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Blinken and Lavrov Meet over Russia-Ukraine Crisis; Some Countries in Europe Easing COVID-19 Restrictions; Former CDC Director Warns "Don't Underestimate Omicron"; Planning for a World after Omicron; Trump's Bad Week; Life Returning to Normal in South Africa Despite Omicron; Virginia and the Carolinas under States of Emergency from Winter Weather. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired January 22, 2022 - 05:00   ET

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

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade, good to have you with us.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, tons of what's been described as lethal aid arriving in Ukraine, as the U.S. warns Russia against invading its neighbor. We're going live to Moscow for the latest.

Plus, signs the United States may finally be the turning the corner when it comes to the Omicron variant. What new research says about booster shots.

And South Africa shows what life can be life despite Omicron. You'll hear why COVID wards remain largely empty throughout this latest wave.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: The U.S. and Russia have agreed to keep talking for now amid growing fears Moscow may be preparing to invade Ukraine. But America's top diplomatic again warns any hostile actions by Russia toward Ukraine would trigger an immediate reaction from the West.

The U.S. secretary of state's remarks followed his 90 minute meeting in Geneva with Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov. Blinken said the U.S. will respond in writing next week to Moscow security concerns.

But he also said the U.S. will spell out why the West views with alarm the dramatic buildup of Russian forces near Ukraine. Meanwhile, about 100 tons of lethal aid arrived in Ukraine from the U.S., including ammunition. CNN's Kylie Atwood has more now on the high-stakes meeting in Geneva.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The United States and Russia giving diplomacy a new life.

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: I believe we are now on a clear path in terms of understanding each other's concerns each, other's positions.

ATWOOD (voice-over): Secretary of state Tony Blinken said the U.S. would put pen to paper in order to advance the conversation.

BLINKEN: What we've agreed today is that we will share in writing next week our ideas, our response to concerns that Russia has raised, concerns that we have that we will share, again, in writing with Russia.

ATWOOD (voice-over): Still, the two countries are incredibly far apart. First and foremost, the U.S. says Russia must pull back its troops from Ukraine's borders. Russia's demanding that NATO cease any plans for expansion but the U.S. and NATO have said that is a nonstarter.

BLINKEN: There is no trade space. None.

ATWOOD (voice-over): Russian foreign minister Lavrov made no commitments about where the diplomacy will lead.

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): I can't say whether we're on the right path or on the wrong path. We will understand this when we get a written reaction from the Americans to all our proposals.

ATWOOD (voice-over): The stakes are high, Russia planning to deploy S-400 antiaircraft missile systems in Belarus and continuing to bolster its true presence of more than 100,000 Soldiers along all of Ukraine's borders.

And Ukraine's defense minister is now accusing the Kremlin of sending tanks and artillery to pro-Russian separatists in the country's occupied Donbas region, claiming Russia is actively recruiting mercenaries and sending them to the temporarily occupied territory.

CNN has learned the Pentagon is working on a series of military options for President Biden to beef up the U.S. military presence in Eastern Europe as a deterrent.

The two foreign ministers committed to meet again and neither side counted up the possibility of another meeting between the two presidents.

LAVROV (trough translator): We need to understand what will happen before we go to the presidential level.

ATWOOD (voice-over): And the U.S. says there will be a high cost for Russia if diplomacy doesn't prevail.

BLINKEN: If any Russian military forces move across Ukraine's border, that's a renewed invasion, it will be met with swift, severe and a united response from the United States and our partners and allies.

ATWOOD: Now a senior State Department official saying that the Biden administration doesn't want to foreclose any diplomatic solution; so long as Russia continues to engage in diplomacy, the Biden administration will do the same.

But this official said, if Russia moves any farther into Ukraine, diplomacy is dead -- Kylie Atwood, CNN, the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, CNN's Nic Robertson is standing by in Moscow with the latest.

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KINKADE: Right now, Nic, diplomacy is not dead. In fact, that's all we have right now after 90 minutes of meeting; no major development, no end to the standoff but an agreement that diplomacy and dialogue will continue.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, and the next step is that written response that United States has agreed to give to Russia. This is something that Russia has demanded since the middle of September. United States has resisted until now.

They described the talks yesterday not as a negotiation but as a discussion. When you start putting down answers to questions, which is what Russia has asked for, and the U.S. says it will also write down some of its concerns as well, then you start getting drawn into, you know, the potential for diplomacy now.

