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Cancer Patient's Surgery Delayed over COVID; Vax Rates for Football Teams; Ole Miss Vaccinates Entire Team and Coaching Staff; CDC Looks at Breakthrough Cases; Son of Late Officer gets Escort to School. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 10, 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]

MICHAEL KAGAN, PROFESSOR OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA LAS VEGAS: Well, I -- I have cancerous lymph nodes right here in my neck. I can feel them with my fingers. And I need to have them taken out. It's been six months since the first symptom appeared.

And all of my treatment is delayed. So basically I have untreated, deadly cancer. And I should have been able to have surgery this last Wednesday, on August 4th, and I couldn't. So it's very scary. And I'm hoping to get it next week but there's no guarantees.

KEILAR: What did you think about that when you heard that there wouldn't be a recovery bed for you because these are largely unvaccinated individuals who are filling these beds who had the choice to get vaccinated?

KAGAN: On a personal level, I was depressed, because I, you know, I think I'm adjusted mentally to my cancer and the treatment that I needed. But when I feel that I can't get treatment, that's the hardest thing.

As for people who are unvaccinated? I do hope that hearing stories like mine and knowing that there are people probably in everyone's lives going through something similar might put someone who's wavering and, you know, move them towards getting a shot. But I also hope institutions that can protect all of us, that are thinking about mandates, consider us as well, right?

I don't -- I don't want to shame anybody and I don't want to express any anger at anybody, I just want people to not get sick and not get as sick. I'm already sick. I need to go into the hospital and get surgery. And when the hospital beds are all taken up by people with COVID, almost all of them unvaccinated, yes, that -- that prevents me from getting my surgery. But mostly I just don't want people to be so sick. And the way to avoid that is to get everybody vaccinated.

KEILAR: So now you're looking at having this surgery pushed back two weeks, to August 18th. And that's two weeks later than was recommended for removing the cancerous lymph nodes that are in your neck.

KAGAN: Right.

KEILAR: Is there -- do you worry that that could get further pushed back? And what is two weeks delay mean for you?

KAGAN: Well, I've been told that there's no guarantee that I'll have the surgery next week. So I'm on pins and needles this week and I will be really until they check me into the hospital to make sure it's not canceled again.

I don't know what I'll do if it is. I mean my wife and I have talked about some possibilities but the reality is, is that we don't have a plan b.

I have a time bomb in my neck. I feel fine now. But no one -- you know, you always hear with cancer, early detection matters and that's because early treatment matters . I'm not getting any treatment. So, on any given day, it could spread to another part of my body or it could grow and cause a much greater problem. So I'm just living with a time bomb and we're just letting it tick down basically because I'm not getting any treatment.

KEILAR: Michael, I will tell you, our fingers are crossed for you that this is going to happen for you next week so that you can get your treatment that's already been delayed. And there are so many Americans, I think, who are in similar positions, or if they're not maybe they'll think of someone who is in their life.

And, Michael, thank you so much for giving voice to that.

KAGAN: Thank you very much for listening.

KEILAR: Up next, we will take you to a place where no one takes vaccines for granted.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And, could the COVID surge threaten football season? Your favorite players and teams lining up for and against vaccines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:37:51]

BERMAN: So, welcome back to our CNN special report.

Football season is almost here. And some NFL players are still giving really convoluted answers when it comes to the vaccines. The latest, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was just infected with COVID for a second time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAMAR JACKSON, BALTIMORE RAVENS QUARTERBACK: Yes, I just got off the COVID list. You know, I've -- so, you know, I've got to talk to my team doctors and, you know, try to see how they feel about it, you know, keep learning as much as I can about it and we'll go from there.

I feel it's a personal decision. You know, I'm just going to (INAUDIBLE) about that with my family, you know, keep my feelings to my family and myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So when Patriots' quarterback Cam Newton was asked if he was vaccinated, he gave a similar, familiar dodge, saying that kind of question is off limits.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAM NEWTON, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: I think it's too personal for each and every person to kind of discuss it. And I just keep it at that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Too personal to discuss? Ask any NFL player who lands on the injury report how personal that information is.

KEILAR: And then there's the Minnesota Viking's quarterback Kirk Cousins, who pondered whether he should incase himself in Plexiglas before getting vaccinated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRK COUSINS, MINNESOTA VIKINGS QUARTERBACK: So I'm going to be vigilant about avoiding a close contact. I've even thought about, should I just set up, literally, Plexiglas around where I sit so that this could never happen again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, his hometown hospital, on Cousins had partnered with for years, ended up cutting ties with the quarterback over his stance on vaccines.

