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Gulf Coast Braces For Impact As Hurricane Ida Bears Down; Biden: Another Kabul Attack "Highly Likely In Next 24-36 Hours"; Louisiana Hospitals Maxed Out Before Hurricane Even Hits; DOD Releases Names Of Service Members Killed In Kabul Bombing; Doctors Frustrated As COVID Cases Climb; U.S. Embassy Warns Of "Credible Threat" Near Kabul Airport. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired August 28, 2021 - 20:00   ET

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

[20:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: In Afghanistan, the deadline draws closer and so does the threat of terror. President Biden is warning that another attack on the Kabul airport is highly likely within the next 24 to 36 hours.

First, a storm that could make history or repeat it. The ghost of Hurricane Katrina is looming large over the gulf coast tonight as Hurricane Ida grows stronger and more ominous.

The storm is charging straight toward Louisiana, and it could make landfall tomorrow as a category four near New Orleans. And on the 16th anniversary of Katrina's landfall.

Louisiana's governor said it could be the strongest storm to hit his state since before the Civil War.

Parts of Louisiana are under mandatory evacuation orders, and many highways and roads are clogged with traffic from Texas to Alabama.

Mississippi's governor has declared a state of emergency. His state was also ravaged by Katrina.

The National Weather Service is underscoring the dire stakes, warning that some places might be, quote, "uninhabitable" for weeks or months.

We are covering all the angles of the approaching hurricane and the growing sense of urgency tonight.

Let's begin with Meteorologist Tom Sater in the CNN Weather Center.

Tom, how is it looking?

TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we just received the 8:00 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center. There are some changes, but the track doesn't change with this. We're going to get a lot more information for the 11:00 p.m. advisory.

Let me explain. When you look at an infrared satellite imagery, the bright colors, they're the cold or higher cloud tops. A lot of convective activity around the core, as you would expect.

When it really starts to circulate, you know it's still a breathing machine. But also on, of course, the feeder bands. Rain to Jacksonville, southern areas Georgia, into Houston.

What we're finding now is the aircraft that are in this, reconnaissance aircraft, this is where they're going to start to give more of the information we've been looking for.

In fact, we had one out of Lakeland, Florida, a NOAA plane, craft going through, making a couple of passes through the center.

Then we have our Air Force hurricane hunter that had to fly in from San Antonio because, originally, out of Biloxi, but they had to leave that.

Of course, they're coming in now. One's working on the bands, one's working on the center.

We're going to get more information now. It's still a category two. It was 290 miles south, southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi. Now it's 200. So it's gotten a little closer. About 90 miles per hour.

Some of the warmest water on our planet is in areas of the gulf coastal areas. We're not talking about just 80s. Temperatures that are 88, 89 degrees. That is high-octane fuel.

We are expecting some rapid intensification for the overnight period. Most likely later tonight, could be a category three. By tomorrow, a category four.

The last time we had a category four was Hurricane Laura that devastated Lake Charles. In fact, thousands of homes still have the blue tarps.

That's important to know because these tropical storm-force winds are going to be moving in for the morning hours.

Even though they'll be coming in from areas of the north, once the center moves in, they're still going to be strong enough to create more damage to those vulnerable homes that, again, still have sustained damage and not everything's repaired.

Now we're going to watch the core of the system move in. This is where you get a category, say, four at 130 mile-per-hour winds.

Think of the energy it takes for 130 mile-per-hour sustained winds. Those are not the gusts. Those are stronger gusts.

Then you take the circulation. And we're going to see how close this gets, if it starts to edge and trend more to the east. It's going to mean maybe more in the way of damage for higher populated area.

As it continues to move northward, it is hitting with such force, it's going to sustain that energy and carry it further inland. I mean, this is not going to drop from a category four to a tropical storm in a couple of hours. It takes several hours.

Now, earlier today, in the 5:00 p.m. advisory, they extended the warnings for the surge to go all the way to Florida border, including Mobile Bay.

