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Omicron Variant Spreading in Countries; Vaccines Do Work Against Variants; Germany Going Against Unvaccinated; Taliban Group Denies Human Rights Atrocities. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired December 01, 2021 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead here on CNN Newsroom, the Omicron variant detected in 21 countries and counting. Travel bans, borders tightening and a full corps press to get boosters in arms to try and beat it back.
Promises broken in Afghanistan, a new report says ex-officials are disappearing or being executed by the Taliban.
Plus, rain fell for the first time on Greenland summit in what could be a sobering sign of things to come in the Arctic.
UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us.
Well, when it comes to fighting the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, health experts around the world are doubling down on their advice. Get vaccinated. Israel and South Africa's health ministers are the latest to declare that vaccines and boosters will likely protect against the mutation.
It's been found in at least 21 countries and territories, most recently Nigeria and Brazil. So far, at least 70 countries and territories have imposed some kind of restrictions on travelers from Southern Africa.
The U.S. is considering mandatory COVID tests for everyone entering the country the day before they arrive, authorities also expanding surveillance at four major U.S. airports to keep an eye out for the variant.
The top infectious disease expert in the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci said it's too soon to tell if the Omicron variant causes less severe illnesses. But the chair of the South African Medical Association reports the majority of the cases she has seen have been extremely mild.
And in the E.U., drug regulators say they can have vaccines adapted to target the new variant within three to four months.
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JOE PHAALA, SOUTH AFRICAN HEALTH MINISTER: There is no indication and any suggestion at this stage that this mutation, this particular variant will not be able to -- the severe illness as a result of infection by this particular variant will not be prevented by the vaccine. There is no such evidence.
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 is 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.
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 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.
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CHURCH (on camera): And CNN is covering this fast-developing story with our resources around the globe. We will hear this hour from our correspondents in Europe, Africa, and Asia. And we begin in Europe where France is reporting its highest number of daily COVID-19 cases since spring, and Germany is looking to tighten restrictions against the unvaccinated.
CNN's Cyril Vanier joins us now live from Paris. Good to see you, Cyril. So, what is the latest on these rising Delta variant cases in France, and what impact is that having on the healthcare system there?
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You said, Rosemary, the highest number of infections since April, since the peak of the last wave almost. And it's raising deep questions about this country's vaccination effort.
Look, 90 percent of the people in this country who can be vaccinated, who are eligible for immunization through vaccines, that's to say 12- year-olds and up, are vaccinated.
So, it's hard to do much better than France has done in terms of immunizing its population, and still that is the number of cases we are seeing and it seems that it rises unabated and the country is struggling to contain the rise in infections.
All of this due to Delta as far as we can tell, not the Omicron variant of which there is only one officially confirmed case here in France. So, to contain a further rise, surge, I should say, of the Delta variant France is, well, essentially banking on boosters.
[03:04:56] It is man -- not mandating, I beg your pardon, but it is heavily incentivizing all adults all over 18s to go and get boosters otherwise they will lose their vaccine pass which will give access most areas of public life by mid-January.
And already we've seen appointments for these booster jabs surge in the last few days, whether or not that will be enough to contain what is also a significant uptick in hospitalizations and deaths, Rosemary, it's too early to tell.
CHURCH: And Cyril, Germany is considering tighter restrictions against those refusing to get vaccinated. What's the plan there?
VANIER: Well, Germany's situation has been described in the recent past by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and health ministers as dramatic. And we have seen in the worst hit regions like Saxony like Bavaria that the pressure on their health system is really extremely strong. With the chief medical officer of Saxony just last week saying within a matter of days, they might have to start triaging patients.
Faced with that surge, Germany is planning tomorrow to debate further measures. And they are planning to impose the biggest burdens on the unvaccinated. So, extend the 2G rule, that's what it's called in Germany, which means that you have to show proof of vaccination or recovery to enter stores or public events and other parts of public life.
Really, that means that it's essentially shutting out the unvaccinated from large swath of public life, Rosemary. That's something that's going to be discussed tomorrow. Beyond that their priority is to increase the vaccination rate, which in Germany has been fairly low at 65 percent relative to other western European nations.
And there is this notion of perhaps vaccine mandates, they are not there yet, but the incoming chancellor Mr. Shultz did discuss it yesterday on Bild TV. Now he hastens to add it wouldn't be for the whole population as a first step, it could be for healthcare workers something akin to what France has done, Rosemary.
