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Connect the World
G-20 Leaders Holding Emergency Meeting Online; U.S. Sees Highest Weekly Jobless Claims in History; U.S. Death Toll Nears 1,000; London Conference Center Being Converted into Hospital; Germany Maintains Low Death Toll as Cases Spike; Nine European Leaders Call for Greater EU Coordination; Medical Experts Race to Find New COVID-19 Treatment; South Africa Braces for Nationwide Lockdown; Concerns Russia is Downplaying Extend of Outbreak. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired March 26, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
HALA GORANI, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome, everyone. I'm Hala Gorani. This is CONNECT THE WORLD.
All right, well, extraordinary and unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. We're broadcasting while respecting, of course, the
need for self-isolation as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep the globe. Let us start now with what is going on, and the world's leaders.
The G-20 countries, including U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart are holding an emergency G-20 meeting. And a sign of the times
obviously, they are not doing this in person, but online. The countries that make up the group of 20 are the richest in the world. And now they're
trying to get their arms around the global economic crisis that has been sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. After weeks of in action will they,
can they at this stage come up with a coordinated response? The world certainly needs it.
CNN's Richard Quest joins me now live from New York. What are we hearing from the G-20 countries? They are so different in their needs and how the
coronavirus pandemic has affected them. Any lines coming from the leaders of the G-20.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Only from the Saudis who are chairing the G-20 at the moment. We -- and that's the sort of line we have
been expecting for some time. There needs to be coordination and of course, most importantly, more needs to be done for those countries that are most
impacted.
But the reality is that the G-20 doesn't have a role here. That's the blunt honest truth of it. There are two things that are required. Firstly,
national policies by governments to put in place the sort of anti-virus mechanisms. The G-20 has no role there. And secondly monetary and fiscal
stimulus or protections for the countries. Again, the G-20 can talk, but it can't even really coordinate much. The organizations that will do more, of
course, are the IMF and World Bank. The G-20 has a limited success rate. In the global financial crisis, Hala, they were sort of front and center. But
in this crisis, I see it as nothing more than a talking shop.
GORANI: Well, and also as you mentioned, you know, they have limited power. And they're not always on the same page in their approach to this
pandemic. I wonder how can they agree. For instance, the Secretary of State, the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted out something about
the pandemic making reference to, quote, the Wuhan virus, which angered some member countries of the G-20. It doesn't seem like there is much
coordination, even in terms of the rhetoric. We haven't seen a communique, for instance.
QUEST: No, no. Let's look at what we have got here. You got the 20 countries -- I manage to forget some of them on the way -- but it's the
disparate voices that you've got. China and the U.S., well, they don't agree on much at the moment. The EU doesn't agree much within itself at the
moment. You've got the U.K. and Saudi in there, they're at loggerheads too.
If you look at the countries involved, in the absence of a defining or some sort of glue to hold them together, which, by the way, this crisis should
be, this crisis should be, but you've got Saudi and Russia -- I just remembered, of course -- Saudi and Russia on oil. So what on earth do you
expect from these countries at a time of crisis when Saudi, the head of the G-20, can't -- is having a battle with Russia over the supply of oil, which
is a core demand of the global economy and that's in crisis too.
GORANI: And we're going to talk, by the way, about the stimulus package and the weekly jobless claims numbers with Julia in a moment. But beyond
the United States, let's talk a little bit about how this is going to affect unemployment. Already we're seeing, even in the country where I am
right now, the United Kingdom, people are starting to suffer economically. Some of them are worried that they might lose their jobs. Do we have any
idea about the employment picture outside the U.S. and parts of the world like Europe, the Middle East, Asia, at this stage?
QUEST: We're only starting to get the numbers and they are terrifying. Remember, Europe had a fall in unemployment from its highs in the teens,
down to 7.0 percent. That will go back up again to the teens. The U.K. will double or at least -- you'll see unemployment drift well and truly back up
again.
[10:05:00]
But, Hala, the countries that that are really going to feel it are those that are least able to withstand it and those are the emerging markets.
Particularly, of course, you're looking at India. Well, India is now shut down. And how many of those jobs will be lost with no social safety net or
very limited one at best? If you take sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa is now closed. You're getting the first cases in other highly indebted
countries. So not to minimize what's happening in the developed nations, but, Hala, the unemployment problem will be critical and that brings us
full circle back to the G-20, and back to the inability of governments to have a coordinated response for those most in need.
GORANI: All right, Richard Quest, thank you very much. We'll see you a little bit later with more on the economic impact.
Let's talk a little bit about the United States. A lot of news lines coming from the U.S. right now and we'll get to other developments in Europe and
elsewhere in just a moment.
Now health workers in the U.S. and government officials are trying to slow the march toward this big milestone that everyone knows is coming and
that's a thousand deaths from the coronavirus. The number, by the way, is almost there today -- 938 in the United States at last check. Wednesday was
the deadliest day in the U.S. since the coronavirus pandemic began, especially in New York and California. New York and California are the two
hardest hit states in America.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. MARK GHALY, CALIFORNIA HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: Today, we feel like we're looking at our doubling rate. We originally thought it
would be doubling every six to seven days. We see cases doubling every three to four days. And we're watching that trend very, very closely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, even though the streets remain largely empty, some police departments across the United States are considering penalties for those
not following stay at home orders. Nick Watt has more from Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are field hospitals in Manhattan, college dorms being converted, existing hospitals
upping capacity, a navy hospital ships coming soon, but New York is still 20,000 beds shy of what they say they'll need.
