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Africa CDC Chief Explains Continent's Low Death Rates; Israel tightens Restriction as COVID-19 Cases Soar; Robot Cleaners Fight COVID at London Train Station; Navalny's Property Seized, Bank Accounts Frozen; North Korea Apologizes for Killing Defector from South; Record Breaking Fires Worldwide; Sacred Indigenous Sites Risk Being Destroyed; Water Skiing Six Month Old Baby; Europe Struggle to Stop Virus Spread; Study Cites Five Steps to Combat Coronavirus; Sinovac Distributes COVID-19 Vaccine; Trump Not Sure to Accept Defeat; Injustice Ignite Protests. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 25, 2020 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Europe faces a second wave of and Europe faces a second wave of coronavirus as a new study outlines five requirements to ease lockdown restrictions. We look at nine countries have maybe been doing wrong so far.

Donald Trump faces pushback from his own Republican Party. The latest reaction to the concerns the U.S. president may reject the outcome of November's election if he loses.

And what does this make you smile? Or recoil with concern? Decidedly mixed reaction when a 6-month-old takes to the water skies.

Hi, from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Kim Brunhuber. And this is CNN Newsroom.

The second wave of coronavirus cases is sweeping across Europe. So far, death rates aren't approaching those seen earlier this year, but several European countries are reporting record numbers of new cases.

The U.K. on Thursday reported its highest daily increase in cases since the pandemic began more than 6,600 in 24 hours. And France reported more than 16,000 new cases, the highest number confirmed in the 24-hour period since it began keeping records in March.

Now, the grim numbers rise in the U.S. by the day. More than 202,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, and a new forecast by health authorities projects that total deaths could rise by -- by rise to 226,000 by mid-October.

CNN's Nick Watt has more from around the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALEX AZAR, SECRETARY, UNITED STATES HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: I want to reassure you and the American people, politics will play no role whatsoever in the approval of a vaccine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Same interview, Secretary Azar falsely assured us the president has always promoted masks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZAR: The president has been clear since his April guidance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: And offered unflinching praise for the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZAR: Thanks to President Trump, we are in such a better place than we were five, six, months ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: Last night, President Trump said this about possible strengthening of FDA criteria for a vaccine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you OK with that?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, I tell you what. We are looking at that and that has to be approved by the White House, we may or may not approve it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: Apparently the FDA or HHS would normally sign of.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Under normal circumstances, that decision is there, the secretary proves it, and that's it. Something that comes from without that is not a scientific consideration would be troublesome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: Meanwhile, in our actual life and death fight against this virus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROCHELLE WALENSKY, INFECTIOUS DISEASE PHYSICIAN, MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL: We squandered our summer, we went into the summer with 20,000 new cases a day, and we are now double that. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: Yesterday, more than 1,000 lives lost to COVID for the first time in over a week. And average new case counts are writing in 21 states. Look at that huge red chunk of the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI KHAN, DEAN, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER'S COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH: As you look at that map, what you're seeing is an inconvenient truth, which is that many states allowed schools and colleges to reopen when they had not gotten their disease under control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: CDC data shows this summer people in their twenties accounted for more than 20 percent of infections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAUCI: Right now, the infections in the country are driven more by young people, 19 to 25.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: And the virus appears to be mutating to become more transmissible but mercifully not more deadly, according to one new preprint study.

Now as we get closer to a potential vaccine, the issues of truth and trust here in the U.S. just will not go away. In fact, the governor of New York state has created his own vaccine task force to review any possible vaccine, because as he says, frankly, I'm not going to trust the federal government's opinion.

Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

BRUNHUBER: Tighter coronavirus restrictions are set to go into effect Monday in Paris. So, let's go to the French capital for all the details and our Melissa Bell. Melissa Bell, what is the latest there?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, things continue to deteriorate here in France. We've seen another 16,000 new cases announced yesterday. That is the biggest rise we've seen so far since records began to be kept at the very beginning of the outbreak here in France back in March.

[03:04:59]

We are seeing, as a result of these number of new cases, also rise now in the number of people entering ICUs. And in some cities, particularly here in the greater Paris region, things are getting extremely tense in some of those ICU wards, with operations and emergency things that were meant to happen now having to be canceled to make room for COVID patients, hence these new restrictions. Exactly as we've seen back in March, it is when the health system

itself becomes threatened, that these painful messages have to be taken with the expected push back. Cities like Paris, cities like Marseille, from Monday the bars will be closing. The bars and restaurants will be closing at 10 p.m.

You had the expected push back from the mayors of those cities because the economic recovery for the time being is so fragile and they want to help as much as they can. And yet, it's unanswerable. It is essential that the ICUs are managed -- are managed to cope with this second wave, hence these latest restrictions.

