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President Trump Goes to Walter Reed Medical Center After Testing Positive for COVID-19; President Trump's Physician to Give Press Conference on President's Condition; President Trump Reportedly Receiving Treatment to Reduce Hospital Stay Due to Coronavirus; Biden Campaign Pulls Negative Ads Due to President Trump's COVID-19 Diagnosis; Republican Senator Ron Johnson Tests Positive for Coronavirus; Voters in Michigan React to President Trump's COVID-19 Diagnosis; State and City Leaders across U.S. Emphasize Importance of Coronavirus Issue in Wake of President Trump's Diagnosis; World Leaders React to President Trump's Coronavirus Diagnosis. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired October 03, 2020 - 10:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:48]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

A nation is on edge as President Trump remains hospitalized battling COVID-19 infection. This is a live look right now at Walter Reed Medical Center where the president is expected to be for several days as he gets treatment for coronavirus. He was airlifted to the military hospital last night as a precaution after experiencing mild symptoms, such as a fever. But sources tell CNN that White House officials have serious concerns about the president's health, saying he is having trouble breathing and is also very tired.

Overnight, the president's team said he is being treated with remdesivir, a drug that has shown to shorten the amount of time a patient is hospitalized with coronavirus. The president was also given the unproven experimental antibody dock cocktail Regeneron. The president's diagnosis coming after he spent months downplaying the pandemic, holding campaign rallies and fundraisers in recent days, with few wearing masks or social distancing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know. Somehow, I don't see it for myself.

I don't agree with the statement that if everybody wore a mask everything disappears.

There is, by the way, a lot of people don't want to wear masks. There are a lot of people think that masks are not good.

Your second question was? I couldn't hear you. Can you take it off because I cannot hear you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll just speak louder, sir.

TRUMP: OK, because you want to be politically correct. Go ahead.

I wear masks when needed. When needed, I wear masks. I don't want masks like him. Every time you see him, he's got a mask.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And a growing number of people in the president's inner circle have now also tested positive for the virus. Just in the past hour, Republican Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin announcing that he has tested positive, the third GOP senator to get that diagnosis in the last 24 hours.

Several of those infected attended a White House ceremony one week ago to introduce the president's U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, an event, whereas you see in the audience there, very few were wearing masks. And now uncertainty surrounds how the president's diagnosis will impact the election, with just one month until voters cast their ballots.

We have a team of correspondents, analysts, and medical experts covering all of these developments. Let's begin with the very latest on the president's condition. CNN's Boris Sanchez is outside Walter Reed Medical Center there in Bethesda, Maryland. Boris, what more are you learning?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, we have a bit of breaking news to share with you. Within the last six or seven minutes, the press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, announcing that we will be getting an update from President Trump's doctor, Dr. Sean Conley, here at Walter Reed Medical Center. That briefing will take place at 11:00 a.m. We should note it is only going to be the pool press, so it's not going to be a wide array of reporters being able to ask questions to get the latest on President Trump's health, but rather a select few going into that room.

The most recent update that we got from Dr. Conley was that President Trump was doing well but experiencing some mild symptom related to coronavirus. He was having a difficult time breathing because of congestion. He was experiencing a low-grade fever as well as fatigue and exhaustion.

Of course, what we've heard privately is that President Trump was spooked by the diagnosis. According to sources close to the president, he was concerned about the rapid onset of these symptoms. Publicly, though, the president is putting on a positive note. He tweeted out a video yesterday thanking the world for the support before being moved here to Walter Reed Medical Center. I want you to listen to more from President Trump now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I want to thank everybody for the tremendous support. I'm going to Walter Reed hospital. I think I'm doing very well, but we're going to make sure that things work out. The first lady is doing very well. So thank you very much, I appreciate it. I will never forget it. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:05:03]

SANCHEZ: As you hear the update there on first lady Melania Trump as well, sources indicate that she is having very, very light symptoms, just a mild cough, while the president is having more serious symptoms. Of course, we should be finding out more at 11:00, Dr. Sean Conley set to brief reporters.

