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HHS Secretary Alex Azar Says He Will Be Vaccinated In The Coming Days; Soon: President-Elect Biden Receives First Dose Of Vaccine; U.K. Health Secretary: New Variant Of Coronavirus "Out Of Control"; Houston Health Officials Opening First Boxes Of Moderna Vaccine; House To Vote On $900 Billion COVID Relief Bill. Aired 12- 12:30p ET

Aired December 21, 2020 - 12:00   ET

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

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ALEX AZAR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: This first wave of Moderna shipments will be sent to more than 3500 sites, a greater number than the Pfizer vaccine was sent to in part, because the Moderna vaccine can be accommodated in more sites, including harder reach and more rural places.

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KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: This also comes as millions of Americans who have been suffering for months may finally be seeing some relief that they have needed so desperately. Congressional leaders after months of stalemate and frankly failure which they have admitted themselves, they finally got it together, and finally struck a deal, a $900 billion deal for COVIDV relief aid to be sent out.

The first votes on that package are supposed to happen today, but they haven't even seen the language yet. An update from Capitol Hill, we're going to take you there in just a moment. But today also marks another significant step in the fight against COVID-19. As we have been discussing, a second vaccine has been given the green light.

Distribution of millions of doses of the Moderna vaccine have begun, and it's expected to start - people can start seeing those shots in arms sometime today. Let's stay in New York, let's go to New York where long-term care facility residents are actually receiving the first doses of their vaccines today. We were talking about Jean Casarez joins us.

We were talking about this very issue, Jean, with the Head of the Chief Medical Officer of CVS Health and how today marks such a big day for so many residents of long-term care facilities and you're outside one of them right now? What's happening there?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really is. And they're getting the vaccine right now. They are getting the Pfizer vaccine. We've learned that it was last Wednesday that this facility found out that they were actually going to get the vaccine today. They worked night and day to talk to residents, to talk to family members because consent forms had to be signed. They did it.

Virtually every single one of the 600 residents in this long-term care facility, 32 acres they have here, is getting the vaccine and the way they're doing it, they're to hoping to get 200 done today, 200 tomorrow and 200 Wednesday. They are partnered with Walgreens six pharmacists will be going room to room.

They're going to start with those that have Alzheimer's and dementia, because it's very difficult for them to follow the protocol, the masks, the social distancing, the washing of the hands, and they will go on to everyone. The mood I am told inside this facility is excitement.

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DANIEL REINGOLD, PRESIDENT AND CEO, HEBREW HOME AT RIVERDALE: On this, the shortest and darkest day of the year, the sun is shining at the Hebrew home. Everybody downstairs just broke out into the most incredible applause and hooting and hollering.

KELLY DIXON, RECEIVED COVID-19 VACCINE: It was a blessing. But I can't describe it, because I didn't feel anything. I really didn't. I didn't even know the guy had injected me. I haven't seen my grandkids in ten months and I haven't seen my girlfriend in ten months.

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CASAREZ: Now, Hebrew home went through some very difficult times this year. 54 residents passed away in this facility because of COVID related illnesses. They also had many at the hospital that did not make it but here's what's interesting.

This facility is so large, as I said 32 acres, those that were coming back from the hospital, they had a separate building on the campus that they formed into their own COVID facility, so the COVID residential members coming from the hospital went to that building, not this building, and therefore that saved many, many people from dying.

BOLDUAN: Jean, thank you for the update, really appreciate it. So coming up very soon, President-Elect Joe Biden and future First Lady Jill Biden, they will be receiving their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine as well. So let's go there, and find out how this is all going to play out today, and how important this really is. Jessica Dean is standing by in Wilmington, Delaware. Jessica, what are you hearing?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Kate, as you said, we do know that the president-elect and his wife Jill Biden will be getting that first dose of the Pfizer vaccine here in Delaware later today. That's about all of the specifics we know in terms of timing. We're still waiting for an exact time but we know it will be later today.

We also know as Biden has said time and time again this will be done publicly, it will be done for everyone to see. Of course Biden wanting to inspire confidence to all Americans that this is a safe and effective vaccine and he is encouraging as many people as possible to get it. It's also, of course, important to know he is 78 years old, so he is in that age group that is at higher risk for complications from COVID.

So yet another reason it's important for him to get this vaccine as well. We also know that Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff will be getting the vaccine next week. The transition says they're intentionally staggering when they'll get that vaccine. They simply said that is on the advice of their health experts and really didn't elaborate beyond that.

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DEAN: But it could be, Kate, in case anybody gets any side effects, they're not dealing with that at the same time. But again today here in Delaware we are expecting to see the president-elect getting that vaccine. Kate?

