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CDC Director Defends Easing Of Isolation Guidelines; U.S. Hits Record Average 300,000 Plus New COVID Cases A Day; Ghislaine Maxwell Convicted Of Helping Jeffrey Epstein Sexually Abuse Teens; Joe Biden And Vladimir Putin To Talk Thursday As Ukraine Crisis Deepens; UAE Looks To Become Mediator In Volatile Region; UAE Looks to Become Mediator in Volatile Region; Several European Nations Report Record High of Daily Cases; COVID Rule-Breakers Face Public Shaming in China; Cape Town Honors Desmond Tutu with Interfaith Tribute; The Biggest Royal Moments of 2021. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired December 30, 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 this hour on CNN NEWSROOM, twin threats, the WHO warns of a tsunami of patients as two dangerous variants of the coronavirus Omicron and Delta spread around the world, infecting more people than ever before.

Ghislaine Maxwell is a sex trafficker. Guilty of grooming young girls to be sexually abused by at least one pedophile, her longtime associate Jeffrey Epstein.

And crisis diplomacy, for the second time this month and at the request of the Russian government, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin will speak by phone Thursday about the buildup of Russian military forces on Ukraine's border.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world, the beginning of the pandemic's third calendar year is now just days away with daily COVID infections at all-time highs, averaging more than a million a day worldwide according to John Hopkins University.

And for the first time, the United States averaging more than 300,000 new cases a day, the highest number since the pandemic began in more than any other country in the world.

While there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the new Omicron variant, there is agreement that the numbers are certain to rise.

And while 2021 was the year of the vaccine, when national immunization programs began in many countries, the death toll from COVID compared to the year before without vaccines has almost doubled. According to data again from Johns Hopkins University, the W -- and

the WHO, more than 1.8 million people died from COVID in 2020. This year, the virus claimed about 3.5 million lives.

The head of the World Health Organization says with the twin threat of Omicron and Delta and without a collective global response, this pandemic is set to get worse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Delta and Omicron are twin threats that are driving up cases to record numbers. I'm highly concerned that Omicron being more transmissible circulating at the same time as Delta is leading to a tsunami of cases.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And here in the United States, the National Guard being deployed to more states to support healthcare workers already exhausted after months of rising hospital admissions.

And now with Omicron in the mix, new forecasting from the Centers for Disease Control predicts 44,000 new COVID deaths over the next month.

CNN's Alexandra Field has our lead story this hour.

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DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, DIRECTOR, CDC: This was the moment that we needed to make that decision.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Facing the biggest COVID surge we've ever seen, the CDC director defending the decision to cut isolation time in half for infected people who are asymptomatic or whose symptoms are getting better.

WALENSKY: It really had a lot to do with what we thought people would be able to tolerate. If we can get them to isolate. We do want to make sure that they're isolating in those first five days when they're maximally infectious.

FIELD: The CDC arguing 85 to 90 percent of transmission occurs in the first five days of symptom onset.

Still, the new guidance is drawing fierce debate among health experts.

ERIN BROMAGE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS DARTMOUTH: There is absolutely no data that I am aware of with the Omicron (AUDIO GAP), people coming out of isolation five days after they were first diagnosed with the -- with the virus.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: You either shut down the society which no one wants to do. Well, you try and get a situation where you can safely get people back particularly to critical jobs without having them be out for a full 10 days.

FIELD: Long testing lines are still sneaking across the country. New cases are skyrocketing to numbers never seen before. Deaths and hospitalizations key indicators at this moment are also climbing but not as quickly.

DR. CHRIS PERNELL, AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE FELLOW: Are we seeing lower hospitalization rates because Omicron is less virulent, or are we seeing lower hospitalization rates because we do have a considerable amount of the population that is vaccinated?

FIELD: Booster shots for younger teens may now be just weeks away, says the CDC. While younger children remain the least vaccinated age group in the country.

DR. LARRY KOCIOLEK, ATTENDING PHYSICIAN AND INFECTIOUS SPECIALIST, LURIE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CHICAGO: The vast majority of children that are infected with COVID have mild infection. But you do have to be aware that that does put your child at risk for hospitalization and it puts your child at risk for transmitting to other people in their classroom.

