[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause. Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, as nations around the world brace for a vaccine, Russia now says it could have one ready to go in less than 2 weeks. Plus, one of the world's most populous countries just crossed a milestone in coronavirus cases. We are live in New Delhi. Muslims celebrating Eid al-Adha but it is a lot different this year. How the pandemic has impacted the Hajj pilgrimage.
[Vause:] We will begin with a CNN exclusive. Mark the date, August 10th. That's one officials in Russia say a vaccine for the coronavirus will receive approval, maybe even sooner. This will be a global first in what Russia is branding as a Sputnik moment. But the pace of development and a decision to cut corners on human trials is raising serious safety concerns. CNN's senior international correspondent Matthew Chance has exclusive details from Moscow.
[Matthew Chance, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Russian officials are calling it a Sputnik moment, a technological leap like the unexpected launch into space of the first satellite back in the 1950s. Now Russian officials say it's the coronavirus vaccine that is being launched into the global pandemic to highlight Russian scientific achievement. This is the clearest indication we've had yet as to when that Russian vaccine will be approved for us. Russian officials telling CNN they're working towards a date of August the 10th, perhaps even earlier, extraordinarily quick, party according to Russian officials, because of the technology they are using. They've used it successfully in the past on other vaccines but also, undeniably, because human trials would still be incomplete when the vaccine is approved. Russian officials tell CNN that third phase human trials will be conducted only in parallel with the vaccination of frontline medical workers. Risky, of course, but given the acute coronavirus problem in Russia, which has reported the fourth highest number of infections in the world, it's apparently a risk that the authorities here are willing to take. There is enormous skepticism around the world about the effectiveness and the safety of this Russian vaccine. Critics say Russia's push for it comes amid political pressure from the Kremlin and allegations that Russian spies hacked U.S., Canadian and British labs for vaccine secrets. Also, no test data has been released by Russia so far. The Russian officials now tell me that that data will be made available for publication and peer review early next month, which will undoubtedly attract a great deal of international scrutiny Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
[Vause:] Around the world, 25 potential vaccines are in clinical trials. Many are reporting signs of progress. In the U.S., Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, began advanced trials for one of their candidates. Volunteers were injected on Monday. The trials will eventually see 30,000 participants. If it works, up to 100 million doses could be ready by the end of the year, 1.3 billion by the end of next year. Brazil expects distribution of 15 million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine by the end of December, that is, assuming it is safe. Thousands of Brazilian volunteers are taking part in phase 3 trials. And here in the U.S., five states now reporting a record number of deaths in the past 24 hours: California, Florida, Arkansas, Montana and Oregon. Despite that Donald Trump once again touting the unproven drug, hydroxychloroquine, as a treatment, which every study has found it ineffective, harmful and even fatal.
[Trump:] I happen to think it works in the early stages. Many front line medical people believe that, too, some, many. And so we'll take a look at it. But the one thing we know, it's been out for a long time. It doesn't cause problems. I had no problem. I had absolutely no problem, felt no different, didn't feel good, bad or indifferent. I and I tested, as you know, it didn't it didn't get me and it's not going to hopefully hurt anybody.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] The overwhelming, prevailing clinical trials that have looked at the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine have indicated that it is not effective in coronavirus disease.
[Vause:] With the death toll of the United States approaching 150,000, the U.S. president on Tuesday complained about all the attention and approval that Dr. Anthony Fauci is getting from the U.S. public.
[Trump:] He's got this high approval rating. So why don't I have a high approval rating with respect and the administration, with respect to the virus? So, it's sort of it's curious. A man works for us, with us very closely, Dr. Fauci. And Dr. Birx, also highly thought of. And yet they're highly thought of but nobody likes me. That's all.
[Vause:] Compared to last week, death rates are rising in almost 30 U.S. states and starting August 11th, Alaska will no longer accept visitors, unless they have tested negative for the coronavirus. Here is CNN's Nick Watt with more from around the United States.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] The day Florida started to reopen May 4, there were 819 new cases confirmed in the state, today 11 times that, 9,210. And the state's highest death toll to date.
[Mayor Dan Gelber , Miami Beach:] We've got to get the virus down. We've got to get our contact tracing in place, we've learned that we didn't have enough people at all to sort of even call people up and say you need to quarantine. Who else were you with?
