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W.H.O. Global Risk Tied to Omicron Variant "Very High"; U.S. Restricts Travel From Eight African Countries; Japan to Suspend All Arrivals of Foreign Nationals; Israel Bans Entry of All Foreigners Over Omicron Fears; South African President Slams Omicron Travel Bans; European Markets Eye Recovery After Omicron-Driven Drop. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired November 29, 2021 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and right around the world. I'm Isa Soares in London, and just ahead right here ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
As more countries detect cases of the Omicron variant, scientists scramble to learn how the vaccines will hold up.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How transmissible is this? We don't know yet. How severe is this? We don't know that question.
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SOARES: Yet many countries including the United States enacting travel bans and tightening border control. South Africa calling those moves unfair.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pandemics are not about panicking, they're about policies, protocols and practice.
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SOARES: And we are also monitoring this hour, the market, the stock market, as nervous investors have stopped stabilize after Friday's big sell-off.
ANNOUNCER: Live from London. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Isa Soares.
SOARES: Hello everyone, it is Monday, November 29th, and we begin with the global scramble really to contain the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Now the World Health Organization has in the last hour or so come out with a technical brief saying the overall risk from Omicron is quote very high. This after U.S. ban on most travelers from South Africa and nearby countries takes effect. G7 health ministers are set to hold talks on Omicron later today. The new form of COVID-19 is been found in more than a dozen countries
and territories -- as you can see right there in the screen. And in the last hour, we heard Portugal has joined that list. And the U.S. isn't alone in shutting its borders in an attempt to really contain the variant. That is spark anger in South Africa where scientists first reported the variant and alerted the global community only last week. If you remember.
Well, there are signs Omicron is more infectious, but we still don't know how bad the threat is compared to other variants. A doctor who is among the first to raise the alarm about Omicron, says the symptoms appear mild. But it's worth mentioning many of the cases she saw in South Africa were in people under 40. Take a listen.
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DR. ANGELIQUE COETZEE, CHAIR SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: Looking at the mildness of the symptoms that we are seeing, currently there is no reason for panicking, as we don't see severely ill patients. The mostly predominant clinical complaint is severe fatigue for one or two days, with the headache and the body aches and pains. Some of them will have what they call a scratchy throat, and some will have a cough, a dry cough.
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SOARES: Well, later today, U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with the White House COVID response team for a briefing. Sometime after that, he'll update the public on this latest stage in the fight against the pandemic. CNN's Joe Johns has more on how the president has been reacting to the emergence of this new variant.
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JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: A White House status report on the Omicron variant telling us a lot that we don't know. The president issuing a statement, after flying back from Nantucket for his Thanksgiving vacation. Now here at the White House, speaking with, among other, Dr. Anthony Fauci. The statement from the White House, giving a great deal of attribution to the president's medical adviser.
It says in part: Dr. Fauci informed the president that while it will take approximately two more weeks to have definitive information on the transmissibility, severity, and other characteristics of the variant, he continues to believe that existing vaccines are likely to provide a degree of protection against severe cases of COVID.
Dr. Fauci also reiterated that boosters for fully vaccinated individuals provide the strongest available protection from COVID. The president is expected to give an update on the situation on Monday. Also, on Monday, travel restrictions to several southern African nations including South Africa and Botswana, will go into effect.
Joe Johns, CNN, the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SOARES: While those travel restrictions are now in effect for eight African countries, a measure not all Americans agree with. The U.S. Travel Association issued a statement trying to convince the president to reconsider, saying closed borders won't keep the new variant out of the country. CNN's Polo Sandoval has the story of one family already affected by the new travel ban.
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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, those travel restrictions that are in place just after midnight on Monday morning catching many off- guard including those who are on some U.S. bound flights coming from South Africa. In fact, we spent some time at Newark yesterday morning speaking to some passengers fresh off a flight -- one of the final flights that was not subjected to those restrictions that kicked into place today -- and found that it is leading to some complication, including for Kyle Bogert. He's from Hoboken, New Jersey. He was traveling in South Africa with his family. He made it safely back to the United States, but his family had to stay behind, and now forced to find another way to make it back home. Here's Kyle explaining why.
KYLE BOGERT, TRAVELER: Luckily, I had a direct flight to Newark from Johannesburg. So, my flight wasn't canceled but the rest of my family had a connection to Dubai and wondering if they'll make it back and they couldn't book any flights until Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
SANDOVAL: And to be clear, Kyle's family, all U.S. citizens, will be able to make it back into the United States but the concern here is that they will be allowed flights out before they are able to actually secure a flight to make it back to the U.S.
We should point out that there will be options. Delta and United Airline, those major U.S. carriers that have announced that they will continue to fly those routes to and from South Africa at least for now.
Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
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SOARES: Thanks very much, Polo.
