know is I know how the people act. Look at everybody out here. They're ready to ride. Everybody's cooped up from the coronavirus. Everybody's ready to have fun. And hell, so am I.
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YOUNG: And there is an economic piece to all this as well. When you have so many people flooding into a city, businesses are counting on this weekend to make it. It's been a tough few months with the coronavirus.
There are people who traveled thousands of miles to be here. They wanted to see if they can make their year in this one weekend. And that's why they say it was all worth the risk -- Ryan Young, CNN, South Dakota.
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BRUNHUBER: Well, that risk he spoke of, of COVID-19, will likely remain until there's a vaccine. There's been a ton of focus on that front. But a treatment could come much sooner -- but only for a lucky few. CNN's Sara Murray explains.
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SARA MURRAY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An antibody treatment that could protect people from coronavirus could be available as early as this fall. But warning signs loom for getting into the millions of Americans who might benefit from it.
DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH: I think the monoclonal antibody cocktails have a lot going for them.
MURRAY (voice-over): Health experts are optimistic that monoclonal antibody treatments designed in the lab to mimic the antibodies a person would normally produce to fight off infection could help prevent coronavirus infections and stave off the worst of the disease for sick patients. It could be a lifesaver in nursing homes, hospitals, or even for Americans with severe underlying conditions.
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DR. LEN SCHLEIFER, REGENERON CEO: I think everybody's killing themselves to do the right thing.
MURRAY (voice-over): Both Regeneron and Eli Lilly are currently testing the treatments on humans and clinical trials. There's no guarantee it will work. But both say they're already scaling up production in anticipation. Even in a best-case scenario, though, only a few hundred thousand doses are likely to be available this year. SCHLEIFER: No matter what, we probably won't be able to make enough capacity, we'll have to direct these antibodies where we can do the most good assuming that they work.
MURRAY (voice-over): According to a Duke University study, based on the numbers in August, the U.S. would need more than 60 million doses over the next year to treat every American hospitalized with coronavirus, fighting coronavirus at home or exposed to coronavirus from someone in the same household. The federal government isn't buying up potential drugs in the same way it's pre ordering vaccines.
DR. JANET WOODCOCK, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: Advanced purchasing of therapeutics is going to be slow. We have to select the most promising one.
MURRAY (voice-over): So far, Regeneron is one of the only companies with a government contract.
SCHLEIFER: I do think we can do this fairly. We can do it reasonably and most important, we have to do it.
MURRAY (voice-over): But the government's shoddy track record on testing personal protective gear and distributing drugs like remdesivir is already raising concerns about potential shortages of antibody treatments.
DR. DAN SKOVRONSKY, ELI LILLY'S CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER: Distribution of other things during this pandemic, as you've described, testing, PPE, masks, ventilators. All of those have been with controversy and I hope that we're learning from those.
REP. BILL FOSTER (D-IL): We may be in this position where, yes, there's a miracle cure that can then prevent or cure COVID-19 but we do not have the manufacturing to meet the demand.
MURRAY (voice-over): Congressman Foster worries low supply could lead to wealthy Americans using their money or connections to jump the line.
SKOVRONSKY: We're committed to the equitable distribution of vaccine. And that should not involve the patient's ability to pay, it should not involve their status and society or their political connections.
DR. ALEXANDER STEMER, SYMPHONY CARE NETWORK COVID-19 TASK FORCE COVID--CHAIR: Everyone's going to want to be at the front of the line.
MURRAY (voice-over): Clinical trials at Symphony nursing homes, which lacked pharmacies and additional staff to administer IVs, reveal other logistical hurdles ahead. STEMER: Lilly not only has the RV that's been outfitted as a pharmacy, they also have rented Penske trucks that are full of infusion shares and infusion poles.
MURRAY: Now, when I asked the government for more specifics on how this would work, Janet Woodcock, who's the head of therapeutics for Operation Warp Speed, provided a statement, saying they are trying to scale up manufacturing as quickly as possible.
They're committed to transparency and the CDC and the Department of Defense are already working on distribution plans for drugs as well as for vaccines. As far as details, she didn't offer very many -- Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: The people of Lebanon have endured crisis after crisis. But after Tuesday's catastrophic explosion in the capital, public anger at the government is now on full display. We'll have the latest from Beirut coming up just ahead. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Lebanon's prime minister is calling for early elections but that isn't stopping the outrage on the streets. CNN's Ben Wedeman has reported extensively on Lebanon through the years. He tells us the explosion was the last straw for a country already on edge.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They carried a banner with the names of those killed in Tuesday's massive blast, Beirut's initial shock now white-hot fury. At a government, a political elite that, through incompetence and corruption, has pushed Lebanon to the brink.