FIELD: Washington D.C. schools now requiring a negative test for teachers and students to come back to class.

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FIELD: With the peak of this surge likely still ahead of us, Dr. Fauci again warning people to take precautions ahead of another new year.

FAUCI: If your plans are to go to a 40 to 50-person New Year's Eve party with all the bells and whistles, and everybody hugging and kissing and wishing each other a Happy New Year, I would strongly recommend that this year, we do not do that.

Alexandra Field, CNN, New York.

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VAUSE: With us now from Sacramento in California, Dr. Nicolas Sawyer, Board Certified Emergency Physician at the U.C. Davis Medical Center. Thank you for being with us.

NICOLAS SAWYER, BOARD CERTIFIED EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, U.C. DAVIS MEDICAL CENTER: Thanks for having me, John.

VAUSE: OK, so the key issue here seems to be how does Omicron compared to Delta and the other previous variants in terms of hospital admissions, ICU treatment, and the need for oxygen? We have the latest numbers from the White House Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, listen to this.

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FAUCI: COVID-19 hospital admissions from the Omicron wave were compared to admissions from previous waves. And here is the comparison: In hospital deaths, 4.5 versus 21.3. ICU admissions, one percent from Omicron, 4.3 for others. 45 percent of patients required supplemental oxygen with Omicron, compared to 99 percent in a prior wave.

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VAUSE: The numbers are quite stark. But a lower hospitalization rate doesn't actually, you know, guarantee fewer people getting hospital care, does it? Are you expecting a bigger surge compared to previous pandemic waves?

SAWYER: I am, I'm expecting there to be a large wave coming. And we're all sort of bracing for it. Because we've been at this for 20 months, it seems a little bit early in the pandemic as cases are spiking, to be able to look at the early data, to be able to really forecast what's going to happen.

And I'm really pleased to be on tonight because those of us who work in emergency medicine and in the ICUs and have been on the front line, really dealing with overwhelmed capacity of patients seeking care, as well as critical nursing shortages, are really, really concerned about what is coming.

I worked today and had a shift. And we had a lot of patients coming in. All the patients that I had today were unvaccinated and coming in, because they had COVID and we're feeling unwell.

VAUSE: Every time we've underestimated this pandemic or this virus, it seems to turn around and bite us really badly. We always seem to get it wrong.

SAWYER: Yes, that's right. It's something that I don't think we should downplay. As we continue to downplay each one of these waves, it does, it continues to come around and bite us.

And, you know, we are seeing different hospitals around the country and there are many of my colleagues who have been on the news recently talking about critical capacity shortages. And what that leads to is, it leads to reduced quality of care, potentially, and everybody is just really exhausted. And we're sort of hoping for people to take this more seriously and show some kindness to one another and kindness to people who have been on the frontlines for so many months to make it through this next month. Because it's going to -- it's going to be difficult.

VAUSE: Yes, it's good advice. We also have the new guidelines for self-isolation down from 10 days to five, no need for a negative test for anyone who's been in contact with someone with COVID or has tested positive for COVID but has no symptoms.

I want you to listen to the Director of the CDC explaining why testing is no longer a requirement for ending isolation, here she is.

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WALENSKY: We opted not to have the rapid test for isolation because we actually don't know how our rapid tests perform and how well they predict whether you're transmissible during the end of disease. The FDA has not authorized them for that use. We don't know how they perform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So, what? Rapid tests are no longer reliable? And what does the current science say about all these changes, are they justified?

SAWYER: It's difficult because before that, she had said that we're trying to deal with the realities of what is happening and what is feasible and what we can ask of people during this period of time.

And so, as we are figuring out the science behind these rapid engine tests, we know that they may be slightly less effective at detecting coronavirus, is we also want to try and make things more feasible for people so they can actually comply.

And given the fact that people are most infectious the first two days before and about three days after they start to show symptoms, I think it's more reasonable to ask people to quarantine for five days then rather than 10 days because they might -- they might actually do that.

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VAUSE: Yes, but I guess one of the key here is that in the past, you have to have this negative test before that isolation period is coming to an end. And now that's sort of out the window.

