Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
U.K. Celebrates First Vaccines; Can Boris Johnson Bring Home The Brexit?; U.S. Hospitals' Dramatic Admission Rates; Biden's 100 Million Vaccines In First 100 Days; Indian Farmers Protest Agricultural Laws; Trump Damaging Democracy With Unfounded Lawsuits; Day 2 of Vaccinating Elderly, Health Care Staff; Mexico to Give Health Workers Priority in Vaccine Rollout; China Claims COVID-19 Can be Imported in Frozen Food; Brazilian Airline GOL to Resume Passenger Flights; New China-Nepal Survey Reveals Mt. Everest's True Height. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 09, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
JOHN VAUSE, ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Hello, welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world, I'm John Vause.
And coming up this hour on CNN NEWSROOM.
The world watches in awe as vaccinations begin but jubilation is tempted [ph] by the one-and-a-half million people dead from COVID, about 11,000 dying every day.
The Trump Campaign legal team now over 50 in court losses but the latest was a supreme sized defeat.
And in India, a one-day nation strike by farmers, angered by economic reforms. Their latest move in one of the biggest protests the Modi government has seen.
Almost a year now since the coronavirus was first detected and there is a glimmer of hope with images of the first vaccinations in the U.K. broadcast around the world.
It's now day two of a fully tested coronavirus vaccine being given to the first of what will eventually be tens of millions of people in the U.K.
And now the United States just days away from authorizing emergency use of the same vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech.
A briefing paper to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration confirms the vaccine is 95 percent effective and while it requires two injections, a single dose appears to offer some protection as well. A small number of volunteers who took part in human trials, less than five percent, reported severe adverse reactions. Six people died during the trials.
On Thursday, if officials decide the benefits of the Pfizer vaccine outweigh the risks then the FDA is expected to give the green light for distribution.
Now that process is already underway in the U.K. and here CNN's Phil Black with details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Vaccinations are usually routine, boring. Not today.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: It's very exciting.
CROWD: (Applause)
MICHAEL TIBBS, COVID-19 VACCINE RECIPIENT: Are you clapping her or me?
BLACK: World War II veteran, Michael Tibbs, says he didn't even feel the needle.
TIBBS: Yes, I'm very lucky, really. I hope that everybody will afford it and had it. Because it's really no problem at all.
BLACK: Someone had to go first.
CROWD: (Applause)
BLACK: The honor went to Maggie Keenan. The almost 91-year old grandmother says the vaccine is a wonderful early birthday present.
MAGGIE KEENAN, FIRST COVID-19 VACCINE RECIPIENT: I say go for it, go for it because it's free. And it's the best thing that's ever happened at the moment. So do, please, go for it. That's all I say. If I can do it, well, so can you.
BLACK: Our winter of discontent made gloriously hopeful by science.
But no poetry from this William Shakespeare or plain Bill to his friends. Just awe for an historic medical achievement.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, SECOND COVID-19 VACCINE RECIPIENT: Ground- breaking, I think. It could make a difference to our lives from now on, couldn't it?
BLACK: Across the U.K., the first jabs inspired one overwhelming feeling among those receiving them. Gratitude.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Congratulations.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Ah, thank you. Thank you.
BLACK: And another emotion for the staff of Britain's already venerated National Health Service.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: I'm so very proud to be part of the NHS right now.
In Edinburgh, Dr. Linda Watson was among the first medical staff to receive the vaccine. Her message --
DR. LINDA WATSON, NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE: To be hopeful for next year but don't change behaviors yet. This is why I'm still wearing mask.
[01:05:00]
It's important to keep social distancing, doing all the safety behaviors for a few good months yet. But we're turning a corner now.
BLACK: There is still so much work to do. But day one of Britain's mass vaccination program was emotional and inspiring. An extraordinary scientific and logistical effort mobilized to protect the country's most vulnerable.
And it means Martin Kenyon will get to hug the people he loves once again.
MARTIN KENYON: I hope I'm not going to have the bloody bug now. I don't intend to have it because I've got granddaughters and I want to live a long time to enjoy their lives.
BLACK (Voice Over): Phil Black. CNN, Edinburgh.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The spread of the coronavirus continues to accelerate in the U.S., now more than 15 million COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday. That means one in 22 has tested positive.
Hospital admissions continue to surge, more than 104,000 COVID patients right now across the country, a record number for the pandemic.
And health care workers say they're becoming overwhelmed.
The U.S. president chose this moment for what was an empty symbolic gesture, signing an executive order to prioritize vaccine shipments for Americans over other nations.
The White House vaccine chief seemed confused about the order and couldn't really explain it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ANCHOR, "ABC NEWS": Can you explain this executive order the president's going to be putting it out? I don't quite understand. He's saying that foreign countries aren't going to be able to get the vaccine until everybody here in the United States gets it.
