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COVID Cases In U.S. Spike 48 Percent In One Week As Omicron Spreads; Admin To Lift Travel Restrictions On Eight African Nations. Aired 4-4:30p ET

Aired December 24, 2021 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[16:00:42]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Welcome. I'm Boris Sanchez.

This hour, the number of COVID cases is surging to levels not seen since the peak in January. But hospitalizations so far still remain low. We've got the latest on what you need to know.

President Biden is now reversing a controversial policy originally meant to slow the spread. We'll speak with the leading Democratic member of Congress about the move.

Plus -- do you have a real Christmas tree or are you team artificial? We're breaking down the numbers from gifts to movies to get a different view of America's holiday traditions.

(MUSIC)

SANCHEZ: We start this hour with the hottest item to get this Christmas Eve 2021. It's not a Tickle-Me-Elmo, not even a Furby. This year, sadly, it's a COVID test and in cities nationwide, people are lining up again today, just to get their hands on one.

Many drivers in this line waited more than two hours at a drive- through testing site in Raleigh, North Carolina. Scenes like this one playing out across the country as COVID cases in the United States skyrocket almost 50 percent in a week. Hitting the highest seven-day average since January.

That trend fortunately has not been as sharp when it comes to hospitalizations. That number only up 2 percent in a week. And that adds to evidence that the omicron variant may not result in more severe cases of COVID-19.

However, that, obviously, doesn't mean it's not highly contagious and health officials are warning the recent spike in cases will only get worse. The CDC is now changing the isolation time for health care workers who get sick, too.

And as Lucy Kafanov reports, today in New York, there was a similar change.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we're here to make some toys.

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Christmas cheer tempered this year as omicron spreads at a rapid pace with new COVID cases hitting record highs. The U.S. now averaging more than 180,000 new cases each day. Up 48 percent from last week, surpassing the peak of the delta variant surge in the summer.

The good news, hospitalizations remain half the record high from January. Amid the omicron surge, the CDC cutting quarantine time for infected health care workers. Those who test positive but are asymptomatic can now return to work after seven days of isolation, instead of 10, with a negative test, scrapping quarantine altogether for vaccinated and boosted health care workers who've been exposed.

DR. JEROME ADMAS, FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: It's a decision that's been made necessary by the fact that the virus is spiraling out of control. It does follow the science that it's seven days, but you have to test negative. You don't need to be isolated for a full ten days.

KAFANOV: New York is following the CDC lead with the governor there saying essential workers who are fully vaccinated can return to work five days after showing no symptoms and have had no fever for 72 hours. As Santa delivers gifts to households around the globe, Americans flying to see loved ones are facing a bumpy travel day. Airlines canceling hundreds of flights on Christmas Eve as staff and crew call out sick.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope that everyone keeps their own safety and everyone else's safety in mind when they travel.

KAFANOV: In a rush to get tested, be prepared to wait.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody wanted to get tested so, you know, we just have to be patient.

KAFANOV: With at-home COVID test supplies still limited, many testing sites are overwhelmed. But across the pond, a sliver of hope, the United Kingdom health agency says data suggests omicron cases are 50 percent to 70 percent less likely to require hospitalization than those with delta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAFANOV (on camera): And, Boris, even though the CDC is cutting the quarantine time for COVID positive, asymptomatic health care workers and the state of New York is following suit with its essential employees, President Joe Biden told reporters this afternoon that there are no plans to cut the isolation time for the general public -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Lucy Kafanov reporting from Santa Monica, California, thank you so much.

Let's pose that question about quarantine times with Dr. Peter Hotez. He is the co-director of the Vaccine Development Center at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.

[16:05:01]

Dr. Hotez, thanks for sharing part of your Christmas Eve with us.

We always appreciate your expertise. With these changes on quarantine restrictions, today the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, said fully vaccinated essential workers can return to work after five days if they have no symptoms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D), NEW YORK: Mainly focused on making sure we can get people back to work so these critical services that New Yorkers need, health care, transportation, grocery stores, all the things we've identified are important, that they can get back to work as soon as it is safe to do so, vaccinated, wearing a mask, asymptomatic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: And in addition, as Lucy discussed in her report, the CDC recommending a seven-day isolation for health care workers who get sick.

