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Tigray Leaders Vow to Fight on in Northern Ethiopia; Shooting Incident in Lekki Toll Gate Protest; AstraZeneca Claiming their Vaccine is 70 Percent Effective On Average; CDC Discussing Who Should Get COVID-19 Vaccine First; CEO of Qantas Claiming Passengers Will Need to be Vaccinated for Future International Flights; Americans Traveling For the Holidays Despite Coronavirus Warnings; China Launches the Lunar Probe; Inside the Sport Of Murder Ball; Joe Biden Forming His Cabinet; Business Leaders Going with the Flow; Right People at the Right Time; Experts Warn of Holiday Gatherings; P.M. Boris Johnson May Allow Five-day Dispensation; A Meeting That Never Took Place. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired November 24, 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)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, finally official. President-elect Joe Biden begins his formal transition after the Trump administration signs off on the process.
A COVID meeting between two Middle Eastern power players raises eyebrows. And China chasing lunar rocks as it launches an ambitious mission to the moon.
Good to have you with us.
The transition of power from U.S. President Donald Trump to President- elect Joe Biden has officially begun. We learned late Monday night White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows notified West Wing staff that the transition of power is formerly underway.
This after a letter to Joe Biden that a key government agency, the General Services Administration, finally acknowledged his victory. The moves set in motion the release of resources Biden and Vice President- elect Kamala Harris need as they prepare to lead the country in January.
It also set the president in motion on Twitter late Monday he tweeted what does GSA being allowed to preliminary work with the Dems have to do with continuing to pursue our various cases? He went on to say, we are moving full speed ahead, we'll never concede to fake ballots.
Well, a proper concession from Mr. Trump doesn't seem likely as you see there. So, the president-elect is also moving full speed ahead with big announcements about his cabinet.
More now from CNN's Jessica Dean.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: The news the Biden transition team has been waiting for finally came late on Monday night. They received word that the General Services Administrator was signing off on President-elect Biden as the official winner of the election, triggering the formal transition process.
Of course, the Biden transition team has been asking for this for days now and it opens up their ability to talk to federal agencies, it also releases funds for them to use for the transition process. This news also coming on the same day that Biden announced his first round of cabinet nominees and appointees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The civil rights movement --
DEAN (voice over): President-elect Joe Biden today announcing his first cabinet nominees. Focusing on his foreign policy and national security teams. The picks rolling out ahead of Biden's virtual meeting with the U.S. conference of mayors. Among Biden's choices, long-time adviser Tony Blinken to serve as secretary of state. Blinken served as deputy secretary of state during the Obama administration, and as national security adviser to Biden when he was vice president.
ANTONY BLINKEN, FORMER DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: The greatest public servant I know, the Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden.
(APPLAUSE)
DEAN: That selection welcomed today by former President Barack Obama.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: He was part of our inner circle in all our key meetings throughout my presidency. He's outstanding. Smart, gracious, a skilled diplomat. Well regarded around the world.
DEAN: Biden other picks include Alejandro Mayorkas to serve as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Mayorkas a former deputy secretary of DHS would be the first Latino and an immigrant to serve in that position. Avril Haines to director of national intelligence. Haines, a former deputy director of the CIA and deputy national security adviser would be the first woman to lead the U.S. intelligence community.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield a career foreign service official to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. And Jake Sullivan, a longtime Biden adviser and former aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to serve as national security adviser.
OBAMA: The reports are that Jake Sullivan will serve as a national security adviser. Wicked smart, young, energetic. And I think he's going to be outstanding.
DEAN: Former Secretary of State John Kerry will become the special presidential envoy for climate and will have a seat on the National Security Council. This marks the first time someone dedicated to climate is a member of the NSC.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN (on camera): President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will formally introduce their cabinet nominees and appointees Tuesday afternoon.
Jessica Dean, CNN, Washington.
CHURCH: And Janet Yellen is poised to become America's first female treasury terry. Sources tells CNN President- elect Joe Biden will choose her for the role. Yellen was also the first woman to chair the Federal Reserve and did so during the Obama administration.
[03:05:07]
If she is confirmed by the Senate, she will lead the economic response to the pandemic which is wreaking havoc on the economy.