Senior State Department officials are calling this written response a nonpaper. They're not going to announce when they hand it over. The expectation is or there is a realization from the State Department that, once that's given to the Russian side, there's the potential for Russian officials to release it and make it public.

Then you start getting drawn into discussions about minutiae of what's being said. But this is a diplomatic step forward. There's no doubt about it. The concern, of course, all around, is that the military buildup is going on at the same time the diplomatic track is going on, which is raising all these concerns, how seriously committed is Russia to the diplomatic track.

And Sergey Lavrov sort of described Antony Blinken in the meeting as sort of repeatedly saying, you know, you must de-escalate. You must de-escalate. Lavrov described this as sort of a mantra of Blinken. So it's a big concern for the U.S. that, while they're accepting this diplomatic track, there's a military buildup going on.

KINKADE: Yes, I want to ask you about the military buildup, Nic. Right now, Russia has more than 100,000 troops on the border to Ukraine, doing military drills in neighboring Belarus and at the same time, the U.S. sending more weapons to Ukraine. We just saw the images, 100 tons of lethal aid, as they called it. Britain sending in antitank missiles. It's far from a de-escalation right now.

ROBERTSON: Yes, and I think this was one of the things that Antony Blinken tried to communicate with Sergey Lavrov, according to a senior State Department official, who was present in the meeting.

There was a moment described as an interesting moment in that meeting, where Blinken explained to Lavrov what he sees is happening.

That when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 and annexed Crimea, that's what got NATO to react to Russia's aggression, in that case, saying, OK, we need to beef up our presence in Eastern Europe and in the Baltic states and Poland. All of that grew out of that situation.

That's what Blinken presented to Lavrov. And according to a senior State Department official, it was an interesting moment.

So from the State Department's perspective, NATO's perspective, this small, limited, defensive weapon support that's going to Ukraine right now, not enough in any way to counter the army that it's facing on the other side of the border but a response to the fact that that army is so close to the border.

It's an action by Russia that begets a reaction. And this is what Blinken is trying to explain, the U.S.-NATO position, that we're only doing this because we perceive you as being in an aggressive, hostile position.

KINKADE: Exactly. Russia is saying, we're not planning to invade; we find you a threat. Nic Robertson, our international diplomatic editor. Great to have you with us as always. Thanks so much.

And we're not done with Ukraine. In less than half an hour, I'll ask a Russian affairs expert if there's appetite inside Russia for a war with Ukraine.

Well, across the U.S. today, more than 160,000 people are in hospital with COVID. That is a record high. But there is some hope.

According to Health and Human Services data, daily admissions have started to drop. And that's a promising sign that total hospitalizations will follow. Even so, some hospitals still grow more crowded by the day. CNN's Omar Jimenez reports.

We're going to take a quick break; we're having a little difficulty with that report right now. We're going to be back with much more. Stay with us.

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KINKADE: Welcome back.

Hong Kong officials, they're reporting more than 100 new preliminary positive cases of COVID. Most of these cases were detected in a housing estate, which is under lockdown. On Friday, Hong Kong locked down the housing block for five days after 20 COVID cases were reported.

Ireland is lifting the majority of its COVID restrictions. Bars, night clubs and restaurants are now able to operate during normal trading hours without the need for social distancing or COVID passes.

And finally, the Constitutional Council of France has approved a vaccine pass law adopted last week by the French general assembly. Anyone over the age of 16 will need proof of full vaccination to visit restaurants and bars as well as to take long-distance public transport between regions.

For more on all of that, I'm joined by CNN's Nada Bashir in London.

Good to have you, Nada. France making life much tougher for the unvaccinated.

NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, we heard from Emmanuel Macron, previously saying he wants to piss off the unvaccinated.

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BASHIR: Well, now, they're making it very difficult for the nearly 5 million people in France in that category, mandating that COVID vaccine pass. It's a little different than the health pass we've seen previously, that required citizens to prove whether or not they have had the vaccine or a negative COVID-19 test in order to access a wide variety of public outdoor and indoor venues as well.

As you mentioned, long-distance travel in the country, now a negative test won't be enough. They will have to prove they have had the vaccine. So it has been a source of major debate and controversy across the country.