The Vikings have the lowest vax rate in the league and that could impact not just that team. Just talk to the businesses who heavily rely on game-day traffic who are now on edge that this could lead to missed home games and lost revenue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK KRAMARCZUK, GENERAL MANAGER, KRAMARCZUK'S DELI: Anytime you have a large event downtown, it's a step in the right direction. Eating at restaurants, you know, drinking at bars. It's unfortunate that -- that that's kind of the penalty we all pay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, for his part, Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer has been critical of his team's vaccination status and clearly has had it with misinformation that's floating around. [08:40:04]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE ZIMMER, MINNESOTA VIKINGS HEAD COACH: These guys, some of them just won't do it. And I shouldn't say it but some of the things they read are just, whoo, out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Out there.

While some players are vocally opposing the vaccine, not every player is.

And joining us now to talk about this data is CNN's senior data reporter Harry Enten.

You know, Harry, in both college and the NFL, teams could potentially forfeit games -- I'm sure they're not thrilled about that prospect -- if they're not vaccinated and there is an outbreak.

So give us a sense of what's happening. Let's talk about the SEC.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes, I mean, you know, you pointed out, some players are skeptical. But, in fact, a lot of players are getting this vaccine. And, you know, you pointed out the SEC. Just want to point this out. These are some of the big programs in the SEC and throughout the entire country, college football -- speaking, I love my college football.

Look at these vaccination rates. My goodness gracious. Ole Miss, 100 percent! LSU, over 94 percent. UGA, over 90 percent. Alabama, about 90 percent. Arkansas, 90 percent . These are huge numbers, especially when you put it into the context of what is going on in those states.

Look at this. If you look at these states, these are not necessarily states that have a lot of folks vaccinated. You know, this is the eligible population. And what do you see? You see at most Arkansas is at 58 percent partially vaccinated. Go down to Mississippi, just 50 percent. People fully vaccinated, look at this, all in the 40s.

So you're looking at these SEC programs. They're well above the people who are eligible in those states . S that's a good sign.

But I'll take it one step further. Look at this. Look at young adults. These are select states. We don't' have every state on here. We don't have Arkansas, which is unavailable. But look at this. This are the select southern states. And these are young people, just like those folks in the football program.

Look at that, just 28 percent in Alabama, just 38 percent in Georgia, just 31 percent in Louisiana, and just 30 percent in Mississippi. So these college programs in the south are far more vaccinated than the people their age in the south. They're far outrunning it. And I think it's because they think they might have to forfeit some games and those football coaches are really getting their players vaccinated.

It's actually a great sign of what we're generally seeing and I'm hopeful some of the fans will see that their players are getting vaccinated and say, you know what, maybe I should go out and get vaccinated too.

And you were talking about the NFL, which I must admit is a little bit more near and dear to my heart. I'm a huge Buffalo Bills football fan and I want those players completely vaccinated because I don't want them missing any games. I want everyone on the field. This is our chance to win a Super Bowl.

But, you know, you talk about the NFL. Look at this. Players with at least one dose, 90 percent. Nine teams, over 95 percent vaxed. Teams with the lowest rate, just 71 percent vaxed. We believe that's Minnesota.

But the point is, even if you look at the lowest team vaxed, that is still much more than we might normally expect for young men. So what we're seeing right now, both on the college level and on the NFL level is the idea that you might have to forfeit games is getting these players to go out there and get vaccinated. And that, my friends, is a very, very good thing.

BERMAN: It means the consequences matter.

KEILAR: Right. Don't mess with football.

ENTEN: Do not mess with football. Football is our thing.

KEILAR: I think it's the model for other things as well, don't you think, Berman?

BERMAN: It could be. In all seriousness, it could be.

All right, Harry, thank you very much.

So as you just saw, the University of Mississippi's football team, Ole Miss, has a 100 percent vaccination rate for players, coaches, and staff. That's more than 240 people according to the team. That's also well above the 85 percent threshold that would exempt a team from regular COVID testing. That's according to SEC rules. Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin praised the team at a news conference yesterday .

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LANE KIFFIN, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, OLE MISS: I think that shows a lot about, you know, their safety but also their commitment to each other. You know, that they're not just protecting themselves, but to protect, you know, bringing something in here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Joining us now is Keith Carter, the vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics at Ole Miss.

Thank you so much for being with us.

My first question is simply, 100 percent, really?

KEITH CARTER, VICE CHANCELLOR FOR INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS, OLE MISS: Yes . I'll tell you what, it's been -- it's been a good -- good 10 days. You know, I think for us, we -- we had a few that -- that still needed to be vaccinated and Coach Kiffin and his staff did a fantastic job of talking with the team. And, you know, obviously, everybody has different opinions and, you know, on this vaccine and, you know, wants to do some different things at times.

But, you know, I feel like we did a good job as a department. We brought in, you know, a lot of experts to talk to our student athletes. And then, again, coach Kiffin and his staff did a good job just kind of hammering it home here at the end.