ANDREW CUOMO, NEW YORK GOVERNOR: Then we're looking at hotels. We're looking at former nursing homes.
WATT: They had 4,000 ventilators. They bought 7,000 more. FEMA delivered 4,000. But New York is still 15,000 short.
CUOMO: We're exploring splitting where one ventilator can do two patients.
WATT: All hands-on deck at this make or break moment. That's in a letter New York's health commissioner just sent to everyone in the state with an
expired medical license. But there is hope. The rate of hospitalizations in New York is now slowing.
CUOMO: The evidence suggests that the density control measures may be working.
WATT: Confirmed cases now spiking elsewhere, more than doubling in Louisiana since early Monday. And we're now about a month after Mardi Gras.
JOHN BEL EDWARDS, LOUISIANA GOVERNOR: I happen to believe with people coming from all over the country and all over the world into New Orleans
that a fair amount of coronavirus was ceded.
WATT: At least 18 more deaths reported in New Jersey.
PHIL MURPHY, NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: We have now the second highest positive test of any state.
WATT: An Alabama newborn now in NICU isolation just in case after a nurse tested positive. The W.H.O. now says the U.S. doesn't have to be the next
global epicenter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You've still got the means of turning it around.
WATT: She says by testing, tracing contacts, isolating and many of us continuing to quarantine as around half of all Americans are now under
orders to do.
DR. CELINE GOUNDER, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL SCHOOL: We're seeing a doubling once a day in deaths from coronavirus. And the doubling time is
only one day. And that is the worst in the world right now.
WATT: Amazon, a crutch for so many staying home, is now dealing with coronavirus cases among workers in at least nine facilities nationwide.
Walmart, Kroger and others now adding sneeze guards to checkout lanes.
(on camera): Here in California, the governor says they have distributed more than 24 million of those N95 masks. He said they ordered another 100
million and that's still insignificant to our needs. He also said that more than 1 million Californians have filed for unemployment in the past 12 days
or so.
Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right, well, let's talk about the economic impact because we have some tangible numbers we can discuss with our Julia Chatterley. 3.2
million is the number of jobless claims in the week ending March 21st, Julia. And this is a huge record obviously compared to other unemployment
figures, weekly figures.
[10:10:00]
The previous record, Julia, 1982, 695,000. We're looking now at 3.2 million. Help us break down the significance of this.
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR, FIRST MOVE: Well, if you have to go back to 1982 and look at the chart, you see the rise. What this is a sudden
sharp, dramatic lift, and of course, framing this is really important. This is deliberate, of course. We're seeing this around the world, but here in
the United States too, the measures that we're using to try to and suppress the virus and what is creating this rise in people simply out of jobs
overnight.
Now, this country is specific because we don't have the safety measures ultimately for many parts of the economy. So you're seeing these cases
rise. The hope is that the measures that Congress have taken this past week will try and limit the rise that we see in claims, simply because in
companies and small businesses, if they can get that money in, they cannot let go of their workers. It will suppress them of the damage that we're
seeing.
But the critical element here in what we have seen in these measures is the expansion of the unemployment insurance in this country that now includes
gig economy workers. And some people say that around a third of this country works in this sector. It's your Uber drivers, it's your self-
employed, your contractors, your freelancers, if they all start and they're expected to claim for unemployment benefits here too, then these numbers
could significantly rise further for so many different elements here that will play in. It's not a perfect science by any means. There's no model.
GORANI: Right, absolutely not. There is no model. We have never seen a number like this. In fact, when you look at the graphic that we showed our
viewers over the last several hours, you see kind of the horizontal line and then a huge spike because of how unprecedented this figure of 3.2
million is. Actually, this is a candle graphic.
But let's talk about what happens if this number -- if we see a number similar to this one next week and the week after. You're talking
potentially about, what, tens of millions of new jobless claims over the next several months.
CHATTERLEY: Even with the measures that Congress has put in place, it is going to take time for the checks to go out, for small businesses to be
able to get loans. Every single day of delay here counts. You know, I spoke to the head of the National Retail Federation, they represent 1 in 4 of
every employee. This sector is huge. We're a nation of consumers. He said he's got many businesses right now that they have no cash. One day in fact
could make the difference between them deciding to close their business forever and letting go of workers. So the week by week claim numbers are
going to be determined by how quickly we get this cash to the real economy. And the people who need it most. And that's the bottom line.
GORANI: And for some people that cash might not be enough, especially people with families, who have bills piling up. Thanks so much, Julia and
we'll see you ail little bit later with more on the economic impact of this pandemic.