And many now feel they're being forced to get the vaccine. But the government has made it clear, it does want them to go out and get the jab. They see it as the only way out of this pandemic.

But in addition to tightening regulations, they will be easing restrictions from the beginning. Many of these easing restrictions will be dependent on getting the vaccine. We'll be seeing venues, including sporting and cultural venues, having those restrictions. They'll be allowed admit as many people as needed before, providing they wear masks indoors. Lynda.

KINKADE: In Britain, numbers still really high but the trend showing that cases are now dropping. And I understand restrictions are going to be lifted? BASHIR: Yes, we heard from the health secretary. He said that the Omicron variant is in retreat and Britain is not entering this next chapter of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

But as we mentioned the cases are still high, over 95,000 new cases on Friday. More than 17,000 still in hospital. But the government said its approach is the right one. They're driving forward the vaccination campaign as the only way out of this pandemic.

And as you mentioned, easing those restrictions, scrapping the measures in force a few weeks ago. You won't be required to work from home anymore. And you won't be required to wear a mask in indoor settings, although that still may be the case on some public transport venues.

And the government is leaving up to the organizations and businesses to decide whether or not they're going to require a COVID pass in order to access their venues. The government really pushing forward the vaccination campaign, learning to live with the virus, easing those restrictions but also calling for people to get their jabs and more importantly get the booster jab. Lynda.

KINKADE: The booster very important, especially with this Omicron variant, Nada Bashir in London, thanks so much.

As we've been telling you, across the U.S., more than 160,000 people are hospitalized with COVID. That's a record high. According to Health and Human Services data, daily admissions have started to drop. Yet some hospitals still grow more crowded by the day. CNN's Omar Jimenez reports.

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JEFF ZIENTS, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE COORDINATOR: The reason this January is so dramatically different from last January is because we have the tools, we need to protect people.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Being boosted has never been more important.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: Protection against infection and hospitalization with the Omicron variant is highest for those who are up to date with their vaccination, meaning those who are boosted when they are eligible.

JIMENEZ: One CDC study published Friday looked at 88,000 hospitalizations across 10 states in December and January when Omicron has been dominant, finding being boosted was 90 percent effective at preventing hospitalization during Omicron, only slightly down from the 94 percent when Delta was a dominant variant.

So boosting remains the highest protection possible.

But for those with just two doses, after six months, the vaccines were 76 percent effective against urgent care and emergency department visits. Primarily during the Delta surge. During Omicron, that fell to 38 percent.

And for the unvaccinated, new CDC data shows those 65 and older were nearly 50 times more likely to be hospitalized last month than those who were boosted.

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: These new studies should erase any doubt about the importance of boosters at this point in the pandemic. I think there's been unfortunately so much muddled messaging that made it sound like boosters are a nice to have rather than something that's really essential.

JIMENEZ: So far, less than half of those eligible to get boosters have gotten them. Meanwhile, Omicron's rapid spread is still straining hospitals which are at a record high and some essential services. Entertainment also taking hits, like curtains closing for Adele's residency in Las Vegas.

ADELE, GRAMMY-WINNING SINGER: We've been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and COVID.

JIMENEZ: But with vaccinations on the rise and cases beginning to decline in some places, experts hope the country is finally turning a country. Former CDC director Tom Frieden believes Omicron is not to be underestimated.

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JIMENEZ (voice-over): But if you're vaccinated and boosted, it's comparable in severity to the flu.

DR. TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR: What we're seeing is that the country is essentially building a stronger and stronger wall of immunity. And that wall comes from mostly vaccination but also prior infection. But the stunning thing about Omicron is how remarkably infectious it is.

JIMENEZ: And on that infectiousness, data from Johns Hopkins shows that more than a quarter of all COVID-19 cases reported since the pandemic began were reported in the last month.

Separately, Dr. Rochelle Walensky says those eligible to be boosted, but haven't been, are not considered up to date on their vaccinations and that the CDC is looking to pivot language around what it means to be fully vaccinated -- Omar Jimenez, CNN, Chicago.

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KINKADE: Dr. Robert Wachter is the chair of the department of medicine at the University of California/San Francisco and joins me now. He's also the author of the book, "The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine's Computer Age."

Thanks so much for joining us.

DR. ROBERT WACHTER, CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA/SAN FRANCISCO: My pleasure, thank you.

