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Germany Under Tough Lockdown; England Impose Confusing Restrictions; Healthcare Workers Finally Getting the Vaccine; Hardheaded People Don't Mind Risk Involve; Mitch McConnell Accepts Reality; Seoul, Only One ICU COVID Bed Left in the City; Many Black Americans Hesitant About Getting Vaccine; Biden's Team Already Seeking Input from Communities Of Color; Delta Unveils Travel Corridor Between U.S. and Europe; Poisoned Kremlin Critic Speaks to CNN; Trucks Clog Roads as Companies Stockpile Pre-Brexit; Boko Haram Claims Kidnapping of 330 Plus Nigerian Students; Going Green Highlights the Pangolin's Near Extinction; China's Chang'e 5 Returning to Earth. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired December 16, 2020 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hi. Welcome to all of our viewers joining us from around the world. You are watching CNN. I'm Robyn Curnow.
Coming up on the show, pressure is on U.K. leaders to fast-track a COVID vaccine as countries go under new restrictions. We are live in London and Berlin.
South Korea's capital says it has just one COVID dedicated ICU bed left in the entire city as cases spike there.
And the U.S. president-elect is pushing hard for the Senate majority he needs, as the current leader finally acknowledges Joe Biden's win.
UNKNOWN (voice over): Live from CNN center, this is CNN newsroom with Robyn Curnow.
CURNOW: Some European nations are waking up to strict new lockdowns and restrictions as leaders try to stop surging COVID infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Germany just started its national lockdown one day after reporting a record 952 deaths, that's nearly double the previous record, according to health officials.
And the Netherlands also entered a lockdown, and the London area has moved into England's toughest tier restrictions. In fact, it's gotten so bad several European countries are now pressuring regulators to quickly approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, all of this happening of course at a critical time during the holiday season.
Well, Salma Abdelaziz joins us now from London. Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin. Fred, I'm going to come to you first. Certainly, some very worrying figures coming out of Germany. FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera):
Yes. Certainly, it's very worrying figures. And as you stated, Robyn, today is the day that Germany goes into that very strict national lockdown. In fact, I'm in one of the areas that normally would be one of the main shopping areas. And of course, it is only eight days before Christmas tree -- before Christmas eve. And they are literally is almost no one out here on the streets.
So that national lockdown very much in effect. And the Germans certainly on this day also reminded about why exactly this national lockdown has been put in place, 952 deaths in a single day. That's about the equivalent of 3,800 people dying in a single day in the United States. So, a massive number.
And one of the things that we've been saying about Germany over the months of this pandemic that it was always well prepared. It always seems to be a role model, especially because of the many intensive care capacities that Germany has. But now in some of the hardest hit areas, especially in the southeast of the country, some of the workers there are saying capacity is extremely strained there as well. I want to listen in to what one frontline healthcare worker had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIAN KLEBER, CORONAVIRUS CONTROL CENTER, RESDEN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (through translator): You have to ask yourself what resources do we have left for managing the situation. And if you ask me if we are at a breaking point, then I would say yes. Some hospitals in Saxony were already beyond it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN (on camera): So, Germany now in that very strict national lockdown. And let's just pan around a little bit. You can see this little hut is the sad remnants of what would have been one of Berlin's largest Christmas markets, one of the most traditional ones.
And if we look around here you can see it really is very empty. I was in this very area, Robyn, actually last night, and it was packed with people, these people were still trying to do that last-minute shopping knowing that, you know, soon, stores would be closed right in the holiday season.
But certainly, as Germans are very much aware, the fact that this lockdown is needed here in this country simply because the numbers are getting so high. The number of hospitalizations and now also the number of deaths now almost at 1,000 in a single day. That's certainly more than a wakeup call for Germany. A lot of people are extremely concerned about that, Robyn.
CURNOW: Yes, certainly is. Thank you so much, Fred. I'm going to leave it there and go to London where Salma is standing by. Hi, Salma. Obviously where you are, London is starting to feel the effects of a pretty tight lockdown again.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: That's absolutely right, Robyn. And it does feel a bit like people, to people here that it's a little bit of yo-yo-ing. Just a couple of weeks ago, we were in a nationwide lockdown here in England, then we moved into tier two restrictions in London which were minimal in sort of their rules and regulations around nightlife.
Now, the city is waking up to tier three, England's toughest coronavirus measures. That means shutting down all nightlife, pubs, restaurants, virtually banning all households from mixing together, but there is a catch here. And that is unlike Fred in Germany, we have all the Christmas shops still open. The Christmas shopping continues. The streets are still lit up. And I am sure shops will be crowded today. And that's exactly what has many people concerned.
[03:04:59]
And there's another worry here. In just a weeks' time, all of these rules will be relaxed yet again. That's because between December 23rd and December 27, there is a special Christmas time dispensation that the government had announced about a month ago to ease the rules around your household bubbles.
To allow up to three households to come together, celebrate together, go to church together if they wanted, and that's what has many doctors worried. Britain's top two medical journals are saying this plan is rash, that the prime minister needs to re-examine and reverse it, otherwise many more lives will be lost.
