Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

U.S. Reports Deadliest Day in Pandemic, Record Hospitalizations; Civil Rights Groups Push to Meet with Biden to Discuss Future of Cabinet Nominations; Former Presidents Volunteer to Publicly Get Vaccine, Fill Leadership Vacuum. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired December 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)

[10:00:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: A very good Thursday morning to you. I'm Jim Sciutto. Poppy has the week off.

The U.S. has reported the deadliest day yet in this entire pandemic and the head of the CDC says that these next few months could get even worse. Experts warn Americans do not travel for the holidays because this virus is spreading fast and this is key, health care facilities are being pushed to the brink, overwhelmed, really. More than 100,000 people are in the hospital nationally right now. The mayor of Los Angeles believes they will run out of hospital beds by Christmas.

Where is the nation's leader in all this? The president is silent on the pandemic. What's he talking about? An election he lost, pushing lies. And as the transition to the Biden administration pushes forward, we're learning this news, that Dr. Anthony Fauci will meet virtually with the Biden transition team for the first time today.

Let's begin with Adrienne Broaddus, she is in Chicago with the latest on the pandemic. Adrienne, walk us through this, because I know folks, they might get a little tired of hearing these headlines, but the data points in a very disturbing direction.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, it does. And if they don't want to hear the headlines, maybe this will reach people who are nonbelievers. Yesterday was the worst day ever since the pandemic started. More families are grieving.

Yesterday, more Americans died of coronavirus than ever before. John Hopkins University is reporting at least 2,800 deaths. That's the highest number of reported deaths from COVID since the start of the pandemic. And the U.S. broke another record, 200,000 cases, on average, at least for the last 30 days, the U.S. has seen about 100,000 cases every day.

And right now, across the country, hospitals are filling up. At least 100,000 people are in the hospital with COVID. Indeed, there is a lot of joy as we hear more news about the prospect of a vaccine, but the truth of the matter is, we still have a long way to go before Americans get that critical shot in the arm. And that's why health experts are encouraging and reminding people to follow the three Ws, wash your hands, wear a mask and watch your distance. Jim?

SCIUTTO: Adrienne, thanks so much for staying on top of it for us.

So, let's go to the White House now. Joe Johns is there. Deadliest day of the pandemic from the beginning, and the president checked out weeks, months ago. Are these headlines, is this new day, are these deaths moving him at all? Is there any comment, any word from the president?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: At least not so far. I mean, look, this has been the president's pattern, Jim, if you think about it. He simply is not addressing the American carnage, if you will, of COVID-19. He's not addressing it. He's staying silent. He's not on Twitter talking about it. He's not holding a public event. But what he is doing today is he's meeting with football coach Lou Holtz to give him the Medal of Freedom.

Now, it's interesting also because this is a situation where the president has talked a lot about vaccines but not necessarily about COVID-19. He's trying to take credit for vaccines, the American success with vaccines, while it's perfectly true that the pharmaceutical companies are the ones that have done most of the heavy lifting. The president is even trying to push this rollout of vaccines quicker in order to make sure that he gets more credit for it and the Joe Biden administration gets less credit for it.

So what is the president doing? It's pretty clear, he is very focused on the issue still of the election he lost, as you said at the top, even rolling out that 46-minute video just yesterday full of lies, conspiracy theories about the election.

Jim, back to you.

SCIUTTO: Well, it would be nice to hear some facts from that building at some point. Joe Johns, thanks very much.

We turn now to California, the numbers so alarming that stay-at-home restrictions now are under consideration. CNN's Stephanie Elam, she is in Los Angeles, where the mayor is urging folks to cancel everything and to hunker down. I wonder, the question, of course, is do people listen given what we know now. What are you seeing out there?

[10:05:00]

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And keep in mind that Los Angeles County, Jim, is already in a refined stay-at-home order. It's different than earlier in the spring but we are already here, and that's because the numbers just do not lie. We've got a problem here.