KINKADE: So when you look at infection rates across the world, they are still soaring but the WHO says, in some countries, cases have peaked. And at this point, infections in South Africa where Omicron was discovered and in the U.K. are starting to fall.

And here in the United States, some cities like Washington, D.C., Newark (ph) and Cleveland are also seeing infections starting to level off or decline.

What's your assessment?

How much hope should that give us?

WACHTER: A tremendous amount of hope. I think when we saw the South Africa curve go up like a rocket and then come down equally quickly, the hope was that that would be the pattern that we would see elsewhere.

Then we saw it in London and in the whole U.K. and now we're seeing it in -- first in the Northeast, where the virus hit first in the United States. But now we're even seeing it where I live, in San Francisco.

So it seems clear that this is what it does. It comes through a population like a hurricane and goes up. It takes about a month and comes down and takes about a month, too. And the problems I think, as it starts to come down, people may let their guard down.

But the risk is still very high until it reaches the bottom of the mountain. So after the peak, you still have about a month of fairly high risk until you get to a low-risk situation.

KINKADE: And I want to talk about vaccinations. A lot of people here in the United States obviously have access now to a booster dose. But children under the age of 5 still can't get a COVID vaccine.

Initially, Dr. Fauci said a Pfizer vaccine could be approved next month, which gave hope to a lot of my friends and neighbors with little kids, especially since school classes are being sent home every time there's a positive case. But we do hear from Dr. Anthony Fauci speaking to a colleague earlier, walking back the comments. Just listen.

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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF COVID-19 MEDICAL ADVISER: The data are being collected by the companies who will submit it to the FDA and the FDA will make a judgment based on the safety and the efficacy.

When I said it could be within a month or two or three, we really don't know. I mean, -- and I think when people push you, give you an estimate of what you think, I hope it's in the next few months. But I don't know for sure, Wolf, because it isn't something that I have privy to the information that will be submitted to the FDA. And they're going to do the typical good job that they do. They'll

evaluate it with great scrutiny for safety and for whether or not it's effective. And if those two criteria are met, then it is going to be approved by an emergency use authorization.

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KINKADE: Dr. Wachter, why do you think it's taking much longer to approve a vaccine for young children?

WACHTER: They always come last. The vaccines are always tested in adults first. Then you march down the age brackets and that's exactly what's happened here.

So they're sort of down to the little kids. And the first time they tried it with the little kids, the response of the vaccine wasn't as good as they hoped it would be. So they had to go back to the drawing board and try it with a slightly different dose regimen.

So it's sort of the way it goes. And I feel for the parents and little kids. I think what we're going to see in the next month is a lot of parts of society going back toward normal if the surge ends. And yet parents and young kids are going to want to be somewhat more careful until they're vaccinated.

KINKADE: Given how contagious the Omicron variant is -- as we discussed in some places, infections are starting to drop.

What could a post-Omicron world look like?

WACHTER: I think it's going to look pretty good.

[05:25:00]

WACHTER: I will probably still wear a mask in very crowded places. And I think, like in Japan and some of the Asian countries, there's a tradition of some mask wearing in public transit.

But I think it will not dominate our lives the way COVID has for the past two years. I don't think it's page one of the newspaper or your lead story every day. There still will be COVID around; there still is some risk.

But if you are fully vaccinated, by which I mean now boosted, the risk that you will get very sick and die is next to zero. And I think that can allow people to begin going about life, as if not quite 2019 but almost 2019. All of us, of course, keeping our hopes up that there will not be a new variant that screws this up again.

I think the likeliest outcome is there won't be and that we will be in a good place in about a month and we will stay there but we obviously have to keep guard up in case there is a new variant that changes the equation.

KINKADE: Dr. Robert Wachter, you give us hope. Thanks so much for your time. WACHTER: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Growing tension, a face-to-face meeting and questions about whether talks with Ukraine are doing any good. We'll ask a Moscow expert what needs to happen to avoid a conflict.

Plus, it's been a pretty bad week for Donald Trump as the January 6th committee gains access to all the records the former president tried to block. Details from Washington, coming up.

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KINKADE: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

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KINKADE: The top Russian and American diplomats have agreed to keep working to reduce tension over Ukraine. No big breakthroughs came out of their 90-minute meeting on Friday but there's still hope the key players can find a diplomatic offramp.

