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Debate Continues Over Mask Mandates in Florida Schools; Colorado Wildfires; Record-Breaking COVID Cases in United States. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired December 31, 2021 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:28]

RYAN NOBLES, CNN HOST: Happy new year, everyone. I'm Ryan Nobles, in today for Victor and Alisyn.

And the final countdown to 2022 is on, as COVID cases are going up in an unprecedented way. For the fourth consecutive day, the nation smashed through its daily case count record. The U.S. now averages a whopping 355,000 new infections per day, all fueled by the Omicron variant, which has also led to the highest number ever of kids in hospitals with COVID.

As for adult, hospitalizations are nearing the peaks we saw in September. The spike is inundating medical staff, who've already been overwhelmed for months. Now health officials fear that Omicron will show up in New Year's celebrations.

CNN's Tom Foreman has the latest on how Omicron is derailing holiday plans, travel and much more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The crowd in Times Square will be held to about a quarter of the usual, masks and proof of vaccination required.

The latest surge has New York City once again an epicenter of the pandemic, with statewide cases up more than 80 percent since Monday, and the man who becomes mayor tomorrow is vowing to shut the surge down and keep the town open.

ERIC ADAMS (D), NEW YORK CITY MAYOR-ELECT: We must learn to live with COVID, adjust and pivot at the right times. And we're doing that in New York. And I'm extremely optimistic on how the city is going to respond.

DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH: Clearly, New York and Washington, D.C., are ahead of the curve, but not by much. And so expect that, in the next three to four weeks, we're going to see everyone really hit with this.

FOREMAN: The risk of New Year's Eve celebrations becoming coast-to- coast super-spreaders is, for health experts, terrifying. DR. JEANNE MARRAZZO, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM: And I'm really worried that we're going to be in for a tidal wave of admissions, particularly for kids in the coming weeks.

FOREMAN: Hospitals in many places are already flooded with patients, even as nurses and doctors fall ill, prompting desperate measures.

In New Hampshire, yet another federal medical team, the Department of Defense, deploying around the country for months, will arrive next week to help with the overload. In Oklahoma, the National Guard is barring unvaccinated members from joining in drills. In New Jersey,Princeton University will delay the return to class by one week.

In Alabama, Auburn will require mask whether you're vaccinated or not, even as primary schools struggle to reopen amid hopes that masks, testing and more will keep the virus at bay.

MIGUEL CARDONA, U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY: I think parents have had enough of school closures due to poor policy. So let's protect our students. Let's protect our staff. Let's keep our communities thriving.

FOREMAN: And the call for one critical action is louder than ever before.

DR. LEE SAVIO BEERS, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS: If you are eligible to get vaccinated, please do. There is no better time than now, if you haven't already.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN: It is a measure of how tough this is that, in the past week, 11,000 flights have been canceled. So if you're trying to get home, that's one thing to worry about.

And here's a little bit more. Now the Federal Aviation Administration says its staff is being so affected by positive tests for the virus that they may have to slow things down even for the flights that are taking off just to handle the crowds -- Ryan.

NOBLES: Tom Foreman, hard to believe we're still talking about this. Thank you for that report.

FOREMAN: Goes on and on.

NOBLES: Let's discuss this further now with cardiologist Dr. Jonathan Reiner. He's a professor of medicine and surgery at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He is, of course, also a CNN medical analyst. He's given us so much good information over the past two years.

Well, Dr. Reiner, you don't think that New York should still hold their Times Square celebration. You have been pretty clear about that. But what about the fact that all these attendees must be masked, they will be vaccinated? There's going to be about a quarter of the number that originally would be in an event like this.

Does it ease any of your concerns that this has the potential to become a super-spreader event?

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Happy new year, Ryan.

Look, I think it's better for a celebration to be outside. I mean, that's pretty clear. And it's better for the number to be small, but it's not a small number of people that are getting together. I think they're going to have about 15,000 people there, which sounds like a reduced number. But that's a good sized crowd for Madison Square Garden in a pretty tight -- in a pretty tight footprint.

And this virus is extraordinarily contagious. And New York is being overrun with cases. New York state yesterday had about 70,000 cases, 70,000 cases. And hospitalizations are rising.