Keep in mind, though, a lot of folks around the president are concerned, not only because of the number of people that attended events recently at the White House that have gotten sick -- you mentioned those Republican senators, other White House officials, even members of the White House press corps -- but also because of the fact that this is happening at a critical time in American history, really, the election just about a month away. And this virus also can very rapidly go from just mild symptoms to something much more potentially lethal, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Right, it attacks everybody differently. All right, Boris Sanchez, thank you so much.

There is a lot to unpack here. Joining me right now, CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen, who is also an emergency room physician and the former health commissioner of Baltimore, CNN presidential historian Tim Naftali, and CNN political analyst and assistant editor at "The Washington Post" David Swerdlick. Thanks to all of you for being with me.

So for more than a half dozen so far people in the president's inner circle already testing positive for the coronavirus, nearly all attending the rose garden event last Saturday, announcing the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. So Dr. Wen, because you told my colleague, Ana Cabrera, that, quote, "If I were to custom design a super spreader event, this is what it would look like," now what are your thoughts about what we are learning from sources about what the president is experiencing, some shortness of breath, fatigue, and now we know in less than an hour we'll be hearing from a doctor at Walter Reed. What are your thoughts and concerns?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, there are two things here, Fred. The first is about the individuals, as you said, who attended that rose garden event. Just to clarify, it's not just the event itself that could be a super spreader event. It is all these other things that the individuals may be engaged in while they are at this event, as in there are private events. They may be going to restaurants and seeing one another. And these are individuals who are clearly not abiding by mask wearing, social distancing guidelines. They're hugging, they're kissing, they're shaking hands. And so I am very concerned about the number of people who are exposed who have not yet tested positive, and that for contact tracing purposes, this is extremely complex. And I hope that everyone who is exposed will get tested and quarantine for the full 14 days.

The second issue is regarding the president's condition, which I'm also very concerned about, because right now we have very little information, and yet based on what we know, it seems that his progression has been extremely rapid, because we went from late Thursday night, early Friday morning receiving the diagnosis that he tested positive for coronavirus to him ending up in a hospital 17 hours later, supposedly with fever, with some shortness of breath. We don't know at this point whether he is requiring oxygen, but he's taken two medications already. And so I'm eagerly awaiting the announcement by his physicians because the nation needs to understand how is his breathing, what kind of oxygen is he requiring, and how the president's condition is.

WHITFIELD: You mentioned acceleration, however. While we learned that there was a positive diagnosis from a test Thursday evening, really Friday morning 1:00 a.m., what we really don't know is, don't you recall, we've heard from the White House that there is daily testing of the president, and if that is the case, has there been daily testing? We don't really know when his symptoms even began, Dr. Wen.

WEN: That's right. And the time course to me just doesn't make sense, and this is why I want more information, because typically the incubation period, the time between when someone was exposed and when they show symptoms is between five to seven days. It could go up to 14 days, but average is five to seven days. And then between symptom onset to having severe symptoms like shortness of breath is another five to eight days. So that's 10 days to two weeks between when somebody is exposed to when they show these severe symptoms. So how is it that the president is progressing to quickly. I would want to know, when did he test positive, and when was the last time that he got a negative result.

WHITFIELD: David, let's talk about how the White House is trying to either manage the perception, the president remaining in charge, he is not deferring his duties, passing them on formally to the vice president. At the same time, we're hearing from the White House, he is going to be working while he is in that presidential suite at Walter Reed.

[10:10:02]

Talk to us about the dynamics and the arrangements that the White House is trying to make to maintain a public perception.

DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Fred. So it's probably clearly a good thing that the president went to Walter Reed if for no other reason than out of an abundance of caution yesterday, and that the White House is having this briefing today at 11:00 to give the press and the public a little more information. The best thing for everybody is that the president recovers and we get on with the campaign and go forward toward Election Day and look ahead.

But in the meantime, you cannot get away from the fact that information was slow to trickle out, the White House, until this briefing today presumably, has not been completely forthcoming with information. And clearly this event last Saturday was irresponsible, and you cannot get away from the fact that the president at times has been irresponsible about the way he has addressed this virus. Going back to March 11th, he gave that Oval Office address, said all the right things, and then didn't follow through on those things. Now I think that we're in a position where you have to hope that the White House looks ahead, provides information to the public, and is transparent so that people can make decisions. The people in line for the presidency should be protected, Vice President Pence, Speaker Pelosi and on down the line. And I think we all need as much information as is possible within the national security boundaries.