And I expect this is something for the next couple of weeks that people are going to be keeping a very close eye on the number of people getting in and the capacity of those ICUs to cope, Nick (Ph).

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thank you so much. CNN's Melissa Bell in Paris.

A new report in The Lancet Medical Journal says countries should meet five prerequisites before easing COVID lockdowns. These are knowledge of infection status, that is countries should have high quality data that infections are being suppressed, community engagement, meaning people followed policies for social distancing and mask wearing.

Number three, adequate public health capacity for testing, tracing, and isolating. Adequate health system capacity, and that's treatment facilities, medical equipment, and healthcare workforce. And border controls for restricting inbound travel.

So, joining me to discuss that is the study's is co-author, Martin McKee, who is a professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Thank you very much for joining us today.

You look at nine countries that started to relax restrictions. So, what was the common mistake countries were making. Was that the easing restrictions was happening too soon, hence the surge in cases?

MARTIN MCKEE, PROFESSOR, LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE: We've got to recognize that many countries have managed to suppress the pandemic quite effectively by putting in place quite wide-ranging restrictions. But the difficulty is that as you open up the economy to people to move around the virus takes advantage of that. And I think a common finding is that a number of them have opened up a little bit too early.

It's a really narrow path to thread just to get this right. And the fundamental point about this virus is that when it's unchecked it grows exponentially. So just letting it multiply at all means it can take off very, very quickly.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So, what's new in these recommendations that countries may not have been doing before?

MCKEE: I'm not sure that there is anything new in them because these are things that you would expect. In fact, if we go back to the 19th century to the days of Louis Pasteur, these are basic epidemiology but I think the problem is that we've often forgotten about them.

I think a key element is having a strategy, having an overall plan with clear lines of accountability and responsibility, data flows, making sure that everything comes together. Often, what we see our piecemeal initiatives, short term initiatives, but the whole thing isn't brought through together.

Beyond that, I think getting an integrated system -- and I'm going to stress five points you -- find, test, trace, isolate, and support, all linked up, case finding of people who are at particular risk, linking the testing to the contract tracing, which means getting out on the street, following up clusters.

South Korea has done that very well, Germany has done that very well. The United Kingdom has not done it very well. And then ensuring that people really do isolate, which means making sure that they have support so that they can put food on the table, they have a continuing income, people can get food to them and so on, so the support is very important.

BRUNHUBER: Looking at the list, hearing you speak, I'm struck by how poorly the U.S. would fare on almost all of those categories. If you had to pick one, which of those do you think would help better shape the U.S. response most? Is it what you just mentioned? Testing and tracing? Or is it not possible to do it unless -- unless you have a centrally meet all of those criteria?

MCKEE: Well first of all, we have to remember that there are 50 states plus the District of Columbia. And so, they are doing many different things. And we are learning a huge amount from that. Clearly, some states have done much better than others. And that has been very important for learning.

I think I would just say, having an overall strategy, a strategy that links the federal government with the state government with city authorities. I understand the political challenges of doing that at the present time. But looking at it from outside, that seems to be the think that's missing most of all. And once you have that strategy, then you can work out what you need to put in because it will vary from place to place.

BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. If it's one thing I've heard from many experts, it's that we are lacking a unified federal strategy here.

[03:10:01]

Now you cite another common problem that's a lack of public trust. We are seeing more and more vociferous public protests, demonstrations against lockdown measures, even protesting football things like wearing masks. How do you combat the COVID fatigue and the public skepticism that's leading some countries to slide back?

MCKEE: Well, first of all, I think a lot of that is exaggerated on this side of the Atlantic any way under the Asia Pacific region. There have been a number of very visible demonstrations but when you look at the polling data, trust is still relatively high in most countries. Frankly, it comes down to leadership. So, in England, a close aide to

the prime minister went on a trip whenever he was suffering from COVID and that from the polling data demonstrates very clearly there was a substantial loss of trust in government. Consistency of messaging is hugely important.

One of the interesting things that we cite in this study from other data, interestingly enough, is that having female heads of government is associated with much better responses. And another work that we've done, having populist leaders, leaders that appeal to populist policies which you have, Brazil has, and a number of other countries have, including to some extent the United Kingdom, that is associated with not doing particularly well.

So, having honesty, consistent messaging, and effort since that relates to the science. Because most people actually do get it. And if they hear messaging about bleach or ultraviolet light or something like that, that really does erode trust and then the role of social media. We need to accept that there is manipulation for all sorts of purposes but we are seeing that not just with health.

BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. Thank you so much for joining us here. Martin McKee in London, we appreciate it.

MCKEE: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: The Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac says it will soon start analyzing data from late stage human trials of its coronavirus vaccine. Sinovac vaccine is one of nine in large phase three trials worldwide.