Why does the change only apply to these specific groups? Couldn't the new isolation time be extended to everyone?

DR. PETER HOTEZ, DEAN, SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Well, Boris, in time it might be, but I think this is important. If the CDC and the local health departments are prepared to study the outcomes and can confirm that we're not seeing a lot of individuals coming back to work and shedding virus, I think that potentially could result in a more universal change.

Now the problem is it's not easy to know. Here's why because what -- even if you aren't shedding virus after you've been infected for a few days and you've recovered, you can still be PCR positive. So there's still remnants of the viral genome there. Sometimes it's hard to sort out who's PCR positive on the test because they're shedding virus versus you just have remnants of nucleic acid. It requires more in- depth study to sort those two things out.

So, the reason for the change now is because there's a lot of concern with all of these omicron cases, there's going to be massive disruption of social services if you have all of the essential workers out of the workforce. And, of course, the most worrisome are the health care workers, the hospital workers especially because we know hospitalizations are rising in New York. They are rising in New Jersey. They are rising in Washington, D.C., some of the worst affected areas.

So the narrative about this being a mild virus, I think we have to temper that with that reality and the situation in the U.S. may be different. So, what everyone is wringing their hands about or what keeps me up at night is that perfect storm that, in fact, this virus is not as mild as many are making it out to be. Hospitalizations are rising and all the health care workers, even if they've had three immunizations have breakthrough, symptomatic illness and are out of the workforce.

SANCHEZ: And you actually did propose in "The L.A. Times" a potential fourth dose of the vaccine. I want to ask you about that. I want to press you on the idea the everyday person has to follow different rules than these health care workers. It seems antithetical and frustrating to someone watching cases going up, the new variant that's highly contagious but health officials now lowering isolation times.

What would you say to someone that perhaps is missing Christmas with their loved ones because they have to comply by rules that others seemingly don't?

HOTEZ: Yeah, you know, it's a study in progress, and I don't know the inside baseball and in terms of what the White House and the CDC and NIH were discussing when they made the change. I think they probably would have liked more time in order to make these adjustments but I think their hands were -- they had to make a quick decision in order to keep the health care workforce in play.

So all I can say, it's important to be patient. Let's see how these new guidelines work out and make certain there's nothing untoward that happens and then it's quite possible this will open up to the general public later on.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. So let's talk about that op-ed in the "L.A. Times." you floated the idea of a fourth vaccine dose for health care workers. Dr. Fauci disagrees. He believes that may be a premature move.

What's the basis of the disagreement?

HOTEZ: It's interesting after I made the suggestion, the Israeli government came up with the -- came up with the same idea. I can't say I had going to do with it, but it is interesting.

Here's the rationale for this, Boris. It's based on data coming out of Imperial College London and the UK. government suggesting that protection from that third immunization, if you got the Pfizer vaccine, because that's the major vaccine they use in the U.K. and Israel, comes down pretty quickly.

After you get that third immunization you get a big boost in virus neutralizing antibodies. That gives you 90 percent, 95 protection against delta. Only 75 percent protection against omicron, but that's the best case scenario because then in the ensuing three or four months, it declines to 30 percent or 40 percent against symptomatic infection. You are going to have all of these health care providers who got the Pfizer boost, will have the waning immunity.

[16:10:08]

How do we keep them in the workforce?

For my point of view, the most efficient way of doing is to boost up their virus neutralizing antibodies to keep them in the workforce during this wave.

We'll see how the CDC may or may not respond. Dr. Peter Hotez, thank you so much as always for the time. Hope you have a good holiday.

HOTEZ: Thank you. All the best.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Next, President Biden just adjusted his response to the omicron variant. Hear how the White House is explaining the shift.

Plus, some communities in Kentucky are still reeling from deadly tornadoes. We're going to talk to someone who is lending a helping hand to those who need it this Christmas.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Here in Washington, President Biden has been on the move this Christmas eve. He and the first lady paying a visit to the children's national hospital.