So, let's turn to CNN's John Defterios. He joins us now live. Good to see you, John. So, given how Janet Yellen led the Federal Reserve, what can we expect to see from her leadership as treasury secretary confronting the economic challenges pose by this pandemic and how are markets reacting to all of this?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, it's a tough job, Rosemary, you indicated that in the lead in here because of the pandemic. But I would think the U.S. business community and to extent that to the global business community from Europe to Asia, Africa would all say Janet Yellen takes all the boxes, if you will.
You talk about the resume. It's even deeper than that. The chair of the Federal Reserve, the vice chair during the global financial crisis when she took that seat in 2010, so sitting on there, and proceeded that with being the chair of the council of economic advisers in the Clinton White House. So, nobody could argue with the credentials.
She needs to come up with a stimulus package and quickly and prove the credentials in terms of liaising with Mitch McConnell, who is the majority leader of the U.S. Senate, Republicans of course.
Can't she get something done here? A stimulus package, then perhaps an infrastructure package that Donald Trump and Steve Mnuchin as treasury secretary could not push forward.
But the initial market reaction I think is positive because they think that she can get something done and avoid the double dip recession here because of the pandemic and before the vaccines are introduced.
We have gains of about half a percent to eight-tenths of 1 percent in U.S. futures. We see a similar response in Europe and Asia. So, it's a net positive so far to have a veteran come in during a period of healing, I would even say financially as well, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Certainly, a good sign there. And John, what more can you reveal about the major shift by the U.S. business community to break with Donald Trump?
DEFTERIOS: It's a great question. And I'll tell you why. Because Donald Trump said I am the CEO of Wall Street I have all the support of Wall Street and main street CEOs and that was the case, as he cut corporate taxes. But what we've seen in the last week is a significant shift away from Donald Trump.
Steve Schwarzman who is very close to the U.S. president and the head of Blackstone, J.P. Morgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, both in the last week and it's such heavy weights were saying, we have to give reliability to the system, let the transition play out. Even Schwarzman of Blackstone was saying we need to move on.
A couple of other key names that I saw, the CEO of Walmart, Doug MacKinnon who chairs the business roundtable, a very influential in Washington. He said he embraces the Biden transition. Silicon Valley through Intel, the CEO there said the same. They'd like to see this high-tech investment coming forward on infrastructure and the like.
But once you see that sort of weight, Rosemary, I kind of was counting the days that this would shift and it did.
CHURCH: Yes, and a significant shift too. John Defterios, joining us live from Abu Dhabi. Many thanks.
I'm joined now by Christopher Hill, he is the former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Iraq, and Poland. Great to have you with us.
CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA AND IRAQ: Pleasure.
CHURCH: So, let's start with the news that the GSA Monday evening formally approved the transition of President-elect Joe Biden and his team. He had already moved forward on the naming of his cabinet. And we will certainly get to that in a moment. But first, your reaction to the GSA move. And what happens next when it comes to the fight against COVID-19, the economy, security briefings?
HILL: Well, you have it. I mean, I suppose it's better late than never. But there's a lot to get done in the next 60 or so days. And so, this is well overdue. But I'm sure the transition team is already very much rolling on this. And they have a lot to do. Especially on the handover of issues related to COVID but also national security.
S, much to be done and this may be the sort of end the beginning where at least it appears that President Trump is acknowledging that he's not going to be president for too much longer.
CHURCH: Yes, there is certainly a collective sigh of relief with this. So, despite previously being blocked by President Trump, President-elect Joe Biden earlier Monday before this GSA announcement moved forward with his historic cabinet picks for foreign policy and national security.
Tapping Antony Blinken for secretary of state, John Kerry, climate envoy. Former fed chief Janet Yellen as treasury secretary, making her the first woman to lead the department. He also pick the first Latino to lead DHS, and the first woman to head the intelligence community. What was your reaction to this?
HILL: Well my reaction was just relief that the, you know, the site of all these real professionals. I mean, they all have experience in the positions in what they're going to be doing.
