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U.K. Confirms First Death From Omicron Variant as It Fights to Slow Spread; Tornado Survivor Live-Streamed Ordeal on Facebook; Truck Driver Working with Candle Factory Describes Storm; Former Newspaper Editor and Volunteer Describes Tornado Damage in Mayfield; Bennett Becomes First Israel Prime Minister to Visit UAE. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired December 13, 2021 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:30:00]
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: And we're going to take you back to Kentucky for the latest on the search and rescue efforts in the aftermath of these historic tornados.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAMEROTA: Update on coronavirus now. Cases in the U.S. are up 45 percent from just a month ago, driven by the Delta and Omicron variants.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: And the U.K., they just confirmed the first death from the Omicron variant, something health experts say was expected.
[14:35:04]
CNN's Alexandra Field has the latest on the fight to slow the spread.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Today, new warnings coming from the U.K. about the Omicron variant.
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There's a tidal wave of Omicron coming. And I'm afraid it is not clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need.
FIELD: A new preliminary study from Oxford University finds that the two-dose regimen of Pfizer and AstraZeneca is substantially less effective against Omicron than Delta.
But those researchers also say that, at this time, there's no evidence Omicron would lead to an increase in severe disease or deaths.
So far, the variant has been linked to one death in the U.K.
The U.S. now reporting cases in at least 29 states and D.C.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: If you look at the data, more and more, it becomes clear that if you want to be optimally protected, you really should get a booster.
FIELD: Evidence of the need for boosters only mounting with a winter surge driven by Delta setting in.
GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R-NH): It is winter. We've been planning for this winter surge since July. But we're prepared. We're trying a lot of innovative things to flex the bed space and what not within the hospital system. It is really important that the health care system is preserved.
FIELD: Hospitalizations among children now reaching record highs in the northeast and parts of the Midwest.
FAUCI: This idea that children are not vulnerable at all is not so.
FIELD: Starting tomorrow, children ages 5 to 11 will have to show prove of one vaccination to eat indoors in New York City or good to certain venues.
A temporary mask man date for indoor public spaces goes into effect today throughout the state.
DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER: There are certain states, like New Hampshire and Massachusetts, where the health care systems are beginning to get pressed. And mask mandates are the easiest thing we can do that is collective action that puts the downward pressure on the spread.
FIELD: The idea of masking up again deeply dividing America still locked in debate over all kinds of COVID mandates.
MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D-NYC, NY): We've proven that mandates work. And now we're up against a new enemy with this new variant. We have to a have a strategy to fight back.
GOV. ASA HUTCHINSON (R-AR): To put the mandate in is unprecedented. It is going to cause hardship. And it is going to cause division in our country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FIELD: The two sides in the debate we have certainly heard much about before.
We are getting new data. Numbers are showing us that one out of every 100 senior citizens in the U.S. has died of COVID. Three-quarters of COVID deaths are from people over 65.
The numbers become more grim the older you are. When we talk about people over the age of 75, you're talking about more than one out of every 65 (ph) people in that age group dying of COVID.
I know it is tough to take in all of the numbers but those are staggering.
CAMEROTA: Absolutely. Just putting it in that -- framing that way really drives it home.
Alexandra, thank you.
BLACKWELL: Thank you.
CAMEROTA: OK, the search and recovery effort has entered the third day across parts of the south and central U.S. after that string of deadly tornados. So we'll take you back, live, to Kentucky right after this.
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[14:42:43]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Welcome back. I'm in Mayfield, Kentucky.
We have just learned some new details about the deadly tornado that devastated the city.
And an official with the National Weather Service said that it was on the ground for at least 128 miles an hour. And they've done analysis of this. Homes and businesses and schools all gone in a matter of moments.
Moments ago, the governor of Kentucky told me that the death toll is now at 65 people in his state. Officials expect that number to rise. And 105 people are still unaccounted for.
Eight people were killed here in Mayfield when the tornado leveled a candle factory on Friday night.
Kyanna Parsons-Perez was among the roughly 100 people working inside of the factory when the twister hit. She began live-streaming on Facebook.
Here is just some of what she posted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYANNA PARSONS-PEREZ, : We're going to be fine. We're going to be fine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, we're not.
PARSONS-PEREZ: We're going to be fine. And we're going to be out tomorrow.
My birthday is in a couple of hours. It is almost 10:00. You all going to sing happy birthday to me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy birthday.
(CROSSTALK)
PARSONS-PEREZ: I think they're trying to get to us. But I'm really scared that I'll be one of the last people that they get to. I'm completely trapped under a water fountain. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kyanna, are you loose? Are you loose?
(CROSSTALK)
PARSONS-PEREZ: This is all on top of me. This is all on top of me, right now.
So, Jaylen, thank you, baby. Don't make me cry. OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, thankfully, Parsons-Perez made it out alive.
Flags will be lowered to half-staff tomorrow morning to honor the dozens of Kentuckians killed in the storms.
Joining me now is Eric Walker. He's a former editor for the paper here.