[14:05:02]

Now, there's still some capacity left in New York hospitals. But we're in a race now. And the race is to see when this peaks in cities like New York, or where I live, in D.C., and whether that's going to occur before our hospitals are saturated.

Where I work, at the George Washington University Hospital, cases are rising dramatically. And even if there are still beds and nurses available in the hospital to take care of patients, our emergency rooms are swamped.

Every day, I hear of another staff member or colleague who's out with COVID. So, it just doesn't seem like we're doing all we can to keep the cases down. And if we were doing that, yes, we would not have the big mass celebration. We would be smarter.

So, I mean, look what's happening in New Zealand. New Zealand, which has had perhaps the best containment strategy anywhere on the planet, cancel their New Year's Eve celebration, and they have very modest levels in New Zealand.

We just seem to keep tripping over our own feet.

NOBLES: You talk about just how infectious this particular variant is.

And a pathologist at a -- Texas Children's Hospital said that Omicron has now -- quote -- "reached a level" in terms of contagiousness that is now in the same category of measles, which is one of the most highly transmissible viruses.

In fact, I think we're going to play sound bite from him. Take a listen to this. Oh, actually, we don't have that sound. I'm sorry.

So, Dr. Reiner, just from that perspective, would you agree that the level of communicability, if that's the right word, of this variant is equal to something like measles?

REINER: Right.

So, at the beginning of this pandemic, now, hard to believe, almost two years ago, we were all were taught you have a significant exposure if you're within six feet of somebody and you're in contact with them for more than 15 minutes.

All these rules are out the window. This is a hyper-contagious virus. You can have a very transient encounter with somebody. Maybe your mask is a little bit loose. Maybe they have pulled their mask down a little bit. Maybe you have walked into an elevator where somebody has just coughed.

This is how you can contract this virus. And it's going to go away. It's going to -- if we follow what's happening in the United Kingdom and what -- and what happened in South Africa, this is probably going to peak in New York and D.C. sometime in the next two to three weeks.

And then it will spread throughout the country. But we need to protect our health care enterprises until then. And it's going to be close, because, even though it seems like this virus is less virulent, and fewer people on a per capita basis are -- need hospitalization or advanced care, the denominator is immense.

So, the United States had about 600,000 cases reported yesterday. But so many people are simply testing with rapid tests, and none of those are being reported.

NOBLES: Right.

REINER: So the U.S. is probably seeing on average now every day at least a million cases, and it's rising.

So, look, my sense is that, when we're at the hottest point in this pandemic, which is right now, we should be doing what we can to reduce cases. I think it's insane that bars in New York City are open.

I mean, if you go have a drink in a bar, you're going to come out with a virus. I mean, that's just -- that's just mathematics.

NOBLES: So, I mean, you mentioned that about where you see the peak going, but maybe kind of drill down on that with a level of specificity, because we are seeing hospitals in the Midwest and Northeast, really all parts of the country, under extreme pressure from COVID patients.

You said you think the next two to three weeks before we hit the peak of that surge? Is there anything that could make it come quicker, that it could tail off? Or do you think that we're going to have the worst in front of us before it gets better?

REINER: Well, I don't think there's anything that can make it come quicker. The concern is that it might take longer.

But if we follow the -- and, throughout this pandemic, we have followed the United Kingdom very, very closely. And if you look at what's happening in London now, it looks like they may have peaked and have started to decline in London.

And if that's the case, then New York should perhaps start to see the same thing in -- again, in the first parts of the middle of January, and then start to decline rapidly.

The problem in this country is that we didn't start this Omicron wave from zero cases per day. Our baseline had sort of leveled off around 50,000 to 60,000 cases per day, and we built from that. Our hospitals weren't empty. We had about 50,000 people in the hospital, right?

[14:10:05]

So, while we still have capacity, a lot of people are getting sick. And a small percentage of a very, very large number is a lot of people being hospitalized or needing care.

And we can pretend all we want that it's not here. And we can all want this to go away. And I desperately -- no one wants us to go way more than I do. But we have to get there. And we will get there. And for the next few weeks, we need to take care of each other.

And the way we take care of each other is by not getting sick, by not stressing our health care system, because, otherwise, we're not going to be able to take care of heart attacks or strokes or gall bladders. And that's happening in many parts of this country, crisis medical care in places in Michigan and in Rhode Island, where elective cases have been held.