BOLDUAN: We're going to stand by to see that Jessica. Thank you. So we also see every day more and more examples of how needed the vaccine is? States across the country are facing breaking points within their hospital systems. Hospitals in Los Angeles there at a critical point some reportedly forced to now begin outlining plans to have to ration care for patients because of what they're facing.

California's Governor is also now in ten-day quarantine as a member of his staff tested positive for COVID-19. The Governor of Tennessee is also in quarantine now as his wife tested positive for COVID-19 and Tennessee is facing the highest infection rate per capita in the country right now.

More than 16,000 new cases added just yesterday. The highest single day count in the state yet. We should know that the number includes both cases from Saturday and Sunday, which is why the Governor has just issued a startling warning that the state cannot survive another holiday surge.

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GOV. BILL LEE, (R) TENNESSEE: It only took a matter of days to see gatherings around Thanksgiving translate into a record level of sickness. Tennessee cannot sustain similar surge after Christmas and New Years, so tonight I'm asking you to make some hard decisions.

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BOLDUAN: Joining me right now is, Dr. William Schaffner, he is a Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Doctor, can we just start in your state? The infection rate there is now three times where the state was around Halloween that's what the Governor just said. The governor announced that you cannot sustain another holiday surge. What's happening right now in the state?

DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, PROFESSOR, DIV OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: Well, the governor is certainly right about that. Our data indicate that the virus is out there, the COVID virus, spreading in all communities, even out to our rural counties and there are many people in our state who are not taking the advice, they're not wearing masks, they're still gathering in groups, they're not social distancing.

These are hard times and I'm afraid they're going to get harder because our hospital facilities are right at their capacity now.

BOLDUAN: You know, as I was reporting in Los Angeles they now have to outline plans to ration care. Can you help folks understand how serious that is and what that means?

DR. SCHAFFNER: Oh, that's very, very serious. In circumstances like that, you have to stop doing elective surgery. What surgery is really elective? It's important to the very patient who is going to receive it. In other words, it's not emergent. We'll be putting more patients than one in a single room. We will be opening up new beds.

Actually, we have been doing those things already. The physical facilities are one thing, but where do you get the personnel to care for the patients who are trained that's the even larger challenge. It could get very tough out there.

BOLDUAN: And it is noteworthy, still while what is being advised and suggested, there's no statewide order for face coverings in Tennessee, just getting back to your state. I know you have been an advocate, and have shown me that mask so many times Dr. Schaffner from the very beginning, but still not in Tennessee as it an statewide order.

I want to ask you about what we are learning about this variant of the Coronavirus that's showing up in the United Kingdom. You have countries now cutting off the UK, the Prime Minister there is putting in emergency measures.

Would you suggest we haven't seen anything from the Trump Administration, if the Trump Administration will be pausing travel from the United Kingdom into the United States, was that what you would suggest?

DR. SCHAFFNER: Well, what I would suggest is that, it's all the more reason for all of us to wear our masks, do our social distancing, and rethink what we are going to do over the holidays, New Years, Christmas, all the other holidays that occur at this time. We really need to be very, very careful. This new strain is highly contagious as reported. It doesn't make you sicker, but it spreads very, very readily.

Fortunately, the vaccine we think will continue to work. So until we can get the vaccine out there, we have to do our social distancing, mask wearing that's what we can do right now. Cost us very little. Inconvenient? Yes but important, vital.

BOLDUAN: Dr. Schaffner, do you just assume as Operation Warp Speed has said that this variant was identified in September. Do you assume, would you say that it was more likely than not that variant is already here in the United States?

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DR. SCHAFFNER: I wouldn't be surprised at all, you know, although there's been diminished travel, it's not as though there hasn't been any travel and this virus is so contagious and can travel with you without symptoms. It doesn't need that passport. So as we discovered early on coming in from Europe, coming in from China, its likely here already.

BOLDUAN: Dr. Schaffner, thank you very much.

DR. SCHAFFNER: My pleasure.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, the House of Representatives is set to vote very soon on the desperately needed Coronavirus relief package. What is in the bill, what is not, and when will Americans actually start seeing the relief that they are now promised?

Coming up later, an attorney who was been pushing conspiracy theories about the election spotted at the White House. Last night a new report on what is going on behind the scenes there, and why it is concerning even the closest to the president?

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BOLDUAN: All right. We have some breaking news coming in. The Houston area is set to receive the second Coronavirus vaccine today, Moderna, the first boxes of Moderna shipments due to arrive really as we speak. CNN's Miguel Marquez is there. Miguel, what am I looking at?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you are looking at, as boring as this is you are looking at a box of the Moderna vaccine. We are at United Memorial Medical Center. They did not get any of the Pfizer vaccine.

They have been treating COVID patients at this location for months now. What are we running on? Eight months where Dr. Joseph Varon, you've been nice enough to let us see you open this box of Moderna vaccine. This is your 277th day of work and this is light, what does this represent to you as you're opening this?