WHITFIELD: And then, David, to add to your point, most recently, during the presidential debate the president mocking the former vice president for wearing the mask, being seen wearing the mask far more many times than the president himself. So Tim, David touched on this, transparency, the importance of transparency. This has not necessarily been a White House that has a track record of transparency, but talk to me about the tradition, perhaps, when a president is in medical trouble and at Walter Reed, or used to be called Naval Hospital, how transparent will the White House be?

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: First up, Fred, good morning. I want to put this into context. This is a catastrophe. Our leadership elite has been attacked by a virus. It's a silent attack. It's not like a foreign military attack, but it's an attack nonetheless. And we will be discussing how it happened and how to tighten security around our elected officials against the virus.

During our history, presidential physicians have not had a great record about sharing all the information we need to know about the health of the commander in chief. Dr. Wen's concerns are perfectly well taken, especially because this administration has not been forthright about the president's health. We still don't know why the president had that emergency visit to Walter Reed about a year ago. For that reason, it's especially important that Dr. Conley not only give us a lot of information today, but that he schedules regular updates so that we know how the president is doing.

At a moment like this, which is in a crisis, it is very important not only for political reasons, but for national security reasons, for economic reasons, for all of us to know how well the president is doing. We want him to recover swiftly and we need to be able to watch that recovery happen.

WHITFIELD: And the proximity to Election Day, the White House clearly being very protective about the president's condition in addition to perhaps arguments about national security, not wanting to reveal too much might be their argument as well. So Dr. Wen, in addition to being hospitalized, in addition to the treatments, including this experimental antibody cocktail the president has received, when and how might he have been administered these things? Was it in transit? Was it at this military hospital? And how willing would the military hospital be to carry out an experimental treatment on the president of the United States?

WEN: It sounds like thus far from what we know, the president has received two different treatments. One is this antibody cocktail made by a company named Regeneron. It sounds like he received this treatment while he was at the White House. He received one dose of this while at the White House. This is something that has not yet received even emergency use authorization by the FDA, so very much in the experimental stages.

Then he was transferred to Walter Reed where he received the first dose of remdesivir, which is the antiviral medication that does have emergency use authorization. It's important to note that remdesivir does have some good evidence behind it. There was a large randomized controlled trial with over 1,000 patients where they found that individuals receiving remdesivir had a shortened course of hospitalization, which is important. That means that their recovery time in this case was shortened from 15 days to 11 days, shortened by four days.

[10:15:10]

But remdesivir in the study was given to individuals who were pretty ill, who had lung involvement, who were in the hospital on supplemental oxygen. And it sounds like the president did not meet all these criteria, and so it remains to be seen how he will do. But of course, I and so many other people are hoping that his clinical course remains stable. Keeping in mind, though, that this disease, we may not know the answer to how he really does for some time, for days to weeks, because he could be doing well initially only to have a worsening in his condition later.

WHITFIELD: Still a lot of questions, and perhaps there will be some answers coming at the top of the hour when we hear this presser coming from Dr. Sean Conley. Thanks so much, Dr. Leana Wen, Tim Naftali, David Swerdlick, appreciate it. We'll talk again soon.

Straight ahead, with exactly one month until the election, the president's diagnosis could have far reaching political consequences. How the Trump campaign is planning to move forward and keep up the attacks on the Democratic contender, Joe Biden.

Plus, a third Republican senator, Ron Johnson, now confirming that he has tested positive for coronavirus. The impact it could have on the battle for the U.S. Supreme Court.

And voters in the battleground state of Michigan react to the president catching COVID-19.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You should have wore a mask, dude. You didn't wear a mask, and now you're going to pay the price.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody could have done anything different. Blaming him for all the deaths is ridiculous. This is something we've never experienced before ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:20:47]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. From the beginning of this pandemic, President Trump has repeatedly tried to downplay the impact of the coronavirus and what impact it is making to the health of Americans overall. Well today, one of the big questions remained, what impact the president's COVID diagnosis could have on the election, which is now just one month away.