NOBLES: Yes. Right.

Well, Dr. Reiner, hopefully, we aren't having the same conversation on New Year's Eve next year...

REINER: Yes.

NOBLES: ... and that the worst will someday be behind us.

We appreciate it, sir. Have a happy new year.

Elsewhere...

REINER: Talk to you soon. Happy new year, Ryan.

NOBLES: All right, a disaster in fast motion, that's how Colorado's governor describes the wildfires that forced whole communities to evacuate and destroyed nearly 1,000 homes.

We will take you there after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:15:40]

NOBLES: A state of emergency in Colorado, wildfires so far destroying nearly 1,000 homes and forcing about 35,000 residents to evacuate the towns of Superior and Louisville. The governor says, thankfully, he doesn't know of any fatalities.

Hurricane-force winds fueled the wildfires, scorching parts of the Boulder area and giving many residents just minutes to escape, entire homes engulfed in flames.

The Superior mayor telling CNN he saw homes explode right in front of him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINT FOLSOM, MAYOR OF SUPERIOR, COLORADO: It is complete devastation. I was able to tour the area yesterday evening with the town manager and sheriff sergeant. And we just witnessed incredible devastation around the town, and then also witnessed houses just exploding right before our eyes.

It was one of the most disturbing situations I have ever been in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: Unbelievable.

Natasha Chen joins me now from Superior, Colorado.

Natasha, these pictures are just unbelievable. It's one of the most devastating fires in the state's history. And what's even more remarkable is that it came through with almost very little warning.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Ryan, these people had just minutes in some cases to get out of their homes.

In some of the cell phone video that we have seen, you can barely see 10 feet in front of that person. It's a haze of orange and gray debris and ash just raining on them. And it was a very frightening moment. They all had to take what they could and get out of there.

You can see snow flurries right now in front of me -- it was actually snowing a bit harder earlier -- which is a good sign. That is a helpful situation to bring more moisture that is needed in this fight against these flames.

Behind us is the town of Superior, where we could earlier today still see some smoke plumes there of hot spots that still exist.

Here's the governor talking about how fast this came through.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): The other unusual factor is this is in the blink of an eye. This was a disaster in fast motion all over the course of half-a-day, nearly all the damage, many families having minutes, minutes to get whatever they could, their pets, their kids into the car and leave.

The last 24 hours have been devastating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: One person talked to CNN about how she got away in her car, only to have a trash can hit her vehicle as she was trying to drive away.

Lots of stories like that. And now we're hearing stories of people finding out that they have lost everything, including the University of Colorado Boulder assistant football coach. He says he's lost every material possession he owns, has to start over completely.

The real miracle here is that, so far, there are no reported fatalities. And if that holds, authorities say that's a New Year's miracle -- Ryan.

NOBLES: Well, Natasha Chen, thank you for being there on the ground in Superior, Colorado.

And, as Natasha mentioned, there could be some relief in store a for those folks in Colorado. There are diminishing winds. And, as Natasha reported, there was even some snow. And that's expected to improve conditions.

Let's drill a little bit deeper on this with CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. She joins me now.

Allison, tell us about the forecast and how it could impact things there in Colorado.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right.

I mean, moisture is really the thing that Colorado as a whole needs. They're very dry. And snow is a form of moisture. So, getting some of those snow showers in are likely going to help with bringing up humidity levels, bringing up the moisture for the state.

Now, we have got winter weather advisories you see here in purple on the Eastern side of the Rockies. And then you have got the winter storm warning, the pink, when you really start to get much higher into elevation there.

We have got snow showers around the vicinity of Boulder, Superior, all of these areas right now, even some moderate to heavy bands at times, although most of the snow showers have been on the light side.

Temperatures also -- big drop in temperatures in really the last 24 hours, 32 right now in Boulder, just about 37 in Denver. Again, those cooler temperatures, that's why you're seeing that transition into snow.

[14:20:00]

More snow is going to be expected, not only through the evening hours tonight, but also even as we go into tomorrow. again the key thing really is going to be the next couple hours, though, because, by tonight and really by Saturday, the snow really begins to lighten back up. So, the best chance to really bring up a lot of those accumulations is

going to be in about the next six to 12 hours. In terms of accumulations, around the Boulder area, especially the east and southeastern side, where a lot of those communities were ravaged by the wildfires, you're looking at about eight to 12 inches for the total forecast.

