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Omicron Surge Prompts New Restrictions Across Europe; Pressure Mounting On U.K. Government To Slow Omicron Variant; Studies Show Boosters Cut Risk Of COVID Death By 90 Percent; Denmark Launches New Restrictions As Infections Soar; Chinese Tennis Star Peng Shuai Denies Making Sexual Assault Claim; Israel Adds U.S., Nine Other Countries To No-Fly List; New York State Sees Cases Nearly Triple In One Week; Temperatures 10-15 Degrees Below Normal In Europe; Fears Of Omicron Variant Spark Global Selloff; Turkey's Lira Struggling Amid Erdogan's Interest Rate Cuts; Gabriel Boric Pledges Better, Bigger Government In Chile; Christian Aid Ministries Says Group Escaped From Captors. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired December 21, 2021 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, the era of Omicron. The new variant of the coronavirus now dominant across the U.S., detected in about 90 countries. And once again, fear and uncertainty take hold.
The southern reappearance of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, and her not at all suspicious denial of sexual abuse allegations, which has done little to end concern to her safety.
And life as a hostage in Haiti, new details on what the now 317 missionaries endured while being held captive by criminal gang.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: Hello, everyone. Great to have you with us.
We begin with the Omicron variant and in less than three weeks since the first report of Omicron in the United States, the variant of concern has become the dominant strain, accounting for more than 73 percent of new infections according to public health officials.
Omicron is believed to be twice as contagious, at least as the Delta variant, which has now led to a wave of new restrictions and closures across Europe.
Many cities New Year's Eve celebrations have been canceled including London. Mayor Sadiq Khan says infections are at record levels and people's health must be protected.
Next week, Germany plans to limit private gatherings to 10 people who are either fully vaccinated or have recently recovered from COVID.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): A decision is now being prepared with the minister presidents which has to be taken Tuesday. It will certainly likely reduce private contacts, including those of vaccinated persons a little more in certain other individualized things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Omicron cases in parts of the U.K. are now doubling every few days even among the vaccinated. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not ruling out further restrictions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The situation is extremely difficult and the arguments either were very, very finely balanced because we've got cases of Omicron surging across the country now and we've got hospitalizations rising quite steeply in London.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: In a moment we'll hear more from CNN's Nada Bashir reporting from London, but we begin this hour with Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman reporting from close to Rome.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): European countries are pulling out the stops to try to slow the spread of the Omicron variant. Officials here in Italy's Lazio region where Rome is located, are considering a vaccine mandate, hoping to avoid a new wave of COVID cases as other parts of Europe shut down.
Denmark is reporting a doubling of Omicron cases every two days and the government has had to reintroduce measures people thought were a thing of the past.
The Netherlands has ordered all non-essential shops to close. Officials in the Netherlands are worried that the National Health Service could become overwhelmed with new cases by January while public holiday festivities in Paris and Rome have been canceled, it's shaping up to be a grim holiday season in Europe.
I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from north of Rome.
NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: Well, with just days to go until Christmas, there are growing concerns over the rising number of new coronavirus cases being reported across the U.K. and pressure is mounting on the government to take urgent action to stem the spread of the Omicron variant.
On Monday, the U.K. reported more than 91,000 new coronavirus cases, that's the second highest daily total in the country since the beginning of the pandemic and among those new cases, more than 8,000 confirmed to be the Omicron variant.
The government has so far introduced its plan B measures that includes wearing face masks in shops and on public transport and encouraging everyone to work from home unless they have to go into their workplaces.
But there are calls for the government to take tougher measures.
And on Monday, the prime minister met with his cabinet ministers in Downing Street to discuss the COVID response and to get an update on those figures and on the analysis of those rising cases.
And while no further restrictions are being introduced at this stage, the prime minister did say that the government would consider taking further action if necessary.
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JOHNSON: We agreed that we should keep the data from now on under constant review, keep following it hour by hour.
[00:05:06]
JOHNSON: And unfortunately, I must say to people, we will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public and to protect public health, to protect our NHS. And we won't hesitate to take that action.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASHIR: And really, protecting the NHS. The country's National Health Service is a key concern here. The government's own scientific advisors rang the alarm bells over the weekend, warning that England could be seeing something like 3,000 daily hospital admissions in the new year if urgent action isn't taken.
And the head of the NHS himself warning that the health service is now on a war footing. So, there's a real sense of urgency to avoid putting that immense pressure on the health service that we saw last year.
But despite these warnings, the government hasn't at this stage announced the new restrictions. Although the Prime Minister and his deputy Dominic Raab haven't gone so far as to rule out the possibility of another lockdown over Christmas.
The Health Secretary Sajid Javid warning that the doubling rate of the Omicron variant is concerning. Although he has hailed the vaccine booster campaign as a success, the country has seen a significant uptake in the number of people going out to get the third jab of the vaccine.
So, there is some hope there but really, as cases continue to rise, there are concerns that the situation could spiral out of control.
Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
VAUSE: To Seattle, Washington now, Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, she is a Chief Clinical Officer at Providence Health System. It's good to see you, thank you for being with us. DR. AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER, PROVIDENCE HEALTH SYSTEM: Thanks for having me, John.
VAUSE: OK, so the bottom line seems to be without a booster, vaccines are pretty much ineffective at preventing infection. Protection from severe illness is diminished to certain degrees depending on the vaccine.
But with a booster shot, we get up to that 90 percent effective level at preventing serious illness, hospital admission, as well as death.
But this is where we are right now around the world with booster shots. Nowhere does the rating see 20 percent. Europe and the U.S. are around 18 percent. Asia less than four percent. Africa point 0.05 percent.
Overall, the world population less than six percent have received a booster shot.
So, you know, in terms of hospital admissions and maxing out ICUs and just death, any reason to believe the next few weeks will not be the worst we've seen on the pandemic so far?
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Well, we know that the -- without a booster shot, so if you've only had two of the vaccines, the first one and the -- and the original booster, right, the two shots, that we know you are definitely at risk for getting sick from the Omicron variant.
But we don't know what the risk of hospitalization is, that will those initial two shots prevent you from hospitalization, we hope so. We believe that there is probably some residual protection, even though you still get the infection not dying from it is still a benefit.
So, that's what part of this problem is that you're just hearing from abroad. That because we don't know as much about how this new wave of infections that's very, very rapidly spreading is going to impact the hospitalization rates, we have to act before we have data.
And that's why people with the rapid spread of this virus are shutting everything down before we know whether or not those initial two shots are actually going to keep people from going into the hospital, getting sick enough to actually need hospital care.
VAUSE: It seems safe to say though, that there will be a surge in the number of patients seeking treatment at some point. And with that comes an impact on frontline health workers. I want you to listen to Professor Michael Osterholm from the University of Michigan. Here he is.
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MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH & POLICY: The other thing that I think is the perfect storm phenomena here is that come middle of January, this viral blizzard that I've talked about, we are going to see 20, 30 percent of healthcare workers getting infected, who will then be off of work in a healthcare system right now that has already stretched to the point of braking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, what are your expectations there at Providence? What preparations are you making at the hospitals? How concerned are you for your doctors and nurses?
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Well, we are making sure everybody has access to get that third shot and really, we should consider people fully vaccinated after they get the third vaccine at this point. Like, that fully vaccinated means that you got that booster so we're doing everything we can to get our workforce boosted.
And we're doing what we have to do to make sure that we create beds. So, right now, we still have -- because there's not enough beds in nursing homes, for example, we have people sitting in hospitals because they can't get into a nursing home because there's no staff at the nursing home. We have such a staffing shortage in the healthcare right now. We're trying to get people moved to where they need to be so that we can have those beds open.
Because at the moment, with the lumpy way that COVID tends to roll through countries in waves, our hospitals on the West Coast are a little less overwhelmed than they are in the middle of the country. But we know the wave is coming our way. So, we have to be ready for it.
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VAUSE: OK, and this could be the wave, and this is my math. So, forgive me if it's wrong. But during the peak of the pandemic of January this year, the U.S. 250,000, infections daily, that was the peak number.
OK, the hospitalization rate for Delta was 2.2 percent. That meant 5,700 people with a bit of COVID symptoms on that day are 250,000. So, do the math, that just extrapolates itself out.
So, if Omicron is twice as infectious as Delta, double that number, so the peak would be 11,400 potential admissions in one day, increase it by a third, because vaccines are less effective.
And if you have that same hospitalization rate, you're looking at 15,000 people being admitted one day across this country. That's one day in the coming weeks.
I know there are a lot of variables here. But you know, this is a potential tsunami coming your way. But we can still change how these ends, right? We can write this ending. We can determine how these ends if we change our behavior.
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: We can if everybody gets that booster. But I also want to put out there, John, like I don't want to scare everybody under the sun from thinking that, you know, that world is coming and Armageddon is on our way. We are at very high risk, we have tools to stop this pandemic, go get
the vaccine, don't gather in a huge crowd, wear a mask. If you do -- if you are going to gather for the holidays, for example, do those antigen tests before you sit down for a meal where you have to actually take off your mask and you know, have a conversation with other people.
So, we have things in our tool chest today that we didn't have last year at this time. And we should be using those tools so we're not at the whim of this virus, but rather we're in control of our own lives. And that's my hope for 2022.
VAUSE: I certainly hope you are correct. I hope you're right. And I hope we do actually get this under control. I don't know.
Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, thank you.
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Always a pleasure.
VAUSE: Denmark was one of the first European countries to impose a strict COVID lockdown last year. It was also among the first to begin reopening last spring.
But a proactive approach and high vaccination rate may not be enough for Omicron, here's CNN Scott McLean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The gates of the famous Christmas festival at the Tivoli amusement park are closed for the season. The rides are shut down and the staff have all gone home. It's all thanks to a massive surge in COVID infections that has already dwarfed the previous peak.