So, let's bring in CNN's Kristie Lu Stout who joins us from Hong Kong with more. So, give us an update on the vaccine race. How does China's time line compare with western pharma firms?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, when you look at the timeline that Sinovac is offering right now it puts China's Sinovac neck and neck with major western pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca and Moderna.

Now happening right now in Beijing is an important press conference by the state council information office. And we are monitoring that conference. They are addressing China's race to bring a coronavirus vaccine to market to provide perhaps a timeline, also to sort of, put to rest concerns out there about vaccine safety, as well as distribution.

Any new lines we'll bring that to you right here on CNN. But ahead of that conference currently underway, we did hear from Sinovac in Beijing on Thursday. The company announcing that its coronavirus vaccine will be ready for the world by early 2021.

Now, its experimental vaccine has yet to pass phase three clinical trials. And yet it's already been injected into thousands of people in China under an emergency use provision in the country. It's also been injected into employees of Sinovac including its CEO. The CEO spoke to reporters on Thursday. Take a listen to what he said about the emergency use of vaccines in China.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YIN WEIDONG, CEO, SINOVAC BIOTECH (through translator): We saw that the World Health Organization raised emergency use of vaccines. But actually, different difficulties have different attitudes towards emergency use. So, I don't know if other countries can follow China's emergency use experience.

If there are other countries doing emergency use of a vaccine then we are willing to work with them and share the data and emergency use plan that we have already completed in China and we invite them to study it.

So, I think different countries have their own options for approval of emergency use of the vaccine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now the CEO of Sinovac, he pledged that he would seek approval with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration so that his vaccine would be accepted and available there in the United States after it passes human trials. Now historically, did very strict rules in the United States, E.U., Japan, Australia, and elsewhere. Made in China vaccines have not been sold or available in those markets. Back to you.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. It's part of that -- I mean, China isn't part of the COVAX vaccine initiative led by the WHO. So, is that significant? And will that change?

LU STOUT: No. It's interesting, the COVAX initiative, it's led by the World Health Organization, is a global initiative that's meant to make sure that any vaccine to fight the coronavirus pandemic would be distributed in a fair and equitable way. You know, that, for example, developing countries will be able to gain access to funding, that the right people would be able to get the vaccine when it starts to be rolled out. The elderly, first responders, et cetera.

[03:15:02]

It's notable that the big power players who are not part of COVAX include the United States, Russia, and China. But according to state run media in China, China is reconsidering that. But China is also saying that any vaccine it brings to market, its priority will be its own people, as well as countries being friendly to China. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. All right. Thank you so much, Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. I appreciate it.

The White House says President Trump will accept the outcome of November's election, if it's a free and fair. But now he says, he is not sure it will be honest. We've got those details just ahead.

And protests over the police shooting and death of Breonna Taylor just turned violent near Los Angeles. We'll go to the streets of Hollywood to show you exactly what happened. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: With the U.S. presidential election, less than six weeks away, Donald Trump keeps complaining about a rigged election system, and nonexistent fraud in mail-in ballots. And he is refusing to say if he'll go quietly if he loses, which has raised alarms in many quarters.

On Thursday, the White House press secretary was asked specifically about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are the results legitimate only if the president wins?

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president will accept the results of a free and fair election. He will accept the will of the American people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, for clarity, if he loses, and it's free and fair, he will accept it.

MCENANY: I've answered your question. He will accept the results of a free and fair election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now the problem with that response, of course, is that the president has been casting doubt on the election for months.

We got the latest from CNN's Kaitlan Collins at the White House.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump, facing swift pushback after he refused to commit to a peaceful transition if he loses in November.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, we're going to have to see what happens, you know that I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Though the White House trying to spin what Trump said on camera, even Republican Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, issued a tweet saying there will be an orderly transition in January, should Trump lose to Joe Biden. But McConnell and other GOP lawmakers refused to call Trump out by name. And some even deflected to Hillary Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): Hillary Clinton said Joe Biden should not accept the result of the election under any circumstances.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: But she's not the candidate, the president is the candidate. And he's not committing to accept them.

TILLIS: Well then, how many people have you asked on the Democratic side, whether or not they would support the outcome of the election? Why don't you do that --

RAJU: But she's not the --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Former Vice President Joe Biden quickly hit back at Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And what country are we in? Look, he says the most irrational things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: It was only weeks ago that Attorney General Bill Barr scoffed at the idea that Trump would not cede power. Telling the Chicago Tribune, I've never heard any of that crap, and I'm the attorney general, I think I would've heard about it.

[03:20:01]

For months, Trump is trying to cast doubt on the outcome of the election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: These ballots are a horror show.

Because the only way they are going to win is by a rigged election.

