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South African Doctor: Omicron Cases "Extremely Mild"; Japan Tightens Its Border As Omicron Variant Spreads; Experts: Vaccines Are Best Defense Against Omicron; NATO Chief Warns Russia About Troop Build-up In The Ukraine Border; Tear Gas Fired On Thousands Of Protesters; Women's Rights Dwindling Under Taliban Rule; UNDP Releases Grim Economic Outlook On Afghanistan; South Korea Reports Daily Record Of 5,000 Plus New Cases. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired December 01, 2021 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, vaccinate and boost. The plan now in many parts of the world as the Omicron variant continues to spread, but how effective our current vaccines?
The high cost of the Taliban's decision to ban women from the workplace, a billion-dollar hit to the economy, a devastating blow to a country in an economic death spiral.
And the pilot for notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein takes the stand in a sex trafficking trial and recalled flying some high-profile passengers including Donald Trump, Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: Right now, the common strategy it seems among health officials dealing with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus comes down to this: in vaccines we trust and get a booster.
Ministers of health in both the Israeli and South African government are the latest to say the vaccines currently available will likely be effective.
The variant of concern has now been identified in at least 20 countries and territories, most recently Japan and Brazil.
A week ago, South Africa was the first to report the existence of the Omicron variant but new tests have revealed the variant was already in the Netherlands at least five days before it was identified by South Africa.
Despite that, at least 70 countries and territories have imposed some kind of restrictions on travelers from Southern Africa. And the U.S. is considering tougher entry requirements for all international visitors, including mandatory COVID tests a day before arrival.
Four major U.S. airports have now ramped up measures to try and detect the virus in arriving air travelers.
White House Senior Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci says it's still unclear if symptoms from the Omicron variant are less severe, but the chair of the South African Medical Association says the majority of the cases she has seen have been extremely mild.
Regulators in the E.U. say vaccines adapted to target the new variant could be approved within four months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMER COOKE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EUROPEAN MEDICINES AGENCY: It's very important that we continue to give the message that the current vaccines provide protection and we need to ensure that those who are eligible for boosting get the booster doses.
At the same time, we need to prepare in case there is a need to change the current vaccines and that's work that the companies will do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: We get more now from CNN's David McKenzie on global efforts to contain this new variant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A coronavirus testing center in Johannesburg. The Omicron variant is already dominant here just weeks after it was first detected.
A doctor who's treating Omicron patients is expressing cautious optimism.
DR. ANGELIQUE COETZEE, CHAIRWOMAN, SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: But the majority of what we are presenting to primary health care practitioners are extremely mild cases, mild to moderate.
MCKENZIE: The White House says there aren't enough cases yet to evaluate the variant's danger, but that they are prepared when the first case is detected in the U.S.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: With a small number of cases, it is very difficult to know whether or not this particular variant is going to result in severe disease. Although some preliminary information from South Africa suggests no unusual symptoms associated with variant, we do not know and it is too early to tell.
MCKENZIE: The CDC is strengthening its booster recommendations for Americans, saying all adults should get another dose six months after their second Pfizer or Moderna shot or after just two months if they had the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
It's a similar story abroad where the U.K. government says it will now make boosters available to everyone over 18. BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: What we're doing is taking some proportionate precautionary measures while our scientists crack the Omicron code.
MCKENZIE: In England on Tuesday, face masks became mandatory again in stores and on public transportation.
Israel confirmed its first cases of Omicron community spread. The Sheba Medical Center said a doctor who traveled abroad and then infected a colleague.
In the Netherlands, where some are already isolating in this airport hotel, the government said that Omicron variant was in the country a full week earlier than it originally thought, founded test samples from November 19th that were just sequenced.
[00:05:07]
MCKENZIE: Japan found its first Omicron variant case, a man who traveled from Namibia. Its borders close to all foreigners on Tuesday.
South African leaders are slamming those global travel bans as ineffective and punitive.
XOLISA MABHONGO, DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SOUTH AFRICA TO THE U.N.: We feel that the travel ban is very unfair. South African science should be commended for discovering this new variant and sharing the information with the world. We have played our role very responsible.
