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First U.S. Case of U.K. Variant Confirmed in Colorado, Second Case Suspected; U.K. Approves Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine; Millions Could Miss Unemployment Checks after Brief Funding Lapse. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired December 30, 2020 - 10:00   ET

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

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[10:00:00]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Bianna Golodryga in for Poppy and Jim.

As fast-spreading virus, a slow-moving vaccine rollout. The goal, 20 million Americans vaccinated by tomorrow. The reality, the U.S. is far, far below that. President Trump seems to be blaming the states and President-elect Biden says he will step up the pace when he's in office.

And these can't come soon enough. The U.K. approving the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine just as Colorado was reporting suspected second case of the more contagious U.K. coronavirus variant.

Let's begin with CNN's Stephanie Elam in Colorado. So, Stephanie, what more are you learning about this new variant?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what's interesting and, I mean, I think most of us expected that at some point we were going to see this new variant on U.S. soil, Bianna. What's worth noting is where we are. We are in Simla, Colorado, which is outside of Denver, outside of Colorado Springs. It's a very rural county here, Elbert County, where we are.

And what we do know is that the one confirmed case is a 28-year-old male and then we know that this suspected case is another male and they traced back to this location here. They were working at a skilled nursing facility in non-clinical roles. They were both here because there had just been a recent COVID-19 outbreak here at the facility, so they were pitching in, helping out working here in this facility, and that's where they contracted the virus.

What we do know at this point is that neither of them are in this county and that they're isolating elsewhere. And we also know that the county said that the state has sent in officials to come and do rapid testing of the about 25 residents that do live here. But, obviously, there are a lot of questions right now. The county health department saying that they do not believe that that has spread further into the community, but, obviously, there's a very large concern.

And, of course, the one very large question here, as you look at how this virus is spreading is two things. We understand that this virus is very, very contagious, more contagious than the variant that we had already known about and how did it end up here in rural Colorado. That leads us to believe that it's probably already spreading.

And I talked to one E.R. doctor in Los Angeles last night before I came here. And he did say that there is a lot of concern and some speculation that perhaps the reason why we're seeing the virus spread still quickly in the states is because of the fact that this variant is here and we're just not testing for it enough. And so that is part of the concern here as we look to this first documented case of this variant here in the United States, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. One has to assume there likely community spread given that these two individuals did not travel, right, no travel history. So it means that it's likely already here in the community. Stephanie Elam, thank you.

Well, in a little under two hours, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense will hold a briefing with Operation Warp Speed officials about the COVID-19 distribution. Now, this comes as the rollout is seriously behind schedule.

CNN's National Correspondent Kristen Holmes has more details for us. Kristen, good morning to you.

So, just how far behind are they and what can expect to hear at this briefing?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you look at the CDC numbers, they are incredibly behind. Remember, they were trying to get to 20 million doses, vaccines in arms by the end of the year tomorrow. And the CDC website says right now they are at 2.1 million doses actually administered. They say it's just over 11 million doses that have been shipped out, but, again, just 2.1 that have been administered.

Now, we are expecting to see some sort of update in those numbers today. We're told that every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, this dashboard will be updated but no word on timing for that.

Now, I asked a senior administration official what this briefing would be about, he was very vague. They said that is the weekly press schedule, they're going to talk about distribution, they're going to talk about the science behind the vaccines, but it's clear that this is going to be a huge topic. Why exactly -- why is this so slow? Why is this rollout not where they thought it would be?

I also asked if we would see those numbers in this briefing, and I didn't get an answer on that. But that's really the big question here is, what is the holdup?

Now, senior administration officials are all watching these numbers just as closely as we are. They have been telling me over and over again that they expected it, they expected it to be lower, that they don't believe this is actually the realistic number. They believe that this is because of a lag in reporting, because the states and territories and jurisdictions have to report back to one organization, then they have to report back to the CDC that it was going to take some time.

[10:05:00]

But now we're getting to that next round. So, obviously, all of our eyes are on this to see whether or not we are going to see that big uptick here that these administration officials are hoping for. So, those are things that are on our mind.

