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New York City Dealing with Omicron Surge; Moderna Releases Preliminary Data on Booster's Effects on Omicron; Will CDC Change Definition of Fully Vaccinated?; Manchin Says He Won't Vote for Build Back Better Bill. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired December 20, 2021 - 06:00   ET

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm John Berman. Brianna is off. Erica Hill with me this morning.

[06:00:10]

On this NEW DAY, Omicron in America. New York City seeing a huge spike in cases. But some hopeful signs, as well.

Senator Joe Manchin puts a nail in the Build Back Better coffin, seeming to kill the president's signature domestic policy Bill. The White House with a new scathing response.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: A Republican plan to block President Biden from seating a Supreme Court justice if they take back power in the midterms. The new CNN reporting ahead.

And swinging into theaters and the record books. Spider-Man shatters the pandemic-era slump at the box office.

BERMAN: All right. We do begin with breaking news. Moderna announced just moments ago that its preliminary data suggests its COVID-19 booster is effective against the Omicron variant. This is welcome news, as Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Omicron will become the dominant variant within a matter of weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: This virus is extraordinary. It has a doubling time of anywhere from two to three days. Right now, in certain regions of the country, 50 percent of the isolates are Omicron, which means it's going to take over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: It's going to take over. The resurgent virus has caused sporting events and other live shows to be postponed or canceled. The demand for COVID testing is spiking, with hours-long lines at testing sites becoming the norm.

Average daily cases now stand at 130,000. That's up from an average of 70,000 new cases per day at the beginning of November.

HILL: And in New York, after three state days of record-setting new cases, the state is averaging 16,000 new cases a day. That's up 154 percent in less than a week.

New York City has seen nearly 6,000 new cases on Sunday alone.

Hospitalizations in the state are rising, but not spiking. That's important. New York City Mayor-elect Adams says he expects Omicron to be, a quote, "fast and temporary phenomenon."

As for the city's traditional New Year's Eve celebration, the current mayor says still deciding whether to go ahead with it. As we wait for that answer, concern about Omicron does not appear to have deterred holiday travel. The TSA screening more than 2 million passengers for a third straight day.

CNN's Jason Carroll is live this morning in Times Square with more. Jason, good morning.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, a lot of concerns here in New York City, as you know. For now, the ball drop celebrations are still a go.

All this as city and state officials keep a close eye on those COVID numbers to see what they will do next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (voice-over): New York City is already dressed up for the holiday season. But behind all these costumes and celebrations, there is one major concern: the looming Omicron coronavirus variant.

FAUCI: It's going to take over. And if you look at what it's done in South Africa, what it's doing in the U.K., and what it's starting to do right now, we are going to be in for some serious difficulties right now. And we better be doing more to mitigate against that.

CARROLL: Just a few days before Christmas, Dr. Anthony Fauci and many other health experts are issuing strong warnings to all Americans.

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: There's a tsunami coming. This Omicron variant is extraordinarily contagious. This may be the most contagious virus that civilization has faced in our lifetimes.

CARROLL: Those warnings as Delta is driving the current surge, with New York state breaking the highest single-day COVID-19 case count for the third consecutive day.

On Sunday, 22,478 positive COVID-19 cases were reported across the state, up from 21,908 on Saturday. On Friday, that number stood at 21,027 positive cases.

In New York City, COVID-19 cases more than doubled last week. And while caseloads are high, Mayor-elect Eric Adams says the city is not seeing a substantial number of deaths or problems with hospitalizations.

With the spread shutting down everything from the Rockettes to some Broadway shows, to seven NHL teams, to New Yorkers, and to the rest of the country, the message is clear.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: This temporary reality demands an urgent, immediate step, which is to maximize vaccination.

CARROLL: But for many New Yorkers, their immediate need is getting test, and there is growing frustration as people are, once again, dealing with long lines and fewer options.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I drove here from upstate, because upstate, it's impossible to even be tested, PCR test. So I drove here to stay in this line.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't want to be standing in line when it's 30 degrees outside, waiting for a test.

