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Plan B For England; Study: Pfizer Boosters Reduce Infections, Deaths by 90 Percent; Germany Records Highest Death Toll Since February. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired December 09, 2021 - 02:00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead. Time for Plan B. England Titans pandemic restrictions one year after the nation's first COVID vaccinations. As their citizens were locking down some government officials were reportedly letting loose.

One high level resignation already and calls for Boris Johnson to step down as controversy erupts over an alleged Christmas party. And standing up to China more nations join and the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Games.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, even with the holidays rapidly approaching, England is headed into another period of title restrictions in an effort to slow the spread of the Omicron variant. The so called Plan B announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson calls for people to work from home as much as possible beginning next week. From Friday masks will be required in public venues such as theatres and cinemas.

And starting next week access to nightclubs and crowded events will require proof of vaccination. The Prime Minister said the government is also looking at other options. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think we're going to need to have a national conversation about the way forward and the other things that we can do to protect those who are hard to reach who haven't got vaccinated for one reason or who may have medical reasons why they can't get vaccinated, other ways of protecting them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The new rules come as the Prime Minister faces growing accusations that his own staffers have ignored the restrictions facing the rest of the country. This latest scandal erupted with a leaked video. Senior aides at Downing Street joking about an alleged Christmas party last year when the country was in lockdown. One senior advisor has now resigned and some U.K. lawmakers are calling for Mr. Johnson to step down.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has the latest now from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER (voice over): Allegra Stratton, spokesman for Downing Street became a household name overnight in the U.K. On Wednesday, she resigned on her doorstep.

ALLEGRA STRATTON, FOREMR DOWNING STREET SPOKESPERSON: My promote seems to lie to the rules. Rules that people were doing everything to obey. That was never my intention.

ABDELAZIZ: The senior British government official made headlines appearing to mark COVID rules and joking about a Christmas party last year.

STRATTON: I went home. This fictional party was a business meeting. It was not socially distant.

ABDELAZIZ: If true, it would be a brazen violation of COVID restrictions. This video obtained by CNN affiliate ITV shows aids rehearsing for a briefing four days after the alleged party. But while Downing Street staff giggled on the video about cheese and crackers, the U.K. was in the grips of a deadly rise of COVID-19 cases.

Safiah was caring for her elderly father that day. She says he contracted coronavirus during the Christmas period and later died of the virus.

SAFIAH NGAH, SPOKESWOMAN, COVID-19 BEREAVED FAMILIES FOR JUSTICE: We had five people at my dad's funeral. I was able to actually be with my dad when he died. Me and my mom, my brother were able to be there which I consider a huge privilege because so many other bereaved family members didn't have that opportunity.

ABDELAZIZ: On December 18th alone the day the Downing Street party allegedly took place more than 500 people were reported dead from COVID-19 in the U.K.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) to start leaving now.

ABDELAZIZ: And this is how police handled other festive gatherings. Cracking down and handing out spot fines. For days the Prime Minister maintains that no party even took place.

JOHNSON: All guidance was followed completely. That's not true. What what I can tell you is that all the guidelines were observed.

ABDELAZIZ: on Wednesday, the Prime Minister told Parliament he would launch an investigation but admitted no wrongdoing.

JOHNSON: Because I was also furious to see that clip. But I repeat, Mr. Speaker, that I have been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there was no party and that -- and that no COVID rules were broken. KEIR STARMER, BRITISH LABOUR LEADER: So the British people put the health of others above themselves and followed the rules. Isn't the Prime Minister ashamed that his Downing Street couldn't do the same?

ABDELAZIZ: The day after the alleged party, Boris Johnson effectively canceled Christmas for the entire nation, limiting gatherings. Two days later, most of the U.K. was back under tier four restrictions, essentially a full lockdown. Now as the country once again is fighting a variant, Omicron, many are asking if the Prime Minister has the moral authority to lead the country. Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

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CHURCH: And we will have more on this story a little later in the show. Well, we may soon learn more about the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The World Health Organization says some data on its transmissibility could be available by Friday. And studies are being done right now in South Africa and the U.K. The Omicron continues to spread around the world. Cuba and Pakistan are the latest countries to report their first cases.

