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Florida's Vaccination Plan For Elderly Leads To Scramble; NYC Mayor Aims To Vaccinate One Million People In January; Georgia Voters To Decide Balance Of Power In Three Days; Trump Lashes Out After Pair Of New Defeats; U.S. Vaccination Effort Remains Woefully Behind Schedule; U.K. Emergency COVID-19 Field Hospitals Asked To Be Ready To Admit Patients. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired January 02, 2021 - 11:00   ET

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

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[11:00:33]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Happy New Year.

Well, it's barely one for so many across the country.

We begin this hour and this New Year with the pandemic surging to troubling new levels. 2020 ended with the deadliest month yet, only -- to continue, rather, into 2021 with a sobering warning from health experts saying the worst is yet to come.

The U.S. is now approaching 348,000 deaths due to COVID and has surpassed 20 million cases, more than 125,000 people are beginning this year in the hospital now.

Adding to the concern, that new variant of COVID-19 which experts say is transmitted much easier. First seen in the U.K., the strain has now been detected in California, Colorado and Florida.

Meanwhile, the vaccine rollout continues to lag. More than 12 million doses have been delivered to the United States, but fewer than three million vaccinations have actually been administered, far fewer than the initial goal of 20 million by the end of December in the U.S.

So we've got a team covering all of the angles: Polo Sandoval is in New York, Dianne Gallagher is in Florida for us.

So let's go now to Dianne Gallagher in Florida where that state's vaccination plan for seniors has led to long lines, a lot of chaos. Dianne, what is the situation?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. Let's call it confusion and congestion. That's kind of been the theme that we've seen with this vaccine rollout here in the state of Florida.

I'm in Lake County and I'm going to step out of the way so you can kind of see how the process is going here. They're doing drive-up vaccines and basically people get an appointment, they come here and they literally give them the shot sitting in their cars.

But things are happening a little different in Florida because the governor decided not to necessarily follow the CDC recommendations when it comes to who is getting the vaccine when.

Instead here in Florida, the next phase instead of being essential workers and Americans over the age of 75, it's all people in Florida over the age of 65. That's about 20 percent of the population here. This is why the governor said he chose to go this route.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): So let me just be very, very clear. Our vaccines are going to be targeted for our elderly population. We've been going through over the last week to do those tip of the sphere health care workers, as well as our long-term care residents and staff.

As we get into the general community, the vaccines are going to be targeted where the risk is the greatest, and that is in our elderly population. we are not going to put young healthy workers ahead of our elderly vulnerable population.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: And there's no shortage of people over the age of 65 who want to get this vaccine. The problem is there's been a disjointed rollout within the state.

County by county they're doing things differently. Some of them where we saw long lines and older people waiting overnight, literally camping out to get a COVID vaccine. Well, they were first come, first serve.

Other counties decided to use appointments, but their Websites crashed, their phone lines didn't work. And so there was confusion and then there was chaos.

Even here this morning it was appointment only, but two days ago they said that it was going to be first come, first serve. So a lot of people showed up, waited and got turned away like this woman we spoke to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA HEDDEN, FLORIDA RESIDENT: The first thing is to make it darn clear, you know. Don't have the right hand doing something the left hand doesn't know what they're doing because that's causing a lot of confusion.

We're all here in the same boat, we're all anxious about this COVID and it just needs to be -- if the officials have to get together, whatever, everybody get on the same page.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Reporter: that's really what we're hearing from everyone, Fred, everyone get on the same page. I feel like we've heard that the entire pandemic across the country and it still has yet to happen, Fredricka.

[11:04:57]

WHITFIELD: And it is so troubling to see these long lines among the most vulnerable of the population in such close proximity waiting hours overnight to get that vaccine. Thanks so much, Dianne.

Let's go now to Polo Sandoval in New York City where the mayor there is hoping to administer one million doses this month of January. How and why, Polo?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. A pretty ambitious, at least, goal that the mayor of New York City set here.

As you mentioned here, Fred, the goal would be to offer the vaccine to at least a million people in New York City before the end of this month. Of course it's certainly going to be a long road to actually get there because of the logistical challenges that we've seen, not only here in New York, but across the country in trying to get as many shots in the arms as possible.

Beyond the city here, I'm talking about New York state in general. At last check they've already administered roughly 32 percent of their allotment that they received from the federal government. That number is actually over-performing when you compare it to other states.

