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Connect the World
Miami-Dade County Run Out Of ICU Beds Wednesday; Politics & Fears May Handicap Potential COVID-19 Vaccine; Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro Again Tests Positive For COVID-19; French Study: Baby Infected With COVID- 19 In Womb; WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne "Shocked" By Opt-Out Denial. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired July 16, 2020 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe we need to almost push the reset button. Let's stop this nonsense and figure out how can we get our control over this now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really up to everyone who is out there. We all want to get back to your lives, but it requires that we all cooperate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes it is. Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson. This is our expanded edition of "Connect the World" from our Middle East
Broadcasting Hub here in Abu Dhabi.
If I was to tell you a year ago the world's most powerful nation would be hardest hit by a mystery new virus, what would you have said? If I've told
you hospitals would be running out of ICU care or that powerhouse states like Texas would bring in refrigerated trucks as morgues filled up. I
wonder what your reaction would have been.
Would you have been shocked to hear that more than 3.5 million people will become infected, higher than anywhere else, or that 39 states would see
cases rise months after the virus first reached America, as people refuse to take precautions like wearing a mask.
What if I had shown you this, comparing a single U.S. state to other badly- hit places? Where would your outrage have been, your incomprehension? And for some, where is it now? Because this is what people mean when they call
COVID-19 an American crisis.
Nowhere is the urgency more clear than in Miami, whose entire county was out of ICU beds on Wednesday. Rosa Flores has the latest for you.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Florida, it's becoming more difficult to find a hospital bed for those who may need one, as the number of people
testing positive for the Coronavirus here keeps growing.
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CARLOS MIGOYA, PRESIDENT & CEO, JACKSON HEALTH SYSTEM: As we are leaning out of the elective surgeries we're moving in COVID patients, extremely
stressful.
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FLORES: Miami-Dade County has already run out of Intensive Care Unit beds and is quickly converting other beds for use, health care workers asking
Floridians to change their behavior.
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DR. AILEEN MARTY, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY: Once we start running out of things, we, you know, we keep
going on this trend, when we no longer have beds we can convert to ICU beds that are very critical for each individual that needs that kind of care.
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FLORES: With the surge, a massive demand for testing, and a series backlog, Governor Ron DeSantis pushing labs to provide results in two days.
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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): You have somebody go through one of the sites and then they get a result back ten days later that is not really going to be
very helpful.
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FLORES: Florida, Texas, and California surpassing 10,000 new infections Wednesday.
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BARBARA FERRER, DIRECTOR, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH: These alarming trends reflect behaviors from three weeks ago, and it will
take several weeks to see if our behavior now, including the roll-back of previously opened sectors slows the spread of the virus.
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FLORES: Texas also recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic. Many hospitals are becoming strained, and medical military personnel deployed to
help care for the sick. The Governor says he's not planning to shut down the economy again.
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DESANTIS: All we need is for people to wear masks. If everyone wears as mask, nothing will be locked down.
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FLORES: Nearly 600 nurses will head to Arizona from out of state to assist hospitals overloaded with patients. With new weekly Coronavirus rising in
at least 39 states this morning, some residents being warned they could be in the next hot spots.
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GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): The tragedy that we see playing out on our television screens every day in Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California may
well be our reality in just a matter of weeks. The good news is that this nightmare does not have to be our future.
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FLORES: The nation's top infectious disease expert says it's time to press reset on handling the crisis.
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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: So you can't think that you're operating in a vacuum. You got to
accept the societal responsibility that if we want to stop this, everybody's got to contribute. You can't say I don't care.
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ANDERSON: That was Rosa Flores reporting for you from Miami. There is though some encouraging news in the global race for a vaccine, not at least
in the UK for example where human trials are advancing to a second round of London's Imperial College.
A spokesman tells CNN the vaccine basically trains the immune system to respond to the Coronavirus and recognize it as a threat in the future. One
of the researchers told the UK parliament, chances of finding an effective vaccine are high. As you can see, the team at Imperial is one of many
research groups around the world racing to produce a Coronavirus vaccine.
Nina Dos Santos joins us now live from Imperial College in London. What are you learning, Nina?
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks so much, Becky. Well, I had the chance with my team to go into some of the places where they were taking
place those human trials but also some of the manufacturing is facilities as well - trying to see whether or not they can actually turn this complex
vaccine into a viable proposition.
Now Imperial College has to be said is one of the premiere research institutions in this country. They have got a lot of experience in things
like bioengineering and also genetic engineering. It's that exact science that they're trying to put to use. I have to say, though, it is something
of a gamble.
