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Cases Surge as Omicron Sweep Across U.S.; Massive Travel Disruptions as Omicron Spreads in U.S.; Cruise Ships Face Omicron Outbreaks at Sea; Omicron Spurs Wave of New Restrictions in Europe; China Imposes Strict Rules Amid Covid Outbreak in Xi'an; Flags Flown at Half-Staff to Honor Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired December 27, 2021 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and warm welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And possibly even February we are going to see a spike in cases.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is just one of the most stressful and discouraging times for us in the hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All that we're asking for in return is for people to take a damn shot.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have the power today to have an impact on tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The Omicron surge is fueling a new COVID wave across the U.S. disrupting holiday travel plans for millions of Americans.

President Biden's agenda remains in limbo despite that promised Christmas deadline. We'll hear from the Vice President about what's next for Build Back Better.

And the world remembers Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A look at the legacy of a freedom fighter who helped end apartheid in South Africa.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster.

FOSTER: We begin with the growing concern over the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the U.S. as cases surge, so does the demand for tests. This is the scene at testing sites around the country. Long lines with people often having to wait hours to get tested. And the nation's top disease expert says access to testing has got to get better.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We should be using testing much more extensively than we have, even in a situation where you have people who are vaccinated or boosted. But the situation where you have such a high demand, a conflation of events, Omicron stirring people to get appropriately concerned and wanting to get tested as well as the fact of run-on tests during the holiday season. We've obviously got to do better. I mean, I think things will improve greatly as we get into January but that doesn't help us today and tomorrow.

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FOSTER: The surge in Omicron infections is driving daily COVID infections to highs not seen since last January and that has front line doctors worried about the near future.

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DR. ELIZABETH CLAYBORNE, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CAPITAL REGION MEDICAL CENTER: There is a significant amount of travel that's taking on and it's kind of coinciding right with the peak from the Thanksgiving travel which is why we're seeing so many COVID cases in addition to the fact that Omicron has been shown to be significantly more contagious than the previous variants. So, all of that goes together to kind of make this perfect storm. And I am very concerned that, you know, going into January and possibly even February that we are going to continue to see a spike in cases.

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FOSTER: And some areas are already seeing steep spikes in cases. New York state topped its single day case record from Christmas Eve with nearly 50,000 new cases. It's also affecting the city's subway system with the MTA issuing a service alert warning riders to expect trains to run less frequently beginning on Monday. And some health experts say this rapid spread is going to get worse.

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DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I think we're going to see, you know, half a million cases, easy after the next week, week to ten days, places like Michigan, western Michigan, Minnesota right now, Rhode Island. Places where there is no hospital capacity. Even if a small number of people are hospitalized, if the denominator is immense, then hospitals will not be able to deal with it. And not just they won't be able to care for the folks with COVID, they won't be able to deal with the kinds of things that I take care of like heart attacks, or people with strokes who have difficulty finding beds. So, that's what's at stake now.

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FOSTER: All of this is causing major disruptions during one of the busiest travel times of the year. There were nearly 1,500 flights canceled on Sunday and some cruise ships were forced to return to port. Alison Kosik is in New York with more on the cruise ships. First let's go to Nadia Ramiro in Atlanta for details on the flight cancellations.

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NADIA ROMERO, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: There's some frustration here at Atlanta's airport here at Hartsfield-Jackson for some travelers whose flights were delayed or canceled. One woman told me that her flight was canceled from Atlanta to Wyoming. And she has to go back because she has to go back to work and get back to her normal routine. But that just can't happen because of that canceled flight.

That flight one of more than 1,000 flights canceled on Sunday alone bringing the total this weekend to about 2,000 flights.

[04:05:00]

That's just domestic. And you add thousands more when you talk about international travel. But for some people, they said despite all of the cancellations, delays, they've been checking their phone. When their flight was able to be on time. They came to the airport. They said they weren't going to miss it because they haven't seen family and friends since before the pandemic two years ago. Listen to them talk about that experience of finally been able to get back home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was my in-laws. It's the first time I've seen them in about two years. So, yes, it's been a while and saw my mom over Thanksgiving first time in two years. I got my booster shot. That was first and foremost. I was due for it. So, I got that. Been wearing my mask. And I actually ended up switching my seat to be next to one person instead of three other people, so just to keep my distance. So, yes, my whole family is vaccinated and we felt safe. It was immediate family. Just like 10 people.

ROMERO: Now TSA tells us that screening through their security checkpoints is down this holiday season. Christmas and Christmas Eve compared to the same time period back in 2019. So, pre-pandemic levels. And you contribute some of that to the coronavirus, the Omicron variant. That is spreading rapidly with cases we're seeing rising across the country and also all of the thousands of cancellations and delays.

Nadia Romero, CNN, Atlanta.