CHURCH: And we will watch to see what happens. Cyril Vanier joining us live from Paris. Many thanks.
In Asia another case of the Omicron variant in Japan, as the country is increasing border restrictions for those who have visited one of 10 African nations.
And CNN's Will Ripley joins us live now from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Will.
So, let's start with Japan and these tough news restrictions for anyone returning from one of the 10 African nations. What is the latest on this?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what Japan is doing is they are taking things a step further from their blanket ban on all new foreign arrivals, anybody who is from another country cannot enter Japan. But there was an exemption for Japanese residents, that exemption now
goes away if those Japanese residents are coming from 10 Southern African countries including South Africa, Angola, and Namibia where a man in his 30's was Japan's first confirmed case of the Omicron variant.
We are now learning that a man in his 20's from Peru is the first confirmed case. Japanese residents means that these people might have homes in Japan, families in Japan, if they are traveling on business, they are now blocked from returning to their loved ones even though they pay taxes in Japan. Even though their lives, and many cases careers are there.
So, it's incredibly disruptive for these people from these 10 specific Southern African nations. However, we've learned that in the Netherlands, for example, the Omicron variant was actually detected back on November 19th and 23rd even before those first flights from Southern Africa arrived, where large clusters of people tested positive.
And yet the Netherlands is not on Japan's list of countries where foreign nationals are banned from entering if they have a resident's visa. So, the rationale behind all of it, Rosemary, a big question raising some eyebrows, certainly as to why certain countries are now excluded and yet others have these new restrictions.
CHURCH: Right, and Will, Hong Kong adding more countries to its travel ban, what can you tell us about that?
RIPLEY: So, the Netherlands are on the list for Hong Kong. Where all non-residents are banned from entering, and if they are Hong Kong residents in the Netherlands starting on Friday from Japan, Portugal, Sweden, any nation, Rosemary, where Omicron has been detected they are now considered the highest risk even if they just have one or two cases.
And so, for Hong Kong that means that people who are coming in from those countries if they are fully vaccinated and they are Hong Kong residents they're allowed to come in but they have to quarantine for 21 days.
People coming in from Southern Africa have to quarantine for seven of those days in a government facility where they tested every single day. So, Hong Kong is really tightening up its already strict quarantine protocols, trying to get in sync with mainland China, which of course is now just a matter of weeks away in the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.
They have an Olympic bubble plan in place, they have very stringent quarantine measures in place in the mainland. Hong Kong and the mainland are hoping to, at some point, partially reopen their borders to quarantine for a travel.
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But this new variant is certainly raising a lot of questions about whether there could be disruption to the Olympics, and so, as a result, they are really hunkering down and even stepping up further the quarantine requirements here in Hong Kong and in China, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Will Ripley bringing us the latest there from Hong Kong, many thanks to you.
I want to turn to Africa now where three cases of the Omicron variant have now been detected in Nigeria.
CNN's Eleni Giokos joins us live from Johannesburg. Good to see you, Eleni. So, what more are you learning about these three confirmed cases in Nigeria? And what's the South African health minister saying about vaccines fighting this new variant?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well the overriding message on vaccines is that they still work. They're still trying to ascertain the exact efficacy percentage against the Omicron variant. But it's important to note that a lot of the evidence that we are seeing in hospitals in most -- in terms of most recent hospitalizations is with the unvaccinated.
So, again, here we are seeing anecdotal evidence that's constantly feeding through about what the efficacy of vaccines are, and then importantly the severity of illness of Omicron, again anecdotal evidence that it's not as severe.
But moving on to the Nigerian cases, so three Omicron variant cases have been now discovered in Nigeria, the most recent over the past week, and important to note, they are linked to travel to South Africa.
So, we know that the Nigerian Center for Disease Control is currently looking at the entire value chain here in terms of where the Omicron variant comes from, and then importantly backdating some of the positive cases to verify exactly how long the Omicron variant might have been in Nigeria.
Just like we've seen in Netherlands where a case was detected way before South Africa actually identified the Omicron variant in South Africa. It's also important to note there is a distinction between identification in terms of genomic sequencing that was done in South Africa versus where the Omicron variant would originate from. And I think many people and researchers and scientists are trying to figure this out.
