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Doctor: No Medical School Class Can Prepare You for This Level of Death; British Medical Association Warns Tens of Thousands of Medical Staff Could Be Sick with COVID by Christmas Day; Update on Coronavirus Responses Around the World; Closing Arguments Begin in Kim Potter Murder Trial; Chinese Tennis Star Peng Shuai Now Denies Ever Making Sexual Assault Accusation; COVID Outbreaks Wreak Havoc on Major Sports Leagues. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired December 20, 2021 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[13:32:59]
ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: As the country deals with another wave of coronavirus infections, Michigan has become one of the worst-hit states.
Hospitalizations are now at a level not seen since late last year. That was before the first vaccines were even administered here in the U.S.
As hospitals are overwhelmed yet again, doctors and nurses and support staff are trying to cope are high levels of burnout.
One doctor saying there's no medical school class that can prepare you for this level of death.
And that doctor is Dr. Jacqueline Pflaum-Carlson, an emergency room specialist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. And she joins us now.
Doctor, this sounds just so disheartening. Help us understand how bad it is for you right now. What are you going through on a daily basis?
DR. JACQUELINE PFLAUM-CARLSON, EMERGENCY MEDICINE SPECIALIST, HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM: You know, it's sad. It's the saddest, most unexpected turn in medicine from what we started with and what we can into medicine for.
CABRERA: Explain. Explain what you're going through and what you're seeing in your emergency room.
PFLAUM-CARLSON: It's been -- you know, we've had a lot of ups and downs throughout the past 19, 20 months. We've had really, really bad days and not so bad days.
And what we've seen the last couple of weeks is a lot of patients, who have been delaying medical care, who are coming in incredibly ill. And we were dealing with that before the surge. And then on top of that, now the huge surge of COVID patients. And we don't have the space. And -- and we are all so, so tired of telling loved ones that they are losing their loved one.
CABRERA: These patients that you're seeing because of COVID, are they almost all exclusively unvaccinated?
[13:35:00]
PFLAUM-CARLSON: So my experience -- I can only speak to my experience in my hospital, which is the main campus.
And, yes, every patient that I admitted to my service in the ICU and have seen through the E.D. who is critically ill is unvaccinated.
CABRERA: And we know Delta is still the biggest problem here in the U.S., which explains this latest surge.
But we have the Omicron variant, too, spreading rapidly around the world in places like the U.K. right now.
The British Medical Association warning that tens of thousands of medical staff could soon be out sick with COVID by Christmas day, they say.
And as Omicron cases are continuing to rise here in the U.S., I wonder if that's a big concern of yours, given the staffing issues that we know hospitals are facing right now.
PFLAUM-CARLSON: I -- again, I can really only speak to my experience. I have not seen any more colleagues go out with COVID recently than in the past.
But, yes, I mean, staffing shortages are concerning for a number of reasons. I think that the people who are left are hanging on to hope that this will get better.
And so every -- every wave hits us a little bit harder.
CABRERA: What do you need right now?
PFLAUM-CARLSON: I've been thinking about this a lot. I've been asked that a lot.
And I know that I'm not -- I'm not going to be able to convince everybody to get vaccinated. I can't change people's minds. I wish I could. And I wish could I show them what we're seeing and maybe that would change their mind.
But we have had to tell more people, in the last 20 months, that they are losing somebody they love than anybody has ever thought they would have to tell in a lifetime of medicine.
And so we need -- we need kindness. We need support. And we need unvaccinated people to talk steps to protect themselves so they don't end up at our doorstep. CABRERA: Thanks for all you do, Dr. Jacqueline Pflaum-Carlson. I
really appreciate you taking the time to share what you're seeing, what you're experiencing. Sending the best to you and all of our colleagues and giving you strength to get through the next wave.
PFLAUM-CARLSON: Thank you, Ana.
CABRERA: I want to give you a better sense of how other countries are coping with COVID right now.
The Omicron variant is spreading quickly. Especially in Europe, we're seeing new restriction, something we haven't seen since the worst days of this pandemic.
CNN reporters are following developments from across the globe.
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ELLIOT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: I'm Elliot Gotkine in Jerusalem. Israel is adding 10 more countries, including the U.S. and Canada, to its red no-fly list as it braces for the full force of a fifth COVID wave.
From 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, the countries will be off- limits for Israelis unless they get special permission.
Travelers arriving from them will have to self-isolate for seven days, first in a designated quarantine hotel and then once they get a negative PCR test result at home, so long as they agree to have their movements tracked.
Israel has been steadily adding countries, like the U.K. and much of Africa, to its red list to reduce the spread of the Omicron variant.
Most of Israel's 175 confirm cases and 380 suspected ones recently returned from overseas.
On Sunday evening, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held a televised news conference imploring Israelis to take the new wave seriously and encouraging those employed in the private sector to work from home. Public sector workers are expected to follow next week.
He also sought to reinvigorate Israel's stalling vaccination campaign, especially among children where take up has been especially weakening.
"The time we bought is running out," said Bennett. "With God's help, we'll safely overcome this wave.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Scott McLean. Denmark is already seeing a spike in new COVID infections twice as high as the previous peak.
But now, thanks to the Omicron variant, Danish scientists predict that, in the worst-cast scenario, daily infections could be 10 times as high as the previous record.
Danes are quickly finding out that two shots of vaccine, well, that's not very effective against Omicron. More than three-quarters of the population have had two doses of the vaccine but only a third have had their boosters.
Scientists are also predicting that hospital admissions could hit record highs by Christmas.
The one-point of uncertainty is just how severe an illness Omicron actually causes. Denmark has already shut down cinemas, theaters and museums and put restrictions on night life to try to get the virus under control.