Take a look. Justine in her 30s is receiving an experimental new vaccine against Coronavirus. She'll get a second booster shot in two weeks' time
and if all goes to plan, should become immune.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This goes under your tongue.
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SANTOS: She's one of around 300 volunteers who have been tested for Coronavirus and deemed eligible to take part in this stage of human trials
at Imperial College London.
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SANTOS: Justine, how do you feel?
JUSTINE ALFORD, VACCINE TRIAL VOLUNTEER: I feel really good, actually. It will definitely be something to tell the grandkids over supper one day.
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SANTOS: And here's why, this is what Justine has just received. It works quite differently to other vaccines. It doesn't contain a full albeit
weakened copy of COVID-19 instead just a tiny piece of genetic material. The hope is that now that genetic material found its way into one of her
muscle cells her body will be encouraged to produce antibodies, thereby confirming immunity to Coronavirus.
The vaccine is based on a synthetic strand of self replicating code or RNA. It's a technique that has never been brought to market but one which could
transform the way future vaccines are made.
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DR. KATRINA POLLACK, SENIOR CLINICAL RESEARCH FELLOW, IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON: That allows the vaccine to be very scalable and that's exactly what
you need when you got a pandemic and you're talking about not just vaccinating millions but potentially billions of people.
SANTOS: This is somewhat of a gamble. This is very, very high science.
DR. POLLACK: That's true to say that. That makes it very exciting.
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SANTOS: And part of the answer as to whether this method will work lies 250 miles north of the capital.
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LUCY FOLEY, BIOLOGICS UNIT DIRECTOR, CPI: Look at this container here, this is a five liter, and this could contain up to 5 million doses in there.
SANTOS: And how long will it take this production facility when everything is up and running to make a bottle of that?
FOLEY: So the process that we're working on developing will take two weeks to make the product and then encapsulate it so it can go into use.
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SANTOS: Before they can do that, these scientists in Darlington are figuring out how to go from the experimental phase to a product that can be
mass manufactured?
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FOLEY: Imagine a cup of tea with a spoon and stirring a bucket with the spoon. You don't get the same mixing effect.
SANTOS: So how quickly could you scale this up?
FOLEY: If you look at a more traditional vaccine, if you look at around an 18-month program. For this vaccine, we're looking at between four and six
months to get it a scaled manufacture process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANTOS: The vaccine will still have to be tested on thousands more in locations where the virus is still circulating. This is among 23 vaccines
in clinical trials worldwide, and one of several using RNA. But with billions of people to protect in this pandemic, developing a vaccine in
such small doses could make a big impact soon.
Now Becky it has to be said that Imperial College is one of two institutions in this country that is readying vaccines for that human trial
state. Already in that huge trial stages the other is Oxford University that's taking a slightly more traditional approach but is being more vocal
about its ambitions to try to get this vaccine to market sooner.
We're likely to get news on Monday with "The Lancet" the main medical and scientific publication of record here published the early data from the
human trials for the Oxford University vaccine.
According to two British publications it has solicited the desired immune response but Oxford University for the moment not commenting for their part
on that. Becky?
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ANDERSON: Big question is, is a vaccine then in sight? Nina, thank you. When it comes to a vaccine, it's not just about finding one that's fully
effective and being able to manufacturer it on a mass scale. It's also about overcoming public fears and political bias to give it to enough
people to provide what's called herd immunity.
Now herd immunity effectively means enough people are resistant to the virus to make its spread unlikely. We've done it with measles and polio but
a CNN poll conducted in the United States is worrying. In May, a third of Americans said they wouldn't try, would not try to get vaccinated against
COVID-19, even if the vaccine were cheap and widely available.
I want to bring in CNN's Stephen Collinson live from Washington, a regular guest on this show. A lot of Americans refusing to even wear masks and
state governments refusing to enforce mandates. How in the world are they going to be motivated to get their populations to get vaccinated is the big
question at this point, surely, Stephen?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTE: Right. You would think that after months locked at home and having their lives disrupted everybody
would be lining up to get this vaccine, but it is a considerable worry of health professionals, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious
disease specialist in the U.S. government that not enough people will opt to get this.
There's been a strong anti-vaccine movement in recent years, gathering pace in the United States among parents who don't want to get their children
vaccinated for diseases like Polio, Measles, you know, vaccination programs have been instrumental in eradicating those diseases from the United States
and other diseases like Smallpox.
But there is this fringe movement that has grown powerful through social media and the growing proliferation of conspiracy theories and it is not
safe to get your kids vaccinated and also political implications as you say. Some groups distrust the power of the government on the conservative
side, and they don't want to be told to get their kids vaccinated.