And it's all part of this sort of confusion here, because right now, we're getting the message that there are increasing number of people who are catching COVID. But at the same time, the message is Omicron isn't so bad, just take a little more care of the holidays. It seems, so twin messages of, you know, doom and gloom, but everything's going to be OK, don't worry about it.

SAWYER: Yes, I agree that it's confusing. And I would like to see more direct messaging about the things that we can do to reduce the potential impact of this winter and COVID.

Because, ultimately, overwhelmed hospitals impact everybody, whether you are coming to a hospital because you have abdominal pain and think you have appendicitis or you've been in a car accident, or whatever reason it is, is if we have more COVID patients who are in the emergency department with COVID, or in the hospital with COVID, then that leads to longer wait times for everybody and could adversely affect anybody who seeks care.

And that's one of the biggest concerns that we have. And I think that's more direct guidance, and more straight talk based on that. Understanding of the stuff we see every day is really important.

VAUSE: Yes, that's a good point. I will finish on that. Dr. Nicolas Sawyer, thank you so much. Best of luck for the coming days and weeks. We appreciate everything you do. SAWYER: Thank you.

VAUSE: Well, after deliberating for five long days, the jury in the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking trial has returned a guilty verdict for her role in helping the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused teenage girls.

The British socialite now faces up to 65 years in prison for recruiting and grooming four girls for her former boyfriend and associate.

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DAMIEN WILLIAMS, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Justice has been done. I want to commend the bravery of the girls now grown women who stepped out of the shadows and into the courtroom. Their courage and willingness to face their abuser made today's result in this case possible.

BOBBI STERNHEIM, GHISLAINE MAXWELL'S LAWYER: We firmly believe in Ghislaine's innocence. Obviously, we are very disappointed with the verdict. We have already started working on the appeal, and we are confident that she will be vindicated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Maxwell's family left the courthouse without comment but a statement which was released later by her brother says the family firmly believes in her innocence.

More details now on the trial from CNN's Randi Kaye.

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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A British socialite in a trial focused on her twisted behavior. Ghislaine Maxwell now guilty of five of the six counts against her.

The three-week trial included key testimony from four women who allege Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused them, and Maxwell not only helped facilitate, but in some cases participated in that abuse between 1994 and 2004. The women at the time were younger than 18.

AUDREY STRAUSS, FORMER ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY FOR SOUTHERN DISTRICT, NEW YORK: Maxwell was among Epstein's closest associates, and helped him exploit girls who were as young as 14 years old.

KAYE: Maxwell was found guilty of the most serious charge of sex trafficking a girl named Carolyn between 2001 and 2004 when she was a minor and just 14 years old.

Carolyn had told the court that she was paid hundreds of dollars every time she engaged in a sexualized massage with Epstein and recruited other young girls for him.

Carolyn recalled on the stand how Maxwell groped her naked body on one visit when she was just 14. Telling her she had a great body for Epstein and his friends.

In court, defense attorneys tried to suggest Carolyn made inconsistent statements about her timeline, but it seems the jury didn't buy that.

Another woman identified at trial only as Jane testified she was 14 when she endured abuse that included oral sex and intercourse. Testifying that sometimes Maxwell took part in the sex acts.

Another girl named Annie Farmer told the court back in 1996 when she was 16, Maxwell massaged her bare chest at Epstein's New Mexico ranch.

Overall, the defense argued that women were misremembering or lying for personal gain or adding Maxwell to their stories only at the government suggestion.

Epstein's former pilots also testified Larry Visoski flew Epstein for nearly 30 years. He called Maxwell Epstein's number two, his "go to person".

The pilot also testified he flew Maxwell and Epstein along with some very high-profile passengers, but never saw any sexual activity onboard the aircraft.

In court, the defense tried to paint Maxwell as a scapegoat for a man who behaved badly. That man being Epstein, who Maxwell dated in the 1990s. The two remain close after the relationship ended.

Epstein himself later faced charges of running a sex trafficking ring. He took his life in prison while awaiting trial in 2019.

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KAYE: So now, it is Ghislaine Maxwell's turn to answer for the crimes and having just celebrated her 60th birthday in prison, she could spend the rest of her life behind bars.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Palm Beach County, Florida.

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VAUSE: CNN Legal Analyst Areva Martin joins me now from Los Angeles. Good to see you, Areva.

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hi, John.