[Watt:] The city of Miami now offering free tests for kids across the state. Cases and children and teens have climbed. But across the country, many test results are still taking so long that they're basically worthless.
[Fauci:] We just can't afford yet again another surge. If you are trying to open up please, do it in a way that's in accordance with the guidelines.
[Watt:] Along with that Sun Belt surge concern now moving a little north, average daily case counts now higher. Along with that Sun Belt surge concern they're moving a little north, average daily case counts now higher than ever. In Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee where despite this plea from Dr. Deborah Birx
[Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Task Force Response Coordinator:] Stop going to bars and indeed close the bars.
[Watt:] The governor just won't. Many places this now also a major concern, crowds of unmasked concert goers in Colorado, driving Chainsmokers gig in swanky South Hampton, New York, but people got out of their cars and mingled unmasked. Videos like this have sparked an investigation.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] It was a gross violation of common sense.
[Watt:] New Jersey cops say they spent hours breaking up a 700-strong mansion party at an Airbnb rental.
[Gov. Phil Murphy:] You're looking for trouble. You're absolutely looking for trouble.
[Watt:] Meanwhile, for more Miami Marlins have tested positive according to ESPN. All their games this week now postponed, the Yankees Phillies series also postponed.
[Rob Manfred, Mlb Commissioner:] A team losing a number of players that rendered a completely noncompetitive would be an issue that we would have to address whether that was shutting down a part of the season, the whole season.
[Watt:] And football preseason games have been cancelled. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced in an open letter, the regular season still on but every player and coach currently subject to daily tests. According to Goodell, this process has not been easy. Here in California, excitement on Tuesday. Only 6,000 new cases reported by the state, well below the 9,000-plus average that we've been seeing recently. And then a state official came out and said, hang on, we think there might be a delay in reporting and that is why the number is so low. California, still really in the teeth of this Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
[Vause:] The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, took another swipe at how the president has responded to the pandemic.
[Joe Biden, Former U.s. Vice President And Presidential Candidate:] Donald Trump faces a real test, and he's failed it, the basic threshold of being president, the duty to care for the entire country, not just his reelection prospects. He's shown that he can't beat the pandemic and keep you safe. He can't turn the economy around and get America back to work. And he is, horrifyingly and not surprisingly, intentionally stoking the flames of division and racism in this country.
[Vause:] For his campaign event, vice president Biden unveiled a plan for financially aid for minority owned businesses. He says first time home buyers under his administration will receive a $15,000 refundable tax credit. British prime minister Boris Johnson is warning of a resurgence of coronavirus in parts of Europe. He is defending new travel restrictions imposed by the U.K., saying the time to act is now. CNN's Nic Robertson has details from London.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Here in London, the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, says there are signs that a second coronavirus wave is hitting Europe. This comes hard on the heels of a surprise decision by the British government over the weekend to impose 14-day quarantine on British tourists returning from Spain.
[Robertson:] The Spanish prime minister has called the decision unjust. There is disagreement between Britain and Spain over this. The British prime minister defending his position. But across Europe at the moment, we are seeing increases in coronavirus cases in Croatia, Belgium, Germany and France. The British government very aware that it was very heavily criticized for not acting swiftly enough during the first wave of the pandemic. People in the country complained they should have put quarantine measures in place then for international travelers, pushed back on the tourism industry in the U.K. But the prime minister defending this decision Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
[Vause:] Dr. Ron Daniels is an intensive care physician with the U.K. National Health Service and joins us now from Birmingham, England. Thanks for being with us.
[Dr. Ron Daniels, U.k. National Health Service:] Good morning.
[Vause:] The question seems to be, where is Europe actually heading in terms of the spread of this virus? A senior health official in Germany said we don't know yet if this is the beginning of a second wave but it could be. The British prime minister is not so hesitant. Here is Boris Johnson. Listen to this.
[Boris Johnson, U.k. Prime Minister:] And let's be absolutely clear about what's happening in the in Europe and among some of our European friends. I'm afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic. And we all remember what happened last time. It's absolutely vital therefore that we make the necessary preparations here in the U.K. as we are doing.