CARROLL: Nearly two years into the pandemic, this is not the holiday season New Yorkers were expecting. And, if you're planning to spend your New Year's Eve in Times Square --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As of right now, we are mandating that everyone who come -- comes to Times Square New Year's Eve be vaccinated.

We don't want to be tone deaf. We realize that there -- there is a surge. And we're going to be working with them and our medical experts to follow the data and the science.

CARROLL: Trying to strike a more optimistic tone, Mayor Bill de Blasio telling New Yorkers, and visitors alike, not to dash their holiday plans, not yet.

DE BLASIO: We're going to make a decision before Christmas. We're certainly looking at the new challenge we're facing. But, again, this is an all-vaccination event, and it is outdoors. And those are two very, very important favorable factors.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: So, again, anyone coming into Times Square for the ball drop will have to show proof of vaccination. They'll also have to show their I.D.

At this point, organizers are also encouraging people who are coming here to wear masks. But at this point, they're not requiring it -- Erica.

HILL: Jason Carroll with the latest for us. We'll continue to watch as that develops this week.

There is also breaking news this morning. Moderna announcing moments ago preliminary data about its COVID-19 booster. Elizabeth Cohen joining us now.

So what does this preliminary data show, Elizabeth?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Erica, Moderna's press release that they put out about an hour ago, it's a little bit cryptic. But I'm going to tell you what we learned.

The booster that Moderna puts out now, the one that many, many people have been getting, is 50 micrograms. When they took it to the laboratory and tested it, they found that it raised antibody levels, it boosted antibody levels, but that 100 micrograms actually did even better. And they said they're continuing to work on an Omicron- specific booster.

So that Moderna booster that you could go right now to the pharmacy and get, you know, will it help you? I think the answer is, look, it is clearly better than not having the booster, but it is unclear exactly what effect it has on Omicron. Does it work as well against Omicron as it worked, say, against Delta or previous versions of the coronavirus? That is unclear.

But, again, the bottom line that we're getting here, is that it is better to be boosted than not to be boosted -- Erica.

HILL: And that's consistent. That, we know. Which is good news. Elizabeth, thank you.

COHEN: Yes. For sure.

BERMAN: So obviously, both Pfizer and Moderna now say that the regimen with the booster, three shots, provides the optimal protection. But the CDC definition of fully-vaccinated is still just two shots.

So when will that definition change? CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard joins us now.

Jacqueline, what's the latest on this?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH CORRESPONDENT: John, the latest on this is that we could see the definition change. But when that will happen is what remains unclear.

And there are some logistical challenges with updating the definition. That's because if you remember, about a year ago, when vaccine makers got their vaccines authorized, they applied for emergency use authorization, noting that a preliminary series is just two doses.

And so in their authorization applications, they said that two doses would mean fully vaccinated. So to change that, there are some logistical challenges.

And what we could see happen, possibly, is that once boosters are fully approved -- they're currently under authorization. But once approval happens, maybe that's when CDC could change the definition.

So all eyes are on this, John. Of course, there's a big call for the CDC to change the definition of fully-vaccinated immediately because of Omicron. But right now, Dr. Fauci says it's just semantics and to go get your booster regardless.

Here's what he told our colleague, Jake Tapper, just yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAUCI: It really is semantics. As far as I'm concerned, I make it very clear, that if you want to be optimally protected, get boosted. Whether the definition for legal and other purposes dealing with the OSHA situation that you have, that's a different story.

But if you want to look and say, when am I optimally protected, there's no doubt that that's when you get boosted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD: And John, what we're seeing so far, even though the CDC has not changed its definition of fully vaccinated, many private businesses, colleges, schools, they're changing their definition for policies. So some places do require boosters and do request see that as fully vaccinated.

