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Kirkland's Life Care Center Receives COVID-19 Vaccine; Nashville Investigation Likely to Take Months; Live Coverage as Kamala Harris Receives COVID-19 Vaccine. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired December 29, 2020 - 10:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:08]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: It's been 10 months since the coronavirus swept through a nursing home near Seattle, turning it into the original epicenter for COVID-19 in the United States. Well, now the facility is getting the best weapon available to battle the virus: the vaccine.

CNN's Sara Sidner is in Kirkland, Washington this morning. And, Sara, you went back to Life Care Center to speak with health care workers there. What are they telling you?

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There has been so much sorrow here, Bianna, and it was finally a moment where people could relax and have hope, not just for themselves but their patients also got vaccinated.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALICE CORTEZ, NURSING MANAGER, LIFE CARE CENTER OF KIRKLAND: That feels good.

(LAUGHTER)

SIDNER (voice-over): These were some of the very first people in the United States to go to war with a new virus without weapons to fight it. Ten months into the pandemic, they are finally getting the most powerful weapon available: a vaccine.

SIDNER: What is this day like for you?

CORTEZ: What I feel right now is a new life, a new beginning but a better life.

SIDNER (voice-over): This was the first epicenter of America's deadly coronavirus outbreak.

SIDNER: What was your most difficult day?

CHELSEY EARNEST, NURSING DIRECTOR, LIFE CARE CENTER OF KIRKLAND: March 4th.

SIDNER (voice-over): Registered nurse Chelsey Earnest cannot get the memory of what happened that day out of her head.

EARNEST: That was the night there was, like, five ambulances in the parking lot.

SIDNER (voice-over): Patients were dying or needed to be hospitalized. Ultimately, 39 patients died, 10 died at the facility.

SIDNER: Whose job was it to call the family members?

EARNEST: There were many that I had to call, either (ph) say they were going out to hospital, or that they didn't make it.

SIDNER (voice-over): The trauma of those days in March and the family members' cries haunts them all. That same month, several members of the staff spoke to CNN. Life Care Center said, in the first few days, they begged government agencies for help and received little.

SIDNER: Do you get what you need when you needed it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no.

SIDNER (voice-over): Testing took days to get results then. Now, they have a rapid test that takes minutes. Initially, the staff was blamed for not controlling the COVID outbreak by just about everyone.

EARNEST: I got threats.

SIDNER: What kind of threats?

EARNEST: All kinds of death threats. We ended up getting security.

SIDNER (voice-over): And soon, threats of a loss in funding and a fine of $611,000 unless the facility resolved problems found by inspectors. Federal inspectors said Life Care failed to rapidly identify and manage all residents, putting them in immediate jeopardy. State inspectors reported similar findings. Life Care Center appealed.

NANCY BUTNER, VICE PRESIDENT, LIFE CARE NORTHWEST DIVISION: We knew what we had done was the best we could have done.

SIDNER (voice-over): In September, a state administrative judge largely agreed, saying the state provided relatively little evidence that the facility actually failed to meet any expected standard of care or failed to follow public health guidelines. The federal case is still pending.

Ten months after the initial chaos of the outbreak, the closest we could get was a look from the outside-in, in-person visits are still forbidden.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why don't you guys cover his legs up?

SIDNER (voice-over): The chairs outside patients' windows, used by families to communicate in March, are now a semi-permanent fixture here. This facility is COVID-free right now, but several of the nursing homes Nancy Butner oversees are not. BUTNER: There is not a day that goes by where I don't get a phone

call or a message that we have a new positive patient or staff.

SIDNER: Coronavirus is still killing patients?

BUTNER: Absolutely.

SIDNER: Still sickening staff?

BUTNER: Yes.

SIDNER (voice-over): Which is why this day is one of the most hopeful days they've had. But for this physician's assistant, the day was bittersweet.

CHRISTY CARAMICHAEL, PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT, LIFE CARE CENTER OF KIRKLAND: I have one resident who, last week, asked me if she can get the vaccination; I said, sure you can. Unfortunately she has passed away, so I did promise her that she would get it, so it's just sad that she didn't get to see this today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: It was a hard day for Christy Caramichael there because of an unfulfilled promise. But ultimately, a good day because she did get the first dose of a vaccine, like so many others here.

