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Harvey Spevak is Interviewed about Equinox's Vaccine Requirement; Facts and Fears of the Vaccine; Sanjay Gupta Answers Viewers' COVID Questions; COVID Update from around the U.S.; Louisiana Sees COVID Crisis. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 03, 2021 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Thinking we are seeing more and more of this from private employers. Generally speaking, it is going to be lawful.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: What about customers? Can a business require that they be vaccinated or that they have to wear masks?

HONIG: Yes, again, we're going to have state by state variation. But, again, generally speaking, we're seeing more of this, Equinox, Soulcycle are requiring vaccinations in certain areas. We're seeing other large companies require masking in their premises. Again, these businesses have an obligation to protect the safety, the health of their customers. They can even get sued if they don't do that. And then there's always the very basic common sense and legal notion that you don't have to shop at any of these places. If you don't like it, you can choose to go elsewhere. So, generally speaking, yes, it is OK for private businesses to require those things.

KEILAR: Such important questions. Thank you so much for all of those answers, Elie Honig.

HONIG: Thanks, Brianna.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: An education right there.

KEILAR: Right.

BERMAN: So we just heard about what Equinox is doing. The fitness club -- group is requiring vaccinations for staff and members here in New York.

Joining me now is Equinox Group's executive chairman and managing partner, Harvey Spevak.

Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for being with us.

HARVEY SPEVAK, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN AND MANAGING PARTNER, EQUINOX GROUP: Thank you for having me, John.

BERMAN: The vaccine requirements for customers and staff, why? SPEVAK: It's the right thing to do. I mean we've always been guided to

do the right thing. And if you think about what we do in particular, we're about protecting the health and well-being of our -- of our community. And so if you go back in time, but particularly starting at the beginning of COVID, we prioritized that, as we always have, and we think that now is an important time in the inflection with what's going on with COVID to protect our community further.

So we think the best way to do that is to require vaccinations of both our members, our riders and our employees. And that was in response to some surveys that we did of our members where 96 percent of our members say they're vaccinated and overwhelmingly they said they want us to move to a vax only type facility.

BERMAN: Look, I know that I'd feel a lot more comfortable walking into a health club with people sweating and spitting and everything if they were all vaccinated.

What are your customers saying to you in response to this decision yesterday?

SPEVAK: So consistent with our surveys, overwhelming positive feedback. They think this is not just the right thing to do but it makes them feel much better. And we're getting -- people are saying, now I'm prepared to come off freeze (ph). I'm now prepared to join. There's definitely certainly a population out there that would prefer us not to do this. But we think, once again, it's the right thing to do to protect the well-being of our community.

BERMAN: How are you requiring people prove their vaccination status?

SPEVAK: So we're going to kick this into gear starting in New York City right after Labor Day in September. And you'll be able to -- you'll have to give us one-time proof, whether it be through the Excelsior (ph) Pass in New York, you know, Clear (ph) has a pass, or just show us your vax card.

BERMAN: Yes, you all get a vaccination card during your second dose there.

SPEVAK: Right.

BERMAN: Hopefully people held onto it. That's just easy. Flip it out and show you right there.

Look, if you are -- if you refuse to get vaccinated, are you willing to give people their money back on their memberships?

SPEVAK: Absolutely. I mean this is -- we're not -- we're not forcing you to. If you want to come in, we're going to require you to be vaccinated. If you don't want to be vaccinated, then it's OK. And if you're an existing member and you've paid us, we'll give you back your money. We're in the service business.

BERMAN: Talk about the corporate environment. I mean, look, you're a gym. I mean it's a different -- you're fitness clubs of all different kinds. It's a different kind of business.

But in terms of, you know, customer facing, forward facing businesses, what do you think they should be doing around the country?

