Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
California Now Has More Confirmed Cases Than New York; U.S. Labs Struggling To Keep Up With COVID-19 Testing; Vermont Has The Lowest COVID- 19 Case Count In U.S.; U.K. Uber Drivers Seek Better Pay, Benefits From Company; Liverpool Urges Fans To Celebrate Title At Home. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired July 22, 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]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: This hour we may be able to control it but we'll never really eradicate it. Just minutes ago, America's top
expert giving his views on COVID-19. I'm Becky Anderson. Hello and welcome to what is our second hour of "Connect the World."
A thousand lives in a day. That is the number of people that we know of killed by COVID-19 in the U.S. on Tuesday, the second such day this month.
More than half of all states are now reporting a rising count of new confirmed cases the number of people in hospitals moving close to the peak
seen back in April.
Well, for his part, President Donald Trump reflected the worsening trend in a press briefing on Tuesday, striking a very different tone and saying
things that he has been avoiding saying in public. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some areas of our country are doing very well, others are doing less well. It will probably,
unfortunately, get worse before it gets better, something I don't like saying about things, but that's the way it is. It's what we have.
And we're asking everybody that when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask. Get a mask. Whether you like the mask or not, they'll have an
impact, they'll have an effect, and we need everything we can get.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: One thing that is sorely missing absent from his narrative is a federal plan. The President said that is in the works.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We are in the process of developing a strategy that's going to be very, very powerful. We've developed as we go along.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, in the process of developing a strategy six months after the virus was confirmed in the U.S., let that sink in for a moment. Well,
one example of an ongoing issue is testing a lot more tests being carried out, but a significant backlog delaying the results in the U.S. and,
therefore, wrecking any real attempts to prevent further outbreaks. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: When you get to six or seven days, that kind of really it
mitigates against getting a good tracing and a good isolation. So we've got to do better on that. I'm not sure what it would take.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And an executive at one of the labs that handles the tests told "The Financial Times" it's only set to get worse with the flu season in the
coming months, not something, I'm sure, any of you want to hear from me, but it is the sad truth.
Well, California had some early success in containing the outbreak. Of course, now it is struggling. According to Johns Hopkins University, it
surpassed New York to become the state with the most reported Coronavirus cases.
The outbreak is so bad - I'm sorry, Los Angeles County is on the verge of shutting down again. Stephanie Elam is in Los Angeles for us. The city's
residents have been warned. The city on the brink is what the mayor said. Is a lockdown now inevitable?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't know that it's inevitable. We are seeing the fact that the last couple days the numbers have not been as
high as they were, but they're still really high, Becky.
Let's just start with California as a whole, because this point about California surpassing New York with the most number of COVID cases, that's
true. But keep in mind that California has about double the population as New York State does, and on top of it, when you look at our fatalities in
California, we're approaching 8,000 whereas New York State is about 32,000.
So still a very much different picture. If you look back to the spring when New York was really getting hit hard in that time, here in California the
Governor put us in a stay-at-home order early, and during that time they bulked up on protective equipment, personal protective equipment for
medical workers.
[11:05:00]
ELAM: And also making sure they had surge capacity for hospitals to send extra patients that they couldn't handle within their four walls. All of
that has helped out. So while it is bad, and we are seeing a record number of hospitalizations here in California, about 8600 of them, and the
positivity rate is increasing every day, it's at 7.5 percent.
It's still over the last 14 days, I should add, but it's also still creeping up. The state wanted to keep that number below 8 percent. Now here
in Los Angeles, which has been the worst hit county of the state, which represents about 40 percent of all of the cases in the state, I can tell
you in the latest bit of data that has come out about the number of new cases, which is over 2700 new cases, of those numbers, 57 percent of those
people are under the age of 41.
So they're really pointing out that here in Los Angeles County, the problem is young people are still going out and mingling in some way, and then
they're getting it and possibly spreading it on. Because also what I can tell you is that of the people 65 and older, 11 percent of them have tested
positive for the virus, but the death rates among that part of the number of those 65 and older represents 75 percent.
So this is the danger here, and this is why the Governor - I'm sorry, the Mayor here in Los Angeles warning that we could be shut down if people
don't start doing their part, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, a number of big academic institutions close to where you are. What's going on there? Do we know yet whether we will see students
back at universities for the fall semester, or will it be an online environment going forward for the time being?
ELAM: For the most part, a lot of it looks like it's going to be remote learning. You look at a very large, prestigious university like the
University of California at Berkeley in the Bay Area they are looking at the transmissions rate in their county and saying it just doesn't seem
feasible to go to in-person classes.