VAUSE: OK, so the jury took five days before reaching a guilty verdict. The common thinking was the longer they deliberated, the more likely they were to acquit. So, guilty five of the six counts, did that come as a surprise to you?

MARTIN: Not really John, we saw something very similar happened with respect to the Kim Potter trial, they took approximately four days and came back with guilty verdicts on the two counts that she was charged with.

So, I think this traditional wisdom about how long juries are out, you know, is not holding true in this modern-day.

Juries are taking longer, but seemingly that time is being used to be very methodical about the evidence that's presented in the trial process.

VAUSE: Here there was -- there was a lot of evidence that they did ask the judge a number of questions regarding the testimony, especially. What was your take on the defense strategy, though? It's using the old tactics, trying to discredit the survivors who testified attacking their credibility, portraying them as opportunists looking for a payday.

MARTIN: It's old, it's tired, and it didn't work, John. We've seen it happen time and time again where you attack the victims, you suggest that they're lying, you say that they're motivated by money, you challenge their memories of events and jurors are more sophisticated than that.

We've heard too many experts tell us that oftentimes victims don't have a very clear memories about the trauma that they've experienced. And women, we're in a different era, women are being believed. When they come forward and have the courage to step up like these four women did, and to testify against their abusers to confront their abusers in court. We're seeing that those women are believed.

This is very different than even 10 years ago, when women who testified about sexual abuse were often themselves maligned. But I think the defense's, you know, strategy of trying to attract these women and suggest that somehow, Maxwell wasn't responsible, even though there was a trove of evidence against her what was clearly rejected by this jury.

VAUSE: So, one down and a big one, but what about all the others? The cabal of high powered and famous men who spent time paddling (PH) around with Epstein had been accused of sexually abusing young girls? How concerned should they be by this verdict? How soon before they are on trial?

MARTIN: Oh, I think John, they should be very concerned. I cannot imagine anything other than these prosecutors being embolden.

We know that they've already said that this investigation is ongoing. We know that there were, as you said, men who were part of the sex ring who had sex apparently with these minor girls, you know, at various estates owned by Epstein.

Prosecutors know who these men are, I would suspect that they're putting together cases against some of them. And we may see some additional indictments and trials moving forward against some of these men.

Clearly, anyone involved in sexually abusing minors, you know, causing young girls to give them massages, you know, have oral sex, engage in the kind of sexual acts we heard about in this trial should be held accountable and should be brought to justice. VAUSE: And what we saw in this trial is that the women who testified all from very different backgrounds but gave very similar accounts as to how they're recruited, how they were groomed by Maxwell, you know, that seemed crucial in this conviction on sex trafficking charges. And that kind of strategy, I guess, will be crucial moving forward for these other trials.

MARTIN: I think so, John. It was remarkable when you heard the women testify, even though as you said, they were from very different backgrounds, their encounters with Jeffrey Epstein happened in different locations at different times.

But yet, their stories that the narratives that they told about their experiences with both Maxwell and Epstein were very, very similar. And I think that was very persuasive to this jury to have four different women recount very similar facts about being groomed, about being enticed by Maxwell to engage in the sexual conduct and then Maxwell herself, in many instances participating in the sexual acts of herself groping. As we know, one of the women's breasts that came forward to testify.

Very, very graphic details about the sexual encounters of these very young girls. I couldn't help but imagine that the case would be persuasive and then we would have the outcome that we saw today.

VAUSE: We also hear that the legal team defending Maxwell plans to appeal, what could be the possible grounds for an appeal here?

MARTIN: Well, we expect the legal team to say that. Defense attorneys routinely, you know, look for errors, reversible errors.

One error -- one area that I wouldn't be surprised that is the subject of appeal is this issue about the photographs. You know, John, the judge allowed in these photographs of Maxwell and Epstein, some very intimate photographs. And the defense objected very strenuously to those photographs coming into evidence. They said they were prejudicial. They said they were repetitive. They were cumulative. And the judge allowed many of those photographs in anyhow.

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MARTIN: So, I would expect that that is one of the grounds that we should see in appeal. I don't think an appeal of this case is going to be successful. Appeals in criminal cases like this are rarely successful.