Meantime two Israeli studies have found that booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine can reduce COVID infections and deaths by 90 percent or more. And Pfizer-BioNTech says to vaccine doses may not provide enough protection against the Omicron variant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MIKAEL DOLSTEN CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, PFIZER: If you get your third boos it rise 25 fold, very dramatic. So yes, in a way you could say to be protected of Omicron you really need a three-dose serious vaccination and that's how we should look at it right now. The three those areas is what you need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, parts of Europe are grappling with a surgeon COVID cases. Denmark is planning to impose new restrictions on bars, restaurants and nightclubs. And children will return to homeschooling next week. Germany has also been hit hard with new infections. CNN's Barbie Nadeau has the details.

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The pandemic situation across Europe is not yet subsiding, despite continuing efforts to mitigate the spread of the Delta variant and brace for Omicron. Germany has logged its highest daily death toll since February on Wednesday with 527 people dying from COVID in the last 24 hours. Causing the new government to seriously consider mandating vaccines which if passed could take effect in February.

The country has already instituted a nationwide lockdown for the unvaccinated. Hospitals across Germany are struggling to keep up with new admissions and expecting a surge of as many as 6000 COVID patients in intensive care by Christmas, no matter what restrictions are put in place now. Austria was the first country in Europe to mandate vaccines for all its citizens. And Greece will soon require vaccines for those over 60.

Elsewhere in Europe case numbers are inching up and governments are weighing new restrictions. In Italy, indoor dining and leisure activities are only accessible to the vaccinated and those who recovered from COVID-19. And case numbers are so worrying in France and Portugal that the CDC has raised them to a level four and warned Americans against traveling there.

Across Europe the focus is on vaccinating, those who are still hesitant and getting boosters into the arms of those who've already been vaccinated. Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

CHURCH: More countries are joining the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Games. But Chinese officials say it's political manipulation and a violation of the Olympic Charter. The latest countries to make the move just ahead.

And later, Ukrainian officials say they are seeing a boost in Russian troops near their border. We will have the details on that just ahead.

Plus, a Cuban activist flees the island on the heels of massive anti- government rallies. Now he's responding on CNN to his supporters who sometimes call him a traitor. Back in just a moment.

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[02:11:227]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, Russia is boosting its military presence near the border with Ukraine even more. Ukrainian defense officials say the number of Russian troops has grown to 120,000 and includes Army, Air Force and Navy personnel. U.S. intelligence estimates that number could reach 175,000. Meantime, the Pentagon says small arms and ammunition, the final elements of a major U.N. security assistance package are set to arrive in Ukraine this week.

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to speak with Ukraine's president in the coming hours about the Russian military buildup. Just two days after holding a high stakes video call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Biden has rolled out sending U.S. troops to Ukraine, but warns Russia of harsh sanctions if it invades the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was very straightforward. There were no minced words. It was polite, but I made it very clear. If in fact, he invades Ukraine, there will be severe consequences, severe consequences, economic consequences like none he's ever seen, or ever had been seen in terms of being imposed. But the idea of the United States is going to unilaterally use force to confront Russia invading Ukraine is not on the cards right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Russia and China are also busy attacking President Biden's summit for democracy. Set to begin in the coming hours. Neither country was invited to attend. Chinese diplomats have been mocking the summit online. All state media in both countries suggests the project is hypocritical. Propaganda experts say the fact that official mouthpieces for Russia and China is speaking out shows just how nervous they are about potentially being isolated over their anti- democratic policies.

The virtual summit will be held over the next two days, with representatives from about 100 governments taking part along with journalists and civil society groups. The White House says the summit will focus on the challenges and opportunities facing democracies with plans to announce commitments, reforms and initiatives to defend democracy and human rights. Well, Canada and the U.K. are the latest to announce a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

They join the U.S., Australia and Lithuania which have chosen not to send delegations to the games. Chinese officials in Canada say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is humiliating the country by politicizing the games. But he says the move shouldn't shock anyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: I don't think the decision by Canada or by many other countries to choose to not send a diplomatic representation to the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics is going to come as a surprise to China. We have been very clear over the past many years of our deep concerns around human rights violations. And this is a continuation of us expressing our deep concerns for human rights violations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me now live from Hong Kong. Great to see you, Kristie. So more countries joining this diplomatic boycott led by the U.S. but China says Canada and the U.K. weren't even invited So what impact will all this likely have in the end?

