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Logistical Challenges of Distributing A Vaccine; Potential Impact of Corona Virus on Black Friday; The Advent of a Robotic Dolphin
Aired November 13, 2020 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Three quick and indisputable facts start today`s show. This is CNN 10. I`m Carl Azuz and Fridays are awesome. Thank you
for watching this Friday the 13th edition of our program. We told you earlier this week how Pfizer, an American pharmaceutical company, says it`s
seen some promising early results from a corona virus vaccine it`s working on. It`s not the only company racing to do this. Since the pandemic
began, researchers worldwide have been trying to learn all they can about the disease and develop methods and medicines to stop it. Russia`s
government says it`s approved two vaccines intended to protect people from COVID-19. Though critics say the shots have not undergone the same amount
of testing they would have in the United States.
Still, the fact that several organizations have even gotten close is remarkable because it usually takes several years and often 10 or more for
a vaccine to go from development to the doctor`s office. Even when a vaccine is approved in the U.S., a CNN poll conducted last month indicated
that 45 percent of Americans would not try to get vaccinated if a vaccine were widely available at low cost. 51 percent of Americans said they would
try to get vaccinated but that percentage had decreased since May. So that`s one obstacle for Pfizer and other vaccine advocates along with the
basic logistics of distributing the shot around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are in a very, very good situation to have 1.3 billion dose globally again next year.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Millions of doses have already been made. Ready to go should the Pfizer bio and tech vaccine candidate get regulatory
approval. This one uses messenger RNA. A new technology which poses a major challenge for storage and transportation of the vaccine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to keep the product very cold and shipped in very much subfreezing temperatures. Then there will be a short term of
stability, perhaps at refrigerated temperatures and that`s going to be a logistical challenge.
STEWART: Logistics firms like UPS, FedEx and Deutsche Post DHL started planning for this months ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have about 9,000 healthcare and specialists around -- around the globe. About 140 certified warehouses around the globe.
Another 100 terminals that are certified for -- for healthcare and we also had to make some specific investments in minus 80 degrees storage points
and containers to be able to distribute. So those are all things that we - - that we had to do.
STEWART: These firms are a critical link between the pharmaceutical firms and governments.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we have to focus on is our interaction with our customers when they say that we need to be ready. And we`re working and
we`re planning accordingly to best and we -- we will be ready.
STEWART: Logistic firms may be ready to transport a COVID-19 vaccine, some countries maybe not be ready to receive it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This challenge is probably the biggest logistical challenge we`ve ever faced regardless of the temperature. Minus 80 adds
another dynamic and another problem. You know, and being told that this vaccine isn`t really designed and being expected to be used in low- and
middle-income countries. That personally concerns me because we should be making sure that we deliver the vaccine equitably.
STEWART: Other promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates are nearing the end of Phase III trials and they won`t all need sub-zero storage. They will
however only need huge logistical support to make it to all of the corners of the world. Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. Which of these events took place in 1621? The Mayflower sailed from England, the Thirty Years War began, the First
Thanksgiving was celebrated or William Shakespeare died. These are all events from the 1600s but it was in 1621 that the first Thanksgiving meal
was celebrated.
There is no historical evidence that turkey was served at that first Thanksgiving meal. Venison and goose were more probable but for many
Americans it`s hard to imagine Thanksgiving without the traditional bird on the table. It`s also hard to imagine not getting together with family and
friends though as we told you yesterday, corona virus and its related restrictions may affect some people`s ability to do that. How about
shopping? The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday.
It`s called that because in retail terms being in the black means making a profit. And that`s what many retailers look forward to as Black Friday
traditionally marks the start of the holiday shopping season, with Christmas about a month away. But the nature of how Americans shop has
been changing in recent years and 2020 could dramatically accelerate that change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Black Friday used to look like this. Now, it looks like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Think about Black Friday, long lines in the store or even outside the store. Forget, you just can`t have it this year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pushed by the growth of big box stores, Black Friday started gaining traction in the 80s and 90s. But in recent years, the
appeal of waiting in line for hours has waned.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Black Friday was, in the past, the day where you would go to the store`s and you couldn`t get anywhere else, anytime else.
But now there`s deals that are comparable online, not only on Cyber Monday but throughout the holiday season. So I think there`s no longer that sense
of urgency to shop on that specific day in the way that there was (inaudible) years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Due to the pandemic, the future of the annual event is even more uncertain.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The pandemic has really affected pretty much everything about the way we shop and the question is how much of that is
permanent and how much is temporary. As it relates specifically to the holiday season, the biggest change is going to be more shopping online.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Online sales were rising before the pandemic. In 2019, shoppers spent more than $600 billion online. According to the Commerce
Department that`s up nearly 15 percent from the previous year and big retailers have noticed. Companies are offering more deals, more often.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Companies are trying to incentivize people to shop earlier by starting their promotions this season.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last year we hosted a single store event. This year we are spreading those savings over three separate events.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amazon normally has their Prime day in July but this year because of the pandemic we didn`t have it in July. We ultimately
ended up moving it to mid-October, what we saw was a lot of the mass merchants try to respond with their own promotions to compete with Amazon.
So Target moved their Deal Days to compete on the same day that Amazon was holding their Prime day. JC Penny had a similar event. Walmart was also
doing a lot of promotions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what does Black Friday look like in 2020? It might look a bit different for everyone.
ANDERSON COOPER: Thirty states hit a record in their seven-day average of new cases in this last week. Thirty of the 50 states hitting a new record
in new infections in this past week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With online shopping rising and the pandemic ongoing, the ritual of staking out a brick-and-mortar store and finding deals you
couldn`t find anywhere else might be long gone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So I think Black Friday was already losing a lot of relevance and I think the pandemic might ultimately end up just being, kind
of, the -- the nail in the coffin for the holiday. Not to say we won`t have it in some form but I think it`s not going to go back to what it was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: If it looks like a dolphin, swims like a dolphin and performs like a dolphin. It must be a robot. This one is, a robot not a dolphin. It`s a
creation of an engineering company that makes lifelike animatronics for movies. And according to the Reuters news agency, the company hopes robots
will one day replace live animals at theme parks. What`s unknown is if crowds will pay to see robots instead of real animals and whether the
animatronics price tag will be worthwhile to aquariums. The environmental news company Echo Watch reports that a robot dolphin like this one costs
more than $26 million.
Which may send investors, "beak" to the drawing board to use their "melons" about whether "blow holing" that much money to "endorsal" an animatronic
alternative that puts them in the "swim" or "sinks" their project. It`s something they can`t be "flippant" about, dolphin puns. There`s an ocean
of possibilities. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10. Some of you are watching from Clinton, Maryland. I`m talking about the Hornets of Surrattsville High
School. Thank you for checking out our show. They did the only thing you can do to get a shout out on CNN 10. They subscribed and left a comment on
our You Tube channel, that`s YouTube.com/CNN.
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