[03:10:00]
So, you know, there won't be any on-the-job learning. I mean, they will be ready to go on day one. And the second thing is, they are very, you know, well-mannered bunch of people. They get along well with people. They know how to behave. They have a -- I mean, real sense of how one should comport oneself.
And this is important because we've had so much in-fighting in the last four years within President Trump's cabinet. And we're not going to see that with this very congenial and extremely capable group of people.
CHURCH: And it is the polar opposite of what we all witnessed throughout the four years of the Trump administration. Do you think Joe Biden is trying to make a point with his picks here?
HILL: Well, he may be trying to make a point but he's certainly trying to get something done. I mean, they are polar opposite. We're going to see a lot more engagement with our allies. We're going to see clear annunciation of what our values are. We're going to be engaged in the world with diplomacy first.
And we're going to, I think, very quickly get back into some of the agreements that we precipitously pulled out of. I think the first of these will probably be the Paris climate accords. But there are others as well. So, it looks like a real activist group of people who know their jobs, and I think will move very quickly.
CHURCH: And Ambassador, meantime, President Trump did not formally concede. Does that even matter at this juncture?
HILL: Well, you know, there is no requirement that he has to concede. But certainly, allowing the instruments of the U.S. government to go forward, allowing briefings to go forward, and to essentially, he hasn't used the term President-elect Biden but I think you will hear that more and more from people.
I think President Trump was getting some pressure from the Republicans who felt that this wasn't really doing much good for their brand. And so, I think that is going to be behind us. Of course, with President Trump you're just a tweet away from another problem. But as of now it looks like we've made some progress.
CHURCH: And Ambassador, I do want to just touch on these reports that Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu secretly met Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, do you think the meeting took place? What does it say that both sides can't even agree that it happened?
HILL: Yes, that is quite alarming. Because when you have secret meetings and diplomacy and you do have those, there's usually an agreement on what you're going to say about rumors and that you're going to kind of stand shoulder to shoulder and either confirming it or denying it.
And so, of course, we have the opposite situation having --happening. So, as we say in diplomacy, it's a bit of a miss. But it does suggest there may be some movement there. And this is the kind of thing that any new national security team is going to have to be extremely well- briefed on.
CHURCH (on camera): Christopher Hill, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.
Just days ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday the coronavirus pandemic continues to spiral out of control in the United States. At least 169,000 new cases were recorded on Monday, bringing the total to more than 12.4 million.
President-elect Joe Biden is sure to be preparing for the worst. A new model from Washington University in St. Louis predicts these numbers could almost double by the time he's inaugurated on January 20th. It's forecast predicts 20 million cases by then and the U.S. surgeon general is asking Americans to take the threat seriously over the holiday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: We're at a dire point in our fight with this virus by any measure, cases, positivity, hospitalizations, deaths. I'm asking Americans, I'm begging you, hold on just a little bit longer. Keep Thanksgiving and the celebrations small and smart this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): Well, despite his plea, Americans are on the move in large numbers, there was record air travel Sunday since the pandemic began with more than a million people flying. In Europe many are looking ahead to Christmas after weeks of tough restrictions.
President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce an easing of measures in France today. And the U.K. is also expected to make an announcement.
Salma Abdelaziz is with us from Downing Street, he joins us live. Good to see you, Salma. So, the U.K. government is set to announce Christmas gathering guidelines soon. What's expected?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Rosemary, it's not official yet. We're still expecting an announcement later today. But yesterday the prime minister did address parliament. And he said tis the season to be jolly, but tis the season to be jolly careful.
[03:15:04]
What he's looking at essentially is a special Christmastime dispensation, a few days period Christmastime, maybe five days in which social restrictions will be eased to allow bubbles to mix. Up to three households potentially could come together.
And the prime minister wants to do this in coordination with all four nations with the entire U.K. together, something that hasn't happened during the second wave at all. So, there's a lot of debating, a lot of work and care to make sure that everybody is on the same page. But with the prime minister emphasized yesterday is yes, we are turning a corner but it's important for these coronavirus restrictions to still remain in place.