But, yes, 100 percent. we're really proud of that. And, you know, hoping that will bode well for the season.

BERMAN: Do you think this would have been possible -- or how possible would this have been had there not been the consequence of having to forfeit games if you didn't get vaccinated?

CARTER: Well, I think that certainly playing a big part of this . You know, I think, you know, last year you look at the season and we built in some weeks where we could play makeup games and those type of things.

[08:45:02]

And this year, you know, the SEC, you know, made the mandate that we're not going to do that. You know, we're going to -- we're going to try to get everyone vaccinated. We're going to try to get through the season without disruption but we're not building in any of those makeup weeks.

And so I think that -- that's a big part of this. You know, our guys want to play. They want to make sure that they're healthy. You know, they don't want to be the reason that they caused their teammates to miss games and those type of things.

So, you know, a lot of credit to our young men and our staff and really everybody in our football building for doing the right thing. And, again, hopefully that will -- will make for a great season this year.

BERMAN: You know, it's pretty interesting, though, as -- as he -- you know, if you try to extrapolate that over society, consequences. If there are direct consequences can make a difference. If people aren't willing to make the decision for medical reasons, because they think it will make them or their loved ones healthier, maybe other consequences can make a difference.

CARTER: Yes, you know, I think in our case, you know, certainly having that in the background was a big part of the decision. But, you know, again, I think we did a good job. We did a panel last week with four or five, you know, doctors that came in and really gave a lot of factual information. You know, obviously, there's a lot of information out there that maybe is not right, or whatever. So, you know, we did that.

But, yes, I think that having that consequence and knowing that, you know, hey, we may miss a game, you know, if we're not fully vaccinated and, if that happens, then, you know, we're going to have to forfeit that game. There's no makeup.

So, you know, I think it was -- it was part of the decision, obviously. But, again, I think it was kind of the totality of the education and just, you know, again, the coaching staff did a really nice job but with each individual player, you know, at times talking to parents, talking to guardians, you know, those types of things for this very personal decisions. So, you know, it's been very good and, again, hopefully we'll see some positive results of it this season.

BERMAN: Coach -- you don't need to sugarcoat it. It's not very good or nice, it's great! I mean if you've got 100 percent vaccinated, that's phenomenal. I mean it really just is. It's astounding. It's really better than almost any other case I've seen in the country, you know, with just about anything.

It makes you wonder, you know, football's so important, obviously, to SEC fans and to other fans around the -- I mean what would happened at your stadium if you said the only people who can come in and watch the game are vaccinated people? I'm not saying you're doing that or should do that, but is seems to me you might get a stadium full of vaccinated people.

CARTER: Well, you make a great point. You know, here in the southeast, football is so, so important. And I know everyone's really excited for the season.

You know, for us, we -- we would never do that. I mean we -- you know, we certainly know that it's a personal decision for folks. But we just felt like, within our program, you know, that's something that was important. And, you know, obviously, those guys are around each other every single day. You know, they want to make sure that they're doing the best by their teammate, by their coaches and, you know, trying to do what's best for our program.

But, you know, certainly we encourage everyone to get the vaccination. You know, we hope that this is encouragement, you know, not only to young people, but really our state of Mississippi. As you mentioned before, you know, we have one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country and we're seeing a lot of cases right now, quite honestly.

So, you know, we hope that our folks here in the state will look at our young men and see what they've done and use that as an example to go get vaccinated for sure.

BERMAN: As I said before, really is amazing stuff. Just amazing stuff. I hope people are looking at your school as an example of what can happen. You say it's a personal decision but it's a decision made that has consequences to others, as I think you acknowledge in the case of football games perhaps being canceled or forfeited.

So, Keith Carter, thanks so much for being with us. Thank you for the work you've done.

CARTER: Absolutely. Thank you.

KEILAR: A stunning number. Jacqueline Howard looking at the number of severe breakthrough cases in America.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN REPORTER: I'm Jacqueline Howard in Atlanta, where the CDC has been investigating severe breakthrough COVID-19 cases among vaccinated people. And the CDC says that vaccines are still working as expected.

Among 164 million people in the U.S. who are fully vaccinated, 99.99 percent of them have not had a breakthrough case resulting in hospitalizations or death. That's according to a CNN analysis of the CDC data.

Now, among those who have had breakthrough infections, 74 percent were among adults 65 and older. And, overall, the CDC says to date there have been no unexpected patterns in their breakthrough case data.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: That is considerable.

BERMAN: It is.

KEILAR: Almost 100 percent, you know, you're safe from the severe effects of COVID.

BERMAN: It's amazing. It's proof again that the vaccines work.

And I just want to give some news, and it has to do with what we've been talking about here. This is breaking news. We don't have the CNN music here.

