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Tennessee Sees Huge COVID-19 Spike; Interview with Moderna Co- Founder and Chairman Noubar Afeyan; Families Brace for January Evictions. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired December 18, 2020 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:34:06]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. Right now, the state of Tennessee is seeing a huge spike in new coronavirus infections. That state has the highest rate of COVID-19 infections per capita, we should note, in the entire country now.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Our Natasha Chen is in Coffee County, Tennessee. Good morning, Natasha. What are people saying there and do they know why?
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim and Poppy, we are hearing from Governor Bill Lee that he feels this is people's Thanksgiving choices catching up with them right now. As you mentioned, we're at the Coffee County fairgrounds right here, which has turned into a testing site. And we do see some cars, people lining up to take their tests right now.
And you know, Tennessee broke its daily record of cases on Wednesday, more than 11,000 cases that day alone. And we're seeing a lot of the issues in the eastern part of the state. "The New York Times" has been putting together some lists of the top cities seeing the worst.
Let's take a look at one list of top 20 cities seeing the worst right now. Basically the greatest number of daily cases in the last two weeks adjusted for population: Tennessee makes that list three times. If you look at number 14, that's Tullahoma, that's the city next door to where we are right now.
[10:35:13]
And another list "The New York Times" has done is where it could get bad. This list is where the case numbers are rising the fastest, again based on population size, and Tennessee makes that list six times. Again, Tullahoma's there at number seven.
If you look at just how Tennessee has done so far in the moving average of daily cases, you see that graph just skyrocketing, especially since October, November. And, you know, if you look at the hospitalizations, you see the same type of steady increase that's very scary right now.
Governor Bill Lee says the vaccine is a good thing, but it's going to take time to have impact. And he says the vaccine will not solve selfishness or foolishness. While there's still no statewide mask mandate, he's asking people to please wear their masks and not to gather for the holidays -- Jim and Poppy.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
HARLOW: Natasha Chen, thank you very much for that update from Tennessee for us this morning.
Some good news, a glimmer of hope at any moment: Today, the FDA could make if official and authorize emergency use of Moderna's COVID vaccine. Moderna's co-founder and chairman will join us, next.
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[10:40:39]
HARLOW: Right now, we are waiting for the FDA to grant official emergency use authorization for Moderna's COVID vaccine. A panel of advisers yesterday voted to recommend that authorization, and once Moderna gets the green light, nearly 6 million doses of the vaccine are ready to go out the door.
With us now is Moderna's co-founder and chairman Noubar Afeyan. it's great to have you. What a remarkable day for the country, for your company, for you -- who has really dedicated your life to science and improving the human condition through science. What was the moment like for you when you heard the news yesterday?
NOUBAR AFEYAN, CO-FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN, MODERNA: Well, thanks a lot for having me. Yes, yesterday was a long, arduous discussion. We're very pleased that the advisory committee assembled by the FDA had a thorough review of what not only our scientists but also the FDA scientists presented and discussed.
And of course, the vote was very encouraging, very gratifying and we look forward to working with the FDA to take the necessary steps to be in a position to hopefully receive the emergency use authorization, and then get on with what all this has been about, which is to have impact with (ph) the vaccine on (ph) people (ph).
HARLOW: Moderna's a company that I hadn't heard of before this, I think a lot of people hadn't. A relatively small pharmaceutical company compared to your peers like Pfizer. And you guys pioneered the mRNA technology that this is all based on.
I wonder if you could explain to us what this means, big picture, for the world? As we show this graphic to help people understand how the technology works, does this mean that we will no longer have to wait, you know, 10 years for vaccines? Could this work in cancer, HIV and AIDS? I mean, is this a game-changer beyond COVID?
AFEYAN: Well, Poppy, 10 years ago indeed, we went down the path of seeing whether we could take a code molecule -- that is what mRNA is, that's what DNA is -- and you make it a medicine. That had never happened before. And in fact, there was really no proof that this was even possible. But we knew that, and we wanted to do the work needed to enable such a molecule to become a medicine.
The difference is that if you're dealing with information molecule, a code molecule, then by changing the code you ought to be able to make just about any therapeutic or vaccine that you may want. That was the dream.
And over the past 10 years and some billions of dollars invested into this platform, we have in fact demonstrated, in many different disease, therapeutic areas, and vaccines, that this technology could in fact create a whole new portion of the medical repertoire we have to fight disease.
And indeed, I do think that the COVID-19 vaccine example will forge a new path, perhaps not to always be able to go from zero to a vaccine in less than a year, but certainly the five to 10 years it used to take was somewhat predicated on older technology, and also, I'll say, the assumption that it has to take that long, which we no longer have to make.
HARLOW: I know that you also give a lot of credit to the Trump administration and Operation Warp Speed for the speed at which this happened. I do wonder what your thoughts are, though, on poorer countries that do not have immediate access to the vaccine. So far the administration has not signed on to COVAX -- right? -- as many European countries have, to pay into that to help spread the vaccine to poorer countries around the world. What would your advice be to the incoming Biden administration on that front?
AFEYAN: Well, I will say that the credit we give to Operation Warp Speed is not merely (ph) because of the speed -- it's unfortunate that that is in the name -- but rather the devotion and the direction that they showed to do whatever it takes to get a vaccine or two or more developed and out there.
And I think their logistical support and their coordination support with many, many different contributors, whether it's clinical trials or suppliers, was essential to getting the job done. Whether that would have been done three months later or six months later or one month earlier, all I can say is we all went as fast as we could and they played an important role.
[10:45:01]
Now, in terms of the rest of the world, this pandemic, it's called a pandemic because it affects all of us, that's where the "pan-" word comes in. And unless we are able to protect all of us around the world, it will remain a threat. So it's in our national interest to make sure that that vaccine -- vaccines in general -- are broadly distributed, fairly distributed.
