Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Study Says No Evidence Omicron Less Severe than Delta; Omicron Poses Global Health Threat during Holiday Season; Israeli Man Killed in West Bank Shooting Attack. Aired 12-12:15a ET
Aired December 18, 2021 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to CNN NEWSROOM.
A new study out of the U.K. indicates the Omicron variant might not be as mild as many originally thought. Researchers at Imperial College London found no evidence the Omicron variant is any less severe than the Delta variant and found the risk of getting infected again was more than five times greater with Omicron than with Delta.
Data shows Omicron is spreading faster in the U.K. than in South Africa, with infections doubling in under 2.5 days. The U.K. reported over 93,000, the third record-breaking day in a row.
The Irish government, in addition to other measures, restaurants and bars will have to shut their doors 8:00 starting on Sunday.
Omicron in the rise in Denmark; the country's prime minister announcing new restrictions to curb the spread.
METTE FREDERIKSEN, PRIME MINISTER OF DENMARK (through translator): The epidemic commission has brought a very clear recommendation to the government and parliament, including the following: theaters, cinemas, venues, amusement parks, zoos, function rooms and other places where many people gather should close.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Omicron might be the Grinch that stole Christmas for many around the world as cases spread rampantly and force people to cancel holiday plans. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz takes a look at the global threat the variant poses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A depressing dose of deja vu, another holiday season in pandemic. And again, worrying scenes inside France's ICUs. Coronavirus cases here and across Europe are exploding. Germany's government is warning of massive challenge from a potential fifth wave as Omicron spreads faster than any other variant of COVID-19.
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: We know that the Omicron variant is really threatening us. It is spreading at a ferocious pace and potentially has the risk of escaping our vaccines, at least partially.
We know that our health care systems are over-stretched right now, and this is partly linked to the large number of unvaccinated patients.
ABDELAZIZ: The European Union will order 180 million extra doses of Pfizer vaccine, which may eventually be adapted to the Omicron variant. Fear is spurring action. Italy is vaccinating children as young as 5, part of an EU campaign to immunize the very young. New Year's Eve events impacted, too.
Rome's iconic street party cancelled this year amid fears the gathering could spike cases. British night clubs hosted a celebratory return to normalcy this Summer. Now the Welsh government says they'll be the first to close after Christmas.
MARK DRAKEFORD, WELSH FIRST MINISTER: People go there in order to be up close and personal and we know that Omicron is particularly likely to lead to super-spreader events where people are packed in together in that way.
ABDELAZIZ: Businesses across the world forced to shut as staff fall ill and cancellations skyrocket. "Hamilton," the hit Broadway musical, is one of several shows to close its doors due to COVID cases among actors and staff. New York suffering a surge of positive cases ...
[00:05:00]
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): -- as President Biden offered this stark warning.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For unvaccinated, we are looking at a Winter of severe illness and death if you're unvaccinated, for themselves, their families and the hospitals they will soon overwhelm.
ABDELAZIZ: In South Africa though, some possible hopeful signs amid record case numbers.
JOE PHAAHLA, HEALTH MINISTER, SOUTH AFRICA: Although, there is a rapid rise in hospitalization because we come from a very low base at the end of the third wave, the large majority of also these hospitalized patients are fairly mild.
ABDELAZIZ: While possibly less severe to the vaccinated with Omicron's rapid spread, it's the sheer volume of cases that could threaten all of us -- Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: The record COVID surge hasn't spared football squads in
England. The English Football League is postponing 19 matches because of outbreaks among the teams; 17 other matches will go ahead. Lower tier teams below the Premier League have postponed nine of their matches in recent days and five for this weekend.
And U.K. football fans might not be headed out in droves to watch the games still on, as the government urges people to stay home and stay safe. Anna Stewart reports directives to steer clear of large gatherings is one the U.K. economy does not seem to appreciate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's being called a lockdown by stealth. Unlike previous waves of COVID-19, the U.K. government hasn't imposed restrictions on social gatherings or ordered businesses to close.
But it has advised the British public to work from home and this week their chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, advised people to limit their social contacts if they want to enjoy a COVID-free Christmas with loved ones.
A medical director for the National Health Service told the British public, if they are going to stadiums this weekend, it should be for a booster shot and not to watch a match.
