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European Countries Ease Restrictions as COVID-19 Cases Fall; Nearly 40 Million Vaccinations Administered in U.S.; Ground Rules Still to Be Set for Senate Trial; Thousands Protesting in Myanmar; Russian Protesters Detained by Police Describe Abuse; Isolation and Loneliness Intensify Grief for Surviving Families; Super Bowl Host City under Tornado Watch. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired February 07, 2021 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hi, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. This is CNN. I'm Robyn Curnow.
Happening right now, protesters in Myanmar take to the streets for a second day in a row to fight for democracy.
Plus, new findings from AstraZeneca about its COVID vaccine and the new variant.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.
CURNOW: Great to have you along this hour.
I want to start with some good news on coronavirus. Right now, not a single U.S. state is in the red, as you can see here. That means the number of new COVID cases compared to the previous week is either holding steady or going down.
But of course, there is a catch. There is bad news. More than 100,000 new cases were still reported in the U.S. on Saturday.
Also, we're hearing AstraZeneca telling CNN its vaccine seems less effective against the variant first spotted in South Africa when it's a case of mild disease. The pharmaceutical company says it believes its vaccine could work against severe disease and is hoping to deliver shots better suited to the variant by the autumn.
New case numbers seem to be going down in Europe, Portugal included, in recent weeks with the worst infection rate in the world. But even in places with good vaccine rollouts, hospitals are still under huge, huge pressure.
In the U.K., a top doctor says intensive care units are, quote, "full to the rafters," because patients are staying sick for long periods of time.
Despite all that, cases are on the downward trend across Europe as countries ease the coronavirus restrictions. I want to talk about that with Melissa Bell, who joins us live from Paris.
Hi, Melissa.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is at the beginning of some good news at last here in the European Union, countries looking at easing restrictions. We've seen in Italy, Germany could go that way. Angela Merkel is to meet with state premiers to look at whether it is possible to ease substantial restrictions.
Across Europe, children going back to school. That is good news but it is also a moment for counting the cost. The reason they're under such pressure to reopen is it's had this tremendous cost. The European Union, the economy is already in recession, 7.5 unemployment rate.
And if you take individual sectors, things like tourism. Here in Europe, up to 12 million jobs could be at risk given the blow to things like tourism. Think back to 2008, remember the recession and the European debt crisis. Europe is going to be looking at questions of unity and cohesion.
With all of those very different economies struggling to get back on track. So lots of pressure on European leader to lift these restrictions. The numbers are stabilizing at last, going down in some parts. Essentially, European economies have been ground to a standstill.
How can they be eased while keeping the ICUs from overflowing?
That's going to be the big question into the summer, since that's how long it will take for Europe to get some of those targets it's fixed itself in terms of vaccinating its population and being able to move on.
CURNOW: Yes.
People that you're speaking to, is there a huge sense of relief or just an exhaustion that this could take perhaps the rest of the year?
BELL: What we've been seeing is a great deal of exhaustion. Protests in Europe several times, people getting impatient with all that's gone on. With the ICUs as full as they are, here in France as well, the pressure is on governments to make sure that they keep those figures down.
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BELL: That's why the French government has put off that third lockdown in the hope that the figures would stabilize. That appears to be the case. Yet on Friday, a group of doctors calling for reintroducing tougher restrictions because of the fears of the new variants, particularly the first one identified in the United Kingdom, now making fast progression here in Europe. So a very delicate balance, clearly pressure for the governments to
reopen. Pressure also for the governments to keep their ICUs up and running.
CURNOW: Thanks for that update. Melissa Bell, live in Paris.
Back here in the U.S., a source tells CNN that President Joe Biden plans on using the Super Bowl, which is happening on Sunday, to share a message on these vaccines and we're expecting him to speak to those who are hesitant about getting their shot. Natasha Chen explains.
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NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the past week, more than 9 million COVID vaccines were administered in the U.S. That outpaced the number of new cases 10 to 1.
In the last two days the number of people hospitalized came under 90,000 for the first time since November. Despite the trends health officials are warning us not to let our guard down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're at halftime and things seem quiet in the locker room. But when we come out, the team we're facing is going to be a lot tougher than the team we faced in the first half of the outbreak.