They see that as an infringement of their freedom. On the other side there are some liberal groups who are very suspicious of the power of
pharmaceutical giants. So you can see where this all comes together. The one thing about that poll, you said it was conducted in May, and that was
before the Coronavirus started spreading across the vast heartland of the United States and the conservative south.
It would be interesting to see whether the actual reality of the virus as it's playing out in disastrous form in the south has changed the attitudes
of some people. There were many people at that point who didn't even accept that the Coronavirus was a serious threat. So this is something that could
be dynamic in terms of public opinion.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's fascinating. You're right to point out that poll was done in May and it will be interesting to see if what the result would be,
should that poll be conducted again anytime soon? There will be parts of the world where people are watching and will say are worries we won't get
access to any new vaccinations?
That's often been the problem for people in poorer parts of the world, in developing parts of the world. I just wonder, in the U.S., whether the
federal government could actually enforce a vaccine if need be?
COLLINSON: Well, we've seen that the reluctance of the government particularly not just President Trump but Republican Governors to mandate
people to wear masks, that's been a hugely explosive political issue. So the chances I think that the federal government at least under a Republican
President would force people to get a vaccine, I think are somewhat unlikely.
I think you also have to consider whether that would actually in the United States be constitutional for the government to force people to take a
vaccine. You could argue of course that the use of devices like seat belts, which is mandated by the government, would provide some kind of precedent.
I mean, I think that one of the issues here is that the Trump Administration has pretty much messed up every single aspect of the fight
of Coronavirus from the very beginning on issues like testing, PPE for medical professionals, et cetera, et cetera.
The chances that if there were to be a vaccine say before the end of the year available, and that this administration could first of all go through
all the difficult questions about who should get it first, where it should be distributed?
And secondly, could actually roll this out without you know, major problems, seems very unlikely and there is also the issue that although
President Trump would see it in his political interests to get this vaccine out and administered to as many people as possible, given his re-election
race that's currently unfolding.
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COLLINSON: His whole entire administration has been based on attacks on science, and the politicization of science and the proliferation of
conspiracy theories. And so that is the environment in which this virus vaccine will be rolled out, and that is going to be another layer of
complexity here.
ANDERSON: Stephen Collinson on the story for you. Stephen, appreciate your thoughts. Thank you for that. Well of course, COVID-19 isn't just an
American crisis. It affects all of us. Coming up thoughts then on our future with a leading world expert the Chief Scientific Officer for the
Association of American Medical Colleges that is coming up this hour on this show.
Plus, hackers target a number of high-profile Twitter accounts, including U.S. Presidential hopeful Joe Biden, more about that massive scam up next.
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ANDERSON: America's leading infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci is pushing back against White House attempts to discredit him. Earlier this
week unnamed staffers circulated a list of reasons to mistrust the doctor that went around to reporters.
Then White House Senior Trade Official Peter Navarro published a scathing opinion piece claiming Dr. Fauci was wrong about everything. Now the White
House is trying to distance itself from the attacks, which Dr. Fauci says are bizarre, and only hurt the President.
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DR. FAUCI: I think that if you talk to reasonable people in the White House, they realize that was a major mistake on their part because it
doesn't do anything but reflect poorly on them. I don't think that was their intention. I cannot figure out in my wildest dreams why they'd want
to do that but I think they realize that that was not a prudent thing to do, because it's only reflecting negatively on them.
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ANDERSON: Well, my next guest says he is extremely concerned and alarmed by the efforts to discredit Dr. Fauci saying "America should be applauding Dr.
Fauci for his service and following his advice, not undermining his credibility at this critical time."
Dr. Ross McKinney is the Chief Scientific Officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges. Also a Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist
and he joins us live from Durham, North Carolina. You are concerned about this disconnect, let's call it, and that's an understatement it seems
between the U.S. President, the White House, and the leading experts on Coronavirus in the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci.
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DR. ROSS MCKINNEY, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGES: We're very concerned, because it's absolutely critical
that Americans have a voice that they can believe in. This is a very tumultuous time. This is a brand new infection that we are dealing with, a
pandemic.
And in that kind of time, in that kind of chaos, you need people that you can believe in, and for at least 30 years, Dr. Fauci has been that person
in the United States particularly in situations where we have epidemic diseases.
ANDERSON: I started this show by posing the question to our viewers around the world if I were to tell you a year ago that the world's powerful nation
would be hardest hit by a mystery new virus, if I said that hospitals would be running out of ICU care and that refrigerated trucks would be used as
morgues, that 39 states will see cases rise months after the virus first reached America, what would you have said? If I'd asked you the same
question, what would your response have been a year ago, and describe where you believe America is at, at this point?