But look, she's entitled to the best legal defense she can afford. And we know she's a very wealthy woman. So, I wouldn't expect anything less than her legal team to move forward with an appeal.

But I think today was a good day for victims. It was a good day for these four victims. And it was a good day for the Me Too movement because this is the first case, John, high-profile case that involved a female defendant who has been charged and now convicted of sexual assault as it relates to women.

VAUSE: Yes, good point. Areva, good point to finish on. Thank you so much. Good to see you.

MARTIN: Thanks, John.

VAUSE: Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, another phone call over the crisis on Ukraine's border, President Putin and Biden set to talk in the coming hours. A report from Moscow, after the break.

Also ahead, the United Arab Emirates seeking to gain a little more leverage in the Middle East by using a little more soft power, we'll explain.

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VAUSE: For the second time in just weeks and in just a few hours' time, U.S. President Biden and Russian President Putin will be on the phone holding crisis talks over Ukraine, apparently at the Russian leader's request.

Relations between the two global powers have reached a new low and are getting worse over Russia's military buildup along Ukraine's eastern border. What the White House believes could be a prelude to an invasion.

This call on Thursday is expected to set the stage for next month's senior level negotiations in Geneva aimed at defusing the Ukraine crisis.

CNN's Nic Robertson reports now from Moscow.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (on camera): Well, the clock is ticking down to that phone call between President Biden and President Putin. President Putin has requested it.

The White House says that President Biden believes in the diplomacy of leadership to leadership conversations and that's why he's taking the call.

But at the same time, U.S. officials are saying they're not seeing Russia do anything to reduce tensions along the border with Ukraine. They say there's still a heavy Russian troop presence close to the border with Ukraine.

And the message that's coming from the White House at the moment is that if Russia wants to achieve its aims and get clarity from NATO about its intent over Ukraine, then it's better done in an atmosphere of de-escalating tensions, that there needs to be a really high level of engagement for Russia to sort of go towards its aims the January 10th talks, when Russian and U.S. officials sit down to talk together.

We understand at those talks, there will be Pentagon officials, State Department officials, National Security Council officials as well.

From the Russian side, we know that there will be a strong presence they say from their Ministry of Defense.

So, the context is being laid out here. It seems ahead of the -- ahead of those talks on January the 10th, that Russia still has a long way to go, you know, if it wants to achieve its aims, which already seem a big stretch for NATO to concede to.

And another point from the White House as well, that if Russia does choose to invade Ukraine, then NATO will surge troops and put additional troops along the Eastern flank of Europe. And that also is something that's not going to sit well with Russia.

One U.S. official describing this situation, these current tensions still at a crisis point.

Nick Robertson, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Almost 70 years after the Korean War ended in a ceasefire, the U.S. and South Korea, they're close to declaring a formal end to the Cold War conflict.

South Korea's foreign minister said Washington and Seoul have agreed on a draft declaration ending the war. North Korea recently dismissed such a declaration as premature because of, "hostile U.S. policies".

But the U.S. State Department says the U.S. has no hostile intentions towards North Korea, willing to meet with Pyongyang without conditions.

But for more than 40 years, the UAE has been considered a vital American ally in the Middle East a stabilizing force with the ability to punch above its weight because of an oversized military.

But now, it seems there's a new approach from the United Arab Emirates, moving away from firepower to soft power, the Arab nation switching from flexing muscle to mending fences.

Here's CNN's Sam Kiley.

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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's all a bit out of date now. Then dubbed Little Sparta, the United Arab Emirates took a muscular approach to foreign policy, supporting NATO in Afghanistan, making war in Yemen, backing rebels in Libya, and it didn't work.

Criticized by human rights groups in the U.N., the Emirates is out of Yemen and out of the (AUDIO GAP). It's a move from war to jaw.

ANWAR GARGASH, DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR TO UAE PRESIDENT: It's a reset that began in 2018, in our final days of presence in Yemen. That's a reset that was re -- that was influenced by the whole COVID ordeal. And I think from that reset, we realize that the challenges of the next decade are not necessarily the same challenges of the past decade. KILEY: The Emirates shift is from taking sides to bringing opposing sides together.

GARGASH: We are going to be an influencer in the region. But our influence is going to be through different tools, through this sort of diplomatic navigation. Through keeping this balance between all these different relationships that we have.