Also among the list, the state of Florida also with a fairly high percentage of the vaccination numbers. But at the same time, they're certainly not anywhere where they would like to get to.

Now, back here in New York City the question is how does the mayor plan to actually get to a million doses in the next coming weeks? Well, you have vaccine hubs that are expected to be set up. Obviously they're going to continue to stress the importance of vaccinating some of their frontline health care workers that have been receiving that vaccine for the last several weeks.

And also the mayor here and also the governor of the state of New York calling on the federal government to provide even more assistance and now potentially even laying out an actual plan on who should be receiving that vaccine, a more across-the-board approach here.

So that's really what we're hearing here in the city of New York, really across the state is that main priority to try to get as many vaccinations out as soon as possible because the number at this point when it comes to the test positivity rate in New York City, a little bit over 9 percent.

So they want to get the vaccines obviously administered to the people so that they can keep that number down and also they can try to lessen the burden on those hospitals throughout the city and really across the state, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you, Polo.

Let's go out west now, Paul Vercammen is in Los Angeles where hospitals have surpassed capacity. What's happening there, Paul?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've got the Army Corps of Engineers stepping into this fight, Fredricka. And it's welcome news.

And here is why that's important. With this hospital capacity being taxed, we're also seeing an unprecedented number of patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen. What the Army Corps of Engineers, in addition to help from California operation of emergency services, they're going to go through and they are going to assess the oxygen delivery capacity in all of these hospitals that's just right behind me.

They've already checked out, they worked on New Year's day, three hospitals. They're going to check out this hospital later. They're looking for everything from the tubing to the capacity. Some of these hospitals are older.

And they're coming to the rescue here, if you will. They're going to fix up and shore up some of this oxygen delivery.

And then you were talking about capacity throughout the state of California and Los Angeles. It is just being absolutely taxed. We've got some 20,500 people in the hospital with COVID.

And at L.A. County, USC -- this is the biggest trauma care center on the west, they are absolutely feeling it because don't forget for a minute that they still have to administer to the gunshot victims, the car accident victims and it's just really putting pressure on the entire system in southern California.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. BRAD SPELLBERG, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, L.A. COUNTY USC MEDICAL CENTER: If you are in a car accident, you're going to want us to save your life. If you have a heart attack or a stroke, you're going to want an ICU bed with trained ICU nurses and physicians who are not caring for 20 other patients at the same time.

This is about total collapse of the health care system if we have another spike. And we in the hospital cannot stop that. We can only react to it.

It is the public that has the power to put a stop to the spread of this virus by obeying the basic public health guidances that have been put out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: And more on that ripple effect as they move nurses from, let's say, clinics to the emergency rooms and what not. That means that the clinics either have to close down or shorten their hours. It is a desperate situation right now in southern California, Fred. And they hope it just doesn't get any worse.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. Desperate indeed. All right. Paul Vercammen, thank you so much. Dianne, Polo -- thanks to you as well.

All right. Still to come this hour, the battle for the U.S. Senate in this crucial final push. One candidate sidelined by COVID. Details on that next.

Plus a pair of defeats for the U.S. president. A federal judge tosses a lawsuit attempting to overthrow the results of the election. And the U.S. Senate votes to override his veto of the Defense Authorization Act. We're live at the White House next.

[11:09:59]

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WHITFIELD: This Tuesday, Georgia voters will decide which party controls the U.S. Senate. If either of the Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue hold on, the U.S. Senate will remain Republican-leaning. But if their Democratic challengers -- Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock sweep both races, then the incoming Biden administration has less fight in pushing through its agenda.

Ryan Nobles joining us now from an event for Kelly Loeffler in Jefferson, Georgia. And so what is being anticipated today, Ryan?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a busy day, no doubt Fred, on the campaign trail for these candidates running in the Georgia senate runoff.

Three of the four candidates are going to be crisscrossing the state today, getting out the last-minute voters. Of course more than three million votes have already been cast in this runoff.

And what we're finding is that the Democrats did much better than the Republicans, at least when you look at the registered voters that have cast their ballots.

But Republicans did anticipate this. They know that their voters are more traditional and will likely vote in person on election day. But that means they've got a lot of work to do here over the next 24 to 48 hours to make sure that they get those voters to the polls.