So this is an interesting trend that we'll keep an eye on, for sure -- John.

BERMAN: Yes. No doubt it is going to be important going forward. But there is no question that it's better for you, safer for you to get that third shot if you are eligible.

[06:10:10]

HOWARD: Absolutely.

BERMAN: Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much.

Joining us now, CNN contributor, Dr. Abdul Sayed. He is an epidemiologist and former Detroit city health commissioner.

Dr. El-Sayed, great to see you.

Look, there are skyrocketing case counts across the country, particularly in places like where Erica and I are right now in New York City.

The pandemic in some ways is more complicated than it's been, but not necessarily worse. Explain all of this to us.

DR. ABDUL EL-SAYED, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. Well, I'll tell you this. This is not where anybody wanted to be this holiday season. If you think about it, this is COVID-19. We're now headed into 2022.

That being said, we're facing this virus that is far more transmissible than the previous variants that we'd had in the past.

And at the same time, we're not seeing the lock-step increase in hospitalizations and deaths that we had seen before. That being said, this virus does move extremely quickly. And for that reason, it might still be too early, given that hospitalizations and deaths have generally followed two to three weeks after the case numbers.

At the same time, we are going into this with vaccines. Vaccinations are an incredibly important tool in our arsenal. And the fact that we have them, and unfortunately, the fact that so many haven't taken advantage of them, maybe explain why we are still set up for yet another variant at this time.

HILL: When we look at this, we're talking so much about Omicron. Delta is still wreaking havoc across the country. We know that this optimal protection, whatever you want to call it, is adding in that booster.

And yet, if you look at the numbers of Americans who have gone and gotten that third shot, it is really low. Is there anything that you're seeing that you think could encourage more people to get that booster this morning?

EL-SAYED: Well, the good news is that we have seen the vaccination rates tick up over the last several weeks on news of Omicron. And I do think that, as we learn more about the relative protection of people who are boosted versus people who are not, it's going to encourage a lot more people to get that third dose.

At the same time, the thing we have to remember is that there is a six-month recommended lag between the second dose and the third dose. And for a lot of people, given how slow our vaccination uptick has been in the United States, a lot of people still remain relatively ineligible.

There is going to have to be a conversation made about speeding up the timeline.

The other challenging news -- we just heard that news from Moderna -- is that they were somewhat cryptic in their messaging. They didn't say that the booster that they've been recommending is as effective as, potentially, a larger dose.

And the fact that they left that open means that they may be hedging to suggest that there may be a pivot in the way that they think about boosting overall. And so it's unfortunate we are having a little bit of mixed messaging there. At the same time, right now, given where we are, how fast this virus is moving, get your booster.

And we do have strong evidence that Pfizer, a third dose is quite effective, relative to two doses of virus at preventing Omicron at least in NC-2 experiments that they've done, testing antibody levels.

BERMAN: Dr. El-Sayed, we actually have the hospitalization growth chart here in New York City, and it is instructive. Let's put it up on the screen. What's really interesting about this is the bottom line there. The orange line is hospitalizations in New York City overall.

And you can see just the faintest uptick in hospitalizations overall.

The top line -- and this is really interesting -- the top line is hospitalizations among unvaccinated people. Skyrocketing. Skyrocketing hospitalizations among the unvaccinated. Overall, among the vaccinated, very little uptick there. A decoupling among vaccinated people in cases and hospitalizations perhaps.

EL-SAYED: Yes. This is -- this is, again, one more -- one more recognition of the value of vaccination in the context of this pandemic.

And, look, we're headed into a holiday season, and nobody wants this to be the holiday season where there was an outbreak in the family and, potentially, somebody got really sick, and there was a bad outcome. We want to protect ourselves. There is still time. P

lease, if you're out there, you're watching these curves, you may be in a part of country where Omicron hasn't quite started to spread as quickly as it has in New York City, for example. Please make the right decision. Go get your vaccination, if you haven't gotten your first two. And go get boosted if you haven't gotten your third.