It sounds like the problem's the opposite right now. Pfizer's made deals with other countries that are going to limit the supply here?
DR. MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: Frankly, I don't know. And frankly, I'm staying out of this so I can't comment.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You don't know?
SLAOUI: I literally don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: U.S. President Elect Joe Biden actually does have a plan. Part of that is 100 million vaccine shots in his first 100 days in office.
But even with vaccines imminent, there will still be thousands of people who will die in the coming weeks.
And CNN's Nick Watt has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOV. TOM WOLF (D-PA): If the worst happens, hospitals will not be able to treat all sick Pennsylvanians. They'll be forced to turn away people who need treatment.
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (Voice Over): More Americans in the hospital with COVID now than ever. And that means more death.
GOV. JIM JUSTICE (R-W.VA.): The number of deaths is escalating in our state now with leaps and bounds.
WATT: Because virus spread is accelerating. In September, it took 25 days to log 1 million new cases. This latest million, the 15th, took just five. Five days.
GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MINN): The good news is we're close. But the challenging news is this; the hardest weeks I think are still ahead of us.
WATT: More than 30 million Californians ordered once again to stay home.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: We're experiencing a surge like we've never seen.
WATT: The global vaccine rollout is now underway, started in England.
KENYON: Of course, I couldn't damn well find anywhere to park my car so I was late.
WATT: Minor hiccup aside.
KENYON: Except I hope I'm not going to have the bloody bug now.
WATT: The U.S. waiting on FDA authorization, likely just days behind.
MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO, N.Y.: The vaccine is coming next week, the vaccine will be here in New York City.
WATT: But supply is tight, logistics challenging.
DR. RACHEL LEVINE, PENNSYLVANIA HEALTH SECRETARY: We anticipate the rollout of the vaccine to take six, nine -- could even be twelve months before everyone is immunized.
WATT: Pfizer will work to increase capacity. Moderna's vaccine is nearing rollout, Johnson & Johnson now in late stage trials.
DR. PAUL STOFFELS, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, JOHNSON & JOHNSON: I think we might have results sooner than expected but we target for results in the month of January.
WATT: And the federal government still says they'll have --
SLAOUI: -- the volume of vaccines we need to immunize the U.S. population as we promised. All of it by the middle of the year 2021 and that's still on track.
WATT: Here in California, the state just passed 20,000 COVID-19 dead and many Californians received an emergency alert on their cellphones -- "Covid-19 is spreading rapidly, stay home except for essential activity."
Sure, the vaccine is on the way but the White House coronavirus task force is warning the states that the current vaccination plan isn't going to have a big impact on the spread of this virus until the spring.
Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Joining us now, CNN medical analyst and former health commissioner for the city of Baltimore, Dr. Leana Wen. So Dr. Wen, thanks for being with us.
DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Of course.
VAUSE: U.S. President Elect Joe Biden, he has outlined his vision for the first 100 days after his inauguration. I want you to listen to part of his plan when it comes to the pandemic. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: This team will help get at the latest --
[01:10:00]
-- at the last 100 million COVID-19 vaccines at least, 100 million COVID vaccine shots into the arms of the American people in the first 100 days. 100 million shots in the first 100 days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Does that sound incredibly ambitious because it is such a stark contrast to the Trump Administration which essentially did next to nothing or is it really a high bar that Biden is setting here?
WEN: I do think that it is a very optimistic projection but it's in line with what actually the Trump Administration had set as their goal. Because what they had said was that they would plan on vaccinating most Americans by May or June.
Now a lot of us in public health thought that that was overly ambitious. But I think 100 million doses -- let's remember that he didn't say 100 million people are going to be fully vaccinated, this is -- both of the vaccines that are currently about to be approved, most likely, are -- require two doses.
And so that would mean that about 50 million people could be receiving the vaccine within 100 days.
VAUSE: OK. Well, we have an FDA briefing document on the Pfizer vaccine. It's revealed some details.
The most common adverse effects are reactions at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain as well as fever.
Also the vaccine has a name BNT162b2. It appears to provide some protection against COVID-19 following just one dose. In fact, the vaccine was more than 50 percent effective after one dose.
The report does make it clear, though, that there's not enough data there to draw any conclusions. But does that at least suggest that maybe at some stage only one not two injections could be needed?
WEN: I don't think so, not for this vaccine. So this This is a vaccine that requires the two doses because the first is the priming dose and then the second is the booster shot.
So in order to reach that efficacy level that they're getting of 95 percent which is really incredible you do need two doses.
Now the initial studies look like after one dose you do get some protection, maybe you get 50 percent protection, that's better than nothing. But it's really important that people get the two doses.
One of my concerns is that if people get side effects and are not expecting the side effects after one dose, I worry that they won't come back for that second dose.