Now, the other questions we have to ask are where exactly are we in this supply chain? We know that the administration has utilized the Defense Production Act to help these companies get access to these critical materials, but how much are they helping right now? Where is that production?

Remember, at the end of the day, we're going to need about 330 million doses of the vaccine, and we are nowhere near that right now.

GOLODRYGA: And even if you factor in the lagging in reporting, there's no way they're lagging in 18 million vaccines. So we are clearly still far behind. Kristen Holmes, I know you will be monitoring that press conference today for us. Thank you so much.

Well, this morning, no signs on Capitol Hill that a standalone bill increasing stimulus payments to $2,000 will get a vote on the Senate floor. Let's get right to CNN Congressional Reporter Lauren Fox.

Lauren, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell not only blocked a bill that would quickly get larger payments to struggling Americans but he introduced a bill tying unrelated demands by President Trump delaying and dealing perhaps with a vote right now that he doesn't want to have.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, that's exactly right, Bianna. And for Americans who are watching this morning hoping to get those $2,000 stimulus checks, right now, it doesn't look like there's going to be any action in the U.S. Senate on its standalone bill to deliver that money to Americans.

Now, we do know that those $600 checks that were already part of the original bill that the president signed just a few days ago, those checks are starting to be deposited in Americans' bank accounts. But as far as getting more money to these individuals, that doesn't look like it's going to happen any time soon.

Like you said, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has essentially created an option where if needs to bring something to the floor -- and it's not clear like he feels he needs to do that at this point -- he does have an option on the table. Essentially, the bill that he filed yesterday put on the calendar would tie together a repeal of Section 230, that, of course, dealing with liability and protections for companies that handle social media and what is posted on their websites. He combined that with the $2,000 checks and a bill that would create a voting fraud commission, something the Democrats are opposed to.

Now, this is a poison pill, Democrats are arguing, something that they're never going to vote for. So, Bianna, at this point it looks like they are stuck in terms of what comes next.

Meanwhile, there is a fight good running out the clock for the National Defense Authorization Act veto override bill. Essentially, this is the defense policy bill that McConnell needs to make sure it passes before the next Congress. Because of objections from Democrats over the issue of those stimulus checks, it's possible a final vote would be pushed until Saturday. Bianna?

GOLODRYGA: Yes, this session of Congress ends Sunday, coming down to the wire. Lauren Fox, thank you so much.

And joining me now is S.E. Cupp, CNN Political Commentator and Host of CNN's S.E. Unfiltered. S.E., I was looking forward to this segment, always great to having you on.

This refusal by Mitch McConnell to quickly move on a standalone bill for the $2,000 payment despite this push by President Trump for larger payments really does highlight the divisions between the president and his own party. And I want to read to you something out of this morning's Wall Street Journal, the editorial board writing, that this is yet another stinging, you know, blame on the president himself.

Here is what they said. Mr. Trump lost his re-election bid even as Republicans did better down ballot because more voters liked his policies than liked him. The president hewed to a larger conservative agenda as long as he needed to maintain GOP support. But now that he will soon leave Washington, he's throwing that over to punish Republicans and anyone else who refuses to indulge his fantasies about overturning the election.

So, is this always what it comes down to? Is this a president hell- bent on blowing up even his own party leadership so they aren't supporting this crazy attempt to overturn Biden's win?

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, it's somewhat poetic to watch. If you're a Republican in the GOP, you think, gosh, I carried Trump's water for four years and all I got was this lousy veto.

What you're watching though is this is disillusion of a relationship that's been very co-dependent the past four years. In fact, there's been little daylight between the Republicans in the legislative branch and the Republicans in the executive office.

And they're both kind of realizing they don't need each other as much anymore. Republicans not named Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue are kind of looking ahead to the Biden administration and maybe thinking about rediscovering their interests, their principled opposition to raising the debt and deficit and that's what sort of their stance is.

[10:10:06] And Trump is looking ahead to whatever comes next for him.