SPEVAK: Well, clearly, we -- nobody else has done anything as far reaching as we -- we announced yesterday. And I'm proud of the position the company is taking once again to protect the well-being of our employees and our community. I hope that other leading brands will be inspired by this and do -- take similar action. I mean we have a responsibility as corporate citizens as part of the private sector to protect not just, you know, in our case the Equinox or Soul community, but go beyond that. And hopefully this will inspire a lot of companies to do something similar.

BERMAN: Harvey Spevak, I appreciate you being with us.

SPEVAK: Thank you. Thanks for having us.

BERMAN: Thank you very much.

So, there's so much disinformation behind the resistance to getting vaccinated. We're going to debunk some of the most popular myths surrounding the virus and the vaccines.

KEILAR: And Dr. Sanjay Gupta returning to answer more of your questions about the pandemic and what we should expect in the weeks and the months to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:38:04]

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: We're in the self-inflicted stage of this pandemic because the vast majority of people getting hospitalized and dying from this highly contagious delta variant are unvaccinated. We've been fed a lot of lies. So here's some facts to counter their fears.

First, vaccines are safe and effective. There are no significant side effects from the vaccine. There may be long side effects from getting COVID if you survive. About one-third of people with even mild COVID still battle so-called long haul symptoms, like chronic fatigue and chest pain.

Second, don't get distracted by the breakthrough cases. They are very rare. And being vaccinated dramatically decreases your chance of getting hospitalized.

Third, don't believe social media rumors about the vaccine. I shouldn't have to say they don't cause magnetism or contain computer chips, but that's the kind of nonsense that's floating out there. Even less blatant misinformation is just as bogus, like the rumor that it could harm fertility. Listen to Dr. Paul Offit, who sits on the FDA's Vaccine Advisory Committee. He calls this one, quote, all nonsense.

Fourth, the highly contagious delta variant is leading more young and previously healthy people to end up in hospital. And the number of child cases of COVID doubled in mid-July according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Fifth, there's every expectation that all three vaccines will get FDA approval in the coming months. So don't let emergency authorization stop you from getting vaccinated before your own emergency. For all of the screaming about freedom, the ultimate freedom comes from getting the vaccine. It's the freedom to live your life without fear, the freedom that comes from knowing that you won't infect friends and family and the freedom that will come when our country finally gets to reopen completely.

And that's your "Reality Check."

KEILAR: All right, back with us now to answer more of your questions about the pandemic, we have CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

And, Sanjay, we got some really good questions from viewers.

[08:40:03]

I think this one is very interesting. This viewer asks, since viral loads in breakthrough cases of vaccinated people who become infected can be as high as those who are not vaccinated and they become sick, can the virus mutate in those vaccinated people the same way it does in the unvaccinated?

GUPTA: This is a really important question. And the answer is, yes, the virus can mutate. It can mutate in the body of someone who is unvaccinated. It can mutate in the body of someone who is vaccinated. And it might even create more resistant variants as it's exposed to more and more things like, you know, treatments and vaccines.

The crucial point, though, I think is, what is really driving the mutations more than anything else is just the amount of virus spreading. Every time the virus spreads, there's a chance for a mutation. Most of those mutations will be harmless and not have any meaning. But every now and then you'll have a mutation that potentially makes the virus more transmissible, for example, as we've seen with delta.

But I want to show you this data out of San Diego County really quick, if we have this graphic. Basically, yes, the virus spreads. It can -- it can mutate in the vaccinated and unvaccinated. But it is the unvaccinated that have far more of this viral spread than the vaccinated. It's a really critical point. We've got to bring transmission down.

I'll just tell you really quick, you know, like, if you were treating your -- let's say you had an infection on your hand and you were treating with antibiotics, you'd probably also wrap your hand and keep it clean, right? I mean you wouldn't just take the antibiotics and continue to expose your hand to bacteria. It's the same thing here, we're not just going to vaccinate and continue to shower ourselves with virus. We've got to bring viral transmission down at the same time as we vaccinate.

BERMAN: So as we're seeing the delta variant spread and people are talking about boosters, here's a question, Sanjay, either Pfizer or Moderna, are they working on an updated vaccine that targets the delta variant more specifically because, you know, the flu vaccine every year, they work on that to keep it updated?