Notice how the warnings are not just on the coastline. This is saltwater inundation that goes several miles inland.

In fact, we're going to be watching, like in Morgan City, where your elevation is not that high, so the surge, which is expected to be 10 to 15.

This is not like Katrina where, in some cases, 17. We had 20, 24-foot storm surges in some areas. That was more of a vulnerability problem with the levee system.

However, this is going to cause problems. Now, the city of New Orleans can handle the surge. The risk reduction system that they have. They spent $20 billion and the best engineers in the U.S. came up to really help keep the surge from the city.

The problem is when you have inundation like this, it's not so much the surge from New Orleans, it's the amount of rain that's going to fall from above.

Now it's all about the pumping system. Can they handle two and three inches an hour and get this. If it starts to back up, we've got a world of problems because they're pretty much in a bowl.

So not only the heavy amounts of rain. It could drop 10, 15 inches of rain in New Orleans, in widespread areas.

Then you toss in these winds, massive power outages. Be prepared to be out of power for possibly three weeks, saying some of these power companies.

[20:05:02]

But, again, this is just the beginning. Not much of a change in the 8 p.m., Pamela, but we'll know more as time goes on.

We just don't want to see this trend too much further to the east because you're getting closer to New Orleans.

Nobody wants this landfall anywhere. But if you're going to have it, have it in the marshy areas, those parishes where the population is more dispersed.

BROWN: What you laid out there, Tom, a concerning recipe. I know you'll be tracking the developments.

Thank you so much, Tom Sater.

Let's go southwest of New Orleans to a city in the projected path of the storm.

CNN's Jason Carroll is there.

What are you seeing, Jason?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, as you can imagine, it's not just about what we're seeing, which is a little wind right now, but what we're expecting.

This could be ground zero for this hurricane. This area as well, a town called Houma, not far from where I'm standing.

If you look behind me here, emergency officials are hoping and betting that this floodgate could be one of the main courses of defense against water overflow in this area.

It was built after Katrina. It's higher than most of the levees in and around the parish. The levees around the parish stand at about 12 feet.

As you've heard from some of the predictions, storm surge could be up to 15 feet. That is why this area is under a mandatory evacuation. Houma also under a mandatory evacuation. Population there about 34,000.

When I was speaking to emergency officials about those mandatory evacuations, he said his belief is that most of the people of Houma, who live south of this floodgate, he believes many of the people there have evacuated. Many, but certainly not all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF TIMONTHY SOIGNET, TERREBONNE PARISH, LOUISIANA: A lot of people since earlier this morning, people were evacuating. We had an area, evacuation at the high school. So far, about 350-plus people evacuated so far today there.

The system, what we had -- the operation they had to get those guys out of there.

CARROLL: Most of the residents, many of the residents, what's your guess --

(CROSSTALK)

SOIGNET: I think we probably got about 60, maybe 60, as much as 80 percent of residents have evacuated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Sixty, perhaps 80 percent at best.

Here's another crucial point. If you look out here, Pamela, that is Highway 56 -- and the reason why I point that out is because for those who do want to get out of this area, that road that you're looking at is basically the only way in or out if you want to make it to Houma or beyond to safety. That's why emergency officials are really urging people to heed that

mandatory evacuation because if that road becomes compromised, there's no way in or out -- Pamela?

BROWN: That is very concerning.

Jason Carroll, thank you so much.

And sign up for email alerts from CNN meteorologists and reporters in the field and stay up to date on extreme weather in your area. All you have to do is visit CNN.com/weatheralerts to subscribe.

And as we watch the hurricane evacuations on the gulf coast, we are also watching the evacuations in Afghanistan.

Despite the terror attack that claimed 13 American servicemembers, the work goes on. The latest numbers show nearly 7,000 people evacuated from Kabul in a 24-hour stretch as of early this morning.

That's a drop in the daily numbers. And the White House warned we'll see that as the mission winds down.