So they're saying they will be online. And you're seeing a lot of universities throughout the University of California system making that
decision. Other universities also making that call as well, because it just doesn't look plausible.
Others trying to figure out how they can test their population on campus and figure out how to keep their schools open? But some saying, hey, we'll
open up for maybe some labs we can do if we can do them with social distancing, everyone trying to figure it out.
But when you take into account that two of the largest school districts for kindergarten through 12th grade here in the states are looking to be just
online in the fall that would be Los Angeles and San Diego, it shows you things right now are not under control.
And to even consider opening up, according to the Governor here, they have to be a county that's gone two weeks without being on the closely monitored
list because they have numbers that keep rising. At this point it doesn't look like there will be school in person most places in the state.
ANDERSON: Steph, thank you for that. We need a vaccine, don't we, to stop the spread of this virus? Scientists, though, have been telling us we
already have the tools to fight.
A new study says if 90 percent of people, that's you and me, did just three things: washed our hands regularly, wore masks and keep our physical
distance from others, there would be no large-scale outbreak.
We'll have more on that in a moment. But the study echoes what top health and global health experts have said all along.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DIRECTOR-GENERAL: With strong leadership, community engagement and a comprehensive strategy
to stop the transmission and save lives, COVID-19 can be stopped. We do not have to wait for a vaccine. We have to save lives now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, in saying that there are some very positive signs of a vaccine coming our way. Britain's pages splashed with the words that the
University of Oxford could have a vaccine by Christmas. But the developers have thrown a healthy dose of doubt on that timing.
South Africa a big part of that crucial research, it's also been the hardest hit by COVID-19 on the African continent. Just finding enough
volunteers to take part in the vaccine trial for Oxford is proving to be quite the challenge. Our David McKenzie brings us the very latest now from
Johannesburg.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT HANCOCK, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: The Oxford vaccine produces a strong immunity response in patients--
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was the announcement he was hoping for.
[11:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: This isn't it, right?
SHABIR MADHI, VACCINE TRIAL CHIEF: This is far from it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: But the head of South Africa's arm of the Oxford study is far from comforted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADHI: What gives me - that we're doing the study first on African continent but we're doing it in a much of a pandemic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: Madhi's team is testing the same experimental vaccine in the middle of the COVID-19 storm. They're even finding the negative volunteers
to make up their 2,000 participant study as a challenge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADHI: It might be - that we fail not because the vaccine doesn't work in protecting people but simply because the force of exposure is so
tremendous, so this is really going to test the mettle of this vaccine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: South Africa's number of confirmed cases now ranks among the highest in the world. What happens here the next few weeks, the W.H.O.
warns, is a troubling marker of what the rest of the continent could face.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADHI: We could experience multiple waves of an outbreak for the next two three year so the thing that is going to probably break the back of this
pandemic at the end of the day, not just in South Africa but globally, is a vaccine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: In just the last few weeks nurse - has seen colleagues fall ill, family too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So by doing this for me it means a lot because we are not only trying for the communities, we are trying for our lives and our
families also.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: Her hours here at the trial site are long, same for the team inside the lab working seven days a week, 16 hours a day. But no one is
doubting their sense of purpose as cases surge. All the potential payoff when the South African results are expected to be released in November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADHI: If this vaccine works under the circumstances in South Africa, then the vaccine would work.
MCKENZIE: It is high risk, high reward?
MADHI: Exactly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
ANDERSON: David McKenzie of course reporting there. This just into CNN, more than 100,000 people have now signed up for COVID-19 vaccine clinical
trials. Top Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Anthony Fauci - you will be well aware of these days says the first trial will require 30,000 volunteers,
but there will be more than one trial, so tens of thousands of people are needed.
Let's bring in Jacqueline Howard with more on the urgent need to get a vaccine. Getting a vaccine means getting people to sign up, doesn't it? I
mean, what are people signing up for when they put their names down for trials?
JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: There are more than 24 vaccine candidates in clinical evaluations, so there are many trials out there. And
so when a person signs up, really what they are doing, they're volunteering to participate in a trial where they either might receive one of the
vaccine candidates or they might receive a placebo or what's called a control vaccine so another vaccine.
And that's how researchers can really test how the vaccine works and its safety and effectiveness, by seeing how it performs in volunteers compared
with healthy volunteers who have not received the vaccine. So that's what's being done right now, and like I said, there are at least 24 vaccine
candidates in clinical evaluation around the world.
And that means once a vaccine does come out, the vaccine would have gone through these rigorous trials, it would have proven to be safe and
effective and will likely have more than one vaccine.