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CABRERA: Our thanks to Scott McLean and Elliot Gotkine for that reporting.
[13:39:46]
Happening now, closing arguments in the trial of former Minnesota police officer, Kim Potter. The key points for the jury to consider, next.
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CABRERA: Welcome back.
Closing arguments are under way in the trial of former Minnesota police officer, Kim Potter.
The 26-year veteran says she mistook her gush for her taser when she shot and killed Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. She faces first- and second-degree murder charges.
CNN's Adrienne Broaddus joins us live from Minneapolis.
Adrienne, what have jurors heard now during closing arguments?
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, they have heard from both sides, the prosecution and defense. At this moment, Judge Chu is on the bench giving final instructions to the jury.
[13:45:06]
Eight days of testimony summarized in the closing arguments.
Let's start with the prosecution because it is their job to carry the burden of proof.
The prosecution arguing Daunte Wright was shot to death by a gun in the hand of a highly trained officer. The prosecution calls that reckless.
Listen in.
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ERIN ELDRIDGE, HENNEPIN COUNTY ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY: This was a colossal screwup. A blunder of epic proportions.
Actions can still be crimes if they occur as the result of recklessness or culpable negligence. You're not going to find the word accident or mistake or error anywhere in your jury instructions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROADDUS: On the other hand, Defense Attorney Earl Gray arguing it was a mistake, asking this question to members of the jury: How could Potter act recklessly if she didn't know she had a gun in her hand?
Listen in?
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EARL GRAY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: She shot him tragically, but she didn't know she had a gun either. And then he said you shot me. And being alone, what does he do? Does he stay there and say, hey, help me out. He takes off then. And you've seen the video. He goes like a jet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROADDUS: And when the jury deliberates, they will have the gun that was used to kill Wright as well as the taser Potter intended to grab. They will have a chance to see and feel the difference between the two -- Ana?
CABRERA: Adrienne Broaddus, thank you. Keep us posted, obviously, on the deliberations.
COVID outbreaks are rattling major sports leagues, forcing recalibrations, delays, changes to protocols. Much more on all of this just ahead.
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[13:51:27]
CABRERA: There's a strange new twist in the case of Chinese tennis star, Peng Shuai. Now she's not only denying she was ever sexually assaulted by a former high-ranking Chinese politician, but she's also saying she never even made the accusations in the first place.
Here is what she said over the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PENG SHUAI, CHINESE TENNIS STAR (through translation): I want to emphasize one thing that is very important, that I have never spoken or written about anyone sexually assaulting me. This point is very important to emphasize clearly.
In terms of the post, first of all, it is my personal privacy. There has been a lot of misunderstanding.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CABRERA: Peng originally made the accusation in a social media post, which was quickly taken down. She then disappeared from public view for more than two weeks while the Chinese government insisted she was OK.
Her fans, other tennis stars and the Women's Tennis Association all publicly raised concerns about her safety and her freedom.
The WTA has continued to raise questions about whether she is speaking of her own free will.
CNN's Christine Brennan joins us now.
Christine, she's now denying she even made the allegations. What do you make of this?
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Ana, it's very troubling and a continuing pattern that we've seen over the last, what, six weeks or so.
She made the allegation. It was on her account on Chinese Twitter and on social media. And it was there and then it was gone, as you alluded to.
So the fact that she's saying these words and looking into the camera -- for those who haven't watched it, try to watch both parts of it. It is troubling.
She looks in and out of the camera. She looks like she's a little nervous and concerned as she answers a couple of questions, goes on only for a couple of minutes.
You never see anyone else in the picture. So why is that? It's troubling. It is concerning.
And the WTA, giving a master class once again in wonderful sports humanitarian leadership that the International Olympic Committee and NBA could learn from, saying that is not good enough, we need to speak to her.
The WTA knows Peng Shuai and she knows the WTA. Why in the world is she not talking to the one group of people that desperately want to hear from her?
CABRERA: There are still so many questions and concerns about that as it pertains to the Winter Olympics coming up, being held in Beijing.
COVID is another threat to that. Not just to the Olympics, but to the world of sports in general.
Five NBA games postponed now. Three NFL games also postponed. NHL canceling all cross-border games until the 23rd of this month.
Where do you think this is headed?
BRENNAN: I certainly hope it is not a repeat of 2020. None of us do. But it does have that feeling of March 11, 2020, when the NBA shut down and the sports world told the world that this was serious.
We know that now. We also have vaccines so we're in a different place.
But these leagues are dealing with what the rest of the world is dealing with. They are a mirror of society, Ana, and we're seeing it.
They also are, I think, are struggling to figure out -- the NFL wants to do less testing to get players back on the field, to make sure the product is good enough for TV and for the fans.
That is, I think, a terrible message of less testing for those communities in which the teams are pillars and the role models for so many others.
So it is a mess. It is, frankly, a mess. And it is not surprising. We're dealing with a new variant.
And the world is going to watch and see the same thing. What goes on in sports, as we learned back in 2020, goes on in the rest of the world as well.
[13:55:08]
CABRERA: I just wonder if they're going to end up going back to the bubble situation in order to keep the seasons alive.
We have to leave it there today. Christine, thank you as always for being with us. I appreciate it. Christine Brennan.
BRENNAN: Thank you, Ana.
CABRERA: And thank you all for joining us. That does it for us today. We'll see you back here tomorrow at 1:00 Eastern. In the meantime, you can always join me on Twitter, @AnaCabrera.
The news continues next with Victor Blackwell after a quick break.
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[14:00:07]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Hello and thank you for joining me. I'm Victor Blackwell. Alisyn is off.