But Marjorie Taylor Greene just had her twitter account suspended. Why? Because she sent out a tweet overnight that said the FDA should not approve COVID vaccines. I'm not going to read the rest of what she said because it was misinformation, right. In response, Twitter labeled the tweet misleading and has prevented Greene from tweeting for one week.

[08:50:03]

KEILAR: Well, that's not her first suspension, right?

BERMAN: You know, I don't know. She may be comfortable with it because of some of the other things she's said before. But, again, tweet -- suspended for tweeting COVID misinformation about the vaccines.

KEILAR: People listen to it. They listen to it.

BERMAN: All right, just ahead, schools in a dangerous standoff with state governors over masks in classrooms.

KEILAR: And, up next, a special escort for a young boy who lost his father to COVID on his way to school. You're going to hear from him after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: On Monday, fourth grader Noah Swanger had a very special first day of school. The nine-year-old was escorted to school by officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. And they were there for a fellow officer who could not be, Noah's father, Officer Jason Swanger, died and from complications of COVID earlier this summer. He was a seven-year veteran of the department.

And joining us now to talk about this is that young man from the video, Noah, and his mom, Christa Swanger, who are with us.

I want to thank both of you so much for being with us. We are so incredibly sorry for your loss, Noah and Christa. And I know, Christa, that of comfort to you has been just how much support you've gotten from the Las Vegas Police Department.

[08:55:03]

This isn't the only beautiful thing that your husband's colleagues have done to help your family.

CHRISTA SWANGER, LOST HUSBAND TO COVID-19: No, they've -- they've been there. Sorry. They've been there through the whole time.

Noah had a birthday on July 24th, and the whole squad showed up to the house in their patrol cars with a trunk full of gifts for him. He was completely overwhelmed and so surprised and thankful for all of them and how much they have meant to us and how much support they have given us.

Even his -- Jason's partner, they would come home for lunch on the week -- during work and his partner even tries to still come home to have lunch with him when he can. So they've been -- his squad has been amazing.

BERMAN: So, Noah, that's a pretty sweet way to show up to school. That's a couple of impressive wing men you had right there on the first day.

How did that feel for you?

NOAH SWANGER: WALKED TO SCHOOL WITH LATE FATHER'S FELLOW POLICE OFFICERS: It was overwhelming and -- and since I had a lot of nerves, it sat -- it calmed my nerves down.

BERMAN: Calmed your nerves down. What is it that you think gave you those nerves?

N. SWANGER: Just the first day of school.

BERMAN: Yes, that could be.

N. SWANGER: And since I -- (INAUDIBLE) and since I was online, it was very nervous for me.

KEILAR: Yes, it's been a while since you've been back at school.

Christa, can you just, you know, it's been -- it has not been long at all since you said good-bye to your husband. What has it been like for you here in the last months?

C. SWANGER: It's been very difficult for Noah and myself. We have a huge support system, which makes it -- you know, it helps a lot. But it's -- it's a whole new life, you know, not having him here and not being able to share all the special moments, like the first day of school, his birthday. So we're (ph), you know, a whole year of new firsts that, you know, we're going to have that he's not going to be a part of.

BERMAN: If we can find the video again and put up the video of Noah arriving at the first day of school with that -- that escorting officers , Noah, I -- you know, I have a couple questions there.

First of all, oh, man, the vehicle escort is fantastic. But I noticed your -- you look good here. I mean the tie. Talk to me about that decision.

N. SWANGER: I wore a tie to school because I'm the man of the house now.

BERMAN: Oh. You look great, Noah, and I'm sure your mother feels blessed and lucky to have you there as the man of the house. And you wore the tie well. And I know how proud your father would be that you chose to wear the tie.

Talk to me about school and how school has been going for you so far. What's your favorite part?

N. SWANGER: Probably my teacher.

BERMAN: That's greats great.

KEILAR: You always want that -- you always want it -- that's the most important thing, you want to have the year where you started out with a teacher you really love.

You know, Christa, I can't imagine how difficult it is for you to hear him saying that he's the -- he's the man of the house now. Can you tell us a little bit -- just share with us a little bit about Jason so that people can know him.

C. SWANGER: Jason was an amazing husband, father, police officer. He wore his heart on his sleeve. He would literally do anything for anybody. He was the first person my family would go to if they had an issue.

He always wanted to be a police officer since I had met him. And he would stay late. He was a field training officer, so he helped train the new officers. And that really is something he loved to do. He loved to train them and help them and guide them be the best police officer they could be.

He would stray late. I mean -- almost every day he was late coming home from work. He really, really enjoyed his job. He enjoyed helping people. He just wanted to be out there and do whatever he could for our community. He did so much community service with Noah's school.

[09:00:01]

Anything they asked him to do, he was absolutely, I will do it. He just -- he was very loving and caring.