This is about us trying to protect ourselves, protect our loved ones. And hopefully -- hopefully, after we get through this surge, we are in a position where we are more immune and potentially in a position to see the end of this pandemic.

But for right now, you know, we may be done with COVID, but COVID is not done with us.

BERMAN: We've 20 seconds left, doctor. The testing situation, not good right now.

EL-SAYED: It is -- it is -- I mean, I can't understand how, two years into this pandemic, we are still in the situation where we don't have the necessary tests that we need.

[06:15:05]

Those rapid tests, though, please do make use of them, if you have them and you can get access to them. They really are critical.

HILL: Yes. If you can get access. That's the key.

BERMAN: Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, thank you so much for being with us. Please, you know, stay safe, stay healthy. Happy holidays to you and your family.

EL-SAYED: Thank you. And happy holidays.

BERMAN: So new overnight, three lawmakers announced they have tested positive with COVID. What we know about their conditions ahead.

And Joe Manchin dealing a perhaps fatal blow to the president's signature domestic agenda plan. Where do things go from here?

HILL: Tiger Woods back in action with his son by his side. His remarkable recovery just months after that devastating car crash.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: This morning, the White House reeling after Democratic Senator Joe Manchin unexpectedly announced that he is a "no" on President Biden's Build Back Better plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can't. I've tried everything humanly possible. I can't get there.

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: You're done. This is -- this is a "no."

MANCHIN: This is a "no" on this legislation. I have tried everything I know to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now, the White House has accused Manchin of breaking his word, breaking commitments, calling his opposition sudden and inexplicable.

CNN's Lauren Fox live on Capitol Hill with the latest here. And we do have some more news, Lauren.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, John.

Look, this was shocking news when Senator Joe Manchin went on FOX News yesterday and said finally that he would not vote for Build Back Better, that he couldn't even get there.

This comes, of course, after months of negotiations with the president, this news was relayed to White House officials and leadership officials just 30 minutes or so before the appearance took place.

And it wasn't Senator Joe Manchin who called the president directly. Instead, it was an aide to Manchin who called aides at the White House to let them know that this was coming.

The president at his home in Delaware, watching all of this unfold. And he tried to get on the phone with Senator Manchin shortly after that appearance. He was unable to reach him.

Now, his colleagues, Senator Manchin's colleagues, are deeply frustrated this morning and into the evening last night, arguing that they want to see Manchin have to vote on Build Back Better on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

[06:20:13]

And just a few minutes ago, we got a new "Dear Colleagues" letter from the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, saying that that is indeed his plan. He is going to have a vote on Build Back Better on the floor of the U.S. Senate so that everyone can see where every single senator stands on that piece of legislation.

That, of course, is going to be tough for Senator Manchin, even though he said he is not going to get there on this legislation. It's going to be tough to take that vote. Now, the White House sent out a blistering statement after all of

these announcements yesterday. And it was a statement that the president himself signed off on.

And I want to give you a sense of just what they're getting at here. They said, quote, "If his comments on FOX and written statement indicate the end of that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position and a breach of his commitments to the president and the senator's colleagues in the House and Senate," essentially calling Joe Manchin a liar, a very strong statement there.

And again, we're going to see everything unfold on the Senate floor when they return in the new year. Because Chuck Schumer saying they are going to bring it to the floor for a vote -- John.

BERMAN: Look, the White House said he broke his word. That is very unusual in this type of negotiation back and forth. You know, Joe Biden knows what that's like in the Senate. To say that of a U.S. senator, that's pretty serious there.

Just very quickly, we do have three positive cases in Congress, yes?

FOX: Yes. That's exactly right. I mean, this variant is spreading across the country. And obviously, we don't know what variant these senators have.

But Senator Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Rep. Jason Crow all testing positive. We should note that senators were on the floor for several hours together on Friday evening, into Saturday morning, trying to finish up the Senate business.