I have to see. Look, you -- I have to see. No, I'm not going to just say yes, I'm not going to say no. And I didn't last time either.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Though he's claimed that mail-in voting would be rife with fraud, his FBI director testified there is no evidence of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, DIRECTOR, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: You know, we have not seen historically any kind of coordinated, national voter fraud effort in a major election whether it's by mail or otherwise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: As President Trump faces blow back for his comments, he was loudly booed as he paid his respects to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Supreme Court today. Trump will announce his nominee to replace Justice Ginsburg this Saturday, and said he wants them confirmed before the election in case there is a dispute over who won.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We need 9 justices. You need that. With the unsolicited millions of ballots that they're sending, it's a scam, it's a hoax.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And as the president was leaving the White House on Thursday to go to events in North Carolina and Florida, he once again cast doubt on whether or not he would accept the results of the election in November. Saying, even if they are illegitimate, would do accept them? Our reporter asked the president, and he said, he doesn't know because he is not sure that the election can be honest.

Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So, if Donald Trump loses the election what would happen if he refuses to concede? Earlier, CNN asked the journalist and author behind The Atlantic magazine fall cover titled, "The Election That Could Break America."

Barton Gellman spoke about a possible power struggle should Trump lose the upcoming election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARTON GELLMAN, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: If you start with the premise that Trump is not going to concede defeat, whether or not he is defeated, he has enormous power to prevent the formation of a decisive outcome. There is no umpire in a presidential election. Even -- even someone like the secretary we just heard from, there is no umpire who has jurisdiction over the whole problem of who got elected president, who can make a decisive outcome, blow the whistle, and say the game is over.

There is no one who can tell a loser that he lost, if he's not prepared to concede. And one of the things that the president can do is to challenge the results. His campaign is working on the apparent presumption that he can't win, or is less likely to win if all the votes are counted.

He has pre-announced his legal strategy of challenging mail votes, and in particular, any vote that is not counted on election night as being fraudulent or rigged or invalid somehow, although that is just a fantasy invented out of whole cloth. We've been doing mail-in ballots securely for decades in this country.

Beyond that, the president has command of an enormous federal bureaucracy. If he chooses to do so, and if Bill Barr is willing to write him the check in terms of an assertion of presidential authority, he can send people to guard or supervise or cease or impound postal ballots at post offices, for example. Or to bring the law in order to an unruly city, which happens to be a key Democratic stronghold in a swing state.

We don't know what he is capable of doing because he's already announced that he does not intend to let anything happen that causes him to lose the race. I mean, if you define a rigged election as any election in which I lose, then you are leaving yourself a lot of latitude to act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Tune in next Tuesday night, Eastern Time for the first of three presidential debates. CNN will carry the debate live and our special coverage begins at 7 p.m. Eastern.

Protests over the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor have taken a violent turn in Hollywood. At least one person was struck by a vehicle during demonstrations there late Thursday night.

CNN's Stephanie Elam is in Hollywood and explains how the events unfolded.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've been out here following this protest in Hollywood, California in the name of Breonna Taylor. It started over by a cemetery where there are people speaking, and then they began to march. And as they were marching, they got up to one section and Hollywood where a car either came into the crowd or proceeded to move through the crowd. It did sound like some of the protesters then start hitting the car and then the car accelerated out of the crowd.

[03:24:57]

We saw that there was one person on the ground, they encircled this person. They were calling for help, they did allow a fire engine to come in and administer help and then to transport that person to get further attention.

We saw it all happened. It was very close to where we were at that time. Those protesters then continued to march up. We saw a few other scuffles along the way. There is one point where the protesters were getting close to a police station and they met a line of police officers there and then turn their direction to go a different way.

And now the protesters are here, you can hear the helicopters are above right now. That's probably what we're hearing right now the police helicopter listening and watching what this crowd is doing. They're blocking this intersection, which is a major artery here in Hollywood right now as they are making their way down.

Another car came through the crowd just a few minutes ago. And they were beating on that car, and that car manage to get away, but just showing you how this one has changed a bit since we started off with those speakers in the park.

In Hollywood, California, Stephanie Elam, CNN.

BRUNHUBER: Confirmed cases of coronavirus are relatively low across the African continent. But a new report finds the virus is still taking a toll. We'll go live to Johannesburg.

Plus, Israel is implementing even tougher restrictions after coronavirus cases soared despite a lockdown, so we'll go to Jerusalem for a live update. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to you, our viewers around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. And you are watching CNN Newsroom.

Brazil has the highest number of coronavirus deaths in Latin America and the second highest number in the world. As of Thursday, the country's death toll is approaching 140,000. Now Brazil is joining a global effort to find a vaccine. Brazil's president signed the decree joining an initiative led by the World Health Organization.