Still, Democrats are pushing as well. Jon Ossoff, one of the Democrats in the race, he was out on the campaign trail this morning and he laid out the stakes to the voters that he was talking to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON OSSOFF (D), GEORGIA SENATE CANDIDATE: Georgia has so much power right now. Georgia voters have so much power right now. And after four years of hatred and racism and division and bigotry, Georgia is going to make a statement about love and decency and compassion and unity, because that's what Georgia stands for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: So you hear the argument Ossoff is making there. It's about more than just who represents Georgia in the United States Senate. It's about control of the Senate going forward.

Democrats arguing this is an opportunity to allow Joe Biden to enact his agenda. Republicans making the counterargument that the Biden administration will need some level of check on what they do and that would be keeping the Republicans in control of the senate majority.

[11:14:45]

NOBLES: Now, we mentioned that three of the four candidates are out on the campaign trail. That's because David Perdue is unable to campaign. He came into close contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus so he's quarantining right up until election day. He's trying to fill that void by doing cable news hits and things along those lines.

But another important point to make, it's not just the candidates we're going to see here in Georgia over the next couple of days -- a lot of high profile surrogates.

Ted Cruz is with Kelly Loeffler. We expect them here n the next half hour. And then tomorrow the Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris will be in Savannah. Vice President Mike Pence will appear on Monday. President-Elect Biden will be here on Monday. And of course, President Trump with one more big rally for his presidency on the night before voters finally go to the polls here on January 5th, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. A lot taking place over the next few days. Georgia has suddenly become really, really crowded.

Ryan Nobles, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

NOBLES: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. I want to bring in now Lisa Rayam. She hosts NPR's "Morning Edition" on WABE-Atlanta. She was also a panelist at the Warnock-Loeffler debate early on in this campaign.

Lisa, so good to see you.

LISA RAYAM, HOST, NPR "MORNING EDITION": Good to see you. Thank you so much for having me today.

WHITFIELD: Fantastic. Let's talk about what is at stake because there is a lot, you know. And let's talk about the national focus, too, on these runoffs impacted. You know, how these candidates have run their campaigns and whether the fact that so much is contingent upon these senate runoff races, if that has kind of modified, shaped the way in which these candidates are stumping across the state.

RAYAM: Well, while this has received nationwide attention, I think what the numbers are showing at this point, Fredricka, is that Georgians -- Georgians have a keen interest in this election.

One, they recognize how important it is. One -- two, they recognize that it can be life-changing when it comes to the issues and concerns eventually discussed in Washington. And it also shows that they have a solid investment in who they want to send to Washington.

And it also shows us that they didn't let all the asides get in the way. And what I mean by that is you mentioned David Perdue, Senator David Perdue. He's sidelined a bit because he's quarantining.

And also President Trump last week calling on Governor Kemp to resign as a distraction. And then you have that continuing lull or that cloud, so to speak, hanging over Georgia when it comes to election integrity.

But still, voters here in Georgia put all that aside, three million early votes cast, thousands and thousands more expected to be unloaded come Tuesday.

WHITFIELD: Oh, the numbers are extraordinary, you know. But here you've got Republican Governor Kemp who says there was nothing wrong with the elections, everything is valid.

But you've got the president of the United States who plans on stumping Monday for these, you know, senate incumbents, but he continues to say that the Georgia race was invalid and illegal.

So how do these candidates position themselves to counter what the president is saying and try to encourage Republican voters in Georgia to come out and vote if they haven't already in the early runoff?

RAYAM: You know, as journalists we like to talk to people and a lot of people are calling all of that political muck. What they want to hear now is their messaging through the mouths -- coming out of the mouths of the candidates. And I'm not sure they're getting that.

For example, on "Morning Edition" I interviewed a young man by the name of Taos Wynn. He is with Georgia Millennial Civil Rights. He represents that critical voting bloc of voters 18 to 29. He says that all the candidates courted young voters and listened to their concerns. They're concerned about the environment, climate and jobs. But they're not hearing that messaging in the 11th hour as we approach Tuesday.

Another clear example, Gabriel Vaca, who's president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. I talked to him. And you know, the Latino voter is diverse in itself -- diverse voices, diverse issues, diverse concerns.

Among them -- immigration, pay equity, jobs and health care. He, too, says all the candidates seem sympathetic at first, understanding at first, but they're not hearing that all-important messaging ahead of Tuesday's runoff election.

