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Three Dead in Nice in Knife Attack, Victim "Decapitated"; Europe's Second Wave Brings New Lockdowns; Czech Republic Dealing with Surge in COVID-19 Cases; China Returns to Normalcy; Interview with Rep. Debbie Dingell on Dramatic Surge in U.S. COVID-19 Cases; Mexico Aims for Its Own Vaccine. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired October 29, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): It's lockdown 2.0. France and Germany ordered new lockdowns to slow the spread of infection.
ANGELA MERKEL, CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY (through translator): Experts have told us that we must reduce around 75 percent of contacts.
EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): Wherever possible, working from home should again be the norm.
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST (voice-over): In the Czech Republic, the situation is even more dire.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The number of people in this region hospitalized with the coronavirus has doubled over the past two weeks,
stretching ICUs to their limits.
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in China we are noticing a dramatic difference in the lifestyle, compared with U.S., Europe and the rest of the
world, where COVID-19 cases are surging.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): This hour, the lockdown dominoes falling across Europe as the event that will forever define our era in
history, the coronavirus pandemic, flings France and Germany back into drastic measures.
First up, though, we are tracking fast moving developments on what is a breaking news story in France.
Three people now confirmed dead in Nice after a knife attack at the city's main church. A suspect was shot by police and apprehended. It's being
treated as a terror attack.
In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a suspect has been taken into custody after a guard was stabbed at the French consulate there. Arwa Damon is in the
region, tracking developments on the consular attack.
But first, CNN's Cyril Vanier out in Paris with what are, quite frankly, disturbing developments.
What more do we know at this point?
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More than four years after Nice was the target of a terror attack that killed almost 90 people on the seafront,
today it was a target of another terror attack, this, as you said, with a death toll of three people.
And the details, Becky, frankly, are gruesome. Around 9:00 am local time, assailants entered the Notre Dame Basilica, that's the church that sits
right at the heart of the Nice commercial district in the city center.
The assailant entered the basilica, wielding a knife and assaulted three people, one victim, whose throat he slit; one victim, whom he stabbed
multiple times and a third victim was actually able to escape the basilica after sustaining several wounds but later died of his or her injuries.
Police, law enforcement, were called on the scene and arrived, we were told, quickly and they opened fire and shot the assailant, did not kill the
assailant. The assailant now receiving medical care. The mayor of Nice, who arrived on the scene shortly after the attack, saying that the assailant
was saying the words, "Allahu akbar," "God is great" in Arabic, even as the assailant was receiving medical treatment.
So that's where we stand right now on the details of the attack. We have no further confirmed details on the assailant or his motives at this stage.
There is, of course, Becky, important background that our viewers need to know about. This is the third terror attack in just over a month in France,
Becky, and the first two were connected to the republication in France of cartoons, satirical cartoons, of the Prophet Muhammad, which, of course, is
considered blasphemous in Islam.
I do not know and we are not in a position to confirm that today's attack is connected to that. But that is something that the investigation
currently going on will have to determine.
ANDERSON: And the French president, Emmanuel Macron, as I understand it, on the scene in Nice.
VANIER: Yes, absolutely. I mean, this became, on a day that was entirely focused on COVID and reestablishing a second national stay-at-home order --
and that was a major priority -- well, priorities shifted. They shifted for the mayor of Nice, they shifted for the interior minister.
The prime minister was speaking and addressing lawmakers about COVID when he was pulled aside and to take part in an emergency meeting on this
attack. And the president Emmanuel Macron now on the scene in Nice.
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VANIER: We were expecting him to give some kind of public address, maybe provide more details about the attack. That hasn't yet been the case,
Becky.
ANDERSON: Arwa, before we get on to the incident in Jeddah in Saudi, Turkey has been particularly critical of Emmanuel Macron's handling of what
might be described as these tensions in France at present.
Be that as it may, the Turkish foreign ministry today condemning this attack in Nice, saying, and I quote here, "There is no reason that can
justify killing a person or justify violence. It is clear that those who organized such a brutal attack in a holy place of worship do not have any
religious, humanitarian and moral values."