And they're not the only ones. There's been pressure from opposition parties, there's been pressure mounting from other critics of the prime minister's plan. Today, there is going to be more talks on this Christmas dispensation plan. It is not expected to change, but maybe that sterner rules or stricter guidance will be given.
But again, this yo-yo-ing back and forth between lockdowns and restrictions, rules and regulations, loosening and relaxing, it really has people confused. But also most importantly, worried that this country won't be able to get a grip on this virus before the end of the year, and that the consequences will be seen in January, before a vaccine is even widely available. Robyn?
CURNOW (on camera): OK. Thanks for that. Salma Abdelaziz in London, and Fred there in berlin. Thanks to you both. Keep safe.
So, the U.S. is also facing a bleak reality ahead of Christmas. A record number of patients were hospitalized with COVID on Tuesday, more than 112,000 as the 14th consecutive day the U.S. remained above the 100,000 mark.
And at the same time, hundreds of hospitals across the country are now administering the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech. And the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is getting ready to greenlight a second one. An advisory committee will meet on Thursday to review Moderna's vaccine for emergency use authorization.
Sara Murray has more on all of these vaccine roll outs. Sara?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: I'm getting out on your way.
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): On the largest coronavirus vaccine distribution day so far, health care workers are eagerly lining up at 425 new sites nationwide.
UNKNOWN: I'm feeling really hopeful that this is the beginning of the end. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
MARITZA BENIQUEZ, NURSE AND VACCINE RECIPIENT: I didn't feel it. There is no pain. I feel great. I'm excited. I'm happy that in another two months, month and a half, I won't have to be afraid to go into a room anymore.
MURRAY: As distribution ramps up for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine --
MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D-NY): Today, we are expecting almost 41,000 doses to be available at 42 hospitals across New York City. So this is going to move very fast.
MURRAY: The Food and Drug Administration is offering a positive assessment of a second vaccine candidate, Moderna's.
MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: We are seeing a very effective vaccine.
MURRAY: According to the FDA scientists, the Moderna vaccine is 94.5 percent effective and has a favorable safety profile. It can be stored at warmer temperatures than Pfizer's ultra-frozen vaccine, which could lend itself to be easier distribution. The FDA's independent advisory committee is considering Moderna's vaccine this week. And it could be authorized for emergency use and shipped out soon after.
SLAOUI: So, we are ramping up to distribute more vaccines both from the Pfizer and Moderna to save lives.
MURRAY: The shot can't come soon enough as the virus rages across the U.S. and the death toll surpasses 300,000.
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It was bitter sweet. We know we're going to be able to put this behind us, but in the meantime, we still have a struggle ahead of us.
MURRAY: With healthcare workers lining up first and nursing home residents shortly behind them, it will still be months before most Americans receive the vaccine. But today, top health officials are calling for President Trump and President-elect Biden to get the vaccine sooner.
FAUCI: I would recommend that he do that as well as Vice President pence for security reasons. I really feel strongly that we should get them vaccinated as soon as we possibly can. You want him fully protected as he enters into the presidency in January. MURRAY: Sending the two men to the front of the line, important not
just for continuity of government, but also to inspire vaccine confidence across the country.
SLAOUI: I think they should be vaccinated. There's also a message to the population that they trust the vaccine and that's an example for the population to follow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY (on camera): Now it's still going to be months before we see this vaccine available to the general public after we get to this healthcare workers. We're expecting essential workers could be next on the list. Of course, it's going to be hard to decide who those essential workers actually are. And we're already starting to see early signs of lobbying campaigns.
Today, an airline industry wrote to the CDC saying that these frontline aviation workers should be considered in this trench of essential workers. You can bet there are going to be a lot more pleas like that in the coming weeks and months.
Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
CURNOW: Dr. Murtaza Akhter is an emergency physician at Valleywise Health Center in Phoenix, Arizona but he's currently working in Florida. Thanks so much for joining us, doctor. I do want to know what was talk of vaccines, and obviously, you are on the front lines, have you had a vaccine yet? And when will you get one?
[03:09:57]
MURTAZA AKHTER, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, VALLEYWISE HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER: Well, the announcements are just coming out at multiple hospitals that I work at, where some of my colleagues have already got an e-mail about an appointment for a vaccine. But they are just being rolled out. So, I haven't had the opportunity yet. But since some of my colleagues are already been scheduled I'll probably be fairly be getting one as well.
CURNOW: I mean, is that a relief to know that you will be getting one?
AKHTER: Yes, I think so. I mean, the data are pretty good, quite good for it. Now we don't have long term data on it, obviously. But there is something I do know. COVID is bad. And so the vaccine has already good data so far behind it. And while we don't necessarily know the long-term risks yet, I think there will be very few. I know for a fact that COVID has really bad risks. And so, I am looking forward to getting the vaccine.
CURNOW: And when you speak to patients, are they supportive of this vaccine rollout? Are they looking forward to getting it as well?
AKHTER: You know, interestingly, the ones who are elderly and the ones who are immunocompromised and the ones who have severe medical conditions there are the ones we are most looking forward to it. It's sort of ironic that the ones who seem to feel like they are healthy are seemingly the most anti-vax of all people. But maybe that's just fitting. The people who really have true medical conditions and are concerned about getting sick are also looking forward to the vaccine, yes.
