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Drug maker Eli Lilly Pauses Antibody Trial for Safety Reasons; European Countries Tighten Restrictions Amid Second Wave; Liverpool Faces U.K.'s Highest Level of Restrictions; Germany See Sharp Rise in COVID-19 Infections; Chinese City Test More Than 7.5 Million People; Senior Voters Weigh In On Trump vs Biden; Demi Lovato Calls Out Trump in New Song. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired October 14, 2020 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A quick recap of our top story. The rise of coronavirus cases in the United States with experts saying the fall and winter surge they've been warning about is here. And there are new concerns about a potential treatment as another pharmaceutical company pauses its trial for safety reasons. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explains what we know.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly has put their trial on pause. They said the pause was requested by the Data Safety and Monitoring Board that's a board that's overlooking this trial to make sure that everyone stays safe. The company didn't say exactly what happened. But usually when trials are put on hold, it's because a participant in the trial, a study subject has become ill. And they need to make sure, did the vaccine play a role in this.

Sometimes people just get sick. And they would have anyhow. Sometimes participants get sick because they get a vaccine and it's actually the vaccine that had something to do with the illness. So, this needs to be investigated.

Now, Eli Lilly has already applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for permission to put their drug on the market. It's not clear what this pause might mean for this application. What we know is that if indeed this is because a participant became ill, safety experts will do an investigation and will try to figure out was the illness a fluke or was it related to the vaccine. Rosemary back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Thanks for that, Elizabeth.

Well, countries across Europe are looking to strict new measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus as cases on the continent continue to soar. Italy on Tuesday recorded its highest daily increase of new cases and is recording its highest number of ICU patients since late March.

Germany's largest cities have all become virus hot spots over the past few days and today Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to discuss new nationwide restrictions.

In France, more people are hospitalized in the ICU now compared to last week. And nearly 13,000 new COVID cases were reported Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in China a massive testing effort continues after a new COVID cluster emerges in Qingdao. So far more than 7 million people have been tested.

And CNN's teams across the world are covering the coronavirus pandemic for us this hour. Kristie Lu Stout is in Hong Kong. Scott McLean is in Berlin and Salma Abdelaziz is in Liverpool where new restrictions are taking effect. Selma, just how tough is the crackdown where you are?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Good morning, Rosemary. Well, Liverpool is waking up to a new reality today. They are the first city to be found at this top tier, tier 3, very high risk. These new restrictions include shutting down pubs and bars, essentially closing down the night life of the city, shutting down gyms and banning households from gathering together.

But a lot of people argue, this is too little too late. Local officials have been outraged at Prime Minister Boris Johnson's handling of the surge in cases. Seeing they have failed to communicate with local officials, failed to cooperate with local officials and accused them of simply failing on their policy and decision making. And that sentiment is shared by many here.

It is important to know that Liverpool is a university city. There's a lot of young people here and shutting down night life was met with a great deal of resistance last night. Take a look at scenes that played out as pubs closed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[04:35:00]

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Last call in Liverpool. Pubs must shut their doors for at least a month.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why isn't London shut down?

ABDELAZIZ: Tougher restrictions were ordered after a surge in COVID-19 cases. But there is no socially distant farewell here. The proud port city, birthplace of the Beatles, home to a championship football team is the first to be classified as very high risk under England's new three-tier COVID alert system.

The government says the decision was driven by the data. The city has the highest number of coronavirus patients in the entire country. Local city councilman Paul Brant agrees the rapid rise in infections is a problem but his consensus with London ends there. PAUL BRANT, PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE, LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL: A

rather toxic mix of arrogance and ignorance at central government level has led us to the sorry state that we're in now. I think the evidence is clear now that a short, sharp intervention, three, four weeks ago, would have avoided the mess that we're in now.

ABDELAZIZ: The country's top scientists agree. Three weeks ago, a government advisory body suggested a circuit breaker, a short but complete lockdown to reduce case numbers. Their advice went unheeded by Downing Street.

(on camera): After months of controversy over the government's handling of coronavirus, many people here say they're running out of patience and they're running low on trust. There's always been tensions between the north of the country and the central government in London, but under the pandemic the mistrust is growing.

(voice-over): For now, the city's iconic Beatles tours are running but tour guide, Jay Johnson says the country's ruling elite is failing its working class.

JAY JENSEN, BEATLES MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR: Because I have no faith in them at all. They keep changing their mind. Constant U-turns one after another. I personally feel that the government isn't doing enough for us. The Prime Minister is not doing enough for us. The Prime Minister has never done enough for us.

ABDELAZIZ: And while public confidence dwindles by the day, the government is calling for immediate compliance to avoid a second wave of the pandemic that may be even deadlier than the first.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Now everyone here agrees there is a problem. The rate of infection is rising. The number of coronavirus cases in the hospitals is growing. There is no debate over the fact that there is a growing surge in the north of the country. The controversy is over how to handle it. As you heard there in that report, there's been discussions of doing something that is short and sharp, an intense lockdown over a matter of weeks rather than a long, drawn out period of confusing measures. As you can see behind me here, people are still allowed to shop. They're still allowed to go out. They're still allowed to meet with each other. So, these restrictions are limited. And the question is, are they enough to stem the rising cases -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes, it is the big question everywhere. Isn't it? Live in Liverpool. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz live in Liverpool. Well, Germany Many thanks.

