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Second COVID-19 Vaccine Nears Authorization in U.S.; U.S. Hospitals Vaccinating Health Care Workers; California Activates Mass Fatality Program; McConnell acknowledges Biden Victory; Biden Rallies for Democrats Ahead of Georgia Senate Runoffs; Parts of Europe Grappling with Tough New Restrictions. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired December 16, 2020 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, welcome to all of our viewers here in the United States and all around the world, thanks for joining me. You're watching CNN. I'm Robyn Curnow.

Just ahead, a coronavirus vaccine may be the answer in the long term, but right now COVID is still raging in the U.S. and California has just activated a mass fatality program.

It may have taken almost six weeks, but Mitch McConnell has finally admitted reality that Joe Biden will be the next president.

And then CNN investigates how lies spread online by QAnon have made their way right to the very top and President Trump.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.

CURNOW: Here in the U.S., increasing signs of hope as the country wages war against the COVID pandemic. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is expected to green light Moderna's COVID vaccine later on this week. That means Americans could have two effective drugs.

The first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech were administered in hospitals across the U.S. on Monday. The FDA advisory committee will meet on Thursday to review Moderna's vaccine for Emergency Use Authorization.

And while more help is finally here, the country is clearly in crisis. The rate of high infections and hospitalizations is pointing to a difficult few months ahead. Here's Alexandra Field.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first vaccine from Pfizer is going into arms across America. Now a second vaccine is nearly here. Moderna's vaccine proven 94 percent effective is likely to receive its emergency use authorization later this week. That would trigger the shipment of 6 million initial doses from the company. That's double the number Pfizer sent out in its first batch which has already arrived in 50 states. 425 more sites are receiving shipments today.

In New York City frontline workers are lining up to get theirs. Chicago's first doses administered at a hospital in one of the city's hardest hit communities. California received more than 330,000 doses of the vaccine on Monday, nearly the same number of new hospital cases in the state on the same day.

DR. MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: I think the biggest concern is accidental loss of temperature control in a cold chain based, particularly with the Pfizer vaccine. That's really the biggest concern. I think the last mile of delivery, inoculation of the vaccine into subjects.

FIELD: Out of the gate FedEx and UPS are reporting no problems with the massive undertaking of moving vaccines across the country. A fast- moving nor'easter could affect shipments later this week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 60 million people are under some type of watch or warning.

FIELD: Along with the challenge of getting it to Americans, there's the concern of getting people to take it. A Kaiser study shows 71 percent of people are likely to take it. The same study shows black Americans, Republicans, and people from rural areas are more reluctant. Dr. Fauci says President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, along with President-elect and Vice President- elect Kamala Harris should all get the vaccine as soon as possible.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: For security reasons I really feel strongly that we should get them vaccinated as soon as we possibly can.

FIELD (on camera): And in another promising development, the FDA is announcing that they're authorizing the first at-home tests where you can also read your results at home. Another step forward for so many people who've been waiting days often for their results.

In New York, Alexandra Field, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: California has just activated its so-called mass fatality program as COVID cases skyrocket there. The state ordered thousands of new body bags and dozens of refrigerated storage units as it prepares for more deaths. Here's Governor Gavin Newsom with the grim details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D) CALIFORNIA: Orders of 60, 53 foot refrigerated storage units are currently standing by in our counties and at hospitals. We just had to order 5,000 additional body bags we just purchased for the state and we distribute them down to San Diego, Los Angeles, Inyo counties. That should be sobering.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Well, California just marked its fifth straight day of more than 30,000 new cases in a single day and triple digit fatalities.

[04:05:00]

CURNOW: Dr. Murtaza Akhter is an emergency physician at Valleywise Health Center in Phoenix, Arizona but he's currently working in Florida. Thanks very much for joining us, doctor. I do want to know what was talk of vaccines, and obviously you're in the frontlines, have you had a vaccine yet? And when will you get one?

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, they're probably be fairly -- and I'll 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, I think 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 your 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. But 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: Dr. Murtaza Akhter thanks so much.

It took almost six weeks, but the top Republican in the U.S. Senate has finally accepted Joe Biden's presidential victory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): The electoral college has spoken. So today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden. The president- elect is no stranger to the Senate. He's devoted himself to public service for many years. I also want to congratulate the vice president-elect, our colleague from California, Senator Harris. Beyond our differences all Americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president-elect for the very first time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell not only recognized Biden as president-elect. He also urged other Senators in his party to do the same. But so far, he hasn't called on President Trump to concede defeat. Manu Raju asks 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 and stolen and the like. Do you have any concerns at all about what the President is saying, and should he accept these results?

MCCONNELL: Look, I don't have any advice to give the president on the subject. Said this morning for me and I think on the basis of the way the system works, the decision by the Electoral College yesterday was determinative.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Even though the presidential election has been determined, as Mitch McConnell just said there, there are still two Senate seats up for grabs here in Georgia. So Joe Biden says they could be filled by Democrats and travelled to the state to make his pitch to voters as Jeff Zeleny now 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, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: 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's headed to the White House and 36 days, but first, he's in Georgia, trying to help Democrats win control of the U.S. Senate and remind voters many Republicans worked 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.

[04:10:00]

ZELENY: It all 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 Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

JON OSSOFF, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: It's Georgia voters who have the power to write the next chapter in American history.

