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FDA Authorizes Moderna Vaccine for Emergency Use; California Hospitals Near Capacity as Cases and Deaths Spike; European Countries Tighten Restrictions; Mexico City Imposing New Three-Week Lockdown; Large-scale Evictions Loom in U.S. as Relief Deadline Approaches; U.S. Officials Found Early, Inconclusive Signs of Cyberattack; Trump's Tweets Fixated on Election Loss. Aired 3-3:30a ET

Aired December 19, 2020 - 03:00   ET

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

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ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello, I'm Anna Coren, live in Hong Kong. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

With death rates soaring and hospital ICUs full in some areas, the United States clears the way for a second COVID vaccine.

Then Italy declares a nationwide lockdown for the holidays.

Will England do likewise in the new year?

And it's been called the largest hack of the U.S. government ever now. The Trump administration reveals who they say is behind it.

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COREN: The United States reported nearly a quarter of a million new coronavirus infections Friday, a record setting day in all the wrong ways. But at the same time, it took a major step toward rolling out its second vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration has granted Moderna's vaccine emergency use authorization.

It is now to the CDC to sign off, but millions of doses could be deployed by early next week. Following the announcement, the director of the National Institutes of Health said, quote, "To have not one but two safe and highly effective COVID-19 vaccines ready for deployment to the American public is truly a remarkable scientific achievement and a significant step toward ending the pandemic that has caused so much suffering."

In an effort to boost public confidence in vaccination, Vice President Mike Pence and health care workers have been publicly getting their first dose of the vaccine. Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, was among them. He got his dose live on our air and had this to say about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I felt totally comfortable getting this vaccine today. I just wanted to say that because I think so many people have asked me that. And I think it's a very fair question. Things moved really, really fast here and I think that maybe sometimes caused trepidation, you know, that it moved too fast.

But as Dr. Rice just said, the critical steps in terms of determining why something is effective, why something is safe, doesn't work for all these different demographics. Those were the steps that were not skipped.

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COREN: Dr. Jorge Rodriguez joining me now, live from Los Angeles, He an internal medicine and viral specialist and receiving the Pfizer vaccine this week.

Doctor, great to see you. There has been an explosive surge in the number of cases in California, obviously, where you are, a state which had some of the most stringent pandemic restrictions in the country.

What has led to California, now, one of the epicenters of the pandemic?

DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNAL MEDICINE AND VIRAL SPECIALIST: I think many things have led to it. First of all, California was always tinder wood for a big fire. There are so many people in the state. It's the most populous state.

So, we have a combination of the fact that people here are very mobile. The same thing that kept us protected, freeways, is also creating the fact that they've gone to visit, very easily in cars, other areas of the country that had more cases than we did.

The fact that there is a very large Hispanic population here, of which I am one, but also, we tend to be with our families, tend live in groups. And there's a large percentage of people who are undocumented, who don't want to be treated.

However, I think it is time to stop being so polite. There have been many factions, in California, which is a liberal state, that have refused to follow recommendations. And we don't have to go far. You can go to Orange County, to Riverside, where people have raised this flag, as if it is just their freedom that is important.

So I urge anybody, because the majority of the people are law-abiding people that are concerned about others But now the time to be polite is over and we must all defend our right to stay healthy. So if we see someone who's not wearing a mask, I think we should ask them to respect our health as well as their freedom.

So it's multifactorial. And quite honestly, following mask mandates is what is going to change things now, as opposed to a couple of months from now when the vaccines actually make a difference.

COREN: L.A. County officials say two people on average dying each hour. One in 80 people are thought to be infected with COVID in California. We are getting reports of a critical shortage of ICU beds and talks of setting up field hospitals. Tell us about what you are seeing and witnessing every day.

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RODRIGUEZ: First of all, in my practice, which is a general internal medicine practice and I don't do hospital emergency room, last week we saw probably five times more people with COVID than we had ever seen before.