CHEN (voice-over): As both the pandemic and the Super Bowl are on people's minds this weekend, a source tells CNN Joe Biden will take advantage of a large national audience Sunday to thank health care workers.
An administration official says the White House also hopes to combat vaccine hesitancy and speak to the African American and Latino and white rural non-mask wearing communities in particular.
Meanwhile, Americans are being discouraged from doing what so many people do this weekend, attending Super Bowl parties.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the Super Bowl, not the stupid bowl. Let's try and keep everyone safe. Don't drink, don't drive, don't bring multiple households together and create a superspreader event in your own home because, I guarantee you, it's going to be your own family who's the ones going to be jeopardized.
CHEN (voice-over): Speaking of the NFL, the league this week offered the Biden administration every one of its 32 team stadiums as mass vaccination sites. Seven are already in operation and the 49ers Levi Stadium is about to become California's largest vaccination site.
The Yankee Stadium's vaccination site opened Friday but only for people in the Bronx, an effort to reach underserved communities.
MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D-NY), NEW YORK CITY: This is about equity, fairness, protecting people that need the most protection, because the Bronx is one of the places that bore the brunt of this crisis.
CHEN (voice-over): Mayor de Blasio and other officials say the problem continues to be supply.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Other than me just running up there and sitting on somebody, I -- we are doing everything. It's coming from all fronts.
CHEN (voice-over): A third vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson could help increase supply. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee isn't scheduled to discuss it until February 26th.
CHEN: The event behind me was targeted for employees of local school districts. Vaccinations for educators being an important part of conversations to bring kids back into classrooms safely, especially in Chicago, where there's no agreement. The mayor Lori Lightfoot says those who don't show up could be locked out of the online system, which could trigger a strike by the union -- back to you.
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CURNOW: I want to take a closer look at all these trends. Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider is with me from the California Pacific Medical Center. She's the founder of endwellproject.org.
Doctor, good to see you again. Thanks for joining us. I do want to start with this good news. We are seeing a decrease in rates. This is the first time in ages, I can't remember the last time I was reporting on air and there was no red on this map. The same playing out in Europe.
Why is this?
DR. SHOSHANA UNGERLEIDER, CALIFORNIA PACIFIC MEDICAL CENTER: Well, Robyn, this is some good news indeed. Cases in the U.S. are down 15 percent from last week. Hospitalizations down 12 percent. The death rate has plateaued over this time period.
We know that is a lagging indicator. This is a depression from the post-holiday peaks, when many traveled and gathered for the holidays. At this point, we can't attribute the falling case numbers to the COVID vaccine, because we've only administered about 36 million doses so far, around 10 percent of the population.
So the drop in new cases we're seeing may not continue. We now know about new, more transmissible variants that are circulating. The good news is we know how to stop the spread by social distancing.
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UNGERLEIDER: Only spending time indoors with people that we live with, hand washing and wearing masks.
CURNOW: I want to ask you about that in a moment. But I want to mention these variants. We're specifically hearing that AstraZeneca is saying that its vaccine is not as effective against the so-called South African variant. They say it works but maybe not so much if you only have a mild case of coronavirus.
Again, why is that? And does that matter?
Because aren't viruses supposed to mutate in ways like this?
Is this expected?
UNGERLEIDER: Yes, all really good questions. A small trial of just over 2,000, predominantly young, healthy adults, has some early data showing limited efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine against mild disease with the South African variant. We don't know how effective it is against severe disease.
The study has not been peer reviewed, so still waiting on that. We know Oxford AstraZeneca have started adapting their vaccine against this variant to be ready for fall delivery, if needed.
As you said, we know, when all viruses spread, they mutate over time. In the case of this coronavirus, thousands of changes have arisen and these new variants have emerged. Only a tiny minority of these mutations are likely to be important or change the virus in a significant way.
However, the speed at which this virus is spreading globally and therefore changing is concerning. So we really need to accelerate all of our vaccination efforts before new and even more potentially dangerous variants arise.