David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And Japan is increasing border restrictions from Thursday. Foreign nationals with Japanese residency will be prevented from reentering the country if they've visited one of those Southern African countries.
Now, CNN's Will Ripley live for us in Hong Kong.
This seems very bizarre given the word that we now have out of the Netherlands, that it was there five days before the South African authorities made that announcement. Are they banning people who went to the Netherlands?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): They are banning people right now from 10 Southern African nations. Let's see the list here, John. South Africa, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, the list goes on.
Basically, also Japanese citizens traveling from Sweden, Spain, I'm just reading this (INAUDIBLE) by Nigeria, Portugal, they all have to quarantine in a government facilities upon arrival.
But for those who have traveled to Southern Africa on the -- on the 10 countries list who have apartments, who have jobs in Japan, who have maybe have their families in Japan, they were traveling for work, they can't come in. It is in the view of some people absolute insanity.
Japan's doing this because they're worried, they've already detected Omicron inside their country. And they -- this is -- this fear of the unknown, this fear that it's going to be worse than Delta.
Hong Kong, you know, not to be one off, is adding Japan and Portugal and Sweden to its list of the highest risk countries.
So, anybody who's traveling from there, you have to be a Hong Kong resident, you have to be fully vaccinated, and you have to quarantine for 21 days. And then, you have to keep getting tested for COVID up until day 26 here in Hong Kong.
If you're a non-Hong Kong resident or you're not fully vaccinated, forget about it, you're going to have to find somewhere else to ride this out.
South Korea, meanwhile, not imposing this level of restrictions yet, even though they're reporting some of their highest record numbers of daily COVID cases, more than 5,000 daily cases, although most of them are local transmission, John in South Korea, not imported.
The fear being if these more contagious variants get into communities, especially those with a zero COVID approach, such as Hong Kong, such as China, where the number of local cases is all but -- all but zero, that these communities can then go back into the lock downs and all the other restrictions that we're seeing in place in other places around the world.
But a lot of headache for people who happen to be away from Japan right now or away from other countries and now are trying to get back and finding out they can't.
VAUSE: Yes, a lot of headaches for a lot of people, a lot of inconsistency too, which I think is also the problem here.
RIPLEY: Absolutely. It's so political if you look at it. I mean, why -- like you said at the top, why a certain country, you know, somehow not on this list and yet -- and yet, blanket ban for 10 South African countries, why? That's the question.
VAUSE: Exactly, that's a good question. Will, thanks for being with us. Will Ripley there live in Hong Kong. We'll talk to you next hour. Thank you.
We head to Los Angeles now Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, a Board Certified Internal Medicine Specialist. Thanks for coming back. Good to see you.
DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, BOARD CERTIFIED INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST: My pleasure, John.
VAUSE: OK, so when it comes to vaccines, variants and efficacy, the Israelis have a pretty good track record to date. So, with that in mind, I want you to listen to the Israeli Health Minister. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NITZAN HOROWITZ, ISRAELI HEALTH MINISTER (through translator): In the coming days, we will have more accurate information about the efficacy of the vaccine against Omicron. But there's already room for optimism. And there are initial indications that those who are vaccinated with the vaccine still valid or with a booster will also be protected from the variant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK, so there's that but at the same time, we have the CEO of Moderna telling the Financial Times the current vaccines are likely to be less effective against the new variant. He said he's been told by scientists, this is not going to be good. Who's right here?
We don't know who's right yet. But I think that the CEO of Moderna may have spoken a little bit too soon and a little bit out of turn.
A lot of this has been based on all of the mutations that this new variant has, that we do have to take absolute precautions until we know more, but to say, you know, that it's not going to work against the vaccines, maybe right but it's very premature at this time, and hopefully won't dissuade people from getting vaccinated.
VAUSE: It does a -- yes, there is this potential of more harm than it could be doing but I want you to listen to the message, which is now coming from the head of the European Medicines Agency. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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COOKE: We could be in a position that were there are need to change the existing vaccines, we could be in a position to have those approved within three to four months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So again, they're saying current vaccines will work, they believe if they need to, they can adapt them. But four months? That seems an awfully long time to wait. You know, are they modifying existing vaccines or reinventing the wheel? What's the process here?