Those latest evacuations also came as the U.S. carried out its strike against ISIS-K killing two high-profile ISIS targets and wounding another.

And now we're hearing from President Biden. Quoting from his statement this afternoon:

"I said we would go after the group responsible for the attack on our troops and innocent our troops and innocent civilians in Kabul, and we have. The strike was not the last. We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay. Whenever anyone seeks to harm the United States or attack our troops, we will respond. That will never be in doubt."

CNN chief White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins, and CNN Pentagon correspondent, Oren Liebermann, join me now.

Kaitlan, let's start with you.

The president says another attack is likely. Tell us about that.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is obviously deeply concerning, Pam, given what we saw, the devastation this week with these 13 U.S. servicemembers being killed.

Now he is being told by his top military commanders that another attack is not only probable, it's highly likely in the next 24 to 36 hours.

We have heard for days now from officials that they believe this really is going to be the most dangerous period of this entire evacuation mission, which, of course, has not been safe at any point in time given the situation that these troops have been working in. But as they are drawing down their presence at the Kabul airport in

the leadup to Tuesday's deadline to remove all U.S. forces from Afghanistan, that is what officials are most worried about, the risk that it does pose to those troops who are still on the ground.

[20:10:11]

Because there are fewer of them, they are having to move their weaponry, their machinery, their resources out of the area. And so that is what officials are watching.

And of course, we've seen the response to ISIS-K after that attack on Thursday - or the attack earlier this week that killed those 13 servicemembers.

That drone strike that happened that you just referenced that they said killed two ISIS-K planners, of course, the reason they're going after them is because they're worried they're planning other attacks.

And so this is essentially something that the president is being constantly updated on at the White House. He has started his mornings every day this week with a briefing like this.

So this is something they're watching incredibly closely as they were worried about these last final hours that troops were on the ground could be the most dangerous ones to them.

BROWN: And, Oren, the Taliban are condemning the strike on ISIS-K, saying they should have been told ahead of time. Could this affect whatever cooperation we have with the Taliban as Tuesday's deadline nears?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It certainly seems like it could. From the beginning, this was a strained relationship. Not one built on trust or some sort of allegiance or alliance or friendship or community.

It was built purely on shred interests. The Taliban wanted the U.S. out of Afghanistan and so did the U.S. And that shared interest is where this cooperation came from.

Could the attack and the Taliban condemnation strain the relationship especially in the crucial final hours? Yes, it could.

But the shared interest remains. The Taliban wants to see the U.S. out. The U.S. is trying to get not only its citizens out but its troops out.

And the Taliban is well aware that these are the final hours of the withdrawal and the evacuation.

On top of that, there's one more shared interest that is key here -- that is both the Taliban and the U.S. see ISIS-K as a threat and an enemy.

There's information sharing with the Taliban on the ground there, not only to try to expand the security corridor but to share information that would help prevent attacks, even if they are especially highly likely in this final period.

BROWN: Yes, because we are concerned about that, as you and Kaitlan pointed out, with the warning of another attack.

Kaitlan, how chaotic are things right now inside the White House?

COLLINS: They're basically on edge kind of, watching this. They won't be surprised if there's another attack, but obviously no one wants to see one. And so they are working their best to try to thwart one.

But the difficulty of this is that it's not just intelligence, it's what we saw this week, where it is a suicide bomber who goes in wearing something they believe under what he has on.

And he can get in so close, of course, to those troops, slipped past the Taliban checkpoints. That's a big concern. It's not always easy for them to spot, of course.

And so the question is, what effect does this have on the evacuation numbers, as well. We know there are still a lot of Afghans who want to get out, who have helped the U.S., that simply so far have not been able to.

And we did just get an update from the White House, Pam. From today at 3:00 a.m. to 3 p.m., a total of approximately 2,000 people were evacuated. That's 11 military planes and seven coalition flights, which is with major U.S. allies.

So you're already seeing those numbers start to go down. Still a high number of planes actually going out of there.