People that thought they just had the sniffles, we are seeing that. Yesterday I went to the hospital. I was lucky enough to be able to qualify to get the Pfizer vaccine. The emergency room was packed. The nurses were, really, at the brink. They are taking care of more people than they should.

You can hear ambulances now all the time. Let me remind people, this is not just about people with COVID-19 dying and not being able to get into the hospital. People with heart attack, people with broken bones, women that are pregnant that are having complications, they are going to have trouble getting into an emergency room.

This is something that affects everyone in our city and in our state.

COREN: Obviously the good news is that the green light has been given to the Moderna vaccine. Millions of more doses will soon out there. But even with the two vaccines available, there won't be enough for all of the health care workers and nursing home staff or residents in those facilities.

Unfortunately, there are dark days ahead as COVID continues to ravage the United States.

RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely. And the message -- listen, we've been sending sometimes a false message to people. When the surges went down, everyone thought we could come out and just be as free as we wanted to. I think that was a big mistake.

This virus has always been lurking and you're right. We are not going to see the effect of these vaccines until late February or early March. In the meantime, this virus will continue affecting and infecting people.

What needs to be done now is to follow the triumvirate of health care, masks, distancing and hand washing. That can make almost an immediate difference. And I just can't reiterate that enough.

Yes, people must heed that advice. Great to hear that you got the vaccine and hopefully many more frontline health workers will get it in the coming days.

RODRIGUEZ: It was very humbling. COREN: I bet. I bet. Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, great to see you. Many

thanks for joining us.

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COREN: More European countries are tightening restrictions, hoping to avoid another wave of COVID-19 infections after the holidays.

Slovakia is closing schools and nonessential shops for at least three weeks starting Monday. The Slovakian prime minister has tested positive a week after attending an E.U. summit.

Well, that's where French president Emmanuel Macron is believed to have been exposed to the virus as well. Mr. Macron says he's doing fine, a day after his positive test.

Italy will go into a nationwide lockdown for much of Christmas and New Year's. People will only be able to travel for work, health or emergency reasons on certain days.

Well, millions more people in England are now under the toughest level of restrictions called tier 3. Infections are spiking. And there are fears a new variant of the virus is accelerating the spread.

Well, the British prime minister says he hopes there won't be a third lockdown for England after Christmas. But he isn't ruling it out. Well, let's bring in Salma Abdelaziz, who's live for us in London.

Salma, if it's as serious as what authorities are saying, why are they then easing restrictions for Christmas?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: It's a very good question. But if I had to answer it, it's essentially because the prime minister really, really doesn't want to be the Grinch that stole Christmas. He doesn't want to be the bad guy in this.

And that's because, about a month ago, before this surge really became clear, they announced that there would be a special Christmastime dispensation, a five-day period in which social restrictions would be eased to allow up to three households together.

So that means that people can come together, go to each other times, travel across the country to see each other, go to church together. So after getting the country excited, you can see why the prime minister is hesitant to pull that back.

But of course, this is against all medical advice. We have heard from the doctors and nurses who are on the front lines and they have essentially pleaded with the prime minister to reverse this plan, something he has refused to do.

And they have good reason to be concerned. That very crucial R number, there are now indications that it's reaching 1, which means every person that gets that virus is infecting yet another person, which is extremely concerning. We also have heard about hospital capacity across England now reaching

about 90 percent. So you are looking at very concerning numbers. And you are seeing a nonunified response, if you will. You have two of the four nations have already announced that they'll be doing post- Christmas lockdowns. And it feels very much like Deja vu, to be completely frank, because I remember, before our second lockdown, rather, I was in the north of the country at the time. That's where the spike of coronavirus cases is right now.

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ABDELAZIZ: Of course, it's in the south and, at the time, again, the prime minister was saying, we are not going to put a lockdown in place, we are not going to put a lockdown in place. But essentially, there comes a time, when the numbers, the science, the figures, the hospitals, it might just look too bleak. He might have to take that step. Anna.

COREN: Yes. It really defies common sense if that's what the health officials, the, medical experts are saying, it's, very strange that the prime minister is not heeding their advice. Salma Abdelaziz, joining us from London, appreciate the update, thank you.

