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Pfizer Submits Vaccine Trial Data for Kids Ages 5-11; CDC: No Unexpected Adverse Reaction from Booster Shots; Poll Shows Surge in Blacks, Hispanics Getting Vaccinated; Poll: Biden Facing a Trust Deficit Over Handling of COVID; U.S. Condemns Latest North Korean Missile Launch; Simone Biles: "I Should Have Quit Way Before Tokyo". Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired September 28, 2021 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:34:59]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: A COVID-19 vaccine for young children may be a step closer to reality today.

[13:35:05]

Pfizer has just given the FDA data on vaccine trials involving kids ages 5 to 11. But the company is not yet seeking emergency use authorization. That is expected in the coming weeks, however.

Senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, joins us.

And, Elizabeth, explain why Pfizer would submit this data but not a request for emergency use authorization, especially given the head of Pfizer said just this week that that was coming in days.

DR. ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. This is -- there's a very specific process to this, Ana. It isn't an all-in- one, let's apply.

You give some data, you wait, you give some other data. There's lots of discussions, which we're not privy to between the FDA and Pfizer. So this is not surprising.

They are going to give some data, they will give more data, and then they will do their official application. And from there, we expect it would be weeks before the FDA makes their decision.

Now, speaking of vaccinations, it is wonderful news that children could sometime, hopefully in the coming month or two or three, get vaccinated because vaccination numbers in the U.S. have not been doing so great. There aren't as many new vaccinations as anyone would like.

So let's take a look at what those numbers look like. This is data that is out just now, this hour, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

And 230,000 people getting their first vaccines per day, 230 people getting vaccinated, their first doses. That sounds like a lot, but that's actually the slowest pace since January.

You remember how slow it was as the rollout started. They had a 31 percent decline since last week. So there really needs to be efforts to sort of get these numbers going.

Right now, one in four eligible Americans have still not gotten even a first shot -- Ana?

CABRERA: And we're getting new information this hour about booster shots. Tell us what you're hearing from the CDC.

COHEN: Yes. The CDC is putting out information about the side effects of booster shots because we've all wondered about that. Is it the same for the first and second shots?

What they found is they are very safe. And the side effects in many of us who had the first two shots and are familiar with them really are very similar to the side effects that people felt often after their second shot.

So, for example, they -- the side effects were mild. They were moderate. They were things like muscle aches, fatigue, headache, of course, pain at the injection site.

So all of the things that you heard about with the second shot, that's what people are feeling with the third shot.

And no major problems here, just these kinds of mild side effects -- Ana?

CABRERA: Elizabeth Cohen, we appreciate that. Thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

CABRERA: We do have some good news regarding new polling showing a surge in Hispanic and black Americans getting vaccinated.

And CNN's senior data reporter, Harry Enten, is joining us now with what those numbers show.

They are going right direction, Harry?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: They are. You know, one of the problems we had earlier on in this pandemic, and as we were putting the vaccines out, there was real inequities in who was taking the vaccines.

And what do we see in the new polling that's come out this month?

Looking at whites versus blacks and Hispanics, you can see they are pretty much equal in the polling data versus April where whites were well ahead of African-Americans and Hispanics.

I should point out that the CDC data, which is incomplete but gives us another view of it, also suggests that, in fact, we're seeing more equity in the vaccinations as black and Hispanic adults are starting to catch up to white adults in how many of them are vaccinated.

CABRERA: What are you seeing when it comes to vaccine mandates. How are those working out? What do the numbers show?

ENTEN: This, to me, is interesting in so far as I've heard a lot of people saying that vaccine mandates are quote, unquote, "racist."

But in fact, what we see in the data is that black and Hispanic adults are actually more likely to say that they are acceptable than white adults.

You see this. Black and Hispanic adults, a majority of them say they are acceptable. The white adults, majority say they are unacceptable. Overall, there's a pretty large split in this country.

But among people of color, what we're clearly seeing in the polling data, whether it's the CNN poll or other data I've looked at, is that people of color are much more likely to think vaccine mandates are a good idea than white Americans do.

CABRERA: There's one thing, if you're president, you don't want to see the trust in the president's handling of this pandemic is down significantly. Fill us in.

ENTEN: Yes, it is down significantly.

I would argue that the one reason Joe Biden won the election last year was because of the coronavirus pandemic. And more voters trusted him than trusted then-President Donald Trump.

But what you see here is, how much trust do you have in Biden to provide accurate COVID-19 information? Now just 45 percent of Americans say a great deal or fair amount. And 53 percent say little or no trust.

That's a real flip from where we were in May where the clear majority of Americans had a great deal or a fair amount in Biden to provide accurate COVID-19 information.

This is so important, Ana, not just for the pandemic but his presidency overall because the coronavirus pandemic right now is still the number-one issue.