That's what health officials are saying, even Dr. Anthony Fauci, who you mentioned, here in the United States. He said that we're likely to see more
than one vaccine, and once one vaccine becomes available don't wait to see the next one to get vaccinated. Go ahead and try your best to get
vaccinated when one becomes available. Here's what he said. We should have him here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. FAUCI: I would not wait to see if one was better than the other because the very fact that it gets approved by the FDA means it's good enough to
protect you. The relative percentage of how good it's going to be, you may get one vaccine that's a bit better than the other. But I would say that
some protection by a vaccine is certainly better than no protection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD: So as you heard there, he said once a vaccine becomes available, it would have gone through these trials, it would have been shown to be safe
and effective and that's why it's not recommended to wait to compare vaccines. Really, once one becomes available, it's going to be used to help
us curb this pandemic.
ANDERSON: I want to talk about testing very briefly. Anthony Fauci has just spoken the last couple minutes, pulling no punches, laying out the brutal
truth about control versus complete eradication.
[11:15:00]
ANDERSON: What did he say what did he say specifically?
HOWARD: Right. Dr. Anthony Fauci said he does not think we'll eradicate this virus any time soon. What that means is this virus might be here for
some time. We might not get rid of it, and so, therefore, that's why this global race for a vaccine is more important than ever, so moving forward we
do have a vaccine as a tool to fight the spread of the Coronavirus, because it's unlikely that we could eradicate this virus any time soon.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Thank you for that. And we have a real issue with global testing and whether countries around the world are actually really
significantly underreporting cases. The CDC of course saying that cases may be ten times higher in the states than the numbers that are actually
reported we'll say on this for you.
Health experts around the world have been pushing masks, social distancing and increased hygiene for months. So why is the U.S. President just now
getting on board? We'll take a look at his new tone and attitude.
Plus, Mr. Trump has marked Joe Biden as being mentally unfit. But is he really? We break down what we know about both Presidential Candidates'
Cognitive Health. That is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. And for those of you just joining us, you are more than welcome. U.S. President Donald Trump seems to be going from denying
reality to devising a new Coronavirus strategy. This comes as the U.S. tops a thousand deaths in one day for the second time this month. Top health
officials, even the President, say this crisis will only get worse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Some areas of our country are doing very well, others are doing less well. It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better,
something I don't like saying about things, but that's the way it is. That's what we have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Those comments come from Tuesday's Coronavirus briefing where the President said that the administration is starting - starting - to work on
a strategy months into this pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We are in the process of developing a strategy that's going to be very, very powerful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, another change, Mr. Trump finally touting the three things his top health experts have been pushing for month's masks, social
distancing, and hand washing. Is Mr. Trump's return to regular Coronavirus briefings a little too late?
Well, in his analysis in cnn.com our White House Reporter and regular guest on this show, Stephen Collinson writes, I'm going to quote him here.
Trump's return to Coronavirus briefings delivered exactly the strong public health message America needed to hear four months ago.
[11:20:00]
ANDERSON: Let's bring in Stephen Collinson now from Washington. Stephen, what were your thoughts watching what was the first briefing since April?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, it's difficult not to be cynical about this new attempt by the President to show that he's in charge
of managing this virus given the fact he spent the last two months basically ignoring this very swift accumulation of cases across the
southern and western states, which followed those states opening up, disregarding scientific advice, a step that he was goading them to take.
While it's true the President did seem a little bit more disciplined, he was a little bit more realistic about the toll the virus is taking. It's
hard not to think that this has more to do with the fact that he's now 20 points behind Joe Biden in polls when voters are asked, you know, who would
be best fitted to handle this crisis, and we're only, what, 12 weeks from an election. So let's see how long this new version of Trump lasts?
ANDERSON: 103 days and change at this point. You have conceded he did hit many of the right notes. Look, he's in the oval office. He could still win
this thing.
COLLINSON: Oh, yes, definitely. You know, polls generally at this point don't tell us very much about what's going to happen in November? Biden,
the Democratic Candidate, is ahead in pretty much double digits in every reputable poll.
I would think that would definitely start to narrow the close the closer we get the more get involved in this race. And also it is very difficult I
think to access exactly what's happening? Everyone's been lock down there are no campaign rallies. I think that will make the debates in late
September and October between Trump and Biden exceedingly important.
And there is no doubt that even though the virus is really taking a big toll in Republican states, the President still enjoys a very, very strong
political base, and he's helped by the fact that the television channels, the conservative media that many Republican voters watch has almost ignored
the crisis over the last few months.
It's been much more keen to focus on things the President wants to talk about, this attempt to portray the United States in a dystopian struggle
with disorder raging and anarchy in the cities. So I don't think the President is going to fall down to 20 percent in the polls, but he does
have a big political hold to come back through given the fact that the election is so close.