CHURCH: Yes, very important point there. Eleni Giokos joining us live from Johannesburg. Many thanks.
And for analysis, I'm joined now from Hawaii by Dr. Scott Miscovich, he is a national consultant for COVID-19 testing, who pioneered pop-up COVID testing in Hawaii. Thank you so much doctor for all that you do, and for joining us.
SCOTT MISCOVICH, NATIONAL CONSULTANT FOR COVID-19 TESTING: Hi, Rosemary. CHURCH: So, three big questions about this one coronavirus variant
are yet to be answered. How contagious is it, how severe, and how effective our COVID vaccines on this Omicron variant? And on that last point, Israel's health minister says there are indications the vaccine protect against Omicron.
Similar stories from South Africa, but it is just anecdotal and this point because that -- that's insufficient, or there is insufficient scientific evidence right now to prove that this is the case. But I'd be interested in getting your reaction to that?
MISCOVICH: Well, Rosemary, I think most of us now believe that there is no question you will get some protection from the vaccine. The question is how much? Because remember, overall, we see the look of what COVID looks like. You got that spike with the little cup on top.
Well, the vaccine is attacking the spike, and so it's going to attack at somewhere, but the question is how many and how much, and how effective will it be to either shun it off or to have attack enough that it will not be able to bind to our body's receptors.
So, the question will be answered probably in anywhere from another seven to 14 days from now, they are basically getting samples of that virus, they are culturing it, and they are literally testing it, and they are going to be watching to see how much it will stay and kill off the COVID. So, it will be some, but it's hard to tell right now. We don't know for sure.
CHURCH: Yes, which makes me wonder all the more, because stock and oil prices fell after Moderna's CEO said he thinks there will be a material drop in the effectiveness of the current COVID vaccines against Omicron. Why would he say that when it's too early to make that assessment?
MISCOVICH: Well, you know, you can actually do laboratory computer analysis, let's put it that way. There are computer analytics that are happening, they know exactly how they developed that vaccine and which targets it's hitting, and then they already know what the 15 mutations looked like on the new Omicron.
And remember, you've got 10 right up in that cup that attaches, which is the scary part. There is the South African Health Institute that said there are so many mutations they're calling it the Frankenstein virus because of how it looks.
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And so, the question will be, they probably have some degree of computer analysis to say that some of their targets on that spike have materially changed enough that it might not bind. So, they have advanced info, they are just trying to be honest.
CHURCH: Interesting, yes, because it sort of works against them from a business standpoint, isn't it? So, on the question of how severe Omicron might be, doctors in South Africa say symptoms tend to be extremely mild or one doctor at least, and again this is anecdotal, but does it make sense to you that if Omicron is more contagious, it will probably become less lethal. Is that how variants tend to work?
MISCOVICH: No, I have heard these comments and I want to clarify this. Symptoms are runny nose, cough, congestion, achiness, so they are saying the symptoms aren't necessarily as severe. But the question we are looking at is, how contagious, how many people will get this variant.
And then, you have to look at those people that we know dominate the unfortunate mortality from COVID around the world which are those with high risk, and those who of course are not vaccinated. That's what the question will be. It's purely a race between the Delta variant, and the Omicron variant because whichever one is stronger and more survival of the fittest that is the one that's going to dominate.
And then if it is now more contagious as we are seeing, it may be up to 400 percent more contagious than the original Wuhan variant, and Delta was only 70 percent. More people get it, therefore more people will die. So that's the concern.
CHURCH: I'm glad you clarified that. Because we have heard a number of people suggest that it would be less lethal. And we don't know that.
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MISCOVICH: No, we don't.
CHURCH: We'll specify that. So, what do we all need to be doing right now to protect ourselves and to ensure the whole world gets access to these COVID vaccines because this is one of the problems, isn't it, when you are looking at Southern Africa particularly where not many people are vaccinated, there isn't the access?
MISCOVICH Yes. Well, what we do, you know, in general -- we're back to the basics. You know, the world is well trained on this. And governments are well trained on this, Rosemary. So, the first thing we need to do is get back to the basics, which is ensure masks. One of the things I'm going to be doing in my lectures is reemphasizing the need to have proper fitting masks.