The U.K. broke another daily case record for the third consecutive day on Friday. However, the rapid decline in people heading into towns and cities across the U.K. to splash cash before Christmas is hitting some businesses hard.
Bookings for cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants fell by a third in just 10 days and they are expected to fall further still. Some businesses may struggle to survive.
Business groups have called for more grants or even a return to the furlough scheme. But following a meeting between the U.K. chancellor Rishi Sunak, and business leaders on Friday, no new financial support was announced. The government will continue to engage with businesses and the sectors that are affected.
Meanwhile, the economic picture in the U.K. looks grim. The economy barely grew, coming in at 0.1 percent and inflation hit 5.1 percent in November, the highest level in 10 years.
The arrival of Omicron and the surge of infections is likely to be a major drag on the U.K. economy and the government may need to spend more to support it -- Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Moscow has laid down their demands for an end to the standoff over Ukraine but are not likely to get much of a reception in the West after the Kremlin gave the U.S. a proposed treaty this week to end the crisis. The U.S. says Russia continues to send more forces near the Ukrainian
border. Moscow called for immediate talks and wants a guarantee that NATO won't expand further east and that Ukraine will never join. NATO has already rejected those demands.
The U.S. said it is prepared to talk but will consult with European allies. Washington and NATO warning Moscow it will pay a heavy price if it chooses military aggression.
Now 17 members of the U.S.-based missionary group surviving a hostage ordeal in Haiti seem to be doing OK. That is the word from the group itself after the former hostages flew back to the U.S. on Thursday.
They were held by one of Haiti's most powerful criminal gangs for weeks until the last hostages were released earlier that day. The Christian aid group described how they survived their captivity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID TROYER, GENERAL DIRECTOR, CHRISTIAN AID MINISTRIES: Everyone, including the 10 month old baby and the young boys, seem to be doing reasonably well. They spent many hours together, praying, singing and encouraging each other. They did not have a Bible but recited Bible verses among themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: They were kidnapped after visiting this orphanage in October.
[00:10:00]
HOLMES: A U.S. official said a ransom was paid for their release but not by the U.S. government.
The U.N. Middle East peace envoy is warning of escalating violence in the West Bank after a deadly ambush on an Israeli settler car, the enablus (ph). He blamed Palestinian assailants for the attack that killed one settler. Elliott Gotkine tells us the Israelis are vowing to catch those responsible.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Shortly after 7:00 pm on Thursday evening a car carrying three Shiva or Jewish religious students came under fire from the side of the road.
Israeli army says more than 10 bullets were fired toward the vehicle, killing the 25 year-old married father of one, Yehuda Dimentman, and moderately wounding two of his fellow students.
Mr. Dimentman was buried on Friday.
In response, the Israeli army and the security services launched a manhunt, with the prime minister Naftali Bennett vowing, in his words, they would "catch the terrorists" and that justice would be served. The Palestinian Authority says that three Palestinians were arrested
in a dawn raid on Friday morning in the village of Burqa. Now this is not far from Homesh, where the shooting happened. Homesh is described as a settler outpost and illegal, by the Israeli authorities because it wasn't established with government approval.
The shooting on Thursday evening is just the latest in a series of violent incidents taking place in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Since September, there have been at least five attempted stabbings on Israelis and there was one fatal shooting of an Israeli tour guide by a Hamas gunman.
Five Palestinians have been killed in those incidents, prompting people to criticize the Israeli authorities and the police for being too quick to use lethal force against assailants.
In the latest incident, a Palestinian schoolgirl was arrested on suspicion of stabbing an Israeli woman as she walked her children to school. A spokesperson says while there has been an uptick of violence of late, it wouldn't be correct to say a new wave of attacks is underway -- Elliott Gotkine, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The Red Planet seems to be a wetter place than we thought until now. A Russian and European orbiter discovered what scientists call significant amounts of water in a giant canyon on Mars, far larger than the Grand Canyon in the United States.
Scientists say it is emitting a high level of hydrogen, a sign of possible water. And that suggests up to 40 percent of material just below the ground is likely water ice.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I am Michael Holmes. "MARKETPLACE AFRICA" is up next.