RODRIGUEZ: Well, the modification is easy. I mean, they really just put in the mutations, you know, into a computer that comes out, you know, with the correct formula, but then it's the production of the mRNA vaccines that takes a while.
So, you know, you can't -- you can maybe produce one vial of it, you know, the next day or the next couple of days after you've already broken the code, which they have, but a large production of it, you know, can take months, and I think months is actually pretty quick, you know, to produce a new vaccine like that.
VAUSE: How confident or how -- you know, how does this strategy of in boosters we trust, how does that sit with you?
RODRIGUEZ: It sits very well to be quite honest. And I'll give you an example, me. I was in Provincetown in July, and everybody around me was getting sick, and I had tested my antibody response. Before going, it was at 300, then it was down to 80.
And then, after I got my booster, the levels were above 200 -- I mean, 2,500 which was greater than detectable.
So, boosters, definitely, you know, increase your immune system, to the point how long that's going to last? You know, we don't know. So, I think boosters are definitely vital for at least protection for another six months or a year.
VAUSE: The anecdotal evidence right now, is that the symptoms from the Omicron variant are mild, is anecdotal? And here's the word of caution from the National Chair of South Africa's Medical Association, here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COETZEE: How do you know it's not in your country yet? How do you know that a lot of those infections that you are currently seeing that is severe? How do you know it's not maybe related to the Omicron? How do you know?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's a good question. And I'm wondering if no one will actually be able to answer that, because we have this lack of sequencing that the extra layer of testing which identifies a variant.
RODRIGUEZ: Yes, I think she's absolutely right.
Right now, a lot of what we're seeing maybe, you know, the Omicron variant, we don't know. And again, hats off to South Africa who is being unfortunately penalized for finding this, but they have great ability to sequence. They learned this from the HIV epidemic that was rampant down there.
And we don't know, which is, in my opinion, John, well, we have to be even stricter. When people are traveling, I certainly do believe that almost everyone that travels internationally needs to have A, be vaccinated and B, have a negative PCR test 24 hours before they fly.
VAUSE: Given we now have confirmation that the Omicron variant was in the Netherlands five days before South Africa made the announcement that it found it. I mean, they've now revealed this was, you know, ongoing testing. Does this just make a mockery of travel bans?
RODRIGUEZ: No, I don't think so. I just think that the travel bans that we do have are actually not strict enough.
For example, we can have U.S. citizens coming from South Africa, and they don't necessarily need to be tested. You have to remember that in order for testing to be valid, you know,
you can test one day and then, two days later, it shows up, you know, in your blood even though you're infected, so most travel imposes 72- hour checking, and I think that's a little bit too lax.
No, I don't think it makes a mockery of travel ban. I just don't think that we are being strict enough.
VAUSE: OK, good to have you with us. Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, we appreciate you be -- your time and your insights. Thank you, Sir.
RODRIGUEZ: Thank you.
VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back, Sudan's pro- democracy demonstrators are refusing to back down. Police fired tear gas on thousands as they marched through Khartoum. More on that in a moment.
Also, the U.N. warns Afghanistan on the brink of universal poverty. An exclusive look at the nation's economic outlook, the grim future ahead. That's after the break.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, the Russian President Vladimir Putin stepping up the rhetoric and warning NATO not to send military forces or missile systems to Ukraine.
He says Russia has no intentions of invading Ukraine and is warning Moscow though, would be forced to take action if threatened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator) Creating such threats in Ukraine poses red lines for us. But I hope it doesn't come to that. I hope that common sense and responsibility for both our countries and the world will prevail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: NATO leaders are meeting in Latvia concerned over Russia's troop buildup along the Ukraine border. (INAUDIBLE) the head of NATO had a warning for Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: We call on Russia to be transparent, deescalate and reduce tensions. Any future Russian aggression against Ukraine would come at a high price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And in a move which will not please Vladimir Putin, NATO leaders plan to meet with officials from Ukraine and Georgia in the coming hours.
Protesters in Sudan are refusing to accept last week's power sharing deal between the civilian Prime Minister and the military. Tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Khartoum Tuesday, demanding full civilian rule. They were met by police firing tear gas.