[13:40:03]

So if Biden can't be trusted on that, then his numbers overall really won't be able to recover from the gully they are in right now.

CABRERA: Harry Enten, I always enjoy our conversations. And I do want to give a shout-out to your podcast because --

ENTEN: Hey.

CABRERA: -- the new episode caught my attention, which is a big debate over Daylight Saving Time -- not "savings," "saving" time. And tell people where they can listen in. ENTEN: You can get it on iTunes, basically anywhere you get your

podcasts. But it's a fun time.

We have so much dark news right now so, you know, this is a chance to get away and sort of talk about the more mundane but still very fascinating facets of life.

CABRERA: Harry Enten, good to see you. Thank you, sir.

ENTEN: Nice to see you.

CABRERA: The nation's largest school district can move ahead with its vaccine mandate for teacher and staff. An appeals court threw out an injunction that blocked New York City from imposing the requirement.

Mayor Bill De Blasio has set a Friday deadline now for educators and staff to get their first shot or risk losing their jobs it. The mandate applies to teachers and other employees, custodians and cafeteria workers.

The legal battles is not over. Lawyers for teachers opposed to this mandate say they will ask the Supreme Court to intervene. Stay tuned.

Coming up, tensions escalating on the Korean peninsula as North Korea test fires another missile. What the U.S. is saying about this, next.

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[13:46:12]

CABRERA: The U.S. is condemning the latest missile test by North Korea. A State Department spokesman calling it a threat to North Korea's neighbors and the international community.

The short-range missile was launched into the seas off the coast of the Korean peninsula.

And CNN's Paula Hancocks is in Seoul for us.

Paula, this is the third missile launch in just the last month. What's behind this?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Ana, yes. This was about 6:40 a.m. local time. It was a short-range ballistic missile, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff here.

Not one of the missiles that is of greater concern to the region, but still one that violates United Nations resolutions from the Security Council.

And it happened just about 20, 25 minutes before the North Korean representative for the United Nations stood up in the General Assembly and made his speech for North Korea. So clearly the timing does not appear very coincidental.

Now, during that speech, the representative said that he blamed the U.S. for antagonizing North Korea, saying that North Korea has the right to self-defense, it has the right to test these weapons.

Not technically correct, of course, because it does violation U.N. Security Council resolutions.

So the U.S. military said it doesn't pose an immediate threat to the U.S. or to its allies and personnel in the region. But it does show that North Korea does have a destabilizing effect on the region.

And it comes, as you say, the third missile test this week -- this month, sorry. There had been cruise missiles. There's also been a ballistic missile fired from a train, showing new technology.

And it comes also just after the sister of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un, said she almost held an olive branch out to South Korea suggesting that there could be some dialogue between North and South Korea.

But then you see in the United Nations General Assembly that they are slamming the United States, calling the -- the hostile policy, which they often quote as a reason for the needing to test these weapons.

But it was still not particularly harsh rhetoric. And they still did leave the door open for some potential negotiation.

We heard that from the State Department spokesman as well, saying that they still push for diplomacy with North Korea -- Ana?

CABRERA: Paula Hancocks, thank you for that update.

[13:48:35]

Coming up, gymnastics superstar, Simone Biles, opening up, saying she should have quit way before the Tokyo Olympic.

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CABRERA: Simone Biles today with another remarkably candid interview and reflecting about when it all became too much.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist opening up about the battles and recent loss she's faced, saying she, quote, "should have quit way before Tokyo."

Andy Scholes joins us now with more -- Andy?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Ana, fans around the world were just shocked when Simone Biles took herself out of several gymnastics competitions in Tokyo to focus on her mental health.

And now, as she looks back at the entire experience, Biles says she's not surprised at all at what happened.

In an interview with "New York" magazine, Biles said, "If you look at everything I've gone through the past seven years, I should have never made another Olympic team."

"I should have quit way before Tokyo when Larry Nassar was in the media for two years. It was too much."

"But I was not going to let him take something I've worked for since I was 6 years old. I wasn't going to let him take that joy away from me. So I pushed past that for as long as my mind and my body would let me."

Now, Biles revealed, back in 2018, that she was sexually abused by Nassar, her former team doctor.

She told a congressional hearing that the gymnastics officials and FBI turned a blind eye to her and hundreds of other gymnasts abused by Nassar.

Biles says she went to therapy as she trained for the Tokyo games where she was forced out of action after experiencing a mental block known as the twisties.

[13:55:04]

Biles recently said she's overcome the twisties and to do everything once again.

And, Ana, Biles is currently on a national tour with her teammates which kicks off tonight in San Francisco.

CABRERA: Andy Scholes, thank you.

It is great to have you with us today. I'll see you back here tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter, @AnaCabrera.

Alisyn Camerota picks up our coverage after a quick break. Stay with us.

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