The president also decided to make it easier for some people to travel, and as CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports, that's despite skyrocketing coronavirus cases.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Call it a Christmas Eve gift from the president. President Biden lifting travel restrictions he imposed just one month ago barring entry to foreigners from South Africa and seven surrounding countries.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNTIED STATES: While we know the travel restrictions can slow the spread of omicron, it cannot prevent it. But it does give us a little more time to take more precautions at home to prepare.

DIAMOND: With omicron now rampant in the U.S. and around the world, a senior administration official telling CNN, the CDC recommended Biden lift the travel ban because travelers from southern Africa won't have a significant impact on U.S. cases and because it's now clear existing vaccines prevent severe illness with omicron.

The restrictions officially come down on New Year's Eve. In the U.S., many Americans waiting in line for hours to get tested as coronavirus cases skyrocket before Christmas.

REPORTER: Any message for the Americans celebrating Christmas?

BIDEN: Keep the faith.

DIAMOND: The president and first lady spending their Christmas eve at children's national hospital. Before taking calls from children tracking Santa Claus' journey around the world. Biden's own Christmas wish list will have to wait until next year after Senator Joe Manchin killed Biden's hopes of passing his Build Back Better bill before the holidays.

BIDEN: I haven't given up on this. I haven't given up on it. And I still think we'll be able to get a significant amount of what we need to get done, done.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND (on camera): And, Boris, while the president's legislative agenda is on pause for the holidays, that work will resume in the New Year. The president set to push forward to get as much as he can of that build back better agenda done as well as a push for voting rights. But really a path to getting either of those bills done is very unclear right now -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Nebulous at best. Jeremy Diamond from the White House, thank you so much.

Let's discuss. The Biden agenda and the latest moves on coronavirus with Florida Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Congresswoman, thank you so much for taking time out of this holiday weekend to chat with us. We appreciate it.

First, President Biden lifting the travel ban that he imposed on eight Southern African countries because of the omicron variant. Given that we're now seeing a spike of omicron cases here, was this a good idea?

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): I think we have to strike a balance with travel bans when -- like when President Biden first imposed that ban about a month ago. It was really to make sure, not that we prevent COVID from coming here from South Africa, but to make sure that our public health system can stay ahead of it.

And the CDC seems to be comfortable that we are ahead of it in terms of it really intensifying through travel. So, obviously, we're a country that supports freedom of movement and so making sure that we strike that balance, I think, is the right -- is the right move.

SANCHEZ: Congresswoman, the Biden administration has been receiving a lot of criticism for COVID testing issues across the country. The president told ABC News he doesn't think the testing situation is a failure, yet we shared with our viewers at the top of the hour video from lines that are hours long just to get tested. Ultimately who do you think should be held accountable for the apparent shortage of tests in this country?

SCHULTZ: Well, I tell you, in my state, the person that should be held accountable is Ron DeSantis, our governor, because there's no one else in the entire United States that I think has done more to make it harder to keep people healthy than Ron DeSantis. He has led the effort to pass laws in our state capitol to prevent people from being required to wear masks, to prevent businesses from requiring vaccines for employees. He's withheld funds from school districts because they wanted to make sure that they could require students to wear masks so they could keep children safe who at the time couldn't get vaccinated themselves.

So when it comes to the effort to make sure that we can really prevent the spread, we have to make sure that we are maximizing our local government's ability to establish public health practices. So that's where I think the effort begins. And, of course, we need to make sure that we ramp up testing as quickly as possible. And I think we'll have to provide some additional resources from Congress through an emergency supplemental to be able to assist with that.

SANCHEZ: Though the testing shortage doesn't end at Florida's border. This is a nationwide issue. Doesn't the federal government have some responsibility for the lack of tests?

SCHULTZ: Certainly the federal government has a responsibility and we need to make sure that we, as President Biden responsibly did, he enacted the order of half a billion tests that, obviously, will take a few weeks to arrive.

[16:20:04]

But making sure that we can continue that pipeline is going to be the responsibility of an all-hands-on-deck effort.

It's not one branch of the government. We're talking about a global pandemic that we've been dealing with for almost two years. And any kink in the chain is going to gum up the works. So making sure that all levels of government are working together efficiently to be able to make sure that tests can be administered.