But this comes as they have been saying you are going to see a reduction in these numbers as we get closer to Tuesday.

And of course, that is the number-one concern for a lot of veterans, a lot of people in the military, is making sure they can help the people who helped them get out of there before that deadline happens.

And really it becomes incredibly uncertain once Tuesday passes.

BROWN: Certainly does.

Kaitlan Collins, live from the White House, Oren Liebermann, from the Pentagon, thank you both.

Up next, we remember the 13 American heroes lost in Afghanistan, including this Marine whose love of duty led to this remarkable moment with an Afghan toddler.

[20:13:54]

And as we track Hurricane Ida, how much more can Louisiana hospitals handle? We are live with the top health official from New Orleans up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:18:13]

BROWN: As Hurricane Ida closes in on Louisiana, hospitals across the state are already overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. Louisiana's governor has made it clear evacuating hospitals ahead of Ida will not be possible.

Adding to the worries, a surge in new cases, 3,400 reported just yesterday.

Dr. Jennifer Avegno is director of the New Orleans Health Department.

The state is already overwhelmed with this pandemic. Doctor, what are you doing to prepare with the storm coming your way?

DR. JENNIFER AVEGNO, DIRECTOR, NEW ORLEANS HEALTH DEPARTMENT: You're right. It's coming at a difficult time when our capacity is stretched.

But I will say our hospitals prepare for this every year. Last year we were in the cone of uncertainty for hurricanes eight times. So even then, during the pandemic, we had a lot of practice sort of understanding what we needed to do.

And they're doing the same. They're making sure they have appropriate staffing. They're discharging anyone that can be discharged.

And we are urging our residents, if you do not have an emergency and you do not nationwide hospital care, this is not the time to come to the hospital.

BROWN: And doctors like yourself need to stay to take care of the patients during the storm. You can't just evacuate like so many others are doing right now.

So what is being done to keep you and your colleagues safe, as well as your families? I'm sure it would be nerve-wracking, there's a hurricane, and you're working at the hospital, and you're not with your family.

AVEGNO: It is. And some of us have worked long enough to remember Katrina and certainly the stress of that.

But everyone knows when you are a health care worker in Louisiana, really in the gulf coast or anywhere that's a hurricane-prone area, you know what you're signing up for.

You're signing up to preserve life, preserve health, and that means sacrificing being with your family.

So many of us kissed our loved ones good-bye this morning and sent them off to places where they could ride out the storm more safely. And we're here taking care of patients because that's where we need to be.

[20:20:09]

BROWN: You mentioned Katrina. The 16th anniversary of Katrina is tomorrow.

What is the feel like right now in the hospital? You said some of the people there actually were there when Katrina hit. What is the feeling like?

AVEGNO: You know, I think it's really difficult for us every year when the anniversary comes around because of, you know, everyone has a Katrina story that is deeply personal and affected them. And you know, even 16 years later, we still feel that.

So I do think that we all realize that we've learned some very good lessons from Katrina. We are more prepared, better prepared.

We believe that our levee system is fortified in a way that it simply was not during Katrina. And I do think that gives us some confidence.

But it's hard. And my colleagues are doing their best not to wear their emotions on their sleeves. But I think we all have to acknowledge that for many of us we hoped we would never even be close to this again.

I don't think this will be a Katrina, but certainly it does bring up those emotions.

BROWN: And naturally so, because you're humans, too, and you have been on the front lines fighting this pandemic for so long now.

And now you're dealing with a spike in COVID cases and ICUs filling up. Now you see this massive storm heading your way.

What is the feeling? I mean, what does that feel like to be in your shoes right now?

AVEGNO: Well, you know, we certainly pride ourselves on being resilient and being strong. And being able to face unbelievable challenges at the same time with -- with good nature and humor sometimes. I think that explains a lot of our culture.

But you know, I'm proud that New Orleans is a really well vaccinated city.

And we put in a mandate several weeks ago that we're starting to see the effects of. We are starting to see hopefully a sustained downturn in cases, some leveling off of hospitalizations.