I want it hear from two of our correspondents now covering the campaign. CNN's Ryan Nobles is at the White House, and CNN's Jason Carroll is with the Biden campaign in Wilmington, Delaware. So Ryan, you first. What kind of impact might this have on the president's reelection campaign?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, it's going to have an enormous impact, because the president is, of course, the biggest tool that his campaign has in their arsenal in terms of campaigning. The president was keeping up a robust schedule, traveling around the country, particularly to these swing states, holding these big massive rallies, which the campaign viewed as one of their strongest assets.

Even though they don't have the president at their disposal, you might be surprised at how little it is actually changing in the overall scope of their campaign. They are still doing door to door canvassing. They're still going to hold in-person events with campaign surrogates like the president's children. And they're hoping the Vice President Mike Pence can fill some of the void that is left by President Trump.

But it is important to keep in mind, Fred, that there is nothing that attracts Trump supporters more than the president himself. And the fact that he is going to be sidelined for an indefinite amount of time is going to have a real tangible impact on their campaign.

WHITFIELD: And so Ryan, what about the upcoming scheduled debates? Where do plans stand?

NOBLES: As of now, it's going to happen, Fred. We've been given no guidance otherwise from the Commission on Presidential Debates, from either the Biden or the Trump campaigns. They seem ready to make it happen.

Obviously, Vice President Mike Pence is a question mark here because even though he has tested negative for the coronavirus, the incubation period for the virus could mean that a positive test could come from him any day, especially given the fact that he was in many of the same places that the president and some of these other folks who have tested positive were.

As it stands right now, though, the even scheduled to take place on Salt Lake City on Wednesday. They are making accommodations. Originally the vice president and Kamala Harris were scheduled to be seated seven feet apart. They will now be seated 12 feet apart to try to minimize the risk of the transfer of the coronavirus. We'll have to see with everything that could happen over the next couple day if that scheduled debate will actually take place.

WHITFIELD: And then Jason, what about the Biden campaign? It is cutting back on its negative ads. What are you hearing?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, decided to pull the negative ads, pull all negative ads going forward, that decision made, Fredricka, before they learned that the president was being transferred to Walter Reed. There were some questions about whether or not Biden would be traveling to Michigan yesterday given that he had shared the debate stage with Trump.

I spoke to a campaign official about the reasoning behind that, the decision to go ahead with those travel plans. And they did that for several reasons. First and foremost, Biden tested negative on Friday twice. And so that factored into it. Also, the two had no physical contact when they were on the stage, no handshakes, no elbow bump as well.

In addition to that, Biden himself has had a strict policy of wearing a mask. Even the president has mocked him for it repeatedly. But Biden has continuously worn a mask. People around him wearing a mask. And so these are some of the reasons that factored into the reasoning to going ahead with that campaign stop in Michigan where he talked about the importance of wearing masks, saying it's not just important for you as a person, but for the people around you. It's patriotic thing to do, he said. But he also first and foremost sent his best wishes to the president and the first lady.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: My wife Jill and I pray that they will make a quick and full recovery. This is not a matter of politics. It's a bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:25:00]

CARROLL: So looking ahead in terms of campaigning, look for the Biden camp to do in the future what they have done in the past, follow the science, keeping a very soft footprint when they are on the ground. Campaigning in Michigan, for example, Biden was supposed to have two stops. He only ended up doing one stop there. So again, moving forward, they're going to keep campaigning, but keeping that sort of soft footprint when they're on the ground, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So Jason, while the Biden campaign is making some adjustments, the White House, the president, is not necessarily going to follow suit and stop negative campaign ads. Is there a reaction coming from the Biden camp?

CARROLL: I've reached out to the Biden camp about that specifically. No reaction as of yet. But look, the Biden camp from the onset of this wanting to take the high road when it comes to campaigning, when it comes to the idea and policy of wearing masks. So they're going to stick with that. But in terms of the reaction to the Trump camp not pulling negative ads at this point, no reaction at this point. Fredricka? CARROLL: All right, Jason Carroll, thank you so much, and Ryan Nobles, appreciate it. We'll check back with you.

