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Deadly Tornadoes in the U.S.; Russia-Ukraine Conflict; Deadly Building Collapse in Italy; U.S. May Face New Winter COVID-19 Surge; South Africa's Omicron Positivity Rate Climbs; Blue Origin Completes First Fully Occupied Flight. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 12, 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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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Kristie Lu Stout.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, tornadoes flatten towns across the central United States. I'll speak to a survivor about the hours she spent under the rubble.

And world leaders are putting the pressure on Vladimir Putin. The G7 is focused on tensions between Russia and the Ukraine.

Plus deaths reported, as buildings collapse in Italy. Rescue teams now searching for survivors.

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STOUT: We begin with the staggering damage wrought by one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in the U.S. in decades. Search and rescue efforts are set to wrap up in the coming hours, after dozens of tornadoes ripped through six U.S. states. At least 84 people are feared dead.

Kentucky bore the brunt of the devastation and the small town of Mayfield was nearly leveled by the storm. Homes and businesses all reduced to piles of rubble in mere moments.

The storm also flattened this candle factory in Mayfield. More than 100 people were working inside when the storm hit and dozens are still unaccounted for.

And this video, it gives you a sense of the scale of those tornadoes. This was taken Friday night in southeastern Missouri. While it's unclear if this is the same tornado that hit Mayfield, it appears to have touched down along the very same path.

The mayor of Mayfield says that her town now looks like matchsticks and the human toll is not yet known. CNN's Brynn Gingras is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Waking up this morning, Kentucky's governor fears the death toll in this state could rise past 100. It's the worst devastation that this state has ever seen.

Take a look behind me. And what we're looking, just in the center of this town of Mayfield, it's hard to tell what these buildings actually were because they have all just been decimated. And we're talking about for miles.

In fact, as my crew was driving into this town on a four-lane highway, the second we saw the sign that said "Welcome to Mayfield," it's like we entered a completely different world. Nothing is recognizable.

A candle factory, not far from where we are with, more than 100 employees working around the clock to meet Christmas time demand, well, that building is now a pile of rubble.

One worker telling CNN they were warned; some got out safe. About 40 people were rescued as of yesterday, according to the governor. Others, though, among those feared dead.

FEMA teams are in the state and efforts to find those lost is going to continue later today -- in Mayfield, Kentucky, I'm Brynn Gingras, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: We're also hearing from a woman, who eventually was rescued from that candle factory. She was stuck under a pile of rubble, losing feeling in her toes and growing more and more worried. And at some point, she started broadcasting on Facebook Live, asking for help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYANNA PARSONS-PEREZ, CANDLE FACTORY COLLAPSE SURVIVOR, MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY: We are trapped. Please, y'all, get us some help. We're at the candle factory in Mayfield. Please, please.

Y'all. Y'all, please send us some help. Somebody, please send us some help. We are trapped. The wall is stuck on me. Nobody can get to us. Y'all, we can't move.

Andrea, calm down.

Y'all, please, y'all, pray for us. Just get somebody to come and help us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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STOUT: And the woman heard on that Facebook Live call is Kyanna Parsons-Perez. Kyanna is a storm survivor. She was in a storm shelter with other employees at a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, when this storm hit and she joins us now.

Kyanna, thank you so much for joining us on CNN. PARSONS-PEREZ: Thank you for having me.

STOUT: You were trapped under at least five feet of rubble and, Kyanna, you managed to survive.

But how are you doing and how are you feeling right now?

PARSONS-PEREZ: Right now I'm extremely tired. I've probably slept a total of an hour, 1.5 hours.

[03:05:00]

PARSONS-PEREZ: I've been busy. There's been so many people calling, people wanting to check in, just a lot going on. And I haven't had a chance to sleep. So I'm really, really tired and still sore.

STOUT: And Kyanna, when you were trapped you made this desperate plea for help on Facebook Live. You said, "The wall is stuck on me."

How did it feel at that moment, just pinned under that debris?