New modeling published this weekend shows that if left unchecked, infections in Denmark could be 10 times that number, followed by record high hospital admissions by Christmas and well beyond in the New Year.
Troels Lillebaek is the epidemiologist in charge of managing the risk of new variants in Denmark, a country blessed with more than three quarters of its population double vaccinated.
But Danes are quickly discovering that two shots are no match for the new more infectious variant. And the booster shot program simply cannot keep up.
Denmark has among the highest rates of testing and sequencing in the world and has reams of data at its fingertips. And while there are some early indications that the Omicron could be less severe than Delta, they don't know how much less severe.
TROELS LILLEBAEK, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, DANISH STATE SERUM INSTITUTE: It doesn't really matter whether Omicron is half as dangerous as Delta or as dangerous as Delta because if many, many thousand or tens of thousands are testing positive the same day, then the strain on the hospital system will be high anyway.
MCLEAN: Danish lawmakers weren't willing to wait and see. Instead, they've shut elementary schools, museums and theaters, put curfews on bars and restaurants, mandated masks indoors and COVID passports on some public transit. The ghosts of lockdowns past now the Christmas present.
But Lillebaek is optimistic that decision has helped avert the worst case scenario.
It sounds to me like, without the restrictions, it would be absolute chaos.
LILLEBAEK: I think that's a high risk that if we were just, you know, leaving everything open, doing nothing, I think that would be extremely difficult in a situation, yes.
MCLEAN: You wouldn't advise any country to do nothing.
LILLEBAEK: You don't want to end up in a situation where you are too late at doing what's necessary.
MCLEAN: And while many European governments are facing protests over tightening restrictions, in Denmark, they've been so broadly accepted that some Danes support even tighter rules, according to this researcher.
MICHAEL BANG PETERSEN, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, AARHUS UNIVERSITY: When we directly ask citizens whether they cannot cope with any more restrictions, there's only 10 percent who says that they cannot do that. So, there is -- there is no real sign of fatigue yet.
MCLEAN: It sound like Danes are rule followers.
PETERSEN: To a large extent, we are rule followers, but it is not sort of blind obedience. It is because we feel that we are being explained why we need to do it and what we need to do.
MCLEAN: His research found Americans followed COVID rules to a lesser extent than Danes, but Omicron won't hit the U.S. any less hard.
PETERSEN: I think that we will be facing very tough times across the world with Omicron. And the only thing that we can hope of is then that the severity of the disease will be mild enough that the health systems are not being overwhelmed.
[00:15:15]
MCLEAN: Scott McLean, CNN, London.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Still to come, tennis star Peng Shuai suddenly denies ever accusing a retired Chinese communist leader of sexual assault. But there are still concerns Beijing is not letting her speak freely.
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VAUSE: Welcome back. Jury deliberations in the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell will resume in a few hours. Prosecution closing arguments focused on Maxwell's relationship with sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein and claim she manipulated vulnerable girls for Epstein to sexually abuse.
The defense insisted Maxwell's association with Epstein was not criminal, and they attempted to discredit the testimony of his victims by questioning their motives.
Maxwell has pleaded not guilty. She faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
A court in Egypt has sentenced three prominent human rights activists to several years in prison, among them Alaa Abd El Fattah one of the best-known faces of Egypt's pro-democracy movement in 2011.
Human Rights Watch says the three men were charged with spreading false news and undermining national security, charges regularly used against political dissidents in Egypt.
Lawyers were not allowed to present arguments during the trial, which came more than two years after the men were arrested during a wave of anti-government protests and a crackdown on dissent.
It was all just an incredible coincidence after disappearing last November within hours of accusing a former senior member of China's leadership of sexual assault as international concern over her welfare continue to grow.
Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai suddenly reemerges in public. Just happens to give an interview to a pro-Beijing newspaper walking back those allegations and she says she's just fine. Nothing to see here. What a surprise.
For many, including the Women's Tennis Association, that just doesn't ring true.
Here's CNN's Will Ripley.
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WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the sidelines of a skiing competition in Shanghai, Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai breaks her silence, speaking to international media for the first time since her explosive allegation.
Are you taking a video, Peng asks? Yes, says the reporter, from a Singapore newspaper, known for pro-Beijing coverage, the only overseas Chinese-language newspaper allowed in the mainland.
Are you free to go as you please, the reporter asks? Is anyone monitoring you? Peng replies, why would anyone monitor me? I have always been free. Peng's freedom has been in question for weeks ever since she disappeared in early November. She accused a retired communist party leader of sexual assault, an accusation Peng apparently now denies.
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PENG SHUAI, CHINESE TENNIS STAR (through translator): 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 be emphasized clearly. In terms of the Weibo post, first of all, it's my personal privacy. There possibly has been a lot of misunderstanding.
RIPLEY: That November 2nd post, erased within minutes from Chinese social media. The story censored on China's Internet, ignored by state media inside the country.
Outside? State media reporters tweeting ferociously for weeks trying to discredit concerns over Peng's wellbeing. Now, saying the outside world should respect her denial.