Well, from Europe to the Middle East and Asia, CNN has correspondents covering the Omicron variant from around the world. I want to begin this hour though in Europe because we're getting word that six cases of the Omicron variant have been identified in Scotland and 13 new cases have emerged, we're hearing in Portugal. CNN's Larry Madowo is live in Paris with the latest on these new cases cropping up in Europe. And Larry, I remember --you can correct me if I'm wrong -- hearing the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying it's a race against time. Talk us through the measures being taken right across Europe here.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a race against time, that's correct. You remember correctly, Isa. She said it's a race against time to try and understand exactly how serious this new Omicron variant is. And we're starting to see the fear that the European region as a whole really has. Because these six new cases reported in Scotland adds to the three already reported in the U.K. So now, the U.K. alone has had nine cases and now just another 13 cases in Portugal.
These are all related to the Lisbon football team, and that means that just over the course of today, we might hear even more cases. That's what the French health minister here said. They have detected eight possible cases in France, but the health minister says it's only a matter of time until some are confirmed and he believes that they're already possible cases circulating within the country.
That is why the European Union applied what it is called an emergency brake, restricting travel from southern Africa, controversial as it is, and encouraging people to get vaccinated. Encouraging people to get booster shots if they're eligible. And those are just some of the necessary tools that are available. As the world tries to understand more about the Omicron variant.
You saw the U.K. yesterday announcing extra restrictions. Anybody coming into the U.K. from 4:00 a.m. Tuesday will need to self-isolate and get a negative COVID test, two days after they arrive, before they can leave. Anybody who comes into contact with anybody who has been a possible Omicron variant case also has to isolate regardless whether or not they're vaccinated. And the U.K. has also restricted travel from southern Africa from South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, as many other countries around the world have done, even some in Africa.
So, these are all kind of immediate measures that the countries here in the region are putting in place, as they scramble to get a better handle on things. They are ineffective, they are short of what needs to be a much bigger global solution and there's criticism of these being local solutions for a global problem. But health authorities don't have a lot to work with, that's why you saw in Netherlands for instance, a couple that tried to escape quarantine were detained and sent back to quarantine after the Netherlands reported 13 Omicron variant cases as well.
SOARES: A very busy morning for you, Larry, in Europe and the U.K. Thanks very much. Larry Madowo for us in Paris this morning.
Well, Japan is preparing to take drastic measures to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. For more let's bring in CNN's Will Ripley in Hong Kong. Will, talk us through exactly the measures that have been put in place there.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, if you are a foreign national with a visa to go to Japan, you have a matter of hours to scramble and try to get on a flight. Because in effect, on Tuesday, all foreign nationals, including those with education or work visas in many instances will be banned from entering the country. Their entrance temporarily suspended as part of some of the strongest measures that we've seen yet to try to keep Omicron out of Japan. [04:10:00]
And that is the Japanese Prime Minister responding to pretty intense domestic pressure, fear from people in Japan who don't want foreigners to bring in this variant after the Delta virus outbreak that affected Japan very, very severely during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Although it's important to note that that Delta variant wasn't coming in from people inside the Olympic bubble, because the case numbers in the bubble remain small. It was within the general population.
So, there is some criticism from some that this Japanese policy is a bit on the Xenophobic side, and it is one of the most strict that were seeing. But we are seeing other countries and territories following suit. Here in Asia, for example, here in Hong Kong, any Hong Kong resident who has a 21-day travel history in eight southern African countries.
Is going to have to go directly from here, the Hong Kong International Airport, where they'll have to be tested for COVID, to a government facility. Where then for an additional seven days they'll be under constant medical supervision. They'll be tested for COVID every single day and then they can remain -- they can leave that facility, after seven days, presuming that they test negative, and then for an additional 14 days they'll be isolated in a designated quarantine hotel, like the one that I'm in right now.
Where just two floors down from me, the first two cases of the Omicron variant were detected here in Hong Kong. A traveler from South Africa in his 30s, followed by man in a separate room across the hall, one week later, a man in his new 60s. Those two are the only cases in this hotel cluster that have been identified so far. Even though they moved most of the people down on the fifth floor to a government facility for an additional 14 days of isolation after they finish their quarantine here at the hotel.
It just goes to show that Hong Kong is very much in sync with the policies of mainland China, Isa, which some incoming travelers are quarantined for up to seven weeks.
They also have a very, very hermetically sealed Olympic bubble planned for the Beijing 2022 games. Media will be in one bubble, athletes in another bubble and there is supposed to be no interaction whatsoever between people inside the Olympic bubble and the general public. So, health authorities in China actually expressing a lot of confidence right now that they don't think this variant is going to pose a major threat for China given those very strict quarantine measures already in place.
SOARES: Yes, they've been quite stringent already. And before you go, very briefly explain to our viewers you exactly -- why you are in this hotel?