So I hope we'll be in as good shape as we can to weather whatever comes, whether it's COVID or a natural disaster at the same time.

BROWN: And as you talk to me right now, what is your bigger worry, COVID or the storm?

AVEGNO: I think our immediate -- we always think of what's going to happen right now, what is the acute need. Certainly, our acute focus is getting through the next 24 to 36 hours and assessing what it's going to do to us.

But really thinking about what it's going to do to our neighbors who might be taking a direct hit and how, you know, what do we need to do for them.

And then it's going to shift to the post-storm recovery.

And also making sure that whatever people needed to do right now to stay safe, whether it was sheltering with people who they don't live with or going out of town to places that are also COVID hotspots, that it doesn't spark another surge of COVID when they return.

So we're making sure we are testing folks in shelters, if they're in shelters, and we'll have robust capacity, hopefully, when they come back, to make sure we don't continue to have two crises at once.

BROWN: That's very important. The reality is, as we await this storm to hit your state, many people are also choosing not to evacuate?

So how will hospitals handle certain hurricane patients that they will receive when they're already dealing with ICUs maxed with COVID patients?

AVEGNO: Yes. We will certainly handle whatever comes our way.

I'm in a hospital right now. And I know that they've been very diligent about working with every partner we have to make sure people can be discharged safely to a place that they'll be able to ride out the storm.

And you know, as our hospitals have done when they need to take patients because they are ill and cannot safely go home and ride out a storm, they'll do that.

You know, we're very good at making the most of our resources and flexing and -- I'll say points to the -- how good our staff is.

They know what they're getting into. They know they might be called to take care of more patients or be stretched in ways that they're not used to being. And they're showing up anyway.

BROWN: Just an incredible effort. And we all thank them for their heroic effort during all of this.

Dr. Jennifer Avegno, thank you so much for joining us tonight. Best of luck as we look ahead to the storm.

AVEGNO: Thank you.

[20:24:37]

BROWN: Well, they are casualties of a war that started when many of them were just babies. Up next, stories of the 13 U.S. servicemembers who died in the terror attack at Kabul's airport.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BROWN: We are learning more tonight about the 13 U.S. servicemembers killed Thursday in the attack at the Kabul airport.

CNN's Natasha Chen has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They were young, they were passionate, they believed in their mission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, as we all know, the freedom we enjoy as Americans isn't free.

CHEN: Across the U.S., the families and hometown communities of these 13 U.S. servicemembers are grappling with loss after a suicide bomb attack killed them and more than 170 others outside Kabul's international airport on Thursday.

A moment of silence was held for 20-year-old Marine Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz of St. Charles, Missouri.

[20:30:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are incredibly grateful for Jared service to our nation.

CHEN: And a gathering of friends remembered 23-year-old Marine Corporal Daegan Page from near Omaha, Nebraska. His family says he was a longtime Boy Scout, played hockey, and loved hunting in the outdoors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was gone. He was one of the nicest persons I've ever met. I mean -- he was there for you when you needed it, and he was there for you when you didn't want it. But he was the definition of best friend I've ever had.

CHEN: The father of 31-year-old marine Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover of Salt Lake City said his son was called to action by a defining moment of his generation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was 11 years old, at 9/11. At that time, he decided that, hey, that's what I want to do. Best kid in the world and couldn't ask for any better. Loved his family. His sisters absolutely adore him.

CHEN: The sister of 20-year-old Marine Corporal, Rylee McCollum, said he was on his first deployment and was expecting a baby due in three weeks.

Another Marine, 23-year-old Sergeant Nicole Gee of Sacramento, California had posted a week ago on Instagram, a photo of her holding an Afghan infant. She wrote, "I love my job." Her friend who served with her posted a tribute on social media saying Gee cared about people. She loved fiercely. She was a light in this dark world. Gee was one of two female U.S. service members among those killed.