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ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: The cruise line industry is facing disruption again because of COVID-19. Over the past week at least four cruise ships were turned away from ports of call and passengers were denied entry to ports because of cases of COVID on their ships.

Now U.S.-based ships resumed service just this past summer after being shut down because of the pandemic. Now there are vaccine requirements in place and measures in place to try to keep the spread of COVID from happening on these ships, but even since then COVID incidents have happened on some of these ships.

One case in point in August on a Carnival cruise ship, 27 people tested positive for COVID. They were isolated and passengers were still allowed to disembark after they showed proof of a negative COVID test. Difference this time? The Omicron variant. It's more transmissible and a Carnival spokesman told CNN in a statement that the variant may shape how some destination authorities view even a small number of cases.

Now Carnival cruise ship Freedom was one of the ships impacted over the past week with what Carnival calls a small number of passengers testing positive for COVID. That ship docked as planned in Miami on Sunday and the passengers getting off the ship after their eight-day voyage had very different experiences. Listen to what they had to say.

JIM STORUPSKI, CARNIVAL FREEDOM PASSENGER: We've heard varying stories over 5, we've heard 12, we heard 25.

CONNIE STORUPSKI, CARNIVAL FREEDOM PASSENGER: They guaranteed them. I mean, it was safe. We had a good time. We'll do it again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I couldn't even go in the pool the whole time. We didn't touch one pool on that ship because everybody is in there all over each other. Nobody is wearing masks. It was disgusting. Nobody cared.

KOSIK: Although there is an uptick in the number of cruises that have had to alter their itineraries, the impact of cruises represent only a small fraction of the dozens of cruise ships that are throughout -- that have sailed throughout the month and the disruptions are certainly a far cry from what happened in March 2020 when the entire U.S. cruise industry had to shut down because of the pandemic. And there were weeks where there were efforts to get passengers and crew on board those ships to get them home as ports were closed or vessels that were hit by outbreaks of COVID.

Alison Kosik, CNN, New York.

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FOSTER: The rising number of cases across the U.S. have impacted at least five bowl games in college football so far. The Sun Bowl is now searching for a replacement team after the University of Miami dropped out due to COVID protocols. Washington State University is still hoping to play a new opponent on Friday. Meanwhile, the Military Bowl planned for today in Maryland has been canceled and the Fenway Bowl in Boston is also called off.

The Omicron variant is also fueling spikes in COVID cases around the world. South Korean officials have authorized emergency use of Pfizer's COVID-19 pill which treats patients who have already tested positive for the virus. It comes as the country battles a wave of infections. Whilst daily cases drops below 5,000 on Sunday for the first time in weeks, the number of critically ill COVID patients is still high with nearly 1,100 currently in the ICU. In China authorities in the city of Xi'an have started the process of

disinfecting the entire city amid the growing outbreak of COVID cases. It's the latest in a series of strict lockdowns in Xi'an aimed at stopping the outbreak before it spreads to other parts of the country.

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And here in the U.K. new data shows vaccine uptakes soared ahead of Christmas in the week leading up to the holiday. The number of people getting their first dose was up 46 percent compared to the week before. The government is ramping up its vaccination and booster campaign amid a record surge in new cases.

CNN's Steven Jiang is standing by for us in Beijing. But first let's go to Barbie Nadeau. She's in Rome. Give us the broad picture, Barbie. Because I know that here in the U.K., we haven't had statistics for a while. We're expecting to hear reports on that today. But broadly over the Christmas period how does it look?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It looks pretty grim, actually. You know, when you look at places like France, which logged over 100,000 cases in a single day alone. You look at countries like Italy where I am which had an 11 percent contagion rate over the weekend and that one of the days of testing.

You know, governments are looking at restricting people's movement ahead of New Year's Eve. Here in Rome, they've canceled the concert. In Paris, they've canceled fireworks. It's going to be a pretty grim New Year's Eve because these governments don't want to blow every, you know, progress that they've made essentially in kind of keeping the cases where there are cases that are lower than France certainly. They don't want to take any risks like that.

So, we're seeing all sorts of closures, curfews and restrictions for New Year's Eve. After that, of course, people want to go back to school. They want their kids to go back to school. And several countries have said that they will try to keep kids in the classrooms. But, you know, this week is going to be a grim one across continental Europe -- Max.

FOSTER: And Steven, there are lockdowns here in Europe but they're nothing like they are in China. How's that working against Omicron, for example? Have you got that sort of information?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Omicron is still not a big problem so far in China. The few cases we have seen here are limited to imported cases. Domestically the Delta variant is still the prevailing variant here.

But still, as you mentioned, in the city of Xi'an, some 13 million residents have been placed under a strict lockdown since last week. That's something we haven't seen since for a long time, not since the peak of the pandemic here in China when Wuhan was still the epicenter. But Xi'an authorities decided to do this because obviously they're very nervous about the latest wave of cases especially ahead of the Beijing Olympics when the leadership are sticking to their zero COVID policy. That's what officials around the country are taking no chances.

