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China Tests Blood Samples To Determine Origin of COVID-19; America`s August Job Resignations; Athlete With Down Syndrome Makes History
Aired October 14, 2021 - 04:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: The world maybe one step closer to knowing exactly where corona virus came from, then again it may not and an
explanation of why, is our first story today. I`m Carl Azuz, glad to have you watching. In May of this year, U.S. President Joe Biden gave American
intelligence officials 90 days to come up with a report on the origins of corona virus.
The big question was it naturally transmitted from an animal to a human or was it leaked from a Chinese laboratory into the human population.
Initially, medical groups like the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said they believed the virus probably
originated in bats but then jumped to people as other viruses have done. But some members of Congress and the Trump Administration called for a
closer look at the lab leak theory, that the virus escaped from a Chinese research facility into the public.
After the Biden Administration`s 90 days were up for its investigation, U.S. Intelligence Agency said they still didn`t have a definitive answer.
They concluded that either a natural origin or a lab leak was still plausible, but they didn`t think COVID was produced as a biological weapon.
One thing intelligence and health officials have wanted from the get-go is more information from China. The communist country originally said its
scientists didn`t encounter COVID until December of 2019.
A previous intelligence report said workers at a Chinese lab were getting sick and being hospitalized a month before that. China has not allowed an
open investigation by international researchers like those with the World Health Organization and even though the nation is about to provide new
results from more testing, it will be China and China alone that`s doing the tests. It has no plan to allow people from other countries to
participate. Scientists say that`s what`s needed to verify what really happened with COVID-19.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tens of thousands of tiny blood samples taken in Wuhan in the last months of 2019, are still stored in a hospital there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The samples from the blood bank absolutely will contain vital clues.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They could potentially be very revelatory.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the closest to the war that we`ve seen of real time samples.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The samples might reveal when and even where antibodies (against) the virus first appeared in humans in October, or November two
years ago. China says they had to be kept for legal reasons for two years in case of lawsuits over the blood transfusions they`re from. But now that
limit is almost up for the key months of the end of 2019 and a Chinese official confirmed to CNN that China is preparing to test them. Echoing a
promise from July when they said they would share the results.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE TRANSLATED: (Inaudible) Chinese side also express that once they have the results, they will deliver them to both the Chinese and
foreign expert teams.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The samples come from the disposable tubes that carry donor blood into the donor bag and is something the WHO team said earlier
this year they wanted to examine. They could contain vital, detailed information.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Might also help us to follow the trajectory of the strain of the virus by tracking the individuals who may carry the virus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we would like to go back to find out exactly during which month this -- this virus started to leave fingerprints in the human
population in China.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. Which of these manufacturing fields employs the most people in the U.S.? Food, Machinery, Motor Vehicle or Computer and
Electronics. Of these options the U.S. Labor Department says food manufacturing employees the most people.
According to a new report released just this week, almost three percent of the American workforce quit their jobs in August. That is a record. The
U.S. Labor Department started keeping track of the quit rate in the year 2000, and this August was the first time that 4.3 million workers left
their positions. They didn`t all stop working entirely, many left for new jobs, and this didn`t apply evenly in all industries.
The quit rate was highest in hotel and food services, wholesale trade workers and state and local government education employees also
increasingly left their jobs. Experts say this happened in part because people feel confident, they can get a better job somewhere else, but it`s
possible that concerns about corona virus, as cases were rising in August also factored in, as did Americans ongoing challenges in finding childcare.
The United States currently has a major labor shortage, and it`s effected several fields from manufacturing and trucking to food service,
construction and education. America`s number of job openings in July was more than 11 million. That`s also a record since the year 2000, but it
decreased a little in August to 10.4 million. Experts say the labor shortage contributes to rising prices, problems with the supply chain,
shortages of goods and delays with shipping. That`s why some officials are advising Americans to do their Christmas and holiday shopping early as
available gifts maybe limited or sold out.
Of the 20,000 athletes who competed in this week`s Boston Marathon, many of them had run in other marathons before, but we would bet that far fewer had
finished an Ironman Triathlon which is a marathon after a 2.4-mile swim and a 112-bike ride and that`s all got to be done in 17 hours or less. Now if
you factor in being featured on Sports Center, and holding a Guinness World Record, you`ve likely whittled this field of athletes down to one and that
one is named Chris Nikic. Here is his amazing story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRISH NIKIC, CHRIS NIKIC`S MOTHER: Chris is changing the world.
CHRIS NIKIC, IRONMAN ATHLETE WITH DOWN SYNDROME: (inaudible) people treat me different, telling me that I can`t do that or can`t do this.
NIK NIKIC, CHRIS NIKIC`S FATHER: As he got older, he got very sedentary and that`s when we got involved in the Special Olympics Triathlon just as a
way to get in shape and have some fun.
T. NIKIC: The first time he ever did a sprint with Special Olympics, he came in dead last, but you know what Chris was happy.
DAN GRIEB, CHRIS NIKIC`S COACH: We just started measuring his progress one percent at a time, and the first year and a half he made great progress.
He went from nothing to doing a sprint 14-mile triathlon, and then a year later 140 miles and completed a full Ironman.
C. NIKIC: The goal on November 7th was to complete the Ironman and such an honor.
GRIEB: There is no roadmap with Chris. We haven`t seen a down syndrome athlete operating at the brink of human exertion.
C. NIKIC: The bike is the most intense, (inaudible) for eight hours (inaudible).
T. NIKIC: Chris` whole life he`s been told he wouldn`t amount to much.
GRIEB: I`ve got to get him across the finish line.
C. NIKIC: At that night, I became the first person with down syndrome to complete Ironman. It was life changing.
GRIEB: Chris Nikic can face adversity. He had adversity that knocks most people out of the race, under extreme conditions, with a bike crash, with
(inaudible), with cramping.
C. NIKIC: I`m watching a (inaudible).
N. NIKIC: The most special thing he could do is be a representative for Special Olympics and continue to inspire others around the world, and
that`s opening all kinds of doors for him.
C. NIKIC: I`m going to do the Boston Marathon, New York Marathon, Chicago Marathon.
N. NIKIC: Chris` training is not so he can become a better Ironman, it`s about he can really either an independent life or a semi-independent life.
C. NIKIC: (Inaudible)
T. NIKIC: Let them compete to the extent of their ability, but let`s not decide what their ability is.
C. NIKIC: I don`t give up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Cool shots of big stuff getting demolished. Ten out of ten. These used to be cooling towers that a power station in the United Kingdom. Now
you see them, now you don`t. Here you have them, here you won`t. It was a controlled implosion that brought down the remaining towers of a plant that
was taken out of service three years ago. According to Newsweek Magazine, the towers each stood 374 feet tall and contained 11,000 tons of concrete.
We`re just glad the demo crew was "Yorksure" not to be "pudding" anyone in danger. If you`re looking to use a lot of "bangers" to "mash" down a
tower, it`s best to "besure" there`s no "toad in the hole" that could "bubble and squeek" when the "fry up" comes down and threatens "blood
pudding". Yum, who`s hungry? Want to give a shout out to McGrath High School today, our viewers watching from Alberta, Canada. We hope all of
you all come tomorrow for more CNN 10. I`m Carl Azuz.
END
