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Trump Holds Superspreader Rally in Georgia; Trump's Continuing Lies Could Hurt Georgia Senators; Biden Asks Congress for $900 Billion Relief Package; Millions in California Face New Stay-at-Home Orders; Portugal to Ease Restrictions for Christmas; Countries Prepare for Vaccine Rollouts; The Struggle of COVID-19 Long Haulers; Frontline Health Care Workers Suffer, Too; MLB Clubs Sue Insurance Firms for Lost Revenue; English Premier League Fans Return to Stands. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired December 06, 2020 - 02:00   ET

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

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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If I lost, I'd be a very gracious loser.

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): It would appear not. President Trump, back on the campaign trail in Georgia, focusing on his claims of election fraud and only briefly praising the Republican Senate candidates he was there to support.

One million new coronavirus cases, this month, in the U.S.

The most disturbing part of that?

We're only days into December.

And one state, taking tough measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus when California's stay-at-home order goes into effect and who's affected.

Welcome to our viewers here, in the United States and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

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HOLMES: It took only the U.S. the first five days of December to log more than a million new coronavirus cases. The nation has reported more than 14.5 million total cases, now and the growth rate is climbing. We just saw more than 200,000 new cases, for a fourth day in a row.

Hospitals are just about at full capacity. More than 100,000 patients with COVID-19 in hospitals for the past four days in the U.S. Medical workers across the country, sick, tired, burning out not just from the workload but from the heartbreak.

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DR. SHIRLEE XIE, HENNEPIN HEALTHCARE: I think that, sometimes, when you hear statistics like that, you become numb to what those numbers mean.

But -- but for us, you knowing, people that are taking care of these patients, every single number is somebody we have to look at and say, I'm sorry, there's nothing more I can do for you. And it's just another family we have to call to tell them that their loved ones are going to die.

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HOLMES: Heartbreaking.

The CDC tweeted out, in all caps, "JUST WEAR THE MASK."

It is the same message, of course, but new desperation as many Americans continue to refuse to comply.

And here's just one example: a Trump rally, in Georgia, on Saturday night. No social distancing. Very few masks. President Trump was in the state to campaign for two Republican senators ahead of a special runoff election. He didn't spend much time addressing the medical crisis sweeping the country.

Because he doesn't really, does he?

Instead, he repeated the baseless allegation that the presidential election was rigged. But told supporters to go vote anyway.

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TRUMP: If you don't get out and vote, they are going to win. Now you know, a lot of people, friends of mine, say, let's not vote. We're not going to vote because we're angry about the presidential election -- and they're friends of mine. They are people that are great people. And more than just two. There are numerous people and it's almost like a protest. But if you do that, the radical left wins. OK?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now Georgia's special runoff election is next month, by the way. It will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate, so it's a big deal. Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, fighting to keep their seats.

And President Trump, ostensibly, fighting for them. But his methods, well, they might hurt, more than they help. CNN's Ryan Nobles explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump came here to Georgia, seemingly, with the goal of helping support the two candidates running in the runoff election, here, to the United States Senate.

But he spent far more of his time here in Georgia, talking about the election that he has just lost than he did supporting those two candidates in their upcoming fight.

President Trump went through a laundry list of perceived grievances that he had about the electoral process, specifically the electoral process here in Georgia while, at the same time, trying to convince his supporters that they need to come out and vote in January.

Take a listen to this one excerpt of the president's speech, where he talked about how he feels that this election was stolen from him.

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TRUMP: They cheated and they rigged our presidential election. But we will still win it. We will still win it. We'll still win it. And they're going to try and rig this election, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: President Trump spoke for more than 90 minutes in Valdosta, Georgia, which is right along the Florida border.

[02:05:00]

NOBLES: And it was just a speech filled with lies. He talked about evidence of fraud and malfeasance in elections, not just here in Georgia but in Wisconsin and in Arizona. Much (sic) of these claims have been debunked. He even played clips from the conservative news networks, Newsmax and OAN, that claim to show evidence of voter fraud.

Those examples have, also, been debunked and he did it to the glee of this crowd, that said repeatedly throughout his speech that they wanted the two Republican candidates to "stop the steal" and they also asked them to fight for Trump.