[02:15:02]

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know it's interesting there's some observers that say that the point of doing it diplomatic boycott, it's not to hurt the athletes, the athletes will still be able to participate in the games but to hurt the pride of the host nation. And so we are seeing these pretty forceful statements come out of China as war nations joined the United States in its diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

We're hearing China's saying, you know, once again, it opposes the politicization of sport and that these officials were never invited to begin with. It was on Wednesday when we heard from Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, he announced this effective diplomatic boycott of the game. So, you have the U.K. joining Australia, Canada and the United States in this diplomatic boycott and not a full boycott.

Again, athletes can still participate with a diplomatic boycott, it means that officials won't be able to take part in let's say, the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games. Earlier this week on Monday, that was when the Biden administration formally announced its diplomatic boycott, citing concerns over human rights abuses in China, in particular charges that China is committing genocide in Xinjiang.

A charge that China continues to vehemently deny and China responded quite forcefully to the United States and said that United States will pay the price for launching its diplomatic boycott, and that there would be more repercussions down the line. The statements have been issued since to the U.K. and directed at Canada not so forceful, but let's bring them up for you. This is a statement from the Chinese Embassy in the U.K. that was announced in the wake of the U.K. announcing his diplomatic boycott.

It reads as follows, the Beijing Winter Olympics is a gathering of Olympic athletes and winter sports lovers across the world. It is not a tool of political manipulation for any country. Making an issue of the presence of government officials at the Beijing Winter Olympics is in essence a political smearing campaign. We also have this from China's embassy in Canada. A spokesman there writes this "Based on ideological biases, as well as lies and rumors, Canada and a handful of Western countries have been flagrantly engaged in political maneuvering with the attempt to disrupt the smooth progress of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games."

And finally, Rosemary, just want to compare the moment where we're at right now to where we were at 13 years ago, when the Beijing Summer Olympic Games took place. You know, here's a photograph, we'll bring it up to you in the full screen so you can take a look at it. 13 years ago, China was under intense pressure for its human rights record. It was under pressure and it was criticized for its treatment of Tibet.

And yet there was no diplomatic boycott. In fact, the scene that you see there is he, then U.S. President George W. Bush in this dance Beijing Olympic Games with his father. That's George H.W. Bush, the former president. He was also the honorary captain for the U.S. Olympic team. And between the two of them, then foreign minister of China, Yang Jiechi, all smiles in the stands, enjoying the moment only 13 years ago but it feels like eons ago. Back to you.

CHURCH: Yes. These are such different times out there. Kristie Lu Stout joining us live from Hong Kong. Many thanks. Well, Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been found guilty of encouraging participation in a peaceful Tiananmen Square vigil last June. The pro- democracy figures legal representative tell CNN, the formal charge was incitement to knowingly take part in an unauthorized assembly.

Sentencing is set for Monday. Lai, a critic of Beijing has been in custody for months facing charges related to prodemocracy protests in 2019. And also under the National Security Law imposed by Beijing.

Well, earlier this year, Cuba was swept by its largest anti-government rallies in decades, but one of the activists involved fled his homeland. Now he's facing anger from his supporters back on the island and questions about where his loyalties really lie. He sat down with Isa Soares in the midst of his self-imposed exile to tell us his side of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yunion Garcia was the rising star of Cuba's protest movement. A renowned playwright who hoped to bring the curtain down in the world's last communist stronghold. Before he and his wife suddenly fled to Madrid.

YUNION GARCIA, CUBAN ACTIVIST (through translator): I think if I stayed in Cuba, I would be able to do a lot of less for my people.

SOARES: His dramatic departure in November, under the cover of darkness caught many by surprise. But he tells me he did not abandon the very cause he's been fighting for.

GARCIA: I appreciate that some, maybe don't understand my decision to leave, but time will show where one can be more helpful to its companies.

SOARES: Still some, including supporters of his archipelago movement now accused him of surrendering to pressure from the regime even calling him a traitor.

[02:20:05]

SOARES: His former supporters now raising questions about his true allegiance.

Now the Cuban government says that you are worked for the United States, but the way in which you left begs the question of whether you could actually be an agent for Cuba. Are you a double agent?

GARCIA: Beither double, nor single nor of any kind, double, nor single nor of any kind. They call me exchange agent. They don't even dare say I am a CIA agent. What they say is that the CIA has been using me without knowing it.

SOARES: His departure followed months of pressure from the Cuban government. He says they blocked him from leaving his house, threatened him with arrest and even left a dead bird on the door of his apartment as a warning.

GARCIA: I withstood everything until a point where I couldn't take it anymore. I was closing m,y center. A kind of anger started to grow inside me, you know. Like a kind of hatred that changes you into someone else.