The civilian-allied Sudan Central Doctors Committee reports 43 people have been killed since last month's military takeover. More details now from CNN's Nima Elbagir.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): It's been days since a deal was reached to bring together Sudan's former partners in power once again. The military who engaged in a takeover and the once deposed prime minister representing the civilian leadership and yet, protests continue in Sudan, so do the deaths of pro-democracy activists.
Today, saw tens of thousands of Sudanese pro-democracy protesters take to the streets and CNN producer on the ground, told us getting to within less than a kilometer of the key seat of power in the Sudanese capital, the presidential palace until they were dispersed using tear gas.
The deal between Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and the military was supposed to put a stop to all of this. And yet, if anything, the civilians, the protest movements on the street seems to be solidifying as the opposition political forces Prime Minister Hamdok's former allies refused to join this new power sharing deal with the military.
Protesters in Sudan say that they have seen what happens in other transitional contexts where the generals take back power and the world goes on business as usual.
But they say that they refuse to allow this opportunity for democracy, this opportunity for justice to pass them by and for now, they say they are committed to staying on the streets, whatever the prime minister, and whatever those among some of their civilian leadership may believe is the right course for the country.
Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Even though Afghanistan is in the grips of an unprecedented and worsening humanitarian crisis with dire shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies, the new Taliban government has spent much of their first three months in power, doggedly trying to reverse two decades of progress on gender equality.
Among the latest edicts, women banned from appearing in television dramas and soap operas. Girls and young women are once again prevented from attending school, which means Afghanistan is the only country in the world where half the population is actively prevented from receiving an education. [00:20:15]
VAUSE: Despite earlier assurances of normal progressive Taliban, the Islamic fundamentalists are just that, returning to their old ways committing mass violations of human rights, which left many donor countries withholding financial assistance.
It's impossible to know the full impact of these restrictions are having and will have, but we can now count the economic costs are yet to be published report by the U.N. expects a work ban on women will cost the Afghan economy up to $1 billion a year in lost productivity. Lost wages from those jobs could reduce household expenditure by half a billion dollars.
Afghanistan was already in the grips of a sharp economic slowdown before the fall of the national government. But now, with most international assistance on hold, along with a pandemic and nationwide drought, the economy is at a high-speed nosedive.
And this U.N. report expects an economic recession this year, between 20 to 30 percent, which would push more than 90 percent of the population below the poverty line.
Unemployment is expected to increase by more than 40 percent in the short term. The less pessimistic outlook is 26 percent. The cost of basic goods: wheat, flour, cooking oil has surged. Wages have fallen.
Just five percent of the population say they have enough to eat. And that five percent on average lives on $2.00 per person per day. Almost everyone else is living on an average of $0.74 a day.
And joining us now, the UNDP President Representative in Afghanistan, Abdallah al Dardari, thank you so much, Sir for being with us.
ABDALLAH AL DARDARI, UNDP PRESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE IN AFGHANISTAN: Thank you very much.
VAUSE: Your report makes us a very depressing reading. The bottom line, though, it seems to be Afghanistan is on course for an economic crash so severe, it's likely to destroy the foundations of civil society and enter the very most basic of public services. Is there a way of avoiding this?
AL DARDARI: There is but that requires rethinking of the way we do business now in Afghanistan. We need to look at the humanitarian situation, provide all the humanitarian aid that is necessary, but at the same time, we need to think beyond humanitarian.
As you know, no humanitarian crisis could be solved with humanitarian aid only. It requires systems, it requires economic policy and it requires institutions.
So, in the report, this is what we are saying, there has to be a different approach, a much more elaborate approach on saving the economy, saving the system, saving the banking system and others in order to sustain a resemblance of the national economy that could create jobs for the ordinary outcomes.
VAUSE: Is there a timeline here? Is Afghanistan facing a point of no return? And if so, when is that?
AL DARDARI: I think we are already there. Therefore, time is our main enemy. If you look at the deterioration in all the sectors, take the private sector, for example, most of the firms are closing. And that will cause massive unemployment in addition to the situation we are facing today.