Breaking news, straight ahead, Senator Ron Johnson now confirming he has tested positive for COVID-19, making him now the third sitting U.S. senator exposed and testing positive to the virus. We're live on Capitol Hill next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:47]

WHITFIELD: This breaking news, a third Republican senator has now tested positive for coronavirus. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin tested positive after being exposed to someone with the virus earlier this week according to his communications director. Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have also tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday. And that is now raising questions about the GOP's hopes for a swift confirmation for the U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. CNN's Lauren Fox is following this developing this story for us. So Lauren, immediately following the president's diagnosis, Mitch McConnell said full steam ahead on the schedule for her possible confirmation. Now what?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: I think that is the big question right now, Fredricka. There is the coronavirus to contend with. And I think that that is something that lawmakers were just not factoring in to the next several weeks. Now, last night Manu Raju was in South Carolina with Lindsey Graham who told him that they are still full steam ahead with their plan to hold hearings the week of October 12th. They can hold those hearings without two members of the Judiciary Committee from attending. And I think that that is important to remember.

But what gets trickier is when it is time to vote. They actually have to have a quorum present. And with the fact that they are dealing with Mike Lee and Thom Tillis, both members of the Judiciary Committee who have COVID, they would not have a quorum if Democrats decided not to show up for that meeting, and they are still missing two Republican members. Then you get into dicey territory when it comes to a floor vote.

We are still several weeks away, members could recover, but it's important to remember that the math was already very tight here. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could only lose three members, and right now he already has done that with the three members that he has. And that's not including the fact that Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski have both already said they would not support a nominee before the election.

So that is where we stand right now, and I think that there is a lot up in the air. Ron Johnson was not present at that ceremony on Saturday in the Rose Garden where Amy Coney Barrett's nomination was announced. That is significant because so far the other members had been at that ceremony. Ron Johnson said he contracted the coronavirus when he had some contact with someone earlier in the week, but he was in Wisconsin during that Saturday event.

I want to lay out that on Capitol Hill, Republicans are meeting Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday for in-person lunches. And while they do keep distance during these lunches, it's impossible to eat with a mask on. So yes, they are taking their masks off while they are eating. And I think that that is cause for concern on Capitol Hill when you're talking about 50 plus people being inside, indoors, in a room, having lunch together. That's cause for concern. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: OK, and that is this coming week Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

FOX: Every week.

WHITFIELD: Right. All right, thank you so much, Lauren Fox, appreciate that.

So while President Trump's doctor and campaign try to calm fears, the president's COVID diagnosis throws a massive amount of uncertainty into his campaign. In states where mail-in and early voting is already under way, Trump's diagnosis is reverberating among those who support him, and even those who don't. CNN's Jeff Zeleny talked with voters in the Michigan suburbs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: As Denise Hardaway cast her ballot on Friday, she had President Trump's health on her mind.

DENISE HARDAWAY, BIDEN VOTER: I pray for him. I hope he recovers. I hope his family recovers.

ZELENY: But she voted for Joe Biden, in part because of what she believes has been the president's mishandling of coronavirus, for which she has not tested positive.

HARDAWAY: He has been denying the whole science behind coronavirus. And so I hope that is a wake-up call for him. And I hope that it changes his administration's thinking, and that he realizes and understands the importance of this pandemic that we're in.

ZELENY: In Michigan, like many states, the election is already under way with voters dropping off their ballots even as the campaign is suddenly filled with fresh uncertainty.

[10:35:01]

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: This is not a matter of politics. It's a bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously.

ZELENY: At a stop in Grand Rapids, Biden also wished Trump well hours before the president was admitted to Walter Reed hospital, a remarkable development that put the pandemic back at the forefront in the final stretch of the campaign. TOM ORLOWSKI, BIDEN VOTER: I hope it turns out right for him, but he

was kind of pressing the limits with a lot of things he's done recently.

ZELENY: Tom Orlowski has supported many Republican presidents, but Friday he voted for Biden.

Did the president's handling of coronavirus influence your vote this year?

ORLOWSKI: Sure. Sure, it did. I believe based on, again, what I know, that this has been poorly handled, and a lot of it could have been eliminated. I can't help but think that it is going to be obviously a big issue in this election, people that know people that have died or been affected by it.

ZELENY: Four years ago, Trump narrowly won Michigan, the first Republican presidential candidate to carry the state since 1988.

TRUMP: On November 3, Michigan, you better vote for me. I got you so many damn car plants.

(APPLAUSE)

ZELENY: His strength here in the suburbs of Detroit will help determine if he does so again.