Well, Germany has also seen a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections. More than 5,000 cases were reported Tuesday along with 40 additional deaths.

CNN's Scott McLean joins me now live with more on this. Scott, what is the latest? SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Rosemary. So, because of this

recent surge in cases, the demand for testing, as you can imagine, has really jumped up as well. We're at one testing facility in Berlin. We've been here now for two days. And we've seen the lines stretch all the way down the block which you can see right now.

I also had a chance to speak to the doctor that runs this particular clinic. And she says that about one in every ten people coming here is testing positive for the coronavirus. That's much higher than it's been in past months. She also complains about the bureaucratic hurdles that are in place in this country that she says is slowing down the testing process and making it difficult for everyone who needs a test to actually get one.

One of the things that's unique here is that you don't actually have to have symptoms in order to come to this facility. So, a lot of the people here had been in contact with someone who did test positive. At other facilities though it's much more difficult to get tested unless you have coronavirus symptoms.

Germany did quite well in the first wave of the coronavirus, but the doctor says she expects this time around this country will not be so lucky. She says the last time around Germany had more warning than other countries because Italy and Spain were getting hit much harder. And so, it had much more time to prepare.

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel, she's going to be meeting with the premieres of Germany's 16 states today. Potentially announcing brand new coronavirus restrictions as well. One state premiere though says that this country is at risk of losing control of its pandemic and says that serious conversations need to be had now to avoid a second national lockdown -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: meanwhile Many thanks to Scott McLean joining us there.

And meanwhile, in China a massive testing effort continues after a new COVID cluster emerges in Qingdao.

[04:40:00]

So far more than 7 million people have been tested. For the latest, CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us now live from Hong Kong. Kristie, that is just a remarkable number of tests but how reliable are these results?

KRISTI LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, reliability is the key question here when you are looking at testing at such a scale, a breathtaking scale. The city of Qingdao, more than 7.5 million people have been tested in a matter of days. Formally results have already been returned. According to local officials, no additional positive COVID-19 cases have been detected.

What sparked this was over the weekend, 12 -- that's it -- 12 new COVID-19 cases were detected and that's what sparked the city-wide testing. But it's in a city of 9 million people to take place in the span of 9 days. And China has done this before in Beijing, in Dalian and Xinjiang, as

well as in Wuhan. So, how did they do it? Well, they use a method called pool testing. Now it usually involves -- as you see on your screen there, these pop-up testing centers involving thousands of staff. But when you take a pool test, it's basically a collection of samples, 3 to 10 samples and you tested it once. If it tests negative, the team moves on. If it tests positive, then they get granular to find out the individual test, which sample, has been infected with the coronavirus. Now experts I've talked to here in Hong Kong say that this method is not only fast but it's precise. But it may not give the whole picture. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JIN DONG-YAN, VIROLOGY PROFESSOR, HONG KONG UNIVERSITY: I say mass testing at this scale is actually a way of sources, it might not be helpful in any different context. Because positive patients are actually being picked up over a range of time, it's not just a snapshot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: The Dr. Jin Dong-Yan of Hong Kong University there, again this testing blitz that's underway in Qingdao is taking place over a span of five days. According to Dr. Jin, he says in order to catch any additional positive infections, you know, the testers would need at minimum one week -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: 20 Incredible. Kristie Lu Stout with that live report from Hong Kong. Many thanks.

Florida went for Donald Trump in 2016, but with the pandemic dragging on, will the state's seniors stand behind him again? We will hear from some of those voters next.

[04:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: How many people have trouble going to sleep at night, they can't just reach over and touch? They can't hear their son or daughter's voice on the phone. While he throws super spreader parties at the White House, and Republicans hug each other without concern of the consequences. How many of you have been unable to hug your grandkids in the last several months?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Democrat Joe Biden there with a direct emotional appeal to seniors in the critical battleground state of Florida. Those voters tend to lean Republican and Florida went for Donald Trump in 2016. But four years later and one pandemic later, are seniors still with them? CNN's Randi Kaye went to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVEN STARUCH, BIDEN SUPPORTER: I'm definitely voting for Joe Biden. There is nothing that Donald Trump can do at this point in time that would change my mind about that.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's a huge statement coming from this lifelong Republican who voted for Donald Trump in 2016. But Steven Staruch is 67, a senior citizen and part of the group considered one of the most vulnerable to COVID-19. He's so turned off by Trump, he's now a registered independent and Biden supporter. He says Trump's mismanagement of the pandemic was the final straw. Especially his messaging on masks.

STARUCH: So, the fact that he's not listening to the scientist is really concerning. And the fact that he's ignoring it, in fact encouraging the opposite is just really dangerous. He's taken people's lives into his hands.