And so it's really important for physicians, nurses and pharmacists to be doing that education in advance. To say that side effects are normal, they are expected, they actually mean that the vaccine is working.
VAUSE: The two vaccines available, the Pfizer and Moderna, very effective at preventing serious illness. Still not known if they actually prevent the spread of the virus.
So I guess what that means, what -- we're still wearing face masks for some time to come? WEN: That's right. We need a lot more data for us to tell whether it
is that these vaccines also reduce transmission. Because theoretically it's possible that you could still get the virus and pass it on to others, it's just that you're not getting sick as a result but you could still be contagious to others.
And so until most of America, at least 70 percent get vaccinated, I would expect that we'll be using some form of physical distancing and masks.
BIDEN: There's another potential vaccine out there -- there's a lot of them -- but this is the AstraZeneca one.
And they've released some of the details from their human trials confirming that -- "two standard doses of the vaccine were 62 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 disease in some trials.
But when efficacy data from the trials were combined, including trials in which volunteers received a low dose followed by a standard dose" -- the vaccination's effectiveness went up to 70 percent.
How does that actually work? Why would a low dose and a standard dose then have such an impact? And I guess who would want a 70 percent effective vaccine when there are two others out there that are 95 percent effective?
WEN: Well, I think we just need a lot more data and AstraZeneca needs to be more forthcoming with their data as well because it looks like they are getting -- that low dose was actually by accident.
It turns out that it was a fortuitous accident because they were able to get a more effective dosing with this lower dose. But we really need to know more from their studies and also head-to-head comparisons of these vaccines.
Dr. Leana Wen, thank you so much. Good to see you.
WEN: Thank you.
VAUSE: Well, with a blunt one-line statement which came down to little more than "application denied," the U.S. Supreme Court handed the Trump legal team its biggest loss so far.
All nine justices including the three appointed by Trump rejected a request to overturn results in the key state of Pennsylvania.
A spokesman for President Elect Joe Biden said -- "This election is over. Joe Biden won and he will be sworn in as president in January."
President Trump's team has lost about 50 legal challenges nationwide in the past five weeks.
The false allegations and frivolous lawsuits have varied from illegal mail-in ballots and improper vote counts to poll observers being denied access or foreign hackers manipulating voting machines. Earlier Democratic voting rights attorney, Marc Elias, spoke with
CNN's Don Lemon about the unprecedented number of Trump lawsuits challenging the results and the impact they're having.
[01:15:00]
MARC ELIAS, DEMOCRATIC VOTING RIGHTS ATTORNEY: I thought that we'd be done with the frivolous lawsuits weeks ago. It's 35 days since the election, just to put this into context.
And someone asked me the other day how many lawsuits do we usually have after elections and I said usually we have zero.
Right now we have already had 67 lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies in the post-election period.
And so I'd like to think that having lost 51 of them, they will wake up tomorrow and say, OK, you know what, this is over -- the Arizona supreme court tonight threw out their contest, I expect the same will happen in Nevada, if I had to guess later tonight.
But they seem to have created an industry on the other side in filing these crazy conspiracy theory lawsuits which are just going nowhere. So I can't say whether this will be the end of them or not, it certainly should be.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it appears though that the president is using his supporters and the legal system to raise money -- it's not appears, he is. Because if you look at what is happening with his emails and what's in the fine print for the raising of the money to pay for these lawsuits, I think like 25 percent goes to the lawsuits and re-filing and all that other, the re-counting, et cetera and the rest goes to his political Pac for future, whatever he's going to do.
So he's using the American people, using the office, using his supporters and using the court system to raise money. That is -- the American people have to be aware of that and I don't think we are telling people enough.
What he's doing, it's abhorrent.
ELIAS: It is. And look, all of this is abhorrent because it's doing nothing other than misleading people about democracy, right.
Democracy is a fragile thing. Democracy is not just a set of laws or even constitutional provisions, it's a sense of responsibility on the part of elected officials and people in offices of responsibility that they will behave a certain way that will instill confidence in the public that their vote counts and that there is an orderly process to the decision of elections in the transfer of power.
And all the president and his supporters are doing right now whether it's for cynical, financial gain or it's for cynical political gain, all they're doing right now is damaging democracy by misleading their supporters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Still to come. The British prime minister heading for Brussels and crisis Brexit talks over dinner.
But the sticking points may still be hard to swallow.
Also, ahead. Thousands of fed up farmers are blocking roads into India's capital. We'll explain the reason for a mass protest.
That's after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:20:00]
VAUSE: One of the top cybersecurity firms in the U.S. has been targeted by hackers. FireEye says highly sophisticated hackers stole tools used to test customer security. In response, the company says it's developed hundreds of countermeasures.
FireEye's CEO says this attack was likely by a nation state with top- tier offensive capabilities.
This is part of the statement.