And I do want to mention that when these nurses and the doctor here finally realized what was going on, that they had coronavirus in their facility back in late February, they knew that other facilities would soon have to deal with what they were dealing with. And now, if you look at the numbers, they were correct. The CMS, which oversees all of the nursing homes in the United States, say about 86,000-plus residents of nursing homes have died from coronavirus since the initial outbreak -- Bianna.

[10:35:00]

GOLODRYGA: It is so tragic, Sara. And I vividly remember, as we saw those videos of you covering this back in March and speaking --

SIDNER: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: -- with those health care workers there, that were being threatened and so traumatized. And if anything, it is a relief to see them getting vaccines and at least some kind of closure to what has been a hellish year. Sara Sidner, thank you so much for bringing us this story.

SIDNER: Absolutely, sure.

GOLODRYGA: Well, still ahead, dramatic new video of the aftermath of the Nashville bombing as federal agents keep searching for clues and a motive.

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GOLODRYGA: You're looking at live pictures of the United Medical Center in Washington, D.C. In just moments, we expect Vice President- elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff to be arriving and receiving their first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. As soon as that takes place, we will bring you those images.

For now, I do want to turn to the tragedy that unfolded in Nashville. Police have released new bodycam video capturing the chaotic aftermath of the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville.

Investigators still don't have a motive for the 63-year-old bomber who died in the explosion, and the investigation will likely take months. New CNN exclusive footage of the explosion area shows the true extent of the damage. Investigators are sifting slowly through the debris on a once-busy street that's now left unrecognizable.

Let's go to CNN's Shimon Prokupecz live in Nashville this morning. Shimon, you were one of the first to bring us those images of that debris.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes, and it was really shocking to see just the extent of this devastation. You know, I watched FBI agents and ATF agents on their hands and knees, sifting through debris.

And you can see behind me here, you have more FBI agents that are coming in to -- this is the epicenter of the explosion, this is where the FBI agents and ATF agents have been coming in to head into the scene to review the evidence, to go over whatever is left, ultimately trying to figure out what chemicals were used, what explosive material was used to create this bomb. That is something they have not yet revealed, authorities have not revealed any of that information yet.

But looking around yesterday, one of the things that really stayed with me and struck me was the sound of the fire alarms. I mean, this happened on Friday, those fire alarms are still ringing and you can still hear them out here today.

And just seeing the devastation, the buildings completely blown apart, in some cases completely collapsed, there were cars that were melted, the paint off the cars were melted, some of them appeared to be turned around in some ways or shifted.

And then just watching the FBI agents and the ATF agents diligently work through the crime scene. And as they were done going through one part of it, they would then use a broom to sweep some of the debris out, and then they would start to work on another part.

But overall, you know, you're left -- it really does not look like an American city, a street in America, to look like this. This is something you would normally see in a warzone, which just shows you the sheer -- the size of this explosion and the power of this bomb that this man made. GOLODRYGA: Yes, it is incredible, Shimon. And to see how meticulously

all of those agents are sifting through the debris to find any evidence whatsoever. I know that agents there are hoping to speak and are speaking with the suspect's mother as well, trying to get a sense of what the motive could have been.

You have been fantastic on the story from day one, Shimon Prokupecz, thank you so much.

PROKUPECZ: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: And any moment now, as we mentioned, the vice president- elect and her husband will receive their first dose of a vaccine. It comes exactly one week after the president-elect received his first injection.

Let's bring in our team, Joe Johns and Elizabeth Cohen and Dr. William Schaffner are here. Joe, let's begin with you. This is a very significant moment for the black community in particular.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right. And one thing I think you have to say is this comes just about a week after Joe Biden got the vaccine himself. The whole idea of this is to reassure the public about the vaccine.

And Kamala Harris, of course, speaks to a very particular demographic here. It's important because there's this Pew study out that says just about four in 10 African-Americans say they're going to go ahead and get the vaccine, which means there's a lot of skepticism out there in the African-American community.

A huge problem, again, because, quite frankly, African-Americans are some of the people who are hardest hit by COVID-19. The hope is that Kamala Harris going ahead and getting this vaccine will essentially reassure people that it's OK to do so.

And also I want to point out there's a real continuum there, if you think about it, simply because the Trump administration including the vice president, other figures like the surgeon general who himself has been trying to get the black community on board, have already gotten their vaccines.

One last point, the surgeon general, Jerome Adams, has been really pushing hard on trying to reassure the African-American community in light of the years and years of concern about experimentation, like the Tuskegee syphilis study that went on for almost 40 years, that those times are gone, those times have changed and you need to get this vaccine for the safety of yourselves and your community. Back to you.