Can you just provide a little bit of context as to what has been going on in this spat between Turkey and France, primarily the president of Turkey,
Mr. Erdogan and Emmanuel Macron?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, you kind of have two parallel sets of tensions that are really unfolding right now.
On the one hand, you have this tension between France and the vast majority of the Muslim and the Arab world, not just because of France's attitude
towards the republication or the reshowing of those cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad but also because, from the perspective of those in this region and
beyond as well, France's attitude towards its Muslim population many view as being hypocritical.
They feel as though Macron's previous rhetoric, when it came to him saying that Islam is a religion in crisis across the world or accusing some
Muslims of separatism, have really just been epitomizing his and France's and, quite frankly for many, the West's view toward Muslims.
Alongside this, we have happening between macron and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, these ongoing brewing tensions that aren't just because of Macron's
position or perceived position vis-a-vis Muslims but are also entrenched in geopolitics.
It's erupting over Turkey's exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, the oil and gas exploration that has been going on there. It's a spat that has
been brewing over Libya, where France and Turkey are on opposite sides of that conflict.
But it has culminated and resurfaced in some pretty harsh rhetoric over what has happened in recent weeks. You will remember quite well, it was
just a short while ago that the Turkish president said that Macron needed to have his mental health checked.
All of this is raising quite a few alarm bells, whether it comes to the relationship between Turkey and France -- of course, two major NATO allies
-- or whether it is the relationship between, again, the West and the Muslim world.
But worth noting, Becky and this is very important, the vast majority of Muslims do not, absolutely do not, condone violence in the name of Islam.
ANDERSON: Just briefly, you are covering the region from there.
What do we know of a Saudi man arrested after stabbing a guard today at a French consulate in Jeddah?
DAMON: Very little at this stage. We know that the stabbing took place, we know the guard was hospitalized and is stable condition and that man has
been taken into custody.
Of course the great concern is whether or not we're going to see a growing trend of these types of attacks. As we all know only too well, terrorist
organizations, people with extremist leaning ideologies, they will exploit, capitalize, manipulate these kinds of tensions we're seeing that are
growing in the name of their own, quite often barbaric causes.
ANDERSON: Arwa Damon covering the story from Istanbul in Turkey, Cyril in Paris, thank you.
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ANDERSON: France very much in focus when it comes to Europe's coronavirus situation, which is, of course, only getting worse.
Look at this graph that my team has made for you. You can see the trend lines across the region heading out of control.
The Czech Republic, as you can see, bearing the brunt of this latest surge. It went into lockdown last week. More on that in a moment.
Now let me draw your a eye to the red and blue lines on the graph, that is France and Germany, Europe's two largest economies. They are now going to
force new lockdowns after curfews and other lighter measures failed to get this pathogen under control.
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ANDERSON: The news sent world markets into a tailspin. French president Emmanuel Macron told people not to get into a panic over it.
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MACRON (through translator): Wherever possible, working from home should, again, be the norm. But -- and this is the second difference from the
spring -- economic activity will continue with more intensity. This means the public services will stay open, factories, agricultural operations,
building and public construction work will continue to function. The economy should not stop nor crash.
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ANDERSON: Starting Friday, French citizens will only be allowed to leave their homes for essential work or medical reasons. It could go on beyond
December 1st. It is drastic, yes, but there are some big changes to things this time. Schools and creches (sic), for example, will remain open.
Next door, Germany's lockdown will be slightly lighter, as you saw in the graph a moment ago. Cases there are fewer as a percentage of the
population. And the country's long-time chancellor, Angela Merkel, offered an articulate explanation for the steps she wants to take in contrast to
what we can hear from others around the world.
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MERKEL (through translator): Experts have told us that we must reduce around 75 percent of contacts. That is a lot. If we want to get close to
that goal, we have to start somewhere.
So we reduced contacts in private surroundings and, here especially, we depend on people's cooperation.
Then we asked ourselves, where else can we reduce contacts?
And that's when we really targeted leisure activities.
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ANDERSON: France and Germany no doubt taking heed of the situation in the Czech Republic. You can see the country soaring past the other European
countries. The Czech Republic has the highest rate of new coronavirus infections and deaths per capita in the European Union.