[Vause:] Given how infectious this is and our own inaction, if this isn't a second wave in the making, it seems like it's only a matter of time before it is.
[Daniels:] I think we need to be careful here. Obviously, we need to be careful if there is any sign of a second wave surging in the European countries or any other one, we need to take it seriously. Thus far we have not seen a convincing second wave anywhere internationally. This is the danger of looking only at national level data. It is too big a picture. We need to look at regions. If you look deep down at the German data, these surges are in places that have not previously been heavily hit, areas like North Rhine, Westphalia and so forth. These are regional outbreaks. They are not necessarily a national second wave. Of course, when we count all the data together in one national picture, it doesn't give us granular enough information and we simply don't know what's going on.
[Vause:] The question then is, what is the difference between a first wave and a second wave if we are not into the second wave and this is just a continuation of the first? What does that mean?
[Daniels:] What that says to me is, firstly, that we need to integrate policy that is devolved to regions, to states, to cities if you like. This is about monitoring data at a local level, understanding what's going on in your region. The big difference from a humanitarian perspective between the first and second wave is that if we have a national second wave, a true global second wave, it implies a degree of the immunity that was conferred by the first wave may indeed have dissipated, may have waned, may have died away. There will be people who have been exposed for the first time if there were a second wave. But we are hoping is that there is a lot of immunity out there in people who we don't yet know have had the condition.
[Vause:] The head of the CDC in the United States told ABC News the introduction from Europe happened before we realized what was happening. By the time we realized Europe had shut down travel, there was 2 or 3 weeks of 60,000 people coming back every day from Europe. That's when the large seeding came in the United States. They are admitting that they moved away too late on actually taking action against the coronavirus. So if history is prologue, what happens in Europe will happen again fairly soon in the United States.
[Daniels:] This virus, we know, spreads really easily. It has spread around the world broadly from east to west but with notable exceptions. It's not just about incoming traffic from Europe into the U.S. airspace. This is around the contamination possibility in major transport hubs like airports, rail stations and so forth. This is about being mindful. This is about being conscious of what we are touching. It's not just about masks. It is around contact and droplet contact on hands, baggage carousels, all of this stuff. What we need to be really careful about is that we don't absolutely lock down an economy, lock down a country, just because of relatively spurious information. But if we are seeing those surges, just as Mr. Johnson has done, it's important that we are brave in our decision-making. It's a balance.
[Vause:] It is a balance. What we are seeing in places like the United States is that there hasn't been a falling off of case numbers. They plateau and then they spike. Many medical services, health care workers, have been at a sprint from the very beginning of this. They haven't had time to breathe, essentially. That is raising questions about PPE, protective equipment, medical equipment. There was a headline in "The Guardian," which called for restocking of national supplies there of PPE. That is an urgent call to ensure that these are medical stockpiles getting replenished before this COVID-19 second wave. If you look at the situation that Britain is, in the U.K., are they better prepared for a second time around? Here in the United States, there is grave concerns that they are just not ready for it.
[Daniels:] This is not yet a demonstrated second wave. Let's hope it's not going to be. Certainly, in the U.K., speaking to colleagues across Europe, absolutely. We have had some breathing space. Our intensive care units now are largely empty of patients with COVID-19 and are filling up with patients with our bread and butter conditions sepsis, heart attacks, stroke, following major surgery. It's important to note these patients are often presenting to health care in a more sick state than they normally would. They are presenting too late and it's important to note in those countries the health care systems are open for business. What I hope is that our colleagues in the U.S. and I think this is true in certain states that this is already happening managed to get some breathing space, can replenish, not only the PPE stocks but also the internal workforce resilience, the mental health of the workforce because this is hard for health professionals.
[Vause:] It takes a toll. We have seen that in the numbers of fatalities that they are exposed more than anyone else. Dr. Ron Daniels, thank you. Still to come, he has been in the crosshairs for months and when the U.S. attorney general spoke before Congress, Democrats did not hold back.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler , Chairman, House Judiciary Committee:] Your tenure has been marked by a persistent war against the department's professional corps in an apparent attempt to secure favors for the president.
[William Barr, U.s. Attorney General:] I am supposedly punishing the president's enemies and helping his friends. What enemies have I indicted?