In a statement to CNN, the Women's Tennis Association says these appearances do not alleviate or address the WTA's significant concerns about her wellbeing and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion. The WTA made similar comments last month when Chinese state media released these videos of Peng, videos WTA's CEO Steve Simon told out front were just as unconvincing as e-mails from the tennis star, supposedly walking back her claims.
The WTA suspending all tournaments in China, indefinitely, putting a lucrative 10-year deal on the line.
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, SPORTS COLUMNIST, USA TODAY: The WTA knows Peng. Peng Shuai knows the WTA. Why in the world with all these interviews is she not talking to the one group of people that desperately want to hear from her?
RIPLEY: In her international interview, Peng says she's very grateful to the International Olympic Committee, very happy to have video calls from them. The IOC accused of sports washing, releasing just one image of two calls with the three-time Olympian, issuing statements claiming she's fine. The IOC telling CNN, we will continue our quiet diplomacy.
CNN's repeated requests for comment from Peng and the Chinese government, unanswered.
IOC president Thomas Bach planning to meet with Peng next month before the opening ceremonies of the Beijing 2022 Olympics. Retired Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, the man Peng accused of sexual assault, the former Chinese face of the games, now just weeks away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY (on camera): The WTA is not backing down here. They are continuing to call for a full, fair, and transparent investigation without censorship or coercion. Former tennis great Chris Evert summed up the feelings of a lot of
people on Twitter when she said watching that new interview, it's just unsettling.
Will Ripley, CNN, Hong Kong.
VAUSE: Host of the PBS show "Closer To Truth", Robert Lawrence Kuhn is with us now from New York. For more than 20 years, he was an advisor to China's government. He's also author of How China's Leaders Think. It's great to have you with us. It's a pleasure to see you.
ROBERT LAWRENCE KUHN, AUTHOR, "HOW CHINA'S LEADERS THINK": Good to see you, John.
VAUSE: OK, so I see a significant number of people who know Peng Shuai believe she was coerced into withdrawing her allegations of sexual assault.
If she was, it would not be the first time. Here's Robert Daly from the Woodrow Wilson Center to explain how all of this works. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT DALY, DIRECTOR, KISSINGER INSTITUTE, THE WOODROW WILSON CENTER: There's a phrase called having tea. Where a couple of people with authority and with the course (PH) of powers so the police stick behind them come to you to have a chat about what may be in your best interest, what you might want to do as a patriotic Chinese to help the party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Do you believe that something like that is happening here?
KUHN: Certainly, the government has been involved in this but I think we need to be clear that what she said was not reversing what she had said previously and you have to parse carefully the words, particularly in Chinese because what she said now is that there was no sexual abuse or coer -- or violence in some way, the equivalent of what we would call rape.
What she said originally if you -- if you look at the whole Weibo that she wrote that was quickly taken off, of course, she said that this was a very long multiple year consensual relationship that have had at least one, the one she talked about some sort of a coercive event sexually, that's very different than sexual abuse. Maybe she's taking coaching lessons from Bill Clinton in terms of how to parse sentences to make it make sense.
VAUSE: That is the question, I guess, which was raised as one of the regular MOFA briefings in Beijing. Here's a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when asked about Peng Shuai.
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ZHAO LIJIAN, SPOKESPERSON CHINESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: This is not a foreign affairs matter. Next question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Officially, it may not be a foreign affairs matter. But clearly, this ham-fisted attempt at trying to manage the story in some way, is driven by concerns of international perception, right? Especially ahead of the Winter Olympics.
[00:25:03]
KUHN: Yes, no question about that. And we've seen China state media and various facets of it being intervening early on by releasing videos or comments multiple times about the situation.
So, clearly, there has been an effort beyond her personally in this whole situation, no doubt about it.
VAUSE: You know, when it comes to censorship, no one does it better than the communist government in Beijing, they have this incredible control over 1.4 billion Chinese people on the mainland, they get to read, see and hear.
Historically, though, compared like Russia or especially the Soviet Union, there hasn't been sort of this investment in spreading party propaganda or even owning their own narrative globally. Does that explain at least in part why this effort to sort of make a story go away, if you like or controlling the narrative seems to have blown up in their face?
KUHN: Well, certainly China is very much engaged in projecting its image into the world as China has become the second largest economy, has achieved many things, for example, the elimination of all extreme poverty, the GDP increasing, what, 65 times per capita over the last 40 plus years, a remarkable story.
And yet, China feels that it's very much misunderstood in the world. And therefore, it wants to have its voice heard. The equivalent of being the second largest economy and the largest trading nation with most countries.
So, that is a normal thing that all countries do. Now, the way China does it has problems because what they want to do is operate sometimes internally, the way they operate internally, externally, and that has caused more problems than it solves for sure.
In this situation, though, there's a difference between trying to affect what people think what they believe, and how they behave.
And let's look in terms of the International Olympic Committee, IOC. The effort was not to change how they really believe, but to affect what they do, their behavior.
