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Aid Groups Ordered to Ban Female Employees from Working in Afghanistan; China's Out-of-Control COVID Outbreak; The Biggest Health Stories of 2022. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired December 26, 2022 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: The issue here is also the Taliban is not going to be moved. I mean, they are already under the most tremendous sanctions. They've got funds locked up outside the country. The population is in dire poverty, hunger and economic straits. Why do you think these latest treaties will make any difference?

DAVID WRIGHT, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, SAVE THE CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL: Well, it is hard to know the outcome. Of course, you know, we have key people, key organizations like the United Nations negotiating on our behalf. I mean, in some respects, you would think that it could be an easy problem to solve theoretically because the ban only applies to nongovernmental organizations both national and international. If you work with the software company in Afghanistan or if you work for the management consulting in Afghanistan, your women can still go to work.

So, it is curious that it is just nongovernmental organizations that are targeted and these are the organizations that deliver life-saving services to some of the most vulnerable women and children in the country. So, we really hope that this situation will be resolve by the Taliban simply rescinding their decision over the next day or so.

Every day that we can't get out to work, and we can't get out to work because we need our female colleagues to help us get access to women and children because you can't access young mothers or young children and education if you don't have female staff. Because as we know that culturally that's not appropriate in Afghanistan to have all male staff dealing with young women or children.

So, every day we can't get back to work, thousands of people don't get life-saving services. We have mobile health clinics all around the country. They deliver critical services to 12,000 people every day. That means that yesterday 12,000 people, and I'm talking about mothers and children specifically here, didn't get those services and they are not getting it today and they won't get it tomorrow. So, we really need it an urgent review of the decision.

QUEST: What leverage do international organizations have? I suppose an argument could be made that those few companies still doing business there are propping up the economy in a rather meager way. But what leverage do you actually have to force seemingly an unrepentant Taliban to change its policy?

WRIGHT: To be quite honest, I think that we really depend on the good will of the Taliban to change their minds about this. And for them to really consider the well-being of their own women and children right across the country who need access to these life-saving services. So, I would say we are wholly dependent on their good will. I don't know that I'd call it leverage, but I think that's the only thing we can do is to repeal to their good will and to reverse this decision.

QUEST: I understand the human suffering and difficulty as a result of this. But the Taliban seemingly don't care about their own people. Otherwise, they wouldn't be embarking on such a draconian and heartless mission. And if we take for example, the other rules on banning in public places, banning from universities and the like. Is there a moment when the rest of the world basically has to say, OK, go ahead and do you want, you'll pay the consequences, we may have to pick up the pieces afterwards, but we can't continue to play your game.

WRIGHT: Well, like I say, the situation is very grave at the moment in Afghanistan. And it's particularly serious because the country is in the middle of winter, the worst months of winter are ahead. There's a, you know, quite a significant food security crisis in the country.

And that means that more and more children are presenting with severe acute malnutrition in health clinics to our nutrition teams right across the country. If a child has severe acute malnutrition, there is a 30 to 50 percent chance that they will die if they don't get the assistance that need.

So essentially, we can't have a situation where children are dying because we don't get the care they need. And so, our position simply is that these children should have access to those critical services.

QUEST: Sir, thank you. I wish you well. Thank you.

As we continue tonight, the uncontrollable COVID outbreak in China. The country has stripped back zero-COVID and now they are seeing the effects. We'll discuss that.

[04:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: Taiwanese officials say nearly 50 Chinese aircraft have crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, the informal barrier between China and Taiwan. Incursions on Sunday of Beijing's largest show of force against Taipei in recent months. Part of the so-called strike drills that China conducted in response to what they call provocations in Taiwan and the U.S. It follows President Biden's signing a new law that will modernize defenses for Taiwan and deter Chinese aggression.

And China is also changing the way it reports new COVID infections. The national health commission has announced it will stop publishing a daily case count. The responsibility for counting will now fall to the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Not sure how often they will punish new numbers.

The surge in new infections is dramatic after the reversal of zero- COVID. Officials in eastern province near Shanghai, now reporting more than a million new cases a day and they expect that to double over the coming days.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me from Hong Kong. It is the -- it's a perfect storm here. You were telling me last hour that you've got relatively low vaccination rates with a vaccine that is not that effective and a population that is terrified of the whole thing anyway and Chinese New Year coming up. What could possibly go wrong.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT And now we're seeing a surge in cases and a situation that is appearing to be extremely dangerous for hundreds of millions plus people across China. Look, we're seeing the chaos play off with the change of the reporting structure. Now it's no longer the national health commission, it's now China's CDC that's going to be offering updates the daily COVID case counts.

[04:40:02]

So far, they've given reports on Sunday and on Monday. It remains to be seen if it's truly going to be daily.