DR. JOSEPH VARON, CHIEF OF STAFF AT UNITED MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER IN HOUSTON: This is light at the end of the tunnel. To be honest, it's hopefully - this is the beginning of number one, making sure that the people that work here don't get sick any more, and number two, the start of the end of this pandemic.

MARQUEZ: All right. Let's see what that looks like. They're going to start injecting this into arms into health care professionals here at UMMC this afternoon. It will be people who work in the COVID unit first and then it will be individual who work at the ER, the emergency department. And they have, he believes they have 300 doses of this. So I'm just going to - let us watch this as this as it is covered in dry ice to keep it cold.

DR. VARON: The whole thing is this. All this excitement for this tiny little box.

MARQUEZ: And in time for Christmas.

DR. VARON: In time for Christmas we have a thermometer of - I show you what the temperature is, so we have no issues. We have two boxes of multi dosing vaccine.

MARQUEZ: That's 300 doses there.

DR. VARON: That is correct.

MARQUEZ: And so, that's enough for 150 of your employees.

DR. VARON: Correct.

MARQUEZ: How many employees are ready to have that put in their arms?

DR. VARON: Today, we're probably going to go all of them. We have a lot of employees that do want it, but I also have a fair number of employees that do not want it yet.

MARQUEZ: They want to wait.

DR. VARON: They want to wait, and they're concerned that, let's see what happens. What's going on with side effects? Remember, nobody has used the Moderna vaccine as far as distribution out there. We're going to be the first one.

MARQUEZ: You did not get any other Pfizer vaccine a week ago. How much relief is it to have that in your hands right now?

DR. VARON: Oh my Gosh! It's like having gold, I'm serious. This is more than having any amount of money in your hands.

MARQUEZ: And so, ten vials in there, I take it or so? And there is - in each vial you can get ten different--

DR. VARON: --ten doses of piece.

MARQUEZ: All right. Well, we'll let you store that until you get way to put it in the arms. Thank you very much. He is handing it out to the pharmacist. And then this afternoon they will start injecting that and that's all. We're sure that's all in the box.

DR. VARON: Trust me, there's nothing else.

MARQUEZ: Yes, that's it.

DR. VARON: You're--

MARQUEZ: Dry ice, that's it. So as pedestrian as this scene is, it is almost emotional to be here to see him open this up. As we were here in June, we saw what they were doing within June; we were here yesterday as well.

And we'll have a story for you later tomorrow probably on what they're dealing with here now. It's not gotten better. And Dr. Varon as we were speaking yesterday, they expect the worst days are still to come. Back to you.

BOLDUAN: Well, first perspective, I think it's important, Miguel, and you can ask Dr. Varon, Dr. Varon has become so well known throughout this pandemic for his compassion and his - really his heartbreaking accounts of what front line healthcare workers have been up against.

And I know he feels like it's like having gold in his hands. But I don't know if you could be so kind to just ask him kind of what he is feeling in this moment because he has been working so hard for so long for some kind of light at the end of the tunnel.

MARQUEZ: So given that this is hopefully the light at the end of the tunnel, given that you worked for 277 days, given that your employees, you have very few that have gotten COVID, but they get dressed in several layers of PPE every single day for the last nine months. You've seen more than your fair share of sickness and of death.

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MARQUEZ: What's your emotion, what's the overriding emotion?

DR. VARON: I don't cry, but I am very close to it. This is like carrying a baby. I was carrying this like if I was carrying a baby. So careful, because I was - if you drop it, oh, my Gosh! You know how many lives you can save with this? Not only the lives that you are giving it to but the prevention of that virus to being spread to someone else, it's exponential.

MARQUEZ: The cases across Texas, not so much in Harris County, but certainly across Texas are much higher than they were in June. There's a line, a very long line of people waiting to get tests outside this facility where we are standing right now. This has arrived in about a year. How soon, how tough are the next weeks going to be until enough people get this in their bodies?

DR. VARON: Well, first of all, you need to understand that this is not going to work immediately. We are going to give you the vaccine, then we're going to revaccinate you depending on the vaccine, but you get other in three or four weeks and then you're going to start having some immunity. So we're really talking about six to eight weeks before the vaccine has any effect on you.

So the next six to eight weeks as we discussed before, I continue to think that they are going to be the darkest weeks in modern American medical history, because people are not listening. Over the weekend, one million people traveled on planes. What's wrong?

MARQUEZ: This has arrived at Christmas, which is a lovely gift. It's also arrived at Christmas when people will be getting together, getting on planes, having those family. How concerned? You are seeing a bit of a Thanksgiving spike right now but how concerned are you for the days and weeks ahead?

