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Christmas during COVID-19; More Restrictions across Europe as Omicron Spreads; War in Yemen; James Webb Telescope Launch. Aired 5- 5:30a ET

Aired December 25, 2021 - 05:00   ET

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

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RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: It is Christmas morning. And a good morning to you. And a warm welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Richard Quest in London. As we have for you today, Christmas around the world being celebrated.

And we will be live in Rome, as the pope is preparing for his annual Urbi et Orbi blessing, which happens in the coming hour.

Coronavirus continues to overshadow everything for a second year in a row. Thousands of travelers are being stranded and millions of people across Europe are facing fresh new restrictions. We'll give you details.

And it's the most powerful space telescope ever built, which will take off in about five hours from now. And the secrets about the origin of the universe that we hope it will be revealing.

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QUEST: Christians around the world are marking a second Christmas during the pandemic. A very good day to you. And a warm welcome. The pope will deliver his traditional Urbi et Orbi, to the city and to the world, address in the next hour.

The virus has forced celebrations to be scaled back for much of the world. And you may be well familiar, from family or friends or even yourself, travel at the moment is a nightmare.

Thousands of flights across Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have been canceled because so many airline workers are calling in sick, with surging Omicron COVID cases and the impressive levels of infections and new restrictions across Europe.

Greece is among the latest to cancel the celebrations for the new year. And while new case records have been hit in Italy, France and the U.K., all reporting daily highs on Friday, the third day in a row for the U.K. Nada Bashir is here in London as well and joins me now.

So, if we take a look at the -- at what is happening in Europe at the moment, we seem to have gasped or grasped our way to Christmas. And it really is what comes next.

NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: Absolutely, Richard. The situation in Europe is certainly deteriorating. We're seeing rising cases, records being broken, as you mentioned. Now the World Health Organization warning that the Omicron variant is set to become the dominant variant across the country in just a matter of weeks.

And what we've seen is European leaders tackling this from two key approaches, the first doubling down on the vaccination campaign, calling for people to go out and get their booster jab.

And Germany even suggesting a fourth jab. And as you mentioned, this tightening of restrictions, over Christmas and New Year's, looking a little different this year, for many across Europe.

Greece, as you mentioned, canceling the public celebrations for both holidays. We've seen Portugal now shutting down, schools, bars and night clubs, from Sunday. The Netherlands, under strict lockdown until mid-January.

And according to Italy and Spain, now mandating mask wearing, with Germany and Belgium set to implement really tough limitations on social gatherings. So, we are seeing a tightening of restrictions and, as cases rise, we could see even further restrictions in the new year.

QUEST: So that's interesting, because we now have, if I just look at the globe, to Europe, you have now got those countries like on mainland Europe, like Germany, Italy and the like, we're talking about, which we've already done it, England is waiting, Scotland and Wales are doing some halfway house.

And the United States, really, as of yet, not taking dramatic measures, maybe because Omicron hasn't really hit there in full force there yet.

BASHIR: Well, Richard, it is a sort of a wait and see mode. People are waiting to see the data. That is certainly the message we've heard in the U.K. Prime minister Boris Johnson saying that really, until they have seen that data, they're not looking at evidence to support the tougher measures yet.

So, we haven't seen any tougher restrictions coming into force in England just before Christmas. But the message we have been hearing is the government is monitoring the situation hour by hour. And with records being broken, more than 120,000 cases reported on Friday, here in the U.K.

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BASHIR: And of course, with one in 20 households in London, now reporting COVID cases, there is mounting pressure on the government to really take tougher action, like their European neighbors.

And the prime minister hasn't ruled out the potential for those tougher measures to come in ahead of the new year in January, particularly as we continue to see the cases rising. And that may be something we have to look out for in the U.S. in the coming days and weeks. Richard?

QUEST: Nada, thank you.

It is still Christmas Eve in Honolulu, in Hawaii. And it's probably just about the only place where it is still yesterday, as the clock continues.

Emergency physician Dr. Darragh O'Carroll is with me.

And I suspect you would wish for emptier beds and to be out of business at Christmas. But what I need to focus on with you, Doctor, is, from the cases you are seeing, how does it break down on Omicron, between vaccinated and unvaccinated, serious and not?