But what is interesting is earlier today China CDC reported that there were only zero COVID related deaths in the last six days leading up to Sunday. Which runs counter to some of the data that's coming from all these other cities and provinces across China. We talked Zhejiang earlier porting one report of a million new cases every day. Yes, it's a very big province, 64 million people there but still a significant tally -- Richard.

QUEST: OK, so will the Chinese people believe these numbers? Do they have access by and large to means and methods of hearing the other side of the story -- what might really been happening? Bearing in mind that you and I possibly, probably are not being seen in China in the moment.

LU STOUT: No, look, they don't believe the numbers. And in fact, for days now they've been making fun and ridiculing the numbers online, on social media. But they are relying on anecdotal evidence, evidence that we've reported on CNN as well of medications like fever, cold meds selling out, of hospitals being overwhelmed, of crematoriums being overwhelmed with their furnaces seen constantly billowing smoke up above them. Visual evidence that clearly indicates that something is wrong.

But also, we are hearing data from the individual cities. You know, a city like Guangzhou, big port city in China, home to 9 million people, reporting half a million new COVID cases every single day. Another city Dongguan, along with Shenzhen, big tech city reporting 250, 350,000 new COVID cases every day. All paints a picture that this is a surge in infections.

QUEST: So, how will the central government square that circle. If they are getting numbers left, right and center showing a rampant infection and dreadful numbers of deaths, what does the central Xi and his cohorts do?

LU STOUT: In terms of squaring the circle, in terms of official messaging, Richard, it's been very difficult for them to do and very interesting for us to watch and monitor.

You know, for example on Friday, there was that -- over the weekend rather, a very gripping report by CNN's team in Beijing led by Selina Wang of that overwhelmed crematorium in Beijing. And team Beijing noticed that that report actually made to air multiple times. It was not blacked out in China.

Kind of underscoring the chaos even inside the propaganda apparatus inside China. There is no top down directive at this moment of chaos and confusion of how to report about the end easing of the zero-COVID strategy. There has been emphasis on good Samaritan stories, emphasis on positive stories.

Like for example today Paxlovid now being available for people in Beijing being distributed. But people inside Beijing know the real deal. It's really hard to get that medication and the situation in terms of the COVID surge, it is getting worse in the next few weeks ahead -- Richard.

Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thank you.

LU STOUT: Thank you.

QUEST: We've been living with COVID for more than two years. In 2022, there were other medical stories that dominated the headlines from Mpox, to abortion and baby formula shortage. Dr. Sanjay Gupta now takes us through the ten biggest health stories in the year that was.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: 2022 was a year where we began to really see the ripple effects of living through a pandemic. So, while it's clear COVID-19 is here to stay, other health issues began to take the spotlight once again. And some of it is very good news.

Starting with number ten of our top health stories. More people are surviving cancer than ever before in the United States. In the past three years, the number of cancer survivors increased by more than a million. The big reasons why a continued decline in smoking and we are catching and treating cancer earlier as well. But there is still more to be done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To know that nearly half the cancer deaths in the world could be prevented is just astounding.

GUPTA (voice-over): A global study found that preventable risk factors like smoking, like drinking too much alcohol, high body mass index, contributed to 44 percent of all cancer deaths in 2019.

Number nine, a new experimental Alzheimer's drug Lecanemab appears to be one of the first to slow the progression of cognitive decline. Now the MAB stands for Monoclonal Antibody. Lecanemab works by removing amyloid plaque from the brain. The buildup of this naturally occurring protein can block neuro pathways making it a hallmark of Alzheimer.

[04:45:00]

Researchers found that the drug eventually helped reduce amyloid levels and slowed cognitive decline by 27 percent.

DR. BABAK TOUSI, CLEVELAND CLINIC LOU RUVO CENTER FOR BRAIN HEALTH: That's maybe one of the first medication we have that is such a positive result so far. But we have to be cautious about it.

GUPTA: While the data is encouraging there, there were also serious safety concerns in the phase three trial. Brain swelling and brain bleeding. And those are certainly things the FDA is going to evaluate if the drug comes up for approval.

Number eight, mental health. In a CNN/KFF poll this summer, 90 percent of adults said they believe that there is a mental health crisis in the United States. And another survey found nearly one in four results age 18 to 44 were treated for mental health in 2021 reflecting an increase in anxiety and depression during the pandemic.

Continuing concerns over mental health prompted the launch of a new three digit national suicide crisis life line number which is 988.

DR. CHRISTINE YU MOUTIER, AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION: It really treats mental health on par with physical health just like we have 911.

GUPTA: Number 7 --

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: And we have big news today that is going to benefit as many as 30 million Americans.

GUPTA: Thanks for a long awaited rule change by the FDA, you can now buy over the counter hearing aids to help with mild to moderate hearing loss. And some doctors estimate that 90 percent of the population with hearing loss could benefit from these over the counter devices. And this move could also make them more affordable.