The U.S. has agreed to provide a written response next week to Russia's security concerns, which the Kremlin had been pushing for. And now the U.S. secretary of state is asking Russia to offer some peace of mind.

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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We've heard Russian officials say that they have no intention of invading Ukraine. In fact, Mr. Lavrov repeated that to me today. But again, we're looking at what is visible to all. And it is deeds and actions, not words, that make the difference.

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KINKADE: Well, take a look at this, the yellow areas. Now that is where Russia has amassed some 100,000 troops along its borders with Ukraine and neighboring Belarus.

Well, meanwhile, the U.S. just sent 200,000 pounds, that's 100 tons, of lethal aid to Ukraine for its, quote, "frontline defenders."

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KINKADE: Alexander Baunov is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center and the editor-in-chief of carnegie.ru. He joins us now from the Russian capital.

Good to have you with us.

ALEXANDER BAUNOV, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE MOSCOW CENTER: Hi.

KINKADE: So Russia says and continues to say it has no plans to invade Ukraine. Yet it has enough troops on Ukraine's border to launch an offensive.

Is there an appetite in Russia for a war with Ukraine?

BAUNOV: Look, there is a difference in agendas of Russia and of the West right now. As for now, in the West, people mostly think that Ukraine is the main and the only goal of Putin's escalation.

As for now, for Putin himself, it seems more that Ukraine is an instrument to achieve other goals. But if these goals are not achieved, Ukraine may be a victim.

KINKADE: So we have seen weeks of diplomatic talks and simultaneously a revving up of military action. On top of the 100,000 Russian troops on the Ukrainian border, Russia's also holding exercises in neighboring Belarus. The U.S. and U.K. are sending in weapons to Ukraine.

What is it going to take, what needs to happen for a deescalation?

BAUNOV: Well, the Russian diplomacy is clear, also a bit confusing; clear because they offered two documents, two drafts, with the promises the West have to give to Moscow in order Moscow feel secure.

The promises are very difficult to fulfill, that's clear. They are non-starting points, as the American officials stressed several times.

In the opposite case, in the case of a setback of this diplomatic offensive, it's a big question what Russia can -- what Russia can do. And Ukraine is one option.

But what can be done in Ukraine?

Would it be a full-scale invasion?

Would it be sort of minor provocations?

Would it be a new topic introduced by the State Duma, the Russian parliament yesterday, diplomatic recognition of the (INAUDIBLE) so- called people's republic in the east of Ukraine by Moscow.

KINKADE: What is your perspective on Putin's mindset, given the illegal annexation of Crimea almost seven years ago?

Does he believe that he can get away with taking more territory again?

Is he banking on a lack of meaningful action from the West?

BAUNOV: Look, the base of Putin's strategy is that Russia is gone and Russians -- not just the authorities -- but the nation is going -- is ready to pay more for its goals in Ukraine than the West. And the goals are from minimum to having neutral friendly and something tied with Russia.

Ukraine, to the full merger, swallowing of Ukraine by Russia, it's of course very difficult and less probable. That's the base of the strategy. We are going and we can play more because we need this piece of the planet, this piece of the world, more than you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Our thanks to Alexander Baunov.

While the Biden administration focuses on national ties abroad, Donald Trump is dealing with a few disappointments at home.

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KINKADE: The investigation into the Capitol Hill insurrection is heating up, now that the committee has access to all of the White House records that Trump tried to block the panel from receiving. But that's not the only development that has made it a truly bad week for the former president. CNN's Jessica Schneider reports.

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JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, the January 6 committee is finally getting access to all 700-plus documents from the Trump White House. The handover includes call logs, visitor logs, handwritten memos from chief of staff Mark Meadows and draft speeches.

It is the latest development in what has been a disastrous week for Donald Trump. Not only did the Supreme Court rule against his efforts to keep his White House records secret but New York's attorney general ramped up her probe of Trump's tax and financial filings.

And a district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, requested a special grand jury for a criminal investigation.

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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have.

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SCHNEIDER: That phone call from Trump to Georgia's secretary of state Brad Raffensperger in early January 2021 is just part of the evidence D.A. Fani Willis is sifting through to determine if there was criminal interference in Georgia's 2020 election process.

Willis is seeking to issue subpoenas and compel the production of documents because she says many witnesses have so far refused to cooperate.