[10:45:21]

GOLODRYGA: And you also see how far Kamala Harris has gone herself too, because prior to the election, she had that interview with Dana Bash where she said she wouldn't trust a vaccine that came out from President Trump and his administration unless Dr. Fauci had signed off and approved of it as well.

Clearly that has happened, Dr. Fauci was vaccinated last week as well, President-elect Biden was vaccinated, now it's going to be a big step to see the vice president-elect vaccinated alongside with her husband.

We should also tell our viewers that the nurse who will be administering that vaccine is Patricia Cummings, she has been a nurse for 15 years there at that hospital and she is from Guyana, was born in Guyana and the daughter of two Guyanese immigrants to the United States, so a bit moment there just from an immigrant community perspective.

If we can get to Dr. Schaffner, I want to ask you, what's going to happen once administered? Because the vice president and the president have both received their first doses. What message does that send to the American people if you're going to have the president-elect and the vice president-elect both vaccinated with their first dose?

WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, CDC ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES: Well, Bianna, I think it's a wonderful modeling exercise. Not only will it protect them, but it will send the message out across the country, this is for everyone. We want everyone to take advantage of this very important, safe and effective preventative measure. That's absolutely wonderful, a national signal going out to all the diverse communities that we have in the United States, that this is a safe thing to do. When it's your turn, please line up, roll up your sleeve, get vaccinated.

GOLODRYGA: And, Elizabeth, this is the message that health experts -- Dr. Fauci included -- want out there. They want this spread throughout the country, throughout communities that may be skeptical, that this is a safe process and it really is the only way for us to get rid of this virus.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I want to speak for a minute, Bianna, to people who are hesitant about this vaccine, who are scared of this vaccine. You know, in some ways, it's understandable. It is a new thing, it has not been used for years and years, it's really only been used for days and days or for weeks and weeks at this point.

And when I talk to people who are hesitant, this is what I say to them. This was tested out in tens of thousands of people and there were no serious side effects. We now have, in this country alone, more than 2 million people who have gotten it and there also have been no serious side effects.

And I think that's so important to remember, that if you're feeling hesitant about this, if you're not sure about this, remember two things. One, you are not the first person to get this, there are now millions of people who have preceded you and we have not seen serious side effects.

The other thing to remember is, look, it is true that we have no long- term data on these vaccines, that is absolutely true. But think about -- if you can think of that as like a little tiny doubt, the huge advantage of getting this vaccine is that you are helping this country save lives. If you get vaccinated, you are helping this country save lives and you're helping our economy recover. That is so much more important than any little doubts that may be lingering in your mind.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, a reminder of why we're not talking about polio any more these days, right? Because that in fact --

COHEN: Exactly.

GOLODRYGA: -- was a successful vaccination process.

[10:48:54]

We are going to take a quick break now. And when we come back, we will bring you the live vaccinations of the vice president-elect Kamala Harris, and her husband. Keep it here, we'll be right back.

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GOLODRYGA: And we are back. As we await Vice President-elect Harris to receive her vaccine along with her husband, Doug Emhoff. They will be receiving the Moderna vaccine at the United Medical Center. You are seeing live images there and we will bring you that moment when they are both vaccinated.

I want to bring in my panel again, Joe Johns, Elizabeth Cohen and Dr. Schaffner. Joe Johns, going back to you, we have seen Vice President Pence, President-elect Biden vaccinated as well. When do we -- or do we expect to see President Trump vaccinated?

JOHNS: You know, that's a curious question and we've been asking it ourselves on the White House beat. It's clear that the president pushed this virus -- I mean, pushed this vaccine and tried to get it through with his program, but so far the president has not gotten the shot.

And the question is why. The original answer was, well, the president had gotten the monoclonal antibody treatment and he was going to wait. But apparently that time has passed, if you listen to the doctors. Still no sign that the president himself is going to get it.

And important also because the president, if you just look at his Twitter following, you know he has a huge base of support out there. And the things the president does, the things the president says matter to the people who support the president. So if he were to get the shot, it would probably go a long way to reduce any skepticism out there among his following about this vaccine as well.

So far, not clear that the president is going to get it, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And it would give him the opportunity to tout Operation Warp Speed as well, something that happened under his watch that has been a huge success. Elizabeth, we are far, far below the 20 million people the administration expected to be vaccinated by the end of the year, we're at about 2 million, a little bit more. How can this administration speed up this process and what do you make of these numbers?