Number six, between supply chain issues and investigations into bacterial contamination at a major manufacturing facility, parents around the country were frustrated as the baby formula shortage went on month after month.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's terrifying when that's the only true source of nutrition that your baby gets because you get to the point where you go to the store and you almost cry.

GUPTA: To help fill the empty shelves, the Biden administration enacted "Operation Fly Formula" to bring in supplies from other countries. The FDA has also been working with foreign formula manufacturers to allow them to permanently sell their products in the United States.

Number five, a case a of polio was identified this year in Rockland County outside of New York City sparking major public health concerns.

DR. JOSE ROMERO, NATIONAL CENTER FOR IMMUNIZATION AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES: Finding polio in a country where we've had high levels of vaccination, haven't seen polio cases for over 40 years, it was significant.

GUPTA (voice-over): Additional polio virus was found in waste water samples in two local counties in New York City suggesting that there was local circulation of the virus. Polio was considered eliminated in the United States thanks to massive vaccination campaigns and highly more than 99 percent effective vaccine. The New York case was in an unvaccinated person and resulted in paralysis, which is a rare but severe outcome of the disease.

Number four, life expectancy in the United States continue to drop. At went from 77 years to 76.4 years, which is the lowest it's been since 1996. COVID-19 was a driving factor as well as drug overdoses which were deadlier than ever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is being driven by fentanyl which is the most deadly and addictive drug that is widespread in the United States right now.

GUPTA (voice-over): Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids made up of about two thirds of overdose deaths. Which claimed more than 106,000 lives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's one of the last pictures I have. That is the shirt he died in.

GUPTA (voice-over): Number three --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Started off with just a few lesions.

GUPTA: An outbreak of monkeypox later renamed Mpox put the U.S. on its heels this year prompting another public health emergency on top of COVID-19. Even though it doesn't spread as easily or as stealthily as COVID, cases of the disease climbed to almost 30,000. And the fact that it was spreading mostly among men who have sex with men, meant health officials had to battle stigma in addition to the virus itself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They do associate with being a guy man's disease or a bisexual man's disease which I think is not a great way to approach it because any disease can be anybody's disease.

GUPTA: While the vaccination campaign for Mpox got off to a frustrating start, it did eventually help get the outbreak under control.

Number two, the overturning of Roe v. Wade made reproductive health care in the United States complicated for patients and their providers.

DR. JILL GIBSON, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, PLANNED PARENTHOOD ARIZONA: When I signed up to become an obstetrician/gynecologist, it never occurred to me that there would be a possibility that I wasn't able to take care of my patients in the way am trained to do so.

GUPTA: The decision not only affected access to abortion, but to other medications and procedures as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When a woman is walking around with a dead fetus for weeks because she can't get a surgical procedure, what's the danger to her?

[04:50:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She can develop an infection that could make her sterile and never be able to have children again.

GUPTA: Public health agencies and medical groups worldwide spoke out against the ruling.

And number one --

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: This holiday season, best gift is truly good health. The trifecta of viruses are spreading through the population.

GUPTA: COVID-19, the flu, and RSV. Three respiratory viruses all simultaneously circulating creating a triple threat. The measures that help keep us safe from COVID-19 the past 2 1/2 years also did keep other viruses at bay. But this means that some people especially young children did not build up immunity to those viruses and that means that they getting hit harder this year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think now you may be seeing the result of that for all those winter respiratory viruses.

GUPTA: Hospitals are fuller than they have been throughout the entire pandemic. Public health officials are reminding people that the tools to fight COVID like masks, hand washing, ventilation can also help prevent other respiratory diseases as well. But the most important message when it comes to vaccinations is the one that has remains.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: My final message may be the final message I give you from this podium, is that please for your own safety, for that of your family, get your updated COVID-19 shot as soon as you're eligible to protect yourself, your family and your community.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: It was a shorts NFL schedule on Christmas day. But plenty of action for some teams with playoff hopes. Highlights are next.

[04:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: NFL played a shortened schedule on Sunday due to the Christmas holidays. One of the few match-ups on the slate was a complete blog. The L.A. Rams demolishing the Denver Broncos in Southern California. The Rams running back Cam Akers ran for 118 yards and three touchdowns. And L.A. picked off Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson three times. The Rams won it 51-14.

In the early games on Sunday Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers pulled off a come from behind win over the Dolphins in Miami 26-20. The Packers defense came up big with three interceptions in the second half. Green Bay has now won three straight to keep their playoff hopes alive. For Miami, it is their fourth straight loss but still in the playoff hunt.

In NBA action the Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 123-109 in a rematch of last season's Western Conference Semifinals. Warriors where playing without Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins, it didn't matter. Gordon Poole scored a team-high 32 points for the Warriors despite being rejected from the game.

And that's for CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Richard Quest in London. "EARLY START" with Whitney Wild is next. This is CNN.

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