"We have found that the attacker targeted and accessed Red Team assessment tools that we use to test our customer security. (...) Consistent with a nation-state cyber espionage effort, the attacker primarily sought information related to certain government customers."
Well, the Trump Administration is now proposing almost a trillion dollar coronavirus relief package.
There have been no public recommendations from the administration since the election. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says he plans -- his plans, rather, includes money for state and local governments and liability protections, which have also been a major sticking point.
The proposal came after Democrats rejected the Republican Senate majority leader's suggestion for a scaled down plan.
Congress will pass a stopgap funding measure in the next few hours to allow a few more days of negotiations.
The British prime minister has an important dinner engagement in Brussels on Wednesday, it might be the last Chance to reach a post- Brexit trade deal with the E.U.
But expectations are fading and the December 31st deadline is coming up fast. Here's Nic Robertson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, perhaps a little bit of light creeping into the darkness that surrounded the Brexit negotiations over the recent few days.
Contentious clauses in a British bill that would have undermined the original withdrawal agreement, broken the terms of it this had caused -- for the European Union -- for them to really question whether or not that they could trust the word of the British government. Those clauses have been removed.
The man who helped negotiate it on the European Union side, the European Union Commission vice president said that this removes an obstacle, creates some positive momentum but at the same time he says there are still differences on those three key issues.
On the level playing field, on the regulations to enforce any deal and on fisheries. These are still outstanding issues.
Boris Johnson today, the British prime minister, laying out clearly that he wants to be optimistic but this is still far, far, far from a done deal.
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I'm always hopeful, yes, I'm very helpful. But I've got to be honest with you, I think the situation at the moment is very tricky.
But hope springs eternal and I will do my best to sort it out if we can.
ROBERTSON: But Boris Johnson's chief negotiator will come back from Brussels, brief the prime minister on the overview of the outstanding issues then the prime minister's expected to go to Brussels, meet face to face with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
He will certainly be aware that when his two predecessors, Prime Minister David Cameron, Prime Minister Theresa May, went to Brussels, last ditch efforts to try to get everything that they needed to be able to sell their deal back to the British public, it didn't happen.
He will be very aware of that. He's got a lot of hardline Brexiters waiting for him to deliver the deal he promised, taking back control. It's not clear he can do that.
Nic Robertson. CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, India's farmers have been protesting economic reforms which they say could destroy their livelihoods.
Thousands have been blocking roads leading into New Delhi effectively stopping food supplies from reaching the capital.
They claim these new rules will make it easier for corporations to exploit agriculture workers.
Vedika Sud joins us now live from New Delhi with more on this.
What is interesting about this protest is that this is one of the largest, I think, that the Modi government has ever had to deal with.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, John. And good to be with you.
I want our viewers to just imagine where these farmers are and what they have been doing for the last few weeks.
They've been protesting. All of them have been left their farms, they've made making makeshift homes on these highways leading to Delhi. So they're at various points of Delhi's borders.
They had community kitchens supplying food to them, they had their families with them. From the young to the old, you see all of them protesting.
There are three agricultural laws they're against. There have been multiple talks between government representatives and farmer delegations but there's been no breakthrough yet.
This is at the time when the pandemic has hit the world. India, as we know, has the second highest confirmed cases of COVID-19 after the U.S.
They're risking their lives, they're braving the cold and they want these three laws repeated.
Here's a look at why these laws are controversial.
CROWD: (Chanting)
SUD: Protesters in India blocked roads, squatted on railway tracks and protested on the streets after a call for a nationwide protest by farmer unions Tuesday.
[01:25:00]
Amidst the pandemic, tens of thousands of farmers from North India have made these highways leading to India's power center, Delhi, their makeshift homes.
The young and old braving the cold, sleeping on roads in tractors.
They want new agricultural laws introduced by the Indian government in September to be repealed.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says farmers will have more autonomy to set their own prices and sell directly to private businesses such as supermarket chains.
But multiple talks with the government have failed.
NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER OF India (Speaking in Foreign Language)
SUD: Modi says the laws which were useful in the previous century can be a burden for the next. And that's why there should be a practice of continuous reform. But farmers fear liberalizing agricultural markets could leave them at the mercy of big corporates. Till recently they were protected from private players.
65-year old Saleev Singh [ph] says farmers like he will suffer huge losses because of Modi's law. He says Modi is trying to handle over their lands to corporations.
DEVINDER SHARMA, FOOD POLICY ANALYST: Just like all of us in the urban areas we have done surveys, monthly surveys, six-monthly surveys -- I think the farmer too deserves a sure income so that he can maintain his livelihood.
SUD: Farmer unions say they won't budge till the government relents and rolls back on the contentious laws.
Until then highways to Delhi will stay blocked and food supplies to the country's capital remains largely cut off.