GUPTA: Yes. The answer is, yes, they have been doing that. We've been following some of those trials. Pfizer is working on a delta specific variant booster now. Moderna actually trialed this with one of the previous variants. And this is just going to be one of those question that I think is still not answered. Is it just fine to give another shot of the existing vaccine because we've seen how much they can boost antibody levels five to ten fold. That may be the right answer. It's just the same vaccine at some point in the future for a booster. But they are working on variant specific vaccines to see if they may offer more advantages.

KEILAR: There's a viewer question here from Keisha who asks, I want to know how it's affecting our children, especially those under 12 that can't be vaxxed. Are they starting to get delta at a higher rate than previous COVID?

GUPTA: The answer is yes, they're getting the disease at a higher rate. And we can show you some of the numbers. Over the last week I think it's gone up close to 19 percent in terms of children who are actually getting sick enough to be evaluated in a hospital. It was 3 percent or so for the two weeks before. So, you know, it's a trend that people are following.

The real question -- you guys talked to Dr. Collins about this, you know, last -- just a little bit ago, but the real question is, is that because it is simply more transmissible or does the delta variant actually make people sick? Just apples to apples, delta variant versus previous variants, is the delta variant making people sicker? There's some early data saying that maybe it does. In Canada there was a study showing 120 percent likelihood of hospitalization. There's data out of Scotland. There's data out of Singapore. I think it's still early data, though. It's just hard to know.

Typically -- typically, viruses become more transmissible at the same time they become less virulent. But we just don't know with delta yet.

BERMAN: Look, Dr. Collins, I was interested, because he's not a guy who I think, you know, is hyperbolic or dives into anything without evidence. He says it's starting to tip -- the evidence is starting to tip a little bit in the direction of the delta variant is making kids sicker than the previous variants.

Preliminary data, but it was interesting to hear Dr. Collins say it's leaning in that direction.

BERMAN: Right.

BERMAN: All right, Sanjay, very interesting stuff. Some terrific questions. And really, really helpful answers from both you and Dr. Collins.

GUPTA: Thank you.

BERMAN: So, coronavirus is running rampant in Louisiana. The largest hospital in the state says it has no beds left. So what happens now?

KEILAR: Plus, in Arkansas, a school district takes a big COVID hit after the first week of classes. We'll tell you all about that, next.

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[08:48:58]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Martin Savidge in Little Rock, Arkansas.

It was not a good first week of school for the students of Marion, Arkansas, which is located over by Memphis. By the end of that week, there were three teachers and seven students who all tested positive for COVID-19, which means now 168 students and three teachers are in quarantine.

It actually could have been worse. Ten students and 15 teachers managed to avoid quarantine. How? They were vaccinated.

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Lucy Kafanov in Denver, where Mayor Michael B. Hancock announced Monday that all city employees, as well as and private sector workers in the high-risk settings will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 30th. This order applies to the city's municipal workforce, including police officers, firefighters and sheriff's deputies, as well as workers in nursing homes, homeless shelters, hospitals, correctional facilities, as well as public and private schools.

Monday's order does not change the city's masking or social distancing recommendations.

[08:50:02]

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jason Carroll in New York City.

The city has seen an uptick in COVID cases. The city's mayor is recommending that anyone who goes inside a public place wear a mask, but he stopped short of issuing a mask mandate. Some of his critics are asking why. The mayor says the recommendation is based on data and science. He says the strategy going forward is focused on getting more people vaccinated.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kaitlan Collins at the White House, where officials say they believe there are some governors who are playing politics when it comes to reinstituting mask mandates in their states. A senior administration official telling CNN they believe there are governors out there, without naming them, that are putting politics above the science when it comes to whether or not to require students to wear masks in schools or people to wear them indoors as, of course, the CDC is now recommending in several parts of the United States where cases are rising. They did not name Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, but it was a clear allusion to him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: A crisis in Louisiana. Hospitalizations rising sharply there, nearing the peak they saw this past winter. New cases shattering prior records.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. CATHERINE O'NEAL, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, OUR LADY OF THE LAKE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: There are no more beds left. Those 23 patients are a glimpse of what we have been doing for the last two weeks while we have been trying to get everybody vaccinated. And it's not helping enough because it's not happening fast enough. And when you come inside our walls, it is quite obvious to you that these are the darkest days of this pandemic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The darkest days of this pandemic. That was Dr. Catherine O'Neal, the chief medical officer at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

She joins us now.