And there is no real prospect that the virus is going to much, much better in 100 days. The experiences at these infection curves go very sharply up
and they take a lot longer to come down. So we could still be in the middle of this pandemic come November.
ANDERSON: Well all right, so what's the response from Joe Biden at this point? We have seen his latest attack ad at Donald Trump. Tell us about it.
COLLINSON: Right, so the Biden response to all this has basically been to let Trump hurt himself, pretty much. The Former Vice President hasn't been
doing a lot of appearances. He's not been going out on the campaign trail. His campaign says this is, of course, due to the fact that he wants to be
responsible and promote social distancing, unlike the President.
So Biden hasn't really had to make a positive case that much. You know if you're a journalist, you get besieged by e-mails from his campaign all the
time, but the rest of the public, apart from advertising campaigns, has not seen that much of him.
I think it was very interesting, the narrative that the Biden campaign is now adopting and it was laid out by the Former Vice President yesterday in
a speech, is that Donald Trump has basically given up on the virus. He's not just given up on the virus. He's given up on America.
They're trying to create this image of a President who is disengaged, selfish, only cares for himself, and is ignoring the biggest domestic
crisis in the United States since World War II. They believe that is the kind of message that will sort of compound the damage the President is
doing to himself.
ANDERSON: Have we got a bit of that ad?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Can you imagine standing up when you're President saying, it's not my responsibility. I take no
responsibility. I mean literally.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those words did not come out of our mouths while we were in office.
BIDEN: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yes, fascinating. Stephen always a pleasure, thank you, sir. Mr. Trump has spent a lot of time trying to cast Democrat Joe Biden as mentally
unfit, and Donald Trump, well, he's faced those same accusations back.
[11:25:00]
ANDERSON: So what exactly do we know about each Presidential Candidate's Cognitive Health? CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Regardless of who wins the election in November, a record will be broken. Either 74-year-old
Donald Trump will become the oldest second term President in U.S. history or 77-year-old Joe Biden will be the oldest first term President. And
questions of age, health, and most notably, cognition have started to emerge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I may, sir, respectfully, in the Fox Poll they ask people who are more competent? Whose mind is sounder? Biden beats you in
that.
TRUMP: Well, I tell you what, let's take a test. Let's take a test right now. Joe and I will take a test. Let him take the same test that I took,
and I guarantee you that Joe Biden could not answer those questions.
BIDEN: I've been testing and I'm passing these testing. Look, all you got to do is watch me and I can hardly wait to compare my cognitive capability
to the cognitive capability of the man I'm running against.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DR. GUPTA: Biden's advisers say he was referring to the everyday riggers of being on the campaign trail. But according to researchers it is true that
the average person's required skills memory and knowledge known collectively as crystallized abilities tend to improve until we're about 60
years old, and then plateau until about age 80. But they also caution not to read too much into age alone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. RICHARD ISAACSON, NEUROLOGIST, MCKNIGHT BRIAN RESEARCH FOUNDATION: I don't think it's responsible or entirely factual to just use age as a
decision point on whether or not someone has a true cognitive impairment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DR. GUPTA: And, of course, neither candidate is your average person. Americans have seen these two candidates age, not just over the last
several years, but over the last several decades. Watching their careers play out on the national stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Campaigning for Eric Tabor.
TRUMP: It's the first time that I've been involved in a convention.
BIDEN: You've got to bounce that ball.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: TV star?
TRUMP: I never thought this was going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DR. GUPTA: But lately these are the moments that are getting a lot of attention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: No collusion, no obstruction. I hope they now go and take a look at the oranges of the investigation.
BIDEN: We tried it in Iraq. It's not working - I mean in Iran - excuse me. We tried in Ukraine.
TRUMP: We've performed 1.87 million tests so that's 187 million thousand tests.
BIDEN: All men and women created by the goal you know the thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DR. GUPTA: It is true that everyone's sharpness changes a bit day to day. It could be a poor night's sleep, being distracted, low blood sugar,
dehydration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. GARY SMALL, DIRECTOR, UCLA, MEMORY CLINIC: It's very dangerous to over interpret mental slips when you see it in an older person. We know there
are many factors that affect our mental acuity. They may look like they're not functioning as well cognitively, but they may be perfectly normal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DR. GUPTA: And as much as we think we know them, to diagnose a true cognitive problem is quite challenging, even for a professional.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ISAACSON: The way that a physician makes a clinical diagnosis is to have a clinical relationship is to do a very comprehensive medical workup
to order specific brain imaging when needed and then order specific cognitive assessments, a more elaborate battery of cognitive tests in order
to really have any degree of accuracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DR. GUPTA: So, then, what do we really know about Donald Trump and Joe Biden's health? Based on the medical records released by the White House,
President Trump is on a stationed medication to manage his cholesterol. He is clinically obese.