The other was 25-year-old Marine Sergeant, Johanny Rosario Pichardo from Lawrence, Massachusetts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a conversation with her mother yesterday, she spoke of her daughter as a vibrant young person who wanted to give back to the community. And as a result of that, it is her mother's desire that Johanny will be brought back to the city of Lawrence as the hero she is.

CHEN: In addition to the 11 Marines killed, one Army Staff Sergeant 23-year-old, Ryan Knauss, and one Navy hospital and 22-year-old, Maxton Soviak, were also killed. The last time Soviak spoke to his mother, she told him to be safe. The family said Soviak's last words to her over FaceTime were, don't worry, mom, my guys got me. They won't let anything happen to me. His mother said she realized they all just went together.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHEN: The tribute written about Sergeant Nicole Gee by her friend also talked about the fact that some of the younger generation may have only served in on peaceful missions, and that they've heard a lot of war stories from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, but may have felt somewhat removed from that. But until last Thursday, that is. Thursday's explosion really brought home the realities of America's longest war. And in that post, as she said, it definitely made this a very personal experience for them. Pamela.

BROWN: They were all so young and had so much of life ahead of them. Natasha Chen, thank you.

The ongoing COVID surge is taking its toll on patients. The majority unvaccinated and the people trying to save their lives. One ICU doctor is here to share the frustration he and his staff are feeling, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:35:54]

BROWN: As Hurricane Ida zeroes in on the Gulf Coast, hospitals there are already near capacity, almost filled with a new surge of COVID-19 patients. Across the U.S., thanks to the Delta variant, COVID-19 hospitalizations are past 100,000 this week. That is a level not seen in eight months.

According to new data, just released, 42 states are now seeing increases in COVID deaths, and 14 states COVID deaths increased by more than 50 percent in the last week. And across the south right now, the region's hospitals are facing a new crisis as COVID cases surge and oxygen shortage.

These rising COVID cases hospitalizations and deaths are pushing some doctors to the brink. My next guest says he is tired, exhausted and he's working double shifts to keep up. Dr. Ahmed Elhaddad, the ICU medical director at the Jupiter Florida Medical Center, joins me now. Doctor, thank you for your time. You are frustrated. Why? DR. AHMED ELHADDAD, THE ICU MEDICAL DIRECTOR AT THE JUPITER FLORIDA MEDICAL CENTER: Thank you, Pam, for having me. We're frustrated because we're tired of seeing people die and suffer because they did not take a vaccine. The vaccine has been available since December 14, and it's readily available, over 350 million doses have been given in the United States.

And we're tired of telling the families that their loved ones not going to make it. We're tired of telling the patients, you know, what do you have to say to your daughter or your son? I recently had a patient that's 37 years old, has two kids, and she was not vaccinated. And she had to FaceTime her kids for the last time before she had, you know, a tragic end.

BROWN: I mean, what you just described could have been me if I wasn't vaccinated. I mean, that is the scary thing. And I think that is the important point is that at this point in the pandemic, if you are not vaccinated, you could be that person you just described.

How much more difficult is it right now to fight the coronavirus compared to this time last year?

[20:40:05]

ELHADDAD: Well, this variant is eating away at the lungs. It's causing collapse of the lung, it's causing air to escape and surround the heart and compress the heart. And we're seeing the patients die faster with this variance. The patients are requiring, you know, everything we have, we have no medicines to help us with this. The only thing that we see that is preventing death is a vaccine.

BROWN: But when they make it to your hospital, it's too late by that point. So, given what you laid out, is it harder to have sympathy for those who come in sick when many of those with COVID right now are only sick because they didn't get the vaccine?

ELHADDAD: We still have sympathy, I don't want to be in any of their shoes, but it's just a simple thing that they could have done. But because of a lot of misinformation and hesitancy to take the vaccine, they're amongst the ones that are getting admitted to the ICU and the ones that are dying. We do not have a single patient in the ICU that has been vaccinated. And we have not had a single patient that had the vaccine that has died.