RIPLEY: Yes, so I'm up on the seventh floor and I have already been tested for COVID three times in less than a week. All of the tests have been negative. But the rooms are really, really closely packed together. On Friday I was able to stick my arm out the door and get some footage and you have every plastic covered chair in the hallway is a different room. There's a lot of people staying in this hotels. So obviously, there's some fear of how this virus could potentially be spread. They told us we if you want to exercise in the room, we need to rent an air purifier. But luckily, I just got the results of my third COVID test since I've arrived in Hong Kong, still negative, Isa, so keep rooting for us.
SOARES: Very, very good news. Will Ripley for us in Hong Kong, stay safe my friend, thank you very much.
Well, Japan isn't the only country taking extreme measures In Response to Omicron fears, Israel was the first country to close its borders to all foreigners in an attempt to really just contain the new variants. CNN's Hadas Gold joins me now from Jerusalem. Good morning to you, Hadas. The Israeli coronavirus cabinet, I believe met over the weekend. Talk us through how Israel is hoping to contain this new variant. How many cases are we talking about here -- Hadas?
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isa, right now, there are two confirmed cases of the Omicron variant. And pretty quickly, after that first confirmed case over the weekend, the Israeli coronavirus cabinet decided to issue some strict new measures. The strictest of which is closing the borders entirely to foreign nationals, for two week. The reason two weeks is because health experts say that's how much time they need to better understand this variant. Especially how it will interact with the vaccines.
Keep in mind that Israel only opened its borders to vaccinated tourists on November 1st, so they barely had three weeks before shutting the borders again. Other travel restrictions, any Israeli coming into the country, no matter where they're coming from, where they're vaccinated or unvaccinated will have to go into quarantine for at least three days if you're vaccinated seven days. If they're unvaccinated and get two negative PCR tests before they can be released.
Any Israeli who is coming from what's been designated as a red country -- which is pretty much most of the African countries except for those on the northern side of the continent -- will actually be first sent to special quarantine hotels. Again, no matter their vaccination status. That goes to show you just how seriously Israel is taking this new variant.
Additionally, anybody with a confirmed case of Omicron or suspected case will have their locations tracked via their cell phones. This will be done by the Shin Bet, the Israeli security intelligence services.
But aside from those restrictions, otherwise life is going on as normal in Israel. There haven't been new restrictions on gatherings. This is very important for people here because Hanukkah just began last night. And, Isa, in two weeks Israel is supposed to host the Miss Universe Pageant in the southern city of Eilat. We're expecting of course many, many contestants as well as their staff. As well as potentially people who are supposed to come watch the competition because tourism was opened back up. [04:15:00]
So far though, that while we may not know about the people, the spectators who might be wanting to come, so far organizers and authorities say that that competition will still go on as planned -- Isa.
SOARES: Closing borders to foreigners that only just recently opened. Hadas Gold for us there in Jerusalem. Thanks very much, Hadas.
Well, officials in southern Africa pushing back on the new travel plans. South Africa's president says he's deeply disappointed by the measures calling them unjustified and unfair. CNN's Eleni Giokos joins us now in Johannesburg. And Eleni, we heard some very strong words from President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding these new travel bans. Give us a sense of the mood there.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, firstly I'm stuck in South Africa, I can't get back to my home, to my new home in Dubai. I was meant to travel out today but Emirates and Dubai has banned all flights and actually expedited it and then it came into effect on Saturday.
And you're seeing these aggressive responses from many countries trying to ensure that they don't, you know, increase the spread of Omicron, and they're hoping to achieve this through these travel bans. But the mood here is one of disappointment, one of anger, and that South Africa is being targeted specifically for its genomic sequencing excellence. Which it actually had been doing since the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
And many South Africans and experts around the world are saying that South Africa should actually be commended for identifying the Omicron variant, and that this is a scientific success. And the response should be one of assistance, as opposed to banning flights.
Now, as you've already said, we've actually seen Omicron being identified in many parts of the world, and the general sense and consensus is that Omicron has already spread. What we don't know is if it's more transmissible. If it's more severe, and of course efficacy against vaccines.
The South African government right now and the COVID response team are looking at clinical data and they're trying to ascertain just how severe this would be. Currently, there are no red flags in terms of hospitalizations, in terms of severe cases. And of course, we heard from that doctor saying that cases that she saw below the age of 40 were very mild. So, it's anecdotal, but of course, this is hopeful.
At the same time the W.H.O. says this is an area of concern and we of course are looking at very high-risk scenarios. President Cyril Ramaphosa said he's disappointed and this is discriminatory. He also said that the G20 nations that met a while ago had broken some of their promises to try and ensure that there is economic recovery in this region and of course, solve the inequity, the vaccine inequity issue. Right now, Isa, African, many African countries are being ostracized and we don't know what the economic impact is going to be down the line but it is very uncertain at this point.