This is what that looks like in real life: nearly empty streets, police patrolling and enforcing curfews. Not everyone is on board, even given the
infection rate. Have a listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The curfew is the worst.
What happened to the Czech state?
We are in police state.
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ANDERSON: Scott McLean joining us now from inside a field hospital in the Czech Republic.
You have got some great access there in that field setup. If you can just sort of move away from the camera, if you will, and just explain what it is
that you are seeing there.
What's going on around you?
MCLEAN: Sure, Becky. So the Czech Republic already has one field hospital set up in Prague, this one, that's currently under construction in Brno is
the second.
They've brought in these temporary bathrooms. This obviously is a lot of the construction material that they're working with, to set up these kinds
of dividers. Everything here is meant to be temporary.
And when you look in here, you can see it's just cubicle after cubicle, where these beds will go. They have the dividers and the lights set up
where the curtains will go. Obviously the cabinets and today they're working to get the electrical set up. They even have plumbing brought in
from the nurses' station.
It goes all the way to the end of this convention center. They basically turned what was an empty shell into a fully functioning hospital. They want
to have it done by the end of next week. And when it is finished it should be able to house more than 300 patients, inevitably displaced from the
broader health care system.
Here is the problem in this country, though, Becky. About 1,000 health care workers are testing positive for the virus every single day. And so while
PPE, bed space is relatively easy to come by, it's not so easy to order doctors and nurses in bulk.
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MCLEAN (voice-over): At the main hospital in Zlin, Czech Republic, 21- year-old nursing student Marie Hanackova is getting a crash course in the fight against the coronavirus, on long days, not for school credit but
because hospitals are bursting at the seams.
MARIE HANACKOVA, NURSING STUDENT (through translator): There is an insane panic here. people are simply afraid. During my training here last year,
they were calmer.
MCLEAN: The number of people in this region hospitalized with the coronavirus has doubled over the past two weeks, stretching ICUs to their
limits.
This used to be a storage room. Now it's being used to house patients. But even more than space, hospitals here are desperately lacking in staff.
DR. TOMAS GABRHELIK, ZLIN ICU: We don't have enough nurses, doctors and technicians as well.
MCLEAN: There's nothing the government can do for you?
GABRHELIK: No, because every region has the same problem.
DR. MILAN KUBEK, CZECH MEDICAL CHAMBER (through translator): The situation is very serious. The Czech health system has never faced such a challenge
before. Every day there is an increase of over 1,000 sick health care workers. With 10 million people in the Czech Republic this is a serious
number.
MCLEAN: Why are so many health workers getting sick?
KUBEK (through translator): Well, they are the same as the rest of the population.
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MCLEAN (voice-over): The Czech infection rate is six times higher than it is in the U.S. Officially one in every 63 people are currently infected.
At a nearby hospital in the town of Kyjov, more than 10 percent of the staff is out sick. So high school students, some too young to vote or even
drive, are picking up the slack.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think it is our duty because we are future health workers. I don't feel bad about it. I'm happy to do
this.
DR. JIRI VYHNAL, KYJOV HOSPITAL (through translator): The health care system in the Czech Republic has already collapsed because hospitals, with
a few exceptions, are not able to provide long-term care for non-COVID patients.
MCLEAN: Your team must be exhausted.
VYHNAL (through translator): Doctors and nurses are being stretched to their maximum. The reason why we do it is because we want to help and we
know that it would be impossible without us.
MCLEAN: To stem the tide of infection, most stores are closed and movement is severely restricted. The military has set up a field hospital to house
hundreds of extra patients. Just one problem:
KUBEK (through translator): We don't have enough medical staff so we welcome very much the help from abroad.
MCLEAN (voice-over): At the height of its outbreak in the spring, with hospitals overwhelmed, Italy put out a desperate appeal for help from
abroad. Military doctors and nurses around the world answered the call. The Czech Republic did not.
MCLEAN: I wonder, looking back, was that still the right choice?
JAN HAVRANEK, CZECH DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER: The military doctors were needed here as well.
MCLEAN: But the Czech Republic never saw the kind of massive death toll that Italy saw.