Now I want to take you to New York City. That's where our Brynn Gingras is standing by with more on what's going on in hospitals there. Because,
Brynn, I'm reading "The New York Times" and other New York papers, some hospitals, one in Brooklyn in particular, saying -- as you hear by the way
this ambulance siren -- they're reaching a breaking point.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, sorry. I really didn't hear anything you just asked me. I apologize. The sirens are going off. Listen,
that just gives you an idea, a look at what we have been seeing on the ground here in the last week. Yes, go ahead.
GORANI: No, no, please, go ahead. It was basically set the scene, tell us how the hospitals are coping -- Brynn.
GINGRAS: OK, yes. So like I said, that is a perfect indicator of what we're seeing. We've been seeing actually sirens from ambulances coming in
and out of the hospital all week at a very quick pace. And also all week we been here outside of Elmhurst Hospital, which let me give you some context
for your viewers. It's one of 11 public hospitals here in New York City. It's in Queens, in the borough, which has the most coronavirus cases of the
entire New York City boroughs. So this is really the center of the crisis. And we are seeing that in the numbers because we just got reports from this
hospital in the last 24 hours, they've seen 13 deaths in 24 hours. Can you imagine that?
And again, we have been here all week and this has kind of been our reference point is this line of people that are forming just to get in and
get some care, Hala. To either get a coronavirus test or just see a doctor to see if they need a test. We've seen people who are literally hobbling
with a walker, with family members holding them up to get in line, people being pushed in wheelchairs and there are people who line up as early as 5
o'clock in the morning and they stay here for hours, again, just to get some care.
It is a serious, serious situation here at this particular hospital. We're being told by administrators they're flooding the hospital with resources,
with doctors and nurses and equipment. Sometimes taking it from other hospitals because the demand is so great here.
[10:15:00]
And I -- you know, it is just incredible, honestly, Hala. And it seems like every day we have been here. It hasn't gotten any better and it is just a
sign of what is to come.
GORANI: And are people respecting the self-isolation orders that are coming down from authorities? Are they staying home by and large?
GINGRAS: Yes, in fact, the governor yesterday actually gave some promising, you know, data to show that the self-isolation seems to be
working, it's helping a little bit at this point. Of course, it's now almost two weeks into that self-isolation order here for New Yorkers. New
Yorkers might get restless, but the NYPD is out. Who is also, by the way, experiencing their own shortages because of the coronavirus. But we know
the officers are out. They are actually going around neighborhoods announcing people, reminding them to have social distancing. Going into
parks, telling groups to break up. So those sort of measures are being taken on the ground. But it seems like just driving around every day that
people are adhering to this, but, of course, we have a lot longer to go.
GORANI: Yes, we sure do. Brynn Gingras, thanks very much.
Similar situation in London, where a few days ago, the Prime Minister asked people to stay home, pubs are closed, restaurants as well, gyms as well.
Life as we know it has been up ended completely.
Join us, by the way, for a CNN Global Town Hall, "CORONAVIRUS FACTS AND FEARS," hosted by Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. That's at 8:00 in
the evening in New York Thursday, 4:00 in the morning Friday in Abu Dhabi. It will replay at 12:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. respectively so can get the
facts on the coronavirus pandemic, what it means for you whenever you're watching in the world.
When we come back there's a lot more. We will be discussing what is going on in Spain, now reporting more than 4,000 deaths. We'll be right back. As
well as the latest from London. Our Nick Paton Walsh will join me with what's going on in the U.K. capital and across the country. Stay with us.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome back. Spain is now reporting more than 4,000 deaths from COVID-19. The country now has the very much unwanted distinction of
Europe's epicenter. Let's take look at these numbers. It is the second highest death toll in the world. The Spanish government has voted to extend
the current state of emergency until April 12th.
Meanwhile, Italy has almost doubled the number of deaths as Spain and more than 74,000 confirmed cases -- according to numbers from Johns Hopkins
University.
[10:20:00]
Now, in the United Kingdom, London hospitals are struggling to treat what one healthcare group is calling a continuous tsunami of patients to meet
the growing need, the ExCel comfort center -- you're seeing images on your screen now of that -- is being converted into a makeshift hospital. CNN's
Nick Paton Walsh joins us now from that ExCel center in London, which will be known as the Nightingale Hospital. And it really is kind of like a war
zone measure, isn't it? Like just kind of converting these big public spaces into emergency treatment centers.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, this is a joint military and NHS, the free U.K. health service, effort
here. Behind me, this normally a concert venue, but inside according to a leaked video from one of the workers setting this up, there is a kilometer
long inside hall which will have as many as 4,000 patients potentially in it in the event that we see London and other hospitals reaching their
capacities.
Now, you said that there's been a continuous tsunami according to one of the NHS provider chiefs here. He's a representative of those who run the
hospitals here. But what has been so hard to define here exactly, Hala, is where London is in terms of this peak toward its surge.
Now, about a week ago U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said London was three weeks ahead of the rest of the country. At this point, though, last
night later the government put out its latest figures for deaths which seemed to slow -- show the rate of rise of deaths had in fact slowed
partially since the weekend. And we also had some of the scientists advising the government, adjusting the facts of them, the suppression
measures put in may mean the number of deaths in the U.K. aren't as catastrophic as a quarter million, but possibly below 20,000.