Mexico has the second highest death toll in Latin America, more than 75,000. Almost 500 of those deaths were reported on Thursday.

And now let's take a look at how Africa has been affected by coronavirus. So, we'll see here on this global map, you can see the number of reported cases based on population. To better compare large and small countries, you can notice the yellow coloring across much of Africa. Well it has lower per capita numbers than Europe and the America's.

And you get a similar picture from per capita reported deaths. Most of Africa has the lowest numbers seen here as light pink. And then here is a look at how Africa compares to other regions on the reported number of new cases based on population.

[03:30:00]

You can see Africa is in orange, and it's the lowest in reported cases per day with greater numbers in Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America.

As for trends within Africa, while this map here shows which countries are reporting more new cases per day compared to a week ago, cases are flat or declining in much of West Africa and in the south but rising sharply in a few central African nations. Now, a new report says that the virus has caused substantial, indirect burdens across the African continent.

So, for more now, let's go to our David McKenzie, he's standing by live for us in Johannesburg, South Africa. So, David, you recently spoke to the head of Africa's CDC, and what did he have to say?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you are right about the indirect effects. Certainly, people are worried Kim, about the effects on education, the fight against other diseases and the take up of vaccinations of problems like measles which are still a huge issue in parts of the world. Here in African continents, it's hard to generalize for more than a billion people.

But certainly, there were predictions in the early days of COVID-19, Kim, that the country would be -- the continent, would be in catastrophic situations. And I asked the head of the African CDC, why those predictions were so wrong?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN NKENGASONG, DIRECTOR, AFRICA CDC: I think it is a lesson to be learned from the continent that those predictions that based on any solid assumptions, that were based on historically on the standing of the continent which is so slow, as we have seen in this current (inaudible).

We have seen (inaudible) indicated that by this time about 40 million people infected in Africa with 200,000 deaths. We haven't seen that, but the reason is just obvious. One, was the (inaudible) that the continent to coordinate the efforts and really added level of each individuals to take drastic measures.

If you recall, many countries in Africa are still on a lockdown. We have begun to see that occurs very nicely. And we've seen has sustained, 10 to 12 percent decrease overall on the continent over the last couple of weeks. I think that is good.

We are not yet at a point to celebrate. We are not complacent at all, but we need to acknowledge that progress. A remarkable progress that has been achieve.

MCKENZIE: There is still a lack of testing on the continent and a perception of a lack of data to really understand how this disease is affecting various countries. Is there just a hidden pandemic that is not seen, are there people dying that we don't know about, across the African continent on a large scale?

NKENGASONG: Absolutely not. What is critical actually, David is that the level of asymptomatic, the proportion of individuals that had been infected and not fallen sick in the continent is very high, it's about 80 percent. And I think that is very, very important. So that means that we are not seeing people dying of a mass (inaudible) as it was predicted. I think this is a very good news. This is in form on -- based on data.

MCKENZIE: Why do you think some people find that hard to believe, even if the data backs it up?

NKENGASONG: I can understand that, because of the massiveness of what we are seeing in the west. In Europe, and then United States. We should also remember that our population is very different from what people are seeing in the U.S. and also Europe.

More than 70 percent of our population is less than 30 years. Our median age is actually around 70 to 80 years are nothing that is really an important factor to put into the equation and in the understanding of the levels of deaths in the United States or Europe versus Africa. I think that is my assumption is that many more people will be infected in Africa, that the deaths will (inaudible) be low.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MCKENZIE: Well, Kim, if you look at the beginning -- at the beginning

of this pandemic, only two countries across the continent could really test for COVID-19. Now all of them can, because of cooperation amongst countries and the leadership of the Africa CDC.

Now, the Africa CDC, of course, is modeled on the U.S. Center for Disease Control. If you talk about perceptions, many people, before this pandemic assumed that the U.S. would have the tools to fight this effectively. And many might have assumed that the countries of Africa couldn't.

Well, the reverse seems to have become true. And it is important to note though, the underlying factors, the median age of the population across Africa is just under 19 years of age. And we all know that by now that COVID affects the elderly much more severely. So, it is also that factor, that demographic factor which appears to be paying a large role in how this pandemic has played out. Kim?

[03:35:09]

BRUNHUBER: Very interesting. Some more good news there. Thank you so much CNN's David McKenzie, in Johannesburg.

Only tough restrictions are set to take effect in Israel, just as the country reports a new daily case record from Thursday. Israel went into a second lockdown a week ago with new infections have continue to soar.

So, let's bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. So, on Israel now is one of the world's worst outbreaks. The Prime Minister using almost apocalyptic language to drive home the importance of this measures which I'm sure aren't popular.