In other words, not interfering with the -- with the winter Winter Olympics. China wants to give organizations like the IOC corporations a chance to do what they want to do anyway in their own best interest. So, by the activities showing Peng Shuai, people may not believe what
they see. And that's quite obvious. Virtually, 100 percent of the people don't believe what they see to be the whole story, but it will give them an excuse or a way to rationalize the behavior that they themselves want to do anyway.
We sometimes call it when it's negative terms of plausible deniability. This is plausible acceptability, that it is OK to continue with the Olympics.
If she remained hidden, for example, there would have been great pressure on the IOC. So that's the difference.
VAUSE: Robert, it's a keen insight, which I haven't heard before. So, we really appreciate you being with us. Thank you.
KUHN: Thank you.
VAUSE: Still ahead, what does the era of Omicron mean for a pandemic weary world? What precautions are needed to avoid catching and spreading this highly contagious variant, details when we come back.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone, I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
[00:30:43]
The World Health Organization has added its voice to a growing list of governments and public health groups advising that, because of Omicron, it may be best to scrap plans for the holidays.
Whether it's Omicron or Delta, infections in many countries are soaring ahead of the new year. Despite that, no sign holiday travel is starting to slow. In fact, data from the U.S. shows the number of airline passengers has returned to nearly pre-pandemic levels.
The head of the WHO had this stark reminder on Monday, warning it's better to cancel an event than cancel a life.
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TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL: There can be no doubt that increased social mixing over the holiday period in many countries will lead to increased cases, overwhelmed hospital systems, and more deaths.
All of us are sick of this pandemic. All of us want to spend time with friends and family. All of us want to get back to normal. The fastest way to do this is for all of us, leaders and individuals, to make the difficult decisions that must be made, to protect ourselves and others.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: New Zealand is pushing back plans for a phased border reopening. Strict COVID laws and a high vaccination rate, though, means many New Zealanders are enjoying a return to bars and restaurants.
But for foreign visitors, they will have to wait. The country is set to ease entry restrictions next month, but those now on hold until at least the end of February.
New Zealand is also tweaking its quarantine rules and reducing how long there is to wait before getting a booster.
Israel apparently isn't buying the argument that travel bans do basically nothing to stop the spread of the coronavirus. In the coming hours, the country is set to expand its red no-fly list. As Elliott Gotkine reports, travel to and from some top destinations will not be allowed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Israel is adding 10 more countries to its red no-fly list, including the United States and Canada, as it braces itself for the full force of a 5th COVID wave.
(voice-over): From 5 p.m. Eastern Time, those countries will be off- limits to Israelis, unless they get special permission. Those returning to Israel from those countries will have to undergo seven days of quarantine.
The first of those days will be in a designated quarantine hotel. After they get a negative PCR test result and sign an agreement allowing authorities to track their movements. They can then be released to home isolation.
Now, Israel has been steadily adding countries, such as the United Kingdom and Italy and much of Africa, to its ever expanding red list in a bid to stem the spread of the Omicron variant.
Of the 175 cases detected in Israel and the 380 suspected ones, most of them came from people bringing Omicron into the country from overseas.
Meanwhile, Israel's daily COVID case load rose above 1,000 for the first time in two months. And it's R coefficient -- this is the number of people that someone infected with COVID is expected to infect -- has jumped to 1.22. That its highest level since August.
On Monday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the country's main priority now was to vaccinate children where take-up has been especially before, in his words, the main Omicron arrives.
(on camera): Elliott Gotkine, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: In the U.S., holiday plans could be upended for a second year. Omicron accounts for 73 percent of new coronavirus cases. And on Monday, the United States recorded its first known Omicron death, a man in Houston, Texas.
Meantime, cities and states are moving to reimpose old restrictions, hoping to curb the spread of this new variant. CNN's Athena Jones reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It is going to be a tough few weeks to months, as we get deeper into the winter.
ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): America, bracing for a tough winter that's beginning to look a lot like last winter.
FAUCI: This virus is extraordinary. It has a doubling time of anywhere from two to three days. It's going to take over.
DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: We know that it's very contagious. And you saw what happened in South Africa, initially. Then in Europe, and now in the U.S. It's doubling about every two to four days. And we're going to see the number of cases go up pretty steeply over the course of the next couple of weeks.
[0035:07]
JONES: The U.S. now averaging about 1,200 deaths a day, and 130,000 new COVID-19 cases a day. That figure up 10 percent from a week ago. Hospitalizations nationwide up 35 percent over the last month. And intensive care unit beds nearly 80 percent full.
Cases rising much in parts of the Midwest, the south and the Northeast. New York setting a record for new cases for the third day in a row on Sunday.
New York City, an early epicenter of the pandemic, seeing a spike in cases officials say is being driven by Omicron.
BILL DE BLASIO, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: We have to move faster, that's why we are focusing even more on vaccination. And we do know that vaccination helps address Omicron.
Still undecided on whether crowds will fill Times Square for New Year's Eve.