It's not necessarily the message that Republicans for looking for here tonight. They wanted the president to focus on Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, those two candidates running for the Senate.

But as is often the practice with President Trump, this speech was all about him and his hope of trying to overturn an election, a hope that, really, is not based in any kind of reality -- Ryan Nobles, CNN, Valdosta, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Rose Scott is a reporter with the Atlanta-based radio WABE, part of the NPR. Now, she joins me from Atlanta.

Rose, a pleasure to have you on. You know this place well. Let's start, first, though, I wanted to ask you about these extraordinary reports that Donald Trump tried to get the governor to get the Georgia legislature to overturn the Biden victory. It's, perhaps, easy to not be shocked by this president anymore. But that -- that's pretty shocking.

ROSE SCOTT, WABE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Michael, I think we're at a point right now where anything that President Trump tries to levy probably isn't shocking to a lot of people anymore. Even today, as he was in Georgia and told the crowd, he encouraged them to, yes, vote in this -- vote in the upcoming Senate runoffs.

But also, he kept sticking to the message that the election was somehow rigged and that he actually won Georgia. It's a narrative he's been sticking with, along with some other fellow Republicans.

But again, as we all know, there has been no evidence, Michael, whatsoever, that Georgia's elections were, somehow, wrought with some type of nefarious or suspicious or just malicious or, quite frankly, you know, illegal voting practices. It's just -- it's -- it's unfounded.

HOLMES: Yes. And to that point. I mean, this -- this past week, a top Georgia election official, a Republican, actually made that emotional plea for Trump and his allies to stop their attacks against the state's leaders. You know, there's been death threats against those overseeing a recount. I just want to play that for people who hadn't heard it, Gabriel Sterling. Let's have a listen.

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GABRIEL STERLING, GEORGIA ELECTION OFFICIAL: Someone's going to get hurt. Someone's going to get shot. Someone's going to get killed and it's not right. It has all gone too far.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: I mean, that was fairly emotional there.

I mean, what -- what -- what -- what has it been, describe for people, the impact of Trump's comments on Georgia, his attacks on Republicans running what they say has been a very fair election?

SCOTT: Well, you know, to a lot of people's surprise, because President Trump and some other, you know, fellow Republicans are attacking other Republicans about this. And -- and, yes, we know that Georgia has a history of having some -- a lot of issues with their -- with their voting and with their polling locations.

We have new machines, this election season. So the surprise, maybe, is that President Trump and some of his supporters are actually attacking fellow Republicans, who -- who control the state, in a sense and who also run -- oversee our -- our elections process.

It is -- it is -- it's sad to see and it's unfortunate because I believe some of his supporters aren't able to really understand that this is just part of some messaging that the president wants to get out there without any substantial evidence. And some people can't separate, you know, fact from fiction.

HOLMES: Yes. It is extraordinary, the -- the -- the -- the support that there is out there. This sort of acceptance of whatever the president says. I mean, when it comes to the runoff, the election, itself. I mean, these sorts of elections always boil down to turnout.

I'm wondering what your read is on what harm or not the president's comments have done to potential Republican turnout. I mean, some voters have said they won't vote. Others, of course, say that it won't matter.

SCOTT: Well, obviously, if some of his supporters, Republican supporters, stay at home, that obviously doesn't bode well for the Republican Party. I think that's why President Trump was in Georgia today. Vice President Pence was here on Friday. President-Elect Joe Biden's been here.

That tells you just how important we know these runoffs are. And, of course, we know what's at stake, which is control of the Senate. So telling your -- your base to stay home doesn't bode well. And I think that's why the president was here in Georgia, this weekend.

HOLMES: You know, it's interesting.

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HOLMES: And -- and -- and, you know, I think this -- this happened across the nation and -- and in Georgia as well. You know, in the election, Joe Biden won big, huge. But down-ballot Republicans held or gained ground.

In the key Georgia race, I guess it's important for the Republicans, who perhaps voted for Biden for president because they didn't like Trump, but voted down ballot GOP. They're really going to come to the fore here.