CURNOW: Yes, and particularly because the U.K. variant, and the South African one as well, also seems to be transmitted quicker, faster, better, however you want to describe it.
But with that in mind, then, are you also suggesting that folks start to wear two masks?
I know there has been guidance out.
And do you think the time is now that people need to double mask?
UNGERLEIDER: Exactly, we know that these new variants are more contagious. We all need to double down on efforts to social distancing, wear masks; when a vaccine is available to you, take it.
Based on the current understanding, we do expect the Moderna, BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson vaccinations will be effective. And wearing two masks is a good idea. I do it. The fit and material determine how effective it is.
When masks don't fit well, they allow air leaks. When materials are too thin, they're less effective at blocking particles in the area. So it's a good idea to wear two at once, wear a cloth mask on top of a surgical mask or two cloth masks. Always cover your nose and your mouth.
CURNOW: Good to speak to you. Keep safe.
UNGERLEIDER: Thank you. CURNOW: So still ahead, the latest on preparations for president
Trump's second impeachment trial and how he's caused deep divisions within the Republican Party. Stay with CNN. Lots to talk about up ahead.
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CURNOW: We still do not know what the ground rules are for Donald Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate. At least 17 Republicans would have to join Democrats to get a conviction. But that is really a pretty tall order. There's been some division in the Republican Party ahead of the proceedings, as Jessica Dean has more.
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JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Wyoming Republican Party voted to censure congresswoman Liz Cheney in response to her vote to impeach former president Donald Trump.
That resolution had a number of inaccuracies in it. Congresswoman Cheney did respond, saying that she was compelled by the oath I swore to the Constitution when she took that vote to impeach former president Trump.
Now all of this, of course, coming on the eve of former president Trump's second impeachment trial, which is scheduled to start on Tuesday. There's still a number of unknowns surrounding that trial, namely how long it will take.
We don't know exactly at this point how long this will go on and also if witnesses will be called.
In this case, it's a very unique situation in that the 100 senators who will be serving as jurors were also witnesses in this case. They experienced the insurrection here on January 6th.
House impeachment managers have also requested former president Trump to testify. He said he will not be doing that. And right now there's just not an appetite for a subpoena to compel him to testify.
We're told that House impeachment managers instead intend to say his refusal to testify here for the Senate impeachment trial underscores his guilt as being singularly responsible for the insurrection on January 6th -- Jessica Dean, CNN, the Capitol.
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CURNOW: CNN political commentator Errol Louis joins me now from New York, the host of "You Decide" podcast.
What do you expect from the impeachment, any surprises?
ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, there will be surprises. We've never had this before. This is history being made here, we've never had an ex-president the subject of an impeachment trial in American history.
We've only had four impeachments in American history and two of them were of Donald Trump. So there's a lot of unusual things happening right off the bat.
What I am expecting is that we'll see a reliving of the attack on the Capitol on January 6. And ironically it will be taking place in the Senate chamber that was overrun by the rioters and seized for a while by them. There are a lot of people who are going to be acting technically as jurors. That's what an impeachment trial is.
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LOUIS: The Senate sits in judgment of the president now being impeached or the ex-president. But there are also witnesses and the chamber where it's being held is a crime scene, where much of this happened. And we've never had a president or ex-president accused of insurrection, which is what the impeachment article states.
So a lot of unusual things happening here. I think it's going to be a traumatic reliving of something that has been just a wound in our democracy here, the fact that, at the time, a sitting president spoke to a mob, that mob then stormed into the Capitol while votes were being counted and tried to overturn an election.
And five people died in the process. Those are the inescapable, uncontested facts and they will be laid out.
The only question is, does Donald Trump deserve to be convicted of having incited that insurrection?
CURNOW: No matter how traumatic it is, we are expecting the majority of Republicans to punt any decision on casting judgment on him.
Do you think anything will change that?
LOUIS: You know, anything can happen. This is a test of our institutions, our democratic institutions. And it may be an imperfect process by which to hold Donald Trump accountable.