CURNOW: And where, so where are you now in terms of -- obviously Florida is having huge rates of infections. How are you managing with the current state of affairs? Because it seems overwhelming, at least on paper.
AKHTER: Yes. You know, one of thing that a lot of people don't realize is that it has a downstream effect. So, the patients who come in even without COVID who are extremely sick and need an ICU bed, they just wait and wait and wait in the E.R. Just on my last shift, I had an extremely critical patient who just sat in the E.R. all-day all- night waiting for a bed. And that happens to patients who have COVID and patients who don't have COVID.
So, it's really unfortunate because the optimal care for a critically sick patient is in the ICU. And it's just really, really hard to get a bed. That's happening across the country, by the way including for my colleagues in other hospitals that I work at, and it's really distressing.
CURNOW: That must be extremely distressing particularly as a doctor, and of course if you're the patient sitting there waiting to get into an ICU. So, with the death rates soaring, with the infections, the fact that ICU beds are in such short supply, how prepared are you for this Christmas season now?
AKHTER: You know, that was one of the fears we've had since before Thanksgiving. Because we knew a lot of people were going to congregate. We were hoping they wouldn't, but they did. And if you look at the curves, they are going just in the direction that we expected, which is, first, you get the infection rates then you get the hospitalizations, and then you get the deaths.
And so, I think around the Christmas mark is probably one, unfortunately, during a holiday, it's unfortunately one where we'll be seeing a lot of deaths. It's going to be a sad holiday. We are hoping it's a last one like this. But it's going to be a really sad holiday from the perspective of patients who are sick.
CURNOW: I know we've spoken a number of times in the past few weeks and months. And you have expressed sometimes anger the fact that folks aren't wearing masks and haven't social distanced. Clearly, the impact is being felt in the ICUs. How are you feeling now, even just preemptively knowing what's about to hit you on top of what you're dealing with right now?
AKHTER: I feel like Florida is another world. I thought it was bad enough in Arizona, but here there seems to be just a culture of either of semi-wearing masks and not covering the nose, or you know, there's a very, sort of embracing culture down here where people are hugging and kissing, and it's just like, what are you doing, what are you doing. As you said, I've have been angry before. It's almost shocking now that this is still happening.
CURNOW: So, what do you tell people. I mean, it's obviously not just elderly people who are coming in sick. Tell us about some of your patients who perhaps have been hugging and kissing and not wearing a mask or wearing it over here and they come in battling to breathe. I mean, you obviously can't say I told you so. But how do you manage that?
AKHTER: You know what, it's funny, because, I shouldn't say funny, more like ironic where I had a patient recently who is very sick and needed intubation. And he had one of those situations where he had a rapid antigen test that was negative, but it's actually, I look Florida -- they're like COVID.
And his family member was extremely upset that we're preparing for intubation but the patient couldn't oxygenate. There was basically no choice. He was confused he was breathing so poorly. And so, even when you have test results and even when people think COVID is real, they'll still sometimes deny that their loved one has it.
And so, forget masks. I know that's just an easy fix in so many cases, and distancing, sometimes even when you have extra fighting in front of your people won't believe it. It's really hard to connect with people. There are some people who just, who just will not listen. We've known this for many, many months.
We do everything we can as healthcare providers, but it can get very testy, as you can imagine, when there is such an extreme intervention to happen on a patient, and there basically fights happening about whether the doctor is doing the right thing or not which is unbelievable. Right?
[03:15:03]
We have no goal but to save patients. The fact that this becomes an argument, yes, it's really horrifying.
CURNOW: Good luck, that's all I can say to you. Good luck all our love from around the world. I know none of you are going to say, you know, doctors like you are going to have pretty busy season. And thank you. And I hope -- I hope some families get together and make a decision not to spread this in ways that you have been talking about. Thank you.
AKHTER: Completely right, Robyn.
CURNOW: Good luck. Thank you.
AKHTER: Thank you.
CURNOW: So still ahead here at CNN, a day after his election victory was cemented, Joe Biden was back on the campaign trail. This time, rallying support for two Senate candidates. We'll explain what is at stake here in Georgia for the Georgia runoffs. So, it's a big one. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: The Electoral College has spoken. Today, I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden. The president-elect is no stranger to the Senate. He has devoted himself to public service for many years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW (on camera): So, it took almost six weeks, but the top Senate Republican as you saw there has finally recognized Joe Biden as President-elect. Mitch McConnell congratulated the Democrats on Tuesday and urged other senators in his party to do the same. But he still hasn't called on President Donald Trump to concede defeat. Manu Raju asked him why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Your speech this morning about Joe Biden, congratulating him for winning. One thing you did not mention was President Trump's claims that this election was rigged, it was stolen, and the like. Do you have any concerns at all about what the president has been saying and should he accept these results?