SCOTT: Well, a lot of analysts have suggested that was the very reason why Donald Trump did not win Georgia, that you had some typical Republicans, who normally would just vote Republican down the ballot, chose not to vote for Donald Trump for president. But then, proceeded to vote for the Republicans down the ballot.

But that, also, did some harm to some local races as well. But what I will tell you, though, Michael, is that, you know, Georgia has not had a U.S. -- a Democratic U.S. senator for a very, very long time, since the early 2000s, late 1990s. So that tells you what's at stake.

Also, too, some of the former senators. I mean, Johnny Isakson, who was so respected within Congress on both sides, he has been pretty silent about this. And I think that's something else to watch out for because he's a man that holds the Constitution to his heart. He is an American, he is a veteran.

So the fact that he has not come out and really endorsed anyone, he has said you need to earn it on your own, I think that also might leave for some people to believe that Georgia is turning -- I am not going to say Georgia's ready to turn from -- from red to blue but I will say purple.

A lot of people like to use that word purple. I think you need a few more election cycles, before you can honestly say Georgia's become a Democratic state.

HOLMES: Good point. Got to leave it there, unfortunately. Rose Scott, thank you so much.

SCOTT: Thank you, Michael.

HOLMES: Well, the U.S. president insists, of course, that he didn't lose the election. That is, by every measure, incorrect. And now, Mr. Trump's time in the White House is, of course, quickly coming to an end.

We're learning more about how he's planning to use one of his most significant presidential abilities and that is the power to grant pardons. CNN's Jeremy Diamond explains.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, as President Trump nears the end of his presidency, the White House has been abuzz with meetings about potential pardons.

The White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, has been leading a series of meetings since Election Day about who President Trump will pardon in his final days in office.

And the question here, though, isn't so much about how many people the president will pardon; he's actually used his pardon power far less than previous presidents. But it's about the nature of these pardons.

President Trump has been far more willing to go outside the norms of what these pardons actually look like, using them to dole out rewards for his political allies, as he did in the case of the former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. That was a highly controversial pardon that the president issued just 1.5 weeks ago.

And he's, also, of course, granted pardons outside the normal bounds of the Justice Department's pardon office, circumventing those procedures and, instead, favoring appeals from high-profile celebrities like Kim Kardashian.

But in these final weeks, our sources have told us the president is considering more controversial pardons for his political allies. And there is also a quiet lobbying campaign by some, including the president's attorney, Rudy Giuliani, for preemptive pardons, pardons that would be issued on the basis of any potential crimes that may have been committed.

And some names that are, also, coming up are the president's children. There is a lot of discussion inside and around the White House, right now, about the potential for President Trump to issue some of those preemptive pardons for himself and for his family members, which would, of course, be highly, highly controversial. Now it's notable, of course, that the president is looking at these

pardons, clearly, clear-eyed about the fact that he has a limited -- limited amount of time remaining in office. But of course, that hasn't stopped the president from continuing to allege that this 2020 election was rigged, despite a total lack of evidence of any widespread voter fraud.

And one of the reasons why is that President Trump has been able to fund-raise, massively, off of this, raising more than $207 million since Election Day for himself, for his campaign, for the RNC, as well as for a political action committee that the president will use in the coming months after his presidency to continue to maintain influence over the Republican Party and his loyal voter base -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: U.S. president-elect Joe Biden is urging Congress to, finally, reach a deal on a massive new bipartisan relief package to help the ailing economy. And there could be more stimulus spending in the beginning of next year as well.

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HOLMES: Fingers crossed. CNN's Arlette Saenz with more.

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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President-elect Joe Biden is clear- eyed about the economic situation he will face when he takes office. And Biden is pressing Congress to act now to provide relief to Americans across the country during this pandemic.

Biden has embraced that roughly $900 billion bipartisan package being discussed in Congress and says that can be a big start to providing relief. Take a listen.

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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm talking about the folks out there aren't looking for a handout. They just need help. They're in trouble through no fault of their own. We're in a crisis, need to come together as a nation, need the Congress to act and act now.

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SAENZ: And Biden has said that, that package would simply be a down payment. That, more relief would need to be provided by lawmakers, come the new year. And he believes that, despite the division and acrimony, that Republicans will want to work together to provide a bigger relief package to Americans once he takes office.