Food supplies have been affected, essentials are still available in Delhi but we have had to keep a watch on that situation as well.
But here's what the government did on Tuesday evening India time. The home minister of the country reached out to a farmer delegation, they had a meeting, yet again inconclusive.
The latest is in about 20 minutes from now we're expecting the farmer delegation to congregate once again at one of the Delhi borders and they're going to discuss some amendments that the government will be proposing.
The question is who is really going to blink first and will these farmers eventually leave these highways and go back to their farms? John.
VAUSE: Vedika, thank you. Vedika Sud there with the very latest from New Delhi.
SUD: Thank you.
VAUSE: We'll take a short break.
When we come back, with vaccinations for the coronavirus now underway and wealthy nations stockpiling millions of doses, will this all end up being every country for themselves?
We'll have more in a moment.
Also, China says COVID-19 is being imported via frozen food. We'll take a look at that controversial claim with a live report from Beijing after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:12]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everybody. I'm John Vause.
We have an update now on our top stories this hour.
The U.S. may be just days away from giving the ok to emergency use of the COVID vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech. Ahead of Thursday's meeting an FDA briefing document confirms the vaccine is 95 percent effective after two doses. It even appears to offer some protection after a single dose.
In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has denied a Trump request to throw out mail-in ballots and overturn the election results in the state of Pennsylvania. The justices' single sentence rejection was the latest and biggest legal defeat for President Trump who had predicted the election will be decide by the high court.
An investigation is underway after one of the top U.S. cyber security firms was hacked. FireEye says the attack was likely sponsored by a nation-state and says hackers stole tools used to test customer's security. The company's stocks plunged after details of the attack were released.
It's Day Two of vaccinations in the U.K. The elderly and health care workers have priority. The plan though is to inoculate about 400,000 people in the first wave, with 40 million doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine still on order. That's enough for 20 million people.
91-year-old Martin Kenyon was one of the first in the world to get the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday. He told us he did it for the grandkids.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN KENYONE, WAS GIVEN PFIZER VACCINE: I said what's this thing. You're doing the vaccination. Yes, it is. And then there's been various times answering questions about this (INAUDIBLE) I said yes, no, yes, no, and they said we will cover it up ourselves. Of course, I couldn't damn well find anywhere to park my car so I was late.
It didn't hurt at all. I didn't know the needle had gone as it come out. (INAUDIBLE) Sorry it is interesting. I hope I am not going to have the bloody bag now. I don't intend to have it because I have got granddaughters and I want to live a long time to enjoy their lives. Well, there's no fun in dying now, when I have lived this long, is there?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Wise words there.
Mexico is detailing its vaccination rollout plan. The country's expected to get hundreds of thousands of doses of the Pfizer vaccine this month and says health care workers will be first in line.
Here is Matt Rivers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, we know that vaccines are big news all across the world right now. And the same thing applies here in Mexico, especially after what we heard from the government on Tuesday morning.
Officials announced part of their strategy for their vaccine distribution program, announcing that some 250,000 doses of Pfizer's vaccine will arrive here in Mexico this month. After that, one million doses of that same vaccine will arrive each month from January to March. And then in April, some 12 million additional doses of Pfizer's vaccine will arrive here in Mexico.
The government says that it is prioritizing health care workers. They will be the first group to get access to this first round of vaccines, followed by those people who are aged 60 and higher. But I think it's worth talking about the timing of all of this, in a reality check sort of way.
Consider that those doses will be roughly enough to vaccinate only about 7.6 million Mexicans out of a total population of roughly 130 million Mexicans.
Also, the government is saying that it hopes to vaccinate roughly 75 percent of its population aged 16 and higher by the first quarter not of next year but of 2022.
Now, of course, the option exists for Mexico's government to try and bring in more vaccines from sources apart from Pfizer. It's something they are actively working on but at least what has been officially announced so far, enough to vaccinate roughly 7.6 million Mexicans to start.
Matt Rivers, CNN -- Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, for more, Arthur Caplan, professor of bioethics at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine is with us this hour from Richfield in Connecticut. Professor, it's been a while, good to see you.
ARTHUR CAPLAN, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY GROSSMAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Hey, good to see you.
VAUSE: Ok. We had these mass vaccinations about to ramp up in many parts of the world. And the director of the World Health Organization is urging governments to follow the WHO's valued roadmap for who should be immunized and when.
Here is part of what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: These are not easy decisions. Vaccinating health workers who are at high risk of infection will help to protect them and the health system. People at highest risk of serious disease or death as a result of age are also a high priority group, because protecting them will reduce severe diseases and death and take the burden off health systems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: These guidelines may be followed in country, but from the very beginning of this pandemic, it seems to be a case of every country for themselves. Will the vaccination programs be any different?
CAPLAN: I don't think so. I think you are going to see many countries having already contracted to get supply of a vaccine, the U.K., Germany, the U.S.