So, I think time is, as I said, is our main enemy and we have to move today. In the next -- by the time June 2022, we will have a 97 percent poverty level. That's universal poverty. That's unprecedented, even in the worst cases of humanitarian situations anywhere around the world.
VAUSE: Basic empathy, and our shared humanity is often not enough for many people. So, why should people care about what happens to Afghanistan? Where's the self-interest here for everyone else?
AL DARDARI: Think about what would people do if they continue losing their livelihoods and sometimes losing lives because of hunger. People will move away from Afghanistan. People will move -- will leave their land and move to neighboring countries and that will cause another immigration crisis the world is not ready for.
It will cause also massive number of young people joining terrorist groups moving to illicit economy, that which will have ramifications around the world, not just in the region. It is a global good to help Afghanistan, avoid this disastrous outcome.
VAUSE: The acting Taliban Prime Minister made his first national address over the weekend. He said the lack of food was a test from God, blamed everything on his predecessors, which is politics and to be expected. But he also said steps are being taken to end the economic crisis.
But one thing the Taliban could fix, and this is within their power, they could end the human rights violations which they commit, they could end the rights and the violations against women and girls and against marginalized groups of society. And that would mean a return of international assistance.
So, why -- is it likely that that could happen anytime soon? And if not, why not?
AL DARDARI: One of the reasons we published this report is to make a very strong and loud hold for everyone, including the Taliban, that we need to take action today. That if we keep girls and women outside the labor market and outside education, the consequences are disasters.
Not just the loss of one additional billion dollars to the GDP, but also, on the medium term, the possibilities and the opportunities of recovery in Afghanistan will be much weaker if we don't engage girls and women in education and in the labor force.
[00:25:26] AL DARDARI: So, this is our call. This is what our contribution to this dialogue which has to convince all stakeholders inside and outside of Afghanistan that we need to change course immediately.
VAUSE: Abdallah al Dardari from the UNDP, thank you, Sir, we really appreciate your time. Thank you for being with us.
AL DARDARI: Thank you very much. Thank you.
VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back, South Korea delaying a reopening plans as COVID cases reached record highs. How the surge is impacting the country's health care system. That's next.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
More now in efforts to contain and understand the threat from the Omicron variant. The U.S. is ramping up screenings at four major airports. And the U.S. Surgeon General tells CNN measures are now in place which will help detect Omicron before it arrives.
The U.S. is yet to see one case where many experts warn it's really just a matter of time before the United States joins these countries in purple right there. Still there are some encouraging signs on the vaccine front.
Authorities in South Africa say it appears vaccines we currently have work on Omicron and we're hearing similar reports from Israel.
The Omicron variant was in South Korea on high alert, the country is already battling a surge of COVID, it reported a new daily record of more than 5,000 COVID infections on Tuesday.
The uptick in cases and hospitalizations has led the country to put its reopening plans on hold.
CNN's Paula Hancocks has more now reporting in from Seoul.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): South Korea, like so many other countries is waiting for its first positive case of the Omicron variant. And officials here are particularly concerned about a potentially more transmissible variant considering the situation is already quite bad in the country.
The health system, particularly in the greater Seoul area is close to capacity.
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HANCOCKS (voice over): Living with COVID does not translate to living with Omicron. South Korea's plans to ease more restrictions are on hold.
President Moon Jae-in calls the situation severe and has closed the border to Southern African countries. Even without reported cases of the new variant, the country is struggling with record numbers of deaths and critical cases.
KWON JUN-WOOK, DIRECTOR, KOREA NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH (through translator): We already expected the overall number of confirmed cases would increase, but what we hadn't predicted was such a high increase in critical cases and death toll.
[00:30:14]
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Most patients are over the age of 60, were vaccinated in the early stages of the process, and are getting a booster shot. Officials are trying to speed that process up.
Initial success with the test, trace and treat policy, Kwon says, was largely down to routine annual training for infectious disease experts, just one month before the first Korean case of COVID.
KWON (through translator): In December 2019, we were doing so-called simulation training against new infectious diseases. Coincidentally, the subject was a new coronavirus. Thanks to the training, we were quick to set up PCR testing and mass testing.