KAYE (on camera): Do you believe the President when he says that a vaccine is just days or weeks away.

STARUCH: No, he's lied about it several times now. It has really affected his credibility. So, whatever comes out of his mouth, you just don't believe.

KAYE (voice-over): Florida senior Dave Davidson also supported Trump in 2016, but not this year. Even though he's registered Republican.

(on camera): So, what is it about the pandemic that he didn't handle right in your opinion?

DAVE DAVIDSON, BIDEN SUPPORTER: Starting with the very beginning not giving me the truth.

KAYE: He didn't want anybody to panic.

DAVIDSON: He didn't want anybody to panic. And that's a wonderful thing, however wouldn't it be nice for us to have all the information and then make our decisions?

KAYE (voice-over): Unlike his neighbors, Republican John Calandro is voting Trump. Just like he did in 2016. At 74, he says it's about personal responsibility. That senior should know how to protect themselves.

(on camera): When you say the President handled the pandemic well, right now we see there's an increase in cases in 33 states, 215,000 Americans are dead. Wisconsin is now opening a field hospital they're seeing such a spike, hospitalizations are up once again, how did he handle that well?

JOHN CALANDRO, TRUMP SUPPORTER: We deliver health care in this country through state and local government. The federal government has a responsibility to support that. We have to look at how those states have handled the pandemic within their own regions and whether or not they have done a good job. KAYE: So, you're saying it's not the president's fault?

CALANDRO: I'm saying the President is not the sole responsible person for how the pandemic was handled.

KAYE (voice-over): Tell that to Florida voter Michele Yeger who's turning 70 this week. She blames Trump's attitude and lack of action early on for the virus spread and won't vote for him again. She was a registered Republican in 2016 when she voted for Trump. But she since switch to independent and is supporting Biden.

MICHELE YEGER, BIDEN SUPPORTER: Had he listen to the CDC and Dr. Fauci and the leaders who are, the science leaders, we might have been able to save many, many lives. But because of him and him being having narcissism and being ego driven, he thought it was macho not to wear a mask.

KAYE: So how does that all compare to some of the more recent polling. If you look at a CNN national poll for voters 65 and older -- that was taken recently -- 60 percent of those are supporting Joe Biden, compared to 39 percent supporting Donald Trump. There's also a "New York Times", Siena College Florida poll, specific to this day, for 65 and older Biden gets 47 percent of those supporters and Trump gets 45 percent. So much closer there. But we really don't know where this is going to go.

One of those Biden supporters I spoke with today, told me that he has a few very close Republican friends who are telling him which way their voting. He thinks that they may be moving towards Biden as well. So, we'll have to see where all of this goes.

[04:50:00]

But one thing that all of these new Biden supporters have in common is they do believe that the pandemic was mishandled and they believe that a lot of people are going to have these pre-existing conditions and they're glad that Joe Biden would keep the Affordable Care Act intact. That is very important to them. So, millions of people would not lose their healthcare, so they do have that in common as well.

Randi Kaye, CNN. Reporting from the villages, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: and next on CNN NEWSROOM, Demi Lovato takes aim at the U.S. President. Our exclusive interview with the pop star on her new song blasting the President's handling in a number of crises. She spoke about it with CNN's Chloe Melas in this exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEMI LOVATO, SINGER AND SONG WRITER (singing): The health crisis people are dying while you line your pockets deep commander-in-chief.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Demi Lovato has a new song blasting the U.S. President's handling of a number of crises. She spoke about it with CNN's Chloe Melas in this exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Demi Lovato is calling out President Donald Trump in her new song, Commander-In-Chief, for what she says is his mishandling of racial injustice and the COVID-19 pandemic. Demi Lovato spoke to CNN about the songs message.

[04:55:00]

LOVATO (voice-over singing): Commander in Chief, honestly

If I did the things you do, I couldn't sleep

LOVATO (on camera): It's very important for me that I get to use my platform for something much bigger than just singing. And there's been so many times when I wanted to write the President a letter or sit down with him and ask him these questions, and then I thought, well, I don't really actually want to do that.

And I think one way that I could do that it is writing a song and releasing it and for the whole world to hear. And then he has to answer those questions to everybody and not just me.

MELAS: Lovato who has over 150 million fans in social media says that she's not looking for the song to divide the nation. She actually hopes it encourages her fans to vote in next month's election.

LOVATO (voice-over singing): How does it feel to still be able to breathe?

LOVATO (on camera): We have to show up. We have to turn up and vote, because it's so important that our voices are heard. You know, and honestly, for me whether you are a Republican or Democrat, just get out and vote. Just get out and vote so that at the end of the day, whatever happens, whoever wins, we can actually look and say, well, you know what, at least everyone got out there and voted and did their part. And our country spoke.

MELAS: Lovato will be performing this song for the very first time tonight at the Billboard Awards.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Some wise words there.

And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. "EARLY START" is up next. You're watching CNN. Have yourselves a great day.

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