In 2018, the White House said Trump scored 30 out of 30 on a Montreal Cognitive Assessment which doctors use to screen for mild cognitive
defection. That same year White House records indicate that President underwent a Coronary Calcium CT Scan and scored 133 indicating that plague
is present and that he has a common form of heart disease.
This past December Biden released a summary of his medical history, which noted that he also takes a stationed to lower his cholesterol and tri-
steroid levels. And he's also takes Eliquis to prevent blood clots. He has no regular heart rhythm known as non-valvular atrial fibrillation or AFIB.
And he's of normal weight. Most notably in 1988 Biden suffered a brain blood due to - and underwent two separate brain operations. His doctors say
he hasn't had any recurrence of aneurysm since.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: When I had an aneurysm the second time, they said they couldn't find a brain the first time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DR. GUPTA: It is worth remembering there is no requirement for a Presidential candidate to release medical history.
[11:30:00]
DR. GUPTA: So we may have a complete picture of their overall physical and cognitive health. It's the campaign itself that is the ultimate test,
leaving the voters to decide whether or not age will really matter?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ISAACSON: Even if it's in the most powerful position in the land, what I would say is you have to pick the best person for the job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Vermont in the states now has the lowest number of COVID cases across the entire country. How did they do that? We'll ask the
State's Health Commissioner, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back, half past 7:00 or just after half past 7:00 in the UAE. I'm Becky Anderson and this is "Connect the World". We have been
talking a lot about how bad things are around the world, but particularly in the U.S. when it comes to the fight against the Coronavirus?
Well, we want to share with you a bit of man bites dog, as it were, in all of this, take a look at this, the tiny but mighty Northeastern State of
Vermont. It's an island of stability in what seems like all of this chaos.
It now has the lowest Coronavirus case count in the country, moving past Hawaii. It's had just a few hospitalizations recently, and while each
death, of course, is tragic, the state has seen just 56 COVID-related deaths during the entire pandemic.
Vermont's population, of course, is nowhere near California's. Just take a look at the curve. Vermont flattened it early and kept it that way. So how
did they do it? Joining me now is the Vermont Commissioner of Health, Dr. Mark Levine.
Lowest COVID-19 cases in the country little to know hospitalizations, no new COVID deaths, as I understand it since June 16th, how do you explain
what's going on and what has been the key to success, sir?
DR. MARK LEVINE, VERMONT HEALTH COMMISSIONER: Yes, thank you for asking me and providing me with - perhaps opportunity to provide some optimism. First
of all, Vermonters are very cooperative and they have been very compliant, and we are traditionally a very healthy state when you look at ratings of
the relative health of states.
And so, Vermonters have an interest in being healthy. We've given them four simple pieces of guidance, staying home when they're sick, washing their
hands a lot, keeping physically distanced and wearing a facial covering, and they've abided by that and enabled us to get to these numbers.
[11:35:00]
LEVINE: The second thing, though, is we have really worked on protecting the most vulnerable Vermonters. And if you look at our deaths, greater than
50 percent of the deaths which occurred relatively early on were in nursing homes, as many parts of the country have learned the hard way.
So what we have instituted since that time are very strict protocols for these facilities, and including only recently some very relaxed visitation
policies in the summertime outdoors and physically distanced.
But some very restrictive visitation policies up until this time, and we have some very strict policies regarding new admissions, knowing that new
admissions to a nursing home can vector in the virus.
So we have extensive testing protocols and quarantine protocols for those individuals. And then the third reason is that Vermont, through the
policies of Governor Scott and his administration, that we're all working on together have really employed a very phased and gradual approach to
reopening the state.
So some have criticized this is going too slow, but we've gotten to a very good place at this point in time, and we've done this by continually
looking at our data. Every time a change is made, opening up one economic sector or another, we look at the data for several weeks before we make the
next change. And I think that's proven to be successful.
So all in all, we have less Vermonter having an active case, there will be less Vermonter who gets hospitalized and less Vermonter that could have an
application of COVID-19.
ANDERSON: So, let's just discuss some of what you've been laying out there. I know that Governor Phil Scott has not yet issued a statewide mask wearing
requirement, though he has repeatedly said that people should be wearing masks.
I wonder why he's being reluctant to expand on a mandate so far, whether you think he will change his mind on that. And I wonder how worried you are
about the lifting of some of these restrictions? Do you have concerns that these numbers could rise dramatic?