DR. DARRAGH O'CARROLL, EMERGENCY MEDICINE SPECIALIST: Merry Christmas, Richard, and to all of your viewers.

Yes, we're not quite there yet, in Honolulu, we have about an hour left until Santa arrives. But a very good question and its early days yet for the entire world to experience this variant other than South Africa.

This was really just discovered about a month ago, probably originated sometime in October. So, this is really, really early for us to get our hands on.

We are seeing more breakthrough cases, even in people who are fully vaccinated and those who are triple vaccinated or triple jabbed. Still holding up well but we're seeing more than we saw with Delta.

Predominantly we're seeing mostly unvaccinated, who are getting really sick. And we are seeing a bit more of those who are fully vaccinated. But it seems to be the same sort of proportions thus far.

But again, it is really early days and we're keeping a very, very close eye on everything.

QUEST: Is there reason for optimism in the sense that there will be more vaccinated people, because more people are vaccinated. Therefore, they will make up a proportion of cases seen.

But for those of us who are double, triple, wear masks, might get a breakthrough case, the expectation is a bad cold, although we should still be careful, because it could infect somebody who will have a bad reaction.

O'CARROLL: Yes, very good point, Richard, the vaccine, decreasing the vaccine efficacy that we're seeing at this time is not decreasing, keeping you out of the hospital or decrease in the disease severity.

What we're seeing is a decrease in the ability to contract the virus. About 10 weeks after the third jab, we're seeing a decrease in about 10 percent to 25 percent efficacy in contracting the virus and having symptoms. Predominantly those symptoms, what I'm seeing anecdotally -- and again, the plural of anecdotal is not science. But what I'm saying is very mild illnesses; you know, kind of colds, sore throats, a little bit of congestion, less of the lack of smell and less of the lack of taste but still there.

But these are all really, really important aspects of public health. We don't know the long COVID effects of Omicron -- is it more, is it less?

And so, hospitalizations, severe disease and even deaths are very, very low bars for public health. So, everything that we just mentioned is important to take into context.

QUEST: How are you holding up, you and your colleagues?

It seems each time you just about catch a break, where you might be able to rest somewhat, you get hit on the head again.

O'CARROLL: You mentioned I think at the top of your show about the massive flight cuts from really just decreased amount of staff. We're seeing that exactly the same way in our hospital systems across the globe. Even here in Hawaii, we're seeing that.

And we can't just shut down the hospitals and we can't just -- you know, we have to keep going. So, it has been a long two years. And when we hear that, you know, governmental regulations are not helping us in any way or not giving us a little bit of reprieve, it hurts.

And it hurts that people aren't trusting the science to wear masks and to get the jabs and to get the vaccines. And so that hurts us a lot but we're going to keep going and that's all we can do.

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QUEST: Doctor, I wish you and your colleagues the best of Christmas when it arrives. I have one thought, though, as we're looking at the order, you're expecting a high, in paradise, since you're in the United States, you're expecting an 80-degree high in Honolulu, with a moderate amount of rain.

So, I'm afraid sympathy is in short supply on the weather front, even though we may be wishing you all the very best on all of the fronts. Thank you very much. Good to see you; 45 minutes before Santa arrives.

And in just a moment, we'll be in Rome. Pope Francis is preparing to deliver his annual Urbi et Orbi address and blessing, this Christmas Day. It's overcast. It has been raining but it is still, my goodness, look at that, that is a picture for a postcard or a Renaissance painting.

There may not be many tourists in Bethlehem but there's plenty of Christmas cheer to go around. The celebrating of the holiday spirit continues.

It's CNN.

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QUEST: We're taking you now to the basilica at the Vatican. It is overcast. But it's been raining. But that mistiness is creating a wonderful vista and of course, where we will hear, on the balcony to the right, the pope delivering his annual to the city and to the world, the Urbi et Orbi address. John Allen is with us from Rome.

And the view is spectacular.

Will the message be likewise, sir?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Happy Christmas to you, Richard. Yes, I think you could wax elegiac about the vistas here when you're seeing them through a TV camera. The reality on the ground is that it is cold and wet.

But, nevertheless, will the message be spectacular?