They may not have bought enough vaccine relative to the ones that have turned out to be successful, Moderna and Pfizer, but aside from a small international effort to lock up some vaccine supply for some non rich countries, yes, it's pretty much everybody for themselves.
VAUSE: And with that in mind, you talked about stockpiling. And Canada's prime minister has announced the rollout of mass vaccinations to begin before the end of the year. Here is Justin Trudeau.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Pending Health Canada approval, the first shipment of doses is tracking for delivery next week. Shipments will continue to arrive into 2021 with millions of doses on the way. This will move us forward on our whole timeline of vaccine roll out, and is a positive development in getting Canadians protected as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: What he did not say is this. This is part of reporting from CTV. Canada has signed deals with seven vaccine manufacturers. If all vaccines pan out, Canada would have access, through its contracts, to 414 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
Canada has a population of just over 37 million. Why does it need more than 10 times that number in vaccine doses?
CAPLAN: It doesn't. And what happened was, and it's true in the U.S. too. You had a number of vaccines competing. Let's say six months ago, contracts were issued because they didn't know which vaccines were going to work. And so they bought all of them. It's kind of like putting your chips on many numbers on the roulette wheel.
Now, we see that many of them appear to be successful. And so there are far more vaccines locked up by countries like the U.S. and Canada than they are going to need.
VAUSE: And it's not just Canada. The British government says -- it has issued a press release actually saying it has access to more than 350 million doses. Again, a country with a population of 66 million people. And then if you tally up the numbers from the very different drug makers in the U.S., 800 million doses for the United States. And that number would have been higher if the Trump administration had not turned down an offer last July from Pfizer to buy more.
And now we are hearing from the former head of the FDA who says the U.S. could actually have an option to legally take supplies which had been earmarked for other countries. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER: Look, I don't know what the legal authorities are. I suspect that there are authorities that the administration could invoke that would break some agreements that Pfizer or other companies might have struck with other countries.
But bear in mind, the countries that the vaccine were sold to are our close allies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yet, this is vaccine nationalism. And just explain why this is in the best interest of absolutely no one.
CAPLAN: Well look, each country reasonably wants to take care of the biggest at-risk groups in its own nation. That makes some sense. We take care of our family. We take care of our neighbors. We take care of ourselves.
But when we start locking up vaccines in the hundreds of millions of doses, when other countries have major groups that are highly needy, say the elderly in other countries, or people who aren't getting health care in other countries, then you have to start figuring out, we cannot just be hoarding in the face of, if you will, enormous need elsewhere.
So I'm not going to say don't begin with your own country. I think the citizens of those countries would expect that you are going to help the most at risk in those own countries.
But after a time, you've got to switch and start to protect those at risk in other countries.
VAUSE: Very quickly, is there a point here for governments to mandate vaccinations?
CAPLAN: I don't think we're going to see that yet. I think what we are going to see though, John, is something a little different. I think as these vaccines prove to work, private companies, airlines, cruise ships, restaurants, gymnasiums, they're going to start to say you can't come in here without a vaccine certificate.
I think mandates are coming, maybe not the way people think, not issued by a government, but issued by a company.
VAUSE: An interesting plan and actually probably a lot more effective than the government going out with a mandate.
Arthur Caplan, thanks so much. Good to see you.
CAPLAN: My pleasure.
VAUSE: China continues to struggle to contain small outbreaks of COVID-19. Now officials claim the coronavirus is being imported into the country on frozen food, a theory which contradicts guidance from international health authorities.
For the very latest now, here is CNN's David Culver live in Beijing.
You know, reading between the lines here, is this part of Beijing's ongoing effort to change the narrative of the origins of the virus?
[01:40:01]
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is certainly the perception for some here, John, especially when you consider the timing. I mean in a few weeks, we expect a WHO field team to come to China and to trace the origins of this virus. Now, if they do that, they are likely going to face a lot of pressure as to what exactly they might encounter.
And of course, they're going to have to also figure out how to factor what is a growing narrative here, one that is getting a lot of attention and has, as you pointed out, in recent weeks and months. But it's not dying down.
It's this idea that perhaps the virus is now more of a threat from the outside of China, as it is imported in on frozen foods, on packaging. All of this continuing to get more and more attention as new measures to stop this imported case are being put in place.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CULVER (voice over): Health officials in China blaming imported cases of COVID-19 for recent cluster outbreaks. They warned that it's been carried in not only by some human travelers, but also perhaps more alarming on goods imported from other countries.
As CNN saw firsthand, it has sparked immediate changes in the handling of international cargo that now enter China.
(on camera): You will notice that crewmembers behind me are in full PPE, from head to toe. We have been told strictly not to go within a certain distance of them. And we have also been told not to touch any of the cargo.