LIEBERMANN: Very much so and part of that has to do with the lack of public trust in the government and in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A recent survey from the Israel Democracy Institutes said public trust in the government and in Netanyahu specifically his handling of the coronavirus crisis is down to 27 percent from a high of 58 back in April, and that contributes to this frustration, anger and confusion over not only the second general lockdown but this new restrictions that are being introduce.

But Netanyahu said they are necessary and if you look at numbers, you see why he's come to that conclusion. Another record yesterday, 7,527 new cases and that comes after two straight days of nearly 7,000. This has become a pattern we've seen here over the last couple of weeks. Every day or every few days, there is a new record for daily coronavirus cases and similarly you are in parallel with that, the number of serious cases rises slowly as does the number of patients on ventilators throughout the country.

There is a serious burden here on the country's health system and some questioning whether the health system is ready to handle this numbers if they keep on rising.

And that's why that second lockdown, to tighter restrictions set to take effect at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon which is just over -- just under I should say, 3.5 hours away. And that includes significant restrictions on prayer gatherings, on public protest as well as on work places, public sector and private sector to try to limit the spread of coronavirus throughout the country.

Will the public listen? It's not difficult to imagine a scenario were certain portion of the public, perhaps small is openly defiant on regulations that they disagree at this point. But generally or anecdotally, simply from being around the country a little bit over the course of the last few weeks. It seems like people have resigned themselves to the fact that as second lockdown is here and a second lockdown is necessary because of the surge in coronavirus cases.

Worth pointing out that when Netanyahu spoke last night, who did he blame for this? He blamed opposition politicians for their language, experts who said a lockdown was not necessary and members of the public for flouting the rules. Who didn't he blamed for the second lockdown, himself?

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Not surprising there. All right. Thank you so much, Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. I appreciate it.

One of London's busiest train station has recruited robots to help fight the pandemic at St. (inaudible) station, the devices automatically mapped the area and calculate the quickest cleaning route, that use short wavelength ultraviolet light to sterilize surfaces in the surrounding air. Now this type of light has been shown to rapidly inactivate the

coronavirus, even in low intensities. (Inaudible) officials says robots are meant to make passengers feel safe again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY NEWTON, HEAD OF STATION'S ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS: The main thing for us is to get confidence of customers. We are the first train station to bring this technology in, because we want to allow people to use our train station with confidence. Use our retail units with confidence and slowly get back to a normal life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Well, we're learning now that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is facing serious legal issues just a day after he was discharged from hospital in Berlin. He was there, of course because of a Novichok poisoning that happened back in Russian. A spokesman now says his Russian bank accounts were frozen while he was still in a coma and his apartment in Moscow has been seized.

CNN's Matthew Chance explains why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: Was it he didn't have enough problems recovering in Germany from severe poisoning with a chemical nerve agent. Now Russia's most prominent opposition figure is facing legal action back here in Russia. Alexei Navalny spokeswoman saying the kremlin critic has now had his apartment seize here in Moscow. A week after Navalny's poisoning, (inaudible) have place a ban on Navalny's selling, renting or willing his apartment, the spokeswoman said in a statement. He's bank accounts had also been frozen, she added.

With legal seizure which doesn't prevent Navalny from living in the apartment if he ever comes back to Moscow is in connection with a lawsuit in which he was ordered to pay more than 1 million dollars in damages to a school catering firm, that the anti-corruption campaign had accused to serving at locals food that made children sick.

The firm is link to close Kremlin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has been dubbed Putin's chef because of his lucrative government catering contracts. Prigozhin is also behind the internet research agency, the troll factory sanctions for meddling in the U.S. elections in 2016.

[03:40:13]

And the Wagner group, a private Russian mercenaries who are active in conflicts zones in the Ukraine to Syria, to Libya, to Sudan. Prigozhin denies any links with Wagner. He also denies owning the school catering company that sued Navalny but says, that he bought the debt owed to them by the anticorruption campaigner and will know, quote, strip this group unscrupulous people of their clothes and shoes.

Well, last month, Navalny was treated in the Siberian hospital after being taken acutely ill on a flight back to Moscow was made it back to Berlin. Where he was diagnosed with Novichok poisoning. He was that discharged from the clinic in the German capital earlier this week. Shortly after the poisoning.

Prigozhin issued a statement saying, if comrade Navalny kicks the bucket he will not seek to persecute him. But he were to survive Prigozhin said, he would be liable, quote, according to the full severity of the Russian lord. Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Coming up, it's been a year of record wildfires. We'll take an indebt look at what might be causing them. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: South Korean officials saying Kim Jong-un has personally apologize for North Korea's shooting and killing of a South Korean citizen. The South Korean government worker was killed after apparently crossing a maritime border with the (inaudible).