In the case of Xi'an, they are only allowing each household to send out one representative every other day to do grocery shopping. Otherwise, residents are confined to their homes. Even that privilege, we were told by a local media reports that has just been suspended as he authorities there started another round of citywide mass testing. So, they're really turning to their familiar playbook of mass testing, mass quarantine and extensive contact tracing. And so far, though, they still have some unanswered questions about this latest cluster of cases in Xi'an when it comes to the chain of transition. That's why really, we're seeing these increasingly draconian measures again in China -- Max.

FOSTER: And it will be interesting, won't it, to see how the pill works in South Korea that I was mentioning. Because that's being rolled out now, and people are very keen to see if it's effective in that country.

JIANG: That's right. That's something we are paying close attention to. In South Korea, of course, even their pop stars are not immune from the latest wave of COVID cases. You know some members of the very popular K-Pop group has been diagnosed with the infections.

But this is also increasingly a region wide problem in Asia. In Singapore, for example, they now have to pair of strangers tested positive for COVID in the same room as they tried to, quote, unquote, optimize capacity. So, a lot of cases throughout the region as authorities try to deal with the latest clusters of cases in their respective countries -- Max.

FOSTER: Steven, Barbie, thank you both very much indeed.

Israeli Prime Minister Bennett is self-isolating as a precaution. He tested negative for COVID-19 on Sunday after his 14-year-old daughter was infected. Meanwhile, an Israeli hospital is administering a fourth COVID-19 shot to 150 staff members today as a trial to determine whether a second booster is necessary nationwide. A health ministry panel is recommending offering a fourth dose to Israelis 60 and over who received the booster at least four months ago.

Now the world mourns the passing of a human rights icon -- South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu. We'll take a closer look at his life and legacy after the break.

And, later, a Colorado district attorney wants a court to reconsider the 110-year prison sentence for a truck driver convicted in a fatal crash. The details just ahead.

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FOSTER: Flags flying at half-staff in South Africa and at diplomatic missions around the world to mark the passing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The Nobel Peace Prize winner, anti-apartheid activist and human right leader, died on Sunday in Cape Town. In the hours since there's been an outpouring of love for Tutu and respect for his legacy from leaders and other notable figures around the world. Let's bring in Larry Madowo, he's in Nairobi, Kenya. So much to mourn but also so much to celebrate -- Larry.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Those are the two sentiments, Max, that we've been hearing since the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Many called him "the Arch." And he came to fame because of as an Anglican priest and then a Bishop and an Archbishop, he believed that apartheid was evil and unchristian and immoral. And that's how he let us life speaking very strongly in a nonviolent way against the evil apartheid in South Africa. That's why he won the Nobel Prize in 1984 a full decade before apartheid finally fell in South Africa.

And after that he found other causes to rally against. For instance, he campaigned for Palestinian statehood. He was opposed to the Iraq war.

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He was a prominent cleric who supported LGBTQ rights, going against his own church. And he was even critical of his old friend Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress party when they came into power and they did things he didn't think that they should have been doing. This is how the South African president remembered him last night.

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CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: Archbishop Desmond Tutu was one of our nation's finest patriots. He was a man of unwavering courage, of principled conviction and whose life was spent in the service of others. He in many ways embodied the essence of our humanity.

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MADOWO: Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been remembered across South Africa, all over Africa and from around the world. Recent attributes from the Queen of England, from the Dalai Lama, from the Pope, from President Biden, from former President Barack Obama, from Prince Harry and Meghan, all of these people who he touched in different ways and were inspired by his work.

Two of his foundations have started to release details about the week of remembrance leading up to his funeral service on 1 January New Year's day, there will be a memorial service on Wednesday that will be hosted by the Diocese of Pretoria and the South African Council of Churches. They're also planning an intimate evening with some of his friends and the friends of his wife, Nomalizo Leah Tutu. That will be later this week and he is expected to lie in state at St. George's cathedral in Cape Town on Friday leading up to that funeral service on New year's day. They expect to announce more. But in the meantime, South Africa in the state of mourning about one of South Africa's greatest sons.

FOSTER: Absolutely. And you know, very specific to South Africa his story. But, you know, after in recent years he was known globally for talks teaching forgiveness and talking about his experience and how forgiveness was the only way forward. Otherwise, you just end up reprisal followed by reprisal. And that's how many people around the world will remember his messaging. Because you can bring that into all of our lives, can't we?

