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U.S. Lags in Vaccinations; Michigan Doctor Delivers Vaccines; Trump and Biden Campaign in Georgia; Bomber's Girlfriend Warned Police in 2019. Aired 9:30-10a

Aired December 30, 2020 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Only 2.1 million have been vaccinated with the new year just days away.

CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins me now.

So, Elizabeth, it's pretty clear that the United States isn't where it should be at this point. What's going on?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, Bianna.

Federal officials made it sounds like by the end of the year, in other words, tomorrow, that there would be 20 million people vaccinated. That obviously is not going to happen.

And what we did at CNN is we took a look at how other countries are doing. And I want to show you some data. And this is data that we did that we took from other countries and did an analysis. So what we found is that when you look at shots per 100,000 people, the U.S. has done 46 per day. So that's 46 per day per 100,000 people. In Israel, they've done 608 shots per day per 100,000. Bahrain 263. U.K., 60. The U.S. is, obviously, doing worse than those three countries but is doing significantly better than Canada.

Now, the U.S. has come under fire for failing to deliver on this pledge that they seem to be making for 20 million and the Department of Health and Human Services tweet this out last night. They said, just the facts, we have now allocated 19.88 million first doses for delivery. They went on to say, getting us to the goal of having enough doses available by the end of the year for 20 million Americans.

So I want you to look at that word "available." What they seem to be saying here, and this is what they've been saying for months is, look, we're putting out enough doses to vaccinate 20 million Americans. We're putting out all these doses.

And what vaccination experts are telling me, people who have run clinics, who have worked on this for decades is there's a huge difference between having enough doses and getting them into people's arms. The logistics of getting the doses, one expert told me, that's actually the easy part. It's getting into arms, having those clinics, getting consent, organizing it, especially because the Pfizer vaccine is so very difficult to handle.

So what HHS seems to be saying is, look, we gave you the doses, now it's someone else's problem.

Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, it's not as if they're just sending the vaccines to people's homes and we're self-administering. I mean that's the problem.

COHEN: Right.

GOLODRYGA: And that's -- Dr. Offit (ph) even said earlier this hour that that's where the resources come in and that's why these states and commonwealths need the federal money to help with the vaccinations. Distribution isn't the only part of this problem here, it's actually getting the shots into the arms as well.

Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

COHEN: Thanks.

GOLODRYGA: Well, while major health care centers are getting shipments of vaccines, many rural facilities are forced to wait. And that's where Michigan Doctor Richard Bates steps in. He's packing up coolers filled with vaccines and hitting the road to deliver those shots to rural medical workers. That doctor joins us now.

Dr. Bates, thank you so much.

He's the regional vice president for medical affairs at MidMichigan Health.

Appreciate having you on this morning. You've been a very busy man these past few weeks. I know you transport the vaccine from a hospital in Midland to a hospital in Alpena, I believe that's how it's pronounced. It's three hours away, which is, what, 140 miles. I know you made the first trek nearly two weeks ago. How many trips have you made thus far?

DR. RICHARD BATES, REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT FOR MEDICAL AFFAIRS, MIDMICHIGAN HEALTH: Good morning. And it's Alpena.

GOLODRYGA: Alpena.

BATES: And I made -- no problem -- one additional trip a Sunday ago and I will make another trip this Sunday and actually two this coming week.

GOLODRYGA: It's so crucial to get these vaccines out to the rural parts of this country. We know we focus a lot on major metropolitan areas and what you're doing is really helping lives in rural areas throughout this country.

I know you're also an OB/GYN and you say that this journey is like delivering babies and handing them to their parents for the first time. Describe that feeling.

BATES: Well, I mean, taking care of somebody, a new pregnancy, their labor, just, it's very difficult and it's challenging and it's hard. And we've been working on our vaccine distribution for -- for weeks. And making that happen, seeing patients, seeing our staff receive the vaccine was just -- it was an unbelievable experience, much like delivering a new baby and handing that baby off to parents who've just spent months and sometimes years thinking and dreaming and placing their hopes in that baby. And to see our staff with tears and taking pictures of them getting their vaccine and sharing that with their families, it was -- it was quite special.

GOLODRYGA: Well, and it reminds us of what a miracle it has been thanks to science and all of these brilliant doctors and scientists who have come up with these vaccines in record time, right, and knowing all of the suffering that's transpired, especially for these frontline workers and those at hospitals who are most at risk.

[09:35:08]

What happens when the coronavirus vaccine arrives at these hospitals? What is the -- what is the reaction that you're seeing?