MCCONNELL: Look, I don't have any advice to give the president on the subject. So just morning for me, and I think on the basis of the way the system works, the decision by the Electoral College yesterday was determined.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW (on camera): Vice President-elect Kamala Harris commended Senator McConnell for finally acknowledging those election results. But said he probably should have done so a little bit sooner. And here's what she told ABC News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: I think it's critically important. I applaud Mitch McConnell for talking to Joe Biden today. It would have been better if it were earlier, but it happened. And that's what's most important. And so, let's move forward. Let's move forward and where we can find common purpose and common ground, let's do that and let that be our priority.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Meantime, President-elect Biden has nominated his former Democratic rival Pete Buttigieg to be transportation secretary. If confirmed, Buttigieg would be the first member of the LGBTQ community to hold a top cabinet post. Now it's still unclear which party will control the Senate with two seats still up for grabs here in Georgia.
[03:20:02] On Tuesday, Joe Biden argued the job should go to Democrats.
Jeff Zeleny reports. Jeff?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): President-elect Joe Biden is back on the campaign trail a day after the Electoral College affirmed his victory.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Thank you for standing strong to make sure your voices were heard, your votes were counted, and counted and counted again. I am starting to feel like I won Georgia three times.
ZELENY: He is headed to the White House and 36 days, but first, he is in Georgia, trying to help Democrats win control of the U.S. Senate and remind voters many Republicans work to undermine the election.
BIDEN: The lives of every Georgian still depend on what you do. And yes, you still need to vote like as if your life depends on it, because it does.
ZELENY: It comes down to the state's two runoff races on January 5th, the outcome of which will shape the ambitions of Biden's agenda and help determine the early success of his presidency. With early voting already underway across the state, Biden took part in a drive-in rally in Atlanta with Democratic candidates Jon Ossof and Raphael Warnock.
JON OSSOF (D-GA), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: It's Georgia voters who have the power to write the next chapter in American history.
RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA), U.S. SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I'm ready, I'm ready to be one of your two United States senators from the great State of Georgia.
ZELENY: They are trying to defeat Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who fell short of the 50 percent mark in November, which under Georgia law sent the contest into overtime. The outcome of the Georgia races will answer one of the biggest remaining questions in Washington, whether Mitch McConnell will remain the Senate majority leader.
After six weeks of silence, McConnell finally acknowledged Biden's victory today. And the two men spoke in a conversation imitated by the president-elect.
BIDEN: I called him to thank him for the congratulations. Told him that although we disagree on a lot of things, there's things we can work together on. We've always been straight with one another and we agreed we'd get together sooner than later.
ZELENY: Beyond Georgia, Biden is vowing to unite the country as it faces monumental challenges from the pandemic and recession.
BIDEN: It really is time to leave the anger and bitter politics of division behind us. It's time for us to come together as a country and start delivering on what we have to get done.
ZELENY: Tonight, as the historic COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues across the country, Biden said he will get his first shot soon.
BIDEN: Dr. Fauci recommends I get the vaccine sooner than later. I want to make sure we do it by the numbers and when we do it, when I do it you'll have notice and we'll do it publicly.
ZELENY: Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Wilmington Delaware.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW (on camera): Let's talk now with CNN senior political analyst John Avlon. John, lovely to see you.
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST & ANCHOR: Good to see you.
CURNOW: President-elect Biden has been here in Georgia. He certainly needs Georgia, doesn't he?
AVLON: Yes, absolutely, he does. I mean, this is not just your typical runoff. This is for all the marbles, control of the Senate. And that has everything to do with who is in the poll position with regards to a Biden governing agenda. If they can pick up these two runoffs seats, and it is Biden no mean an easy lift, historically, Republicans have won runoffs in Georgia the last 20 years.
But then again, historically, Republican presidents have won the state as well. But if they can pull that off, they'll have narrow control of the Senate with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris acting as a tie breaker in her role as president in the Senate.
So, this is -- the stakes could not be higher. It's whether Mitch McConnell is going to run the Senate and act as a potential obstacle to a lot of the Democrat's agenda, or whether Democrats are going to be able to have the committee chairs to push through an agenda, although it still means they are going to have to work with Republicans to get anything done because the margins are just too tight.
CURNOW: You mentioned Mitch McConnell. He has eventually congratulated President-elect Biden, acknowledging that he won. There's still not a lot of Republicans who are on the same wavelength there. We are still waiting to hear those very words from many people.
AVLON: It's not that hard. Look, but it is a significant step. I mean, Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader finally after the Electoral College voting, six weeks after the election acknowledging this is a step forward. He is sending a message to his caucus as well that he doesn't want any kind of shenanigans or showmanship around January 6th when the Electoral College vote is sort of rubberstamp certified by Congress.
But look, let's just compare and contrast. Do you know how long it took Mitch McConnell to call Donald Trump president-elect? One day. It took him six weeks this time around. And it shows just how much Democratic norms are being eroded by Donald Trump's constant tantrums.
But it is progress on the flip side of the capitol, Kevin McCarthy and Republicans in the House of Representatives still refusing to answer a question from CNN's Manu Raju about whether he considers Joe Biden president-elect.
[03:25:01]
And it speaks to this deep divisions. Remember, over 120 Republicans signed on to a ludicrous court case that got smackdown by the Supreme Court just a few days ago. So, you've got deep divisions, and it's not necessarily these folks even believe this. It's because they are afraid of Donald Trump and they're to raise money off it. And it speaks to a deeper problem in our politics that we are going to have to heal.