As new COVID infections have upended the world of sports, entertainment and education in recent days, forcing "Saturday Night Live" to cancel its live studio audience.
The NBA, NHL and NFL also postponing games due to COVID issues. And schools like Harvard University moving graduate and professional schools to online classes for the first three weeks of January.
COVID striking Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and members of Congress, with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, and Colorado Congressman Jason Crow all testing positive for the virus.
Health workers and government officials increasingly focused on boosters.
BILL MANNS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, BRONSON HEALTHCARE: We see that those who are vaccinated, those who received their booster, aren't coming into the hospital at the same rates.
JONES: Moderna today announcing preliminary data shows its half-dose booster shots increased antibody levels against Omicron, noting that a larger size dose raised them even more. The company says it's working on variant-specific boosters, as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, you need that third dose. I wish we'd stop calling it a booster. It's a three-dose vaccine.
JONES: Doctors reminding us that basic mitigation measures like masking can help slow the spread of COVID. Washington, D.C.'s mayor is reinstating an indoor citywide mask order, after lifting it only a few weeks ago.
The district is seeing its highest daily coronavirus case count since the pandemic began. This new measure goes into effect Tuesday. And lasts until the end of January.
Athena Jones, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Joining me now, Dr. Robert Walker, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of San Francisco. He's also the author of the "Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine's Computer Age."
Welcome back, it's good to see you.
DR. ROBERT WACHTER, CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO: Thank you. Good to see you, as well.
VAUSE: As we begin this era of Omicron, CDC guidelines on quarantining, for example, have not changed, but for a vaccinated person who tested positive, for example, and you know, the symptoms are mild. They don't need hospital treatment.
But they self-isolate at home. There's some suggestion that maybe they don't need to isolate for the entire 10 days. There's some research which indicates that maybe it could be as little as five days. What do we know about that?
WACHTER: Yes. I think the CDC now is recommending that you can get by with seven days, if you have negative tests on days six and seven. And hoping that we will find that we can shorten that even more.
And I'm thinking about it quite selfishly. I'm working in a very big hospital, and if we start having scores of nurses and doctors who have Omicron, which is not unlikely, if they all have to be out for seven to 10 days, and I'm not sure we're going to be able to staff our hospitals to take care of our patients.
So I think it's a real priority to figure out how -- what's the shortest period of time we can get by with to be safe? I'm guessing it will turn out to be five days, with negative tests on days four and five.
VAUSE: And when it comes to Omicron, novel (ph) vaccines are created equal. It seems that, from the research we had so far, you know, there's still more work needs to be done.
But the mRNA vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, seem to stand up a lot better than the traditional ones like AstraZeneca and J&J.
WACHTER: Correct. There doesn't seem to be any question about it. They stand up better against other viruses, as well. They stood up better against Delta.
But for Omicron, it doesn't seem to be much doubt that, if you can get your three shots of either Moderna or Pfizer, you're in the best possible shape.
If you've gotten AstraZeneca, or you've gotten J&J, at least with J&J in the United States, there is a very, now strong recommendation that you go ahead and get Pfizer or Moderna on top of that. I'm not sure what they're doing in Europe with AstraZeneca, but it seems likely that you're going to be benefit -- benefit from having an mRNA on top of that.
VAUSE: And once someone does actually go and get the booster -- get the booster, get the booster, get the booster -- how long before it actually hits that high mark of protections? A matter of days or weeks?
WACHTER: Yes, something in between. It seems like you've got a fair amount of protection after a week. Most of the studies have looked at two weeks. And so, if it were me, I will try to get mine as soon as possible, because Omicron is going to hit in a big way over the next week or two.
But certainly, you have a substantial amount of protection after a week, probably optimal after two.
[00:40:03]
VAUSE: And again, you know, all masks are not created equal either. In Germany, the federal and state governments have introduced measures, making medical masks identified as surgical masks, KN-95s, FFP2 mandatory in stores and on public transit.
That is unlikely to happen in the United States. It's unlikely to happen in a couple of countries around the world. But it just is a general security recommendation. For those people who are central enough, responsible enough to be wearing face masks, would you recommend the K-95 for them?
WACHTER: Yes, I would. I think Omicron means we have to up our game. This thing is so much more infectious than what we've been used to. That you need the best possible immunization. That's why we're talking about boosters. And you need to wear the best possible mask when you're out and about. And that is a version of the N95, or the KN95.
A surgical mask, when I think of that, those are the thinner masks that we use in hospitals. Those are better than cloth, and if you only have access to that, I would wear a surgical mask, and on top of that, a cloth mask. That gives you very good protection.
But the best protection, and it's the one I'm saying now all the time, when I'm going to indoor spaces where I'm not sure everyone is vaccinated, is a version of the N-95.
VAUSE: There's also doctors in Australia looking at the fact that maybe Omicron can linger in the air for longer periods of time, compared to Delta. Where are we at with that?