Governor DeSantis has essentially stopped promoting vaccines and done everything he could to prevent people and make it harder to ensure that we have the maximum number of people in Florida vaccinated. And, in fact, we have had a very low number of seniors in nursing homes and assisted living facilities getting their booster shot when we really led the effort initially. And that's going to kill people at the end of the day.

So it's not just one thing and one person that's responsible for making sure we attack this. It's an all hands on deck effort.

SANCHEZ: So, are you suggesting that Governor DeSantis is specifically trying to keep older folks from getting boosted?

SCHULTZ: I'm suggesting that he's not lifting a finger to help make sure that older folks in nursing homes and assisted living are getting boosted because he has not engaged -- he hasn't reached out to the VA, for example, which through their fourth mission can deploy health care professionals to help make sure we can get boosters administered in those facilities. He hasn't actually mobilized an effort to ensure that we can do that.

Why is that? We have the highest percentage of elderly in our state and know that the elderly when they get COVID are much less likely to get a serious case and much more likely to become hospitalized and then die. It's just mind-boggling to me. And so, why would the governor of the third largest state in the country with the highest percentage of elderly in the country, the most vulnerable population, be putting obstacles in the path of people getting vaccinated.

SANCHEZ: Congresswoman, I quickly wanted to get in a question about the president's agenda going into the New Year, notably an election year where Democrats are anticipated to have some losses potentially in the House because of historical trends. You've said you're disappointed in Senator Manchin's opposition to the Build Back Better act. Democrats ultimately need his vote to do anything going forward.

Should Democrats ultimately pass whatever he agrees with?

SCHULTZ: What we need to do is make sure that we do what congresses of the past have always done, is you regroup. We focus on what we can put on President Biden's desk and the question isn't what Joe Manchin will support. It's why won't every single Republican support making sure we can take on big pharma, lower prescription drug costs, make sure we make the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share.

We are trying to pass this without a single Republican vote. We're going to put a bill on Joe Biden's desk. I'm confident. But it's going to be done single handedly by Democrats and whatever we put, whether it's making sure we make childcare more affordable or passing the child tax credit, or lowering prescription drug costs, providing hearing coverage in Medicare for seniors, it's going to be done by Democrats and we'll come together, even if it's a smaller bill, I want to vote, like I did with health care reform, to put as much assistance for people who need help on President Biden's desk and that's what we're working to do over the next few months.

SANCHEZ: It will be a long road ahead for you, and we will be there to ask you about it and prod.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, thank so much you for the time. We appreciate it.

SCHULTZ: Happy holidays, everyone. Thank you so much, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course, thank you.

Coming up -- the stunning statement one caller made to President Biden today as he took holiday calls from Americans. We'll show you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:28:45]

SANCHEZ: There's no better gift than the gift of good health. And former President Donald Trump is trying to persuade the unconvinced to get vaccinated. Let's discuss that more with "Axios" managing editor and CNN political analyst Margaret Talev, and CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein.

Margaret, Ron, great to have you both. Appreciate you being with us this Christmas Eve.

Let's get to the juiciest bit of sound from this Donald Trump interview with "The Daily Wire" and Candace Owen. This is the former president talking about the vaccine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT: All are very, very good, came up with three of them in less than nine months. And it was supposed to take 5 to 12 years.

CANDACE OWENS, THE DAILY WIRE: More people have died under COVID this year, by the way, under Joe Biden.

TRUMP: Yeah, that's right.

OWENS: -- than under you and more people took the vaccine this year so people are questioning how --

TRUMP: Oh, no, the vaccines work. But some people aren't --

OWENS: Yeah.

TRUMP: The ones -- the ones that get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don't take the vaccine. But it's still their choice. And if you take the vaccine, you're protected. People aren't dyeing when they take the vaccine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Point of fact, that statement she made about people dying under Donald Trump versus Joe Biden, those numbers are completely wrong. So, that's fake news right there.

Secondly, it's very juicy because Candace Owens has been peddling nonsense, anti-vaccine nonsense online and to watch her face as the former president says what we all know, the vaccines are effective. Quite soothing.

Ron, why is the former president taking this stance now? What is up with the timing?