And let's stop with the holidays of having a seasonal looking mask that matches your attire, get to the point where we have masks that fit and are protective and make sure our children's masks are protective when they are out and about, make sure our elderly.
Ventilation we've said it again and again, I said that, you know, what should be flying off the shelves during COVID should be fans. Little cheap fans that you can put behind your shoulder and below air away to blow out the door for your elderly and at risk.
You -- and there are other things, now the governments need to worry about getting contact tracing prepared to go on overdrive. Because the longer we can delay this from spreading to our population, the more time it gives us to vaccinate and get people the third vaccine to get rid of that waning immunity which is going to be very crucial, or, God forbid we may need a full new vaccine. But you've got to contact trace to try to quarantine and isolate.
And finally, Rosemary, you and I have been talking about this for a year on the show. The vaccine inequity, enough is enough, this is going to happen again and again across the world unless we get the world vaccinated. Especially as I have mentioned, I think two appearances ago, southern hemisphere winter comes up, June, July, August, we've got to be prepared. So, let's get the vaccinations to the world and be serious about it.
CHURCH: Yes. This new variant is that wake-up call, isn't it? As always, incredible advice. Dr. Scott Miscovich, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.
MISCOVICH: Thank you, Rosemary. Take care.
CHURCH: You, too.
And do join us for a CNN town hall, Coronavirus, Facts and Fears, hosted by Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci. That is Wednesday at 8 p.m. in New York, 9 a.m. Thursday in Hong Kong, and 5 a.m. in Abu Dhabi.
Well, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, says rising inflation may force the fed to taper sooner and quicker, sending stocks lower on Wall Street. Powell told a U.S. Senate hearing it was time to stop calling inflation transitory.
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He said the U.S. economy was strong, inflationary pressure was growing. And the fed needs to talk about ending its bond buying program ahead of schedule. As for the Omicron variant, he said the full risk to the economy is still unknown.
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JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD: The recent rise in COVID-19 cases, and the emergence of the Omicron variant post downside risks to the employment and economic activity and increased uncertainty for inflation.
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CHURCH (on camera): Global financial markets are looking to rebound from more steep losses. Right now, U.S. futures are pointing to a positive open and stocks in Asia are higher too.
Well, coming up, disturbing research by Human Rights Watch accuses the Taliban of executing Afghan officials after they surrendered. We will speak to the organization about that report. That's coming up next.
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CHURCH (on camera): Welcome back, everyone. Well, new research by Human Rights Watch details disturbing accusations against the Taliban in the three months since the militant group seize control of Afghanistan. According to the 25-page report, Taliban forces have executed or forcibly disappeared more than 100 Afghan security forces after they already surrendered.
Human rights watch conducted 40 in-person interviews and another 27 by telephone, they included witnesses, relatives, and friends of victims, journalist and Taliban members. The report details abusive search operations including night raids where they would sometimes threaten family members to reveal the whereabouts of their loved ones.
In September, the Taliban said it set up a commission to investigate reports of human rights abuses and other crimes. That commission has yet to announce an investigation into any reported killings.
John Sifton is the Asia Advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. He joins me now from Washington. Thank you so much for being with us.
So, this 25-page Human Rights Watch report documents the killing or disappearance of 100 or so former members of the Afghan national security forces including former police, intelligence officers, and military personnel who surrendered or were apprehended by the Taliban since taking control of Afghanistan on August 15th. What evidence did your organization find to support this?
JOHN SIFTON, ASIA ADVOCACY DIRECTOR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: We have spoken to people who were detained, we have spoken to family members whose family members were detained.
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And what we've seen is that the Taliban had a pattern across the country of picking people up and pulling them into the detention and, in some cases torturing them or killing them.
CHURCH: What else did the report find because, of course, we know that the new Taliban leadership claim to have changed compared to its brutal leadership of the 90s, but there appears to be no truth to that, no evidence to support that claim. Was that just, or is that just a public relations stunt?
SIFTON: Yes, I want to be clear. Humans Rights Watch is an international human rights organization that's been working on Afghanistan since the 1980s. We covered the communist abuses, soviet abuses, we covered abuses by the Mujahideen groups, and when the Taliban was in power in the 1990s and USMCA abuses after 9/11.
And what we are telling the Taliban is that it doesn't matter who your enemy is or who you are arresting. You can't extra judicially kill people, you can't summarily execute people. We've spoken to the Taliban about this before Kabul fell, and we are saying the same thing to them now. These are workers and you cannot allow your troops to commit these abuses.