DR. MCKINNEY: Okay. Well, I would say a year ago I would have been surprised but not entirely. We were caught. We did not have the level of
preparation we thought we did. We did not have the supplies we thought we did and it was a bit of a perfect storm, because most of at this point most
of our personal protective equipment, PPE, comes from China in the United States.
And so when the epidemic hit China first, the exports stopped, and suddenly we were left with what we had, and did not have fallback systems. The
internationalization of supplies has had a tremendous effect on our ability to respond.
So I would have said I'd be disappointed that that's what happened, but in fact, it did, and now where are we? We are still behind the curve. We are
not yet in a position where in much of the country we have the epidemic in control.
Only in the northeastern part of the United States do we seem to have a match between the amount of public health's response and the number of
cases. Everywhere else, it looks like the virus is winning; you might say if this was a team sport.
ANDERSON: So what do you make of the information that we have to date about the prospect for a vaccination, a vaccine?
DR. MCKINNEY: I'm actually quite optimistic about vaccination, and getting a vaccine. The catch is it's a new technology. There are a bunch of new
strategies for doing vaccination that are different than the way that we vaccinated in the past, things like giving RNA from the virus, which makes,
when injected into somebody's arm, causes to you build the proteins of the virus in your arm.
That's a novel strategy for a vaccine, and two of our lead candidates used that strategy, but the good news from the last couple of days is that
they've pretty consistently lead to the kind of antibody response we would expect to be necessary to protect people.
So I'm feeling continuously more optimistic that we're going to have a vaccine, although I would say it's unlikely that we will get one before
sometime into next year. Maybe spring of 2021 for example, if everything goes right.
ANDERSON: While I've got you, you are a pediatric infectious disease specialist. So I must ask you for your response or your thoughts on a story
that we have here on CNN today, sadly doctors in France have found what they say is the world's first recorded case of a child contracting COVID-19
from its mother inside the womb. This is new information. Does it surprise you, sir?
DR. MCKINNEY: It - we knew eventually we would start to see cases but they're very rare. There have been a lot of pregnancies, and most
pregnancies have ended in healthy babies, and even in that particular case, it looked like there was some inflammation of the brain, a little
meningitis, but the child at this point seems to be doing well-developed mentally.
So while there have been now I think four cases reported where it looked like there was in the uterus transmission, most of the outcomes have been
good. So it happens, but it's not like Zika as far as we can tell. It doesn't lead to the kind of severe damage in the womb that Zika did. So
it's there but not a huge problem so far.
[11:25:00]
ANDERSON: With that we'll leave it there. Your expert analysis is extremely important as we continue to cover what is this global pandemic. So thank
you.
Well, a coordinated social engineering attack that is what Twitter is calling the recent hacking of several high-profile accounts. Former U.S.
President Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, Kanye West all verified accounts tweeting out a Crypto Currency scam.
Well, the tweet said that they were giving back to the community in light of COVID-19, as long as followers sent the Crypto Currency First. Obama's
Vice President Joe Biden's account was hit, too. Of course he is now running for President.
Let's bring in CNN Business Reporter Donie O'Sullivan. I have to say I saw this on Barack Obama's account which I follow this morning and I have to
say immediately I assumed this was a scam. What is Twitter saying about this and just how big a deal is this?
DONNIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER: Hey Becky, I mean, this is historic, certainly the most high-profile hack in Twitter's history. If you think
about it, if just Joe Biden's account or if just Obama's account or if only Bill Gates' account, if only one of those accounts had been hacked or
compromised, it would be a huge story, of course, particularly with Biden here in an election year.
But we saw some of the world's most famous people's accounts hacked, and they are all tweeting out to this scam about Bitcoin. Now, overnight,
Twitter is saying they have launched an investigation. What they have found in at least the initial stages of this is that it wasn't actually just the
individuals who were hacked.
It wasn't just Obama and Biden who were hacked. It was a Twitter employee, and they used the phrase "Social Engineering" which means that an employee
might have been either tricked or coerced or in some way persuaded to hand over details and logins and access to Twitter's internal systems which in
turn was then used by the hackers to take over these accounts. Becky?
ANDERSON: Fascinating times, and worrying times. Thank you, Donie. Still coming up on "Connect the World" I'm Becky Anderson for you. Brazil's
President tests positive for the Coronavirus for a second time as his country scrambles to get the virus under control. Plus--
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She tells me she feels trapped, she feels like a puppet, the quarantine has only made it worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: In Mexico, there's been a spike in pleas for help. We'll take a look at domestic violence amid what is this COVID-19 crisis. That is coming
up.