KILEY: That's already meant snubbing U.S. appeals for more sanctions on Iran, controversial outreach to serious dictator Bashar al-Assad, and warming relations with Turkey.

The Emirates has met an American request to halt construction of what the U.S. says was a secret Chinese military intelligence facility inside a seaport, but it ignored U.S. appeals to cancel Chinese tech giant Huawei's installation 5G networks.

The U.S. is still the Emirates' most important ally but it's seen as an unreliable friend after the sudden evacuation from Kabul, and years of chaos in Iraq.

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And now, the Emirates has suspended talks over buying $23 billion worth of F-35 stealth fighters from the U.S., citing technical issues and concerns that American restrictions on future use eat into Emirati sovereignty.

The loss of the aircraft sales is a blow to U.S. arms exports. But not to the Emirates' air force, which has done a $19 billion deal for 80 French Rafale fighters, and now that the Emiratis are opening their arms to friend and foe, they may not need America's stealth fighters anyway.

Sam Kiley, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

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JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Still to come, the rise and rise of the Omicron variant, with several countries in Europe now seeing unprecedented numbers of COVID infections.

Also ahead, naming and shaming and public humiliation in China for those caught breaking pandemic rules. The very latest live from Beijing, when we come back.

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VAUSE: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Returning now to the stunning surge of COVID-19 cases and two global figures that should deeply concern us all.

Global cases averaging more than 1 million a day for the first time since the pandemic began. That's according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University.

[00:35:01]

And COVID deaths have nearly doubled this year, compared to 2020, despite this being the year of the vaccine. More than 5,400,000 total people worldwide have died from the coronavirus.

Right now, several nations across Europe reporting record highs of daily COVID-19 infections. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has more, reporting in from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Omicron variant continues to drive unprecedented infection rates across Europe. The French health minister is saying coronavirus. Right now, several nations across Europe record record highs of daily COVID in infections. We have more in London.

The Omicron variant continues to drive unprecedented infection rates across Europe.

(voice-over): The French health minister saying he got vertigo looking at the latest figures. He revealed that every single second, at least two people in France were testing positive.

It comes after the country recorded on Tuesday more than 200,000 positive cases in a 24-hour period, the highest number seen in France since the start of the pandemic.

Very similar scenes here in the U.K., skyrocketing infection rates. But across the globe, these infection rates are not turning into the rate of hospitalizations and deaths that we've seen during previous waves.

That's why Prime Minister Boris Johnson says no tougher restrictions are needed for now. The prime minister was at a vaccination center pushing the message to get boosted.

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The Omicron variant continues to cause real problems. You're seeing cases rising in -- in hospitals. But it is obviously milder than the Delta variant. And we're able to proceed in the way that we are.

But that's one reason, one reason only why we're able to do that. And that's been such a huge proportion of the British public have come forward to get vaccinated and particularly to get boosted.

ABDELAZIZ: Now the U.K. has seen an increase of hospitalizations of about 25 percent in the last week, according to publicly available data.

But Omicron is also presenting another challenge. Just keeping basic services running. Tens of thousands of people, of course, testing positive every day means many, many sick-outs. Thousands of flights have been canceled in recent days, as airliners struggle to stay staffed.

That's why some authorities, some governments, are looking at potentially reducing the isolation period. Spain has made a move to do this.

(on camera): And other governments considering that reduction in isolation period, as well, just to keep basic services running.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, mass lockdowns apparently may not be doing the trick in China, so public shaming has returned for those who break COVID-19 protocols.

Let's go live to Beijing. CNN's Steven Jiang is standing by. So explain where and how the shaming is taking place, and is it working?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Well, John, you know, we were talking about how what's happening in Xi'an is deja vu of what we saw in Wuhan. But this incident is really the worst kind of deja vu, because it reminds many people here of one of the darkest chapters in recent Chinese history. That is the cultural revolution in the Mao era in the 1960s and '70s, when political fanatics were treating their enemies in this humiliating manner.

Now, this incident took place on Tuesday with four suspects in full hazmat suits with their mugshots printed on big placards, hanging around their necks, being marched through the streets of Jingxi. That's a border town in southern China.