That said, we are constantly still hearing the potential for hospitals here to begin to get overwhelmed, though this message behind me here from the
government is one of confidence, preparation and a bid really to harness I think at this point the much public will behind them as they can. They've
appeal for volunteers, ask for a quarter million and have got over half a million so far. So a lot of this about trying to get Britons to decide this
is a joint effort -- Hala.
GORANI: Well and, Nick, an anesthesiologist in central London, working in a hospital in central London, messaged one of our producers saying, I
intubated seven COVID patients today, one after the other. We filled up the second intensive care.
And I know the government is trying to send messages of reassurance to the public, but when medical professionals tell you that they have basically
completely packed the second intensive care unit of a hospital, understandably people are very concerned. The NHS is even asking on
volunteers to pitch in, to help. What will that entail? Because this is a very infectious illness.
WALSH: Well, absolutely. And of course, the idea of suddenly overnight having to administer the over half a million volunteers who signed up to
assist the NHS, from anything frankly it seems handing out food to the vulnerable to possibly if they haven't been an expert, being on the medical
front line. That itself is an extraordinary task. And you have to give some latitude frankly to a government here, some of whom are working from home,
some of whom are apparently sick as well or in self-isolation. Struggling day by day to constantly deal with the changing numbers.
Each time their top scientists are pressed on the figures, where do they think the U.K. is in terms of reaching its peak? How bad do they think it
might be? There was a study yesterday suggesting in fact that people may -- half of the country may have already been infected by COVID but had
basically no symptoms. Simply there aren't the basic key answers here. And, of course, hospitals are beginning to feel that strain.
And behind me here, this is a bid, of course, to make sure there is that surge extra capacity of 4,000 beds. But great uncertainty here in the
United Kingdom frankly between concerns that we could be on the edge of something absolutely horrifying to possible hope that it may not be as bad
as the worst initial predictions -- so hard to tell -- Hala.
GORANI: Yes, it is hard to tell at this stage and it's this uncertainty, by the way, that is fueling so much anxiety. We're not immune from it.
We're bringing you the latest developments here as best we can while, as I mention at the top of hour, respecting the need for self-distancing.
In the last day or so by the way, speaking of anxiety, Germany has reported a spike of nearly 5,000 confirmed coronavirus cases. But the death toll
remains relatively low. The question is why. Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a race against time, a critically ill patient from France makes it to Germany,
where hospitals are not yet overwhelmed, despite some of the highest number of coronavirus cases around the world. A fact that baffles many, even
Germany's Center for Disease Control, the Robert Koch Institute, as they try to explain.
LOTHAR WIELER, ROBERT KOCH INSTITUTE (through translator): In Germany, we tested widely from the start. And that's why we discovered the virus early.
And we also discovered many mild cases through it.
[10:25:00]
PLEITGEN: While the Trump administration took time to initiate mass coronavirus testing, the Germans began their campaign in early January.
With a population of around 80 million, Germany says it can test about 160,000 people a week. That means fewer infections missed.
While Italy acknowledges their actually number of people carrying the virus could be 10 times higher than the number of confirmed cases, the Germans
believe they've missed fewer people who've contracted COVID-19.
But some of it also appears to be pure luck, Berlin says. The coronavirus has simply infected younger and healthier people in Germany than in many
other countries.
WIELER (through translator): Not many old people are ill in Germany yet, which is also a factor that results in deaths and age fluctuations.
PLEITGEN: Germany also has a strong healthcare system with one of the highest numbers of intensive-care beds and ventilators in the world. And
it's currently working to double the capacity.
The head of a Munich clinic dealing with at least 100 coronavirus patients tells me getting critically-ill patients top-notch care without bottlenecks
is also key to keeping many alive.
DR. CLEMENS WENDTNER, CLINIC MUNICH SCHWABING: We've had already cases just coming back from the intensive care unit with another watch. So
telling us it's possible to save lives once you get the right treatment, intensive care unit treatment. But enough in order to rescue the patient.
PLEITGEN (on camera): But of course, Germany's response is not flawless. There are many people in this country who wanted to get tested for
coronavirus but were not able to because of limited capacity. And even the German government warns the worst might yet still come.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right, well, that is what is going on in Germany.
The French President Emmanuel Macron who was part of that virtual G-20 meeting in last 24 hours. He was one of many European leaders who was
calling for a joint EU action plan to fight the pandemic. CNN's Melissa Bell is joining me live in Paris for more on that. What is the French
President proposing -- Melissa?
MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: Well, essentially that Europe managed to get its act better than it has so far, Hala. I mean, what we've
seen because the public health systems were managed nationally at a sovereign level, the difficulty that Europe has had on coordinating all
this, or coming up with policies that protected, first of all, the single market even before coordinating the public health response of the
governments themselves in this border free area. So, of course, a massive task.
But Emmanuel Macron like all the other leaders in Europe now grappling with a massive problem. Essentially what we have seen here in France, even as
the Italian those figures showed some of the benefits of the confined measures, is here that peak yet to come with nearly 3,000 extra cases
announced yesterday.
We have to await the latest figures every night, tonight, and what they show for the time being is a crisis that continues to get worse. With all
kinds of questions being asked about whether the right level of preparedness had been achieved, things like masks, the government being
taken on in a lawsuit by doctors for not having had enough masks ready.