CURNOW: And which Joe Biden is going to have to deal with.
AVLON: Yes.
CURNOW: The ugly reality of it when he takes power on January the 20th. Let's talk about his cabinet. I want to go broadly in just a moment. But Pete Buttigieg, many of our viewers of course know him as Mayor Pete. He certainly seems to be a rising star within the Democratic Party.
AVLON: Sure.
CURNOW: What do you make of the fact that he has been tapped, a, as a member of the cabinet, and b, as the transport secretary?
AVLON: Look, the Biden team has been looking for a place to put Pete Buttigieg. He has been among their most effective surrogates. He is a great communicator. The problem is that his experiences as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. And that's a big leap. He ran an extraordinary campaign given that fact, and they seem to have settled on him as transportation secretary.
Now this is not a pro-forma position for a number of different reasons. One, Buttigieg as you say is seen as a rising star in the party. Two, transportation secretary matters this time around. This is not just sort of a, you know, favored to somebody who in the case of Donald Trump putting Mitch McConnell's wife in the position.
This is a key position because the next president has got a huge opportunity to finally get an infrastructure bill through. It should be something the two parties can agree upon, but it's going to need to be lobbied for, it's going to need to be communicated clearly to the American people. That saying they believe Buttigieg could do, especially from a Midwest mayor's perspective, where he has had to deal with transportation issues. But the issue of infrastructure is about resilience. It's a lot more than simply getting to work.
CURNOW: And it's also about potentially a bipartisan opportunity there.
AVLON: Yes.
CURNOW: Broadly though, let's talk about the cabinet picks. Somebody described this is not a cabinet of rivals. What do you make so far of who Joe Biden is surrounding himself with?
AVLON: Look, I think that's a fair comparison. You know, "The Team of Rivals" is the famous book by Doris Kearns Goodwin about Abraham Lincoln's cabinet. And that model you elevate all your competitors. Joe Biden is doing something decidedly different because his mandate really is to make American government work again.
And so, what he is doing is keeping the political drama to a minimum while increasing dramatically diversity. He is making good on that promise. With these competing priorities, you know, you can't please everyone. You'd be a fool to try. But one constant through line is that he is getting a team together that can work well together, whether they have a history of it in the Obama/Biden administration or a deep understanding of Biden's personal politics and policy.
That level of trust helps government work and that's really does seem to be the criteria. And it's very different than putting together a team of sycophants like we've seen before. But Biden's cabinet is going to matter more than most because he's really selling this broader idea of a return to expertise, to competence, and making government work again. And that can't happen just with the president alone. It requires a broader team.
So, steps in the right direction as well as a cabinet that looks a lot more like the full diversity of America than what we have seen under Donald Trump.
CURNOW: OK. We got to leave it at that. Senior political analyst John Avlon, great to see you again.
AVLON: You too.
CURNOW: Best wishes for the season, happy holidays to you and your family.
AVLON: Merry Christmas, happy holidays.
CURNOW: So, the city of Seoul now has one remaining COVID ICU bed. We will go live to the South Korean capital to see how they are handling the growing crisis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:30:00]
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Welcome back. I am Robyn Curnow. Its 30 minutes past the hour. So, hospital capacity in Seoul, South Korea is at a breaking point. The acting mayor warns there's only one COVID ICU bed left in the entire city. Well, let's go straight to Seoul.
Paula Hancocks joins me now with more on that. That is a stunning, stunning revelation, Paula. What more can you tell us?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): That's right, look, Robyn. It is stunning and it's worrying. Certainly there is a crunch here in the city of Seoul and the greater Seoul area. This is really where the outbreak has been at its worst over the last month. Now, according to the Seoul city officials, they have 78 available ICU beds when it comes to coronavirus patients, 77 of them are already occupied.
So, there is, as you say is just one left at this point. The acting mayor says that he believes he has secured two more by this week and 18 more by year's end. So, that's effectively two weeks away, hoping that will be able to tide the flow at this point.
But it is a crunch that comes at a time when a gain today, we are seeing record numbers of daily coronavirus cases. For Tuesday, the number was a record at 1,078. So certainly, the numbers are not going in the right direction. We are seeing more efforts being put in place.
There is now more than 1,300 members of the military that have been drafted into helping with the contact tracing process to try and contain some of these outbreaks. But they really are struggling to keep these numbers lower.
And officials are admitting publicly that they are seriously considering raising the social distancing measures to the highest level possible. We are at the second highest level here in Seoul at this point, the third highest level nationwide. But as I say, the outbreaks really are here in the capital. So that is something that officials are looking at very seriously, Robyn.
CURNOW: Thanks so much there, Paula Hancocks. I appreciate that. Live from Seoul.
So here in the U.S., the African-American community has been hard hit by COVID-19. According to the Center for Disease Control, Black Americans are 3.5 times more likely than white Americans to be hospitalized due to COVID and nearly three times likely more to die. But a new study now finds that many African-Americans are hesitant to get a COVID vaccine.
Those who say they are unlikely to vaccinate have several concerns. 71 percent are worried about side effects, another 71 percent feel the vaccine is two new, 58 percent don't trust the government, 48 percent say they don't trust vaccines in general.