Meanwhile, New York attorney general Letitia James, for the first time, outlining specific accusations against the Trump Organization in a court filing, saying the company repeatedly misstated the value of its property and assets, engaging in fraudulent or misleading practices.

Now the attorney general wants to compel the testimony of Trump and of his two children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump. Trump has denied wrongdoing and a spokesperson for the Trump Organization says the allegations are baseless.

This as Ivanka Trump is first family member of the January 6 select committee is asking to talk to.

They sent an eight-page letter detailing why they want Ivanka to meet with the committee voluntarily, saying she is one of the few who can reflect on Trump's state of mind and explain why it took Trump so long to release a video message instructing rioters to leave the Capitol.

They also want Ivanka to divulge what she heard when Trump talked to V.P. Mike Pence by phone the morning of January 6 and they want to her fill in details about how FOX hosts and other officials were urging Trump to stop the stolen election talk after January 6th.

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): Ivanka Trump is a critical figure because she was there in the morning. We believe she was there when Trump was still trying to twist Mike Pence's arm.

SCHNEIDER: The committee chair, Bennie Thompson, also telling CNN, the panel is looking into Trump's possible involvement in the creation or submission of fake electors.

Our team reported that Trump campaign officials, led by Rudy Giuliani, oversaw efforts in December 2020 to put illegitimate slates of electors together, from seven states that Trump lost, to try to overturn the real election results -- Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: The FBI said Brian Laundrie confessed to killing his fiancee, Gabby Petito, last fall as her disappearance in the U.S. grabbed attention worldwide. The agency says he claimed responsibility in a notebook found near his body in a park in Florida. A revolver was also found nearby and his death ruled a suicide.

Gabby disappeared during a cross-country trip the couple had documented on social media. Her strangled body was found in another park in Wyoming.

Laundrie returned to Florida without her, generating searches and police and media scrutiny. The FBI says all the logical investigative steps are concluded and only Laundrie was involved in her death.

Well, the Omicron variant is surprising officials in South Africa. Now people are returning to normal life. We'll have that story after the break.

Plus, a snow and ice event is hitting several Eastern European states. We'll have details from the CNN Weather Center when we come back.

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KINKADE: Welcome back.

South Africa still has a problem with the coronavirus but scientists say the Omicron impact has been blunted by an aggressive vaccination campaign. And while another variant may yet emerge, CNN's David McKenzie reports that hopeful South Africans are already returning to a more normal life.

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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even in the height of Omicron, no one was in this ward for COVID.

DR. RICHARD FRIEDLAND CEO, NETCARE: That's quite correct.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): When the Omicron variant was discovered in South Africa, Dr Richard Friedland prepared his hospital for a rush of COVID-19 patients. A rush that never came.

FRIEDLAND: We never stopped elective surgery. We never closed our coffee shops. We never stopped visitors coming into the hospital.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): This after three brutal waves of COVID each more severe than the last pummeled this country. Charities built field boards just to cope.

FRIEDLAND: This is a hospital of over 440 beds and 80 percent of our beds were dedicated to COVID patients.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): But when the highly transmissible Omicron variant hit, Friedland says hospitals and deaths decoupled from spiking infections.

FRIEDLAND: I think in the fourth wave, we've seen a totally different picture. In fact, we've seen a far more milder and moderate version of COVID-19.

MCKENZIE (on-camera): As the wave eases off in South Africa of Omicron, what comes next?

FRIEDLAND: Globally, we've really got to try to find the sweet spot. And by that, I mean, trying to find a way that societies can begin to function again, normally.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): In Soweto's Vilakazi Street, South Africans aren't just functioning. They're thriving.

PALESA MAKGHWATHI, SOWETO RESIDENT: Well, I'm very excited because I'm still alive. MCKENZIE (voice-over): Scientists here believe that the high levels of prior infection and substantial vaccination rates around 40 percent of adults are fully vaccinated, significantly softened Omicron's impact. Early indications are that the variant itself may be less deadly.

(on-camera): How do you feel about this year?

MBATI MBULI, SOWETO RESIDENT: I think now, it's going to be better now. Probably COVID just ending.

MCKENZIE (on-camera): Are people being overly optimistic about where we are right now?

FRIEDLAND: Certainly that's a scenario that we can potentially contemplate. But equally on the other side of the spectrum is a scenario that says this variant is replaced by something far more virulent.