RAPHAEL WARNOCK, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: I'm ready, I'm ready to be one of your next 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 initiated 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 VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Let's talk now with CNN senior political analyst John Avlon. John, lovely to see you.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to see you.

CURNOW: So 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 in 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're 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, you know, Kevin McCarthy had the 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. 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?

[04:15:00]

AVLON: Well 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: OK, we're going 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: Several countries across Europe are now under lockdown orders and restrictions as coronavirus cases spike. We have the live reports from London and Berlin. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00] CURNOW: Nineteen minutes past the hour. Thank for joining me.

Some European nations are grappling with strict new lockdowns and restrictions as COVID infections and deaths skyrocket. So Germany started its national lockdown one day after reporting a record 952 deaths, that's nearly double from a previous record according to health officials there.

And in the Netherlands also entered a new lockdown and the London area has moved into England's toughest tier of restrictions. In fact, it's gotten so bad several European countries are pressuring regulators to quickly approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. All of this happening, of course, at a critical time during the holiday season.

So Salma Abdulaziz joins us now from London. Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin. Fred, I want to start with you. Just talk us through these really worrying new numbers there.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, extremely concerning numbers. We woke up early this morning and saw those 952 deaths in a span of 22 hours shattering the previous record, which was set last Friday, which was very close to 600. And that time around the Germans were so concerned about that happening that they actually put in place and decided on these new lockdown measures.

So certainly, there is a lot of concern among politicians. A lot of concern also among people as well. And it's not just the fact that the death toll, Robyn, is rising so fast right now, it's also the fact more and more people are now being hospitalized and having to go into ICU.

And one of the things that we've said about Germany really during this entire pandemic is that the hospital system here was really robust. They were taking in ICU patients from other countries that were having problems. But now there are regions in Germany that are really coming under strain in their hospital capacities. I want to listen in to what one frontline medical worker said in hardest hit areas in Saxony, in southeast Germany. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIAN KLEBER, CORONAVIRUS CONTROL CENTER, DRESDEN 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. In some hospitals in Saxony were already beyond it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN (on camera): So there you have a front line worker in Saxony, one of the hardest hit areas, and those 952 deaths that were reported in the last 24 hours. That's the equivalent of about 3,800 people dying in the U.S. in a single day. So it really is a huge number for this country.

And of course, is one of the reasons why the country is now in a state of a hard lockdown where the shops here, the nonessential shops are all closed. In fact, the place where I'm standing right now is actually normally one of the busiest shopping streets in all of Berlin. This is one of the busiest intersections. Normally I'd probably wouldn't be able to stand here without bumping into people.

But now it's all eerily quiet and eerily calm. There's almost no one out here on the streets as all the non-essential shops are closed. The schools are also closed going into distance learning as well. And that is all going to but of course, Robyn, stay in place until at least January 10th. But of course, Robyn, as with all of these measures, all of that is dependent on how the pandemic situation evolves, Robyn.

CURNOW: OK, keep us posted there.

And Salma, I want to go to you there in London. What's happening there?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Londoners today are waking up to new coronavirus restrictions. This city's alert level has been moved to very high risk. That means is subject to England's toughest coronavirus measures. Which means shutting down pubs, restaurants, closing all night life and essentially banning all households from mixing together.

But unlike in Germany, non-essential shops will remain open here. That means Christmas shopping can continue. Also schools can remain open, which is a particular concern because there's been a spike between the age group of 11 years old to 18 years old. So that's particularly concerning for school staff and quite crucially, Robyn, there's going to be a relaxation of these rules in just one week's time.

On December 23rd there will be an easing of coronavirus restrictions for the Christmas period for five days. Up to three households can mix together. And this has many people worried in the country. The Prime Minister is being urged to reconsider the strategy. The top two British medical journals wrote an op-ed -- something that hasn't been done in 100 years in this country -- wrote a joint op-ed essentially pleading with the administration to re-examine this strategy saying it is rash and saying that it will cost more lives and that it needs to be reversed.

A lot of yo-yoing here. You have to remember London was under lockdown just two weeks ago and then those restrictions were eases. Now we're back in tougher restrictions. A lot of back and forth and in all of this, the concern is, are you actually getting a grip on the virus? Are we actually getting a grip on this surge in cases? And medical experts will say, no, we're not. And that's what has them so concerned we could be paying the consequences of yo-yoing of restrictions in January before the vaccine is even widely available -- Robyn.

[04:25:02]

CURNOW: Live in London, Salma and Fred in Berlin, thank you.

S0 African-Americans have been hard hit by COVID-19. Why are so many people in minority communities reluctant to get a vaccine? What a new study reveals after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Robyn Curnow. It's 28 minutes past the hour. Live from the CNN Center here in Atlanta.

So in the U.S., the African-American community has certainly been hard hit by COVID. According to the Centers for Disease Control, black Americans are 3 1/2 times more likely than white Americans to be hospitalized do to COVID and nearly 3 times more likely to die. But then a new study finds that many African-American are still hesitant to get this COVID vaccine.

Those who say they are unlikely to vaccinate have several concerns. Take a look at these numbers. 71 percent worried about side effects. Another 71 percent feel the vaccine is too new. And 58 percent just don't trust the government. 47 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 is rooted in very real legacies of racist, medical practices, experimentation and how discrimination and structural racism has shaped interactions with the health community.