SOARES: Leaving Cuba also meant leaving his eight-year-old son behind. A decision that is still eating him up.

GARCIA: We hadn't had the time to pause. My wife and I in the middle of all this intense beating until the moment where we had a break in our schedule when we had nothing to do. And I heard my wife cry in the room. We found some release together. Nether of us wanted to be there.

SOARES: Still, she decided he did not want the Cuban regime to turn him into a martyr.

GARCIA: I don't want to die trying, I want to achieve it. That Cuba becomes a good country where my son can live in.

SOARES: He says his fight will continue away from his homeland. At least for now.

You're a script writer. How does the story end?

GARCIA: This story cannot be written by a single person. It is a collective creation. And I don't return, I lose myself. This is the thing This story cannot be written by a single person. It is a collective creation. And I don't return, I lose myself. This is the thing, so I know that I have to go back.

SOARES: A tale of tragedy and sorrow, whose last act has yet to be written. Isa Soares, CNN CNN, Madrid, Spain.

CHURCH: Germany's new chancellor is wasting no time working toward his coalition's goal to strengthen the European Union. Olaf Scholz will visit Paris and Brussels on Friday. Angela Merkel's 16 years in power came to an end Wednesday when Parliament elected Mr. Scholz. She had this message for her successor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA MERKEL, FORMER GERMANY CHANCELLOR (through translator): I know from my own experience, that it's an emotional moment to be elected to this office. You may have guessed that it's an exciting fulfilling task, and also a demanding task. But if you approach it with joy, then it's perhaps also one of the most beautiful tasks there is to bear responsibility for this country. I sincerely wish you all the best in this work, and always a happy hand for our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Among the most pressing challenges the new chancellor faces is Germany's fourth wave of COVID-19 infections. Mr. Scholz has said he will consider vaccine mandates. And still to come, coronavirus vaccines started to become available in Europe a year ago. We will look at how the shots have changed the landscape of the pandemic for the better.

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[02:26:20]

CHURCH: Returning now to our top story, the scandal engulfing Prime Minister Boris Johnson over allegations of holiday gatherings at Downing Street last year when the country was in lockdown. Political Commentator John McTernan is a former senior aide to Tony Blair. He joins us now from London. Thank you so much for talking with us. So former Downing Street advisor, Allegra Stratton tearfully resigned in the wake of this scandal after a leaked video showed her and others joking about a December 18th Christmas party last year at 10 Downing Street.

In breach of COVID rules and during a lockdown, so why was this alleged party ever allowed who was in attendance? And why did Stratton think it was so funny?

JOHN MCTERNAN, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, you're absolutely right to call it an alleged party. Prime Minister Boris Johnson still hasn't confirmed that party took place. Although everybody knows that party took place. Because if he admitted it took place, he would have to admit the rules have been broken. So he's gone through a Baroque process of apologizing, letting one of his aides like stress and resign for a party.

He still doesn't say took place. He's apologized for the impression and given as called for an inquiry. And this morning's papers in the U.K. are full of stories of other parties. Was there a Christmas quiz night, was there another party in conservative central office which is a different building content Downing Street. Bad number 10 aids, that's it. So it sounds like there's a culture of senior people in the Conservative Party believing that they could bend the rules.

So they could do what they wanted. A time when many of us including myself had relatives in hospitals that we couldn't visit. For months, I couldn't visit my mother because she was in hospital. Many, many people were in worse situations than that. And probably the worst thing in this crisis for the government is it's becoming very clear that there was one rule for them, they thought there was one rule for them, and a different rule for the rest of the country.

And that is a very, very painful thing for the -- for people to hear and feel. And it's actually damaging for the government's ability.

CHURCH: And let's talk about that because I wanted to talk about how potentially damaging this could be for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whether he can survive this considering he repeatedly denied a party ever took place. And of course, someone's not going to resign for no reason, are they? And now there are calls for Johnson to resign with polls showing most Brits want him out even conservatives about a third of them, apparently. So can he survive this do you think? He has survived many times before, hasn't he?

MCTERNAN: That is right. And he is a very brazen and self-confident man. I mean, all political leaders have to have reservoirs, massive reservoirs of self confidence to even get to the top - to the top in politics. It feels like it may or may not be the end for him, but it might be the beginning of the end. He's a man who's governed with huge confidence and he's governed by times against the odds.