WACHTER: Yes, it does. There certainly have been reported cases of people who transmitted to another person in a hotel room across the way. There have been some reports that someone left a space, 10 or 15 minutes earlier, and then someone else was infected.
So the old rules that you could only linger in the air for just a moment, I think are not operative with Omicron. So again, I think it raises the stakes of being as vaccinated as you can be, and wearing a mask. So even if I go into an elevator, I'm still -- and it's -- I'm all alone, I'm still going to keep my mask on, because I don't know that someone didn't have Omicron in the elevator a few minutes before me. And there's no question that it can linger, at least for a few minutes.
VAUSE: Very good advice, all of that. Thank you so much, Dr. Robert Wachter there. We appreciate that, and good luck in the coming weeks.
WACHTER: Thank you.
VAUSE: Thank you.
Look, temperatures in Eastern Europe have plummeted 10 to 15 degrees below normal, just as prices for natural gas have approached an all- time high. And Russian deliveries to Germany are at a low.
Tyler Mauldin is in the weather center with details on all this as the sudden cold snap takes a real bite in Eastern Europe. What have you got?
TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, John. You know, this is not the first time this year that energy prices have been affected by the cold air. This has kind of been the theme the last several months. That cold air comes in, and it affects the energy markets.
But right now, we have cold air across much of Eastern Europe. Then across western Europe, mild conditions. Across Eastern Europe, that cold air is taking hold. We're looking at temperatures 15 to 20 degrees below average for this time of the year.
And you can see right now, current temperatures. St. Petersburg, minus 16. Moscow, minus 16. You add in the wind, makes it feel like it's around minus 25 in those areas.
And going down to the south, you're even feeling it all the way down to Istanbul, and even Athens, as well, where temperatures are around 2 degrees.
You add in the wind, and in some areas, down this far south in Europe, it's feeling like it's below zero. Now, once we get to this afternoon, notice here that Moscow will top out at minus 16 degrees for a high today. Athens, only 11.
Then, as I said out here across the west, we have the mild conditions. So Madrid will be sitting at 14 degrees.
Here's the thing. The layup high in the atmosphere, the winds, the Jet Stream is taking this Omega-like pattern. And what that does is on the eastern side of that pattern, the colder air plunges down.
But eventually, it retreats, and that milder air out west, John, pushes to the east. So we will see a warm-up. So Moscow, you take a look at your temperatures in the days to come, it only gets colder through Wednesday. It gets down to minus 20.
But then, look at this upcoming weekend. It does get a little warmer. And I can say that for the rest of the region, as well -- John.
VAUSE: Tyler, thank you. With the very latest on that cold snap. We appreciate it.
When we come back, gambling with the Turkish economy. Erdogan-omics, wrapping business and leaving families struggling to pay for basic necessities. So why? More in a moment.
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VAUSE: Tigrayan rebel forces in Ethiopia appear to be moving towards a cease-fire, possibly ending a 13 month-long civil war. The leader of Tigray announced the military withdrawal from neighboring areas, with the hope that peace negotiations could follow.
Tigrayan People's Liberation Front has been in conflict with Ethiopia's military since November of last year, when the prime minister ordered a military offensive in Tigray.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: If we do see a movement of Tigrayan forces back into Tigray, that is something we would welcome. It's something we've called for. And we hope it opens the door to -- to broader diplomacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: The fighting has left thousands dead and displaced more than two million people. The U.N. says areas of the region are facing a man-made famine. The Ethiopian government denies allegations it has been blocking humanitarian assistance.
The Omicron variant is keeping investors on edge. The Dow plunged more than 430 points Monday. The NASDAQ and S&P also down more than 1 percent.
Despite losses on Wall Street, major markets in Asia, though, showing some gains there. The Nikkei was up 2 percent. Hong Kong up by almost a third of one -- yes, two-thirds of one percent.
Shanghai flat and the Seoul KOSPI is up by a little more than half a percent. But Omicron fears weren't the only factor in Monday's massive sell-off on Wall Street.
CNN's Alison Kosik explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 2021 is at risk of ending like it began, with COVID cases surging on both sides of the Atlantic.
This time, it's the Omicron variant, triggering a global sell-off on the market. Major averages in the U.S., Europe and Asia were all lower to start the week.
The Dow fell almost 700 points at its worst point of the day, and oil prices also fell sharply. With The Netherlands entering a new lockdown, and European countries restricting activities and travel, Berenberg's (ph) chief economist is warning that, even with boosters, health systems could be overrun.
And severe restrictions like the ones in the Netherlands could be necessary elsewhere.
U.S. politics are also worrying investors. The prospect for President Biden's massive spending bill were dashed over the weekend when one Democratic senator pulled his support.
In response, Goldman Sachs has already lowered its growth outlook for next year. Now as investors head toward their Christmas break, the fear is that 2022 won't offer the economic rebound they were counting on.