Right now, in England we are in a month-long nationwide lockdown. And that's set to expire next week. It will be replaced with a regional restriction system. And the prime minister said that is necessary, even though he face opposition from his own party it is necessary to keep these restrictions in place if we want to have any semblance of a Christmas. Take a listen to what he said in parliament.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: What we don't want is to throw caution to the winds and allow the virus to flare up again, forcing us all back into lockdown in January. So, to allow families to come together while minimizing the risk, we're working with the (Inaudible) administration on a special time limited Christmas dispensation embracing the whole of the United Kingdom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ (on camera): Now, you hear him there speaking about that Christmas dispensation that we're going to find out more about today in terms of the regional restriction system that's going into place next week. We should find out Thursday where each city, town and region across England will fall in that three-level system. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Right. Many thanks to Salma Abdelaziz, joining us from outside 10 Downing Street.
Well, a spike in COVID-19 cases in Seoul, South Korea is forcing the city's acting mayor to impose new social distancing measures for two weeks. Starting today the city is mandating that people wear masks in all indoor facilities. Gatherings will be limited to less than 100 people and schools must operate at one third capacity.
On Monday, the government also declared an emergency period in the city until the end of the year. Under this declaration more restrictions are being imposed including reductions in public transportation.
And this is CNN Newsroom. Still to come, an historic meeting between two leaders that may or may not have happened over the weekend. We'll explain the confusion. That's next.
Plus, an admission from the Nigerian army about a violent crackdown on protesters in Lagos. The findings of a CNN investigation.
[03:20:00]
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CHURCH: An historic meeting may have taken place over the weekend, depending on who you believe. An Israeli minister says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but that claim was quickly denied by Riyadh.
Let's bring in Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem and Nic Robertson who is in the Saudi capital. Good to see you both. So, Oren, let's start with you. What is going on here?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On Sunday or Monday, rather when flight trackers pick up an Israeli business jet going direct from Israel in the city of Neom in Saudi Arabia, it is than a few hours later that the story is broken here that on that business jet were Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly he's used that business jet in the past -- and head of the Mossad here, Yossi Cohen.
It was back and forth in five hours and that timeline matches up exactly with when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in the city of Neom to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The story continues here that in that meeting was a trilateral with Pompeo, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mohammed bin Salman.
Netanyahu wouldn't comment on it. He did only say that he would not confirm or deny it yesterday fairly standard when it comes to very sensitive stories. All he would say is that he was working to widen the circle of peace. But earlier in the day yesterday his education minister went on Israel's army radio and called it an incredible achievement and said the prime minister deserves congratulations for a meeting of this magnitude.
And make no mistake, it is an enormous meeting. The first to such meeting between the head of Israel and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a changing region after we've seen the UAE and Bahrain normalize relations with Israel. The key question is of course, did it happen?
CHURCH: Yes, that is indeed the question. So, let's go to our Nic Robertson now. He is in Riyadh. Why all the mystery surrounding this meeting and why this denial?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, a meeting of this magnitude would be hugely important and significant for the region, because Saudi Arabia is hugely important within the wider Muslim world. It is a place of pilgrimage for millions upon millions upon millions of Muslims that came here as the custodian of the two holy sites, Mecca and Medina.
So, a decision that Saudi would make of that magnitude would resonate around the world. I mean, quite literally. And Saudi Arabia understands that position. So, this is why it is a sensitive topic.
But what we understand from Saudi officials here and I think when you tried to sort of look at this situation, you realize that for several hours there was nothing coming from Saudi officials at all. And then there was a tweet from the foreign minister who was in the Oman and he took with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his car from the airport to that meeting with the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, NBS, and they went back to the airport afterwards with him.
And the foreign minister tweeted in English that there had been no meeting with Israeli officials whatsoever. And the language just didn't quite tie it up properly. There seems to be some perhaps ambiguity in what he said. It was clarified again in a tweet in Arabic.
[03:25:01]
It's very clear that Saudi officials believe that what the foreign minister has said is accurate, that this meeting didn't take place. What I understand from Saudi diplomats, and I've understood for some time that the Trump administration has been trying hard to push Saudi Arabia to take that key step of opening up relations for Israel because that is the sort of big prize in the region, if you will.