In their demands, there is no subtlety.
"We want to take revenge on them," says this Fuwaz Kasaguene (ph). "We want to hang them because they killed us. Our blood is still boiling over the people killed in the blast, an atomic bomb that exploded at the heart of Beirut."
Saturday, the explosion in Beirut was one of rage. Ordinary citizens have lost so much in the last few months, they have little left to lose. They've seen the economy collapse, the local currency lose much of its value, hyperinflation, lengthy power cuts.
And last Tuesday, a catastrophic explosion that killed more than 150 people, wounded thousands and made at least 300,000 homeless. And now, the politicians are being called to account.
"Shame on them," says this protester. "They killed their people. They impoverished us. We've lost everything and, still, they cling to power."
Other protesters occupied a variety of ministries, including the foreign ministry, where they burned a portrait of president Michel Aoun.
WEDEMAN: This day was declared as Yawm Kesab (ph), the day of judgment. And in the dark are the leaders of Lebanon, who have overseen what is essentially the decline and fall of the Lebanese state.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): A state struggling to maintain control of a population in revolt, a state under siege from its own people -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, Beirut.
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BRUNHUBER: Lina Khatib is the head of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House. She joins us from Berlin.
Thank you so much for making the time to speak with us. Now our reporters on the scene have been cataloguing the myriad problems now facing Lebanon. You've said that Lebanon is in danger of becoming a failed state. We've heard many in Lebanon in the last few days suggest they're already living in one.
Why do you think it's so close to the brink?
LINA KHATIB, HEAD OF MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, before the explosion, Lebanon was already suffering from one of the most severe economic crises in its modern history. The currency had lost 80 percent of its value in just a few months. GDP was over 170 percent -- sorry -- debt was 170 percent of GDP.
And the country was heading toward bankruptcy. Add to this an explosion that is so far estimated to have cost $15 billion that the Lebanese state does not have.
And a port that used to import, according to different estimates, between 60 percent and 80 percent of what Lebanon needs in a country that relies on imports for the vast majority of anything it needs, from medical supplies to food to energy. And you have a situation in which the country is simply not sustainable as things are going.
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BRUNHUBER: I mean, when you say that, the challenges seem insurmountable.
Is there a way to prevent collapse? KHATIB: Well, the reason why this collapse is happening is because of the political system in Lebanon, because it's a system that puts politicians in power according to their sectarian background rather than competence and allows them to act with impunity.
So there's been a lot of negligence on part of the government and corruption and even complicity in allowing things like the explosion that Beirut witnessed to happen. And therefore to really rescue Lebanon from the brink, it needs a change in this political system.
The problem has been, over the years, is that the international community continues to support Lebanon's leaders, disregarding their transgressions because probably they felt that these politicians would eventually keep Lebanon relatively stable after the civil war.
But now we can see, with public anger mounting in Lebanon, that this political class is the cause of problems and instability in the long run.
BRUNHUBER: But OK, so as you say there, I mean, there needs to be whole root and branch change, not just maybe elections and a new government, as the prime minister is proposing in terms of having new elections.
But can that happen?
Do you have any faith that there could be such big change in this country?
KHATIB: Change is not going to happen very quickly. These politicians are entrenched in their positions. They have authority and control over the levers of power and economy in the country.
But in a really tragic, ironic sense, the blast that happened at the port brings an opportunity because, for the first time, their own personal economic interests are at stake here because all of them actually also benefited from illicit transactions through the port as well as illicit transactions.
And therefore, it is in their interest to at least engage in some sort of reform. So the hope is that the international community can come to Lebanon's aid because it desperately needs to. It cannot afford to reconstruct falling the blast.
But for this to come with conditionality, to at least have some reform in Lebanon, to allow its civil society to breathe, to allow its activist space to act so that they can work on having this political change happen in the long run.
BRUNHUBER: But then you speak of the international community, you know, contributing here.
Is there a danger that the international involvement, having so many countries which might want a say in how that money is spent, how the country is run, will further weaken the government and civil society and push the country over the edge here? KHATIB: Well, there's two things. One is the immediate needs, which is humanitarian, essential support that Lebanon needs right now after the blast. This should not be channeled through the Lebanese government. It should be sent directly by donors to the people who need it on the ground and working with non-governmental entities.
