Return to Transcripts main page
CNN 10
Surge In Children Suffering From Respiratory Illnesses In China; New Zealand`s New Government Scraps World-Leading Smoking Ban To Fund Tax Cuts; A Rare Weather Phenomenon Called Steve. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired November 30, 2023 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: What`s up sunshine. It`s time to shine this Thursday, November 30th. It`s a random thought Thursday. So think about
this, nothing is on fire. Fire is on things and fire trucks are really water trucks. Happy Friday Eve. I`m Coy Wire. Welcome to CNN 10, where I
tell you the what, letting you decide what to think.
We start today with news out of China, where hospitals in Beijing and the Northern part of the country are reporting a surge in respiratory illnesses
in children. But Chinese officials are telling the World Health Organization, there`s no need to worry saying it`s just typical seasonal
infections causing the spike. It`s not any new or unknown disease carrying pathogen.
During this rise in respiratory illnesses, the WHO is advising people in China to do what they can do to reduce the spread of infectious disease by
staying at home when they`re sick, wearing a mask when it`s appropriate and using good hand hygiene. The WHO is not recommending that travelers change
their plans or take any particular precautions when visiting China other than to avoid travel if they`re sick. Here`s our Ivan Watson with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Long lines of patients crowded Chinese hospitals, a warning from the World Health
Organization about an upsurge of respiratory illnesses among children in Northern China, and administrators from several pediatric hospitals in and
around the Chinese capital saying the spike in patients exceeded their capacity.
(On camera): Should people be worried?
JOHN NICHOLLS, CLINICAL PROFESSOR OF PATHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: I don`t think they should be too worried because there are -- we have to look
at a number of factors. So the first is that, is winter and it`s cold. And wherever you have this, you`re going to be getting an increase in
respiratory infections.
WATSON: The WHO says, according to Chinese government data, there`s been an increase of RSV, adenovirus and influenza since October and an uptick of
mycoplasma pneumonia since May, but not a novel pathogen like COVID-19. Chinese health officials reported the increases to the WHO but are
downplaying the severity of this strain of pneumonia, which the WHO says, can be treated with antibiotics.
JIN DONGYAN, PROFESSOR OF VIROLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: So far there is just a zero evidence that there is a new virus being circulating in
Beijing or elsewhere.
WATSON: The global COVID-19 pandemic first appeared to originate in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. Critics accused the Chinese government
at the time of not being transparent about what later became a global health crisis. Long after the rest of the world moved on from social
distancing, Beijing maintained strict COVID restrictions. Epidemiologists say the surge in illness now is China playing catch up to other countries.
NICHOLLS: What we are seeing is with what`s actually even seen in many other countries before, is that after COVID is that where kids get
together, there will be an increase in respiratory viruses.
WATSON: But the increase is putting real pressure on some Chinese hospitals where doctors say, patients have to wait hours to get an
appointment.
GUO LINGYUN, DOCTOR, BEIJING CHILDREN`S HOSPITAL (through translator): Every night, we have doctors from different departments working over time,
and each doctor will take at least 30 online consultation sessions per night.
WATSON: Due to China`s relatively underdeveloped primary care system, hospital emergency rooms often serve as the first point of contact for
patients with even mild illness. So during flu season in China scenes like this aren`t unusual, even when they`re sick and receiving an IV drip,
children are expected to do their homework. Health officials are urging parents not to rush their kids to children`s hospitals in China`s first
winter since COVID.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: More health-related news now, this time from New Zealand, which was on track to be the first country in the world to prevent an entire next
generation from smoking the anti-smoking law, which was scheduled to take effect seven months from now, banned sales of tobacco to anyone born after
2008. But New Zealand`s new government called it off. Here`s our McKenna Ewen with the why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENNA EWEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New Zealand was on track to have the world`s leading smoking ban, but the nation`s new government plans
to scrap it.
NICOLA WILLIS, FINANCE MINISTER, NEW ZEALAND: Both New Zealand First, and the ACT Party were insistent that they wanted those regulations reversed.
And we`ve agreed to that.
EWEN: Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in New Zealand. In 2022, the previous government passed legislation that would make the
country first in the world to outlaw smoking for the next generation, barring sales to anyone born after 2008. The policy was praised by public
health officials around the world. And months later, the United Kingdom announced a similar plan.