HAVRANEK: That is true. That is true. I mean, the first wave of COVID was rather mild.
MCLEAN: But will the Czech Republic think a little bit harder next time, when another European country is in need, about sending your personnel?
HAVRANEK: Definitely we will, as we realize that it's a two-way street and we cannot just ask without giving back.
MCLEAN (voice-over): Foreign help is on the way. Dozens of medics from the U.S. National Guard and hundreds from Europe. Nice gesture but not nearly
enough to fix the health care crisis that's only getting worse.
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MCLEAN: So the Czech Republic is getting help from its E.U. and NATO allies.. About 300 doctors and nurses will show up here in the coming days
but that is a drop in the bucket. The hospital in Zlin alone said it would need about 140 medical staff just to be back to something resembling full
strength.
The hospital that's supposed to be actually staffing this facility is stretched so thin that it's currently negotiating with Germany, Poland and
the Red Cross to try to get staff into this place.
One more thing on top of all of this, Becky, well, the Czech Republic, their health minister, agreed to resign this week after being accused of
breaking his own coronavirus rules. Today, a new health minister was selected, the third one in just the past six weeks, all at the height of
the world's worst pandemic.
ANDERSON: Yes. You've got to wish them the best. I mean, it does seem absolutely remarkable that the situation is as it is. Scott, thank you for
that.
A doctor inside an intensive care ward over in England also describing how tough things are at present. Have a listen.
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DR. IAN STANLEY, ROYAL BLACKBURN HOSPITAL: And it's when I see those very senior experienced nurses, it's when I see them crying. It's when I don't
really have an answer. But it's when they say, yes, but when?
When is it going to end?
When are we going to get back to some degree of normality?
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ANDERSON: The number of infections in the U.K. pushing toward a million cases and 46,000 deaths. Still, the British housing minister defending the
government's current strategy, saying a second national lockdown is not inevitable. The government insisting it wants to give people a normal
Christmas.
While parts of Europe once again hurdle towards what many will feel is a breaking point, China doesn't seem to have been so sentimental in its
approach to getting rid of the virus.
Beijing's response, you might describe, has been dramatic, disciplined, ironclad and still is. We've seen 10 million people tested in a single
weekend. The result, as David Culver now shows, is that life in China is now very different to that in America and in Europe.
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CULVER: Here in China, we're noticing a dramatic difference in the lifestyle, compared with U.S., Europe and the rest of the world, where
COVID-19 cases are surging.
You can notice that, first and foremost, in the visual aspect. Face masks. Look around me here, this is a popular tourist destination spot in
Shanghai, I can only count a handful of people wearing face masks. That's because a lot of the city policies have been eased dramatically.
[10:20:00]
CULVER: And they have said essentially you don't have to wear them in outdoor places and even some indoor places aren't enforcing it. It's an
indication people are buying into the state media portrayal that life here has returned back to near normal. People feel safer.
You compare it with what we saw in Beijing just over the summer, I took you for a walk then, everyone around me, with the exception of maybe a handful,
had face masks on. It has dramatically changed. And it's an indication more and more that people here are willing to leave their homes and leave behind
the face masks -- David Culver, CNN, Shanghai.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: The ultimate cure, of course, is a vaccine. Mexico says it has a lot to offer on that front, even if it's not the biggest researcher in the
race to stop COVID-19. I'm going to take you live to Mexico City this hour.
And Americans have only five more days to cast their ballots in the 2020 presidential election as coronavirus cases climb to some of the highest
rates in the pandemic so far. We are on that story, as you would expect us to be.
And this --
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WILL.I.AM, THE BLACK EYED PEAS: Overseas, we're trying to stop terrorism but we've still got terrorists here living in the USA. The KKK.
ANDERSON (voice-over): A poignant new take on a familiar old tune. We speak to will.i.am in the next hour here on CONNECT THE WORLD about the
state of the United States and his new project to back Joe Biden.
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BIDEN: I'm not running the false promise of being able to end this pandemic by flipping a switch. But what I can promise you is this: we will
start on day one, doing the right things. We will let science drive our decisions.