PARSONS-PEREZ: I said, "The wall is stuck on me," because the wall had fallen on me. And that felt horrible. It was terrifying. It was -- I can't even think of any other words to describe it. It was a very terrifying experience.

STOUT: And we hear that the terror in the voice of your colleagues around you. In that Facebook Live video, we hear them moaning, wailing.

Were you able to talk to each other during that time when you were trapped?

PARSONS-PEREZ: Yes, we talked to each other quite a bit, trying to keep each other calm, letting each other know how we were doing. If someone weren't breathing, you know, as we were trying to maneuver our way around and out, we talked to kind of work together, to figure out what we were doing and what we should do.

And even at one point, somebody was moving around toward my foot. And whatever they was doing was causing pain to my ankle and I was like, please stop, whoever's doing that. And they stopped.

So we were in communication. But one thing I realized is, where we were, although all of us were in the same area, the way that the ceiling and the building collapsed on us, it kind of divided us.

STOUT: So you were calling out to each other, so at least you could hear one another during that moment.

PARSONS-PEREZ: Yes. Yes.

STOUT: And then tell us about the moment when you were rescued.

Who pulled you guys out? PARSONS-PEREZ: Well, the first person I know to pull us out, there was a gentleman, who is an inmate at Graves County. I don't know his name, and my supervisor; his name is Sammy.

And Sammy was working hard because his wife was in there with us and she couldn't breathe. She wasn't doing well. And so he was working and they pulled another co-worker of mine, they pulled her out.

And once they pulled her out, they were able to move other people around. And then they just started getting people out.

And we started doing -- getting the drywall and all the debris that was around us -- because we couldn't do anything to what was above us. It was too heavy and it was too dangerous to move what was above us. So we moved what was under us to kind of give us more space from the bottom. And then people were able to get out.

STOUT: Yes.

When you were able to get out and you stepped out and then you looked back at what was left of your factory after the storm, what was that like?

What did you see?

PARSONS-PEREZ: I watched an interview earlier today and a man said -- he was a storm chaser -- and he said that it looked like a landfill. That's exactly what it looked like. It just was completely demolished. It was gone.

STOUT: And are you hopeful that the community there in Mayfield will come together right now, to rise and rebuild --

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PARSONS-PEREZ: Definitely.

STOUT: -- from this?

PARSONS-PEREZ: Definitely. I've never seen a community go through something like this and they don't come together. And along with the surrounding communities that come in to help to rebuild, because, I mean, in Kentucky -- you know, I'm from Illinois. And so here, it's everybody -- you know, down South, they have that Southern hospitality. And everybody's family and everybody helps each other.

So I'm not -- I don't doubt that that's going to happen with this instance, because it already has happened. It's already began. People are getting all type of resources, water, toiletries. They need all these things, all these things.

STOUT: Kyanna, we know it's been a long, long night for you. I want to thank you. And we also want to send strength and prayers to you, your family and your colleagues. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.

PARSONS-PEREZ: Thank you. You have a wonderful night.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: It's hard to overstate just how extensive the damage is in Mayfield and the monumental task facing emergency workers there. CNN spoke with the county coroner on Saturday. He says, despite decades on the job, he never expected this kind of disaster in his own community.

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QUESTION: Have you ever seen anything like this in your career as a coroner?

BRAD JONES, GRAVES COUNTY, KENTUCKY, CORONER: No. No, sir. I've been doing this 20 years with the coroner's office.

[03:10:00]

JONES: We deal with all types of death. But like I said, this is something you don't think is going to happen in your own community. So you just can't take things for granted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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STOUT: And to our viewers, you can help. You can help those in need after these deadly weather events. Go to cnn.com/impact and find verified ways to find help for the victims of these tornadoes, cnn.com/impact.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Ahead, G7 foreign ministers are meeting for a second day in England, hoping that the threat of harsh economic sanctions will deter Russia from invading Ukraine. We've got a live report from Liverpool -- next.

Plus political headaches keep on coming for British prime minister Boris Johnson. He takes a big slide in the polls over allegations of holiday parties that broke COVID rules.