And let's take a look at these numbers, daily cases up 224 percent, you've got hospitalizations up 85 percent in the last two weeks, the positivity rate, the one-day positivity rate at just about 12 percent. Keep in mind that if you look back to November 1st, it was just under 4 percent here, record number of hospitalizations that we're talking about.

And then also the fact that they're looking at ICU beds and saying that they only have 122 ICU beds available currently in L.A. County, keep in mind this is a county, Jim, of about 10 million people. This is why they're afraid we could run out of hospital beds by Christmas if something doesn't change and that is why we are already in this county under a modified stay-at-home order, Jim.

SCIUTTO: All right. So on the good side of the ledger, vaccine anticipation is building and we are moving towards approval. You spoke with one hospital leader who is expecting doses to come in in a few weeks. How are they preparing?

ELAM: Right, in one two to weeks, not exactly sure when that's going to come in. But we're talking about Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which is a very large hospital here in Los Angeles County, and I talked to the Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Jeff Smith, about this. And, really, they were ahead of the game because they already have those special freezers that are required for the Pfizer vaccine.

But let's let you hear what he has to say to explain how this is going to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JEFF SMITH, COO, CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER: As a major research institution, we have a large number of the ultra-low temperature freezers that go down to the minus 80 degrees, which the vaccine from Pfizer requires.

We can store it so other places that don't have enough storage or the ultra-low temperature can come get it from us at the direction of the health department to administer it to their health care workers and eventually their patients.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: And they have enough space, he told me, to house about 100,000 to 200,000 doses of this vaccine within their ultra-low temperature freezers. They are going to be a vaccine distribution site for Los Angeles County. So they're working with the county and state to make sure that they are able to get that out to hospitals as they need them.

We know that those frontline workers, health care workers, will be first, as we've heard from the CDC, and then going on to those nursing homes and making sure that they vaccinate those critical populations there.

But just to drill down on this number, Jim, California yesterday reported a record number of new cases in a day, 20,759, and a record number of hospitalizations above 9,300 in the state. This is why it is so alarming right now when you see that over the last seven days that, according to Johns Hopkins data, California has added more than 104,000 new cases in just the last seven days. If you think about that, how huge that number is, terrifying. SCIUTTO: And it's happening across the country, sadly. Stephanie Elam, thanks very much.

So, exactly how will states, such as California and others, distribute vaccines once they're approved, each state making its own plan. My next guest has reviewed those plans. Josh Michaud is the Associate Director for Global Health Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. Josh, good to have you on this morning.

JOSH MICHAUD, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR GLOBAL HEALTH POLICY, KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION: Thank you, it's good to be here.

SCIUTTO: So tell me what you learned when you looked at these plans. Did they give you confidence that people are going to be able to get the vaccines quickly and safely?

MICHAUD: Yes. We reviewed 47 full state plans, not all of them were available at the time we looked at them. But after looking through all of those plans, it became clear that states are in very different levels of readiness according to what was written in those plans. And they were written in response to CDC request for states to describe how they were preparing for distribution across a number of different critical areas.

And it was clear that some states had just started the process of doing some of the critical efforts that were necessary to lay the groundwork for vaccine distribution and other states were much further along. So some of the critical areas that we're talking about include identifying the providers, those are the people who are going to be actually administering the vaccines. It's clear for this early priority group of health care workers and long-term care facility staff and residents that they've identified where those locations are going to be for the most part.

But then as you expand the vaccination effort and more doses start to come in, you're going to have to enroll a number of other providers to reach some of the other priority groups, so essential workers and people who have the conditions which place them at risk for severe disease and illness and those that are over 65. That requires a broader net for -- and some states had said they just started the process of finding out who those people were and others had very detailed estimates of who they thought those providers would be.

[10:10:05]

SCIUTTO: Well, that's a little late. I mean, do you notice a difference because there's still -- the fact is state leaders, governors of South Dakota and Florida denying the seriousness of this outbreak. Are you finding that in states where you have political leaders that are not taking this seriously, that they don't have plans as developed as others?