Well, look, Pope Francis, he's been pope almost nine years by now. I doubt we're going to hear any dramatic surprises in terms of messaging. This is a pope who is well known around the world as a champion of the poor and a champion of migrants and refugees and a champion of the victims of war and armed conflict, a champion of abuse victims, exploited children and on and on.

And the Urbi et Orbi is typically a 180-degree review of the world situation. And I expect we'll hear about all of that. And I expect we will hear the pope address some of world's most persistent hot spots, as he has in the past, probably beginning with the Middle East and radiating out from there.

Given the events of the last year, it would not surprise me if there were a shout-out to Myanmar.

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ALLEN: And it will be, in that sense, Richard, a kind of much of the greatest hits collection of this pope.

QUEST: Let me just take a second to review the big issues.

And where is the pope in terms of his conservativism?

There were many numerous movements toward uncertainty. He seems to have pulled back several times during the course of the year.

ALLEN: Well, listen, I think on balance, most people who pay attention to church affairs would still tell you that Pope Francis is the most progressive or liberal pope we have had in quite some time.

That said, you are quite right; there have been sort of points in the road that have come up during the course of his papacy. One for instance, he has dangled the idea of ordaining women as deacons -- and not as priests but as deacons -- that still participate in the clerical state in the Catholic Church but hasn't pulled the trigger on it.

He has certainly raised hopes in the gay and lesbian community of forward movement. But while the code is different under Francis doctrinally, it is the same. And there will certainly be some on the Catholic Left who will end 2021 disappointed.

On the other hand, I think realistic Catholic liberals will say this pope is still giving more of their agenda than they expected to get in their adult lifetimes and probably will ever see again for some time.

QUEST: John, it makes my Christmas when I get to talk to you on Christmas Day. A very, very warm Christmas to you and your family, sir, thank you.

Now in Bethlehem, Christmas is a subdued affair. And mainly because COVID has kept most tourists away for the second year running. Still, those who did took part in midnight mass.

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QUEST (voice-over): The service was followed by processions at the Grotto of the Nativity, the place where Jesus is said to have been born. And some traditions live on. So the lack of visitors may be taking a toll on businesses. That did not stop one local dressmaker, who has found plenty of reasons to be hopeful this holiday season, as Andrew Carey discovered.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).

ANDREW CAREY, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Maha Saca has been stitching since she was a little girl, traditional Palestinian patterns on pillowcases, on tablecloths and the richly embroidered long dress (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like this one, too.

CAREY (voice-over): This a bridal fob (ph) from Bethlehem, different panels expressing the wish for children and the hope for a long life.

MAHA SACA, PALESTINIAN HERITAGE CENTER: This is our identity. Every village and town in Palestine, they have a special dress where the woman, she will tell a story and what surrounded her, my design on her dress. That is why every dress is completely different.

CAREY (voice-over): Craft and skills of a bygone time. And for Palestinians, with the region's troubled history, garments that can express an idea of resistance and the preservation of memory. SACA: You can see that this is for Bethlehem area. This is for my

grandmother. The most important here is the blooms of the tree. The (INAUDIBLE) groves here.

CAREY (voice-over): They also provide a livelihood for the 20 women who produce them and the other works on sale here. The pandemic has had a crushing impact.

SACA: In these two years, we have no tourists, no work. Also, every shop in Bethlehem, there is no work, the hotels, the restaurants.

CAREY (voice-over): Palestinian officials put the cost of COVID to the tourism sector at $1.5 billion. Bethlehem's nativity scene and tree are up. But Christmas this year needs a fix.

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CAREY (voice-over): Even so, for Maha Saca, December did bring a gift when UNESCO added Palestinian embroidery to its cultural heritage list, giving a little reason for hope and the optimism of the season.

SACA: Bethlehem is the capital of Christmas, the capital of Christianity. And always we have the hope, we will not lose the hope at all (INAUDIBLE) that and I hope to have the peace that equals these pleasures (ph) (INAUDIBLE) for Bethlehem and for all the world.

CAREY (voice-over): Andrew Carey, CNN, Bethlehem.

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QUEST: It may be Christmas, but the news never stops and much of it is sad around the world. Let me update you.