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STOUT: Welcome back.

The foreign ministers of the G7 nations now meeting in England are looking to deter Russian aggression toward Ukraine by making such a move as costly as possible. Day two gets underway soon.

A U.S. official said there has been, quote, "a huge amount of convergence" among the allies as they strive to form a united response. President Joe Biden spoke with the Russian leader last week and on Saturday he spelled out exactly what would happen if Russian forces invade Ukraine. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've made it absolutely clear to President Putin, it's the last thing I'll say, that, if he moves on Ukraine, the economic consequences for his economy are going to be devastating, devastating, number one.

Number two, we will find it required that we'll have to send more American and NATO troops into the eastern flank, the B9, all those NATO countries where we have a sacred obligation, to defend them against any attack by Russia.

And number three, the impact of all of that on Russia and its attitude, the rest of the world's view of Russia, will change markedly. They'll pay a terrible price.

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STOUT: After the G7, a senior U.S. State Department official travels to Kiev to confer with Ukrainian officials. She will also visit Moscow to get the Russian view of the situation and then consult with NATO and E.U. officials in Brussels. CNN's Nic Robertson joins us live from Liverpool with more.

Nic, there's talk of this more convergence between the U.S. and its allies.

Is that going to translate into a unified response if Russia moves on Ukraine?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It is. There was not planned to be a specific Russia-Ukraine statement coming from the G7. There was planned a more general, all-encompassing statement about the outcome of this meeting.

However, there is now going to be, what we're being told is, a specific statement on Russia and Ukraine to purposefully show that strength of unity and resolve, we're being told, that the foreign ministers here are fired up on the issue.

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ROBERTSON: That there is full support and agreement about the type of sanctions that could be placed on Russia, that these would be quantifiably and orders of magnitude different to the level of sanctions placed on Russia, to the point that they could have an economic spillover and impact on some of the European partners here.

So that convergence is definitely arriving, as we understand. We've just seen the British foreign secretary, Liz Truss, go in. She's hosting this talks. Minutes before her, U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, going into the talks as well. So today is not so much the focus on Russia; it's more on the ASEAN

members, who will be joining. There will be some focus as well on COVID and health issues. China obviously in the afternoon. But this convergence on the issue of Russia and the potential for troops -- its troops going into Ukraine -- yes, a strong message from here expected.

STOUT: So more on this convergence.

As the G7 puts on this united front, to warn of consequences, how is Russia responding?

ROBERTSON: Yes, the Russian embassy in the U.K. -- obviously the U.K. hosting this G7 -- responded to comments by the British foreign secretary, Liz Truss, in the lead-up to the summit.

They're criticizing her for making this what they're essentially saying is, for all intents and purposes, a fake argument. Russia, they say, has no intentions, their words, of putting its troops inside Ukraine.

They say, the Russian embassy says, that it's actually the civil war in Ukraine that is boiling up at the moment and that's a cause for concern. They say it's the British and other NATO members, who are pushing their troops toward Russia's borders and Estonia and Poland, part of a small number, a few hundred troop commitment to NATO, on its eastern flank.

Russia is pointing to this. So for Russia's perspective, Britain is out of line, out of step, doesn't get the reality.

The reality inside this meeting is that Russia is perceived to have close to 100,000 troops, with the capability of crossing swiftly into Ukraine. And the resolve here has been to have a response that could be very swift and very economically damaging to Russia. So Russia understands the costs of the consequences.

Does this G7 have Russia's attention?

Clearly it does, although they refuse the terms of it.

STOUT: Nic Robertson reporting live from Liverpool, thank you.

We are following developing news from a devastated town on the Italian island of Sicily. Emergency teams are searching for survivors after several buildings collapsed in Ravanusa.

The Italian news agency, ANSA, reports a gas leak explosion destroyed three houses and damaged four more. Fire officials say at least two people were killed and others are missing. Robyn Barbie Nadeau joins us from Rome.