Now while President Trump was campaigning, holding a rally down in Georgia, Biden spent the weekend here, in Wilmington, Delaware. He attended church and met with transition advisers. He has said he will travel down to Georgia, at some point, for that Senate runoff in January.

And Biden is, also, preparing for the week ahead, where, early in the week, he is expected to announce more members of his administration, including that health team that will help tackle the coronavirus pandemic -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.

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HOLMES: Drastic times call for drastic measures. Ahead, on CNN NEWSROOM, why millions of Californians will be ordered to stay home for the next three weeks.

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HOLMES: Californians from Los Angeles to the Bay Area know what's coming: a new stay-at-home order is going into effect just before the end of the weekend. And it won't be lifted until after Christmas. Paul Vercammen with the details, from Los Angeles.

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PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The number of new cases in California, just alarming; shocking, really. Let's go right to a graphic and show you: 25,000 new cases, in California, more than 10,000 hospitalizations, more than 200 deaths.

And, all of this, helping contribute to these new stricter stay-at- home orders, which means people cannot go to wineries, to nail salons, hair salons, playgrounds and the rest. And they must wear a mask.

Let's look at where this is being impacted. In Southern California and in the San Joaquin Valley, 27 million people, one minute before midnight Sunday, the order goes into effect.

Well, it's not being embraced throughout California. In fact, let's hear from the sheriff of Riverside County, who calls these strict regulations ridiculous.

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SHERIFF CHAD BIANCO, RIVERSIDE COUNTY: While the governor's office and the state has threatened action against violators, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department will not be blackmailed, bullied or used as muscle against Riverside County residents in the enforcement of the governor's orders.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VERCAMMEN: These stricter rules, also, affect other parts of California. Some Bay Area counties, also, joining in on the new regulations. And the order's being applauded here by top brass at UCLA Medical Center. They say they need something to help bend this curve, somehow, someway, with all these doctors and nurses facing a tsunami of new patients.

Also UCLA playing another huge role in the fight against the pandemic. It can store 1 million vaccines in seven freezers and expects to be able to put shots in people's arms in about two weeks -- reporting from Los Angeles, I'm Paul Vercammen. Now back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Paul, thanks very much.

The World Health Organization is warning that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, even with the vaccine rollout gaining momentum around the world.

Here's the global picture. There are more than 66 million cases around the world and more than 1.5 million people have died. The United States has been hit hardest by the pandemic with more than 14 million cases, followed by India, Brazil, Russia and France.

Let's focus on what's happening in Europe, now. And to do that, Cyril Vanier joining us now, live, from London.

You know, it's a bit of a mixed story, I suppose. In Europe, you have got those worrying numbers in Germany. But talk of relaxing restrictions in some other places.

CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. And it just depends on how well countries have been actually coping with the second wave.

Now Germany, we had talked about for some many months as best in class in Europe, right?

Because they had managed to contain the COVID better than most of their European neighbors.

Well, it turns out, they are now dealing with a surge in death numbers. They put in a lockdown, early October -- late October, I beg your pardon -- but it was fairly light. What it did was it was able to cap the exponential rise in infections.

However, even Germany's infectious diseases institute, the Robert Koch Institute, has acknowledged numbers are not decreasing. What we saw two weeks ago in Germany was the highest number of daily infections they have had since the beginning of the pandemic.

When you see that, you know that, two weeks later, you are going to see a surge in deaths. And that is what we saw this week on Wednesday, another high number of deaths, almost 500 a day -- 583, to be exact -- in the 24 hours from Friday to Saturday. So Germany really struggling to curb those infections. They have

already extended their restrictions that were supposed to end late December. They've extended them to early January. It may last longer.

So that's the picture in Germany. But as all this is happening, Michael, you're right to say that some countries are easing their restrictions. Portugal has an eye on Christmas.

[02:25:00]

VANIER: And because the numbers are trending in the right direction in Portugal, infections have been decreasing since mid-November, they're going to open a three-day window, from December 23rd to December 26th, right around Christmas, where they're not going to tell people what to do, right?