Well, meanwhile, there are now millions of people in Mexico City and the surrounding area under a strict new lockdown. It will last for at least three weeks. With an alarming spike in cases and people flooding streets and shopping districts ahead of Christmas, officials say they have no choice. Matt Rivers has the details from Mexico City.

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MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For weeks now, health officials here in Mexico City have been warning the general public that if the situation with COVID-19 did not get better, that they would be forced to close down sections of the city, to take more drastic measures.

Over the past few days, we have seen record numbers of hospitalizations here. We've seen a record number of new cases being added on a day-to-day basis. Because of that, officials are following through on that threat.

As of midnight Saturday, all nonessential businesses, both in Mexico City and in the surrounding state of Mexico, which, combined, make up one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, all those nonessential businesses will be forced to close until at least January 10th.

Health officials say it could go on longer, depending on the status of the pandemic. Make no mistake: health officials tried not to do this. In fact, they faced criticism over recent weeks, as we've seen this disease trending in the wrong direction in terms of new hospitalizations and new cases.

Some of them calling for businesses like these to be closed earlier. But health officials resisted that, at least in part because of the economic pain that this is going to cause. Mexico City, the state of Mexico, huge economic drivers for the country overall.

And this will be an economic hit to an economy that is already struggling during this pandemic. But officials are saying they didn't have a choice here. They were forced to make what they are calling, quote, "extraordinary actions" to try and get the pandemic more under control.

And, of course, they are going to be looking at the upcoming holiday season. We're in it right now and just like other countries around the world, Mexican families gather during this time of the year. That poses a risk. Mexican health officials are urging people to stay home.

There's no mandatory stay-at-home order. But we know that these businesses are being closed. That's is the play by the Mexican government right down, to try and get the case numbers and hospitalizations moving in a different direction -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.

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COREN: Well, now for a new development, India has just surpassed more than 10 million confirmed coronavirus cases. It's the only country other than the United States to pass that grim mark.

Some positive news, though. The country is working on authorizing vaccines for its more than 1.3 billion citizens. India plans to vaccinate 300 million people with its first batch of doses.

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, we are learning more about the far-reaching cyberattack against U.S. targets and the country's top diplomat is ready to point the finger.

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COREN: Welcome back.

The U.S. House and Senate have passed, and President Trump has signed a two-day funding extension to avoid a government shutdown. Well, that gives them more time to negotiate an economic relief bill to help millions of struggling Americans.

For days, Republican and Democrat leaders have said they were close to reaching a deal on the $900 billion relief package. But there are still several sticking points between the two parties. House Democrat Adam Schiff explains why he thinks the deal is not yet done.

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REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): The reason why it's been so hard to get to an agreement is more than half of the Republicans in the Senate -- and those are Mitch McConnell's constituents -- are like Ron Johnson. They don't want to do anything more. They think we've already done too much.

Small businesses, you know, they don't pay the campaign bills. So they are not particularly interested. And so Mitch McConnell felt if he brought it up before the election, it would divide his conference. It would pass in the Senate, with a majority of Democratic votes and a minority of Republican votes.

And so we put it off until after the election.

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COREN: U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo is now going public with Washington's suspicions about who was behind the massive cyberattack on U.S. targets.

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MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: There was a significant effort to use a piece of third-party software to, essentially, embed code inside of U.S. government systems and it now appears systems of private companies and countries and governments across the world as well. This is a very significant effort.

And I think it's the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity.

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COREN: Meanwhile, we are learning more about when U.S. officials first began to notice that something was wrong. Alex Marquardt has the latest.

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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: We are getting new information about what was known and when. It was several months ago that American officials, who monitor for threats to critical infrastructure, when they first noticed suspicious activity, according to three sources speaking to CNN.

That suspicious activity, we now know, was linked to what we are now reporting as one of the largest hacking operations in history. At the time, those officials were not able to tie what they were seeing to the software, which we know the hackers used to get inside.