But it's the only process that we have. There are, by most estimates, about 17 Republican senators that would have to vote against the president for them to reach the two-thirds majority needed to actually convict him. It's unlikely that they have that many votes. I think they're about 12 short.
Let's assume the senators keep an open mind. But even if they don't convict, the record will be laid out. The transparency that people seek, the final accounting of what actually happened in the president's exact role, is going to be debated in public, very publicly, and we'll have a better sense of what happened and who should be held accountable.
CURNOW: While that plays out in the coming week, the past week has also seen a real -- a real insight into what the Republican Party is, the sort of tug for the soul of this venerable old party.
What do you make, as the impeachment trial moves forward and this real fight for what is Republicanism right now and how much of a hold Donald Trump still has on it, how do you think that will play in within the impeachment, at least politically?
LOUIS: I've got to tell you, there's not really much of a fight. The Republican Party is beholden to Donald Trump. Every poll that you look at, the behavior of the elected officials, everything that you can measure tells you that they're either in full support of him or, in the case of elected officials, they're afraid to cross him and afraid of his followers coming after them.
We're talking about 60 percent, 70 percent, 80 percent of Donald Trump, even after everything we've seen, even after the party suffered the loss of the White House, lower and upper house of Congress, even after all that political destruction that happened on Donald Trump's watch.
There are people still publicly saying we don't know if he really lost the election, we're not going to cross him, we're going to decline to criticize him, even after that attack on the Capitol.
And so, you know, I don't know if it's that much of a fight. But there are a handful of Republicans saying we need to go in another direction. We can't keep suffering these political losses. In the end, that's supposed to be the self-correcting mechanism that draws the party in a different direction. But it hasn't begun.
CURNOW: What has begun is this new presidency. And what we have been seeing is Joe Biden furiously going ahead with his priorities, with his order of business. Seems like a man who knows that he's running out of time or that he doesn't have enough time.
The speed at which he's implementing his agenda is quite awesome, isn't it?
LOUIS: Absolutely.
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LOUIS: Democrats control the Senate and the House and the White House. And if historical patterns hold, Democrats are going to lose control of one of those institutions in the next two years when we have midterm elections.
So both for substantive reasons, because the economy is flat on its back and we are still suffering through this pandemic, the president knows he has to move quickly, that he has maybe 24 months to enact not just a turnaround in the economic disaster that Trump left him and a turnaround in the pandemic that has claimed 500,000 lives. But if he wants his agenda to get passed, he has to do it while
Democrats control the House and Senate. So he has to move very quickly.
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LOUIS: And he is under no illusions that the Republicans will cooperate in any way, shape or form. As deadly as the pandemic has been, as bad as the economy is, as high as the unemployment rate is, you still have Republicans saying they do not want to spend money to try and revive the economy.
It's mind-boggling in a lot of ways. But the White House is not going to waste time trying to bring them over. They have the power, they have a very thin majority; they're going to make the most of it.
CURNOW: Errol Louis, live there from New York. Thanks for your expertise and opinion.
LOUIS: Good to see you.
CURNOW: So coming up on CNN, protesters in Myanmar call for democracy and an end to the military junta that grabbed power. That story is next.
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CURNOW: Great to have you along. Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN. I'm Robyn Curnow and it is 29 minutes past the hour.
So thousands of people are marching on Myanmar's largest city for a second day of protests there, chanting pro-democracy slogans and holding up the three-finger salute, supporting civil disobedience. It's been less than a week since the military seized power and protesters are organizing. Let's go to Selina Wang there in Tokyo.
I want to get your take on these protests. We've been seeing a lot of people on the street.
How are they developing?
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Robyn, witnesses on the ground tell us that the numbers today are substantially larger than yesterday's.
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WANG: And yesterday they numbered in the thousands. And also, we're told that the organization of these protests is also more organized.
We are seeing these crowds of young people chanting for democracy, for the failure of the military dictatorship, many holding images of Aung San Suu Kyi, saying, "We want our leader."
But these protests are peaceful. They are avoiding the roadblocks. They are avoiding any direct face-to-face confrontation with the police. In addition, these protests are able to happen, despite the state sanctioned internet blackouts. Internet connectivity is at about 16 percent of ordinary levels.