And let's be very clear, his move to get more money into the hands of Americans is not really about Americans or compassion, it's about self-interest. And his interest right now is in going off into the hinterlands and carrying enough Trump supporters with him to tilt at windmills and slay imaginary dragons and line his pockets in the process, so very different interests for the Trump -- for the Republicans and the GOP and Trump right now.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And he, physically, right now, we know, is playing golf again after tweeting that the governor of Georgia should resign for not supporting his crazy idea that he actually won this election somehow.

When you talk about how much Senators Perdue and Loeffler need this president, how worried are they about the outcome come next week give anticipate that you never know what's going to come out of this president's mouth and what they may have to embrace?

CUPP: Very true, and what they have already have to embrace. I mean, it's -- you can make lots of good arguments for why you need the stimulus relief checks to be bigger but it's very weird and sort of anachronistic to hear it coming from two southern Republicans asking for more government spending. That's an odd thing.

But that just shows you how dependent those two in particular still are on this president. They're tying their fates to whatever he says. And Kelly Loeffler, in particular, has been very honest about that. She said, I'll vote for whatever he wants. I'll vote for whatever he decides. And so they clearly know or believe that defending him sort of to the end is the way they get re-elected.

GOLODRYGA: And we know 109 Republicans voted to override the president's veto for the NDAA but that leaves about 20 or 30 that voted alongside with the president, even though they initially supported signing it because it's something that's just done every year for the past six decades. What do you make of those Republicans, a handful at least, that continue to side with this president?

CUPP: Well, I think it's interesting, because the president's outgoing message, as it were, is really to remind his supporters that the GOP didn't get you until I came along. And the GOP will not get you when I'm gone. And so he is trying to stake out his territory and figure out who in Congress is going to go with him.

And I think there are people in Congress who recognize that he will have a significant amount of support even when he's off sort of the on the sidelines no longer in power. And they're thinking, okay, how much has the Republican Party permanently changed? And do I even have a future in Congress if it's not without Trump?

So there's a lot of -- and this was always how it was going to end, right, when the Republican Party tied themselves to Trump, who wasn't always a very conservative or principled person, they were going to have this identity crisis mess in the end. And I think that's what you're seeing play out. And it's going to be playing out, Bianna, for weeks, months, maybe even years in the Republican Party.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, he's not going anywhere. And it's very hard to figure out where you stand with such a mercurial person like President Trump.

S.E. Cupp, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

CUPP: Sure, happy holidays.

GOLODRYGA: You too.

And coming up, the United Kingdom green lights another coronavirus vaccine. Why health experts say the AstraZeneca shot could be a game- changer.

Plus, how does America's coronavirus vaccination program compare to other countries? CNN crunches the numbers and uncovers some disappointing data.

Then later, President Trump's decision to delay signing the coronavirus relief bill could have serious consequences for millions of Americans. We'll introduce you to a couple who is struggling to feed their four children.

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GOLODRYGA: The United Kingdom is now the first country to authorize the Oxford University-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. The first vaccinations are expected to take place in the coming days and the two doses will be given between 4 and 12 weeks apart. Experts say the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is cheaper and easier to distribute than the two vaccines already authorized for emergency use here in the United States.

Joining me to discuss is Dr. Jay Varkey, an infectious disease specialist and Associate Professor of Medicine at Atlanta's Emory University. Doctor, great to have you on.

So, the FDA has not yet set a date for its independent advisory to meet to consider an emergency use authorization for the Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine. How significant is the U.K. approval and could this be a game-changer for us later on?

DR. JAY VARKEY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE, EMORY UNIVERSITY: I think it's significant, Bianna, and I think it could represent a game- changer.

[10:20:01]

But I think that the process that the FDA has followed by allowing their career scientists to vet the data, to review these vaccines, to garner support and trust that these are safe and effective really is the way to go.