And to do that as one of the leading nations, I do think it's part of our responsibility in addition to making sure that we have enough supplies in this country, to make sure that supplies are available everywhere, and I fully expect that to be the important goal in 2021.
HARLOW: If I could just ask you from a personal perspective, you're an immigrant to this country, you came to America from Lebanon, you grew up in an Armenian family. And as my colleague Fareed pointed out a few days ago, I mean, so many contributors to the vaccines we're now seeing around the world are immigrants.
I just wonder how you reflect on that, as this is really a gift that you've given to the world, to America and beyond.
AFEYAN: You know, Poppy, we -- when I immigrated to this country and from quite a young age, I was brought up with the ideal that the United States was the melting pot of the world and that's what made it special. I knew that back in Lebanon, and for many years subsequently I thought of that and I thought that's a pretty cool place to be.
I must say, I came here to do my Ph.D., and stayed here and fully enjoyed the life of where I actually became an American citizen, and then I was an American, I was not an immigrant. It's only in the recent past that the distinctions of immigrants versus non-immigrants have been covered and discussed, and therefore I'm now more of an immigrant than I used to be five years ago, 10 years ago.
And I'd like to go back to where actually all of us, whatever backgrounds we have, have -- do our bit to make this country a great place. I really mean that, and I think every immigrant in this country feels that way, that's why they're here. And so I look -- but this country has -- is all about progress and innovation, and immigrants come here to add to that and I think they will always be an integral part of what makes this country a special place.
HARLOW: There is no question about that. I'm so glad you put it that way. Thank you for being with us today, it's a really exciting moment for you guys and for the world.
AFEYAN: Thank you for having me.
HARLOW: Thank you, Noubar.
We'll be right back.
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[10:51:52]
SCIUTTO: Well, the CDC's moratorium on evictions ends at the end of the year, it's not far off. That has families all over the country fearful they might be out on the streets, kicked out of their homes.
HARLOW: The most affected by this, the black and Latino communities, and organizations tasked with helping them say they need more time. Our Nick Valencia is in Atlanta this morning with this.
Nick, I'm so glad you're reporting on this. What did you hear?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, thanks so much for giving this story time. You know, we've all seen the numbers, we've heard about the stories but we wanted to take you to the reality on the ground. And much like the infection rates when it comes to COVID-19, it's the communities of color that are disproportionately at risk when it comes to evictions during this pandemic.
That moratorium is scheduled to end on December 31st, so we spent some time with single mothers -- among them, Jasmine Cruz, who has a two- month-old. She's expecting to be out on the streets if the moratorium is not extended.
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MONICA DELANCY, ACTIVIST: I gave him your case number.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Like so many others behind on their rent, Jasmine Cruz says she's living on borrowed time. A federal halt on evictions is set to expire December 31st. Cruz, a single mother who owes her landlord two months of rent, was recently issued a warrant to pay it. Every day, she wakes up expecting to be evicted.
JASMINE CRUZ, RESIDENT WITH EVICTION NOTICE: I'm 25 years old, I'm a single mother, and I try on my own. Off of, like, one income, it's not easy. I've been struggling.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Now, with a two-month-old son, no job and unable to pay for child care during the pandemic, she looks after her son full-time. With nowhere else to go and no one to count on, Cruz came here, to the THRIVE Resource Center.
Operated out of a makeshift office in an apartment complex, Monica DeLancy helps those in Atlanta who are at risk of being evicted. All are either black or Latino. And DeLancy knows their story well.
DELANCY: They put me out last year, year to the day, with the Christmas tree on a cold day like this, with the Christmas tree. We don't want you to get to that point. If you have to move, we want you to move with dignity. We want you to move and pack your things up and we'll find you a place, but we don't want you (ph) to be forced out because kids do not know how to get over that. Adults can, kids don't know how to.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Kids like nine-year-old Fantasia (ph), who lives with her grandma, Garnell Hodge. Hodge lost her job in the service industry because of COVID.
VALENCIA (on camera): You got this on your door --
VALENCIA (voice-over): Last week, Hodge says Fantasia (ph) started to realize how bad things were when the family got an eviction notice.
GARNELL HODGE, RESIDENT WITH EVICTION NOTICE: I thought (ph), I don't have anywhere to go because places (ph) are so high and I don't have much income.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Black and Latino families consistently report low confidence in the ability to pay rent during the pandemic. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, communities of color are the hardest hit by the eviction crisis and represent 80 percent of people facing eviction. In Atlanta, the United Way says 95 percent of the families they help who are facing eviction are black.
PROTIP BISWAS, VICE PRESIDENT FOR HOMELESSNESS, UNITED WAY OF GREATER ATLANTA: There's (ph), like I said, 2,500 applications in process and there's thousands more that want (ph) --
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[10:55:00]
VALENCIA (on camera): You're getting to the point where you can't accept -- you can't help everybody that needs help.
BISWAS: Not really, we (ph) cannot help this -- the funding expires end of December, that is the biggest plea we have. If there's some way we can extend it so that we can keep helping families.
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VALENCIA: And it's not just the renters, it's also some who are blue- collar landlords who are dependent on that money. The sad reality, though, Jim and Poppy, is that there are thousands if not more who just aren't going to get the help that they need -- Jim, Poppy.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
HARLOW: Nick Valencia, thank you for bringing us that story.
VALENCIA: You bet.
HARLOW: And thanks to all of you for joining us today. We hope you have a good weekend, a safe weekend and we'll see you on Monday. I'm Poppy Harlow.
SCIUTTO: And I'm Jim Sciutto. NEWSROOM with Kate Bolduan starts right after a short break.
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