So joining me now is Alexandre White, an assistant professor of sociology and history of medicine at Johns Hopkins University. Sir, lovely to see you. I do want to talk about this because I want to ask, why is there hesitancy in minority communities in the U.S.? I mean, I know that a third of African-Americans I think say that they don't want to take the vaccine. Why is that?
ALEXANDRE WHITE, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY AND HISTORY OF MEDICINE, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: It's important what they are thinking about COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in minority communities in United States to recognize both hesitancy around the vaccine, but also broader medical witness trust that contributes to this vaccine hesitancy has rooted in very real legacies of racist, medical practices, experimentation and how discrimination and structural racism has shaped interactions with the health community more broadly.
CURNOW: So, how is it important -- how important is it that we are seeing a number of African-American medical professionals come forward and take the vaccine first, for example and publicly? Does that make a difference?
WHITE: Yes, I think it's tremendously important. I mean, a large component of this vaccine hesitancy comes from the fact that many black and broadly minority Americans don't feel that this vaccine has been produced with their best interest in mind. And this, you know, harkens back to the concerns of being guinea pigs for broader pharmaceuticals products in the past and also broader legacies of medical experimentation.
So, I think it's very important that people step forward, but I also think it's really important that there is collaboration with public health actors more broadly to not only educate the public, but provide transparent and clear information about these vaccines and collaborate with communities to deliver them more effectively.
[03:35:10]
CURNOW: You know, that's my next question. Because as you rightly so, the U.S. health care system is inherently unequal on many levels. Black Americans certainly bear the brunt of that. So, how concerned are you that that minority communities might find themselves at the back of the queue in some places for the vaccine or left out of the distribution in some way? Is that also part of the concern?
WHITE: Yes. That is a huge part of my concern. I think the concern broadly, you know, is that minority communities are being left out of the conversation and then ultimately potentially left out of access to this vaccine. Which is why many of us are working on these questions of vaccine access equity.
You know, a large aspect of this current mistrust comes from not only histories of medical racism, but also from the exclusion of minority communities and voices from decision-making and collaboration health efforts. And too often, public health actors are perceived to be authoritarian in top down in their actions. Imposing policy rather than engaging in equal exchange and dialogue.
And as we further develop plans for the vaccine rollout for the general public, and as it, you know, continues to commence amongst the most vulnerable population and the healthcare workers, we really need a change and transform vaccine delivery enterprise by involving communities as active partners and not passive subjects.
CURNOW: Yes, and certainly I think the messaging will change under a Biden administration. We have seen some very misleading messaging coming out from the Trump administration, from President Trump himself, in the past few months. So with that in mind, how can this incoming Biden administration, who is certainly taking this seriously, how can health care authorities and this incoming administration ease African-American concerns and ensure that there are no hiccups here? That this is about quality?
WHITE: Yes, I think, you know the first thing to do, and it's already happening, but I think we need to push harder. Is that we have to begin right now to seek the council, and important communities of color that may have a historic reticence towards public health, and engage community leaders from across the board and constructive and equitable dialogue to develop strategies for vaccine delivery and disseminate accurate information.
Yes, I think we are seeing the effects of the Biden administration already as the, you know, pre-election anxieties around the efficacy and safety of the vaccine are starting to wane.
But I think, you know, what is really important is that we reckon very seriously with these broader histories of medical mistrust rooted in moments of racist violence and broader inequality is confront them and then actually, you know, use this very, very important, critical vaccine rollout as an opportunity to both deliver lifesaving and critical vaccine, but also repair mistrust that is, you know, not new and has rooted very much in the historical legacy.
CURNOW: Yes, certainly is. Alexandre White, we really appreciate you joining us and giving us your perspective. Thank you.
WHITE: Thank you so much.
CURNOW (on camera): Delta's first quarantine free flight is just hours away from touching down in the Netherlands. The airline is opening a travel corridor for flights from the U.S. to Amsterdam in Rome, but to get on board, passengers must first undergo grueling testing as CNN's Richard Quest now reports.
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RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR (voice over): Passengers headed to Amsterdam on Delta Flight 76, actually begun their journey up to five days earlier. When they took the first of several COVID tests that enables them to avoid quarantining when they arrive in Amsterdam. This is Delta with and KLM's COVID free corridor between Atlanta and the Dutch capital.
That first PCR test is followed by a rapid test at the Atlanta airport before boarding. Of course, if you're both a negative, you can fly. There is a third PCR test upon arrival in Amsterdam. Only if that is negative can you avoid quarantine.
It's really the idea of stacking or sequential testing to try and capture any of those individuals that either falsely tested negative initially, and or may be have converted in that three day period since they have their initial tests perform. So just another layer of protections. QUEST: Building COVID corridors is part of the airline industry's
effort to restore confidence and revive air travel eliminating the need for time consuming quarantines.
PERRY CANTARUTTI, SVP ALLIANCES DELTA: We are hoping that in the first quarter of next year, we will be able to add more cities.