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[11:30:00]
ANDERSON: It's half past seven in the UAE. I'm Becky Anderson out of Abu Dhabi for you. This is our Middle East Programming Hub and you're watching
"Connect the World." And another look at the Coronavirus in America, 39 of the 50 U.S. states are now reporting week-to-week increases case counts
over the past week have averaged more than 60,000 a day that is 60,000 a day.
More importantly, hospitalizations and death rates are rising in the hardest-hit states. Both Arizona and Texas bringing in refrigerated trucks
as morgues fill up in the states. ICUs in California and Florida also stretched to or past capacity.
All this as President Donald Trump essentially ignores the pandemic, taking time to promote beans and other products in the White House Oval Office
from a company whose CEO praised him. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tested positive for Coronavirus once again, announcing it in a video on
Facebook.
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JAIR BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT: Yesterday morning I did the test, and the result came in at night. I am still positive for Coronavirus. I hope
that in the coming days I will do the exam again so that all is in order for people to return to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The Brazil President was diagnosed last week. He went on to say he feels better after taking the anti-malaria drug Hydroxychloroquine, as
prescribed by his doctor. This comes as Brazil's death toll surpasses 75,000. 40,000 new cases reported on Wednesday.
Let's get to CNN's Shasta Darlington, who is live in Sao Paulo for us. Shasta President Bolsonaro continues to tell his controversial anti-malaria
drug even though a number of studies have warned of the adverse side effects. How is he backing his claims at this point?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN REPORTER: Well, Becky very carefully in part because he wants to make sure that his videos aren't taken down because of
incorrect information. So what he said, he doesn't claim that Hydroxychloroquine cures Coronavirus.
What he said for example in the video posted last night is that it appeared to help him and appeared to have helped others. He said he hasn't had a
fever since the beginning of last week, when he started to take the malaria drug. And that he also hasn't suffered from other major symptoms associated
with Coronavirus like shortness of breath, or even losing your sense of taste.
As you mentioned, nonetheless, he still tested positive when he took a test this week and he'll have to take another. And he's been very vocal about
how annoying he finds it to be in isolation or semi-isolation working from home.
In the meantime, as you said, Brazil's reporting tens of thousands of new cases every day, often topping 40,000 daily infections. And in fact today,
it's expected to reach the grim milestone of 2 million confirmed cases, and experts don't expect the pandemic to peak until around mid-August.
So things are still very uncomfortable here, and very dangerous for a lot of people, especially because we've seen the shift move from big cities
like Sao Paulo to smaller cities, smaller towns, indigenous villages are particularly hard-hit, but even rural states like Mato Grosso in the west
are facing a crisis.
There state prosecutors have said that frankly the supply for intensive care beds now exceeds or rather the demand for intensive care beds is now
exceeding the supply so a very urgent situation in many parts of Brazil. Becky?
ANDERSON: Shasta Darlington on the story there for you, thank you, Shasta. Brazil is continuing damn it's spiral and comes as Latin America tops 3.5
million reported cases of Coronavirus. One of the most concerning figures in the region is Mexico's death toll nearing 37,000 fatalities. Its
mortality figures are soaring at an extremely high rate.
CNN's Matt Rivers joins us now live from Mexico City. And Matt, the Coronavirus putting a pressure point on all aspects of society in Mexico,
including it seems domestic violence.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's exactly right, Becky. I mean, when you look back towards the end of March, when Mexico's government
realized that they had a big problem on their hands, and they essentially put the economy into lockdown, that was designed to slow the spread of this
outbreak.
It only partially worked in a lot of ways, given where the state of the outbreak is right now, but this unintended consequence of basically taking
domestic abuse victims and essentially trapping them at home with their abusers.
[11:35:00]
RIVERS: You just think about it in a commonsense way. If someone is engaged in domestic abuse and they're stuck at home, they can't go out, they can't
go to work, then that could make the situation for the victim of domestic abuse that much worse and when we drill down into some statistics, when we
talked to some victims, it painted a very clear picture of just a dire situation.
On March 8th, Mexico's women showed up, hundreds of thousands and Mexico City said enough of the discrimination, enough of the violence against
women, in a country where the government says two-thirds of women have experienced violence. Changing that is an uphill climb, and that was before
the pandemic.
Mexico shut down most of its economy on March 23rd and urged people to stay indoors. Activists say that spurred an onslaught of domestic violence. "The
lockdown triggered violence in so many ways" she says. "People can't work. There's alcoholism, overcrowding. It's a lot". And it's not hard to find
individual stories.