Alison Kosik, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Turkish lira continues to be on a rollercoaster ride after moves by the Turkish president.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to cut interest rates, despite soaring inflation, against all the best economic advice. On Sunday, he cited Islamic teachings and, quote, religious command as his motivation. The Turkish lira rallied on Monday. It's all relative after hitting a
record low earlier in the day. Here's Arwa Damon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: People on a day-to-day basis are having to make very tough decisions, in terms of what they can actually buy, whether it's to fill their fridge, or whether it's gifts for their children for the new year.
They are also trying to understand, many of them, what this strategy by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is actually going to bring to them.
President Erdogan has repeatedly been going against the advice of the business community, of advisors, of those who are watching financial markets and refusing to increase interest rates.
[0050:13]
Quite the contrary, he has repeatedly been lowering them, saying that Turkey's economic crisis is part of some larger foreign conspiracy. And that Turkey is capable of keeping not just its interest rates low, but its economy alive. Here's what he said over the weekend.
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): Sooner or later, just as we lowered inflation all the way to 4 percent when I came to power, we will lower it again. We will make it fall again. And I will let my citizens, my people, be crushed under interest rates.
DAMON: Of course, the big question is that, if the strategy is even successful, what will the damage to the population be, by the time it actually even reaches that point?
And many will say that this is such a big gamble that the president is taking. Sure, on the one hand, exports have increased, simply because products are cheaper for those who are buying them for the overseas market, for those who are using a foreign currency to purchase Turkish exports.
But when it comes to domestic consumption, that has gone down. And even businesses who are exporting aren't necessarily making any more money, because the cost of production and of importing the materials that they need, well, that has also continued to increase.
And most days, Turks are just watching the lira ping-pong all over to such a degree that it would give you a whiplash, before dropping almost on a daily basis to a new low.
And many will say that this is not something, a situation that they want to see their country. And obviously, it's not a situation that they themselves want to be in.
But right now, the president is holding firm to this current strategy.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Still to come here on CNN, those 17 missionaries kidnapped in Haiti now free. And we're learning about a daring escape, an overnight escape away from their kidnappers. They've been held there for almost two months.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Chile's president-elect, Gabriel Boric, is promising to name his cabinet quickly and unite a deeply divided country. But his opponents are concerned the leftist will upend Chile's economy with his plan to raise taxes on the rich.
CNN's Rafael Romo is in Santiago with details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chileans had two very clear choices: a 35-year-old leftist --
(voice-over) -- former student activist, who promised a better, bigger government, with more social services paid for by taxing the rich; and a conservative attorney who campaigned on a law-and-order platform, family values, and a nationalist agenda.
They chose Gabriel Boric, who will become Chile's youngest president, at least since the country's return to democracy in 1990. Boric promised the kind of government that takes care of people's needs by raising taxes.
During the campaign, he spoke about improving public education and welfare programs, as well as protecting human rights, LGBTQ rights, and the environment.
His rival, conservative attorney Jose Antonio Kast, conceded defeat, calling Boric less than two hours after polls closed and the trend had come irreversible.
[00:55:06]
Boric's victory was also swiftly recognized by current President Sebastian Pinera, who had a video conference call with the winner, moments later.
How will Boric govern once he takes office in less than three months, after a campaign, and a very polarized country, Boric was ready to join the page, when he addressed Chileans after winning the election. He thanked his supporters and said he will be a president for all Chileans.
Leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean, including presidents Miguel Diaz-Canel of Cuba and Colombia's Ivan Duque Marquez, congratulated the new president-elect.
Boric will take office on March 11 for a four-year term. The turnout was massive, even larger than November's first round, and more than eight million people went to the polls, about 56 percent of the electorate.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Santiago, Chile.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Did they escape? Or was it a ransom paid for their release? Christian Aid Missionaries says the last of 12 hostages being held by a criminal gang in Haiti made a daring overnight escape, managing to guide their way to safety by looking at the stars. And they confirmed ransom money was raised. CNN reports it was paid.
Journalist Stefano Pozzebon has more on their ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christian Aid Ministries has said that a ransom was paid in order to help secure the release of 17 North American missionaries that had been kidnapped more than two months ago in Haiti.
That is according to a press conference that the Ohio-based group gave on Monday. And the group said the decision came after excruciating hours.
DAVID TROYER, GENERAL DIRECTOR, CHRISTIAN AID MINISTRIES: As you might expect, the taking of our workers, including women and children, pushed us to our knees, as we sought God's direction. Recognized the lives at stake, and having the desire for a nonviolent resolution, we grappled for many hours over the proper course of action. Many intense hours.
POZZEBON: And in that news conference, the group also claimed that the hostages had escaped, after many days of waiting and no action on part of the kidnappers.
Now, Haitian authorities have not yet confirmed that series of events, describing an escape. And CNN has asked the Haitian authorities for further information about the circumstances around the hostages returning home.
Ransom kidnapping is a lucrative business for criminal groups in Haiti, such as the one that kidnapped the missionaries. In the year so far, more than 900 ransom kidnappings have been reported, although experts believe the number might be even higher, because not all the kidnappings are reported to the authorities.
For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. Another hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a very short break. See you then.
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