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New Day

Hospitalizations for Kids and Adults under 50 Reach Record; Lotfullah Najafizada is Interviewed about Journalism in Afghanistan; Cornelius Daniel is Interviewed about COVID hitting his Family. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired August 19, 2021 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:33:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, the delta variant is fueling a surge in COVID hospitalizations among children and younger adults, which according to the CDC the rate is higher now than at any time during the pandemic.

CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now.

It's so interesting to see this, that for these age groups it's worse than ever.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. So all the time that people have been saying, oh, I'm not so worried about my child, I'm not going to get my 13-year-old vaccinated. Kids don't really get affected by this. They have -- people have to rethink that because the numbers that we're about to see really show what's going on.

So let's take a look at a graph. This is hospitalizations among 18 and younger. And what you see there is that green line all the way to the right is higher. It is higher than it was in January.

So now let's take a look at the increases since January. So 33 percent -- the hospitalizations among minors have gone up 33 percent since January. And then you can see those numbers are for older age groups, but still going up. But, you know, this is serious for children.

John, yesterday in the United States, there were nearly 2,000 children hospitalized with COVID-19. For a child to be sick enough to end up in the hospital, they're quite sick. It's -- it's -- they don't just put children in the hospital. They are quite sick.

And so, again, anyone who's thinking, oh, I don't need to vaccinate my 13-year-old or I don't need to get vaccinated, my children are little, I'm not going to get them sick, it's going be OK, think about that -- those 2,000 children that are in the hospital.

And, by the way, some of them, yes, had underlying problems, but not all of them. I mean there are perfectly healthy children who got COVID and are ended up -- ending up in the hospital.

BERMAN: People need to rethink their views and how they look at that pandemic at this point. It's just different -- different than it was.

COHEN: It's different. It's different. And I think that's a very good point. This is a moving situation. It is a changing situation. You can't think, oh, this is just like it was a year and a half ago. It's not. Delta variant is different. It is just different.

BERMAN: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much for that.

[06:35:00]

COHEN: Thanks.

BERMAN: So more on our breaking news this morning. Reuters is reporting at least 12 people have been killed in recent days outside Kabul's airport as the Taliban fights with crowds of Afghans desperate to escape.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And amid the chaos, picture like this, a young child sleeping on a U.S. transport plane. What will life look like for children and women under Taliban rule.

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KEILAR: Chaos at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan continued overnight as crowds of people rushed to the north gate, desperately trying to leave the country now controlled by the Taliban. But the Pentagon insists that with the help of the Taliban, all American citizens will be able to get out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. MARK MILLEY, CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: The Taliban are in and around Kabul right now but they are not interfering with our operations.

[06:40:02]

Through the State Department, the Taliban are facilitating the safe passage to the airport for American citizens. That is U.S. passport holders.

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KEILAR: But this was the scene on the ground last night.

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KEILAR: You can hear guns being fired off, perhaps caused some of those sounds by stun or flash grenades and also what appears to be tear gas. Dozens of people could be seen scrambling beside the walls at the entrance to the airport, including women and small children. U.S. troops pulling people over the gates. And then look at this, video captured outside the airport showing

crowds so desperate they're passing a baby forward at the gate, trying to spare that child a life under the Taliban.

BERMAN: So amid this chaos, the Afghan people have a message for the U.S. government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So what's your message to America right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's our message, America, we help the American people, so that's their jobs to help now right now here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So help has come for some. As you can see here, Afghans boarding a U.S. military plane. But as of this moment, only a lucky few.

And the comfort and safety afforded to this little girl, using a U.S. Air Force jacket as a blanket, might not be extended to all the Afghans who have been promised safe passage to the United States and might very well be left behind when the U.S. leaves for good.

That is quite a picture right there.

KEILAR: It certainly is. It will tell the story of what some people have. It will tell the story of what other people will not be able to attain here in the coming days.

So just days after the Taliban insisted that the rights of women and journalists would be upheld and respected, a female radio broadcaster says she has been banned from reporting while her male colleagues were allowed to go to work. Her message was relayed via an Afghan news channel.

And joining us now is Lotfullah Najafizada. He is the head of TOLOnews TV in Afghanistan, which is the largest independent news operation there in the country.

Lotfullah, thank you so much for being with us.

First off, before we talk about the general state of things when it comes to the ability for Afghans to have access to information of free media, there was a stunning moment at TOLOnews where you actually had one of your female presenters, Basheta Argon (ph), who was interviewing a Taliban spokesperson. This was the first time that an Afghan woman has interviewed someone from the Taliban, a spokesperson, like this ever. Tell us about how this happened.

LOTFULLAH NAJAFIZADA, HEAD OF TOLONEWS TV IN AFGHANISTAN: Thank you.

We didn't stop our operation when the Taliban took over Kabul. Our decision was to continue to do what we've been doing for so many years. And Basheta Argon (ph) was just showing up at work that particular day. We didn't change it. We didn't want her to not show up at work. And I think that was very -- I think that was very, very -- that was a decision for her to go to work and the Taliban was there and I think the interview was conducted.

KEILAR: What does the Taliban being there mean for journalism and for women in journalism, so many of them who are providing this service?

NAJAFIZADA: We don't know. I don't think we know what's going to happen to journalists like Basheta (ph) and -- and all other female and male journalists and the media in general. We know that the Taliban stopped female journalists going to the state broadcaster, which the Taliban control -- fully controls now. The independent and private broadcasters I think still have to determine and see what's going to happen to them.

KEILAR: One Taliban spokesperson told a western media outlet that the media will be able to report criticism of the Taliban. Do you believe that?