HANCOCKS: In January 2020, I spoke to the doctor looking after the very first Korean COVID patient. He told me then that they had seven COVID beds set up, and were hoping they would not need any more.
The country has now seen almost 450,000 cases, and over 3,600 deaths. Dr. Kim says his hospital is full, and cannot take in another COVID patient.
KIM YEONJAE, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST (through translator): The hardest part, after working almost two years, is that we don't even know when this is going to be over. It's emotionally very hard.
HANCOCKS: Although South Korea never had a full lockdown, restrictions and curfews put pressure on small and medium business.
LEE CHANG-HO, NATIONAL BEER BARS ASSOCIATION (through translator): I've had to use up all my savings, sell my assets to stay afloat. I've taken out the maximum amount of bank loans I can.
HANCOCKS: Lee Chang-ho has closed four of his eight bar businesses and has been lobbying the government to do more to help the self-employed.
LEE: At the beginning, all citizens received the government's disaster relief fund, which was the same amount for everyone. The total doesn't even come close to one month's rent.
HANCOCKS: The Bank of Korea finds around two and a half million self- employed people have a combined debt of some $700 billion, as of the first quarter of this year. Many that may not be able to withstand another wave of infections and fear that could accompany a new variant. (on camera): Now, while they may not have identified a positive case
of the new variant here yet, the crunch on ICU beds is already acute. ICU beds' occupation soared from 42 percent to more than 70 percent in just the last four weeks across the country.
The numbers are even higher in the capital, Seoul.
And while health officials say they may be able to find more beds, more ICU beds, it's very difficult for them to be able to find qualified doctors and nurses to be able to man them.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Germany is considering tougher restrictions for those not vaccinated against the coronavirus. Measures being considered by lawmakers include limits on private gatherings and expanding the so-called 2-G rules, requiring proof of vaccination, or recovery from COVID, to enter all stores.
Meantime, Greeks will mandate vaccinations for those 60 and older. Those who have not scheduled their first dose by January 16 will face fines of 100 euros per month.
The Greek prime minister says it's not punishment, but the price of health. With the revenue raised from fines paying into a special fund to help Greek hospitals.
Well, corona anxieties are not stopping schools in Cuba as they push ahead with in-person learning. The island has a high vaccination rate and also has yet to report a single Omicron case.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports from Havana on some of the unique ways Cuban kids have received lessons, as well as their shots.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cuban schoolchildren return to class. It's been a long time coming on this island, where in-person schooling has been interrupted for most of the pandemic.
Until November, this is how students were keeping up with their lessons, what Cuba's state-run school system calls tele-classes. Hours of televised courses, broadcast to specific grades throughout the day.
It's not interactive like online learning, but officials say it's the best available option in a country where most people still don't have a home Internet connection.
With schools, parks and even the beaches closed, many Cuban parents say the pandemic has been especially tough on their kids.
"It's been difficult, because children have their routines, just like we do," she says. "The routines of school, other kids, their homework, their chores. But I think the tele-classes have helped a lot." But even education officials acknowledge that the televised classes
don't work for everyone, and that kids need to be back in classrooms.
"It's no secret that we have students that might not have a TV in their home," she says. "Or students that could have a broken TV, or there are so many people at home that it makes it difficult to concentrate on the lessons."
[00:35:03]
While the world waits to see what the impact of the Omicron variant will be, Cuban health officials say that more than 80 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. And that the island has already been vaccinating children as young as 12 years old.
Studies show that vaccinating kids may be crucial to avoiding higher death tolls.
(on camera): Even though most children infected with the coronavirus usually have mild symptoms, they can still pass the virus onto more vulnerable people.
(voice-over): A study released in November by the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub says that vaccinating children in the U.S. could prevent 500,000 new cases and some 15,000 new deaths this winter.
In Cuba, vaccinations are not mandatory for kids to return to school. Bayanelli (Ph) said she wanted her 6-year-old daughter, Milanaise (ph), to receive Cuba's homegrown vaccines before starting in-person schooling.
"It's necessary that students can interact with their teacher," she says. "Even though we parents have done our best at home."
It is a very big deal. But little Milanaise (ph) doesn't shed a tear.