Earlier, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were blocked. But these protests are organizing through word of mouth, phone calls and SMS messaging.
Myanmar had been under a military regime for more than 50 years. It was brutally stifling. It plunged the country into poverty. There are fears now that history is repeating itself.
There had been rays of hope six years ago, when Aung San Suu Kyi had formed the first civilian government, winning the election in a landslide. Now even though Aung San Suu Kyi has fallen from grace internationally for her rejection of accusations of genocide, for her failure to condemn the Rohingya crisis, at home, she is still very popular.
CURNOW: When you talk about the international reaction, what kind of impact do you think international pressure is having, if any?
WANG: That's right, Robyn. We have seen this widespread international condemnation. There are threats of sanctions, including from the Biden administration, but experts say this is unlikely to deter or bother the military regime, which has endured many years of sanctions in the past.
There are, however, also fears of activists and journalists and critics being further targeted in a wider crackdown. According to a human rights group in Myanmar, at least 133 government officials and at least 14 activists have been detained as of Monday.
And foreign companies that have invested in Myanmar as the economy was opening up in more recent years are now also at risk. Here in Japan in particular, companies had heavily invested into the country. And Kirin, a giant brewing company, has cut its joint formation with another large Myanmar company over its ties to the military.
Even though there was this formation of a civilian government, the military never lost rule. It still controlled about a quarter of seats in parliament and also several key ministries. And now this coup, experts say, was driven by an effort to regain control, reassert power, for the army chief to regain respect -- Robyn.
CURNOW: Thanks for that update, live in Japan, Selina Wang, thank you.
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CURNOW: Former U.S. ambassador to Myanmar, Derek Mitchell, joins me now. He's also the president of the National Democratic Institute.
Ambassador, thanks so much for joining us. Obviously, you spent a lot of time in Myanmar.
As you watch what's happening on the streets now, what do you make of these protests?
DEREK MITCHELL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO MYANMAR: Well, it's certainly escalated there. It doesn't surprise me that people are going to push back. These are a very proud people, a very strong and thoughtful -- a lot of young people on the streets.
It's encouraging and inspiring but it also fills you with some dread, if you know what happens in Burmese history, that the street demonstrations have led to violence.
I really pray it doesn't happen again. But it is -- I think it's inevitable that people will be pushing back against this coup, that, I think, touches the hearts of everyone.
CURNOW: What is China's role in all of this?
And particularly in the aftermath and what happens next?
I know that the Myanmar generals and the Chinese are not natural bed partners.
But what kind of leverage does China have going forward, as well?
MITCHELL: Well, they have leverage in the sense that they have enormous business interests and a lot of investment there. But as you say, the generals don't particularly like the Chinese, they don't like any external influence on their internal affairs.
But they could have some leverage if they chose to use it. It would be wonderful for the U.S. and China to work together. But the Chinese see Myanmar, Burma, as their sphere of influence. They don't want any Western power anywhere near their border.
They talk about not being involved in internal affairs but sometimes they see these things as an opportunity, because there will be alienation from the democratic countries of the world. That means that the military would have to turn to China to support it.
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MITCHELL: So they may see an opportunity. But I'm sure they're watching very closely, given their historically bad relationship with the military and the good relationship they had formed with Aung San Suu Kyi's party.
CURNOW: Are there any lessons learned from the past that the U.S. in particular, the Biden administration should not repeat?
How should they deal with what is going on?
We've had tweets from the embassy on the ground, we've obviously had some response.
What next there?
MITCHELL: I don't know about lessons learned. We want to distinguish between the people of the country and those who perpetrated this, the military.
I think there's a recognition that the old days of sanctions, which were blanket sanctions that isolated the country, may not be the best way to go now. You want to target this carefully but not hurt the economy or the people. That's a very strong lesson many have taken.
I think also engagement is very, very important, that we have established a very -- a record of engagement in the past 10 years. And even though we've been alienated since the Rohingya crisis, that it's important to reengage and get to the commander in chief. It's very hard at this point.