This woman who spoke to us anonymously for safety reasons said her daughter is living with her partner, who is abusing her. She tells me she feels
trapped. She feels like a puppet. The quarantine has only made it worse.
Another woman who we are not identifying for her own protection, but we'll call Ana, tells us her husband strangled her just before authorities asked
people to stay home. So she joined a chat group with other survivors, and when the economy shut down, she says messages asking for help spiked.
He threatened to beat me, this message reads. "He stood in front of me and pretended to punch me". She went on to say she'd leave him, but the
pandemic has killed work. The lack of income prevents me from doing things.
We live in a tragic moment. Ana says when we have to live with the enemy and so many women don't even dare to ask for help in part because the
government doesn't usually help. 93 percent of all crimes in 2018 went unsolved, according to government data.
When I reported my assault police said are you sure you want to do this? He's your husband they try and stop you from filing. There's skepticism at
the top too, and Mexico Security Ministry says from March through May of this year, 911 calls for domestic violence went up more than 44 percent
compared to the same period last year.
But in this May news conference, Mexico's President said this. "90 percent of those calls that you're referring to are fake" he said when asked about
them, comparing them to prank calls. Though the President has said domestic violence is a problem, government campaigns like this one to try and fix it
have been ridiculed online.
This awareness advertisement basically says if you're angry, just count to ten. Now ten is also the average number of women killed every single day
here in Mexico from March to May of this year. Now, no one is saying that as this economy opens back up, maybe what that does is that eases the
burden on some of these women who have been trapped at home with their abusers, but domestic violence existed before this lockdown occurred.
It's going to remain, even though the lockdown is being lifted but it certainly did not help so many women in this country, Becky, who are facing
tough situations at home. And as this pandemic continues, you know, where work remains an issue, people continue to have job loss, and we're going to
see the effects of this pandemic continue on this country's women.
ANDERSON: Yes, very sad story in Mexico, and sadly, not the only place where domestic violence during the COVID crisis has reared its ugly head.
Matt, thank you. Still ahead a hugely concerning development.
Could the Coronavirus be passed on to kids in the womb, more on a troubling new report up next? And we'll be live in Bristol, and England, a city where
art is confronting racism and a legacy of colonial era slave trading more on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:00]
ANDERSON: More than 13.5 million people around the world have now tested positive for Coronavirus. And now unfortunately there are concerns that the
virus could affect those who haven't even been born. Researchers in France say a woman passed the virus onto her unborn child. Cyril Vanier is in
pass. And Cyril, you have the details.
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, so many pregnant women during this pandemic have wondered, you know, what is the danger to themselves and
to the child or children that they're carrying if they catch the Coronavirus? Can they infect their children?
Well look, we're getting a much clearer answer now to that question, and part of it comes from this hospital outside Paris that we visited, which is
a referral center for at-risk pregnancies. Now I warn you, some of the answers that we found are going to be concerning to pregnant women but
there is also good news, Becky. Take a look.
Dr. Daniele De Luca specializes in critical care for newborns at this hospital outside Paris. At the height of the pandemic in France late March
dozens of pregnant mothers presenting severe Coronavirus symptoms were admitted here.
In a research paper recently published in the medical journal "Nature" the doctor says it's now confirmed that one of the mothers transmitted the
virus to her unborn child.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DANIELE DE LUCA, NEONATAL CRITICAL CARE DIVISION, HOSPITAL ANTOINE, BECLERE, AP-HP: This is the reality; the virus can pass through the
placenta to the baby. In the beginning we told this is never going to happen. This is not true. That's the reality. And that's bad news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VANIER: The doctor says the virus was present in the mother's blood, which is rare, and was then transmitted through the placenta, and when the baby
boy was delivered, he tested positive for the virus. There were already strong suspicions of what is called neonatal transmission, but Dr. De Luca
says his study confirms it.
The hospital carried out half a dozen tests on the baby boy, swabs, a blood test, test of the placenta, the cord, amniotic fluid, all of those within
an hour of the birth, all confirming that the baby was indeed infected before he even came into this world. Within 24 hours, the newborn presented
severe neurological complications, cerebral inflammation and irregular muscle movements.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. LUCA: I cannot deny that, in the beginning we were very worried we are seeing symptoms, so we were worried. And then as I told you, they improved
pretty steadily, we're very happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VANIER: The virus left no lasting damage, and the baby was discharged from the hospital less than three weeks later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. LUCA: When it happens, as you see the baby is most likely going to recover pretty soon alone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VANIER: According to the doctor, there is now growing evidence that newborns are resistant to COVID-19. And the best news of call, he says,
neonatal transmission of the virus remains extremely rare.