QUEST: They are similar corridors from Rome to New York, and soon Atlanta to Rome. Currently, the number of passengers on these flights is limited because of both E.U. and U.S. Travel restrictions that banned each other's citizens from nonessential travel. Delta Airlines is not alone. All the major Transatlantic carriers are experimenting with corridors of one sort or another. But their success depends on governments giving permission.
[03:40:13]
All in all, these individual flights are a glimmer of hope that a new normal for safer air travel in the COVID era is well on the way. Richard Quest, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW (on camera_: Coming up next, Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny speaks to CNN. We will get his thoughts on the surprising revelations from CNN's (inaudible) investigation into his poisoning.
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CURNOW (on camera): Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny tells CNN he is sure President Vladimir Putin order elite agents to follow him prior to his poisoning back in August. Now the anti-corruption crusader was reacting to a joint CNN-Bellingcat investigation into his poisoning. CNN's Christiane Amanpour spoke to Navalny about another part of that investigation.
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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): What about what Bellingcat have discovered as well and that is that in the investigation, found out that actually the Kremlin still runs a very sophisticated chemical weapons operation, having told the world that it was no longer doing that? What more can you tell us about that, and why would they need a chemical weapons, you know, production facility and stockpiling?
ALEXEY NAVALNY, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: From the perspective of the big picture, this is the most dangerous part. Me, personally of course I am very worried about this part of the investigation connected to me, but the fact that Russia is developing very, very advanced type of chemical weapons is absolutely horrible, because back in the nineties, actually Russia was one of the country who is really pushing the idea of the total you know, banning of chemical weapons and eliminating every single gram of chemical weapons all over the world. And it was absolutely right position. And now, we have several institutions, and we know it from the
investigations of Bellingcat at least three of them who are development both chemical weapons and ways of delivering all these chemical weapons, including this Nana encapsulation and Ave sophisticated ways to poison people, to kill people. And so chemical weapon, I know from my own experiences, it's a horrible thing. They don't -- you don't have any useful way of using it.
So definitely, they are developing it for killing people, for killing people in a hidden way. And a kind of additional bonus of using chemical weapons against the opponent that you are just terrifying people. Because people are afraid of this. Because some of people, they can be brave enough not to be imprisoned or to be in shot or something like, because it's something, you know, you're facing in the real life and you read from the news, but the idea of, you know, just drop dead from touching something, is terrifying people.
And you mentioned that we know about several attempts of killing people with the Novichok and other chemical weapon. And we know it, because these people have survived, but we have no idea how many cases or how many successful cases was made.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW (on camera): You can read a complete account of this investigation on CNN.com.
To Brussels now, where there has been a busy morning for leading E.U. officials. The European parliament has been discussing the blocks next budget along with legal issues. This is the backdrop against the backdrop of troubled Brexit negotiations, of course. We are waiting to see if a deadlock over major issues like fishing rights can be broken in the coming days. Well, the uncertainty around the talks has sent some people into a stockpiling frenzy.
Melissa Bell has more from France.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Not the post Brexit queues that many had imagined, but pre-Brexit queues causing pileups in Calais, as the British stockpile and make the most of the single market ahead of January 1st.
SEBASTIAN RIVERA, FRENCH NATIONAL FEDERATION OF TRANSPORTERS (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): In the memory of truck drivers, we have never known such volumes of heavy goods vehicles heading for Great Britain. The uncertainty associated with Brexit, a deal or no deal, possible custom duties, all are causing the British to build up stocks.
BELL: Sebastian Rivera says he believes there are up to 50 percent more trucks coming through Calais on their way to the U.K., causing jams like this 10 mile buildup he filmed last Wednesday. Not so much the consequence of Brexit as the anticipation of it. 80 percent of the road traffic between the U.K. and the E.U. crosses at the French border. Much of it here at the port of Calais. And while political leaders have been searching for a Brexit deal in
Brussels these last few years, authorities here have been quietly preparing for the fact that there might not be one. At Calais port, authorities believe that any delays after January 1st will not so much be for trucks leaving France as for those arriving here, with extra checks on products coming from outside the E.U.
JEAN MARC PUISSESSEAU, CEO, PORT BOULOGNE CALAIS: For the port of Calais, 2020, we have two viruses. One is corona, the other one is Brexit. Corona we will behind the hope (inaudible). We at least know what will be the consequences of the Brexit, so the year 2022 will be a wonderful year for us.
BELL: But haulers are worried. For them, time is money. In fact being stuck in traffic cost French haulers one euro a minute according to their union.
RIVERA (through translator): We know there will be extra time needed to carry out the new procedures, extra time for the new administrative steps, for the checking of those steps, and for the checking of merchandise. And we are worried when we see what is happening now. It can only fuel fears for what will happen after January 1st.