WHITFIELD: Clearly early voting, you know, turned out well for Democrats in the November general election. Traditionally in runoff races it's Republicans in Georgia where the turnout is higher.

However, is there a feeling that that momentum for Democrats in the general election will continue into this runoff and produce, you know, a real upset for the Republican incumbents?

RAYAM: There's a feeling at this point because when you take into account the early voting, a lot of those votes were cast in heavily Democratic areas. So it appears that they may have the advantage going into Tuesday's election. But as you noted earlier, Republicans seem to be a little more traditional and still go to the polls on election day.

[11:19:55]

RAYAM: So at this point it feels like it's anything goes. After the election, though, it will be interesting to find that if all of these voters went to the polls because they are voting along party lines, Fredricka, or are they going to vote for a candidate who they think is going to voice some of their concerns if elected, or do they fall prey to some of those ads, or should I say a lot of those ads that we've been seeing in recent days on the airwaves, mainly attack ads.

Did they hear something that piqued their interest about a particular candidate that made them rush to the polls and cast that all-important vote?

WHITFIELD: And is anyone positioning themselves for a possible split decision? One Republican might win, one Democrat might win. Or it's going to be one party all the way down?

RAYAM: You know, again, with this high voter turnout, I think anything goes. But in the end, Georgia stands to gain a couple of firsts. If Senator Kelly Loeffler wins, the first woman elected to the senate. Raphael Warnock would be the first person of color. And then Jon Ossoff, the first Jewish senator.

So it's anything goes, it's going to go down to the wire. And Fredricka, we probably will not have any firm results after Tuesday night.

WHITFIELD: All right. Lisa Rayam, always good to see you -- longtime television anchor here in the Atlanta area and now on WABE. And I'm loving the short haircut, by the way. It looks so good.

RAYAM: Thank you so much. I appreciate you. Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Good to see you, Lisa.

RAYAM: You, too.

WHITFIELD: All right. Stunning pictures now from New Year's Eve across the world showing large crowds and few masks. And one of the locations, President Trump's Florida resort. We'll show you the video coming up next.

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WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home was vandalized with angry messages about the stimulus payments.

CNN affiliate KGO obtained video of her garage after the graffiti was covered up there with tarp, scrawled in black spray paint were phrases like, quote, "$2,000", "cancel rent" and "we want everything".

San Francisco police tell KGO the vandals also left a pig's head on the sidewalk. It's unclear if Pelosi was home at the time of that vandalism.

All right. Time is running out for President Trump as he is faced with -- he is faced rather, with two consequential losses in the final weeks of his term. A strong majority of Republicans in the senate broke with President Trump Friday, overriding his veto of a bipartisan defense policy bill, signaling support from his party is faltering when he needs it most. Even his own vice president is distancing himself from Trump with his silence.

On Friday a federal judge threw out a lawsuit from Congressman Gohmert and several Arizona Republicans at the request of Pence's lawyers. The lawsuit sought to force Pence to help overturn the election to Trump next week when Congress meets to count the electoral college votes.

All right. For more on this, we go to CNN's Sarah Westwood. So Sarah, how is the president feeling?

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Fred, it's clear that the president's frustration with the way the election has played out is still pretty intense. He's tweeting about it every single day and going after the growing number of Republican senators who are breaking with him and not doing his bidding when it comes to overturning the election results.

The president, for example, went after the number two Republican in the Senate, John Thune and even advocated for him to be primaried, basically pushing for him to be unseated because Thune criticized efforts to overturn the Electoral College results when they are certified in a joint session of Congress on January 6th.

Senator Josh Hawley is expected to lead the charge in the Senate to object to at least one state's certification of the Electoral College votes and he's being joined by dozens of Republicans in the House.

A handful of those Republicans led by Congressman Louie Gohmert did file the lawsuit that was focused on challenging Pence's role in counting those votes. But that was tossed out in court and Pence had remained silent about the lawsuit for days.

However, he did respond in a filing asking the court to toss it out because he said he did not have the authority to discard Electoral College votes. And meanwhile, that is not the only setback that the president has faced just in the last day. Congress voted overwhelmingly to reject his veto of the defense spending bill. It's the first veto override of his presidency.

Trump had vetoed the bill because he wanted Republicans to include a repeal of protections for social media companies in that bill. Republicans refused to do so.