But in the median and longer term, because Lebanon is so much in debt, there has been already an offer of a loan from the International Monetary Fund, for example, that came with conditionality regarding structural reforms.
Now is the time to put pressure on the Lebanese government to accept these structural reforms. The thing is, the situation can't get worse than it is right now. The economy is on the brink of collapse. The physical infrastructure in the country has been devastated. And the political class is completely corrupt. So really these structural reforms are a necessity and would be (INAUDIBLE) forward.
BRUNHUBER: Well, as you say, I suppose, things can only get better. Thank you so much for your analysis and perspective there, Lina Khatib, the head of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, we appreciate it.
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BRUNHUBER: When we come back, a proud Arizona couple never thought the coronavirus would affect them. But now they have a warning for people like them.
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BRUNHUBER: More and more people are coming forward after learning the hard way that laughing at a pandemic isn't always the best medicine. CNN's Miguel Marquez talks with a couple who mocked COVID-19, until they got really, really ill.
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DEBI PATTERSON, HOSPITALIZED WITH COVID-19: We were totally lackadaisical about it.
MICHAEL PATTERSON, HOSPITALIZED WITH COVID-19: Yes.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Debi and Michael Patterson didn't think the coronavirus would ever affect them.
D. PATTERSON: It was sort of almost like a joke in our group of friends.
MARQUEZ: Did you wear masks? D. PATTERSON: No.
MARQUEZ: Did you hang out with your friends as normal?
D. PATTERSON: Yes.
MARQUEZ: So all the things you are told you should back off of, you did.
D. PATTERSON: We did.
M. PATTERSON: We did.
D. PATTERSON: We did.
M. PATTERSON: We did.
D. PATTERSON: And we still --
M. PATTERSON: And we paid the price for it.
D. PATTERSON: Yes.
MARQUEZ: From Lake Havasu City on Arizona's border with California, the Pattersons didn't give the virus much thought, even once developing symptoms in late June.
D. PATTERSON: We just kind of carried on. We went to the pool, we did stuff, you know, over the rest of the weekend. And that Monday morning is when we both woke up and we are just -- felt like a train had gone over both of us.
MARQUEZ: Michael got sick, Debi had to be hospitalized, put on oxygen but did not need a ventilator.
Over a month later, how are you now?
D. PATTERSON: Obviously, still short of breath, coughing, just the fatigue and dizziness, headaches daily. It's almost like somebody hit you in the head.
MARQUEZ: They once laughed about the virus. Now they say it's no joke.
What is your message to people now?
D. PATTERSON: Be more careful.
M. PATTERSON: Keep your distance and wear a freaking mask.
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MARQUEZ: In this ultraconservative corner of the state, masks are still highly controversial.
PATRICK BAUGHMAN, GUB SHOP OWNER: If we make any member or any customer that's walking through our door remove their face mask, again, that's our pride, that's also the understanding that you're --
MARQUEZ: So you make people remove the mask when they come in?
BAUGHMAN: Absolutely. You do not shop my store with a mask on, period.
MARQUEZ: For gun shop owners, Patrick Baughman, the coronavirus itself doesn't add up.
But a 150,000 people are dead. Over 150,000 people.
BAUGHMAN: I definitely don't agree with that number that you just threw out there. I think --
MARQUEZ: What do you not agree with?
BAUGHMAN: There's so many cases of fraudulent claims as far as how they are reporting numbers.
MARQUEZ: Public health officials believe the number of dead from COVID-19 is probably higher than the official count, not lower.
When the president comes out and says wears a mask, do you think he's just playing politics?
BAUGHMAN: Unfortunately, I do, at that point, think that he's playing politics because originally he did come out calling this entire thing a hoax.
MARQUEZ: For the Pattersons, the coronavirus is no hoax and speaking out is not a political act. It's a friendly warning.
D. PATTERSON: It's ridiculous not to take this seriously. I mean, I could have died just like the next person. I mean, anybody can. It could've been either one of us or both of us.
MARQUEZ: If you think being from a small town protects you from the coronavirus, the Pattersons' story tells you, you are not. We thank them for speaking out. It was not easy.
They are from a small town, she supported President Trump in 2016, probably will again in 2020, all their friends are pretty conservative, so not easy for them to raise their voices and speak out. But they say their experience was so tough, everyone needs to heed their advice. Back to you.
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BRUNHUBER: Good warning for everybody. I'm Kim Brunhuber. CNN NEWSROOM continues after a quick break.