And so they are going to lift the international travel ban currently in effect in Portugal. Restaurants will stay open longer for lunch and dinner. People will be able to mix. They don't want to tell people how to spend their Christmas.

They are saying, however, you still have to be mindful of social distancing and all those things so that we don't have a third wave come January.

HOLMES: Yes. It does seem, as soon as a country takes its foot off the gas, it comes back.

Where are you in the U.K., they're about to start vaccinating people. Some good news.

But there are still unknowns about this -- about this vaccines, aren't there, what it will, what it won't protect?

VANIER: Yes, and major unknowns, Michael. For instance, we don't know whether this virus stops transmission, which is a huge deal because, if you get the jab, what we know about the vaccine that's going to be rolled out this week, the Pfizer vaccine, you've got 94-95 percent protection against the virus. Great.

But what does that mean?

That means, if you come into contact with the virus and you are infected with COVID, there is a 95 percent chance you're not going to have a serious illness, serious symptoms from it.

However, do you actually get it?

And if so, can you actually pass it on to someone?

Those are key questions. We don't have the answer to that because it could be you get the jab, you are protected. But you still pass it on to somebody who isn't vaccinated, right, isn't protected against the virus. And they could have serious symptoms or serious disease arising from COVID and maybe even potentially die from it. The answer to that question is absolutely key because it means that,

if the virus does not prevent transmission, then people who are vaccinated might still have to shield and stay at home just to avoid transmission.

The second thing we don't know, which is another big question here on this virus, Michael, is how long does this protection last?

The protection is good.

But how long does it last?

Could be months. It's at least months, experts say that. I have heard experts say up to two years but that's a very big window.

So after you have been inoculated, how long before you have to get the other jab, right?

How long before you have to get the vaccination again?

With the regular flu vaccine, we know it's about every year. You have to get it every year, Michael.

HOLMES: Yes. Really good points. We were discussing that here yesterday, too, about the transmission thing. OK, you might be protected but you could be spreading it around to everyone that's not protected. That -- that -- that is a big question. Cyril, thanks for that, Cyril Vanier there, in London.

Vaccine efforts all over the world are starting to gain momentum. We're going to take a look at where things stand from Europe to China when we come back.

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HOLMES: And welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

Now here, in the U.S., all eyes on the state of Georgia. It is just about a month away, now, from a runoff election that will decide whether Republicans keep control of the U.S. Senate or it gets handed over to Democrats.

Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue are fighting to keep their seats against Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. On Sunday, Warnock and Loeffler will debate each other.

The U.S. president, meanwhile, spent Saturday in Georgia, stumping for Republicans. That effort entailed what was a long, rambling speech, full of baseless claims and attacks on Republican-state leaders. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: There's never been a time like this where you have two at one time. At least you have two beauties. And you know what, you also have two beauties running against him but beauty in a different way. They're two beauties. But there's never been a case where a state has had this prominence on Senate races, because they're never together.

And this is something that's very important, and you have to get out, you have to vote, you have to make sure you have every vote counted. Everyone has to count. And you got to make sure they don't throw away any ballots. You got to make sure that when they collect the ballots and they start bragging about how many ballots they already have, you got to make sure your secretary of state knows what the hell he's doing.

And you got to make sure your governor gets a lot tougher than he's been. He's got to get a lot tougher. Because at stake in this election is control of the U.S. Senate, and that really means control of this country. The voters of Georgia will determine which party runs every committee, writes every pieces of legislation, controls every single taxpayer dollar.

Very simply, you will decide whether your children will grow up in a socialist country or whether they will grow up in a free country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, control of the Senate is at stake in those runoff elections, one of which is between Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Kelly Loeffler. Now you can see their debate, this Sunday night, in the U.S., Monday morning, in Hong Kong.

Now U.S. hospitals are being pushed to the brink, as new coronavirus cases soar to record levels. We're hearing pleas and warnings from health experts as the country approaches a crisis. There were more than 1 million new cases in just the first five days of December.

You can see, there, where the numbers stand, right now. More than 14.5 million cases, in all. More than 281,000 deaths.

People across the country are being pushed to the brink, as well, by fears of the virus, the economic impact and the daily struggles and uncertainties.