BATES: Well, you know, when we received our dosage, our shipment on Wednesday, just the excitement in the air. The staff waiting for it. The pharmacy staff who received -- who have been excellent here, getting it into the freezer and getting it prepared for shipment out to our multiple subsidiaries was extraordinary. And just the feelings in the room and the emotions were tangible. They were real. And that was -- that was just really something special to be a part of. And it continues to be, actually, as we -- we deliver this vaccine and provide the vaccinations.

GOLODRYGA: Have you yourself been vaccinated yet?

BATES: I have. I was privileged as part of our vaccination team. So the CDC does recommend that all the members of our vaccination team do receive the vaccination and I was one of the -- I'm on the vaccination team, so I did receive the vaccine.

GOLODRYGA: One of my favorite parts of reading your story, I believe, in "The Washington Post" was the description of you holding on to that cooler at a stoplight when you press on the brakes the way a parent holds on to a child when they instinctively put their arm out to make sure the child doesn't fall out of their seat even though they have a seat belt on. You do the same with that precious cooler. You've got precious cargo as well, Dr. Bates.

BATES: It sure is. You know, it was just a reflex. And all the time up to driving that cooler up that first day was pretty surreal. Just a lot of time for reflection and it was very special.

GOLODRYGA: Well, you're changing people's lives. I hope you know that. Thank you so much for what you're doing.

BATES: My pleasure. GOLODRYGA: Appreciate it.

BATES: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Happy holidays to you.

BATES: Thank you. Bye-bye.

GOLODRYGA: Bye-bye.

Well, as Congress debates whether to give more in stimulus checks, many Americans are desperately trying to feed their families.

CNN's Camila Bernal is live at a food bank in Texas, where the lines, unfortunately, continue to grow.

Good morning, Camila.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bianna.

This central Texas food bank is already telling us that they have about 400 families in line. You cannot see the end of the line. And this event has not even started. We'll talk about some of the stories and the need that's happening here and moving into 2021 coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:41:52]

GOLODRYGA: The president, Trump, and President-elect Biden are both hoping that they can tip the balance in the Georgia Senate runoffs. CNN has learned President-elect Biden will be in Georgia the day before next Tuesday's runoff campaigning for Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. President Trump will also be in the state on the same day stumping for Republicans.

CNN correspondent Ryan Nobles is in Atlanta this morning.

And, Ryan, this comes as the two incumbent Republican senators are now publicly backing President Trump's push to expand stimulus payments to $2,000.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Bianna. If we had any doubt up until today that these runoffs here in Georgia are so important to the future of the situation in Washington, D.C., this announcement this morning that President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be in the state as we close out this runoff.

This really truly illustrates the stakes. Both Biden and Harris understand that it is going to be important for them to have a Democratic majority in the United States Senate if they hope to enact any of this legislation and agenda that they have going forward.

Now, on the other side, Republicans also recognize the importance and President Trump has promised that he's going to come back the night before the runoff concludes on January 5th. There's just been so much attention paid to this race and it's also put the Republicans, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, in a bit of a hot seat because of President Trump's inconsistency on these big issues that are being dealt with in Washington, specifically this coronavirus relief package.

You know, Perdue and Loeffler championed the original package that had the $600 direct payment through the stimulus plan. They never talked about $2,000 until President Trump decided that was something he thought was important. It took both of them about a week to come around and agree that they, too, think the $2,000 paycheck is a good idea.

But what's important to point out here, Bianna, is how important the Senate majority is, right? It doesn't really matter that David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, both individually think the $2,000 payment is important if it's not something that Mitch McConnell is going to put on the Senate floor. So that's why these -- you know, it really illustrates the stakes here in Georgia.

Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And I love how they act as if like there's nothing to see here going on as the president not only does that and raises his demand from $600 to $2,000, but also continues to attack Georgia's Republican governor and secretary of state via Twitter.

Just this morning, moments ago, the president tweeting that the governor needs to step down, attacking Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state, by somehow saying that his brother is working for Huawei in China. But we should note that Raffensperger doesn't have a brother, that's somebody else with the same last name.

This is crazy. How is it going to impact these two senators?

NOBLES: I don't -- can't imagine that there is any Republican in the state of Georgia who thinks that it is a good idea as we close out this campaign for the president of the United States to suggest that the Republican governor of the state should resign from office.

[09:45:01]

It's just baffling that the president continues to pedal these conspiracy theories.

Also, we should also point out that just yesterday Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state, finally did conduct one of these signature match audits that the president had been clamoring for, for weeks in Cobb County, which was one of the big counties to deliver for Joe Biden. They found that there was a 99.9 percent accuracy within that signature match system. So just no evidence of fraud. Basically every single accusation the president has been made has been debunked by the Republicans in the state.