And in yet another sign that his influence over congressional Republicans may be waning, he has so far been unable to convince Senate Republicans to take up his push to increase the amount in those stimulus relief checks to $2,000, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So, Sarah, let me ask you about this New Year celebration at Mar-a-Lago even though the president wasn't there. He was supposed to be there but then changed his mind and made a last-minute dash to Washington.

And here are some of the images that have come out where there are lots of people, no masks, no social distancing. You see even his sons there, you know, celebrating without masks.

You know, this is the antithesis of the message coming from, you know, the COVID team at the White House. What kind of response is coming from the president or the White House?

WESTWOOD: Well Fred, President Trump and the first lady were not there. They left earlier in the day, which was a surprise to some of the guests there who had paid as much as $1,000 for tickets, expecting that the president would be there.

But nonetheless, there were very few precautions in place at that venue. It was a 700-person ballroom that our colleague Kevin Liptak reports was filled with about 500 people. So closer to capacity than many public health experts recommend.

There were tables of ten, no social distancing in between the seats. And obviously as we just saw from those images, very few masks were being worn at that indoor event.

So even though, like you mentioned, we are getting the message out of this White House that people should be taking the social distancing recommendations seriously, we just did not see that at the Mar-a-Lago New Year's eve party, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Not at all. All right. Sarah Westwood at the White House, thanks so much for that. Appreciate it.

And Mar-a-Lago wasn't the only place where COVID-19 safety protocols went out the window on New Year's eve.

[11:29:55]

WHITFIELD: In California, actor Kirk Cameron staged a caroling protest Thursday, hours before the New Year in defiance of local health orders. You see the gathering at that beach.

And then in New York, police broke up at least two New Year's parties during the first few hours of 2021. The first party was busted at around 1:00 a.m. downtown and attended by more than 145 people, according to police. Four people were charged with multiple offenses.

Another event was broken up around 2:00 a.m. in queens where more than 300 partygoers were in attendance. And in New York indoor and outdoor gatherings at private residences are limited to ten people and indoor dining is prohibited at bars and restaurants.

And then overseas in France more than 2,000 people attended an illegal New Year's Eve party despite coronavirus restrictions, and a national nighttime curfew. Officials say they were met with quote, "violent hostility" in trying to shut down the party. Five people have been arrested and more than 1,000 fines have been issued, again, this global pandemic.

All right. Still ahead, as COVID cases hit new highs in the U.K., another vaccine is just days away from being released. We'll talk about that next.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk about COVID and the numbers that are escalating, especially after the holidays. Many of the experts said it was likely to come and already we're seeing continuation of the pace of the December numbers, at least in the United States.

Joining me right now to discuss, Dr. Leana Wen, a CNN medical analyst and a former Baltimore City health commissioner. Doctor, so good to see you.

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: So let's talk about the hope that comes with this 2021 and the vaccine rollout. However the reality is, you know, far fewer people have been vaccinated, far fewer than the 20 million that this administration thought would happen by December 31st. Many blaming the disorganization, lack of organization of the rollout.

[11:35:03]

WHITFIELD: What are your concerns about how each state might be able to administer the vaccine based on the quantities, the doses that they have already received?

DR. WEN: Fred, we had this incredible triumph of science. We got these vaccines that are safe and effective, developed within record time.

But now I think it's a great tragedy for there to be millions of doses that are languishing in freezers and refrigerators when there are thousands of Americans dying every single day.

And I think this speaks to several things. One is over-promising, these overly rosy projections that occurred. Also local and state health departments have been sounding the alarm for months that they need additional funding and resources and staff to actually deliver these vaccines and translate the vaccines into vaccinations -- the shots in arms.

And I'm optimistic it can still happen, but we need much more urgency and a concerted national plan moving forward.

WHITFIELD: Did you have high expectations that the distribution would be more fluid, especially since Operation Warp Speed did promise that 20 million would be vaccinated by December 31st. But instead the numbers were somewhere in the, you know, two million to three million- dosage figure?

DR. WEN: Yes, I did. And I think the vast majority of Americans did, too. I don't think any of us should have expected that by the end of 2020 that less than 25 percent of the doses that were supposed to be administered were actually at that time.