LEVINE: For the first part of your question with regard to the masking, we've been very consistent about strongly recommending masking. And in some
cases, in terms of retail employees and restaurant workers insisting upon it, the Governor has been reluctant because I think there is a problem with
really knowing if the mandating is what's going to make everyone do it versus just saying that is a strong public health practice.
Also, it turns out that when you look at data across the country, Vermont and New Hampshire are the only two northeastern states that do not yet
mandate masking, yet our numbers are very, very low. And there are states that have mandated the masking where the numbers are very high. So it's
hard to even find a correlation, and it's hard to understand how one enforces that.
ANDERSON: Interesting.
LEVINE: When you ask am I fearful about opening things up and the numbers going high? Believe me I am always watching that closely. We are all very
fearful of that, and Governor Scott uses a nice term called opening the spigot.
And he turns the spigot quarter turns at a time, not full turns, so that it's so graduated that it does give us time to really reflect on the data
and make sure that we haven't gone too far. Having said that--
ANDERSON: Sorry, you're getting ready to send the kids back to school, as I understand it. Just have a quick listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I can tell you with my wife seated right here, if our kids were elementary school age or high school or
college, we wouldn't hesitate to send them back to school.
DR. FAUCI: We should try as best as we possibly can to get the children back to school to make sure you do whatever you can to safeguard the safety
and the health of the children as well as the teachers. And that should guide your policy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: So what are your plans to make getting kids back into school? I mean, the administration, of course, is very keen on this.
LEVINE: Yes. And I have complete agreement with Dr. Fauci. In Vermont, this is the right time to open schools. We have achieved a stage of viral
suppression that will allow us to open schools comfortably.
[11:40:00]
LEVINE: Many states, even with the mandate from the federal government inviting them to be more aggressive with opening may not be at the right
days of their virus to be able to do that. You need to have a very strong state of viral suppression to do that.
We have provided tremendous amount of public health guidance and worked in concert with the pediatric community, the infectious disease community, the
psychology community and all of the educators, amongst others, to really come up with some very sound guidance regarding making the reopening of
schools safe.
And we've also relied on a lot of data from around the world that really shows very little evidence for within school transmission of virus from
child to child and very strong evidence for the fact that when a child does get the virus, it's quite often related to an adult.
So, again, impressing upon Vermonters the importance of adhering to all of our guidance and all of those simple things they can do in day-to-day life
will also keep our adults free of virus and then keep our schools free of virus when we open up.
ANDERSON: Sure. Lastly, I just want to ask you what your response or what your feeling was as the U.S. President once again initiated a Coronavirus
briefing last night with a completely different tone, it has to be said. It was more than just a different tone. It was a very different tone, a much
more somber U.S. President. How important do you think his message last night was?
LEVINE: In the scheme of things, I am unclear on how important it is, but I can say that his message was the correct message. It acknowledges the map
that I'm sure you've been showing many times in level of virus activity in the country, the tragedies that are unfolding in many parts of the country
with regard to percentages of the population with the virus and now we're unfortunately seeing deaths.
So I think a clear message from the top, which we provided in the State of Vermont very well to our citizens, is really critical. And it should be
followed by a coherent national response to the virus with regards to things like acquisition of PPE and testing materials that I think a federal
government can achieve without forcing Governors to be competing with one another for valuable supplies.
ANDERSON: Sure, the U.S. President talking about the revealing of a federal strategy soon. We've been pointing out that this is a pandemic that we are
now four months into. It does seem rather late that we will be looking for a U.S. federal strategy at this point. Sir, thank you.
And to all to all of you who haven't been to Vermont, it's a super state. When we can all travel and when the time is right, I am sure that Mark
Levine, his colleagues and the people of Vermont would be delighted to see international travelers from around the world.
I don't think the time is right now, of course, it's difficult for most of us to travel for all the right reasons, but it is a super state. So we
thank you very much indeed for joining us with what is a good news story within what has been a very depressing set of statistics out of the U.S.
over the past two, three months.
Thank you, Mark. Coming up, a demand for higher pay and not woke words. A former Uber driver's fight for improved worker rights goes all the way to
the UK Supreme Court. And the story of a teenage girl who took on the Taliban after a horrific attack on her family, that is when "Connect the
World" continues. We will stay right here. We hope you do, too, taking a very short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ANDERSON: Coronavirus and racism, two viruses affecting people's bottom lines. One former Uber driver, racial inequality remains front and center.
He is the lead plaintiff in a long running lawsuit against the ride heading giant in the UK. Well, now the Supreme Court in the UK's case hearing a
final appeal this week over Uber driver's employment rights.