And their alleged crime was to help others illegally crossing the borders into China from neighboring Vietnam. Obviously, considered a very serious offense by the local police and authorities, especially as China continues to largely close its borders to the outside world and tightens its COVID regulations.

Now this incident obviously, because of the striking visuals, has caused quite a stir online. And with state media outlets starting to chime in, as well, of course, there are supportive voices saying this is needed to act as a deterrent.

But a growing number of voices of the opposition, as well, including state media out of the Beijing news, now saying this is really in serious violation of the spirit of the rule of law and should never happen again.

But as of now, the local government stands firm, saying they are -- they were meant to send a strong warning to the local population not to break immigration and COVID laws and regulations, and they see nothing inappropriate about this.

And the whole irony of this, John, of course, is the government in Beijing has been touting the effectiveness of its zero-COVID policy and saying how it shows they put people first and it shows the superiority of the political system.

But incidents like this shows, at least at the local level, officials just have total disregard for human rights and human dignity -- John.

VAUSE: Steven, thank you. Steven Jiang, live for us in Beijing.

We will take a short break. When we come back, in Cape Town, South Africa, mourners are gathering to honor the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu. All the details in just a moment.

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VAUSE: A funeral procession for the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu is scheduled today, the latest event in a week filled with remembrances.

Mourners have been arriving at St. George's Cathedral, where Tutu's body will lie in state. The public will be allowed to pay their respects for two days.

A small funeral for the Nobel laureate and anti-Apartheid leader will be held on New Year's Day.

And just as he did in life, in death, the Arch, as he's known, is bringing people together from very different backgrounds, upbringings, with very different points of view and interests.

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VAUSE: Among them religious leaders, politicians, family members, all gathering in Cape Town city hall for an interfaith service on Wednesday.

CNN's David McKenzie has details.

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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Archbishop Desmond Tutu wasn't from Cape Town, but in fact, it's the city most associated with the great man.

And on Wednesday, there was a tribute to Desmond Tutu, an interfaith tribute that really got the memorials going in earnest. The famous Table Mountain is lit up every night now. And every day at noon, this is the sound ringing out from Saint George's cathedral.

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(voice-over): St. George's is known as the people's cathedral. It was a key focal point of the anti-Apartheid struggle because of Desmond Tutu, who would sometimes lead protest marches from the church itself. There will be two days on Thursday and Friday for ordinary citizens to

pay their respects to the great man, who was, in many ways, the moral compass of South Africa.

And then a service, a funeral, on the first day of 2022.

(on camera): In keeping with his humble way of operating, Desmond Tutu asked for a simple coffin and a simple service to send him off. And it certainly will be the ending of a chapter of a great icon of the anti- Apartheid struggle.

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David McKenzie, CNN, South Africa.

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VAUSE: And Tutu's daughter recently shared what she will miss most about her father.

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NONTOMBI NAOMI TUTU, DESMOND TUTU'S DAUGHTER: I will miss just knowing that this is the place to be hugged, the place to -- Daddy was a hugger. And he hugged -- Anyone who knows him would know that he hugged.

And even when we went and we saw him, and after he had died lying in the bed, so we climbed onto the bed to hug him, because that is so much who he was. The daddy who always hugged, who always kissed us, who -- who was so open with the fact that he loved us.

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VAUSE: And stay with us. We'll have live coverage of tributes to the Arch as they happen in South Africa in the coming hours.

U.S. President Joe Biden has ordered flags lowered to half-staff in honor of the late senator, Harry Reid, who died Tuesday after a four- year battle with pancreatic cancer.

Mr. Biden remembered Reid as one of the great Senate majority leaders in American history, a man of action and of his word. The president went on to say, quote, "Harry Reid was instrumental in passing landmark legislation that made a positive difference in the lives of countless Americans and made our nation stronger and safer. His devoted service to our nation was not about power for power's sake. It was about the power to do right by the American people."

To say the least, 2021 was an eventful year for the British monarchy, so when we come back, from the loss of a loved one, to concerns over the queen's health, to controversy, we'll look back at the top royal moments of 2021, after the break.

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VAUSE: It's about 10 minutes to the top of the hour. Welcome back.

The British royal mint has unveiled two new coins to commemorate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee. A five-pound coin and a 50-pence coin, feature engraved images marking 70 years on the throne.