BROWN: So, what are the patients saying about their regrets about not getting the vaccine, once they are so sick, they have to go to the hospital, what are you hearing from them?

ELHADDAD: It's very sad, because just be -- just before they're placed on the ventilator, they wish they had taken the vaccine. And it's just really hard to see this round, we're seeing the younger patients 30, 40, 50-year-old and they're suffering, you know, they're hungry for oxygen, and they're dying.

Unfortunately, this round, they're dying faster. And we're putting them on a ventilator and, you know, some are dead within 24 hours, some are lasting a few days, some are lasting a week or so. And we have to go to extreme measures to keep them alive. And at the end, you know, they're going.

So, there's no magic medicine. We have -- we've been trying everything that anyone can think of globally, to, you know, try to prevent these people from dying, but it's not working. The only thing that we're finding is that the vaccine is preventing death, it's preventing patients from coming to the ICU.

BROWN: And, yet, as we speak right now, there are still so many people in the country who are eligible to get vaccinated who refuse to. What is your message to them?

ELHADDAD: My message is, you know, don't take a chance, there's a simple thing that you can do is just take a vaccine, and it's going to fight this virus. It's going to prevent you from getting into the ICU and dying. If I had told you that, you know, there's a line and -- there's a line in the backyard and get into your house and protect yourself, you're going to take that -- you're not going to even look for the line, you're just going to get in your house and protect yourself. So, that virus is that lion.

And all you have to do is take a vaccine. It's like a forcefield, that lion cannot touch you if you have that vaccine. So that's my message. It has to be -- you know, we're tired of seeing these people die just because they're not vaccinated. It's very frustrating. The nurses are overwhelmed.

The nurses are crying, my practitioners are crying. You know, even I -- you know, when talking to somebody and telling them this is it, do you have anything to say to your last -- your loved ones for the last time? If you're not going to say anything else, we're going to put you in a chemically induced coma, and you're going to be dead in a few days. It's very hard to say that over and over and over again.

BROWN: That's got to take such a tremendous emotional toll on you. What is that like having to go through that day in, day out?

ELHADDAD: It is very difficult. You know, if it wasn't for my wife and my kids to go hope to, but it's even harder when it's your friends. I have a patient now that's the father of one of my son's classmates. And he's not expected to make it, he was not vaccinated.

And I also have an ICU nurse that was just delivered a baby and didn't take the vaccine because she didn't know if it was safe or not. And it's not her fault, it's not anyone's fault. We just urge, you know, people to take the vaccine, because we don't want to lose anybody else.

BROWN: And you're having to say this to people -- you're seeing people you know. It's just too much to handle. What are you doing to take care of yourself?

ELHADDAD: Believe it or not, you know, I try to spend more time with the kids and go out and spend more time with them, but it's not easy for anyone. [20:45:03]

BROWN: It's -- no one can really fully understand it unless they are in your shoes. But you helped us -- you help give us a window into it, Dr. Ahmed Elhaddad, and we thank you for that. Because it is so important.

ELHADDAD: Thank you very much.

BROWN: Thank you.

ELHADDAD: All right.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Just in, the U.S. Embassy is issuing security alert at the Kabul airport due to a, quote, specific, credible threat at multiple locations. According to this bulletin from the U.S. Embassy, it says that U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid all airport gates at this time. Of course, this comes in the wake of the 13 U.S. service members killed in that suicide bombing that happened on Thursday.

[20:50:08]

And since then President Biden and other top officials have been warning that there could be another attack and faxing it is highly likely there will be another attack within 24 to 36 hours, and now you have the U.S. Embassy issuing the specific alert at the Kabul airport. We're going to be tracking this day and on top of it and for new the very latest.

But meantime, we want to turn back to COVID, because cases and hospitalizations are soaring. Misinformation is persuading some people to grasp for unproven treatments, including medicine for horses and cows.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why in the world that an individual would want to take a medication for livestock?