And many parents here say, after more than a year without in-person schooling, there's nothing to look forward to more than getting their kids safely back in the classroom.
Now, as the Omicron variant threatens the gains that have been made, they hope that this new normal can last.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Please join us for a CNN town hall, "CORONAVIRUS FACTS AND FEARS," hosted by Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci. Wednesday, 8 p.m. in New York, 9 a.m. Thursday in Hong Kong, 5 a.m. in Abu Dhabi.
In the meantime, we'll take a short break. Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, she's known only as Jane. She was just 14 years old when she was first sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein. On Tuesday, she testified in the sex-trafficking trial of Epstein's longtime companion. It was emotional and devastating.
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VAUSE: The U.S. State Department says Columbia's FARC is no longer a terrorist organization and has removed the group from its terrorism blacklist.
The one-time group disarmed and disbanded after the 2016 peace accord, ending its decades-long conflict with the Columbian government. Two distant groups led by former FARC militants are now being designated as terrorist organizations by the State Department.
The wife of Mexican drug boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was sentenced Tuesday for her role in her husband's narcotics empire.
Emma Coronel Aispuro -- I should say -- will serve three years in prison after pleading guilty to the charges against her, which included drug trafficking and money laundering.
El Chapo was sentenced to life in prison, plus 30 years in 2019, currently serving time in a supermax prison in Colorado.
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Now to the Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking trial, which heard emotional and disturbing testimony from a woman sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell's longtime companion.
The abuse, she said, began when she was just 14 years old, and while under oath, she recalled graphic details, which at times linked Maxwell to several key incidents.
CNN's Randi Kaye has details.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First of all, we're thrilled to have you.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A British socialite now having to answer for her alleged twisted behavior.
Ghislaine Maxwell was born in 1961 and grew up in the English countryside. In the 1990s, she dated Jeffrey Epstein, and they remained close after their relationship ended.
Epstein would later face federal charges of sexually abusing young girls, and running a sex-trafficking ring. Prosecutors believe Maxwell essentially served as Epstein's madam, recruiting girls and grooming them for Epstein to sexually abuse, even allegedly taking part herself.
AUDREY STRAUSS, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Maxwell was among Epstein's closest associates and helped him exploit girls who were as young as 14 years old.
KAYE: One of those, allegedly abused at age 14, took the witness stand today, identified only as Jane. Prosecutors say Jane met Maxwell and Epstein at a Michigan summer camp in 1994.
After they realized they all lived in Palm Beach, Florida, prosecutors say Maxwell and Epstein asked for James's number, describing them as quote, "predators."
Jane testified that back in Florida, Maxwell began talking to her about sex, and taking her to Epstein's house. Jane testified that Epstein said he could introduce her to talent agents, then took her to his pool house, pulled down his pants, and pulled her on top of him while he masturbated.
Jane told the jury she was frozen in fear, that she'd never seen a penis before, adding she was terrified and ashamed.
Jane recalled Epstein touched her breasts and vagina. She says the abuse also included oral sex and intercourse, testifying that sometimes Maxwell took part in the sex acts, along with others, turning it into an orgy.
Maxwell's defense attorney rejected the allegations and questioned Jane's credibility.
Epstein's former pilot also testified. Larry Visoski flew Epstein for nearly 30 years, along with some very high-profile passengers. On the stand, the pilot recalled flying Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Maine Senator George Mitchell, Ohio Senator John Glenn, and actor Kevin Spacey.
None of those high-profile passengers are alleged to have committed any wrongdoing related to the ongoing trial.
Regarding Ghislaine Maxwell, the pilot called her Epstein's No. 2, his quote, "go-to person."
STRAUSS: Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, then delivered them into the trap that she and Epstein had set for them.
KAYE: In 2019, Epstein took his life while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking young girls.
Then, last year, Maxwell was arrested. The 59-year-old has pleaded not guilty to six counts, which include conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and sex trafficking of children by force, fraud or coercion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ghislaine is looking forward to that trial. She's looking forward to fighting, and she will fight.
KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
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VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. I'll see you again on top of the hour.
Meantime, WORLD SPORT starts after a very short break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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