Coins honoring inventor Alexander Graham Bell and singer Vera Lynn and the 2022 Commonwealth Games Birmingham will also be available.

Platinum Jubilee coins go on sale next Thursday.

2021 has been another rollercoaster year for the British royal family, from mourning the loss of Prince Philip, to weathering allegations of racism and sexual abuse.

CNN's Max Foster recounts some of the biggest moments for the British monarchy this year.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the royal family, 2021 was punctuated by loss.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II, UNITED KINGDOM: In the months since the death of my beloved Philip, I have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work.

FOSTER: Husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. The man she described as her strength and say, no longer by her side after 73 years of personal and professional partnership.

One image lingers from his funeral, but spoke not just to her loss, but to that of so many others who were left on their own because of COVID.

But it didn't slow her down: the queen back at her desk while she was still officially in mourning, until doctors advised her to rest in October, following a hospital stay and preliminary investigations into an undisclosed condition, later compounded by a back sprain.

KATE WILLIAMS, ROYAL EXPERT AND AUTHOR: It's an extremely punishing schedule for someone who is 95, and I think no one would criticize her at all, and everyone would support her in stepping back and doing a bit less.

FOSTER: She gave up international travel some years ago. So Prince Charles represented her in Barbados in November for a ceremony to replace her as head of state by a locally-appointed president.

It marked the end of 396 years of British rule and a long-awaited reconciliation with the island's colonial past.

PRINCE CHARLES, UNITED KINGDOM: The appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history, the people of this island forged their path with extraordinary fortitude. FOSTER: It wasn't the first time that race came up as an issue for the

family in 2021.

MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: Concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born.

FOSTER: Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, went rogue, not just leaving their royal roles but telling all to Oprah Winfrey on why they felt the need to get out.

EMILY NASH, ROYAL EDITOR, "HELLO!" MAGAZINE: It raised very serious allegations of racism, but also of rifts within the family, difficulties between Prince Harry and his father. The differences between him and his brother.

It really was a really warts and all opening up of things that have traditionally been kept very private by the royal family.

FOSTER: The queen issued a statement acknowledging the allegations and committing to address them, whilst also pointedly noting that recollections may vary.

The rest of the family, characteristically, kept calm and carried on, until William was fired an unsolicited question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it a racist family, sir?

PRINCE WILLIAM, UNITED KINGDOM: No, we're very much not a racist family.

FOSTER: The queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, spoke to CNN, but wouldn't be drawn on the Sussex saga.

PRINCE EDWARD, UNITED KINGDOM: Listen, it's weird that we've all been there before. We've all had, you know, excessive intrusion and attention in our lives. And -- and we've all dealt with it in -- in so many different ways. And listen, we wish them the very best.

FOSTER: The palace has continued to distance itself from Prince Andrew publicly, pursued by the FBI in recent years for sexual abuse allegations.

Accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre filed a civil suit this year, claiming the royal assaulted her when she was 17. Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing.

Regardless of how the impending trial unfolds, royal commentators expect the institution to survive intact.

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NASH: I think the royal brand has taken quite a battering in 2021, for all sides. You know, we've had the fallout from the Oprah interview. We've had Prince Andrew's ongoing legal issues. These are all things that, you know, really should have dented the monarchy.

But I think that the key players have just, quite simply, kept calm and carried on, and done so many good things.

FOSTER: In February 2022, the queen will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, the only British monarch to do so, having first ascended the throne 70 years ago in 1952.

The Firm is keen to focus attention on that, and the success of the queen's entire reign, rather than a tumultuous 12 months.

Max Foster, CNN, London.

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VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. I will be back after a very short break, with a lot more news. You're watching CNN.

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VAUSE: Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, twin threats. The WHO warns of a tsunami of patients as two dangerous variants of the coronavirus, Omicron and Delta, spread around the world, infecting more people than ever before.

Ghislaine Maxwell is a sex trafficker, guilty of grooming young girls to be sexually abused by at least one pedophile, her long-term associate Jeffrey Epstein.

And crisis diplomacy. For the second time this month, at the request of the Russian government, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin will speak by phone Thursday about the build-up of Russian military forces on Ukraine's border.