MICHAUD: Well, the plans were developed for the most part by the health departments in the various states. And I'd say that all of them demonstrated that the health departments were committed across all of these states to making this work. And a lot of work has gone into this. And I'm sure even since we looked at the plans, which are now over a month old, at least the versions we saw, much progress has been made.

So I think, you know, there's been a lot of effort at the state level to make sure that this works. But it's hard to win this race when you started, you know, further behind than others. And that's what we found with some of the states. And, you know, speed is of the essence here because, as we know, there's a lot of virus out there. And the quicker you get these vaccines out and to the right people, the more lives you can save.

SCIUTTO: Well, you have this other issue, right, don't you, because people have to be willing to take the vaccine? And when you have a deliberate disinformation game by the president and others to, you know, question how serious this is, how are states going to make sure that people take it, right, feel that they need to take it, that they can have confidence in it?

MICHAUD: Yes, no, it is a concern. And certainly through polling done at the Kaiser Family Foundation, and other outfits we've identified this some level of hesitancy among populations and people of color, for example, and black people in particular, have expressed more hesitancy about the vaccine, the concerns about safety, than others.

So in order to combat that, states, which will be overseeing this distribution for the most part, will need to devise and implement communication plans to make sure that people are educated about how these vaccines are safe and how they're effective, to build the confidence, particularly in those communities which are especially hesitant, as we've seen.

So that takes time and effort to lay the groundwork for those things. And some are more advanced in that process than others.

SCIUTTO: Well, one reason it was good to see former Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton say they'll take the vaccine on camera, right, to show people they're confident in it.

Josh Michaud, thanks very much.

MICHAUD: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Well, several black-led civil rights groups are requesting a meeting with President-elect Joe Biden. They are pushing for more diversity in his cabinet.

Plus, new details on what is described as a contentious meeting between the president and his attorney general, William Barr, this after the Justice Department uncovered no evidence of the fraud the president claims would overturn the election. Could the A.G. be on his way out now.

Plus, coronavirus vaccines are coming, but what can you expect when you get your own vaccination? Dr. Sanjay Gupta will tell us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [10:15:00]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back.

The president of the NAACP says that if it were not for the black community, Joe Biden would not be in office next year. His remarks come as top civil rights organizations are pushing to meet with Biden in the coming days to discuss the future of his cabinet nominations, concern that he hasn't done enough to diversify his incoming administration.

Joining me is now is Jamal Watkins, he's the vice president of the Civic Engagement at the NAACP. Jamal, good to have you on this morning.

JAMAL WATKINS, VICE PRESIDENT OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, NAACP: Good morning, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So, first question, have you heard back from the Biden transition team on a meeting?

WATKINS: So we have not formally met with the administration fully. We do have friends that are part of the transition team, who we have been in conversation with over time, but a formal meeting has not happened. And being that we are, you know, a month out from the election, we really want to make sure that that conversation happens.

And when I say we, the NAACP represents millions of members. And so we're talking about engaging with the millions of black voters and the millions of black advocates who really made a difference in this election cycle.

SCIUTTO: So, vice president, of course, is a woman of color, U.N. ambassador is African-American, the first Latino DHS secretary. In your view, is that progress? And what more progress would you like to see?

WATKINS: I would argue that's progress but we cannot do sort of the traditional token-ism. When we think about the voters who stood up this election cycle and said enough is enough, I think of my mother, Wanda West, in California who voted for Biden and Harris with the hopes this would not be business as usual.

So having one Latino in a position or one woman in a position is not enough. It's literally about embracing the communities that need to be served and making sure that they're represented at the highest levels. And if that means, for example, having representation across the board that looks like America, then that's what we're asking for.

SCIUTTO: So we just showed on the screen the president-elect's picks so far and what remains.