COHEN: You know, it's interesting, I interviewed a senior official with Operation Warp Speed last month, and when he said, oh, guess what we're -- FedEx and UPS and trucks to get this vaccine out. And I said, well what about once it gets there? How about facilitating these clinics?

And I didn't really get a great answer on this, and I think that's that Operation Warp Speed didn't focus on this, they thought, we're going to give them the vaccine, and then it's up to them to make these clinics happen. That might not have been the best approach.

I think that hospitals need help, states need help, nursing homes need help. If I were them, I would ask the people who are on the ground, giving the vaccinations, all right, guys, what do you need to speed this up? It is one thing to get the doses out there, it is another thing to actually put them into arms.

[10:55:06]

GOLODRYGA: And, Dr. Schaffner, what would help expedite is obviously having more vaccines available on the market and having FDA approval. How long until we can expect to see that?

SCHAFFNER: Well, I would think we will see another vaccine or perhaps even two vaccines sometime this spring -- again, don't over-promise and then you won't be disappointed. But I think sometime this spring, and the more the merrier. The more vaccines we have approved, the more vaccines we can ship out and actually use.

You know, the acceptance of this vaccine depends on trust. People need the information that the vaccine is safe and effective, that goes to their head. But they also need comfort, they need reassurance and that goes to their heart.

And that's why this -- the vice president-elect getting vaccinated is so important, why Dr. Jerome Adams, the surgeon general, going out there and promoting the use of the vaccine is so important, and how it would be important also for our president to be vaccinated.

Because that will go to the hearts of people, they will be comforted, they will be reassured that this is actually a good thing. They know the data -- yes, it's safe and effective, so we've said. But if they could be reassured, that's the motivation that gets people to go into the line and get the vaccine when it's their turn.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, Elizabeth, that's why it was reassuring. You know, we were right and it was important to focus on those few cases where we had people have severe allergic reactions, none of them died, they were all OK and treated the spot. But those (ph) were just a few isolated cases. For the most part, everything has worked out well.

And you even had Dr. Fauci say, over the weekend, that he, other than having slight soreness at the spot of injection, that he was fine, had no side effects. He said it felt better than even getting a flu shot, a seasonal flu shot. That's also reassuring, to hear from people like Dr. Fauci.

COHEN: Right, that certainly is reassuring. And to get to those numbers that you were talking about, we've heard about six, just six -- I'm going to put fingers up so you can see, I've got some fingers left -- just six allergic reactions with more than 2 million shots.

Now, I don't want to belittle those reactions, I'm sure for those people it was unpleasant. But they were -- from everything we've heard -- easily treated. And form everything that we've heard, these are people who had -- many of these, not all of them -- had known allergies and carried EpiPens with them. That's important to remember, six allergic reactions out of, you know, more than 2 million shots.

I think what people need to think about is, you know, the benefits of getting this vaccine are personal. You will be, you know, 95 percent protected, how nice will that feel? You will also be protecting the people you love, and you'll also be protecting the entire community. That's a lot. And when you consider the six allergic reactions sort of on the other side of that scale, the advantages clearly outweigh any potential disadvantages.

GOLODRYGA: And here we see the vice president-elect, Kamala Harris, and her husband Doug Emhoff. It looks like Kamala will be going first -- no surprise. As we mentioned earlier, the nurse who will be administering the vaccine is Patricia Cummings. She has been working at that hospital, at the United Medical Center, for 15 years. She was born in Guyana, the daughter of two Guyanese immigrants, so she will be administering the vaccine to the vice president-elect.

And let's listen in, she will be receiving the Moderna vaccine.

PATRICIA CUMMINGS, NURSE, UNITED MEDICAL CENTER: Would it be OK if I administer it --

(CROSSTALK)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: Yes of course, of course. Thank you, I'm looking forward to it.

CUMMINGS: OK. So I will first sanitize your arm, and then I will administer the vaccine.

HARRIS: OK, got it.

How are you doing today?

CUMMINGS: I'm doing well --

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: You're kind of busy, huh?

CUMMINGS: Yes, ma'am.

HARRIS: It's good to be here at United Medical Center, you guys do such good work here. CUMMINGS: Thank you.

HARRIS: OK, let's do it.

CUMMINGS: All righty.

Ready?

HARRIS: Yes, I'm ready.

CUMMINGS: Thank you.

HARRIS: That was easy.

(LAUGHTER)

[11:00:00]

Thank you.