At least 30 people are dead, after a fire tore through a passenger ferry in southern Bangladesh. Officials say the blaze started in the engine room early on Friday morning and swept through the rest of the ship. Officials also say the number of people who died could go higher, because some passengers are still missing.

And more than 50 passengers are in hospital, some in critical condition. Investigators are looking into what caused the fire.

Two cities in Saudi Arabia are being hit by projectiles, fired by the Houthi rebels from Yemen, this from the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, the report says two people were killed.

A day earlier, the coalition said its airstrikes hit a military base in the Yemen capital, controlled by the Houthis. But they say the bomb struck a prison and a hospital. Rebels have launched dozens of missiles and drones against Saudi Arabia over the years. Few have caused casualties or damage.

Russia is demanding an apology from Ukraine, after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the consulate in Lviv in Western Ukraine. Russia state media says its foreign ministry considers it, in its words, a terrorist act and urging urgent measures be taken to strengthen security.

And Ukrainian officials have launched an investigation but are calling it hooliganism and saying there were no injuries and there is no damage done to the diplomatic mission.

Santa may be almost done traveling the globe but now a powerful space telescope is ready to take off. It's revealing or will change, we hope, our understanding of the universe. It's after the break. CNN.

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QUEST: The world's most advanced space telescope is set to lift off just hours from now; sorry, it is just about two hours from now. It is at a launch pad in French Guiana and, if all goes according to plan, the telescope could help astronomers unlock the secrets of the universe. CNN's Kristin Fisher has more.

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KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE & DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope is about as high stakes as it gets for NASA. If, heaven forbid, something goes wrong during launch, that's about $10 billion, more than two decades worth of work down the drain just like that.

But if all goes well -- and NASA believes it will -- this telescope truly has the potential to transform our understanding of the universe.

We're talking about, where did the first light in the cosmos come from?

And are we alone in the universe?

Astronomers around the world have been waiting for decades for this moment. The launch has been delayed by about 10 years. Now finally, it is scheduled for liftoff on Christmas morning here in the United States.

And it's going to be launching from French Guiana, a space port, a reminder this is a joint mission with the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

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FISHER: There are employees from all of the agencies down in French Guiana, waiting for this moment to happen.

And it's not just the launch that we have to be nervous about. It is also the next several weeks because, this telescope, after launch, it still has to unfold. And there are more than 300 single points of failure. So, everything has to work perfectly.

NASA is confident that it will. But when you talk to the scientists, who spent more than two decades working on this, they say, how can you not be nervous?

Back to you.

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QUEST: Thank you.

Now the Duchess of Cambridge has shown another side of herself and she's hit all of right notes. She played the piano at a carol service in Westminster Abbey.

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QUEST (voice-over): Now she's on the stage with the Scottish singer Tom Walker and they performed the song, "For Those Who Can't Be Here," part of an event called Royal Carols, together at Christmas, held earlier this month. And the royal family's YouTube channel says the service reflected on the difficult time during the pandemic, especially for those who are vulnerable and isolated.

Now firefighters filled in for Santa in northern Mexico on Christmas Eve. They organized a gift drive and they asked residents to donate toys for children in need.

The firefighters ended up receiving more than 50,000 toys that they distributed on Friday and the fire crews even went a step further and repaired those toys not in perfect order. And that did the trick, the children were overwhelmed with emotion when they received the gifts.

Now here at CNN, I've been presenting on Christmas Day thus far for 20 years and we have a bit of a tradition. Now we may be socially distant so we can't have colleagues doing it. But here we go, do it yourself.

Anna Stewart bought me this one.

What do I say?

Oh, look at that.

Isn't that pleasant?

Here we go. Thank you very much, Anna Stewart. I'm not sure what to do with that but -- oh, it's a beard, it's a mask, it's a Santa mask. There we go. A Santa mask, I think, it's the other way around. Show you that again in a second.

And what does it say?

I can't find the joke. But it has got the mask.

And there you have it, suitably ending this edition of our program.

Thank you for spending part of your Christmas with me. I'm Richard Quest in London. Regardless of COVID, we can all still have a good time. Coming up next, "Music That Makes a Difference." And remember, social distancing and masks also make a difference.