The reason is there is growing concern here in China that the imports from other countries might be carrying the virus, particularly frozen foods. And so those who are handling that cargo as it's coming in or going out now have to undergo these new measures.
(voice over): While both the World Health Organization and the U.S. CDC insist there is no evidence that people can contract COVID-19 from food or food packaging, Chinese media is airing images of the strict precautions now being taken. Food transport trucks sprayed down with disinfectant, frozen seafood like shrimp and salmon, along with the surfaces of all types of packaging all frequently tested for COVID-19.
(on camera): This is one of the cold chambers here in a cargo wing of Shenzhen International Airport. Now, the concern with the frozen food has gotten so sensitive that if I were to walk in just like this, I would have to do two weeks of quarantine as soon as I walked out.
Full body suits now required for those working in these facilities.
China's ministry of transport warning that before and after transporting the cold chain products, one should disinfect the used transportation means and body parts that may have touched the containers. Chinese health officials believe recent confirmed coronavirus cases might have been caused by contaminated imported goods.
Last month two Shanghai Airport cargo handlers tested positive for COVID-19. In September, two dock workers in Qingdao handling imported frozen seafood also contracted the virus.
And back in June, a massive Beijing market shut down. State media reported more than 300 people tested positive. Some have suggested that cluster outbreak might have been linked to imported salmon.
Health experts say COVID-19 is tough enough to last for long periods on surfaces. But they warn --
DR. SINDHAR SIDDHARTH, DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: This is not the most common way by which COVID-19 spreads. In most situations, COVID-19 spreads from person to person, directly by liquid particles in which the virus is present through the air.
CULVER: Still, Chinese state media are using the imported case fears to repeatedly put into question the actual origins of the virus, stressing that Wuhan is the place the disease was first identified, but probably not the place where the virus originated from, sowing seeds of doubt ahead of a WHO field teams upcoming trip to China.
They will investigate the origins of COVID-19 as China works to keep new cases of the virus from seeping in through its borders.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CULVER: State media here is continuing to push the narrative of imported cases potentially being the cause of some of these clusters outbreaks, John. We have one going on right now Qiangdu (ph). Seven cases, which may not seem like a lot when you compare it to what's happening in other countries, especially the U.S.
However, for China, it's concerning and this link now is being investigated as Chinese officials have said, to see whether or not these cases came from the outside.
VAUSE: On the issue of a vaccine, we've been focusing a lot on what's happening in the U.K. but China is also rolling out a vaccine. They've sent it to countries around the world. Indonesia is claiming it's 97 percent effective, I think. What is your reporting on this?
CULVER: China has got multiple vaccines in the works right now, more than a dozen. And about a handful of those, five or so, are in phase three medical trials.
Here is what's interesting about that. A lot of the focus has not been on domestic distribution, but rather global distribution of those vaccines. Now, that is not all rooted, John, in good will. These companies stand to make money, the Chinese companies, biotech firms behind that will likely benefit.
[01:45:01]
CULVER: And it's also as many have pointed out, an opportunity to perhaps repair the image that China feels like was damaged after the initial outbreak and allegations of mishandling. And so this is perhaps that opportunity to redeem themselves if you will.
Those vaccines are going out, there is no real plan domestically as of yet for widespread distribution. We know members according to government of the PLA have been vaccinated, as well as frontline workers, including those who work in customs and borders.
And so going forward we will see if they actually lay out a plan for the entire 1.4 billion population here to get the vaccine. But as of now, the focus seems to be outside of China.
VAUSE: And not a lot of transparency on how it's being developed, or how it's being tested as well, which is not surprising.
David, thank you. David Culver live for us in Beijing.
CULVER: Right.
VAUSE: Well, cleared for takeoff. Boeing 737 Max back in service.
After the break we'll tell you which airline has put its faith in the much criticized commercial airline. It's that one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: In the coming hours, the Brazilian airline Gol will become the first airline to fly passengers on the 737 Max since it was grounded nearly two years ago.
The company will fly the plane to and from its hub in Sao Paulo. So far, Brazil and the United States are the only countries to have cleared the plane to fly passengers.
CNN's John Defterios live this hour in Abu Dhabi. You know -- and John, clearly Boeing wants to move on from those from two fatal disasters with Lion Air and Ethiopian Air.
But having a Brazilian carrier, being the first to take to the skies with a 737 Max, what message, I guess, does that send? JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yes. It's a bit unusual
that Brazilians were the first to leave the gate here with the 737 Max, as you are suggesting because it was the FAA, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United states that cleared it and then followed by the Brazilian authorities.
I think, this is a carrier though that has seven in the fleet, it's going to be adding 95 more. So it's all in to the 737 Max.