SOARES: Yes, I know I think about 7 percent or so of the African continent actually vaccinated. So that is concerning indeed. Eleni Giokos for us in Johannesburg. Thanks very much, Eleni, good to see you.
Still to come right here on the show, medical experts are weighing in on the new COVID variant. Warning that it must be taken seriously. But not so much that it causes fear and panic.
Plus, global markets look to recover after taking a hit from the Omicron variant, we'll look at the trading coming up with Anna Stewart. That's next.
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SOARES: Now, with so many questions surrounding the new Omicron COVID variant, the World Health Organization has classified its global risk as very high. It will take weeks to know how transmissible the variant is or whether current vaccines are effective against it. Despite this intense uncertainty, experts maintain the risk current systems and protocols in place, the world is set up for success. Have a listen.
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DR. ASHISH JHA, PHYSICIAN: The big hero here of the South African scientist who detected this variant that might have been spreading in other parts of the world as well, they need to be lauded. We didn't have that kind of global work happening in March of 2020. And then we have all these tools, the therapies, the vaccines, the death testing that we didn't have. So, no matter what we learn about Omicron, it is not going to set us back to March 2020.
DR. CELINE GOUNDER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST: Pandemics are not about panicking, they're about policies, protocols and practice. And in this case, that means doing the work of characterizing the virus. Scientists are hard at work trying to figure out how well our current vaccines will protect against the Omicron variant.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, global stock markets really wanting answers, like the rest of us, looking to recover this week, after being rattled if you remember Friday by the news of the Omicron variant. Things are looking up for U.S. futures -- as you can see there -- after the Dow tumbled more than 900 points on Friday, its worst day in more than a year. Asian markets close down slightly today. And Europe is up in early trading. Let's put it into context. Anna Stewart is here for us to go through all those numbers -- if we can bring them up as well. And so, Anna, bit of buying I think today? But we're not really recouping some of the losses we saw on Friday, correct?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Yes, we are seeing a little bit of rebalancing here but what we're not seeing is that board selloff Friday extending into Monday. That said, looking at the gains in Europe today, markets up around 1 percent in the major indices. And looking at the futures pointing higher, too. They're not reversing the big losses, Isa, are in store on Friday. And we were looking at particularly for oil at double digit decreases. Oil is up today, but again, only 4 or 5 percent.
So, And I think what we're going to see for this coming week is lots of volatility, as investors, like the rest of us, try and work out what does the variant mean for the global economy? Does this mean not just sort of targeted travel restrictions, you know, against the southern African nations? Are we looking at something broader? Are we looking at lockdowns? What will that mean? Will more stimulus be needed? All of these question, and we we're not going to get answers just yet on.
SOARES: Yes, because lockdowns are obviously a concern in terms of growth for the global economy. Talk us through stocks. Where are we doing -- how are we doing on travel stocks, pharma stocks, what kind of image have you seen this morning?
STEWART: So, this morning, looking at Europe, most equity markets have been higher. But that's in back of the losses and we're not seeing any kind of reversal in that. It was interesting in Asia, where we saw Japan leading the losses, and once again travel that's really dragging it down.
[04:25:03]
Japan has announced it will be suspending travel for all foreign nationals as of tomorrow. So, you can see all those airlines really being hit. And that's a similar story in Europe. Where we're seeing gains, of course, is the lockdown hasn't stopped, so I had a fresh avocado delivery company. All of those stocks and pharma company, particularly Pfizer on Friday, on good news related to a drug. But also, on the hope that if another booster is needed, these are the companies that will make it, the mRNA vaccine makers -- Moderna, Pfizer, BioNTech.
SOARES: Right, so some hoping stocks are up on pharma, hoping for good news off the back of --
STEWART: Good news, profiting potentially from another booster jab if it's needed. But if not, you know, too many questions really.
SOARES: We still don't have so many answers to the main question is, you know, how contagious it is? Will the jabs work? So, these I know these are the reasons why we're seeing such volatility in the markets. Anna, great to have you here. Anna Stewart there for us.
Well, a renewed burst of Chinese Air Force activities has Taiwan on high alert. It comes days after U.S. lawmakers met with government officials in Taiwan. We'll have the details for you ahead.
And negotiators are set to renew talks on Iran's nuclear program a few hours ahead. Why no one's expecting a break through to come after this round. We'll explain. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: We bring you up to date with our top stories this hour. A U.S. ban on most travelers from South Africa and nearby countries now in effect, as the world races really to contain the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Which has been found now in more than a dozen countries, as well as territories.
President Biden will deliver remarks on Omicron later today. And G7 health ministers are set to hold talks on the variant in the coming hours. We'll have more of course on that top story throughout the hour.