And Becky, I can't stress that point enough, Dr. De Luca was telling us we're talking in the very low single digits in terms of the percentages of
children who are in the womb who would contract the Coronavirus through their mother.
What the doctor did say, however, is that environmental transmission of the Coronavirus to infants that is a lot more common. That means infants get it
just like we do, by droplets through the air after they are born. And that's why mothers need to do what everybody needs to do, wash their hands,
wear a face mask, and practice social distancing.
[11:45:00]
ANDERSON: Good advice, thank you, sir, Cyril Vanier reporting. We've been talking the past couple of months about two viruses COVID-19 and racism of
course.
The pandemic caused a global shutdown, but the death of an unarmed black man George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police officers sparked a
show of global solidarity against police brutality and against colonial era statues and symbols of slavery, like the statue of slave trader Edward
Colston, which stood for more than a century in the Center of Bristol in the West of England before being pulled down last month by protesters.
Edward Colston's statue stood for 125 years but the Black Lives Matter sculpture that replaced it stood for about 25 hours. Bristol city officials
say it's been moved to a museum and it is up to the people of the city to decide what should now occupy the world-famous fence? CNNs Selma Abdel Aziz
joining me from Bristol. Selma?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Becky, the mood here has absolutely changed. Yesterday it was one of celebration, one of joy people were gathered,
bringing their family members, bringing their loved ones to snap a picture. Today that monument is empty and people are sort of standing and reflecting
and trying to understand what happened. Take a look at our story.
Bristol got a surprise gift, and everyone here was celebrating it, where the statue of a slave trader once stood, there was a sculpture of a proud
black female protester with her fist high in the air. It's created a moment. The atmosphere was electric and this group of friends wanted to
remember it forever.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Do you all feel inspired?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Um-hum, certainly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The group chat was buzzing. It was popping all. So there was a lot of excitement a black woman, to be
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: - a black woman.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's something like we're going to tell our grandkids about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: That woman is Jen Reid. Her likeness was created by the Artist Marc Quinn.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARC QUINN, VISUAL ARTIST: It happened because I was looking at Instagram and I saw a picture of Jen standing on the - with her arm up in a black
power salute. I just felt oh my God, she's created a sculpture.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Jen posed for the photo shortly after protesters tore down the likeness of Edward Colston, a 17th century merchant of enslaved Africans.
For decades the city's black community had called for its removal and then it was finally done the statue dragged into the harbor and thrown into the
water. Jen felt triumphant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEN REID, BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTOR: When I climbed onto that statue and I rose my fist, I rose my fist for all the slaves that died at the hands of
Colston. I raised my fist for George Floyd, giving them power. I raised my fist for every black person who has faced injustices.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: They two in their team erected the installation under the cover of darkness in a guerrilla style act of defines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REID: It was ready now - obviously last night was the first time I came face to face with the sculpture of myself, and yes, that was a very surreal
moment and also really emotional.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: But just as quickly as it appeared, the statue was gone. The city's council said it's being held for collection or donation in a museum.
And the Mayor says the fate of this empty column will be decided democratically. But Marc and Jen only meant for the conversations, not the
statue, to be permanent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUINN: Through you debating, take this debate all around the world from this one act so it's already functioning.
REID: Yes, it's doing what it was supposed to do. So it's great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: What it did was create a 24-hour event around this piece, and although it's gone, its impact is sure to be lasting.
As you can see there, Becky, that joy, that celebration and now today this somber mood, the Mayor has been speaking out on this issue and has said
that the artist never received the proper permissions. But we also asked the artist this question and he said he never intended for it to be
permanent.
It was supposed to be a temporary fixture. What he wanted to do was capitalize on the vacancy behind me here to spark a conversation, and that
conversation, Becky, it's still happening.
ANDERSON: Yes, it is. Salma thank you. Salma is in Bristol, in England for you. Excuse me. While fans have remained at home for the majority of sports
around the world, the scene was very different in the U.S. State of Tennessee on Wednesday as thousands gathered to watch a race, despite the
ongoing Coronavirus pandemic details on that just ahead.
[11:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The world of sports in the United States under increased scrutiny amid the Coronavirus pandemic and rightly so Major League Soccer, Golf and
NASCAR, they are already under way while the NBA restart is fast approaching.
CNN's Patrick Snell is joining us live. With the COVID-19 numbers as high as they are stateside, different leagues with very different safety
measures it seems. Can you explain?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, absolutely, Becky. Thanks for joining us. Yes, it's something we're keeping a very close eye on right now. No
question about that. Take for example, Major League Soccer, MLS and NBA basketball as well overhear in the U.S. there both restarting inside what's
being called the Orlando bubble.