We have -- as you have reported, we have Pfizer vaccines, we have Moderna vaccines that have been rolled out that we are trying to rapidly administer and vaccinate into our populations. I would welcome backup plans and having another product to offer, and I do think that the AstraZeneca product will be easier to scale in countries that can't do the same kind of cold chain control, the maintenance of freezers and the cold temperatures. But I think we can wait and really kind of focus on letting our scientists vet the data and make sure we're using the product we have.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, that's such an important point to make because we're not going to eradicate this disease until the vaccines are global, right? And if you have a vaccine that can be distributed more easily and readily and at a cheaper price, that's beneficial for a lot of countries that can't afford these other vaccines.

But in terms of the U.S. alone, new CNN analysis of the most recent government data shows that the U.S. is lacking behind some countries when it comes to coronavirus vaccinations. The vaccine rate in the U.S., Doctor, significantly lower than the daily vaccine rates for Israel, for Bahrain, for the U.K. Why is that and how concerning is it?

VARKEY: It's concerning, it's frustrating. My take on it is that mass vaccination is hard. It requires a sustained investment in public health infrastructure, specifically the CDC and local, state and county health departments, which are really bearing the brunt of a lot of the COVID response and is now being tasked with doing this process.

I think the down payment just passed by Congress will help but it must be sustained. At Emory Health Care, where I work, we have been lucky that, as a result of hard work and planning, we've managed to vaccinate over 10,000 of our health care workers in just the last two weeks. But, nationwide, there's nowhere we're going to hit that 20 million mark that was proposed a few weeks ago.

I am glad that we at least articulated a vision to try to vaccine 100 million Americans during the first 100 days of the administration, but we can't wait right now just given the fact that -- of how cases are surging, especially in our hospitals.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And I know that you were vaccinated as well, you documented that. But it is true, I mean, thank goodness for science, these vaccines are here. But it is frustrating that we still don't have adequate testing and here we are in a position where we don't have adequate vaccinations and the vaccine is only as good as a vaccination.

In terms of what the incoming administration can do to help speed things up, is it enacting the Defense Production Act? What can be done and is it realistic to set a goal 100 million vaccines in a 100 days' time?

VARKEY: I think, from my perspective, as somebody who has been working in the hospital for the last nine months, this is an all- hands-on-deck situation. I mean, our hospitals are full. It's not just California. It's really across every hospital across the country. And when that happens, as a doctor in medical school, you're trained to first do no harm.

I think a lot of us, nurses and doctors, feel like we're doing less harm, which is not a very great way to practice in the hospital. This is certainly not the most wonderful time of the year to be working in a hospital. So I welcome all input in terms of anything that will actually help decrease hospitalizations.

And, ultimately, this then comes down to the general public, including those that are ages 20, 30, 40, who might have this perception that somehow they're not at risk. We have to have them buy into this process of wearing a mask, watching their distance and avoiding gathering indoors with people outside of their household.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. We just had a 41-year-old congressman-elect with no preexisting conditions, underlying conditions at all, just died after documenting that he had tested positive, leaving behind a young family. It's tragic and it's a reminder that this can impact any Americans.

And I want to end by thanking you and all of your colleagues and all medical workers across the country who have been dealing with this for nearly a year now, not one, not two, but three surges. Thank you so much for everything that you've been doing. We appreciate it. Happy holidays to you.

VARKEY: Same to you.

GOLODRYGA: And up next, a possible setback for millions of struggling families. What happens if their unemployment checks are delayed.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I get so emotional because I'm overwhelmed, and I'm like I don't know how to live anymore.

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GOLODRYGA: Millions of unemployed Americans could miss their unemployment checks for weeks after the president allowed funding to lapse over the weekend. The president ultimately signed the bill and those checks will resume soon.

But for more than 8 million Americans who have slipped into poverty since June, soon is not enough. Just look at these lines at a food bank event in Texas this morning, hundreds of cars lined up bumper to bumper, people trying desperately to just feed their children.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich spoke to one couple desperate for help themselves, and she joins me now.

Vanessa, you've met families, so many of them, that just one to get food on the table for their children. [10:30:05]

It is so sad. Talk about who you've met.