The video is gutwrenching to see. A number of buildings collapsed, a number of residents are missing.

What have you learned? BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a devastating event. They've got at least seven people still missing. This is a small town, a close-knit community on the island of Sicily, not so far from the seaside. People were ready for the holidays there. Everybody's gathering, everybody's happy.

And this devastating explosion, kind of late in the evening, it has really shocked the community. We've been learning there are about 50 people left homeless. They can't go back to their homes because of damage.

We've seen some incredible footage of the damage to the homes, near where this explosion took place. And they're blaming a gas leak. But they don't quite know yet what set it off. It could have been somebody using the elevator; it could have been some sort of movement of the soil. It's a highly seismic area.

But the mayor had called out for anybody to come and help, bring shovels, bring anything they can, because, in these small towns, they don't have large fire departments, so they don't have a lot of heavy equipment to move rubble.

So they had to wait a little while to bring some of that equipment in. They're saying that every half hour they're stopping the search to listen, to see if they can hear anybody underneath that rubble. A man and a woman so far confirmed dead. Two women have been pulled out alive. There are at least seven people they're still searching for.

They say no children are among the missing but they're still searching for seven people.

STOUT: What more can you tell us about this general area where this disaster took place?

NADEAU: This is on the southern part of Sicily, not far from Agrigento, a very popular tourist area with Greek ruins. But these small communities in Sicily are very tight-knit across Italy.

But in Sicily, especially, these smaller towns everybody knows everybody, everybody knows who's home, everybody knows if you've got visitors or friends over.

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NADEAU: So they do have a good idea of who might be missing. But it is devastating because everybody knows everybody. These are very tight-knit communities. It's devastating for the community ahead of the holidays like this.

Sicily has, as of all Italy, been dealing with COVID-19 and lockdowns. This year was going to be a little bit different. They were thinking maybe they could have something of a celebration. And now this.

STOUT: Horrific timing, horrific scenes from that disaster zone there in Sicily. Barbie Nadeau, we thank you for your reporting. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. When we come back, we talk with a man

who helped revive New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. What he says the government needs to do now to help the tornado victims before it's too late.

Plus the White House moves to approve assistance for the affected communities. But why President Joe Biden wants to wait before he pays them a visit.

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STOUT: In the United States and around the world. I'm Kristie Lu Stout and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Homes, buildings, lives ravaged by a string of horrific tornadoes that tore through the central U.S. More than 30 twisters, possibly the largest tornado outbreak the U.S. has ever seen.

Officials fear more than 80 people were killed. But the final death toll is not yet known. As communities start to come to grips with the tragedy, the White House is responding as well. Arlette Saenz reports.

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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Biden says he plans to visit the communities devastated by a string of tornadoes over the weekend, predicting it may be the largest outbreak of tornadoes in American history.

The president said he will not travel to those regions until he knows that his presence there will not hinder from rescue and recovery efforts.

The president has said his heart aches for those who have lost loved ones, those who still do not know where their family members are, and also the rescue teams and first responders working on the scene.

The president has pledged federal assistance, approving an emergency declaration for the state of Kentucky. He has also said that he will offer more federal assistance if the states feel that they need it. But take a listen to the president, talking about a possible visit to see and survey this damage firsthand.

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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I spoke with -- I started off this morning with the governor of Kentucky and offered to -- I said I'll be happy to come. But I don't want to be in the way.

When a president shows up, he shows up with an awful lot of personnel, an awful lot of vehicles, an awful lot of -- we can get in the way, unintentionally. And so what I'm working with the governor of Kentucky and others, who may want me to be there, is make sure we are value- added at the time and we're not going to get in the way of the rescue and recovery. But I will -- I do plan on going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: While no timeline has been laid out for a possible presidential visit, on Sunday, the Homeland Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, and the FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell will visit the region to survey damage as they are looking to offer that federal support, as so many communities are reeling after these storms -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: As you heard in Arlette's report, President Biden is sending emergency help to states affected by the deadly tornadoes. CNN's Pam Brown spoke with the head of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and asked when that aid might arrive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now where I am, in Mayfield, Kentucky, this town is decimated.