And I think for so many of us, it brings us flashbacks of what happened with the testing debacle and with PPE, that there was just this profound disconnect between what the federal leaders were saying and what local people on the ground were experiencing.

WHITFIELD: Let me ask you about the scene in Florida right now. The governor there decided to bypass what CDC recommendations there were on the distribution of vaccines and instead said, you know, we're going to make it available to those who are 65 and older because that's 20 percent of the population there in Florida.

But then what you're seeing the consequence of, you know, this edict and practice is that you've got long lines of people, in some cases you have elderly people sitting in chairs. They're masked up, but they're in long lines, in some cases the proximity to one another is rather tight. Here are some of the images.

What are your concerns about whether it may have been a great plan to make it more accessible, but perhaps the plan isn't complete enough to make sure it's distributed safely to everyone?

DR. WEN: And that's exactly it. I mean, how tragic would it be if people were getting infected while waiting to get their vaccine? This also is something that's completely preventable, as in there are protocols for setting up mass vaccination clinics.

We have done this before as a country. This is something that local and state health departments know how to do. There are resources that they need, for example. Perhaps they need the National Guard to help to set up spaces and convert stadiums into safe spaces. Maybe they need additional staffing.

And I think what the federal government should be doing is to listen to the needs on the ground. I don't have a problem with states prioritizing differently for their population because they know their populations the best. But we need a lot better supports and guidance and the federal government can't just throw up their hands and say we've gotten the doses distributed to the states, our job is over. WHITFIELD: Dr. Fauci and other experts, you know, previously predicted

that vaccines could be available for all Americans by April. But looking at the track record now of the method of distribution, what are you thinking?

DR. LEN: Yes, I'm not optimistic now about that particular timeline, because if that were to happen, we have to ramp up vaccine distribution very significantly. I mean at the current pace that we're going at, we won't be done trying to reach herd immunity in this country for ten years.

I mean we need to be getting to the point of doing three million vaccines -- at least three million vaccinations a day. And currently we're at a pace of about a million a week.

WHITFIELD: And this is a global pandemic and just as we said, states are handling the vaccine distribution differently. We also understand other countries are handling things differently. And Dr. Anthony Fauci says the U.S. will not follow the U.K.'s decision to delay the second doses of the coronavirus vaccine in order to dispense, you know, first doses to as many people as possible.

What are your thoughts on the idea of now elongating -- that the U.K. would now elongate the space between that first dosage and the second dose?

DR. WEN: We should be following the science and the way that the Pfizer and the Moderna trials were studied was a very specific time interval. Now, you can probably stretch it three weeks or four weeks by a few weeks, but you shouldn't be delaying it indefinitely.

[11:39:58]

DR. WEN: We already have enough of a problem in this country of vaccine hesitancy. The last thing that we want to do is to give people more cause for concern when actually that's not the problem here.

The problem is that we have these doses that are not getting administered into arms. So what's the purpose of saying let's delay another dose to make these even more complicated rather than focusing on how to get the work done and getting the logistics of vaccinations set.

WHITFIELD: Boy, it is very complex, but it seems like complex is now turning into very confusing. Dr. Leana Wen, thank you so much and happy New Year to you.

DR. WEN: Happy New Year, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Starting Monday, the first doses of that newly-approved Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine will begin rolling out in the U.K., which is good news as COVID cases there continue to soar. But it is mixed news. More than 57,000 new cases were reported today and the National Health Service there tells CNN that COVID-19 field hospitals were asked to get services ready. What does that mean?

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joining me now from London with details on this, Salma.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Fred, yes, it's definitely a mixed picture. That is exactly how I'd put it, you have these field hospitals that are opening up. That's because the hospitals here are stretched to capacity, teetering on the edge. Hospital bosses ringing the alarm saying they need help.

And, yes, you open up these facilities which the authorities say are an insurance policy of last resort. So it shows how dire this is.

But how do you begin to staff these facilities when you're already short staffed. How do you begin to put equipment in these facilities when you're already stretched to the limit with ventilators, talks of bringing in the military?

So what is the good news? What is the hopeful progress on the horizon? Well, that's the Oxford University vaccine which is set to be rolled out on Monday, first injections given.

And the government has a bold new plan to try to really stretch the use of this vaccine and others. What they're going to do is they're going to give that first injection, that first dose and then they're going to have patients wait up to three months before they get the second one.