But work with allies. Work with partners like Japan and others to see if we can find a way to get to the commander in chief to turn from this course he's on, before it's too late.
CURNOW: So I know that many people who have watched this will agree with you, that they prefer targeted sanctions, not blanket sanctions. Another criticism of American policy was too much of a focus on Aung San Suu Kyi, on one person, one leader.
How important is it to look at these protests or the opposition as more broad?
MITCHELL: Oh, you have to. And we always did. We had relations, as we could, even before the opening and certainly after the opening, when I was ambassador, first the envoy, then ambassador.
We had very strong relations with civil society, with the media, with political parties across the spectrum. We just didn't have that ability in the old days, because we were -- it was just a junta and they were isolating themselves and we isolated them further with sanctions.
The reason why there was such attention on Aung San Suu Kyi was maybe twofold. One, she's a charismatic figure. She represents the democratic hope of the country and it created a lot of attention to the country, because she was the representative, the symbol of it.
But also the people have chosen her. It wasn't simply about her and who she was, she was, in 1990, head of the party that won in a landslide election. In 2015, head of the party that won in a landslide and the same last November.
So she represents democracy. The people have chosen her, so we must invest in the people's choice. But it can't be about just her. It has to be everyone and invest in the future, because she won't be around forever.
CURNOW: Former ambassador to Myanmar, really appreciate you joining me. Thank you for your perspective.
MITCHELL: Thanks for the opportunity.
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CURNOW: And Russian police have arrested thousands of protesters there. The wave of demonstrations began in support of Alexei Navalny and it has morphed into a wider pro-democracy movement. Some of those arrested are speaking out, describing how they were treated by police. Here's Fred Pleitgen.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The images of Russian riot cops cracking down on protesters have sparked outrage around the world. Thousands have been detained and some say they were mistreated by police in custody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I was alone in the room with these four policeman and one said, "What, do you want a plastic bag over your head?"
On the shelf they already had a plastic bag as if it was prepared for this. So they put it over my head and started choking me a little bit. I tried to resist but he kept putting my head down and shaking me.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): A Kremlin spokesperson said that if what she described really happened, then she should have filed a lawsuit, even though she's currently in jail.
Moscow police did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Security forces detained so many people at recent demos, Moscow even ran out of space to keep them in.
Images have emerged of people crammed into police buses waiting for hours and even days to be processed with no chance to physically distance during times of pandemic.
Alexander Golovach is a lawyer for opposition leader Alexei Navalny's organization. He was detained at a protest last weekend.
ALEXANDER GOLOVACH, ANTI-CORRUPTION LAWYER (through translator): I was taken to a police station with 25 other people. I was spent there three days. In the first day, we had no food, no water and they didn't let us use the toilet.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): This is Saharova (ph), a former migrant camp now used as a detention center.
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PLEITGEN (voice-over): People locked up here shared these videos with CNN showing cramped cells.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Everything is bad. There aren't mattresses and people have been sitting like this for 1.5 days.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Among them, a prominent journalist jailed for retweeting a joke which the court said incited participation in an unauthorized rally.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We spent many hours in a tiny cell, 28 people in a cell meant for eight. These are harsh conditions.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): While he says he has been moved to a better cell, others claim little has changed for them.
Meanwhile, pro Kremlin media is blaring out videos like this one of factory workers enthusiastically showing their support for Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Putin's spokesman acknowledged the overcrowded facilities but said the response of the riot police was justified and claim there were, quote, "no repressions in Russia."
Outside the makeshift jail, friends and relative bring food, drinks and cigarettes for those inside, some venting their anger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Our job is to show the detainees they have support and we are all together in this. That's the only way to build society.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Alexei Navalny's movement has refrained from calling for new protesters for now, saying they want to regroup and give their supporters time to get out of jail -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Russia.
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CURNOW: COVID has forced millions to say goodbye to loved ones. And the imposed isolation can intensify the grief for those left behind. After the break, we talk to three women, who tell us their struggles to cope with their loss.
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CURNOW: A year ago, one of the first people to call the world's attention to the coronavirus died from the illness he tried to warn people about. A 34-year-old doctor in Wuhan named Li Wenliang became known as the whistleblower who alerted people about the new virus.