But before we get to Eric, we're going to Jesse Fitz. Jesse works for a trucking company that drives vehicles for that candle factory that was destroyed. He was driving a van for the factory at moment the tornado hit.
Jesse, I appreciate you joining us by phone.
Describe for us, you were in your van. I understand it was like a 15- person passenger van, what did you feel when -- did you see the storm, did you get the alert on your phone.
[14:44:59]
JESSE FITZ, TRUCK DRIVER (via telephone): Yes, sir. We got a letter and all of the plant was in a designated area. And me and another trucker were just securing the lane as far as what we got to do with the trucking part.
When it was -- it was time for him to leave, it just left me and I just moved to an area that was open where I could just hope that the storm passed over before it left everybody back out to go to work.
And then I felt a little vibration and I cracked the windows to see what was outside because --
COOPER: Jesse, are you still is there?
I'm sorry, we lost Jesse. Obviously, he has a bad connection. I'll try to get Jesse back.
I want to turn to Eric Walker. He's a former editor for a Mayfield paper. He's been volunteering at a local shelter for people left homeless by the storms.
Eric, first of all, how are you doing?
ERIC WALKER, FORMER EDITOR, "THE MAYFIELD MESSENGER" & VOLUNTEER AT LOCAL SHELTER TO HELP PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR HOMES: I'm doing well, thank you very much.
It is just unbelievable looking around at that destruction that we see here. Hard to imagine the lives touched by this.
COOPER: You, as a former editor of the paper, this used to be part of the paper.
WALKER: That's one of the earlier buildings for the newspaper. And then a block north of here is the newspaper where I first started working as a staff writer and when I first moved to Mayfield back in 1992.
And then a block to the east of here, is where the most recent newspaper building was.
COOPER: And it is just block after block in this town. I drove in this morning and you come over a small hill from the highway and it seems totally normal on the highway. And then, all of a sudden, you see block after block gone.
WALKER: The day after the tornado, we went to check on my mother-in- law. And I mean, it didn't look like anything was wrong. Houses were standing. Christmas decorations were still in the yard.
And we checked on her and then continued on toward town. And probably about four blocks in, that is when you start seeing trees toppled on homes, roof damage and windows blown out. And it just looked like a bomb explosion.
COOPER: You have been volunteering at a shelter. What is it like there?
WALKER: A lot of people still shocked. We've been able to serve breakfast and stack donated items, gather donated items, and just try to be there for the people that have lost so much.
COOPER: How does a town like this -- already people are cleaning up. But how -- this is going to be a long process?
WALKER: Oh, yes, absolutely. But this type of town, they come together.
I was thinking about, whenever I first came into town Saturday morning, and all of the debris was pushed to the side. So the streets had already been cleared. The recovery effort was already in place and started up.
And that is just what small towns do. They jump into action whenever they need to. And this is going to be a continuing process but, eventually, we'll get back.
COOPER: Well, I wish you the best.
And I really appreciate your time today. Thank you so much.
WALKER: Thank you. COOPER: Eric Walker, Jesse Fitz, appreciate it.
Alisyn and Victor, back to you.
CAMEROTA: Thanks so much, Anderson.
BLACKWELL: For the first time in history, an Israeli prime minister has made an official visit to the United Arab Emirates. We'll have a live update on this next.
[14:48:35]
CAMEROTA: There's a lot happening today so here is what else to watch.
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[14:53:35]
BLACKWELL: For the first time, an Israeli prime minister is making an official visit to the United Arab Emirates.
CAMEROTA: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with the Abu Dhabi crown prince at his private palace this morning. Their meeting lasted two hours longer than expected.
CNN senior international correspondent, Sam Kiley, is in Abu Dhabi.
Sam, what's the significance of this trip?
SAM RILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's highly significant and it's cement, especially from the Israeli perspective, the idea that this is the future of Arab relations with Israel, with the Jewish state.
Very, very significant diplomatic triumph, effectively of the Trump administration, to get these two countries and others to normalize the relationship, and it is being cemented in this very ceremonial and symbolic way.
There are, however, some significant omissions in this, this being a diplomatic trip, after all.
Two things were not mentioned in any of the readouts that we've had so far, either going in, in terms of the intent, nor coming out: Iran and the future of the Palestinians.
In the case of Iran, the Emirates are out of step with the United States and Israel.
The United States wanting to put more pressure for sanctions on Iran, trying to get them back to the Iran nuclear deal. The Emirates ruling that out.
Of course, the Emirates hard against any kind of military action to prevent the Iranians from developing a nuclear weapon that had been repeatedly threatened by Israel. [14:55:05]
And I think largely those things were, they were probably discussed in private.
They described -- Naftali Bennett described the talks as straight forward and honest.
But they have resulted in an invitation, which we understand has been accepted, to the crown prince to visit Israel at some future date.
So a triumphant visit from the Israeli perspective. From the Emirates, some cold hard politics -- Alisyn, Victor?
BLACKWELL: Sam Kiley, in Abu Dhabi, thank you.
We're going to take you back to Kentucky where rescue and recovery efforts are happening right now. Of course, it's happening after this weekend's devastating tornadoes. We've got the latest from Mayfield, next.
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