But this is the problem for David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. You have the president telling his supporters to vote in an election that he says is fundamentally flawed. It's a very difficult argument to make and one that Republicans are still being forced to deal with here in the closing days of this campaign.

GOLODRYGA: It is cuckoo-ville, if that's a technical term. I don't know, Ryan Nobles, but I can't wrap my head around this. It makes zero sense other than once again suggesting the president continues to focus just on himself.

Thank you so much.

Well, as millions of Americans watch Washington for movement on these stimulus checks, another crisis, demand at food banks is soaring as millions of families need help to put food on the table.

Moments from now, the Central Texas Food Bank will hold its 67th food distribution event since the pandemic began and the eighth one this month alone. Cars began lining up early this morning.

CNN national correspondent Camila Bernal is in Austin.

Camila, these cars continue to line up. I went to school in Austin. I lived there for five years. I've never seen traffic like this and it breaks your heart when you find out why they're lining up. They're hungry.

BERNAL: Yes, Bianna, they are. And this traffic is for food. They desperately need food to put on their tables. As you can see here behind me, it hasn't even started. And so there's about 70 volunteers who are already here. It's supposed to start in about ten minutes. And already more than 400 families have signed up. Those are the families that are already here. They expect to feed about 1,700 families today, but they said that if the need continues and more families come, they will go back to the warehouse, come back and help as many families as they need.

There is about 13 lanes of cars already. In every lane there's about 25 cars. And so you can see the demand and just the need in general. When the Central Texas Food Bank ran the numbers, they said that in November about 14 percent of the people coming here were all new. They did not do this before the pandemic. So it's easy to see how this pandemic is driving those numbers up and up and up. And it is just families. That is the thing to remember here, that every single one of these cars represents a family here in central Texas in need of food.

I spoke to Jill Fowler and she specifically said that her daughter lost her job, she herself got COVID and is now terrified to go to the supermarket. They're in need and scared. Take a listen to what she told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL FOWLER, AUSTIN RESIDENT: It's like a tumble weed that starts out small. It wasn't so bad at first, and it's just been picking up speed and picking up speed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: Now, she really says that before the pandemic they were not used to coming to these food banks, but the pandemic made things a lot worse for her. She says she has to look at her money and really decide how to spend it. She's not only getting food for herself, she's getting food for friends as well. She says this will help feed her daughter and her granddaughter. And she's looking forward to the stimulus check because she says that that also will help her family.

So, overall, so many stories like this one of families who are coming here to the food bank for the first time and who are also expecting to continue to come in 2021. That's what's difficult about all of this, that even though we're celebrating a new year, this is not over for the many families here behind me.

Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, there's not much to celebrate for so many millions of Americans. Luckily, those $600 checks are beginning to go out. Still a travesty, the richest country in the world has so many people who are food insecure.

Camila Bernal, thank you.

BERNAL: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, new clues this morning in the Nashville bombing investigation. We'll tell you what led authorities to the bomber's home last year.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:53:49]

GOLODRYGA: This morning we've learned the former girlfriend of the Nashville bomber warned police in August of 2019 that he was making bombs in his RV.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is in Nashville.

Shimon, this is a significant development. What more can you tell us?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it certainly is. And it only came to light because of the report from a local paper here, "The Tennessean," which reported this last night. And, remember, for days we've been asking the police if there was any contact, pervious information regarding this man. They basically said no and now we have this new information.

So basically about a year and a half or so ago, in August 2019, the police responded to her home after reports of suicidal threats. And they interviewed her. And during that interview she told police that Anthony Quinn Warner, her boyfriend at the time, was building bombs inside an RV.

The police followed up. They went to the home. They saw the RV, but they couldn't get access into the RV. His lawyer, Anthony Quinn Warner's lawyer, also told police that Warner was talking about military and bomb-making and that he knew what he was doing. [09:55:03]

But the police asked the lawyer, can we get inside the RV? We want to take a look. And the lawyer would not give them permission to do so. And so because the police saw no -- nothing criminal going on, they had no other information, there was not much more they could do. So they didn't really follow up after those visits at his home. And so that was it.

And we now learn all this, of course, after the Christmas Day bombing.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And one can only imagine if they had access to that RV, perhaps a court order or what have you to go look through it, things would have turned out quite differently.

Shimon Prokupecz, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Well, the U.S. now reporting its first confirmed case of the coronavirus variant originally found in the U.K. And officials suspect there may be a second case in the same area.

Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

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