With a vast majority of those drivers being minorities, the company has been outspoken in supporting Black Lives Matter. But some drivers say Uber
could take more action to help fight against systemic racism, my colleague Scott McLean with this report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YASEEN ASLAM, LEAD CLAIMANT IN UBER UK LAWSUIT: So, yes, we're just trying to do what's right. And we're just trying to make sure that people haven't
been abused.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For years you've seen Aslam has been fighting for some of Britain's most vulnerable work force, gig
economy drivers. His lawsuit against Uber has been heard this week in the UK Supreme Court. A win could force Uber to treat its drivers as employees,
entitled to the minimum wage and the right to unionize. Aslam says the timing of the case is ironic.
Protest demanding racial equality have brought millions to the streets around the world, using a range of tactics to voice their discontent,
targeting police brutality, police funding and racism in old symbols.
But largely unscathed, corporate America which arguably holds the most power to correct racial income disparities. Perhaps that's because one by
one corporate giants have lined up to echo the protesters' message.
Uber, the $57 billion ride hilling giant has been among the most vocal, declaring it stands with those peacefully protesting injustice, hatred and
racism. It's also pledging a million dollars to a quality causes and giving a special perk to black-owned businesses, move some called the form of
discrimination. Others said it was merely window dressing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASLAM: I think all Uber cares about is money. The way the model is set, it's all about mass recruit of drivers, it is all about exploiting the work
force.
MCLEAN: But if you follow Uber's public statements, they sound pretty woke.
ASLAM: This is Uber. They're very good at PR and that's exactly what they're doing.
MCLEAN: think Uber is better at sort of talking gestures than meaningful change.
ASLAM: That's right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: In London 94 percent of all private hire drivers are ethnic minorities. Uber like its competitors has long resisted legal challenges in
Europe, in the U.S. that would give more protections to drivers through measures like a minimum wage or guaranteeing paid sick leave.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARA KHOSROWSHAHI, UBER CEO: I think that we're treating our workers as human beings, right? I think the number one reason why our driver like Uber
is because they have complete control and autonomy to do what they want when they want.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: Aslam's nonprofit found the net hourly income of even so-called top drivers in 2016 was just over 5 pounds per hour. The 2018 study funded in
part by Uber down the median was over 11. Aslam thinks improving pay would help black and minority drivers a lot more than statements and donations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASLAM: It's not good enough just coming out and going to the protest and shouting out Black Lives Matter. The fact is, what are we doing to make
sure that a quality, regardless of whether you're black, Asian, white, whatever race you form, there is equality and they have no exploitation or
abuse of any kind of people.
MCLEAN: That could make a big difference.
ASLAM: That's correct. So Uber could make a big difference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: Scott McLean, CNN, London.
[11:50:00]
ANDERSON: Well, a teenage Afghan girl and her brother are now reportedly in a safe place after standing up to the Taliban. Local officials say - and
her younger brother fought back after a horrific attack on their home that left their mother and father dead last week. The 15-year-old opened fire on
the militants, killing two of them and wounding at least one other.
Now, the image of her holding an AK-47 rifle has gone viral in social media. Authorities say they are keeping - and her brother in a safe place
to protect them from revenge attacks. You're with "Connect the World" with me, Becky Anderson. And we are live from Abu Dhabi.
CNN's Middle Eastern Broadcasting Hub. When you're a football fan, the natural thing to do is celebrate when your club wins a trophy, right? But
in the age of Coronavirus, scenes like this one are strongly discouraged. And that puts Liverpool football club in a tricky position ahead of planned
festivities as they win the EPL league. We'll have the details and that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, you bet with this, as Liverpool prepares to lift the Premier League trophy later on Wednesday. There is still business to be
done at the opposite end of the table with clubs scratching and clawing to remain in the top five, Don Riddell joining us.
Don, over the years some of the most exciting finishes this season, we've seen has come not from the race to become champion but from the desperate
fight for survival. What can we expect as this EPL season winds down?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Becky, you're absolutely right. At the bottom end of the table when I guess at the end of the season that's when
things get really desperate and really quite entertaining, as long as your team is not involved that race.
Despite the fact that there is no atmosphere inside the stadiums, it is going to be one of the most nail-biting ends to a season in recent memory.
There are still key Champions League and Europa - to play for at the top and at the bottom, it just couldn't be any tighter.
Look at this graphic of the league table. Realistically only one team from Aston Villa, Watford and Bournemouth will survive, Norwich is already down.
Two more will join them, and it's incredibly tight. Villa and Watford are only separated by one goal in the goal difference column. Their points
total is the same.
