Transcripts For CNNW Coronavirus Pandemic Worldwide Coverage 20200422

It just hurts my heart. Nursing homes are bearing the brunt of this outbreak. Well hear about new measures that should help tackle the virus spread. We now know that more than 2. 5 million inif he cans of coronavirus have been reported around the world. There have been almost 178,000 deaths, 45,000 of them in the u. S. So that means more people have died here in the u. S. Than any other country in the world. As the death toll continues to grow, the head of the cdc says the situation could still worsen. He warned of another wave this winter during the flu season, which could further overwhelm hospitals. But dr. Deborah birx from the White House Corona Task force, disagrees. I dont know if it will be worse. I think this has been pretty bad. When you see what has happened in new york, that was very bad. I believe that well have Early Warning signals, both from our surveillance that weve been talking about on the vulnerable populations. Were going to continue that surveillance from now all the way through the fall to be able to give us that Early Warning signal. Meantime, the governor of georgia is defending his decision to reopen certain businesses in just a couple of days time, even though the number of new cases in the state isnt decreasing. Were seeing more patients in our Trauma Centers in our state, because people are just, you know, theyre tired of it. I would tell you that i imagine there will be people in gyms that will be a lot safer than they would be going to the Grocery Store or some of the other places of business that are part of the Critical Infrastructure thats been designated at the federal level. Well, dr. Birx also reacted to the governors move and tried to offer some advice. I believe people in atlanta would understand that if their cases are not going down, that they need to continue to do everything that we said social distancing, washing your hands, wearing a mask in public. So, if there is a way that people can social distance and do those things, then they can do those things. I dont know how, but people are very creative. I mean, weve been very clear in the guidelines, and i think its up to the governors and mayors to ensure that theyre following the best they can each of those phases to make sure that both the public is completely protected. A lot of mixed messages there. Nick watt has more on all of this. Reporter the virus has killed more than 44,000 americans, and it will return this winter, and it might be even worse, so the cdc director tells the washington post, because it could coincide with regular flu season, and two respiratory outbreaks at once would hammer our health systems. Meanwhile, our leaders are trying to agree on how to reopen from round one. Take dallas county. They extended stayathome through midmay, setting up a possible showdown with the governor. To the extent that my executive order has statewide application, it would over rule any local jurisdiction. Reporter in iowa, democratic lawmakers want a pork Processing Plant closed after an outbreak. The governor wont do it. The governor in georgia says barber shops, nail salons, gyms can all reopen friday, but soul cycle says it wont. Congregations can gather, but one bishop is telling his flock not to. And other governors are wary. Im glad im not an immediate neighbor of georgia, because i think all youre doing is potentially throwing some gas on the flames there. Reporter testing, of course, is required to keep track of the virus as we reopen. If we dont have the data, dont know what were up against. Reporter the continued lack of testing partly whats making some in georgia so anxious about reopening. We need testing, certainly need work on treatment, and we need Contact Tracing of the sort that we just dont have in this state yet. Reporter the white house guidelines say you should start reopening only after, among other things, a downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14day period. We are on track to meet negating criteria for phase one. Reporter not really. Monday, april 6th, 1,099 new cases. 14 days later, yesterday, just one less. Not so in tennessee, but they plan to reopen some businesses monday. Not so in South Carolina, but they opened beaches and Retail Stores today. And the reality is that South Carolina has not peaked yet, according it our own professionals. Reporter myrtle beach defying the governor will keep beach parking closed. So, hair salons open in georgia on friday while maintaining social distancing. How does that work . We dont know. Dr. Byrne was asked at the White House Press conference, and she said, i dont know how, but people are very creative. Nick watt, cnn, los angeles. Thanks, nick, for that. So, for weeks now, the u. S. President has been touting a drug for malaria as a possible treatment for coronavirus, but a new study of patients at Veterans Health Administration Medical Centers is casting doubt on his theory. It found that coronavirus patients who took hydroxychloroquine did not benefit from the drug. In fact, they had higher death rates than those who didnt take it. President trump still isnt convinced by the results, but he says hell review the study after he spent weeks recommending the drug. What do you have to lose . Take it. I really think they should take it. Hydroxychloroquine, try it. Hydroxychloroquine, which i think, as you know, its a great malaria drug. Its worked unbelievably. Well, joining me now is keith neil, a professor a. M. Rats in the field of epidemiology of Infectious Diseases Nottingham University and joins me now. We have quite a lot to talk about. Good to see you, sir. Good morning. Good morning. I want your reaction to the fact that this antimalarial drug doesnt work. And apparently, theres a higher death rate, despite the political pressure on the fact that this works. I mean, no matter what, this is another reminder