People didn't expect him to come back to lead the party, he almost split the Conservative Party to take control the leadership. And then he didn't have control of the House of Commons but then had an election where he won a landslide majority. And it feels as though this big, you know, he's been governing with this huge confidence and been pushing through many things that would have brought down lesser Prime Ministers.

Maybe the thing that's going to bring him down but maybe not immediately, but you feel Conservative M.P.s no longer feel he's the right man to take them to the next election, which is --

[02:30:00]

CHURCH: This alleged Christmas party would constitute an illegal gathering. And the Met police have prosecuted other illegal gatherings, haven't they, just like this? So, is that what needs to happen here? And if so, what advice would you give Boris Johnson and his team on how to respond to this?

MCTERNAN: Well, the estimate -- I mean, there are 10,000 party fines (ph) and students across the country have had to pay those fine to -- have been enforced. The advice I would give to the prime minister is the advice I give to anybody political leader in a situation like this, which is the truth will come out. So, get it out quickly and get out of all of it out. Don't get bits of it.

The more the details are being dragged out, it looks as though you're trying to hide things. But it may not -- you know, it may not look good when you bring out the full truth how many rules were broken, it may not look good but you have to sack (ph) people, but it's better than looking as though you're hiding, you're colluding in it, you don't care. And that is the problem to the prime minister.

He's always a student that he can just dismiss any accusations because the public have confidence in him and the public don't like the opposition. But it turns out on this issue, he's read the country wrong. It's because the losses other people had to endure (ph) last year, it's because Christmas, the holiday period is so important to people that it was taken away last year.

It's because he looks out of touch, and it's the most dangerous position a leader could ever have, is to be seen to be out of touch and to be acting so -- in such a way that a poor behavior that it looks as though they don't have any connection to the public. And when the public thinks you're not on their side, then the beginning of the end (INAUDIBLE).

CHURCH: Yes. We've seen one resignation. We'll see if more heads roll. John McTernan, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

Well, the rollout of coronavirus vaccines across Europe a year ago were seen as landmark moment offering some of the first significant protections against the deadly virus with hopes of vaccines ushering in a swift end to the pandemic have proved elusive. Cyril Vanier reports on the progress made so far and the challenges that still lie ahead.

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CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One year ago, Europe started vaccinating en masse. The world marveled at the U.K.'s impressive early rollout, worried about super freezers, keeping vaccines cold enough. And hoped this was the beginning of the end of the pandemic.

VANIER (on camera): When you're on, Europe is in the grip of a new wave of COVID-19. From curfews, to lockdowns, to working from home, restrictions are back in multiple countries. So, have vaccines really kept their promise?

VANIER (voiceover): When it comes to saving lives, that is a resounding yes.

DR. PETER DROBAC, GLOBAL HEALTH EXPERT, OXFORD UNIVERSITY: They exceeded all our expectations in terms of their efficacy, and particularly their ability to prevent severe disease and deaths.

VANIER (voiceover): As for preventing infections?

KEITH NEAL, EMERITUS PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM: It seems to be less good at stopping people actually acquiring the virus.

VANIER (voiceover): Still, countries that have been slow to vaccinate have paid the price in human lives. Take Bulgaria, the European Union's least vaccinated country, only 26 percent uptake, has the world's highest mortality rate. That reality has prompted once reluctant Austria to mandate vaccinations from February, with Germany poised to follow suit.

How long does immunity last? That, perhaps, the biggest disappointment.

NEAL: Immunity wanes, it's a bit like slowly going down the hill. It's not a steep drop off. So, if you have been vaccinated four months ago, you are less -- slightly less protected than if you are vaccinated two or three months ago.

VANIER (voiceover): Forcing Europe to bet on boosters. In France, all adults who will lose access to restaurants, bars, train stations and more, if they fail to get their booster by mid-January. The head of the French Scientific Counsel already talking about a fourth dose. Is the holy grail of heard immunity still achievable? The short answer, no.

DR. DROBAC: I don't think it is achievable anymore. You probably need to have well over 95 percent of the population, with some immunity. It's going to be difficult to achieve that in practice.

VANIER (voiceover): As Europe prepares for its second COVID Christmas, questions abound about the Omicron variant, its transmissibility, its severity. Vaccines, by no means, are a silver bullet, but still, by far, the best protection available.

Cyril Vanier, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And joining us from Oxford England Dr. Sian Griffiths. She's an Emeritus professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and lead Hong Kong's investigation into the 2003 SARS epidemic. Thank you, Doctor, for all that you do.