And the reason why they're doing this, the authorities say, is because that first injection should give patients a reasonable protection from serious illness and the second one only increases the efficacy by a modest amount.

In plain speak, in a nutshell, essentially by giving that first dose and waiting, they can give more people the vaccine and keep less people from going to hospital, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then Salma, the U.S. and two dozen other countries are now finding cases of that U.K. variant of the virus that causes COVID- 19.

So how is this variant continuing to impact the U.K.?

ABDELAZIZ: This variant is absolutely plaguing this country, to put it quite simply. You already have three-quarters of England living under essentially localized lockdown, the toughest restrictions.

I'm just going to run you through some of the latest numbers to paint you a picture of how dire the situation, the health crisis is in this country. You had in the past few days records broken, record number of infection rates, more patients in hospital with coronavirus than ever before. An ambulance service that says it's receiving thousands of emergency calls a day, as much as they did at the height of the pandemic.

You have the National Health Service essentially saying that if this doesn't slow, if they can't stem the tsunami of coronavirus patients flooding these hospitals, they will simply reach breaking point.

There is one new study from one of the universities here that says that during lockdown in November -- during lockdown in November, I'm going to repeat that -- that variant was tripled -- tripled in this population.

So that's why you see the government taking these bold strategies, these strategies that, yes, we just heard the health expert question and that divide the medical community.

But I think if you ask this government, they'll say this is not the time for small plans, Fred. We've got to take all the risks. We've got to do everything we can.

We're almost at breaking point here.

WHITFIELD: Every country getting the pressure, got to go big on this.

Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much, in London. Appreciate it.

All right. Still ahead, how the vaccine rollout is now reaching some of the country's -- this country's most vulnerable patients, children and adults with autism.

[11:44:06]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Disabled people are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 because of pre-existing conditions they have. And because of that they're included in the first wave of people getting vaccinated.

CNN's Gary Tuchman visited a facility in New York where hundreds of disabled teenagers and adults got their shots after being separated from their families and friends for months.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In New York state's Catskill Mountains it's a landmark day for these young people, all of them who have severe medical issues and comorbidities. Today is the day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ready? One, two, three. Awesome.

TUCHMAN: They get the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's awesome.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Awesome, bud.

TUCHMAN: This is the 1,500 acre Center for Discovery where hundreds of vulnerable children and adults with complex medical conditions live and visit for clinical treatments and educational, social, nutritional and recreational experiences.

24-year-old Kadira Diss (ph) has cerebral palsy.

(on camera): That's a beautiful hat. How do you know how to make a hat? I have no idea how to make a hat.

KADIRA DISS: You do.

TUCHMAN: I do? I couldn't do it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are done. Good job.

TUCHMAN (voice over): For months, the residents here were not able to see their parents and families in person because of COVID. Now with proper precautions, they can. And parents are with their children as they get their vaccines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my goodness, that is --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- wonderful. So good.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, great.

TUCHMAN: R.J. has severe autism. His mother says his grandfather died from COVID in April.

DENISE LOMBARDI, R.J.'S MOTHER: I know that my dad would be so proud of how well R.J. has done through this entire ordeal. And particularly today you saw how much of a trooper he was getting his shot.

TUCHMAN: Jodie also has profound autism and seizure disorders.

JODIE: Looks like a boo-boo.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It's (INAUDIBLE) boo-boo.

TUCHMAN: Her mother says not being able to see Jodie in person for months was excruciating.

ALISON SINGER, JODIE'S MOTHER: Just the thought of that for me has been the worst part of the pandemic. So getting the vaccine today, it's the beginning of the end of that nightmare.

TUCHMAN: Although residents and employees here have tested positive for COVID over these months, there have been no deaths. Credit is given to the diligence of the employees here, about 1,700 of them. And they, too, are getting the vaccine.

After all, it's the employees who can bring the virus in.

[11:50:04]

PATRICK DOLLARD, PRESIDENT/CEO, CENTER FOR DISCOVERY: Their courage and their efforts just keep us moving forward. But we have to stay with it. You know, it's not a mike drop yet, you know. We still have to get through this. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, three.

TUCHMAN: The parents visiting realize this frightening time is not over. But the relief on this day is palpable.

MICHAEL ROSEN, NICKY'S FATHER: It is so emotional. And he knew in his gut that this is something he wanted to do. I can't tell you how emotional it is to watch someone you are so worried about for so many months, you automatically see hope on the horizon.