For more on this, let's go to CNN's Paula Hancocks in Seoul. Paula, what more can you tell us about this extraordinary apology?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, this is certainly a very rare apology from North Korea apology simply don't come from this country very often. And the fact that this letter that has been given from North Korea to South Korea is in Kim Jong-un's name itself as well. Saying that he has apologized saying he's sorry to have disappointed in what has happened.

So, what did happen is this week early this week, there was an individual, an official with the South Korean Ministry of maritime affairs and fisheries who went missing of a vessel just off the West Coast of South Korea. Now we understand from the South Korean military that that individual then drifted on a floating object across the maritime border into North Korean waters.

The military here has said that there's a potential chance that he was actually trying to defect from South Korea to North Korea, that that hasn't been confirmed at this point. And they believe that he was shot by the North Korean Navy and killed and then set on fire.

Now, within this letter, that has just been announced today, this Friday about the South Korean side, the North Koreans claim that said -- that they had find this intruder as the call him in their waters. They had tried to talk to him. He had confirmed he was from South Korea and then didn't say anymore.

[03:45:04]

So they had fired a couple of blank shots and then they say, they fired 10 shots and say that they did not see him after that on the floating object, just a lot of blood and it was the object that they set fire to not the body itself.

So, you see that there are differing versions of this story, the upshot is that the one individual, the South Korean government official was shot and killed by North Korea. But the very fact that North Korea has apologized, and apologized so quickly is significant in itself. It also emerge from his apology, the South Korean side confirming that there has been a letter between the South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

It was thought up until this point that there was really zero interaction between the two sides at this point as negotiations and into Korean talks have really stuttered over recent months. But we do understand that there was earlier this month, the letter from President Moon to Kim Jong-un talking about floods, the typhoon that has happened, that dealing with coronavirus saying he liked the parties concerned with the loss of life and then a return letter from Kim Jong-un, shown at least there is some kind of communication between the two Koreas, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thank you so much. Paula Hancocks in Seoul. I appreciate it.

2020 has been a year of record breaking fires around the world from the Western U.S., to Brazil, even the Arctic Circle. Scientist say human caused climate change is playing a role. And fires becoming more frequent and more ferocious as the planet gets hotter.

Cyril Vanier reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CYRIL VANIER, CNN SHOW HOST: Now familiar scenes from the U.S. West Coast. An orange haze shrouds the skies above some of California's most populous city. As dozens of wildfires blaze through millions of hectares of land.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, (inaudible), it's gone.

VANIER: The landscape changing wildfires break records in the region yet again.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): This is a climate damn emergency, this is real.

VANIER: An emergency in the Western U.S. part of a climate crisis worldwide as 2020 sees record fires rage around the globe. Fires across Latin America tear through the world's largest tropical wetlands in unprecedented rates. Brazil's Amazon rainforest continues to burn brought on in part by deforestation. In Bolivia, drought and high temperatures are fueling wildfires while land clearing in Argentina led to blazes now out of control.

Australia began the year emerging from his worst fire season on record destroying thousands of homes and killing as much as 3 billion animals. The fires may have begun naturally but researchers found that climate change played a major role in how fast and wide they spread.

RICHARD BETTS, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF EXETER: Australia is (inaudible), Australia's 1.4 degrees, it would had been without a human impact on climate. So, when you get hot dry conditions as has occurred, they are even hotter because of global warming.

VANIER: Around the world fires have also rage this year in Indonesia, Russia, Portugal, Greece and in the Arctic Circle which scientist say is heating at rates more than twice the global average.

CLARE NULLIS, SPOKESPERSON, WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION: We always say what happens in the arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic. It does affects our weather in different parts of the world where hundreds of millions of people live.

VANIER: Vegetation burning in the Arctic has released record amounts of carbon dioxide into the air this year. Those CO2 emissions helping make conditions warmer and drier on a planet becoming too hot in places to live.

ABRAHIM LUSTGARTEN, SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTER, PROPUBLICA: A research that was publish in the proceedings in National Academy of Sciences last year projects that about a third of the planet's population will soon live outside of this this ideal band of temperature and precipitation that has proved ideal for humans for the last 6,000 years.

VANIER: Scientists say that reducing emissions is key to help slow global warming now making fires around the world more frequent and ferocious than ever before. Cyril Vanier, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Indigenous people in Australia are struggling to preserve their culture history and heritage as many sacred sites are being lost to the development of mines.

Angus Watson explains the industry has its defenders.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANGUS WATSON, CNN NEWSDESK PRODUCER: A spirit edge into stone enduring here for thousands of years. Imprints of the world's oldest living culture found near Sydney. But many indigenous Australians keep to a rule, never reveal the location of a scared site. Share them and they could be destroyed.