How long do you think the recovery will be in a place like where I am right now?

DEANNE CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: We know that the devastation from these storms is getting more intense and the recovery can take a long time. But the federal government, FEMA, is going to be there, working with the Commonwealth of Kentucky as we start to rebuild and talk about how we can rebuild more resilient, perhaps, in the future.

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STOUT: Yes, recovery can take a long time.

But how long?

Last week "The New York Times" published an article on how victims of Hurricane Ida in Louisiana last August are still waiting for aid from FEMA.

The authors write, quote, "As climate change contributes to more punishing natural disasters across the country, federal agencies have repeatedly failed to provide temporary housing swiftly in their wake, exposing wide gaps in disaster policy."

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STOUT: Lt. Gen. Russel Honore helped New Orleans get back on its feet after Hurricane Katrina. He is author of "Leadership in the New Normal" and he joins us now from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Sir, thank you so much for joining us. A storm zone in America right now. It is winter, it is cold. Weather is a huge factor in this disaster response.

What do affected communities need right now?

LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, right now, the search and rescue is still in process. They still have buildings they have not cleared yet and -- with suspected survivors. And that has to be completed and made clear by the first responders.

At the same time, the temperature's dropped; it's cold and rainy there, just miserable. So it's up to the first responders now and neighbors helping neighbors. Once this is over with, you'll find out a lot of people's lives that were saved by people who live to the left and their right who helped each other crawl out of the rubble.

But it is a search and rescue mission until it's declared complete. And they'll go to some of the response tasks, of finding temporary housing, hotels, trailers and individual assistance that FEMA is well practiced at.

But we're going to have to move with speed, because, unlike the hurricane we had a few months ago, Ida, it was warm weather and people literally camped out in tents on their property. They will not be able to do that in Kentucky and survive.

So they'll need a massive influx of temporary housing and housing approval by FEMA in the coming hours, so people can seek shelter in safe places.

STOUT: As you just said, right now the response is local. It's neighbors helping neighbors.

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STOUT: But a federal response is needed fast.

So how fast can FEMA and other federal agencies provide help to these devastated communities?

HONORE: Well, as of tonight, three hours ago, I listened to the FEMA administrator, who is doing a good job.

But they had not approved individual assistance; that is where people can call a FEMA number, get cash into their bank account so they can take care of themselves and go to a hotel area that's designated or any hotel and use a FEMA voucher.

Because people are going to need temporary housing. The grid is broken in most places where this tornado went through. So people that homes may have survived, they're going to have to evacuate because they can't live in the town because of the debris.

And the grid, meaning the electricity, the water, the internet, all of -- gas, all of that is broken. So they need to get individual assistance started. But as of four hours ago, FEMA had not approved individual assistance that provide those services.

Right now they are evacuating people to mass shelters. And they need to start getting them into temporary shelters, like hotels.

STOUT: This is the worrying point, because FEMA appears to be overwhelmed. Three months after Hurricane Ida, residents are still waiting for FEMA housing.

Can FEMA deliver urgent assistance in the wake of these tornadoes in a timely way?

HONORE: Timeliness is the issue you touched on. Hurricane Ida hit and it's been four months plus and we still have citizens that don't have trailers yet. So we've got to move faster.

It's very sequential, very documented. But they're going to have to uberize, if I may use that term, that vernacular, the recovery operations because it's too slow. It's too much documentation, too many contractors between FEMA and the homeowners, too much discussion with insurance companies.

And a majority of people end up being told no and not getting anything from FEMA.

STOUT: Yes, and we just heard from a FEMA representative on our air that the devastation in general is getting more intense; recovery can take a long time. The issue of climate change; climate change is whipping up more punishing storms.

Is that going to make it even harder for federal agencies to help?

HONORE: Yes. It does not have the manpower to deal with climate change. A lot of improvements were done to FEMA after Hurricane Katrina. Then when '17, when we had four hurricanes come in a row, FEMA got overmatched again.