[10:20:00]

I wonder, which roles would you and the NAACP consider most essential now to be filled by people of color? WATKINS: When you think about the outstanding positions, if you will, whoever is going to be picked to lead, say, the Department of Agriculture, which is a very critical position, that not only includes what's necessary for farmers but the food and nutrition that goes into our communities, those types of decisions, that's a key position. When you think about the Department of Justice, a department that has literally been sort of the final stop in protecting civil rights encroachments, that's a position that matters very deeply.

And so our approach, again, is not about putting a black face in these positions, but putting an individual who's going to carry the needs and issues of the communities that we serve.

SCIUTTO: As you noted, certainly, the black vote made an enormous difference in the national election. In the election in Georgia, right, a state that helped turn the election for Joe Biden, turnout there also enormously important, of course, big effort there by Stacey Abrams. There are still two big races to come in that state which will determine control of the Senate. I wonder whether you think Biden's administration choices might affect enthusiasm about that vote.

WATKINS: Well, first and foremost, the NAACP is non-partisan, but we're not blind. And we understand that the African-American community, just like any other community, needs to see elected officials actually truly hold to their word. And so, as this appointment process unfolds and as the Georgia races continue, we have to see truth to power being spoken and also executed.

And so, if the appointment decisions go left, if they go in a direction that doesn't reflect the communities that elected the vice president and Senator Harris, then you have a disconnect. So then why would folks be motivated to continue to participate if it's already looking like politics and business as usual?

SCIUTTO: Right. How essential are those Senate races, in your view, to having, I mean, a functioning government, right? I mean, we've seen dysfunction in this country, particularly when you have, say, Mitch McConnell leading Senate Republicans in terms of blocking Democratic presidents. Those races key, in your view?

WATKINS: These races are essential to the future of this nation. And, again, even though we're non-partisan, we're not blind to the fact that Senate Republicans, in many ways, have made decisions about party over people.

And so we're hopeful that if turnout happens in the way that it could and should in the great state of Georgia that we're going to turn another corner, which allows for policies that matter to our communities to be passed in a way that's not based upon some partisan philosophy or ideology, but it's about making life better for communities that are dying, that are sick, that are unemployed and that are hurting.

SCIUTTO: Jamal Watkins, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

WATKINS: Thank you, Jim. SCIUTTO: All right. So what will it be like, actually, to get a vaccine? Dr. Sanjay Gupta sat down with one person going through that experience now in the trials. We're going to walk you through what you might expect when it's your turn. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:25:00]

SCIUTTO: Well, three former presidents of both parties are hoping that their actions will speak louder than words when it comes to getting vaccinated. Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will volunteer to get their COVID-19 vaccines on camera. They hope it will promote public confidence.

But the National Institute of Health is still looking for volunteers to participate in ongoing vaccine trials. While two vaccines, and this is good news, are close to receiving emergency use authorization, the agency's director says that four more are still in the works.

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, he spoke to a young man who received the Moderna vaccine about what people who take it, like all of us hope to, can expect.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YASIR BATALVI, VACCINE TRIAL PARTICIPANT: That evening was rough. I mean, I developed a low-grade fever and fatigue and chills.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Yasir Batalvi is describing the side effects that he experienced during Moderna's vaccine trial.

BATALVI: 30 minutes later, I had a little bit of stiffness, muscle soreness in my left arm. It's like you're punched in the arm, basically.

GUPTA: When you're going through this whole process, Yasir, 22-page consent form, hearing about the potential side effects, knowing that you're trialing something that we don't have a lot of data on at the time, did you have any second thoughts before taking it?

BATALVI: Honestly, Sanjay, yes.

GUPTA: Every decision we make is risk versus reward. And when the company announced early data showing over 94 percent efficacy, Yasir was confident it had been worth it.

BATALVI: It doesn't last long.

And the potential of folks not getting this vaccine and actually infecting people with COVID, those effects last a lot longer and they could be life or death.

[10:30:00]