What stands out for me, when it comes to the U.S. carriers they're kind of taking baby steps, John. We have American airlines starting the snowbird route if you will, between Miami and New York, December 29th. But United Airline said they'll be flying sometime in the first quarter of 2021. And then One another big order book for Southwest seeing they'll go back to the skies in the spring of next year.
This is also kind of a brand reputation issue for Boeing and Gol's handling it delicately. They're saying to the passengers of booked tickets that if you're not happy with that equipment, you can change at no charge.
It seems like a sensible approach because they have to restore the confidence and this recommissioning of the jetliner. They had to go through a complete overhaul review of that software that impacted both the rise and fall of the plane for safety clearance.
[01:50:02]
VAUSE: You know, there is so much controversy over the way the FAA and Boeing handled all of this, in the lead out with the approval and all of the rest of it. You know, it just seems to be a huge gamble by this airline.
How many other aircraft -- how many other airlines are ordering, you know, the 737 Max, especially in the midst of a pandemic?
DEFTERIOS: Yes, it's interesting because there's kind of another all in gesture here from Ryan Air, the European low-cost carrier based in Ireland. So they had 75 in the fleet here, taking it up to 210. Adding 75 up to take it 210 and even though that plane has not been cleared by European regulators, and the Canadian regulators this measure as well.
But Michael Leary of Ryan Air, feels very confident about this. And also can I have a kind of a double whammy if you will, John, against the 737 Max. Because everyone is saying say that's a vote of confidence from Ryan Air but there's been 565 cancellations since we saw the accident. The double whammy is, because of COVID-19 traffic is down severely.
But also, even though this is a cost saving jet because it stays up to 25 percent in fuel efficiency, they're not willing to commit because of the drop in passenger traffic. It's down 62 percent October to October 19 to 2020. And it's even higher in parts of world where I'm sitting for example in the Middle East right now. We have not recovered from the pandemic. So carriers are reluctant to invest more into new planes, despite the fact they're more efficient.
VAUSE: Yes. Especially ones with the reputation possibly the 737 Max has right now.
John, thank you. John Defterios in Abu Dhabi.
Well, Tuesday's Champions' League match between Paris St. Germain and Istanbul, those (INAUDIBLE) were suspended after an alleged racist incident. The players decided to walk off the pitch, in an apparent protest after a match official made an alleged racist comment toward in Istanbul assistant coach.
Here's how that coach reacted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You never said this white guy, you say these guy, so why would you say this. Listen to me why would you mention a black guy. You have to say this black guy?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The remaining minutes of that will be played on Wednesday but with different officials. UEFA says there will be an investigation.
Still to come, China and Nepal actually working together to work out the real height of Mount Everest. What their new survey has revealed about the world's tallest peak, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: It is the highest point in the world, but just how tall Mount Everest really is has been a matter of some debate. But now Nepal and China have overcome their differences to settle this matter once and for all.
Here's CNN's Paula Newton.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WANG YI, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER: Today, I am pleased to make a joint announcement with you, on behalf of China and Nepal to the world that the new height of Mount Chomolungma Sagarmatha is 8,848.86 meters.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's official. The world's tallest mountain has been taken to new heights, after a joint Chinese Nepal agreement. The size of Mount Everest, a controversy that has endured for decades between the two countries, finally comes to an end.
[01:55:01]
NEWTON: The new measurement, just shy of a meter taller than the commonly-used height dating back to an Indian survey done in 1955.
The height of Mount Everest, was first calculated in 1856, by the surveyor general of India, led by Britain's Sir George Everest, the man the mountain is named after. It measured 8,840 meters then.
A Chinese survey done in 2005 found that the mountain stood at 8,844 meters, but Nepal refused to recognize that number.
Then in 2015, several scientific studies suggested the elevation may have changed after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal. Two years later, the Nepali government said they would send their surveyors to try and determine the height.
When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Nepal in 2019, the countries agreed to call a truce. As a symbol of friendship, they decided to jointly announce the updated measurements which would be compiled in a collaborative effort.
China then started its assessment from the Tibetan side of the mountain. Determining the precise dimensions of the world's highest peak, proved to be a long and grueling mission. Surveyors used geodetic data they received from a leveling instrument, a gravity meter and a GPS.
Nepal and China jointly calculated the data and came up with a result. The effort brought a sense of honor for Nepal, according to the country's survey department. As it was the first time, conducting their own measurements.
TSHERING PANDE BHOTE, CLIMBER: Our mountains are known as "Young Mountains" internationally. And it is a matter of pride to hear that the height has increased.
NEWTON: The majestic beauty and wonder of Mount Everest, is unmistakable. Now, so is its proper height.
Paula Newton, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. Rosemary church takes over at the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:59:51]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. Could there be a glimpse of light after the pandemic? The U.K. begins vaccinations with the world watching as global COVID-19 infections surge.
Chinese officials point to frozen food as the source of a recent coronavirus.