There isn't a dialog particularly on the streets between the leadership in the country about this happening. It doesn't feel like it's something in the air, but it certainly would have been something on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's agenda as he toured the region here. But from a Saudi perspective, this meeting did not take place.
CHURCH: All right. Nic Robertson joining us there live from Riyadh, Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. Many thanks to you both.
And just ahead here on CNN, the CDC is discussing the best way to ethically distribute the COVID-19 vaccine once it's ready. And we will have details on the group's most likely to get the vaccine first.
And one of the world's biggest airlines said it will require all international travelers on its planes to be vaccinated. Will this be the new normal in air travel? We'll take a look.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church.
Leaders in Ethiopia's Tigray region are vowing to fight on, rejecting the prime minister's ultimatum to surrender by a Wednesday deadline.
[03:30:02]
The Ethiopian federal government and regional Tigray forces had been fighting since earlier this month. Tigray leaders accused federal forces of killing civilians while targeting churches and homes. The government denies this and CNN has been unable to verify claims from either side. The U.N. says hundreds have died and more than 30,000 people have fled to neighboring Sudan to escape the conflict. Well, for weeks, Nigeria's military and police had denied allegations
they killed peaceful protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos last month. Amnesty International says at least 12 people were killed. Now the Nigerian army is admitting soldiers were given both live and blank bullets when they were sent to the scene confirming the findings of a CNN investigation. Nima Elbagir has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is government CCTV footage from surveillance camera overlooking Lekki Toll Gate. Recorded without sound, it was shown as evidence in the judicial panel. You see soldiers approaching firing shots here and here. We lined up the footage and it corroborates our previous reporting to show the first time we see and hear gunshots.
Notice the building to the right of your two screen. Here is the same moment from that building.
UNKNOWN: They are releasing fire.
UNKNOWN: They shoot. They shoot. They shoot.
UNKNOWN: They are releasing fire.
ELBAGIR: CNN geo located and verified the footage you see to mark the exact time and place. Moments later more CCTV footage. People alarmed. Here is the exact same moment from the other side of the gate. Shots can be heard. But the CCTV doesn't capture everything. This is what it shows at the time we believed shots are fired towards the protesters. The surveillance camera pans away.
This is what you see on the ground. In videos obtained by CNN, it appears to show the army shooting into the crowd here, and again, at the top of your screen here. At the judicial panel, the CCTV footage stops at around 8 o'clock. The Lekki Confession Company says this is because it was tampered with. What it doesn't show is this crucial moment where D.J. Switch live streams on Instagram after 8:00 p.m.
UNKNOWN: Everybody look at this. These were the bullets that were falling. They are falling by our side. That's why we are dodging bullets.
ELBAGIR: CNN has verified that these bullet casings are from live ammunition. They are of mixed origin. Some are Serbians. This one is from 2005. Former and current Nigerian military sources verified to us that these munitions are currently in use by the Nigerian army. At a hearing for the judicial panel of inquiry, the army made an admission.
UNKNOWN: The soldiers would be given both live and blank bullets. In this particular case, we saw that this protest had been infiltrated by hoodlums.
ELBAGIR: But eyewitnesses and families we spoke to say the ammunition used that night by Nigerian authorities was very real.
UNKNOWN: This is where I was shot. And the bullet went over through my back.
ELBAGIR: Up until this point, the army had denied they had live bullets at all on that night. It confirms a key finding in our investigation, that there was live ammunition at the scene. This admission is the latest in a series of constantly shifting narratives as to what happen on October 20th at Lekki Toll Gate.
The minister of information culture, Lai Mohammed said that the army fired blank ammunition into the air. He also dismissed CNN's investigation as fake news and misinformation.
Now in the aftermath of our reporting, both the United States and the United Kingdom are calling on Nigeria to ensure that its investigation is free and fair. Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): The Nigerian government continues to dispute our reporting and threatened sanctions against CNN, even as its response to what happened continues to change. As you just saw, the army has admitted in a judicial panel that live ammunition was carried by soldiers at Lekki Toll Gate in the night -- on the night of October 20th.
CNN reached out multiple times to the army and the police with request. Those requests were unanswered and police and state authorities declined to respond until after the conclusion of the inquiry. And we continue to stand by our reporting.