Dr. O'Neal, thank you for being with us.

You know, we spoke to you last week. Just last week you said this was not something you could even get your arms around and the only thing you knew for sure was it would get worse. It did. I mean how bad is the situation this morning?

DR. CATHERINE O'NEAL, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, OUR LADY OF THE LAKE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: The situation this morning is that we are admitting more patients than we're able to discharge each day. So our numbers in the hospital are accumulating and that continues to put a crunch on our staff because we don't have any more beds. So how do you -- how do you put patients in the hospital when you don't have enough staffed beds to put those patients in the hospital. We're seeing longer waits of ambulances outside waiting while they, you know, while they're getting calls for new patients to go to pick up but they're waiting for us to take those patients into the hospital. And it's creating this backlog of care throughout the city all working together, every hospital in the city is working together, but the amount of pressure on the hospitals is just too much.

KEILAR: I mean, to be clear, you're talking about a record, right? You said this -- these are the darkest days of the pandemic. This is the worst that you have seen.

O'NEAL: Yes, this is the absolute worst that we've seen. We've eclipsed all of our personal records here in Baton Rouge.

BERMAN: I saw that just last night, over the last 24 hours, 28 patients have been admitted to the hospital. You have eight patients hospitalized right now under the age of 18. What are you seeing now in terms of the types of patients?

O'NEAL: That's right. So we continue to see younger and younger patients. We continue to have about half of our admissions under the age of 50, knowing that all of those are unvaccinated and all of those would have been preventable hospitalizations, meaning that half of our patients today, half of that 163, if we could have taken those out of the game and taken those out of the hospital, we wouldn't be talking about this today. We would have plenty of room. We'd be operating on people who had their scheduled surgeries today. We'd be letting those patients off the ambulances faster. We'd be providing really good care. And, instead, because of that unvaccinated number, we have run out of beds and we've run out of resources to help people.

KEILAR: I mean, to be clear, it is -- it is still children who are not being as affected, but it does appear, having spoken with the head of NIH, as we just did, and talking with our Sanjay Gupta, that this delta variant is tougher on kids than previous variants. We heard from a medical officer of a pediatric hospital there in the south who said that they normally would have zero to three patients at any given time when it came to COVID. They were looking at now more than 20 patients and that there were a handful of them who were mechanically ventilated.

Do you think that this is going to get through to people that the risk to children is increasing even if it is not extremely high? It is getting higher.

O'NEAL: It is getting higher. We were seeing about four to five kids in the emergency department each week in June with COVID-19 and admitting very few of those, if any.

[08:55:02]

Now we're seeing 40 to 60 kids a week diagnosed with COVID-19 in the emergency department and admitting more and more of those.

So while kids overall do OK, and mostly from viruses kids are fine, our hospital is at its capacity. We're not allowing any more children to be transferred into our children's hospital today.

BERMAN: I think we lost Dr. Catherine O'Neal there. But you could hear in her voice, Brianna, how hard this has been. The darkest days of the pandemic so far. They have run out of beds. And she's pleading with people to get vaccinated. It's the only thing that will help her do her job and save lives.

KEILAR: Yes, it's -- I think a lot of people have been behaving as if the pandemic is over and it is very clear it is not. As she said, the darkest days.

BERMAN: We all need to help her out. All right, next, we have more on the breaking news this morning. Simone Biles wins the bronze in her return to the Olympics.

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