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TRUMP: The safe vaccine is coming very quickly -- you're going to have it momentarily -- that eradicates the virus -- and we're rounding the turn
regardless. You know that. We've got the vaccine. I say regardless, they will say, well, maybe you don't. We have it -- great companies -- and
quickly ends the pandemic.
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ANDERSON: Very different messages from both campaigns. In just five days, Americans will cast their last votes to decide which one of those
candidates will be the next President of the United States.
More than one-third of registered voters have already cast their ballots, an astounding 75 million votes. That's already more than half of all votes
cast in the 2016 election. Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are heading to Florida today, hoping to sway any of those last undecided voters in what is
a swing state there.
But here is a stark reminder: in the United States, the worst three days of the entire pandemic have been in the past week.
[10:25:00]
ANDERSON: Infection rates soaring to daily highs of 79,000 cases or more and around 1,000 deaths every day. A former Food and Drug Administration
official even predicting the U.S. will build up to more than 100,000 daily infections in the coming weeks.
Dr. Anthony Fauci now predicts it will be 2022 before things return to normal, saying the U.S. is just not in a good place.
Health officials aren't the only ones concerned with the turn that the U.S. is taking in this COVID-19 pandemic. Democratic congresswoman Debbie
Dingell tweeting that hospitals around the country are reaching capacity, pleading for Americans to wear their masks and socially distance. She's
joining us now live.
Representative Debbie Dingell is from Michigan for us.
We've been reporting at this hour on the dire state of ICU units and hospital infrastructure in many parts of Europe, a story that I just didn't
expect I would ever be reporting on.
Indeed, you have raised the issue of the capacity and the problems in the United States when it comes to hospitals as well. I want you and I and our
viewers to have a listen to Jared Kushner speaking back at the beginning, I want to say, of all of this, back in April of 2020. Just have a listen.
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JARED KUSHNER, SNR. ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT: The last thing was kind of doing the guidelines which was interesting. And that, in my mind, was
almost like -- you know, it was almost like Trump getting the country back from the doctors, right?
In the sense that what he now did was, you know, he's going to own the open-up.
There are three phases, there's the panic phase, the pain phase and on the comeback phase.
That doesn't mean there's not still a whole lot of pain and there won't be pain for a while. But that basically was, we've now put out rules to get
back to work. Trump is now back in charge, it's not the doctors. They've kind of - we have like a negotiated settlement.
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ANDERSON: Trump is now back in charge, he said back in April, April 18th, of course, 2020. That clearly, whichever side of the aisle you are on, is
clearly not the case. It's not the case for many leaders in Europe, either, but it's clearly not the case five days out from this U.S. election, is it?
REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): No, it's not. I mean, the problem is, across the world, COVID is in charge. It's around every curve and it's become far
more political, certainly in the United States, than it should be.
We know from the scientists, we know from the doctors, we should be wearing masks, period. It would do more than anything. And why wearing masks has
become such a political issue here in America and other countries as well, I do not understand.
ANDERSON: You're in Michigan. Mr. Biden will win the election if he captures your state, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and hangs on to the states
that Hillary Clinton won back in 2016.
Now latest polling has Biden in the lead by some margin. The pollsters, though, got it all wrong back in your state in 2016, when Donald Trump
actually beat Hillary Clinton, albeit by a very, very, very narrow margin.
Are you haunted by that result?
And what is your sense this time around?
DINGELL: So, yes, I'm one of the scarred people but I also was somebody who predicted four years ago that Donald Trump could win. And I was
screaming into the wind. Nobody believed me or listened to me. People are listening to me now.
I don't believe the polls. I do not. I believe it is competitive in Michigan. I think both candidates are focused on Michigan. They're
appealing to different groups. The voters that turn out are really the ones that are going to make the difference and determine what happens on
Election Day.
I think it is tighter than people realize and I'm not going to stop working until the polls close Tuesday night.
ANDERSON: What have the Democrats done over the past four years to compensate for that loss?
DINGELL: The reason I told people we could lose four years ago and still believe that we've got to, as Democrats, understand that a lot of working
people don't think that we care about them.
There are those that -- I mean, I'm going to be honest because I always am -- they think that there are Democrats that look down on them. As we
discuss all of these critical issues facing us, from health care to the environment, they need to have a seat at the table. They need to know that
we care about them, that we're listening to them.