Now, that does include at least a little bit of what's falling now and then what is still expected, higher amounts obviously going to be in the higher elevations. But, again, at this point, Ryan, any little bit helps in terms of what they can, in terms of potentially kind of keeping some of that fire to limit there.

However, it does make it a little bit more difficult for the cleanup efforts in the next couple of days.

NOBLES: Yes, that's true.

All right, Allison Chinchar, thank you for that update. We appreciate it.

Many kids going back to school next week, raising concerns across the country as Omicron cases surge. The largest teachers group in Massachusetts is even calling for schools to remain closed Monday, so that teachers and staff can get tested.

I will have the president of that teachers association to tell me what comes next.

Plus, the January 6 Committee asks the Supreme Court not to take up the case over former President Trump's efforts to keep his White House records secret. We will have those details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:26:04]

NOBLES: And, as we head into 2022, pediatric hospitalizations from COVID are the highest they have ever been since the pandemic began.

According to the CDC, an average of 378 children were admitted each day in the past week. Those hospitalizations are especially high in Houston.

That's where CNN's Miguel Marquez has been speaking with officials about the effects of the Omicron variant in kids -- Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ryan, we visited Texas Children's Hospital. It's the nation's largest pediatric hospital.

And they are on full alert, preparing, putting up the defenses for what ever the Omicron variant can throw at them. One number sort of puts it in perspective. In the last week, the number of hospitalizations at Texas Children's has risen fourfold. That is a very worrying number, the Omicron variant spreading very rapidly here. Here's how the chief pathologist says that variant is spreading.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JIM VERSALOVIC, TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: This Omicron variant has now reached a new level in terms of infectivity, in terms of contagiousness.

It is now in the category of measles, the most highly transmissible virus or one of the most highly transmissible viruses known to mankind. We have been vaccinating against measles for a long time. We need to do the same thing with SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: So, another big concern on the immediate horizon is schools.

Schools here in Texas go back into session next Tuesday. They expect that that will be another vector, and, obviously, not just here in Texas, but across the country. That is going to be a big concern.

One specific concern here in Texas is that the governor has banned mask mandates in public schools, so everybody is waiting to see what happens there. They believe that they are still climbing, that the cases, as sharp as they are rising here, are still going to go up for at least the next couple of weeks. They think mid-January into February will be the worst of it.

But Texas Children's Hospital says they're prepared whatever Omicron brings -- Ryan.

NOBLES: Miguel Marquez, thank you so much.

Let's head to Florida now. And happening now, the Broward County Public Schools are meeting to consider whether adults should wear masks at schools upon their return from the winter break.

This comes after Miami-Dade County decided that wearing a mask would be mandatory for all adults inside school facilities or -- excuse me -- or on school buses.

CNN's Leyla Santiago is outside the Broward County School Board meeting with more than that.

So, Leyla, what more are you hearing about this decision?

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ryan, right now, Broward County looking into requiring masks for employees, vendors and visitors when they come back to school next week.

And if they move forward with that, they will be one of at least three school districts that are making revisions to their protocols when it comes to COVID-19 because of the rapid spread.

But, remember, these are some of the same school districts that earlier in the year had mask mandates, despite the governor's objection. So, what has changed? Well, last month, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law that bans those mask mandates.

And a lot of the school board members that I'm talking to are saying they feel that their hands are tied when it comes to protecting students when they return from the winter break. Listen to the superintendent from Miami-Dade County.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERTO CARVALHO, SUPERINTENDENT, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, PUBLIC SCHOOLS: As an educator, as a parent, I cannot abdicate my true belief in the expert advice of scientists.

And it is clear to us, as is clear to any single reasonable, scientifically-oriented experts across the country and internationally, that some of the recently adopted legislation and practices in the state of Florida fall short of meeting that basic standard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: OK, so let's go to the other side of their argument.

There is -- there are certainly a lot have parents that say this is a parent's choice. We actually just heard from the Broward teachers union speak at the Broward County School Board meeting.

[14:30:00]