MADOWO: Absolutely. Because after the end of apartheid in South Africa, he was appointed by President Nelson Mandela to chair South Africa's truth and reconciliation commission to provide a full accounting of the evils of apartheid. And many of those who came before his commission got amnesty in exchange for a full telling of what they did. And some people were critical of that, Max. But he called it restorative justice instead of retributive justice. And therefore, the basis for many other countries. Even here in Kenya there were truth and justice and reconciliation commission modeled that South African model. He was one of the founding members of the elders, another group of leaders from around the world who tackled some of the world's global challenges.

So, he continues to preach this message of a fight against injustice whenever he saw it. That truly is why you see what President Ramaphosa calls, Max, a global bereavement at his death.

FOSTER: And in terms of the South African story, he's one of the last, arguably the last icon of that big movement. Is there concern about, you know, keeping that legacy alive? I mean, what's the idea that the likes of Mandela and himself, how do you keep that alive and keep people reminded of what they went through? So, you're thinking about that.

"The Arch," as many called him, was truly one of the last of that Mandela generation. People who fought against apartheid and who lived long enough to see democracy in South Africa. Even when he came on to be critical of some of the same people that he was in the trenches with. Because he, for instance, criticize the ANC party of having this gravy train mentality when they came into power.

And so, for many in South Africa who see him as one of that last generation, they hope that there's the lessons and the teachings will live on in the hearts and minds of South Africans. And there will be a new generation that will take that democratic spirit. He coined the term "the rainbow nation." Which is reference to this post-apartheid South Africa, which is this mix of ethnicities and races all working together. And those are some of the things people are remembering about him and what he lived behind. And I guess throughout this week you'll be hearing a lot from people who appreciated what his message was.

FOSTER: Larry, in Nairobi, thank you.

Tributes to the late Archbishop are pouring in from all around the world. U.S. President Joe Biden sent condolences in a statement and on Twitter writing in part --

We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of a true servant of God and of the people. Mr. Biden's old boss, former U.S. President Barack Obama wrote that

tutu was a mentor, a friend and a moral compass for me and so many others. A universal spirit. Archbishop Tutu struggle was grounded in the spirit for liberation and justice in his own country but also concerned with injustice everywhere.

[04:25:00]

And former President Bill Clinton wrote, Archbishop Desmond Tutu's life was a gift blessed with brilliance and eloquence, steady determination and good humor and an unshakeable faith in the inherent decency of all people.

Now the lawyer who successfully argued Roe versus Wade before the U.S. Supreme Court has died. Sarah Weddington was just 26 years old during that landmark abortion case and argued it twice before the high court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. A former colleague says she died at her Texas home on Sunday. Weddington was 76 years old.

Jurors are expected back in federal court in New York in the coming hours to resume deliberations of the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell. They asked several questions last week about witness testimony and FBI notes before they were dismissed for the Christmas holiday. The long-time associate and former girlfriend of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has pleaded not guilty to six federal counts including sex trafficking of a minor. The three-week old trial has highlighted or was highlighted by testimony from four women who said Maxwell recruited and groomed them to be sexually abused by Epstein.

In the coming hours, a Colorado court is set to hold a hearing on whether it should reduce the prison sentence for a truck driver convicted in a fatal crash. As Lucy Kafanov reports, millions of people around the world say the punishment in the case is an outrage.

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LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The district attorney is now asking the court to reconsider that lengthy 110-year prison sentence for Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, potentially reducing it to 20 or 30 years. Just to remind viewers, Mederos was 23 years old at the time of the incident. He was driving at 85 miles an hour, his brakes failed. He was convicted of vehicular homicide among other charges. The DA is not looking to overturn the conviction. In fact, the DA, Alexis King, said that Mederos made multiple choices that resulted in the death of four people as well as serious injuries to others. And adding that the shorter sentence, quote, reflects an appropriate outcome for that conduct.

Now at issue are Colorado mandatory minimum sentencing laws that require sentences to be served out consecutively rather than concurrently which is how Mederos ended up with more than a century behind bars. Even the judge who sentenced him said at the time, quote, if I had the discretion, it would not be my sentence. Several Colorado lawmakers now calling for legal reforms. Take a listen. ALEX VALDEZ, U.S. STATE HOUSE DEMOCRAT: Our system here at this

building has created a situation where a judge at their own discretion who doesn't want to issue a sentence has had to issue that sentence. What we hope to achieve is reforms. That's really what this is all about. We have to reform the system that is creating a situation where we are creating more victims of our justice system. We have to do that now.

KAFANOV: Mederos himself was emotional during this sentencing saying that he never intended to hurt anyone. The case is sparking international and national concern. Nearly 5 million people signing a petition asking the Colorado governor to reduce or overturn this sentence. His office telling CNN that he is currently reviewing the clemency request.

Lucy Cavanaugh, CNN, Los Angeles.

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FOSTER: Still to come on CNN, the White House says it isn't giving up on its ambitious Build Back Better legislation. We'll have the latest from Washington for you.

Plus, a massive car pileup in Nevada all due to heavy snow across the West. Details ahead.

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