KING CHARLES: My government will introduce legislation to create a smoke- free generation.
EWEN: That same month, New Zealand held elections that led to a new, more conservative coalition government. So why does the new government say it`s
reversing course? Well, money, a leader in the ACT Party, one of the coalition parties that make up the new government said that New Zealand
brings in about 1.8 billion in tax revenue from tobacco every year.
DAVID SEY, ACT LEADER, NEW ZEALAND: The government can continue to tax it. And I think that`s a more realistic solution than what the previous
government was headed toward.
EWEN: Others in the government, including the Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon also suggests that reversing the ban prevents a black market for
tobacco from forming. Health model suggests that the ban could have saved up to 5,000 lives each year. Public health officials aren`t happy with the
change.
BEN YOUDAN, DIRECTOR, NZ ACTION FOR SMOKEFREE 2025: That was a world leading policy that was going to save thousands and thousands of lives. So
it feels a tremendous cost to be in power to give up that bill, because it`s just going to prolong the death and the disease it`s been caused by
smoke tobacco.
EWEN: The ban was set to go into effect in July, 2024.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Ten second trivia.
What helps create the atmospheric phenomenon, Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights?
The moon, the tides, the seasons, or the sun?
If you said the sun, put your hands up. Aurora Borealis is an atmospheric phenomenon caused by particles emitted in solar storms creating enchanting
waves of colored light.
All right, we want you to take a look at something that looks a lot like the Northern Lights, but it`s actually something unique. Meet Steve, a rare
spectacle that hovers over the horizon in the Northern hemisphere. It`s a bit different from the more famous auroras we`re familiar with, those
shine, blue, green, and red when charged particles from the sun interact with our atmosphere. But all Steve is caused by an atmospheric river of
particles heating up and it shows up at lower latitudes as streaks of purple with distinct green bands.
All right. So why do they call it Steve? Well, members of the Alberta, Aurora chasers in Canada borrowed the name from DreamWorks 2006 animated
movie "Over the Hedge" when the characters encountered a surprise, they named it Steve to make the discovery less scary.
All right, we often talk about on this show. How, if you want to make something happen in this world, you have to see it up here in your mind`s
eye before you can see it out there in the world. Well, today`s story getting a 10 out of 10 is about a woman named Brooke Hart Jones, who took a
dream and made it a reality.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a little girl, Brooke Hart Jones loved dolls. As a young lady, she attended an HBCU, and as a grown woman, three years ago,
she decided to get an old classmate a gift.
BROOKE HART JONES: I was looking for an HBCU doll to give someone during the pandemic and couldn`t find it. And I was shocked and I`m like, surely
these exist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But dolls representing students at historically black colleges and universities did not exist. So the Dallas toy buyer furloughed
by her company during COVID decided to make some herself.
HART JONES: And so that`s how it came about.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brooke handmade them, her husband packaged them and they sent them to the few folks who bought them. Now, they are sold
everywhere. Target, Walmart, Sam`s Club, Amazon, young black girls, all over the country are buying and loving them. The 11 HBCU dolls have
different skin tones and hair textures.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is it for daddy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But they also have different interests, Autumn is a majorette and business major. Nicole is homecoming queen and pre-med.
HART JONES: They all have positions of leadership and unique backgrounds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Notice the dolls Brooke had as a little girl, they did not look like her. The ones she`s making now, not only look like the
girls who get them.
HART JONES: It is the opportunity to plant the seed of higher learning, teach about HBCUs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But also show them what they can achieve.
HART JONES: You`re going to a HBCU too?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
HART JONES: They see themselves. They see what they can be, what they can achieve, what they can become.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: That was awesome, to all my goal getters out there, remember complacency is the constant enemy. NBA legend, Kobe Bryant, once said the
most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.
Shout out time now to the superstars at Starr-Iva Middle School in the town of Starr, South Carolina, put the er in tigers and dominate this day.
And shout out to the mountain lions at Mettawee Community School in West Pawlet, Vermont, we`d be lying if say, we don`t have mad love for y`all.
Much love and many blessings to all of you. Thank you for your energy, for spending part of your day with us. I`m Coy. I`ll see you tomorrow. Peace
out.
END