Police unions threatening to go on strike because they don't have the masks they need. They say to keep those confinement measures in place and to keep
the order of the streets of France going. So all kinds of new challenges present themselves to a government that is still grappling with the crisis
of that particular point, where the healthcare system continues to be under huge pressure, Hala, with the number of cases continuing to rise and those
confinement measures having yet to bear their fruit.
GORANI: All right. Indeed, thank you very much, Melissa Bell live from Paris.
Now, after the break, they have recovered from COVID-19, so some doctors want to use their blood to test out a potential new treatment. New York is
first in line to test this out. More on that coming up.
[10:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Well, the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic is being felt very strongly in the United States. More than 3 million people filed
for unemployment claims in a week. That is a record smashing number. And it comes on the heels of the nation's deadliest day in the pandemic.
Also, the human toll worldwide is staggering. More than 22,000 people have died from COVID-19 -- according to Johns Hopkins University. And in Europe,
nine leaders are calling on the EU for greater joint action including debt relief as coronavirus deaths spike in Spain and Germany.
Now, panicked shoppers cleared store shelves in Tokyo. If you look at these images, after officials told residents to stay home on Wednesday. Both
Japan and Singapore reported their biggest single day increase of coronavirus cases.
So obviously experts are rushing to try to find a cure. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expediting the use of blood plasma from people
who've recovered from COVID-19 to treat critically ill patients and some doctors are also experimenting with a powerful anti-malaria drug. Our
senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is in Atlanta to talk to us about -- first of all the blood plasma avenue. How promising is it? This
would be for a treatment, not for -- not a preventative measure, correct?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, this would be for treatment. And, Hala, this is a technique that has been used on many
other diseases over the course of many, many years. And it's really pretty simple. You take someone who recovered -- so they have antibodies -- you
take out their blood, and you give it to someone who is suffering from the disease. It's called convalescent serum. Because the person has convalesced
from the disease. They've recovered from it. And it has worked in some cases. It was tried perhaps most famously with Ebola and it's not entirely
clear if it worked.
Because at least in the United States when they tried it, all those people survived, but they might have survived anyhow. People who didn't get it
survived. People who did get it survived. So we don't know if they survived because they got somebody's blood or because they were just going to
survive anyway. But certainly there is a lot of interest in seeing if it works in this case.
GORANI: And what other treatment options are being considered here and how quickly, also importantly, might we he is something that works on it being
used by doctors?
COHEN: You know, usually, Hala, when we talk about treatments for diseases, it is years. It takes years to answer the question, does this
drug work, does this treatment work. But everything is being sped up at this time. I'm talking to doctors who said, look, the first part of the
test that I just did, I did it in five days, it would usually take me five months. So everything is being sped up.
Having said that, though, you still have to test it. So one of the ones that is being tested is hydroxychloroquine. This is a drug that President
Trump has shown great enthusiasm for. But an interesting note on this, those trials are actually going more slowly than some other trials. They're
happening, but it's not going as quickly as trials for other drugs. And those other drugs are things like antivirals that attack the virus or for
example there are drugs that change the way your immune system reacts to the virus. So some drugs work on the virus, some drugs work on your immune
system. There could be answers for some of these and really just a matter of weeks.
[10:35:00]
GORANI: But I -- I've read reports that chloroquine actually killed somebody who ingested it. So it's confusing to me. Could you explain why
that's being considered?
COHEN: Right, so those people overdosed on it. Excuse me. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are generally considered to be safe. They're used for
malaria, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, but you want to take the right dose. So this is not something you want to do on your own. This is something you
want to do under a doctor's care. The people that we know of who have died, they were doing it on their own. It can be toxic if you take too much.
GORANI: Got it. Thanks for clearing that up. Elizabeth Cohen, our senior medical correspondent, thank you very much.
So let us move on to -- full transparency here, there we are, I have the right order. Let's take a look at the curve now. Because all around the
world people are looking at their own country, sometimes at their own city and how the rate of infection is progressing.
Joining us now is John Burn-Murdoch. He's a data visualization journalist for the "Financial Times." John, thanks for joining us. So which country
currently is seeing the most alarming rise, the steepest curve, if you will, and why.
JOHN BURN-MURDOCH, SR. DATA VISUALIZATION JOURNALIST, FINANCIAL TIMES (via Skype): Sure, so thanks for having me on. And I think there's two ways of
answering that question and give slightly differ answers. If we look at the number of cases, the U.S. is still the most alarming situation there. We've
more and more cases coming in every day across the U.S. And obviously, part of that is because of the ramping up of the testing regime there. So more
testing carried out, will obviously lead to more positive tests.
So that's why one of the things we look at as well as cases is deaths and that gives a slightly different picture. So right now probably the most
concerning part of the world is Spain. Where we are seeing more deaths at this stage of Spain's outbreak than we have seen in Italy, in Wuhan and
anywhere else. So Spain very much looks like it could become the next epicenter.