PHILIP BROWN, TRUMP VOTER: I think he was dealt a bad hand.

ZELENY: Philip brown cast his ballot for Trump and does not blame the president for how he has handled coronavirus. Yet he said he was not surprised Trump tested positive.

BROWN: A number of people have tested positive in the White House. This is a very contagious disease. I figured at some point, with all the protections, he would have caught it.

ZELENY: The president's COVID-19 diagnosis is the latest bombshell of the 2020 campaign, but conversations with voters suggest it may not change many minds.

LINDA LAURAIN, BIDEN VOTER: I can't believe it took this long for him to get the virus, because he just didn't follow any of the rules as far as staying safe.

ZELENY: Linda Laurain said the president should have taken the pandemic more seriously but noted that she always planned to vote for Biden. Dave Elliston, was less charitable toward Trump.

DAVE ELLISTON, BIDEN VOTER: You should have worn a mask, dude. You didn't wear a mask, and now you're going to pay the price.

ZELENY: His words dripped with sarcasm but turned serious.

ELLISTON: I don't want him to die right now, but he should get a little bit of taste of his willingness to avoid what everybody tells him he is supposed to do and set a good example for this country.

ZELENY: Yet not all voters here are as harsh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody could have done anything different. Blaming him for all the deaths ridiculous. This is something we've never experienced before ever.

ZELENY: This Michigan doctor, who asked to be identified only as Steve, said he is leaning towards Trump because of his economic policies.

Will coronavirus play a role into how you vote this fall?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Not at all.

ZELENY: It's an open question if the president's case of COVID-19 changes the minds of any voters. But one thing is clear -- coronavirus now is front and center in this campaign conversation one month before Election Day.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Birmingham, Michigan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And coming up, the numbers are startling and disturbing. Less than three months from now, one model predicting daily U.S. deaths from the coronavirus will nearly triple. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:42:25]

WHITFIELD: This just into CNN, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen have both tested negative for COVID-19. We just got the update moments ago. The vice president still planning to travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday ahead of the vice-presidential debate.

An influential coronavirus model has updated its rolling projection to now 363,000 U.S. deaths by the end of December. That's actually a drop of just over 8,000 deaths from its prediction last week. The model from the University of Washington School of Medicine is also predicting 2,900 COVID-19 deaths a day by the end of the year. This comes as at least two dozen states are seeing a surge in new cases, including New York state.

Polo Sandoval is joining me now with more on all of this. Polo?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. So you remember Tom Frieden, he's the former head of the CDC, weighing in after the president's diagnosis, saying that this is clearly showing many of us that there needs to be more, what he described, as a comprehensive approach when it comes to COVID. He says yes, testing is a good thing, but at the same time it should not replace those recommendations that we've been hearing for months now, the handwashing, social distancing, and of course the mask wearing too.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: President Trump working from Maryland's Walter Reed Medical Center where he was flown Friday now out of an abundance of caution according to the White House. The president dealing with mild symptoms according to officials and received an experimental Regeneron antibody cocktail treatment on Friday.

His infection coming as half of the states in the U.S. from Vermont to Nevada are experiencing upward trend in the virus. Wisconsin where President Trump was due to hold a rally today now canceled due to his diagnosis, reported more than 2,700 new cases on Friday. The state also set a record of nearly 2,900 new cases on Thursday.

Further west, Colorado experiencing its highest rate of hospitalization since August. And in Ohio, the site of Tuesday's presidential debate, an alarming rise in daily cases according to Governor Mike DeWine, with more than 1,000 new cases per day for the last four days. The Republican governor describing the president's diagnosis as a reminder the virus does notes discriminate.

GOV. MIKE DEWINE, (R) OHIO: The president of the United States can get this, the first lady can get this. We can get it too. And we've just got to be very, very careful.

SANDOVAL: And in New York City, 12 hotspots neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn are a cause for concern for officials who say the infection rates in those areas more than four percentage points higher than the rest of the city.

[10:45:05]

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO, (D) NEW YORK CITY: We have a lot to do because we're seeing a serious uptick in multiple neighborhoods simultaneously, and it's something we have to address with a very aggressive public health effort right away.