TUCHMAN: And remember the hatmaker we met earlier?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, a little pinch. Ready? Did you feel it?

DISS: Not at all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Good job.

TUCHMAN: Kadira says she is most grateful that she, too, has now been vaccinated.

Gary Tuchman, CNN -- Monticello, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: In three days, the balance of power in the U.S. Senate will be decided by Georgia voters. We're watching live events across the state as the candidates make their final pushes ahead of Tuesday's critical vote.

We're back in a moment.

[11:51:13]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. There was good news and bad news in the new pandemic relief package for the millions of Americans working in the gig economy. The measure extends their unemployment support by nearly three months, but because the president delayed signing it, most are still waiting for the assistance they desperately need.

Here's CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Fareeha Haq and her husband, Amir Bukhari, are raising a family of six on less than $400 a week in unemployment. Next week they could go without that money.

AMIR BUKHARI, UNEMPLOYED: It's going to hit rock bottom. Because right now we were able to eat, you know. Forget the rent.

YURKEVICH (on camera): That money that was supposed to arrive this week was just to feed your family?

BUKHARI: Just to feed the family.

YURKEVICH (voice over): Pandemic unemployment programs for millions lapsed on December 26th, a day before a new federal aid package was signed. That delay means most Americans will have to wait until next year for states to issue their checks.

FAREEHA HAQ, UNEMPLOYED: Like I'm very grateful that money will be coming in, but sometimes it takes so long for the money to actually kick in.

YURKEVICH: Fareeha and Amir are both gig workers. She drove a school car pool; he, an Uber. The loss of income in March put the family onto a growing pile of bills.

BUKHARI: If I tell you all the bills is up to date, no, it can't be. It's just impossible.

YURKEVICH: Nearly 12 million renters will owe more than $5,800 in back rent by January. Fareeha and Amir nearly that much and their $8,000 in credit card debt.

HAQ: You have to take the letters, then you have to put it on the flowers.

YURKEVICH: Their small apartment is a virtual classroom and the four kids eat all meals at home. That's 16 a day.

HAQ: You can do it. Come on. Mommy's got to go make breakfast soon. It gets so emotional because I'm overwhelmed. I'm like, I don't know how to live anymore. Sometimes it's so hard.

YURKEVICH: A recent survey shows 27 million Americans say they don't have enough to eat. This family relies on food stamps and the food pantry at the Brooklyn community service group COPO (ph). It's familiar for Fareeha.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to get raspberries and squash and I got these special cucumbers.

YURKEVICH: She used to work here handing out the food.

HAQ: I was there helping people receive benefits. and now I'm on the other end. And I'm asking for benefits.

YURKEVICH: And the need for many Americans is only getting greater.

MOHAMMED RAZVI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S ORGANIZATION: They are running out of their checks. That's why they are coming -- we're in hardship because they're not sure how they're going to make ends meet.

YURKEVICH: The new stimulus bill adds an extra $300 a week in unemployment through mid-March, a much-needed boost to families like this one.

HAQ: Before you see the money, it's gone already. I already know where I'm going to spend all that money. And it's hard to get back to that place where everything will be ok.

I made it special just for you.

YURKEVICH: Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN -- Brooklyn, New York.

HAQ: Happy?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. We begin this hour and the New Year with the pandemic surging to troubling new levels. 2020 ended with the deadliest month yet only to continue into 2021 with a sobering warning from health experts that the worst is still yet to come.

The U.S. is now approaching 380 -- 348,000 death dues to COVID and has surpassed 20 million cases. More than 125,000 people are beginning this year in the hospital.

Adding to that concern that new variant of COVID-19, which experts say is transmitted much easier. First seen in the U.K., the strain has now been detected in California, Colorado and Florida.

Meanwhile, the vaccine rollout continues to lag across the United States. More than 12 million doses have been delivered to states, but fewer than 3 million vaccinations have actually been administered. Far fewer than the initial goal of 20 million by the end of December.

Let's begin our team coverage with Polo Sandoval in New York.

[11:59:53]

WHITFIELD: Polo, the U.S. is also inching closer to 350,000 lives lost to COVID-19. There's a lot of uncertainty as we start this New Year.

SANDOVAL: A lot of uncertainty and also a lot of hospitalizations as well, Fred.