CHURCH: And what's their reaction to that?
SIFTON: The Taliban has responded by claiming that they do not exercise sufficient control over their own forces, which itself is a form of admission. They are admitting that they lack the command and control of their forces. We don't believe that. We think that the Taliban, if it wanted to, could control their forces and prevent them from committing a lot of these atrocities, perhaps not all, like most of them.
CHURCH: So, what are you hoping this Human Rights Watch report will achieve then if the Taliban really don't accept some of the elements of it?
SIFTON: Well look, we understand as the Taliban does, that the country of Afghanistan is facing huge growth right now, humanitarian crisis, famine, and economic crisis. And what we are telling them, what I'm telling them right now is that if you want the international community to engage with the Taliban authorities, the Taliban has to stop committing major human rights abuses like these.
They have to let women go to school, they have to let girls go to school, they have to let women work and they have to stop committing atrocities like these. Then and only then, will it be possible for the international community to perhaps engage with them and allow some of these humanitarian assistance and economic assistance that is vital to preventing far greater issues than these extrajudicial killings, hunger, famine and the rest of it. That's why this is so important.
CHURCH: Yes. I mean, that is the problem here, isn't it? Because while the world refuses to recognize the Taliban, the Afghan people are going hungry, and they are suffering. They are in the humanitarian crisis. The country on the brink of economic disaster.
So, what needs to be done about that if the Taliban keep committing these crimes, therefore they won't get recognized by the world. But the only people who suffer will be the Afghan people.
SIFTON: That's precisely our message, and if the Taliban are listening to this right now that's what I would say to them. Is that, if you want to be the leadership of this country and gain legitimacy on a world stage, then you need to allow human rights groups to monitor the situation, you need to stop committing human rights abuses.
And then and only then the U.N. the United States, the World Bank, and others can perhaps allow some access to Afghanistan's assets to allow teachers' salaries, health workers salaries to be paid to prevent famine and educational deprivations and everything else.
This is our message to the Taliban, we are not against you, we are trying to accommodate the situation such as it is, and our message is, if you stop committing human rights abuses it will be easier for donor countries to support the people of Afghanistan and pay teachers' salaries, health care salaries and everything else.
CHURCH: John Sifton, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.
Well, the Taliban have rejected the allegations made by Human Rights Watch, claiming it did not execute scores of Afghan security forces. The Taliban deputy spokesman told CNN that the group announced general amnesty on day one of their takeover, which meant that all military and non-military personnel of the former government were forgiven, and told no one could harm them.
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But he did admit there were incidents in which some form of forces were harmed, but not as many as reported.
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Well, a German court has issued a landmark ruling the first in the world to recognize crimes by ISIS against the Yazidi people as genocide. An Iraqi man who was a member of ISIS was sentenced to life imprison after being convicted of enslaving a Yazidi girl in 2015, and shaming her up outside where she died in the scorching heat.
The court ruled he was involved in a wider campaign of genocide and crimes against humanity against the Yazidi people. ISIS militants persecuted the Kurdish speaking minority in Iraq and Syria for years killing and enslaving thousands.
We are learning a lot about omicron from South Africa. Coming up Dr. Sanjay Gupta breaks down what the medical data shows about the new COVID variant. Back with that and more in just a moment.
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CHURCH: Nigeria is reporting its first three cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. The country Centers for Disease Control says all three had a history of travel to South Africa and had returned to Nigeria in the past week. The fast spreading variant is causing concern around the globe as CNN's David McKenzie reports.
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The coronavirus testing center in Johannesburg, the omicron variant is already dominant here just weeks after it was first detected. A doctor who is treating omicron patients is expressing cautious optimism.
ANGELIQUE COETZEE, CHAIR, SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: The majority of what we are presenting to primary health care practitioners are extremely mild cases to moderate.
MCKENZIE: The White House says there are not enough cases yet to evaluate the variant's danger but that they are prepared.
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CHIEF INFECTIOUS DISEASES DIVISION, MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL: Our variance surveillance system has demonstrated we can reliably detect the variant from outside and the start of 2021, to Delta over this past summer.
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 is 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 are doing is taking some proportionate precautionary measures while our scientists crack the omicron code.