[03:35:09]
Another coronavirus vaccine could be on the horizon. AstraZeneca announced Monday the vaccine it has developed with the University of Oxford is highly effective, but experts say they still need to see more data. CNN's Anna Stewart has more from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREW POLLARD, DIRECTOR, OXFORD UNIVERISTY VACCINE GROUP: We have a vaccine for the world. We have got a vaccine which is highly effective and it prevents severe disease and hospitalization.
ANNA STEWART, CNN PRODUCER (on camera): More good news on a COVID-19 vaccine. This one developed in the U.K. by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. Early phase three result shows an overall efficacy rate of 70 percent and that is a fairly disappointing headline figure, particularly when you compare it to the early results from we got from Pfizer and Moderna. However, we delve a little bit deeper into the data and you can see that for those participants, you had half a dose of the vaccine first and a full dose at least four weeks later. Protection was 90 percent.
PASCAL SORIOT, CEO, ASTRAZENECA: There is an appropriate dosage regiment, people will get a 90 percent protection. Importantly, no severe cases were seen in the hospitalization. So, it's a very, very effective vaccine. The good news, by the way about the regiment that works the best is that it only uses half the dose of vaccine for the first shot. So we can vaccinate more people faster.
STEWART: AstraZeneca had already planned to make three billion full doses next year, which is more than Pfizer and Moderna's projections for next year combined.
PAMELA CHENG, V.P. OPERATIONS, ASTRAZENECA: From the very beginning of this partnership with Oxford University, we wanted to have them place the capacity to manufacture a meaningful volume quickly. So that we could make a real difference in the fight against this pandemic.
STEWART: With 30 supply agreements and partner networks around the world, this vaccine would have huge global reach.
CHENG: We have a potential vaccine that could be easily distributed, stored and administered. We expect the vaccine as stable at normal refrigerated conditions at 228, which will significantly make the supply chain logistics much simpler and easier.
STEWART: This vaccine could be weld out and in lower and middle income countries. Places that may not have the necessary infrastructure for an ultra-cold vaccine, like the one being developed by Pfizer. And for that reason that this vaccine is approved, it could go a long way to ending the pandemic. Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): So, once safe and effective, COVID-19 vaccines are ready, global leaders face the tough question of how to appropriately distribute them. In the U.S., the CDC's vaccine advisory group says any plan should take into account fair and equitable access for everyone, especially groups that are disproportionately affected by the pandemic. So, let's bring in Luke O'Neill, an immunologist at Trinity College in Dublin. Good to have you with us.
LUKE O'NEILL, IMMUNOLOGIST, TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN (ON CAMERA): Hi, Rosemary. Good to be here.
CHURCH: So, once these vaccines are approved, how do you distribute them and make sure that it is done equitably so that the most vulnerable get access and particularly lower income nations?
O'NEILL: It's really important, Rosemary, these countries are the worst affected by this pandemic remember. First of all and if we do not vaccinate those countries, they might come back in the future from those countries. Now all of the companies are well aware of this.
AstraZeneca is probably the cheapest vaccine. It's about $4 a shot, but as Pfizer and Moderna's a bit more expensive around $20. AstraZeneca are committing to a billion doses on these country already. So, there's a tremendous effort going on. And then of course you've got the great organizations, Rosemary, (inaudible) vaccine, everybody is getting behind this. It's going to be a huge humanitarian equity help.
CHURCH: Yes. And you mentioned AstraZeneca. I mean, it does seem to make sense for that to be the vaccine distributed to some of these lower income nations and across the globe, because it doesn't need to be in these very, very low temperatures, does it? And it's very cheap and it can be produced in these high numbers.
O'NEILL: Exactly. (Inaudible)
CHURCH: I think we've just lost him.
O'NEILL: -- that's not a huge problem. I am back. How are you? Pfizer said they can get their out as well. So, isn't beyond the bounds of possibility. The other ones could be rolled out too you see, using logistics, I guess.
No doubt that AstraZeneca is the most convenient so far for now. Remember, there is five more vaccines coming down the track. It's going to be -- we are going to have loads of vaccines in (inaudible) in the New Year. So we are optimistic that the rollout and logistics should not be much of a challenge or difficult will be.