DR. SIAN GRIFFITHS, EMERITUS PROFESSOR, CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: Good morning, Rosemary. Nice to be with you.

[02:35:00]

CHURCH: So, Pfizer now says its third COVID booster shot offers protection against the new Omicron, because the big questions when Omicron came on the scene was, will vaccines work? How transmissible is it? How is the (INAUDIBLE) disease going to be? And what's the real nature of this virus?

Scientists around the world are working in different ways of different studies on those questions. And we keep getting small hints of what the jigsaw look like eventually. So, it is encouraging, but it doesn't mean that we can just sit back and say let Omicron rip. I don't think that is the case at all.

CHURCH: And, of course, here in the Unites States, the CDC says only about 25 percent are vaccinated adults have actually received that third booster shot. So, given what we've just learned about the extra protection offered by the booster shot, is it time to redefine what fully vaccinated means and make it a three shot instead of two-shot regimen?

DR. GRIFFITHS: Well, that's obviously something that needs to be discussed by various committees such as in the U.K., the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. We already have the recommendation in the U.K. of having boosters, all adults to have a third shot. And Pfizer and Moderna are the two vaccines being used.

And I think as you said earlier, in France, the vaccine pass will rely on people, particularly older people, having had three shots. So, we're into -- we're definitely not into this is going away territory. We are into -- actually, to control the virus, we need to stay on top of the variants. We need to see developments in vaccines that are appropriate for the variants that emerge. And I think we may well see ourselves in a situation like we are with flu, where we continue to be vaccinated against strains of virus that are prevalent at that particular point of time. And that's just a sort of precautionary public health approach.

CHURCH: And U.K. prime minister, Boris Johnson, is imposing tougher COVID restrictions across England in an effort to contain the Omicron variant. And of course, in the wake of a government scandal. Brits will need to wear face masks in most public places. Work from home where possible. And show COVID passes to get into nightclubs and other crowded events. Will these measures be sufficient, do you think, to contain the threat?

DR. GRIFFITH: Well, that's really difficult. These measures are coming on top of other measures. They're coming at a time -- they're coming into time of year when we already have a lot of viruses, not just COVID, circulating in our population. We have pressures on the health care system from other things than COVID. And I think that our scientific advisor yesterday was pointing out that the key thing we need to do to is to slow the spread of Omicron, get a better understanding of it.

And hopefully, these measures will contribute towards it. But it's a combination of things. It's getting vaccinated, getting those shots is the most important thing. And the booster program has been ramped up. GP's have been -- general practitioners are allowed to defer other work -- other routine work to prioritize booster jabs.

So, booster jabs are really the key. These other measures are part of the whole picture and hopefully taken together, they will control the spread of Omicron. Because we're all getting towards Christmas and I think people are very keen that we don't cancel Christmas again this year.

CHURCH: Yes, it appears that we're all having to learn to live with COVID. It's not going anywhere anytime soon, right?

DR. GRIFFITHS: Absolutely.

CHURCH: Dr. Sian Griffiths, thank you much so much for joining. Appreciate it.

DR. GRIFFITHS: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, New Zealand's want its future generations to stop smoking and a new law could make that happen. Next year, lawmakers will kick off a campaign to reduce the number of smokers across the country to less than 5 percent by 2025.

Currently, only those 18 and older can buy tobacco. But the new bill would progressively raise the legal age for purchases. New Zealand's government also plans to reduce the number of shops that sell tobacco products as well as cut back on tobacco imports and advertising.

Well, Britain's royals are getting in the holiday spirit with a special concert to honor those who have helped communities during the pandemic. We're back with that and more in just a moment. Stay with us.

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[02:40:00]

CHURCH: Guatemalans have kicked off the Christmas season by symbolically "Burning the Devil." People built bonfires Tuesday night and torched effigies of Satan to represent purification. The tradition dates back to the 16th century. This year, one of the devil figures held a syringe and wad of cash as a criticism of the government's handling of the pandemic.

In London, the unsung heroes of the pandemic were celebrated with Christmas carols at West Minister Abbey on Wednesday night.

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge attended the event. They listened to children singing and greeted people at the Together at Christmas service. In a tweet, the couple said organizations and unsung heroes have helped others in the face of extraordinary challenges.

And thank you so much for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more global news. World Sport is next.

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[02:45:00]

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