Quite frankly, President Trump tells them that he is. He doesn't appear to be talking down to them but he hasn't delivered on almost any of the
promises he has made to them. So we've really got to make sure they have a seat at the table.
[10:30:00]
DINGELL: And we're protecting their jobs and protecting them on the front line, when they are the front line workers.
ANDERSON: A Michigan judge has blocked a ban on openly carrying firearms at Michigan polling places on Election Day.
Do you genuinely believe people should be concerned about safety at polling places across the nation?
DINGELL: I am actively trying to encourage people not to worry. I think every one of us, Republican or Democrat, Democrat or Republican, has a
responsibility to try to lower the temperatures of how people are feeling.
I know our law enforcement, while they may have different opinions on people carrying guns, are going to watch out, be aware, work hard to keep
people safe without having any confrontations.
I'm going out with our attorney general later in the day. And we're going to join a line and dance and sing and make fools out of ourselves so people
will, one, have fun while waiting in line. And what we really want people to know is their vote matters. They need to cast it. That's the democracy
at work.
And a lot of people will be making sure they're safe on Election Day.
ANDERSON: With that, we wish you the best. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
This is the week before the big day, of course, November 3rd, Election Day. Donald Trump rallies are known for their raucous atmosphere and roaring
crowds, of course.
But it was the unexpected roar of a jet engine that stole the show at an event in Arizona.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): A fighter jet interrupted one of the president's rallies as it scrambled to intercept a small plane that entered the
restricted airspace.
TRUMP: I love that sound. You don't know what I went through to get those suckers up there. I had to get that money from the Democrats.
Oh, look at that. Look, look, look. Whoa. Look at that. They gave the president a little display.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the plane was escorted out of the airspace without further incident, you will be happy to hear.
We're going to take a very short break. We will be back after this.
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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: If we get a vaccination campaign and, by the second or third quarter of
2021 we have vaccinated a substantial proportion of the people, I think it will be easily by the end of 2021.
[10:35:00]
FAUCI: And perhaps even into the next year before we start having some semblances of normality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That's Dr. Anthony Fauci, of course. With the global death toll inching towards 1.2 million, a vaccine can't come soon enough.
Right now, dozens are in development, according to the World Health Organization: 154 are in preclinical stage; 21 are in phase one, which
looks into whether a vaccine is safe; 13 are in phase two, to test out human response and 10 are in phase three, which looks at just whether they
actually have an effect.
Only six are in limited use approval. There are 44 vaccines in human trials, China and the U.S. are leading the way. Of course, it's a global
problem that needs a global solution and everyone who can try and help is getting involved.
Take right here in the UAE, it's hosting two large trials, one from Russia and the other from China, positioning itself on research, manufacturing and
distribution to get hold of a vaccine as soon as it can. I will have more on that for you tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Mexico's government is now funding at least half a dozen vaccine studies of its own. The country has seen a surge in new coronavirus cases
with total deaths surpassing 90,000 on Wednesday. I want to take you to our Matt Rivers, who is in Mexico City for you.
So how is Mexico actually handling the search for a cure at this point, Matt?
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As fast as possible, Becky, because here is what's happening in Mexico. The number of cases is moving in the wrong
direction. It is growing. The number of deaths also as a result of that are growing.
And yet Mexico's government, the federal government, has said repeatedly that it's not going to go into the kinds of strict lockdowns we have seen
in other parts of the world. Just the other day, the man leading the coronavirus response here in Mexico, said that there will be no national
mask mandate policy that would have fines.
They're just not willing to do that. Whether you think that's a good or bad idea, set that aside for now. The result is that the only way that Mexico
is truly going to control this pandemic is by developing a vaccine or getting vaccines in here.
And that is why Mexico's government is really aggressively pushing this vaccination program.
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RIVERS (voice-over): The small glass containers marched like soldiers into battle, inside each a coronavirus vaccine. Thousands upon thousands every
hour, sorted, labeled, ready to ship.