NAJAFIZADA: Well, I hope -- I hope that's the general statement. I think the fact that the Taliban is creating this environment of uncertainty, that is inviting so many journalists to do self (ph) censorship. So I must say there is this vacuum right now in Afghanistan that we cannot say what's going to happen past 24 hours, past 48 hours and what's going to happen to journalists.

[06:45:06]

KEILAR: What are your concerns about what happens to journalism and information and media in Afghanistan once western cameras are gone?

NAJAFIZADA: Well, in the past few months access to so many provinces in the country had been restricted. And that has been because journalists, both foreign and local, have not been able to go to these provinces. And now I think that has been extended to, you know, places in Kabul. Even in Kabul, I must say, the focus is so much around evacuation and the airport, which is the U.S. perspective. What is happening in other areas of Kabul, what is happening to so many other neighborhoods, I think -- I think there is still a dark.

KEILAR: Yes, there's still very much a lack of information.

Thank you so much for being with us. Lotfullah Najafizada with TOLOnews. Really appreciate -- really appreciate it.

So ahead we will be speaking live with the U.S. surgeon general on why he is recommending booster shots for COVID.

BERMAN: And then one couple who waited to get vaccinated, they die on the same day, leaving behind two children. I'm going to speak with a relative who took those children in, coming up.

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[06:50:14] BERMAN: One family facing an unimaginable loss because of COVID. Martin and Trina Daniel of Georgia, were college sweethearts, married for more than 20 years. In late June, the couple and their teenage children, none of whom had been vaccinated, they all got COVID. Martin and Trina died from the virus within hour of each other on July 6th, leaving behind their 15-year-old daughter Marina (ph) and their 18- year-old son Miles. According to the family, Martin and Trina were scheduled to get the vaccine just a week after they passed.

Joining me now is Martin and Trina's nephew, Cornelius Daniel, who is now caring for his cousins.

Cornelius, thanks for being with us this morning.

CORNELIUS DANIEL, LOST AUNT AND UNCLE ON THE SAME DAY TO COVID: Thank you.

BERMAN: You know, so much loss for the Daniel family. How are you all doing this morning?

DANIEL: We're doing well. We're day to day. We're just -- we're kind of -- we're trying to turn the -- turn the page and open a new chapter, but it's been a long six weeks dealing with the passing of my uncle and aunt and transitioning Miles and Marina up to the metro Atlanta area with my family and my wife. But we're -- we're doing well.

BERMAN: Now, Miles is now off to college, but Marina is living with you. You're caring for both them. How did you make that decision?

DANIEL: Well, it was a decision that we just made, my wife and I made. It makes -- it makes sense. We wanted to put them in the best situation to achieve their dreams, their educational goals. Marina's still in -- she's a sophomore in high school now, so we wanted to set her up for the next level and also have a place for them to call home and be around family and friends that could help support them as they achieve their dreams.

BERMAN: How are they doing? How she's doing? To lose both your parents ever, but on the same day, I can't imagine the pain.

DANIEL: It's -- it's been a, you know, a long six weeks. It's been some -- some tumultuous times for us. But, you know, this started at the beginning of July when my uncle and aunt's passing. And we didn't get closure until the end of July with the services.

But now, as Miles has transitioned to college, and Marina has started her sophomore year of high school, I think their focus now has turned to just making sure their future is there and that their family surrounds them and loves them and that we have support, a support system and a village in plates to make sure that they can move forward with their lives.

BERMAN: And I know you've made it your job now to ensure that their future is bright and safe.

DANIEL: Absolutely.

BERMAN: Look, your -- your -- your uncle was a chemist. I mean he knows science, yet they had decided to wait to get vaccinated. They were scheduled to do it the week after they ended up dying. Why the hesitancy and what's the lesson there?

DANIEL: Well, my uncle was a Tuskegee graduate. He understood the atrocities of the United States syphilis study. And so he was hesitant about a lot of vaccines. And then the COVID vaccine came out. As a research scientist, he was -- he was hesitant on the group (ph) because he said it was rushed. And so as they got the diagnosis -- and after the diagnosis was placed, they -- they decided, OK, now it's time. But, unfortunately, they waited a little too late.

BERMAN: And what's --

DANIEL: And my -- my message --

BERMAN: I was going to say -- and -- yes.

DANIEL: My message to those --

BERMAN: I'm so sorry, go ahead.

DANIEL: My message to those that are hesitant now is that, don't wait. As a country, we have to do this and come together and get through this pandemic. And the only way to do that, the best method now is to get the vaccine.

BERMAN: Cornelius Daniel, thank you for the message. Thank you for what you're doing for your family. I know it's an honor for you to be able to do it and provide the love that you are. Thank you so much.

DANIEL: Thank you for having us share our story.

BERMAN: The Biden administration unveiling a plan for vaccine boosters this fall because of the threat of the delta variant. The announcement has raised a lot of new questions. The surgeon general will join us live to answer.

KEILAR: Plus, new comments just in from President Biden on the chaos in Afghanistan as the U.S. races to evacuate tens of thousands.

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[06:59:25]

KEILAR: Right now more than 30 people remain unaccounted for after Tropical Depression Fred unleashed heavy rains and dangerous conditions in North Carolina. Now it's on a path to soak New York with flash floods and there's also another storm that is just offshore. So let's take a look at what is heading our way here and get to meteorologist Chad Myers.

Chad, what are you seeing? CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Brianna, three storms. Fred, that's

dying, but still making very heavy rainfall. Grace made landfall just a little bit ago near Cozumel in Cancun. And Henri, which is something we're going to have to watch for the Northeast over the weekend.

This weather is brought to you by Servpro, helping make fire and water damage like it never even happened.

[07:00:02]

So let's get to it. Here's the rain with Fred. Even a few thunderstorms over Connecticut and Rhode Island right now. Had some tornado warning overnight.