Meanwhile, nations around the world are preparing for the approval and rollout of several vaccines that have proven effective in trials. Britain is set to become the first country to roll out the one from Pfizer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES (voice-over): It's the shot in the arm the U.K. is waiting for. Hospital workers, preparing for the rollout of its first emergency-use vaccine for the coronavirus. Up to 800,000 doses expected to be available for 400,000 patients this week. ANDY JONES, ICU NURSE: Nervous, excited that there's something out

there that can protect us, as well as our patients.

[02:35:00]

HOLMES (voice-over): But, while the West looks to companies, like Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca, for upcoming emergency-use vaccines, inoculations in other parts of the world are already underway.

Russia started a mass vaccination campaign on Saturday, with its Sputnik V vaccine. The vaccine approved for use, even though it's still in the midst of phase III human trials, raising serious, safety concerns, which the head of a Moscow clinic dismissed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We don't have any problems with the vaccine. We have it and it's being delivered regularly, just like any other vaccine.

HOLMES (voice-over): The CEO of the Russian direct investment fund says more than 50 countries have already requested 1.2 billion doses of the vaccine. He says a freeze-dried version is in the works so it's easier to distribute to developing countries in Africa and Asia.

Bahrain is the second country to approve emergency use of the Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine. It's been vaccinating frontline workers using China's Sinopharm vaccine since November. In addition, thousands of people in 10 countries have gotten the Sinopharm shot by taking part in its ongoing clinical trials.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We would like to offer anything we can to humanity. This is a simple thing. We hope this pandemic ends and we can return to our normal lives.

HOLMES (voice-over): China has five vaccine candidates in the final phase of clinical trials and it says, in the coming months, it will ship hundreds of millions of doses to countries around the world.

Other options also on the horizon. Chile began phase III trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday, giving priority to its healthcare workers. More choices, better chances to end the pandemic that has, so far, killed more than 1.5 million people worldwide.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Infectious disease expert Dr. Michael Saag is the chair of AIDS research at the University of Alabama. He joins me, now, from Birmingham, Alabama.

And -- and -- and this is an issue, I know, that's -- that's near and dear to your heart. Before we get to the important meeting on long- term effects that was held, you -- you -- you have a unique insight. You had COVID, early. It really hit you.

How has it impacted your view with what people go through with initial infection but also, for so many people in the months, afterwards? DR. MICHAEL SAAG, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA: Well, the biggest thing I noticed as I went through it was the fear, the fear not knowing what the next hour, what the next minute would be. And that happened to me for eight days in a row, especially at night.

So when I treat patients, I can totally relate what they are going through because this is a very unpredictable disease. And we are seeing that, not only during the acute infection, with a lot of the patients suffering what's called this long haul syndrome where the symptoms last for months.

HOLMES: I've got to admit, I was pretty shocked to hear that you got what could be accurately described as hate mail, emails, phone calls, from random people and so on. You know, you have also spoken about the politicization of the virus, how truth became a casualty.

How -- how did that play into, not just what you went through but play into the situation the U.S. now finds itself in?

SAAG: Well, it -- it's a big problem that we're having and it's not just about me, personally. But the United States is pretty torn apart right now. Our fabric is just going into different directions.

And I liken this a lot to, if we were fighting, for example, in World War II, we wouldn't be doing so well because we're not coming together to fight this virus like we need to. And so, the politicalization (sic) that, especially during our election time, people would take anything that I said and filter it through a lens of the politics.

And if they felt like I was opposite to some of what the administration was saying, then, I was, all of a sudden, not only an evil person and spewing lies but I was, also, trying to undermine the success of the president. And that made it hard for us to get our message out.

I think we're paying the consequence for that, right now, because people are not really adhering to the simple public health measures that we all know, by now, about wearing masks, avoiding crowds and keeping distance from one another.

So the thing is that we have to now come together because we are having a huge spike. And that's after our Thanksgiving holiday. And that's going to continue into the Christmas season. I'm very concerned about our future.

HOLMES: Well, yes. I mean, the -- the -- the system's going to be bursting at the seams. I -- let's go back to the long haul.