Players all based in a confined area and even despite that, we've already seen some MLS Major League Soccer in fact excluding two teams due to the
virus with multiple games postponed. There are of course no fans in Orlando, but the case is very different in the racing series NASCAR, we
actually saw thousands of supporters flocking to the all-star race on Wednesday.
I want to bring in my friend and CNN Sports colleague Coy Wire. Coy was quite a sight over there in Tennessee. Tell us more.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: It really was, Patrick. We are starting to see case studies in a sense right, of sports but really other mass gatherings like
concerts and parades, can we, should we have thousands, potentially tens of thousands of people watching an event in person in the coming months?
No official number from NASCAR but up to 30,000 fans expected on Wednesday, all socially distanced. That track in Bristol, Tennessee, can hold up to
160,000 spectators, so that was only about 20 percent of their capacity.
Now masks were required for entry, but then they could take them off once they got to their seat. In buying the tickets, Patrick, fans had to assume
all risk of exposure according to the speedway. Chase Elliott dominated the - way to $1 million prize, he soaked up the moment and gave a shout out to
the fans that were able to make it. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHASE ELLIOTT, WON $1M IN ALL-STAR RACE: What a better night to have fans back than tonight? You all are awesome, all of those numbers 9 has in t-
shirts and hats up in the stands. There's no feeling like it. Love to see it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Fans at a sporting event, they're like the lifeblood of sports. But during this pandemic, they're also proving to be a gauge for what may or
may not be possible at events with competitions continuing, rapidly approaching. Leagues and teams are being forced to make decisions, Patrick.
They're pushing the envelope, testing the waters of getting back and hoping and sports fans as well hoping that those plans can work.
SNELL: And they most certainly are, Coy. And I do know that you are actually keeping a close eye right on some key and important story lines
out there in the moment. What else is getting your attention and why?
WIRE: Yes, Patrick, reigning WNBA Champions Mystic Star and League MVP Elena Delle Donne CNN, she is terrified of what COVID could do to her. She
has battled Lyme disease for nearly a decade. I spoke to 30-year-old Olympian on Wednesday. She told me she takes 64 pills every day to help
with the compromised immune system.
Now within the last hour, WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelberg told CNN that Delle Donne will still receive her salary and will be granted an exemption,
but not for that preexisting condition, but for a back surgery she had this offseason still - very tough decision to make. The season is set to start
on the 25th in Florida, where COVID cases are surging. Here she is.
[11:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELENA DELLE DONNE, TWO TIME WNBA MVP: I'm in a situation health wise where I don't know how my body will handle COVID? I don't know if I'll need to be
hospitalized in the State of Florida. I want to play basketball. I want to make a living. I have to take care of my family, so that's kind of what's
going through my head at the moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Elena says she will make a decision in a matter of days. But she told me that this situation has made her feel so much empathy for others who may
not have the resources she has, especially those with compromised health who might not have a choice about going back to work because they have to
in order to put food on the table for their families. Patrick?
SNELL: Alright. Thank you, Coy. It is a very powerful story indeed. Thank you. I do want to get to England now where at this hour, day one of the
second test in the historic international cricket series between England and the West Indies continuing in Manchester.
Windies 1-0 remember in this series. But the buildup to it was dominated by news that England's fast bowler Jofra Archer being excluded from the match
after breaching bio-secure protocols that's according to the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Archer will now have to isolate for five days, take two COVID -19 tests both of which must return negative results before it can return to the
England fold. Archer saying he fully accepts the consequences of his actions and has apologized to everyone in the bio-secure bubble.
That is it from us for now, Becky. By the way, later on today, Real Madrid can clinch another Spanish top flight title with victory over Villarreal
later. We shall see back to you there.
ANDERSON: Thank you very much indeed. I was just thinking about England's chances without Jofra?
SNELL: Right.
ANDERSON: Against the Windies.
SNELL: Yes.
ANDERSON: There already a test down.
SNELL: Yes, and they had a tough start as well, but they're rallying a bit now.
ANDERSON: There you go. Good stuff. Thank you, sir. And thank you for joining us. We have a lot across our world this hour. Before we go, I want
to connect you to and remind you of the world of hope, because at this very moment, some of the most brilliant minds amongst us are using every - of
their being and synapse of their mind to come up with a way to end all of this, a vaccine.
We brought you the very latest on that today, and we will do the same tomorrow. We are in touch with the leading teams as they have updates, we
will get them on this show. For now, stay hopeful, stay safe and stay well. Good night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