But also there's concerning evidence that the U.S. death curve is actually starting to bend upwards, starting to get steeper. So over the first couple
of weeks of the outbreak in the U.S., things were relatively slow. But we're seeing more and more deaths come in every 24 hours in the U.S. at the
moment. And of course, we've now seen that cross above 1,000. So alarming scenes in America as well.
GORANI: What impact -- I mean, if you look at countries that have implemented strict containment measures, like Italy and now Spain, what
impact are they having on the progression -- on the trajectory of these curves? Because there is some disappointment. In France, for instance as
well, where you have these pretty strict containment measures in place, but the curve is not flattening as quickly as authorities would want. Do we
understand what the impact of containment is on the data?
BURN-MURDOCH: Sure, so I think first thing we need to note there, it takes quite a while for the impact of a lockdown it actually come into the
numbers that work seeing, especially when it comes to deaths. So when you consider how long it takes to go from someone picking up infection to
becoming seriously ill and then in tragic cases dying, that can often be with weeks or more. So we wouldn't expect to see the impact of a lockdown
on mortality numbers for around two weeks.
Now, in China, which locked down Wuhan and way back in late January, that's the sort of time period we seem to be looking at, somewhere between ten
days and two to three weeks in terms of the mortality curve starting to flatten off.
Now, France is obviously less -- we're not as far into that, that period, we're about eight or nine days into France's lockdown. We're coming up to -
- we're about two weeks into Italy's lockdown. So we would now perhaps start to expect Italy's mortality curve to be coming down. And in terms of
new numbers of deaths overnight, that is what we're seeing. Those numbers seem to have peaked through or four days ago. So there is evidence that
after these hard lockdowns come into place, two or three weeks later we he starts to see the curve flatten.
GORANI: OK, and that's actually very encouraging. The fact that if you just follow the orders and, in some cases, the mandatory self-isolation
orders coming from authorities, that that will contribute to flattening the curve.
What about city by city, can you talk to us about that? Which city is seeing some alarming rises? Which city has managed to contain this spread
and the death rate more than others and why.
BURN-MURDOCH: Sure, so this I think is going to become more interesting and over the next couple of weeks. Because when we talk about the outbreak
in any given country, it tends to actually be an outbreak in one city or region, which is gradually spreading outwards. So focusing on cities I
think is going to become where this story is.
[10:40:00]
Now the concerning thing for a lot of your viewers will be that New York is now emerging as one of the new epicenters in terms of deaths by day. So New
York we have this being about one week into its outbreak in terms of time since its tenth recorded death, that was New York state. And for that
seven-day period New York actually has more deaths than any other region subnational region in the world. So New York is looking like it could be
pretty bad there if things don't get -- if people don't get a handle on things quite soon.
Again, the other part of the world where this is looking worrying is Spain . Were both Madrid region and Catalonia where of course, Barcelona is the
major city these are also seeing very steep rises in their death count.
If you want to look at places where things have been going slightly better, Daegu in South Korea was one of the cities, early on in the whole story.
Earlier this year, there was a lot of concern about Daegu, there was a big outbreak there. But the Koreans did a pretty impressive job as far as the
evidence shows in terms of quarantining the people who did the virus and in terms of doing a lot of testing and then tracing everyone who the positive
test have come into contact with. And so, as a result, Daegu's mortality curve has been a lot flatter than those other cities and regions we have
seen elsewhere.
GORANI: Yes, it seems like that is the prescription needed. Self- containment -- self-isolation, I should say, and testing. And in some countries and cities we're not seeing much of the latter certainly in terms
of testing. Thanks very much, John Burn-Murdoch of the "Financial Times." Really appreciate having you on the program.
Still to come, in a few hours, South Africans will be required to stay home. But what happens to the people there who don't have a home?
Also, Russia has been downplaying the virus' impact for weeks. Now a new hospital is going up outside Moscow. And new restrictions are finally
starting. We'll be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR, CONNECT THE WORLD: You came up with the idea that ultimately became MOBO, when you were really quite young. Just take me
back to that period. How difficult
was it?
KANYA KING, FOUNDER, MUSIC OF BLACK ORIGIN: It was very challenging, trying to get support for a platform that was going to celebrate and
champion black music and culture.
I remember, you know, becoming quite frustrated with the injustices I saw around me because, you know, black music and black artists were making
waves that were reverberating around the world but didn't seem worthy enough to be celebrated in their own rights. And I just wanted to do
something about it, but I didn't feel that I had any resources or networks or contacts. Basically it's now or never, and I'm not -- I refuse to fail.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome back. South Africa is now bracing for a nationwide lockdown. The President of the country says that his nation must act
quickly to prevent a human catastrophe. His government is reporting more than 700 coronavirus cases.
David McKenzie joins me now live from Johannesburg with the latest on what South Africans can expect in the coming hours. And as I said before the
break, some people don't have homes that they can self-isolate in and that's going to prove very difficult for them.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Hala. Think of the millions and millions of people around the world right now, possibly
watching, they are stuck in their homes, isolating. It's scary for many people. It's inconvenient if you have a house or an apartment, but what if
you have no home whatsoever.