The Chinese government reprimanded him for his actions. They said he was spreading rumors. To mark the anniversary of his death, some people left flowers and a picture of the doctor outside the hospital where he died.
Now since Dr. Li's death, there have been more than 2 million people around the world who have lost their lives to COVID. And as families and friends are left behind, they are also left to cope with their death during a pandemic that's been a struggle. Here's Phil Black. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like all of us now, Trish and Peter Skinner find comfort in family video calls. Here, they're connecting to dozens of people across England and the U.S.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your boys are so grown up.
BLACK (voice-over): For a brief moment there's joy seeing all those loving faces. But the feeling is quickly crushed as the screen shows why they have come together. They're watching live images from a gray, windy cemetery near England's southern coast.
Where Trisha's father is being buried. Herbert John Tate died from COVID-19, he was almost 104. Remembered as the strong willed patriarch who held his family together for generations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was granddad. And I loved him.
BLACK (voice-over): The pandemic means only a small number of young people can be there to mourn him.
Trish can only watch and listen and hope. The shaky image on a small screen is a limited window to the ceremony honoring her father's long, meaningful life. And then it is over.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really lovely.
BLACK (voice-over): But for a grieving daughter who longs to be with family it is not enough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The saddest thing now is that we are all going to leave.
BLACK (voice-over): Grief in a time of COVID is made worse by loneliness.
TRISH SKINNER, DAUGHTER OF COVID-19 VICTIM: Can't possibly be the same? There is no interaction physically. And that's the biggest thing that is missing during this terrible time.
EDWINA FITZPATRICK, WIFE OF COVID-19 VICTIM: He was like my best friend. Felt like I knew him forever.
BLACK (voice-over): Edwina FitzPatrick also knows that pain. She and her husband Nick Devlin had both caught the virus. Nick deteriorated quickly.
FITZPATRICK: I held him through the nursing staff through the hospital and we went in and that's the last I saw of him. Breathing through window. Blow kisses to each other.
BLACK (voice-over): Edwina was abruptly alone with her grief, lockdown in the home that shared surrounded by evidence of their life together.
BLACK: How did it go for you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt some very strongly and seriously about committing suicide on that first weekend.
BLACK (voice-over): Instead Edwina chose to live, to ensure Nick's first novel was published and to help others. She set up COVID Speakeasy, video support groups for those experiencing the pandemics unique power to inflict trauma through grief and isolation.
FITZPATRICK: We don't want to (INAUDIBLE) just how terribly were feeling both physically and mentally.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've never felt pain like it. Because I couldn't be with him I couldn't hold him. -- Sorry. I could not say 'bye to him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean --
BLACK (voice-over): Samie Miller is describing what it was like losing her father to COVID-19.
This was David Miller only a few months before he died. 66 and healthy, loving and loved. Sammy says everything about grieving him is harder because of the pandemic.
SAMIE MILLER, DAUGHTER OF COVID-19 VICTIM: I'm waiting for bereavement counseling. Because -- I don't know how to live without my dad.
BLACK (voice-over): To find closure, she turned to London's St. Paul's Cathedral. For centuries, a building focused on remembering lost and sacrificed. Samie added her father's image to the cathedral's permanent online memorial.
[02:50:00]
BLACK (voice-over): A project to help people cope with the specific challenges of confronting grief in the time of COVID.
MILLER: I just think it is a beautiful feeling that in St. Paul's Cathedral has done. And I just want to keep his memory alive.
BLACK: He's not just a number?
MILLER: He's not just a number. He's my dad.
BLACK (voice-over): David Miller, Nick Devlin, John Tate. Just three among the millions lost. A tiny sample from the pandemics infinite pool of grief -- Phil Black, CNN, London.
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CURNOW: Millions of people in the Eastern U.S. are under winter storm alerts with another major storm set to hit in a matter of hours, expected to dump heavy snow on a region still recovering from a winter blast just days ago.
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CURNOW: I'm Robyn Curnow. I'll be back with more NEWSROOM in just a moment.