CHURCH: Right. So, who should get these vaccines and how do you make that determination when you look at a society? I mean, we've learned so far, we think our front line health care workers and then the elderly, then it gets difficult, doesn't it? How do you work out which groups should receive these vaccines without causing all sorts of mayhem?
[03:40:09]
O'NEILL: Yes. It does. It will take a lot of organizing, Rosemary. The U.N. is involved, WHO, they're all looking at this closely and trying to figure out who should get it next? The health care workers, absolutely, of course, as just said. The vulnerable. But remember, people in these low income countries are all vulnerable.
So in a way, you might see a rollout to those countries next after we've done the health care workers and the other vulnerable groups and then in the more wealthy countries, shall we say. But it's a big debate at the moment.
We've got to get billions of doses out in the next set of nine months or so really to all these different countries, and of course the other countries as well. So, it's going to be a huge logistical operation.
CHURCH: Yes, it certainly will be. And we will continue to watch how people do this. Luke O'Neill, thank you so much for sharing your expertise. I appreciate it.
O'NEILL: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well the new vaccine is coming on the market. It could be a game-changer for air travel next year. The head of Qantas says his airline will require future international travelers to prove they had been vaccinated. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN JOYCE, QANTAS CEO: We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say for the international travelers, that we will ask people to have a vaccination before they can get on the aircraft. Whether you needed domestically we will have to see what happens with COVID-19 and the market, but certainly for international visitors coming out and people leaving the country, we think that is a necessity.
UNKNOWN: Is that something that you think will happen around the world? That we literally won't be able to travel anywhere unless we provide proof of vaccination?
JOYCE: I think it's going to be a common theme. I've talked to my colleagues and other airlines around the globe. And I think it's going to be a common theme across the board.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Australia has enacted some of the strongest measures during the pandemic, including a 14-day quarantine for overseas arrivals.
Well, meanwhile, the U.S. airports recorded a huge surge in air travel over the weekend. Millions of Americans are on the move as they prepare to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday. They are ignoring calls from health officials to avoid travel and keep COVID cases down. CNN's Athena Jones has the details.
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ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With thanksgiving just days away, clear signs Americans are not heeding the CDC's warning to stay home. Instead, setting new records for pandemic air travel, with more than a million people flying on Sunday alone.
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE: When you get a crowded plane, you are in a crowded airport. You are lining up. Not everybody is wearing masks. That puts yourself at risk, which you don't want to see, is another spike in cases where we get colder and colder into the December and then you start dealing with the Christmas holiday. We can really be in a very difficult situation.
JONES: Already, November is shaping up to be the worst month of the pandemic so far. Monday, marking the 21st day in a row with more than 100,000 new COVID-19 infections reported. 1.2 million new cases reported in just the last week. The highest seven-day total in the U.S. ever. Hospitalizations nationwide breaking records for 13 straight days.
JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: People need to know that we are at a dire point in our fight with this virus by any measure. Cases positivity, hospitalization, deaths, -- I'm asking Americans. I'm begging you. Hold on just a little bit longer. Keep thanksgiving and the celebrations small and smart this year.
JONES: While the Governor of Texas, which has the most COVID cases in the country is vowing his state won't shut down again, arguing most transmission is occurring in people's homes. Other hard-hit places are announcing new restrictions.
In Washington, D.C., starting today, the Old Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo will close temporarily for a second time. And new restrictions including a 10 percent limit on most indoor gatherings start Wednesday.
Also starting Wednesday, outdoor dining will be shut down in Los Angeles County. California Governor Gavin Newsom and his family are now quarantining after three of his children were exposed to a highway patrol officer with the virus.
Meanwhile, there is more good vaccine news. AstraZeneca reporting its candidate is 70 percent effective on average. Making it the third vaccine in recent weeks to show real promise. A CDC committee is already working to determine who should receive the vaccine first. But it will still be months before most people are able to get it, and experts fear what could happen in the meantime.