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MCKENZIE: And England on Tuesday face masks became mandatory again in stores and on public transportation. Israel confirmed its first cases of omicron community spread, the (Inaudible) Medical Center said, a doctor who traveled abroad and then infected a colleague.
In the Netherlands, they are some are already isolating in this airport hotel. The government said the omicron variant was in the country a full week earlier than it originally thought. Founded, tests samples from November 19th that were just sequenced.
Japan found its first omicron variant case, a man who traveled from Namibia. Its borders closed to all foreigners on Tuesday. South African leaders are slamming those global travel bans as ineffective and punitive.
XOLISA MABHONGO, DEPUTY PERMANENT REP OF SOUTH AFRICAN TO THE UNITED NATIONS: 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 responsibly.
MCKENZIE: David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
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CHURCH: In the world of virology, South Africa is held in high regard. In part for a decades long fight against HIV. So when they warned about the omicron variant, doctors around the world listen. Our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta has this look at the data coming out of South Africa about the threat posed by this new COVID-19 variant.
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SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Lots of information still coming in about omicron looking at data in South Africa and Israel. The data looks optimistic even though it is early. The health minister in Israel saying that there are indications that those who are vaccinated and or have received a booster seem to have fairly good protection against this. That certainly could be welcome news.
We also know from spokespeople at the South African Health Ministry that South Africa is roughly 60 million people, 16.5 million are vaccinated most of the people who are showing up with illness testing positive are unvaccinated.
So obviously we want the numbers to go down overall but this is further indication that the vaccines do seem to be holding up. It's going to take a couple of weeks to really make sure of that. They have to do these experiments where they take the virus, omicron, they take blood or serum from those who have been vaccinated and they basically see do the antibodies in the blood and serum neutralize the virus or not?
Do they neutralizes somewhat? Is there any erosion of the effectiveness? These are all the studies that are ongoing. They are obviously following hospital data as well. I want to show you some of the hospital data in South Africa, (Inaudible) province. Over the last three weeks, the numbers have been going up there in terms of hospitalizations. Not entirely sure what to make of that in terms of season it is late spring there in South Africa.
Typically respiratory pathogens are not circulating as robust at this time, weather is getting warmer. So oftentimes hospitalizations go down in terms of overall pathogens. They are going up. Is it related to omicron, is it not? We don't know. That is part of what they're looking at.
So I want you to take a quick look at what's happened in South Africa really throughout this pandemic. You see the first big surge there, the original variant and then you see beta, then delta. Now keep in mind they didn't even start vaccinating until February of this year. And they still have very low vaccination rates.
So you are essentially looking at largely unvaccinated population and two important things jump out. You see this big surges and then you see quite a period. That is probably infection acquired immunity that courses through the population and then it gets quiet.
But as you can see that infection acquired immunity only seems to last a short time. And if you look at the right side of the screen there, you see right now, it is sort of a quiet time in South Africa. There wasn't a lot of COVID spreading at all.
This new variant, omicron, did not have to compete against anything. It didn't had to compete against delta for example in South Africa. So it may have been easier for omicron to become the dominant variant there. That maybe a different situation in Europe and the United States. And that's something that investigator scientist are going to be looking at as well. So overall fingers crossed information does look promising. But we have a couple of weeks still to sort of really nail this down.
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CHURCH: A little bit of hope there, right? And, of course, the omicron variant has South Korea on high alert. The country is already battling a virus surge. It reported a new daily record of more than 5000 COVID infections, Tuesday. And this uptick in cases and hospitalizations has led the country to put its reopening plans on hold. CNN's Paula Hancocks has more now from Seoul.
[03:40:03] 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 variants. 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 restrictions are on hold. President Moon Jae-in calls the situation severe and has close the borders 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 have not predicted was such a high increase in critical cases and death toll.
HANCOCKS: Most patients of 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.
JUN-WOOK (through translator): In December 2019 we were doing so called simulation training against new infections diseases. Coincidently this 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 we're 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, NATIONAL MEDICAL CENTER (through translator): The hardest part after working almost two years is that we do not even know when this is going to be over. It's emotionally very hard.
HANCOCKS: Although South Korea never had a full lockdown, restriction and curfews put pressure on small and medium business.