BELL: Already, he says the delay is being cause by British stockpiling Camino return crossing of the channel that takes 10 to 20 hours more than it used to. Melissa Bell, CNN, Calais.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW (on camera): Thanks to Melissa for that. So, the leader of the terror group Boko Haram is apparently claimed responsibility for kidnapping hundreds of students last week from a boy's boarding school in Nigeria's northwest. In an audio message released on Tuesday, he reportedly said the attack was to discourage western education. CNN has not independently verified the authenticity of that message. Boko Haram is blamed for numerous kidnappings in recent years, including the abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok in April of 2014. Well, CNN earlier spoke with the cofounder of the Bring Back Our Girls Campaign. She said she was hardly surprised to learn of another attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBIAGELI EZEKWESILI, CO-FOUNDER OF THE #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS MOVEMENT: The government was so incompetent and again repeating the failures that enabled terrorists to cut away Chibok girls in 2014, to cut away (inaudible) in 2018, and six years after Chibok girls where here talking about 333 young men who went to school. That's what surprises me. The debt of governance failure that would result to the world always having to (inaudible) news of Nigeria in this manner.
I have said to the Nigerians citizens that for as long as we permit this kind of irresponsible ruling class to continue with this (inaudible), well, we have given them license to do so. That behavior that it is not punished, is bad behavior that is a good supply. What being supplied this kind of repetitive (inaudible) of failure of our children in particular, because we seem not to care, really as a society?
[03:50:03]
That this abomination happens all the time amongst us. I don't think our president is in a good fit right now to govern the country. It is very obvious that he cannot govern the country. So, this country is right now ungoverned. The United States can do well to please 333 school children definitely was safe. They should do everything possible to help us with that, these school children, just like their own citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: You are watching CNN. We will be right back.
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UNKNOWN: Quiet, shy, and rare pangolins are the only mammal covered with scales, and in Asia and Africa, the demand for their flesh and scales, used in some traditional medicine, makes the pangolin one of the most heavily poached animals on earth.
RAY JANSEN, PANGOLIN SCIENTIST: They harvest them unprecedented right the threat is so large that they could all be faced with levels of extinction pretty soon.
UNKNOWN: Ray Jensen is a renowned pangolin scientist, and the chairman of the African pangolin working group. The organization works to stop the illegal trade of pangolins in South Africa, while providing pangolins with a safe place to get better. The rescued pangolins are taken here to the Johannesburg wildlife veterinarian hospital.
KAREN LOURENS, WILDLIFE VETERINARIAN: So when they come, they often been in a bad or in a drum kept for two weeks without even water. So, all of them are compromised. You can imagine being in a basement for two weeks without food or water.
UNKNOWN: Once the pangolin is stabilized and discharged from the vet, it is moved off-site for security reasons. It then begins its long journey to be released back into the wild.
JANSEN: It's not just putting something back in the bushes and saying good luck. With the African species and in particular the southern African species, that one we get from South Africa at (inaudible) pangolin that they don't feed in captivity at all. So these animals need to forage naturally. And so we get volunteers at the hospital. Pangolin walkers, we call them, they can walk from anywhere from three to seven hours in an evening behind a pangolin in an area where they can forage naturally and on some termites.
They wait and checked daily, twice a day for three weeks, and then once a week for three months. And then once every two weeks for the remaining six, seven months. And now success now has improved from around about 50 percent, 60 percent to well over 80 percent.
UNKNOWN: Still, these experts know they're fighting an uphill battle.
LOURENS: When you hear about how many tons of African pangolins scales are sent through to Asia, that sort of takes the wind out of your sails a little bit. You almost got that sense that you are sitting in a very historic position as far as the species goes.
UNKNOWN: Perhaps the plight of the pangolin and the efforts to save them can serve as an urgent warning. Our planet is fragile, and more needs to be done to save them from extinction.
JANSEN: I think we have an opportunity, a very small window, to turn this all around. But it needs to be a collective humanitarian effort, and not an individual, not a race, not a culture, not an isolated effort, but a global effort from one species, mankind.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW (on camera): A beautiful piece there.
[03:55:00]
Find out more of course about the innovators who are taking on some of the world's most pressing environmental challenges. Watch Going Green this Saturday at 6:00 a.m. in New York, that's 11:00 a.m. in London, right here on CNN.
So, China's lunar probe could soon be back on earth for the first moon sample in nearly half a century. Kristie Lu Stout reports now from Hong Kong. Kristie?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After blasting off from the moon on Sunday, China's probe now returns to earth after a 23 day mission, bringing with it the first lunar samples collected in nearly half a century. Landing in Inner Mongolia, the Chang'e 5 will become a piece of China's history. It is only the third country to bring home such precious cargo.
Scientists will soon be analyzing the structure, physical properties, and material composition of the soil and rock samples hoping to answer long held questions about our nearest celestial body named after the mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, the Chang'e 5 mission could help explain the moon's origins, how long it was volcanically active, and when it's magnetic field which protects life from the sun's radiation disappeared.
But its objective was twofold, one part discovery, the other to advance China's ambitions in space exploration, one of the most complicated and challenging missions in the country's aerospace history. The four part Chang'e 5 probe blasted off from an island off of China southern coast on November 24th. It touched down seven days later on a part of a moon that has never been visited before, a massive lava plane known as ocean of storms. There, the lander began collecting samples with the drill and robotic
arm before loading it onto an ascent vehicle. Now sealed in a reentering capsule, about 2 kilograms of the moon, returned to earth for the first time since the 1970s, possibly holding clues to ancient mysteries of the moon. Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW (on camera): So, thanks so much for joining me. I am Robyn Curnow. I actually will be right back with another hour of CNN. Stay with me after the break.
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