So keep your eye on whether or not those case counts rise in the U.S. Senate. A lot of Democrats still masking here in the Senate. But a lot of Republicans, John, unfortunately not really masking any more on the floor.

BERMAN: Yes. All these cases completely mild at this point, which does indicate, and maybe we should be talking more -- less about cases, per se, across the country and more about serious illness when it happens. But I appreciate the reporting.

Lauren Fox, thank you very much.

HILL: For more, let's just bring in CNN political commentator Jess McIntosh.

Jess, you know, I want to start where Berman sort of left off there, the fact that we saw this statement from the White House, that it was so strongly worded, to say that kid gloves are off may be an understatement. What does that do at this point in terms of potentially any future compromise, any future bill, even if Schumer wants to put this bill out there in January?

JESS MCINTOSH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I would say kid gloves have been fully employed for many months now and they have gotten us to this point. I think the Democrats are right not to take "no" as Joe Manchin's final position here.

Manchin has an obligation to the people that he represents, to the party that supports him, and frankly, to the country that he serves. People are hurting right now. And he is standing alone in the way of their relief. This is -- it's an untenable position for him. And I don't think it's one that he's going to be able to maintain over the holiday, as he goes back home and he hears from West Virginians that are 49th and 50th when it comes to public health, when it comes to childcare, when it comes to all of the social services that the Build Back Better agenda aims to strengthen.

I mean, there is a reason why Biden ran on this plan. It is wildly popular. It is politically popular. And it's needed right now. Just full stop.

BERMAN: It is notable Chuck Schumer did say he is going to put it on the floor for a vote. But not until new year. So it's a few weeks from now. So there is some time there. And to misquote Monty Python, Jesse, You're basically saying it's not dead yet?

MCINTOSH: That's exactly what I'm saying, this is not dead yet. I think -- I think we still have a living parrot.

I think Joe Manchin is going to go home to West Virginia, and frankly, I think what he hears there is going to be just as important as what he hears from his Senate colleagues.

He is behaving as a person who is wildly out of touch with the needs of the people who elected him. This is a man who lives on a yacht and drives a Maserati. When he goes home and he has to explain to people why he's voted against their ability to care for ailing relatives, I feel like that's going to be a difficult position for him to maintain over Christmas and not an enviable one.

I do think it's amazing to have watched progressives who take so much of the hits for being, quote, unquote "difficult" compromise over and over and over again to get this necessary agenda, the president's agenda, passed. And if it falls, it will be because of a moderate.

So I think we need to stop calling it that. Obstructionism at this level is not moderate. There is nothing moderate about it.

HILL: Moderates expressing their frustration, as well, I will say, at this point. Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger among them, expressing that frustration but also concern.

[06:25:02]

And look, bottom line, if this comes to the floor next year, the reality is, as we watch that vote, what can be salvaged, if need be, from this massive bill? Are there smaller parts that could perhaps find their path to some -- some sort of passage?

MCINTOSH: Not without Republican support. And this is where we come to the point where we have to recognize that we have one party that is attempting to govern in the middle of an unprecedented economic crisis and a global pandemic; and we have one party that is trying to stop us from doing anything to help the people of this country. That's where we are when we start piecing this bill out into -- into smaller chunks, because those smaller chunks would require Republican support. Republicans are not willing to do that at this point.

The only reason why Joe Manchin even matters is because an entire political party has abdicated their responsibility. And that is, frankly, something that we need to keep our eyes on right now.

HILL: Jess McIntosh, appreciate you joining us this morning. Thank you.

Well, the spike in COVID cases certainly not stopping Americans from traveling for the holidays. So what can you expect if you're about to hit the roads or the airport?

BERMAN: And overnight, Israel shut its doors to travelers from the United States. Also Canada and Germany. The prime minister there warning the wave is coming. The latest on the global response ahead.

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