[10:45:00]
Some 5 million people at least in South Africa live in formal settlements, shacks. What are they going to do as we rapidly approach a lockdown in
South Africa for three weeks, a strict lockdown, stricter than many other countries. And what if you don't even have a shack? What if you're living
on the street and a refugee. We looked at some of the most vulnerable people in Cape Town and just what they are going to have to be doing.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): When the lockdown announcement came, Linda Mbombo had one thought.
LINDA MBOMBO, REFUGEE: We don't know if he was were thinking about as only South African people.
MCKENZIE: For months, she and her children had been sleeping on this sidewalk. It started as a protest against xenophobic attacks against them
has morphed into a community of refugees, hundreds of central Africans homeless in Cape Town.
MBOMBO: Being here, South Africa is like a death sentence for you. You don't have peace.
MCKENZIE: Peace is what she's been searching for. Ever since fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo years ago.
MBOMBO: So I couldn't stay there. So my husband since they took him one night and since then never knew where he is. Alive or he's dead I don't
know.
MCKENZIE: Now with the lockdown just hours away, there is still no peace. Just a new enemy. And even more uncertainty.
MBOMBO: Because we are scared to be in this place. Anytime the sickness can just attack anyone from us here.
MCKENZIE: When crowds of more than 100 were first declared Papy Sukami says that the authorities told them to disperse. When they didn't, he says
the city erected metal fencing.
They put up protection. This is a joke. It is a joke. This is supposed to fight a -- where they can wash their hands, wash their bodies and be
healthy. If coronavirus arrived today, people are going to die.
PAPY SUKAMI, REFUGEE LEADER: When the city of Cape Town put as a protection to isolate people. This is a joke. This is really a joke.
They're supposed to find shelters for these people where they can wash their hands. They can wash their bodies and they can eat to be healthy. If
t coronavirus arrived today people are going to die.
MBOMBO: Will leave us here. We don't know for what. The promise says that we accept the shelter. We say not if and now, if they bring a bus to take
us to shelter, we'll go.
MCKENZIE: President Cyril Ramaphosa said they would look to identify temporary shelters.
JP SMITH, CAPE TOWN CITY COUNCILOR: I feel for the people who are in that situation.
MCKENZIE: At moment, official JP Smith says there are around 172 available shelter beds for the city's close to 5,000 homeless population. Not nearly
enough for everyone.
SMITH: Many are holding out for something better. Either accommodation or relocation to another country. Neither of those are legally possible nor
viable for a whole range of complicated reasons.
MCKENZIE: So as South Africans prepare to stay at home, the question still remains, what will the government do for those without one?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE: Well, Hala, those refugees tell us that they have been receiving messages on WhatsApp and other forums saying they need to get out. But
where are they going to go? That population of some 400 or so and expands to the continent and this country and the millions who just don't have this
capacity to shelter in place. Don't even necessarily have the capacity to wash their hands. These simple things we all take for granted as a way to
kind of -- for us to try and stop this spread of this virus is not feasible. So this will be extremely difficult challenge for the South
African government, particularly as we head into midnight lockdown for three weeks -- Hala.
GORANI: All right, David McKenzie, thanks very much.
In Russia, there is also growing concern over this pandemic. Russian health officials are now reporting 840 cases across the country with most of the
newest cases in Moscow. The city's mayor is closing restaurants, bars, shops and parks for a week, starting Saturday. This latest move comes amid
some criticism that the government has been downplaying the seriousness of pandemic. Here is Matthew Chance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Does Russia have this coronavirus under control? Well, its orthodox churches are still
open. Worshippers still kissing icons, which are then disinfected. It's not ideal, but the church says it's trying to keep Russians calm.
If we closed the churches our orthodox people could stop panicking, as they want to pray, says this priest. We would rather they abstain from kissing
the icons, he adds.
It doesn't seem to be much to ask amid a viral pandemic.
But Russians have good reason to be uncertain of the threat. In a country of more than 140 million, officials say timely action to seal borders,
quarantined infections, and monitor with face recognition technology, people who could spread the virus has spared Russia the catastrophe now
befalling other states.
[10:50:00]
Just like the church, it's a mention of calm, not caution, that Russia's political leaders most want to spread. Even President Putin, 67 years old,
so at higher risk, has been declaring the outbreak under control and better than in other countries, while pictured on state media meeting crowds and
shaking hands. It's certainly not social distancing.
But even the Russian leader admits the country's low official tally may obscure a much deeper crisis.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Here's the thing. The authorities may not possess the full information, because people, A,
sometimes don't report it. And B, they do not themselves know that they are sick.
CHANCE: And this is not the action of a government relaxed about the coronavirus. A new hospital being thrown up rapidly outside Moscow, which
would significantly increase Russian capacity to cope with a surge of infections.
Kremlin critics, including one doctor close to a leading Russian opposition figure, suggest what's been happening in Russia up until now is a cover-up.
DR. ANASTASIA VASILIEVA, DOCTORS ALLIANCE: Doctors from hospitals are practically being turned into centers for treating patients with
coronavirus are reaching out to us. Instead of honestly talking about this, the authorities are masking the assignment of beds and calling them beds
for patients with pneumonia and acute respiratory viral infections.