LEE CHANG-HO, NATIONAL BEER BARS ASSOCIATION (through translator): I have had to use up all of my savings, sold 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.
CHANG-HO (through translator): At the beginning all citizens received the government's disaster relief fund which was the same amount for everyone. The total does not 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 for 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS (on camera): A world they may not have identified a positive case of the new variant here yet, the crunch on ICU beds is already acute. ICU beds occupations 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 more 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.
CHURCH: And don't forget to join us for a CNN town hall coronavirus facts and fears, hosted by Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and featuring Doctor Anthony Fauci. That's Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. in New York, 9:00 a.m. Thursday in Hong Kong, and 5:00 a.m. in Abu Dhabi.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister's office says the military and its allied forces have captured several key towns that had been held by the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front. This comes one week after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed joined the battlefront. CNN cannot independently verify these claims.
Once again a U.S. community is shattered by a school shooting. Three students are dead, a teenager is in custody. And the investigation into why it happened begins.
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[03:45:00]
CHURCH: Another school shooting in the U.S has left three students dead and a community devastated. The 15-year-old suspect is on suicide watch at a juvenile detention facility. And the semi-automatic handgun recovered at the scene was purchased by his father on Friday. Seven other students and a teacher were wounded in the shooting.
CNN's Alexandra Field reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Three students shot and killed at their own high school just north of Detroit. A 16-year-old boy, a 14 year old girl, and a 17 year old girl.
UNKNOWN: This is every parent's worst nightmare. FIELD: Michigan's Governor choking back tears. Seven other students
and a teacher all shot after a sophomore Oxford High School opened fire, according to authorities.
UNKNOWN: It's devastating.
FIELD: The shooting suspect, a 15 year old boy firing off 15 to 20 shots over five minutes officials said, while armed with a semi- automatic handgun. Almost 25 agencies and 60 ambulances raced to the scene. More than 100 calls pouring into 9-1-1 in the middle of the school day.
MICHAEL MCCABE, OAKLAND COUNTY UNDERSHERIFF: There was an orderly evacuation. The school did everything right. Everybody remained in place they barricaded themselves.
FIELD: Officials say the suspect was taken into custody without incident. Arrested with the help of a deputy assigned to the school. But the suspect whose parents have hired a lawyer for him is not talking to police now.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: You have to know that the whole community has to be just in a state of shock right now.
FIELD: President Joe Biden addressing the latest school shooting during a speech in Minnesota.
BIDEN: As we learn the full details, my heart goes out to the families enduring the unimaginable grief of losing a loved one.
FIELD: Investigators say they believe the suspect acted alone. They have not yet identified a motive.
UNKNOWN: We're hearing all kinds of rumors about warning signs. We are not aware of any warnings.
FIELD: As for how the suspect was able to get a semi-automatic weapon into the school, investigators say they know how it happened but they are not elaborating on it just yet. We know that a search warrant is being executed on the suspect's family home. And officials say the suspect was in school. He was even in class earlier in the day.
In New York, Alexandra Field, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Up next a dire warning about the future of Greenland's ice sheet. What a new report is saying about global warming in the Arctic and what it might mean about rising sea levels. We will be back with that in just a moment.
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[03:50:00] CHURCH: Rain fell at Greenland summit for the first time this year
and according to a new report it could be a sign of things to come. The study predicts the arctic will experience more rain than snow sometime between 2060 and 2070 due to global warming. That's earlier than scientists had previously thought. Researchers say the rise in rainfall has the potential to destabilized Greenland's ice sheet and trigger a global rise in sea levels.
So, let's bring in CNN's meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. And Pedram, each day we receive more warnings about global warming and now this on the Arctic, what are you learning?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Yeah, that's the most concerning, Rosemary, you know, a lot of people kind of overlook the fact that the arctic is warming at a disproportionate rate compared to the rest of the world. And in fact it's about three times faster rate of warming happening there across the Arctic than across the globe on average.
But you take a look the study really a fascinating one. Look at some of the state, and just going back since the 1990s, we know upwards of 28 trillion tons of ice have been lost across the world. And a vast majority of this is located across Greenland and the Arctic in particularly. So again, very concerning by itself.
And Rosemary noted there, on August 14th across an elevation of 3,200 meters or over 10,000 feet high, that's the Greenland summit. Base on rainfall for the first time in recorded history. What is really fascinating about this in particular is that, we have seen temperatures rise above freezing three times in the past decade.