All of that is a result of climate change, those four hurricanes. And we saw this year in Hurricane Ida, while the response was very targeted, they were still dealing with Hurricane Laura, which hit a year earlier, where people had not gotten the resolve from their damages to their homes.

So they are overwhelmed and they're going to have to add the capacity to FEMA to deal with recovery because, right now, as you talk to a lot of citizens, recovery is a living hell dealing with FEMA and insurance companies.

And we have to find a better way to do that under the Build Back Better plan or that concept that President Biden speaks of. But FEMA is slow to respond to those changes. And then the Congress got to dictate those changes.

There are 12 committees in Congress that tell FEMA what to do. That unto itself is complicated. We need to streamline and uberize this and get this moving because we're still using too many last-century techniques and tactics at FEMA to deal with these repetitive, more frequent, climate change-type events.

STOUT: An upgrade in response is desperately needed, especially in this era of climate change. Sir, thank you so much for joining us. We thank you for your insight.

HONORE: And God bless those first responders and the survivors. We're all praying for them. And figure out a way how you can help others through donations. Thank you.

STOUT: Absolutely. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: And we can and you can help those in need after these deadly tornadoes. Go to cnn.com/impact. You'll find verified ways to provide help for tornado victims, cnn.com/impact.

There's much more ahead on CNN, including fears that falling temperatures in the U.S. could mean a cold weather COVID surge is on the horizon.

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[03:40:00]

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STOUT: Concerns are growing that the United States has entered a new winter surge of the coronavirus. Average cases have increased to well over 60 percent in the last month and are hovering around 120,000 new infections a day.

Hospitalizations are rising as well. More than half have been in Midwestern states like Michigan and Ohio. The Delta variant is still the dominant strain in the U.S. But the Omicron variant has been detected in at least 27 states as of Friday.

New coronavirus cases have been surging across Europe in recent weeks, driven in part by the Omicron variant.

And in England, plan B restrictions are going into effect. Masks are now mandatory in most public venues. Work-from-home guidance begins on Monday. Parliament is set to vote Tuesday on requiring COVID passes at night clubs and large venues.

The European Union rolls out vaccines for children ages 5 and up this week. Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved.

South Africa plans to roll out boosters for eligible residents by the end of the month. David McKenzie joins me live from Johannesburg.

What is the latest on the government response to both Delta and Omicron? DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think they're looking at a wait- and-see approach. The president is meeting with his command council this week, then they might bring in stricter measures.

Up until this point, two and some weeks since this was identified, you've seen an increase in cases certainly. But it hasn't really been met with a catastrophic increase in hospitalizations. So they've taken a measured approach at this point.

STOUT: In South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first detected, has there been any sign of more severe illness caused by this virus?

[03:45:00]

MCKENZIE: No, at this stage there hasn't been any sign of that. In fact, the opposite in many ways has been the case. Just speaking to ambulance workers, doctors, heads of hospitals over the last few days, they've been telling me, well, they sense this is less severe.

Whether it's because of underlying immunity or vaccinations, they're not clear yet. But people are staying shorter in hospital, fewer on hyperoxygen and on ventilators. And the hospitals have seen an increase but not a dramatic increase.

So the next few weeks could be critical but there are some tentative signs this variant may be less severe, in fact.

STOUT: Very encouraging to hear.

What about the vaccination picture?

A lack of vaccines was a factor in cooking up this new variant.

Have we seen any movement to get more jabs in more arms across Africa?

MCKENZIE: In South Africa, just under 40 percent of people have been fully vaccinated. Across the continent, as you know, there is a lack of access to vaccines and some level of hesitancy in many countries. So that's a mixed picture. And the fear is that more variants could develop in the coming months, as was predicted.

None of this really is a major surprise. What is a surprise is the level of mutations on this particular variant. But at this stage, it's not translating into a worse clinical situation. That being said, a notable research group in the U.K. said that their models predict that Omicron could lead to more hospitalizations per day than the last wave in the U.K.