The activity they saw was classified and did not provide conclusive evidence that the networks had been compromised. Still, it worried top cybersecurity officials that there were potential vulnerabilities in the systems.

Then, fast forward to 10 days ago. The top cybersecurity firm FireEye revealed that it had been hacked. Then followed several days later by the U.S. government, admitting, it, too, had been targeted in what we now know is the biggest breach the U.S. government has ever seen. We are learning more every day about what the hackers, who are

believed to be connected to the Russian intelligence services, what they had access to. But given the sophistication, there is still so much that needs to be learned.

What data was accessed?

What was done with it?

18,000 customers use the software that the hackers rode into these networks on. It's from a company called SolarWinds. All of those clients, including many in the U.S. government, they all need to do a forensic analysis. That could take months or longer and we may never know the full extent of what these hackers did.

The U.S. cyber agency, known as CISA, has also said in a statement that there were other methods used to get in and techniques that have not yet been discovered. The scale and sophistication of this operation that has been going on since March cannot be overstated -- Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

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COREN: The Trump administration, telling lawmakers, it plans to close the last two U.S. consulates in Russia. The closures leave only the U.S. embassy in Moscow. The State Department says it's consolidating its mission in the country after Russia imposed a cap on U.S. personnel in 2017.

U.S. president Donald Trump is still silent over the suspected Russian hacking attack. Earlier, I spoke to political analyst Michael Genovese. Here is we had to say.

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MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST: I am old enough to remember what it was like to have an actual President in the White House, someone who was on the job, who was doing the job.

Right now, we have a "where is Waldo" white house. We have a president who -- just to go down the list of crises, if it's not Russian hacking, it's the COVID crisis, it's the stimulus, it's the economy.

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GENOVESE: All have one thing in common in that Donald Trump is missing in action.

So what is he focused on?

He is focused on trying to overturn a democratic election. And so he is out there, campaigning for himself, not the country. And he is out there trying to get a job that he already has, that he won't do, that he's still trying to get. It makes no sense at all.

On the Russian hacking thing, I don't think we should be surprised that Donald Trump is unwilling to criticize Putin or Russia. That's been his history for four years. He may give them a little slap on the wrist now and then but the Russians know that they can act without any fear.

And with Donald Trump, basically, in a cone of silence, it is basically an open door to do anything that they want, within reason.

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COREN: That was political analyst Michael Genovese, speaking to me earlier.

A massive winter storm is dumping snow on Japan. We will look at the impact it's having and see if even more snow is on the way. Our forecast, after the break.

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COREN: Right now, parts of Japan are still digging out a massive snowstorm, with more snow on the way. Parts of the country saw 2-plus meters of snow, wreaking havoc on the roads and stranding 1,000 people in their cars overnight. It is all thanks to a weather phenomenon called the sea effect.

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COREN: We now want to update you on a big international story we have been following. Hundreds of Nigerian boys, who were brazenly abducted from their school a week ago, are home. Family members cried and hugged their children as they were reunited.

Gunmen on motorbikes kidnapped the boys. Details surrounding the attack are unclear. The Nigerian army said it acted on credible intelligence and rescued the children. Some boys say they were beaten and forced to walk for days.

A celestial wonder: for the first time in centuries, find out what happens when two planets put on a show.

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COREN: For the first time in centuries, the two largest planets in our solar system will soon be forming a Christmas star. Well, it is not an actual star. Saturn and Jupiter will be so closely aligned on December 21st, they will appear almost as one from Earth. That will make a bright splash in the sky, which hasn't been seen since the 1200s. The event is called a conjunction, after the two planets have been

inching towards each other since summer. They are the closest from now until the 25th, peaking on the 21st. Astronomers suggest looking low in the western sky for about an hour after sunset each evening to catch a glimpse of the rare and beautiful event.

I'm Anna Coren. Thank you so much for your company. More CNN NEWSROOM at the top of the hour with my colleague, Kim Brunhuber. "AFRICAN VOICES CHANGEMAKERS" is next.