MITCUM NEAVE, GOMEROI ELDER: It's all right to say, that man on the hill living with his dad. Well, it's like a page of a book, (inaudible). Gomeroi hill have lost part of the page. That's a loss of their culture.

[03:50:08]

WATSON: In main mining giant Rio Tinto tour a pages from a 46,000 year old book, an internal study prove two rock shelters in western Australia could had been an enormous museum of information. But Rio Tinto had government permission to blow them up in search for iron ore.

So it did. Heads have role as a result. Rio Tinto CEO John Sebastian Jacques and two deputies forced to resign after pressure from shareholders. The destruction of the rock shelters should not have happened. The company has admitted. But, a parliamentary inquiry, into the incident, heard from an aboriginal group that says Rio Tinto may retain the legal right to destroy at least another 124 such places.

The caves, that Rio Tinto destroyed early this year, were just one among countless, indigenous sacred sites across Australia. Here in Northern New South Wales, people from the Gomeroi nation are fighting to save their heritage from a proposed coal mine to be operated by a Chinese company.

The Shenhua Company says its plan for an open cut coal mine here in the fertile Liverpool planes will add 900 million U.S. dollars to the nation's economy, each year. But on the proposed site, our ancient burial grounds, an axe grinding grooves that Gomeroi elder Mitcum Neave likens to a war memorial.

NEAVE: My burial thought might not have (inaudible). It means a lot to us. But this made (inaudible), the cemetery here. That was a war memorial that as soon as you get to an indigenous side, it's all right. It's not recognized.

WATSON: how does that make you feel about how aboriginal Australians are treated more generally?

It may be our story, our history, but hey, it is part of yours as well. It is your history as well.

NEAVE: It might be a story or history, but hey, it's part of yours as well. It's your history as well.

WATSON: The state government has granted conditional approval for the coal mine to go ahead. After Shenhua promised to do its best to protect the sacred sites. Shenhua has worked closely with relative agencies and the community to develop a government approve plan that provides the appreciation of heritage values, within the project boundary. The company told CNN.

Federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, reviewed the state decision last year, and declined to intervene stating, the expected social and economic benefits of the Shenhua watermark coalmine to the local community outweighed the impacts of the mine on the applicants.

As a result of the likely destruction of parts of their indigenous cultural heritage, Ley's office told CNN this week that the case was carefully considered. And the ministers decision was upheld in subsequent legal proceedings. Profits, once again, prioritized. Another project, guaranteed to remove indigenous Australians from their heritage shouldn't go ahead.

Angus Watson in Northern New South Wales, Australia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: We'll be back with more news, coming up, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: A video of a waterskiing six months old is making waves on social media. While some people are praising the effort by his parents, others are slamming it, calling it dangerous.

CNN's Jeanne Moos, takes us for it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Give the kid a hand. At six months, his dad thinks Rich Humphrey, is the world's youngest water skier. Like father, like son. Minus the one handed crisscrossing hot dogging, his parents had him practice on land.

[03:55:18]

They enrolled him in infant swim class, when a video of his waterskiing triumph on lake (inaudible), in Utah, went viral.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Making waves.

MOOS: Rich left controversy in his wake.

Irresponsible, posted one critic.

Going to be awesome when that child grows up bowlegged and suffers from pain, and unable to walk properly. His parents, passed on doing any more interviews, but Rich's mom, Mindy told Good Morning America, that they consulted their pediatrician.

MINDY HUMPHREYS, MOTHER OF SIX MONTH OLD WATER SKIER: He was super impressed with how, you know, far along Rich is. He said its fine, and do not worry about it.

MOOS: The American academy of pediatrics says kids under the age of one cannot, effectively, raise their heads to breathe. And that a supervising adult, with swim skills, should be within an arm's length, providing constant touch supervision. Instead, Casey, providing touch all right. Both traveling alongside. He says, doctors and a nurse, were on hand, and skiing speed, never went above five miles an hour.

CASEY HUMPHREYS, FATHER OF SIX MONTH OLD WATER SKIER: I really feel like the majority of criticism comes from people caring, and people just being concerned, and wanting the best for a child. And so honestly, we appreciate that.

MOOS: He also appreciated supporters posting messages like, good parents teach their children young. And, all the haters are probably just jealous because they can't water ski. His dad was beside him in the entire time and he's wearing a lifejacket. Awesome.

Now that aquatic milestone has become the baby's profile picture, on his very own Instagram page. His dad, writes, take one look at this kid and tell me he isn't having the time of his life. This is a boy whose dad made him a crib, in the shape of a boat. While other kids are wetting their diapers, Rich is getting his feet wet, very wet.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Water skiing baby. Well, that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom, I'm Kim Brunhuber, the news continues after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)