SANDOVAL: Across the river in New Jersey, contact tracing is underway in connection to President Trump's Thursday Bedminster fundraiser, according to Governor Phil Murphy. That's the last event the commander in chief attended before receiving his diagnosis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Still a lot of worrying trends for officials this morning, one of which is the number of new COVID cases a day, now averaging about 42,000, Fred. And that is a number that isn't any lower than last month. And that is certainly concerning for officials since technically they could have used that to combat this expected spike that officials are warning we could still see in the months ahead.

WHITFIELD: Polo Sandoval, keep us posted. Thank you so much in New York.

Straight ahead, President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis prompting worldwide reaction, including a telegram from Russia's Vladimir Putin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Leaders from around the world are sending their well wishes to President Trump after his COVID-19 diagnosis, including Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has taken a very different personal approach to the virus. Matthew Chance starts our look at reaction from around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matthew Chance in Moscow where Vladimir Putin has sent President Trump a telegram wishing him and the first lady a speedy recovery. Putin said their, quote, inherent vitality, good spirits, and optimism would help him cope. But of course, it's more than just those qualities that the Russian leader has depended on to defend himself against COVID-19. Unlike Trump, Putin has spent much of the pandemic in a virtual bubble, usually speaking to his officials by video conference, cancelling all foreign trips, according to the Kremlin, and working mainly from his residence outside of Moscow where disinfectant tunnels that spray visitors down as they pass through have been installed. The growing club of world leaders with COVID-19 is one the Russian president seems at pains not to join.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matt Rivers in Mexico City where people woke up to headlines like this one, "Trump hospitalized, infections spread." The article talks about how people close to Trump in recent days have also gotten sick with the virus. And it also shows a picture of Trump on his way to Walter Reed wearing a mask. The newspaper expressing some surprise that he did so considering that it says as recently as the debate on Tuesday he was making fun of Joe Biden for always wearing a mask.

Well wishes have poured in from across Latin America. The president of Mexico, of course, and as well as the president of brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro is a Trump supporter. He says that he wishes the president well and hopes that this will not harm his he reelection campaign. Both Trump and Bolsonaro have expressed skepticism over the threat posed by the coronavirus virus despite the fact that both men have now had the coronavirus.

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Selina Wang in Hong Kong. The world is reacting to President Trump's COVID-19 infection with sympathy, shock, and criticism. President Trump joins a growing list of leaders who have been infected, including many who have been skeptical of the disease. The editor in chief of Chinese state backed tabloid "Global Times" tweeted that, quote, President Trump and the first lady have paid the price for his gamble to play down COVID-19. The Chinese government has hit back at Trump's attempts to blame China for the pandemic. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has told CNN that, quote, China has noted relevant reports and wishes Mr. And Mrs. Trump a speedy recovery. The leaders of Taiwan, South Korea, and Pakistan have also sent their

wishes for a swift recovery.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Our thanks to Selina Wang, Matthew Chance, and Matt Rivers, appreciate it.

And at any moment now, President Trump's physician is expected to give an update on how the president is coping with COVID-19 at Walter Reed Medical Center. We're live next.

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[10:58:20]

WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We are standing by for a live update on President Trump's condition as he remains hospitalized battling COVID- 19. At any moment now, you see the physician right there, the president's doctor will hold a press briefing from Walter Reed Medical Center where the president is expected to remain for several days, according to the White House, as the president gets treatment for coronavirus. He was airlifted to the military hospital last night as a precaution after experiencing mild symptoms such as a fever, but sources tell CNN that White House officials have serious concerns about the president's health, saying he is having some troubling breathing and is also very tired.

Overnight the president's team said that he is being treated with remdesivir, a drug that has shown to shortens amount of time that patient is hospitalized with coronavirus. The president was also given an experimental antibody cocktail made by Regeneron.

The president's diagnosis coming after he spent months downplaying the pandemic, holding campaign rallies and fundraisers in recent days with few wearing masks or social distancing. After his hospital arrival, the president posted a short video to his Twitter feed assuring the public that he was doing well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I want to thank everybody for the tremendous support. I'm going to Walter Reed hospital. I think I'm doing very well, but we're going to make sure that things work out. The first lady is doing very well. So thank you very much, I appreciate it. I will never forget it. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A growing number of people in the president's inner circle have now also tested positive for the virus.