But I have to say, that doesn't really mesh with the on-the-ground situation we're seeing right now here in South Africa. But we're going to have to wait and see over the next few weeks whether that bears out.

STOUT: David, thank you so much for monitoring the situation for us. David McKenzie reporting live in Johannesburg, thank you. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead, a landmark launch for Jeff

Bezos and his space company, Blue Origin. That journey to the edge of space is next.

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Welcome back.

The U.S. rapper, Megan Thee Stallion, didn't miss a beat as she stepped on a different kind of stage.

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STOUT (voice-over): You can say she brought down the house as she walked up to receive her college diploma on Saturday. The rapper graduated from Texas Southern University in Houston with a degree in health administration, pursuing her college degree while continuing her music career.

Megan is a Grammy-winning artist, whose best songs include "Savage" and "Hot Girl Summer."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Six lucky passengers got to be part of Blue Origin's latest liftoff to suborbital flight and their once-in-a-lifetime joyride to the edge of space also marked Blue Origin's first fully occupied flight. CNN's Rachel Crane reports from the launch site in Texas.

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RACHEL CRANE, CNN BUSINESS INNOVATION AND SPACE CORRESPONDENT: This is the rocket booster that blasted the six passengers to space on Blue Origin's third crewed launch. Now the whole journey lasted just 10 minutes and 13 seconds. But it was a ride of a lifetime.

MICHAEL STRAHAN, ABC NEWS HOST: It was a mind trip when all of a sudden you feel your body go like this and you undo the belt and you're floating. And then you're back in the belt, you're back on Earth. I'm going to sit at work tomorrow and go, it's spacious today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to be floating.

STRAHAN: Yes. I want to be floating again. You want more of it.

CRANE: Laura Shepard Churchley was only 12 years old when her father, Alan Shepard, made his historical suborbital flight becoming the first American in space. She told me that her journey aboard New Shepard, which was named after her father, was a long time coming and allowed her to experience a little bit of his adventures. LAURA SHEPARD CHURCHLEY, ALAN SHEPARD'S DAUGHTER: Way back when in '61, I was grateful that I had been a girl because I don't know how I would have followed in daddy's footsteps. So I finally did it. It was wonderful.

CRANE: The passengers passed the Karman Line, the internationally recognized boundary of space and experience about three minutes of weightlessness before the capsule made a parachuted landing back on Earth.

Reusability is at the core of Blue Origin space strategy. And this was the fifth flight for this vehicle.

Upon landing, the passengers celebrated with champagne showers and hugs from their loved ones. They told me that they are still processing the fact that they are now astronauts and the impact this will have on them moving forward -- Rachel Crane, CNN, Launch Site One, Texas.

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STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. Thank you so much for spending part of your day with me and the team. My colleague, Kim Brunhuber, will be picking up proceedings from here.

But first, some of the heartbreaking and emotional images from those devastating nighttime tornadoes across the United States. Take a watch.

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GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): This event is the worst, most devastating, most deadly tornado event in Kentucky's history. We will be north of at least 70 lives lost here in Kentucky. I think we will have lost more than 100 people. And I think it could rise significantly.

LT. DEAN PATTERSON, KENTUCKY STATE POLICE: We're seeing things that none of us have ever seen before. The damage here is undescribable. It's changed the landscape of the city that we know here in Mayfield.

IVY WILLIAMS, HUSBAND OF MISSING CANDLE FACTORY WORKER: Someone that know, please contact me. I want to find my wife. I want to find her and know she's still somewhere safe. I hope she's somewhere safe.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The windows start breaking, dogs flying through the air. I didn't know what to do. Walls feel like they was caving in. It was very scary.

BESHEAR: I just want everybody to know that you are not alone. Today Kentucky is absolutely united. We're united with our people.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is one of those times when we aren't Democrats or Republicans. Sounds like hyperbole but it's real. We're all Americans. We stand together as the United States of America. So I say to all the victims, you're in our prayers.

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