When it comes to that meeting you were part of on the long-term disability issue, you could really call it, has enough been done to really understand these ongoing effects?

This could impact millions of people, worldwide.

What needs to be done? SAAG: Well, first thing is we need to define it. We're still getting our head around exactly what this is. We know that people can have an array of symptoms.

[02:40:00]

SAAG: Fatigue is common, very common. But confusion, foggy thinking, shortness of breath, difficulty with GI tract issues -- pretty much, every organ system.

But it's not the same for every person. What I think is going on is that, when the person gets an infection with the virus, the virus is long gone. It's taken care of. But it triggers an immune response that lingers on for months.

And that's what's happening. The immune system is attacking the body. So first, we need to define it.

And then, as we do, we need to understand, what is going wrong with the immune system?

And if we can understand that, then we can start to design treatments.

HOLMES: Yes, absolutely. I mean, it says a lot, you know, that -- that meeting that I'm referring to, two of the four patients scheduled to speak, if I'm not incorrect, at that meeting, were unable to because they had to go back to the hospital.

Are -- are -- are you worried we're seeing the tip of the iceberg?

I mean, this could have enormous social and -- and -- and, also, economic costs.

SAAG: Yes, I'm very concerned about it and it was quite telling. This meeting was sponsored by the NIH in United States. Its purpose was to get to those issues I just mentioned and help define this.

But I was leading a patient panel, where we were supposed to have four. And only two showed up. And those two who weren't able to show up had recurrent symptoms that put them back in.

And that -- if that doesn't say everything, I don't know what does. What I said at that meeting was that we need to let the patient stories power the research for us to understand what's going on. And I'm hopeful that that's going to happen.

But you're right, Michael. What's going to happen here is that this is going to play out over the next several months. And even, hopefully, when we get the epidemic under control with a vaccine, unfortunately, we're still going to see some people suffering pretty mightily with this long COVID syndrome.

HOLMES: Yes. We still don't know so much. But it's great that people like you are looking into it. Dr. Michael Saag, good luck with your work. Thanks for what you do.

SAAG: Thanks for having me on. I enjoyed it.

HOLMES: Now with COVID-19 case numbers in the U.S. breaking record after record after record, health care workers are struggling to keep up. And it looks like it could get even worse this winter. The enormous pressure these people are under -- that's when we come back.

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HOLMES: Hospitals in Colorado under huge pressure, right now. And some frontline doctors and nurses, well, they're struggling. CNN spoke with one doctor getting therapy to help with the pain of seeing so many patients die, as well as a nurse who is urging everyone to wear masks. CNN's Lucy Kafanov has their stories.

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DR. SHANNON TAPIA, GERIATRICIAN: We might not show it if we're interacting with you, but it's so hard.

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The words of a Colorado physician who's had enough. Dr. Shannon Tapia is one of thousands of health care workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.

TAPIA: Sleep is on short supply right now.

KAFANOV: A geriatrician and single mom who works with the elderly. She switched to telehealth to keep her patients and herself safe.

What do you want people to know about the experience of the health care workers including yourself under COVID.

TAPIA: We might not talk about it because we know people don't want to hear it. We know everyone is struggling. We know COVID changed everybody's lives.

It's just, it's been so hard and I don't want to say it's been harder for us than it has for everybody else, but the truth is it has. It has. It's not the same and it's not the same when you feel responsible for people's -- whether it be their life or their quality of life because you care.

KAFANOV: Colorado is in the midst of its third pandemic surge. Cases and hospitalizations have been breaking records.

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): What matters now is in Colorado, one out of 41 people are contagious. So it could be anywhere.

KAFANOV: More than 14,000 Coloradans have been hospitalized since the pandemic began. Among those facing the brunt, doctors and nurses like Allison Boerner. ALLISON BOERNER, ER NURSE, CENTURA-PARKER ADVENTIST HOSPITAL: As an ER nurse, I haven't cried a lot on the job, you hold that back and, you know, you want to stay tough for the family and stoic/

And there's been a lot of tears shed in ER rooms during COVID because we are treating that person dying like our loved one dying, because they don't have anyone else and they need that grace and they need that human touch.

And they need someone to be there when they're taking their last breath.