CHANCE: Russian officials deny there's been any misleading information. And in recent days, Putin has finally been shown in full protective gear
visiting a hospital, engaging with this crisis.
While the number of confirmed infections in Russia remains suspiciously low, it seems to be bracing itself for much worse to come.
Matthew Chance, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, are you feeling anxious? Are you feeling isolated? Are you worried this you don't know when this is all going to end? How you're going
to cope. I'm going to speak to a psychology professor after the break who actually teaches a course on happiness. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome back. So even if you're physically healthy, you may be struggling mentally and psychologically with what's going on because you
have to stay home and there's really no end in sight for many people.
Laurie Santos is joining me via Skype. She leads the most popular course in Yale University's history, Psychology and the Good Life. Laurie Santos,
thanks for joining us. So first of all, what advice would you give people? I'm hearing among my friends, people saying, ah, the first week I was fine,
but you know, I'm panicking now. Or I had a crying fit. What can they do practically to try to get through this?
LAURIE SANTOS, PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR, YALE UNIVERSITY: Yes, well I think as we worry about our physical health in this time, we need to put as much
effort into our mental health. Especially since the kind of way this crisis is playing out. It's preventing us from doing the very things we would
naturally do to feel better. Like going out with our friends at the pub to try to take her mind off it or go to my mom's house in my case and give her
a hug. We can't do that right now. But the good news is --
Laurie, sorry, I got to jump in. The Speaker of the House in the U.S. Nancy Pelosi is addressing the coronavirus pandemic. Let's listen.
[10:54:38]
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): But let's first back up.
As I was coming here, I saw that nearly 1,000 deaths in the United States - - 900 yesterday, so I don't know what the number is today, but they're saying nearly 1,000 deaths in our country, tens of thousands of people are
-- we have tens of thousands of cases.
This is a pandemic that we haven't even seen since over -- for over 100 years in our country. It's really such -- such a tragedy.
PELOSI: So we had to take important action -- we had to take action, though, that puts families first and workers first and that's what we did
when we did our first legislation. The first two bills were about addressing the emergency directly -- $8.3 billion for research for a
vaccine, for -- for a cure. And that's of course the light at the end of the tunnel.
But funding for testing, testing, testing, very important so that we know, we can take inventory of -- of the challenge that we face. And more
importantly, that we can address each family's concerns about this.
The next bill was about masks, masks, masks so that we can test, test, test among other things, emergency.
The bill that we -- that was passed in the Senate last night and that we will take up tomorrow, is about mitigation. Mitigation for all the loss
(ph) that we have in our economy, while still addressing the emergency health needs that we have in our country.
And next, we'll go from emergency, mitigation to recovery, in terms of where we go to grow the economy, to create more jobs in light of the
reality that we've just been through.
So right now, we have the legislation that will come to the floor tomorrow. I anticipate -- I feel certain that we will have a strong bipartisan vote.
We take some pride in the fact that, as I said earlier, congressional Democrats in the Senate and in the House were able to flip this over from
corporate trickle-down Republican version to bubble up for first (ph) -- families-first legislation.
So again, we have some other things we want to do, but first we want to take pride in what -- what happens there. For workers, we were able to get,
of course, extended and expanded -- extended from what the Republicans wanted -- and expanded unemployment insurance. This is so very, very
important, of course, in terms of funds that go to major corporations or companies or anyone.
The direct condition is that, for example with the airlines, that the money have -- the money that is given to the airlines is given to the workers
directly. Just a pass-through, it goes directly to the workers and have (ph) some conditions on -- for other money that goes to any of these
companies, that they have no buybacks, no dividends, no bonuses -- all of those kinds of concerns, they're so offensive -- that happened before with
federal funds infused into their entities. So -- so we're very happy about all of that.
One of the differences, as I said, they're corporate-down, we're bubble up from workers. I think it was demonstrated last night. Can you believe that
almost -- I think it was every Republican, 49 Republicans last night, voted in the Senate to deprive those on unemployment insurance of the additional
$600 a week?
How could it be that in this time of stress and strain and uncertainty about health and livelihood -- life and livelihood, that they would vote
that way? But I think it does demonstrate the point that I made, that, not about workers first. But the bill got to be there, and I thank the Senate
Democrats for using the leverage they have with the 60 votes. I take pride in what we had in our House bill that is in the Senate bill now. So for
workers and for families with all three of our bills, we have put families and workers first.
PELOSI: The -- we, again, I hope that the -- the U.I. will -- right now, we want people to take advantage of all of this quickly. The U.I. will depend
on how the states do it, and they're not all uniform but we want people to know exactly how they can benefit from that, and we're putting that all
together so all of our members -- both sides of the aisle -- can know (ph) how they can facilitate enabling their constituents to take advantage of
the opportunities there.
So again, the bill last night and -- and tomorrow will be a large infusion of funds for hospitals, health systems and state and local governments. We
want more -- and this was a big strong step but we need more. Small businesses -- so proud of the work of all of our Chairmen. They were just
dazzling in their knowledge, their strategy, their -- their -- they're just -- their -- their experience in getting the right kind of bill passed, even
though, again, compromised -- compromising, not getting everything we want but recognizing that -
[11:00:00]
END