A national vaccine developed and produced right here in Mexico. At least that will hopefully happen soon, anyway. For now it is just water inside
these ampules. You're watching a simulation inside Neolpharma, a Mexican pharmaceutical company, that plans to eventually produce millions of
vaccine doses. But to do that they need a vaccine.
EDDA SCIUTTO, LEAD VACCINE RESEARCHER: We have the disposal needed to, to offer something in this situation, things that we know how to do them.
RIVERS (voice-over): And researcher Edda Sciutto and Juan Pedro Laclette know how to do vaccines. Decades of experience have brought them to this
point, leading a team, developing a vaccine at Mexico's prestigious National Autonomous University.
Donning lots of protective equipment, we were able to visit several of the labs involved in the research. The group says they will only start phase 1
trials in January, though, far behind giants like AstraZeneca or Pfizer, who could develop a vaccine this year. But:
JUAN PEDRO LACLETTE, LEAD VACCINE RESEARCHER: Considering the situation of the pandemic right now all over the world it's not going to be too late.
RIVERS (voice-over): Because, in part, they say, first doesn't equal best. We don't know how well the first round of vaccines will work. Getting
billions of doses around the world might be the logistical challenge of the century. And each is different, one perhaps working better in certain
populations than another.
SCIUTTO: It is important to have many alternatives and select the best.
RIVERS (voice-over): But Mexico developing its own vaccine is steeped in international politics, too. Consider only a handful of countries will
produce the first round of vaccines, the most sought after products in the world.
But the government says its proactive deal making means they've already secured up to 116 million doses of different vaccines when they become
available.
MARTHA DELGADO PERALTA, MEXICAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: That's why international cooperation has this interesting role right now because we
don't feel alone.
RIVERS (voice-over): Though few, if any, countries want to rely exclusively on foreign help when it comes to public health, which is partly
why the foreign ministry has secured funding for six Mexican-developed vaccine trials, some of which will eventually be made right here at
Neolpharma.
RIVERS: When they actually start making these vaccines, this machine will be running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the goal of making as
many vaccines as possible. This machine can make roughly 500,000 doses of this size each day.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a Mexican I feel that we're helping out in some way. It sometimes feels as if I were in the front line.
RIVERS (voice-over): Neolpharma's early ramp-up in production could, if it all goes right, lead to millions of vaccines in hand by the end of next
year. But for now, a university studies, a company prepares and a country waits for a vaccine of its very own.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIVERS: As we have that two-pronged approach really, getting foreign developed vaccines into Mexico and also developing their own vaccines here,
Mexican-developed vaccines.
And the other thing, Becky, is that Mexico's federal government has promised a universal free vaccine for all citizens. You have nearly 130
million people in this country. So just relying on foreign vaccines is not really sustainable.
I will tell you, Becky, it's not just Mexico developing its own vaccines; you have Cuba, Brazil, Argentina and Peru developing their own vaccines as
well. Everyone is hoping for international cooperation. Everyone wants vaccines to be spread out across the world.
But these countries also recognize there can be some real politicking involved; there's vaccine nationalism fears. So that's why everyone around
here in Mexico at the federal government is trying to make sure that they have their own supply.
ANDERSON: Yes, and this isn't a story that we just hear there, of course; it's one we hear around the world. Thank you.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Becky Anderson. There is a lot to digest this hour ahead.
Up next, RB Leipzig suffers a crushing defeat at the hands of Manchester United. But it was the head coach's sideline attire that set tongue a-
wagging. We will look at that up next.
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ANDERSON: RB Leipzig's manager donned a snazzy suit on the sidelines in Wednesday's Champions League match against Manchester United. Julian
Nagelsmann won't be walking the catwalk anytime soon. When reporters asked about his choice of attire, he snapped back, "I'm a football coach, not a
model."
Alex Thomas, who is rather dapper yourself and quite the outfit choice he has here, correct, sir?
ALEX THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Becky. Right back at you. He certainly wasn't wearing a suit like that when I interviewed him at the
club where he made his name a few years back. I think this boils down to the fact he would be a bit less snappy about questions about his clothing
if he hadn't just seen his team thrashed.
We will tell you about that in "WORLD SPORT."
ANDERSON: That's next after the break. We're back after that with the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. Do stay with us.
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