[05:45:00]

MCKENZIE (voice-over): A year after our first visit to his biosafety level three lab in Durban, Alex Sigal and his team are still working to answer those critical questions.

ALEX SIGAL, VIROLOGIST, AFRICA HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE: It just goes like wildfire. But it's not -- it doesn't cause as severe of a disease.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): The latest research shows that in a lab setting, Omicron infections can protect against the more virulent Delta variant. Sigal says vaccines are still critical to avoid severe illness and death.

(on-camera): In a year's time from now, what kind of discussion do you think we'll be having about COVID?

SIGAL: There's a good chance we'll be standing here and discussing the next variants. And maybe the virus is going to surprise us again. But in my opinion, we know more now than we did a year ago. And in a year's time, we'll be in even better shape.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Scientists just don't know if Omicron is COVID- 19's end game. But many do hope, like all of us, that the worst is behind us, not in front -- David McKenzie, CNN, Durban, South Africa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: The Saudi-led coalition fighting against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels is denying claims it targeted a detention center in a deadly airstrike on Friday. Aid groups say scores of people were killed during that strike, including many migrants.

The Saudis say the allegations that they targeted the camp are, quote, "baseless and unfounded." We have video of after another reported Saudi-led airstrike in Yemen

on the same day. What you are about to see you may find disturbing. The attack on a telecom building in the port city of Hodeida led to absolute chaos, as you can see. Three children were killed in the strike. U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres is calling on all sides to deescalate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: What we need is to stop this vicious circle, in which things keep escalating, one after the other. What we need is to have, as we have been proposing from long ago, a cease-fire, together with the opening of harbor and airports.

And then, the beginning of a serious dialogue among the parties. This escalation needs to stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, on Friday, thousands of people took to the streets of Yemen's capital to protest the latest round of violence.

The U.S.-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces have reportedly thwarted an taxi on a Syrian prison housing ISIS militants. The head of the SDF said ISIS trying to orchestrate a jailbreak in the northeastern city of Hasakah on Thursday.

A car bomb exploded outside the prison, followed by the terror group attacking the building from the outside. At the same time, dozens of militants staged a riot inside the prison to create a scene of chaos. The SDF says at least 58 ISIS fighters were killed during the clashes.

Police in Ecuador have mobilized their special units to investigate a shooting that left at least four people dead. It happened at a resort area outside the nation's largest city, leaving 11 others injured. Police say more than a dozen attackers emerged from boats on Friday and fired at people on the land.

The resort is popular with locals but it's a known destination for many international travelers.

Tonga's best known Olympian gets news about his dad, who was absent after the recent volcanic eruption. Next, the athlete says his father is now back home with a big story to tell.

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[05:50:00]

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KINKADE: Welcome back. Several East Coast U.S. states are under states of emergency this

weekend. As a mix of freezing rain and snow hit parts of Virginia and the Carolinas, officials say the greatest icing threat will be along the Carolina coasts, including Myrtle Beach and Wilmington.

The ice could have a significant impact on travel and bring down trees and power lines. North Carolina's governor warns that some areas could see widespread power outages and treacherous roads. He has activated the state's National Guard.

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[05:55:00]

KINKADE: Lifesaving water is now making its way to residents on Tonga's main island, after a New Zealand navy ship delivered water desalination equipment on Friday. Drinking water has been scarce since a massive volcanic eruption and tsunami ravaged the nation a week ago, polluting many water sources.

Relief for one family, meanwhile; Tonga's best known Olympian, Pita Taufatofua, says that his dad finally made his way back home on Friday. He was nowhere to be found since right after the eruption. The Olympian now saying his father spent several days volunteering with first responders on a Tongan navy boat.

Good on him.

For more information on how you can help the people of Tonga, please go to our web page at cnn.com/impact.

Well, comedian and actor Louie Anderson has died from complications related to cancer.

(VIDEO CLIP, "COMING TO AMERICA")

KINKADE: Anderson there, appearing in the movie "Coming to America," alongside Eddie Murphy. He made his television debut on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson back in 1984. And that launched a decades- long career.

Anderson hosted "Family Feud" in 1999 and starred in many TV shows. His most memorable role was playing a role based on his own mother on the hit show, "Baskets," which earned him an Emmy award. Anderson is survived by his two sisters, Lisa and Shanna. He was 68 years old.

That wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade, you follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Have a good weekend. Stick around.