LARRY BRILLIANT, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST, EPIDEMIOLOGIST: It's the best of times because three vaccines are better than one. The worst of times as we go into the thanksgiving season. I am very worried about the next few months. It's going to be a very difficult time.
JONES: Athena Jones, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): And you are watching CNN Newsroom. Still to come, China launches a probe to explore the surface of the moon. Why a successful mission would land the country in an exclusive club. Back with that in just a moment.
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[03:45:00]
CHURCH (voice over): An impressive blastoff broadcast live on Chinese state TV. The country is sending a mission to the moon to bring back samples of space rock. It's China's sixth lunar mission.
(On camera) And CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is live this hour in Hong Kong. She joins us now. Good to see you, Kristie. So, just how significant is this for China? And what will they be looking for in those rock and soil samples they bring back?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a very significant moment for China. It all began this morning 4:30 a.m. local time in China's successfully launching the Chang'E-5 robotic spacecraft. Its mission to bring back those space rocks from the moon. It has been 40 years since the Russians, since the Americans were able to do so. And China hopes if it succeeds that it will be only the third nation to achieve the speed.
Now, Chang'e omission is named after the ancient goddess of the moon, Chang'e. It has two main objectives, you know, largely speaking, number one, to gain scientific knowledge. Because through collecting and analyzing the lunar materials and be able to get a greater understanding of the origins and the history of the moon as well as its formation. But they are also out to achieve an engineering understanding here.
Be they are going to get a greater technical know-how when they go to those actions of you know, sampling, collecting and returning the samples back to earth due to touchdown mid-December in Mongolia. That will allow China to gain a lot of technical know-how for further exploration. Now, before this mission, we heard from a spokesman of the Chang'e-5 mission and he address the challenges ahead. Take a listen.
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PEI ZHAOYU, CHANG'E MISSION SPOKESMAN (through translator): Compared to the (inaudible) and moon landing explorations that we managed to implement, the biggest challenge of the sampling mission I believe is the work of moonscape sampling, moonscape takeoff, rendezvous and docking of the lunar orbit, as well as the high-speed re-entry to the earth. These parts are the biggest challenges that we care about.
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[03:50:05]
LU STOUT (on camera): Now, when the spokesman was asked whether China plans a manned mission to the moon, whether they planned to put an astronaut to the moon, his response was it should happen with a combination with man and machine. Back to you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Kristie Lu Stout joining us live from Hong Kong. Many thanks.
And still to come, we will show you a Paralympic sport so aggressive it is nickname is Murder ball. Back with that.
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CHURCH (on camera): All this week, CNN is meeting inspiring Paralympians from around the world who are defying the odds and fighting for glory in the upcoming Tokyo games. Today we meet a four- time Paralympian from Australia whose chosen sport is so brutal it's known to many as Murder ball.
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RYLEY BATT, WHEELCHAIR RUGBY, AUSTRALIA: I think a lot of speed. Wheelchair like rugby, the physical thought of it. I'm an adrenaline junkie. Wheelchair rugby -- it's a massive adrenaline rush. I couldn't imagine it not being in my life.
[03:55:00]
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After 17 years competing, Ryley Batt shows no signs of letting out. The 31-year-old from Port Macquarie, Australia is the captain of his country's wheelchair rugby team, as well as the co-captain of team Australia's Paralympic delegation. The four invented in North America, wheelchair rugby is a mix of American football, ice hockey and basketball, Batt says.
BATT: Yes, it is a pretty brutal game. It's not just a small car crash when you run into each other. We played the sport for a reason. It's because we love it.
MACFARLANE: In 2004, the age of 15, he made his Paralympic debut in Athens as the youngest wheelchair rugby Paralympian in the world. He went on to play in subsequent games for team Australia, which won is silver medal in Beijing and back-to-back golds in London and Europe.
BATT: For me, putting on an Australian jersey, lining up for the national anthem with 11 of your best mates behind your team. If that doesn't make you win, I mean, I don't know what will, because it just makes me very proud and I just want to do the best I possibly can for, you know, my country, my teammates, my family, my friends.
MACFARLANE: Christina MacFarlane, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): So inspirational. And you can see more of Ryley's story and others this Saturday on the Superhero Program right here on CNN.
And thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
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