Again prior to the past decade this has not happened before and then you notice an average of course, this area stays below freezing at this altitude year around. So all of this kind of gradually shifting towards a warmer world and of course, a warmer Greenland in particular.
And the study suggesting now rain although rare now is going to become very common within the next few decades and in fact the lead scientists in the study spoke to CNN, her name is Michelle McChrystal, and she noted the studies and the models suggest that 2090 to 2100 is when we expect warming across this part of the world to be consistent enough to produce rainfall almost every single time.
Data now with this latest modeling is bringing us back some three decades to the 2060 to the 2070 period which would then allow temperatures to be warm enough here to support heavy rainfall and, of course, all of this exacerbates the problem melts ice sheets faster and see levels rise quicker, once we get to the stage within the next -- five or four decades, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yeah, it is a worry isn't it. Pedram Javaheri, many thanks for keeping a close eye on all of that.
Well, the European Union is demanding China release verifiable proof that tennis star Peng Shuai is free and not living under threat. In a statement the E.U. says her recent public reappearance does not ease concerns about her safety and freedom. The latest image of Peng was released more than a week ago. It was taken during a video call she had with the president of the International Olympic Committee.
CNN's Erin Burnett asked a member of the committee with knowledge of the call to weigh in on that conversation.
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DICK POUND, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE MEMBER: These are people who have -- you know, they dealt with athletes and dealt with pressure, they can tell whether somebody is behaving under duress or not. And then there is a unanimous conclusion was that she was fine, and she just asked that her privacy be respected for the time being.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Peng disappeared from public life four weeks ago, after accusing a retired senior communist leader of sexual assault.
Tiger Woods golfing future remains in serious doubt nine months after a car accident left him with major injuries. The golf legend is speaking out this week for the first time since the crash and as Brian Todd reports, his fans will need to get used to seeing him a lot less on the (inaudible).
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Tiger Woods laying out a stark new reality in his first news conference since a February car accident left him with multiple fractures in one leg.
TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: It is hard to explain how difficult it has been, just to be immobile for three months and later -- I was looking forward to just getting outside. And it was a goal of mine. And especially for a person who has lived his entire life outside.
[03:55:15]
TODD: Woods addressed his future in the Bahamas where he is hosting a tournament.
WOODS: As far as playing at the tour level, I don't know when that is going to happen. I will play around here and there, little hidden I can do something like that.
TODD: But the real bombshell Woods dropped was posted a day earlier in an exclusive interview with "Golf Digest" magazine. He save that news for the very end of his nearly 38 minute interview.
WOODS: I think that is realistic is playing the tour one day, never full-time ever again, they can choose. It's an unfortunate reality but it's my reality. And I understand and I accept it.
TODD: The man who has meant more to the sport than any other. Winning 15 major championships, capturing the top prize the Masters five times is now becoming a part-time player, as he nears 46 years of age and those who cover him know what that means.
DAN RAPAPORT, STAFF WRITER, GOLF DIGEST: I mean, losing Tiger is an absolutely crushing blow to a sport that he really almost single- handedly built up to where it is today. There is a different feel when Tiger is at a tournament than when there isn't. When Tiger is playing well, the ratings are off the charts, the ticket sales are off the charts. He is one of the few players who has proven that he can appeal to a non-golf fan.
TODD: Woods now says, he is lucky to be alive. Police said Woods was driving 85 miles an hour in a 45 mile an hour zone when his car crashed on winding road near L.A. on February 23rd. One sheriff's Deputy said the safety features of his vehicle and the fact he was wearing a seatbelt likely saved Woods' life. He was hospitalized for three weeks and he revealed a harrowing detail to "Golf Digest."
WOODS: There is a point in time when I went 50/50 but (inaudible), I wasn't going to walk out of the hospital with one leg.
RAPAPORT: Just think about that for one moment, what that would have look like, Tiger Woods with a prosthetic leg, it would have been an absolutely insane site, one of a sporting icons limping around with a prosthetic.
TODD: Tiger Woods now says he is not even at the half way point of his rehabilitation. But what motivates him he says is the prospect of playing golf with his 12-year-old son, Charlie, and watching his son play in tournaments.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And thanks so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more news in just a moment. Don't go anywhere.
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