DR. VARON: Very concerned. Very, very concerned. And our team has foreseen this. We have already opened up additional beds, because we know we're going to get in trouble. My primary concern is that people are going to think that getting the vaccine is like an immediate immunity. Therefore, I can go see grandma, therefore I can go and do things and that's not the case.

MARQUEZ: It also gives the public a sense that it's over, it's done, and they let their guard down even more I take it than they already have.

DR. VARON: That is correct. We've talked yesterday about the COVID fatigue syndrome. People hate COVID; they don't want to hear any more about COVID. Now you tell them I have a vaccine for you, everybody is happy, nothing is going to happen.

Well, things are going to happen and for the next several weeks and until more than 60 percent of the American population is vaccinated, we're still at risk of losing a lot of American lives.

MARQUEZ: Another step, another small step but a pretty darn big one at the same time of bringing this pandemic to an end. Doctor, thank you very much.

DR. VARON: Thank you.

MARQUEZ: Back to you guys.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, Miguel. Really appreciate it. Today, let's turn back to Washington, where there's another aspect of the Coronavirus pandemic that we're seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. Congress is acting today.

The House is expected to vote on a COVID relief bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced last night that congressional leaders had agreed to a $900 billion package but is anyone viewing this one as a success right now?

CNN's Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill, he's back with us. Manu, what are you hearing about this? When are votes actually going to happen?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We don't know yet because the bill text has not been released yet, even though they announced yesterday evening that they had a deal, but they're so furiously drafting this legislative language. And this is going to be one of the biggest rescue packages in American history, along with this $900 billion along with $1.4 trillion in federal spending to keep the government open through September.

And we have not seen the bill text or details on either proposal, even though congress is going to vote on this sometime today. Members will now have a chance essentially to read any of this or any much of this and this will likely become law. So we generally have a sense of what the outlines are of the relief package, and it includes a number of things that help different sectors of the economy and struggling workers.

Now this all would include $300 in unemployment benefits that would kick in starting late December, December 27th. People are seeing those dry up in just a matter of days. Those would be extended also, more than $280 billion and in loans for small businesses, more than $80 billion for schools and colleges.

$25 billion for rental assistance, and so much money for vaccine, $20 billion for the purchase of vaccines $8 billion for vaccine distribution, money for increase in food stamps and child nutrition efforts money that goes to the farm sector for live music venues and the like.

A lot of different sectors will be aided by this proposal. But it's uncertain exactly when people will see that relief, because it is going to take some time to get kicked into the system here. We do expect that eventually when this bill eventually is released, the House will schedule votes this afternoon.

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RAJU: Then the Senate will have votes sometime presumably tonight we expect probably votes in both chambers sometime tonight I should say. Then we'll have to see if it gets to the president's desk within days, it's going to take some time for all the paperwork to come together. So Kate, people will have to wait for a little bit longer to get that relief.

BOLDUAN: And I know first thing they need to actually approve this darn thing, and then the president needs to sign it. But that is a question, for millions of Americans; they have given you guidance on when people could actually start seeing some of this relief?

RAJU: Well, on the direct payments is going to take maybe a couple of weeks once this goes into law, once the president actually signs this. But then more and more people will start to get it, not everybody will get those direct payments within two weeks, sometimes it may take several weeks longer, depending on some person's situation.

Those jobless benefits as I mention likely towards the end of the month, people are starting to be able to get those enhanced $300 a week in jobless benefits. But - to be seen how quickly they can get those small business loans and the other. So it will take a little bit of time, it takes a lot of time to spend $900 billion. It's a lot of money the second largest rescue package in American history. It will take time to implement to Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, good to see you Manu, thank you for the update.

RAJU: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: So this relief bill comes as millions of Americans are suffering and struggling to make ends meet and quite frankly to keep putting food on the table. And recent indicators show that it is just getting worse and worse as this has played out. There are some new great reporting coming in from CNN's Tammy Lubi (ph) to offer some really important perspective for all of us as we watch the months tick by with the Coronavirus. The poverty rate in this country jump to 11.7 percent in November from

9.3 percent in June that means nearly 8 million more Americans are now living in Poverty. More than 27 million American adults live in households where there was sometimes or often not enough to eat think about that. About 13 percent of this country lives in a household that is going hungry right now.

And the financial strain from this pandemic on everyday necessary items is astronomical. More than 85 million adults say they live in a household where it has been somewhat or very difficult to pay for the usual - pay their usual household expenses. That is more than 35 percent of American adults.

That's about the adults of course, right? Think about then the impact on the entire family and the children in all of this. People deserve better that's an important perspective right now. Still ahead for us this hour, yelling in the Oval Office and an attorney pushing conspiracy theories seen at the White House twice in the last few days. What all of this says about the president's next move?

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