BROWN: Ivermectin can be used to treat parasites like worms and lice in humans, but it's mainly used by vets to deworm livestock.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We typically sell maybe 10 of those in a month. But in the past month, we've probably sold 50 to 100 of each.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I highly suggest people stop injecting themselves with Ivermax and start injecting themselves with a vaccine, because that's free and that is $300.

BROWN: The CDC says calls to poison control centers have tripled compared to the number of calls they were getting before the pandemic started. DR. PAUL BYERS, MISSISSIPPI STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST: We're talking about 14 or 15 people who are calling because they may have toxicity as a result of ingesting livestock ivermectin to self-treat or self-prevent COVID.

BROWN: This week, the CDC revealed that one adult was hospitalized for nine days after drinking a cattle formula. Another bought pills online and took five of them every day for five days before they two ended up in the hospital.

So, where is this misinformation coming from?

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: We know that our FDA has, in many ways, failed us by not allowing for the use of ivermectin.

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: Weinstein (PH) discussed the benefits of a drug called ivermectin which can and is around the world used to treat and prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

BROWN: Yes. Some have investigated whether ivermectin might help, but no solid evidence has been found that it can help people with COVID- 19.

DR. VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Let me just say very clearly that ivermectin is not a recommended treatment for COVID-19.

BROWN: Republican Wisconsin Senator, Ron Johnson, has been pushing ivermectin since 2020. His dubious claims about COVID treatments, including ivermectin earned him a one-week suspension from YouTube. And just last week, he was touting the livestock drug on his official Senate Twitter account. To be clear, these are the same people casting doubt on life-saving COVID vaccines that the FDA has found safe and effective.

CARLSON: It makes you think once you think about it, that maybe none of this is really about COVID. Maybe it's about social control.

INGRAHAM: The Biden administration is about to take their pressure campaign to your doorstep.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The focus of this administration on vaccination is mindboggling.

BROWN: For the record, the science is clear. The danger is real. Listen to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The doctors, your tax dollars paying to protect public health. Overdosing on ivermectin can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, itching and hives, dizziness, trouble keeping your balance, seizures, coma, and yes, even death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take only those medications that are directed by your physician. Please don't take livestock medication.

BROWN: If you don't have hooves, if you don't wear a saddle to work, and if you don't stand in a field chewing grass, then ignore the noise on social media and the hot air coming from right wing talking heads. Or in the words of the FDA, "You are not a horse, you are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it."

And breaking news this hour. The U.S. Embassy has issued a security alert at Kabul airport due to a specific credible threat in multiple areas.

CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Oren Liebermann, has the latest. Oren?

LIEBERMANN: This is some of the sternest warning we've seen about a specific threat. Generally, in the -- in the previous days, it was a general threat to the airport and a warning to stay away from the gates. The warning here more severe, more strict, and perhaps even I would say more imminent.

I will simply read this alert. Due to a specific credible threat, all U.S. citizens in the vicinity of Kabul airport, including the South Gate, the new Ministry of the Interior and the gate near the Panjshir Petrol Station on the Northwest side of the airport should leave the airport area immediately.

A stern warning from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul that's already operating at the airport, basically, to get away from what we know, of course, is an obvious target for ISIS-K and other terror groups trying to strike down U.S. troops, but U.S. citizens and others who are trying to get out of the country. It was a warning, not as stern as this one, but similar to this one on Wednesday, that preceded the attack at Abbey Gate on Thursday in which 13 service members were killed, as well as about 20 others wounded and scores of Afghans were killed.

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So, the wording here is incredibly severe. This after President Joe Biden warned that there could be another terror attack in the next 24 to 36 hours at Kabul airport.

BROWN: We'll be watching all of this closely. Oren, thank you so much.

And thank you for joining me this evening. I'm Pamela Brown. I'll see you again tomorrow night starting at 6:00 Eastern with live coverage of Hurricane Ida as it makes landfall. CNN NEWSROOM with Poppy Harlow is next.

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