KAFANOV (voice-over): Before the pandemic, she said work had never caused her to lose sleep. Now she regularly has nightmares.

KAFANOV: How has the COVID crisis impacted nurses and yourself on a personal level? I mean, you're saying this day in and day out.

BOERNER: Yes, on a personal level, it's hard. You know, we lean on each other. The holidays have been rough for a lot of us. We're not seeing our families. We're doing everything we can to keep the public safe and so it's extremely frustrating for us when people are not doing that.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here on the front lines, this virus is incredibly real.

KAFANOV (voice-over): With cases climbing, her employer, Centura Health, released this PSA.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, let's have each other's backs.

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KAFANOV (voice-over): A message Dr. Tapia shares. She has seen firsthand the devastating toll on residents of long-term care facilities who account for 40 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the country. Many die alone.

TAPIA: It's so hard on their loved ones and their families because they can't grieve it the way they should be able to.

KAFANOV: She's found new ways to cope, a puppy, therapy and antidepressants. But with a virus raging unabated she worries how much more she and other frontline workers can take.

TAPIA: I think there's going to be a huge reckoning when things calm down and people get to really process what's happened to them.

KAFANOV: Lucy Kafanov, CNN, Denver.

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HOLMES: Coming up, next, on CNN NEWSROOM. Something the English Premier League hasn't seen for nearly a year. How some lucky fans got into matches. We'll have that, when we come back.

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HOLMES: Welcome back.

Major League Baseball clubs are suing insurance providers to recoup billions lost in the pandemic. The suit cites, quote, "severe economic damage from shortened season and lack of fans."

Now all 30 clubs purchased insurance to protect against the risk of catastrophic economic losses. CNN has reached out to the defendants named in the suit. So far, no response.

The National Basketball Association in the U.S. has issued new COVID safety guidelines as the new season gets underway. ESPN is reporting that players and staff are banned from bars, clubs, live entertainment and gaming venues as well as spas and pools while they are in their home markets.

During road trips, teams may eat only at approved restaurants or fully privatized spaces. Nearly 50 players tested positive for coronavirus earlier in the week.

It's beginning to feel a little more like normal in the stadiums of the English Premier League. Half of the teams have been allowed to let in up to 2,000 fans. Teams in areas where the virus is more prevalent will have to keep their doors locked a little longer. "WORLD SPORT" contributor Darren Lewis was at the game between West Ham and Manchester United to describe the scene.

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DARREN LEWIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A game-changing weekend in the Premier League with fans back in the stadiums across the country for the first time in nine months.

Clubs in the Premier League and the championship have been breathing a sigh of relief as the game takes its first steps towards normality after the coronavirus outbreak.

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LEWIS: Football without fans just isn't football. It's soulless, it's joyless, as the Everton manager, Carlo Ancelotti, said midweek, a very, very different experience.

At West Ham they did their best to ensure the experience was as safe as possible for the fans coming back for the first time since February. Health declaration forms, temperature checks, hand sanitizer, masks, social distancing. After a thrilling game against Manchester United, you'd think it was

all worth it. But the fans we spoke to, they had mixed feelings about the experience.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was fantastic to be back. I nearly lost my voice. It was fantastic to be back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just a little bit eerie, really, a little bit dodgy. You got the sense it was very empty. The fact that I had to sit four seats away from my son, still a little bit strange. But no, it was nice. Nice to get back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Felt very, very good to be back. Didn't get the result tonight. Good to be back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it was OK. A bit strange. Gary had to sit behind me in the row behind me. Yes, and it's very empty. But, yes, it was good.

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LEWIS: As for the game itself, West Ham look set to extend their three-match winning streak. They went ahead through Tomas Soucek in the first half but blew a string of gilt-edged opportunities to put themselves out of sight. You don't do that against Manchester United.

A goal in the second half from Paul Pogba, a close finish from Mason Greenwood, a cheeky chip from Marcus Rashford saw the points go up to Manchester, a big result for the United boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, on a big weekend for English football -- Darren Lewis, CNN, London.

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HOLMES: Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. Robyn Curnow will be here with another hour of CNN NEWSROOM after the break.