On Tuesday, Aston Villa grabbed onto a crucial lifeline with the 1-0 win against Arsenal that took Villa out of the drop zone for the first time
since February, but only on goal difference. They play Westham on Sunday it will be an anxious weekend for their supporters.
Villa should perhaps feel somewhat indebted to Manchester City who thrashed one of their relegation rivals. Watford 4-0 on Tuesday, that's why Villa
now has a superior goal difference. Man City have already clinched second place in the table. And this was a comprehensive win for Pep Guardiola's
men.
Raheem Sterling scored twice. Second half goals from Phil Foden there, and Aymeric Laporte completed the route. City's last game will be against
Norwich on Sunday and then they can focus on the resumption as their champion's main tournament in August.
Meanwhile Liverpool's trophy celebration has been 30 years in the making. That is how long it has been since the Red's last lifted the English League
Trophy. And you know that they've never had their hands on it in the era of the Premier League.
They actually clinched the title a month ago, but Chelsea today marks their final home game of this season. And the Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish
will hand the trophy over to the current captain, Jordan Henderson.
[11:55:00]
RIDDELL: The presentation will be made on a stage specially built at the iconic top end of the Anfield Stadium, and it will be free to air on
television because the club is urging fans not to come to the ground or to congregate in public to celebrate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JORDAN HENDERSON, LIVERPOOL CAPTAIN: It's really important at the same time that you stay at home, you know, celebrate in your homes, watch it on the
TV. And when we can have fans and when we can get people back into the stadiums, we'll certainly have that moment together.
So yes, it gives us something to look forward to in the future, but for Wednesday night, please stay at home and don't undo all the good work the
NHS have been doing over the last few months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: This trophy means so much to the Liverpool club to each of the players and to their manager as well. Within the last year or so, the reds
have now won the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the hither to elusive premier title. Managers of the club have been speaking about what
this latest achievement means.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JURGEN KLOPP, LIVERPOOL MANAGER: It's a little like Christmas if you know already before that you get a specific present before you have it. As to
some excitement, we are very excited. We are very excited about that and never touched the premier trophy for obvious reasons ever before.
That will be special, it was a really long run-up to this moment and it will be 100 percent emotional again. How emotional, I don't know, because
that's how it is with emotions, you have to wait until you feel them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: Becky, I love it when a grown man says that he feels like a kid again on Christmas day. Before we go, you may recall that yesterday we
discussed the timeless wonder Cristiano Ronaldo remember that making history at the age of 35. But you should see what Zlatan Ibrahimovic is
doing at the age of 38, he'll be 39 soon.
Like Ronaldo, Ibra has no intention of slowing down, and like Ronaldo he has an extraordinary amount of self belief. Ibrahimovic scored thrice for
AC Milan on Tuesday, both goals - play helping the - to a 2-1win against Sassuolo.
It's a result that secures a Europa League place for next season. This is Ibra's first brace since returning to Milan from L.A. in January, And
thanks to his input, Milan one of the hardest teams since the Coronavirus lockdown. He's an incredible player and clearly he still got it Becky, back
to you.
ANDERSON: Yes, I love the way you say he's brimming with self-belief. Others would say arrogance. But they--
RIDDELL: Yes, it's true.
ANDERSON: Don, I guess it will be an anxious weekend for Prince William. He's a Villa fan, of course, isn't he? So, we'll wait and see what happens,
but you're right to point out that end of season race to avoid relegation is always an interesting one, isn't it? All right, what are we going to do
now before we go? Talking about Prince William, his son Prince George is celebrating his seventh birthday today.
And to mark the occasion, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have shared two new photos of their son when it portraits the young prince looking straight
into the camera with a smile on his face, the cheeky smile on his face. The other shows him enjoying the outdoors in a camouflage t-shirt.
Well, the boy's great grandfather made a rare public opinion early on Wednesday. We're talking about Prince Phillip who handed over one of his -
titles to daughter-in-law Camilla. The 99-year-old Royal along with Queen Elizabeth has been hunkered down the - during the pandemic.
The last time we saw him was December 24th when he was discharged from hospital. Prince Phillip made Camilla Kernel in Chief of the Rifles. We did
see him in a photograph by the way at Beatrice's wedding recently. But there you go, we're going to see him in public ourselves.
Right, CONNECT THE WORLD, we call the show and connect your world we did viewers Mexico City, the White House, Los Angeles, Beijing, Johannesburg,
Dallas, Atlanta, London, and yes, even the very lovely State of Vermont.
There is a lot going on and a lot to be hopeful about. As ever it showed well, we've just connected it for you, connecting you to the facts you need
to know, and the stories changing our world. Wash your hands, wear a mask and stay safe.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