that there are no quick fixes out there. I think the thing is, had it worked, there might have been a quick fix, because were now actually getting ourselves organized across the world and doing proper large trials to actually address the questions. Do we know of any drugs that work . Hydroxychloroquine was pushed for various reasons, i think from france and this side of the atlantic, but at trial, i have not seen any convincing evidence that it does any good, and the evidence suggests it does harm. We know that the drug is potentially toxic at high levels, and when people are seriously ill, drug excretion routes often get compromised. I think the message here is the importance of doing trials. And one of the big criticisms you could easily make of china was that the proper trials were not done and lots of drugs were given, often with and without chinese medicine, to various patients in the thousands they had, and we still havent got any answers. In the united kingdom, weve recruited now over 5,000 people to a small number of trials, and its important that we have a small number of trials answering the key questions so we can get answers as quickly as possible. And if a drug works, introduce it, and if it doesnt work, move on to another one. Clearly, the anecdotal reports of hydroxychloroquine working have not been borne out and are now being shown to be harmful, which is proven with anecdotal science. And this is also perhaps another example of where china has dropped the ball on this, because if they had followed protocols in terms of testing drugs in those early few weeks and months, we wouldnt have lost so much time now in trying to figure out where we were and what worked and what didnt. I dont think there are any set protocols as such in the sense there is no but documenting what worked and what didnt work. It needs a proper randomized control trial, because i have seen a number of papers where they base, some from europe, where they gave it to ten patients and then compared it to what happened to the ten patients the week before. That really isnt very good science. I was speaking to some colleagues across the world on a different topic last week, and they were saying theyve entered people in various countries in europe have entered people into very small trials. That is one advantage of having a centralized Health Care System that we have in the united kingdom, that where you can set up networks of hospitals to actually coordinate multicenter trials very quickly. Yeah, i understand. Imperial college, i know cambridge and oxford are all working, and i think even human trials for a vaccine are starting on humans this week in the uk. So, certainly a coordinated effort where you are. I want to talk about i mean, clearly, this is theres patches and there are different stages around the world. Were here in georgia, the u. S. State of georgia, in atlanta. Youve been hearing how its been opened upcoming up on friday. If this is done too soon in many places, say, for example, georgia, and there is a spike again and hospitals are overwhelmed, do you think were going to be seeing a lot of places closing down then again . And so, instead of these graphs in a years time, were going to be seeing sort of a roller coaster of the world stopping and starting . Thats pretty much what happened in the spanish flu, isnt it . Is that what you thinks going to happen now . Because this is the 1918 flu pandemic. I think the spanish flu we need to accept that, a, flu itself has slightly different transmission dynamics. There is a much shorter incubation period than covid19. And the second spike of spanish flu occurred at the end of world war ii, when the troops were sent back around the world. And also, there were completely different criteria going on. And trying to base covid19s multiphased responses on what happened with spanish flu i think is a recipe for disaster, because its a study of any cause one. Its just an anecdotal report. Its like we gave hydroxychloroquine to a few patients and they got better, therefore it works. I think the issues about releasing the lockdown situation is being done in much more phased way in europe. And i think the sense that people are trying to open up small shops and socially distance but maintaining social distancing within the stores. One of the more interesting aspects in europe is sweden itself, which is actually almost its had not extreme social distancing, but has relied on specific factors in sweden to allow them to actually not shut down as much of the economy. I think im not familiar with whats going on in all of the 50 different united states, but i think whichever country releasing a lockdown in too big a phase, then you are actually risking a reemergence of new cases at a level that cant be managed. Of course, one thing that we know works is the current measures of lockdown will stop the transmission. I suspect some of the strategy is to drive the cases very low. And i think people what the government in this country has been worried about exponential increase. Well, we will get an exponential increase. It depends whether its from one case a week to two cases a week or from 1,000 a week to 2,000 a weak. Okay. When it doubled. So, if you can drive it down to a very low level, we can reduce various lockdown measures, see what works and see what allows spread to be controllable. And clearly, from countries like sweden, theyre not having rampant rates of infection, but with less lockdown. Its quite likely that some of the lockdown measures are probably more than we needed, but were in a completely new situation, so we cant and we therefore had to take a precautionary principle to start with, basically to knock this on the head before Hospital Services got overloaded. So, its certainly i mean, its certainly patchy. Its going to be interesting to see which strategies worked, but either way, the death toll continues to rise, and that is concerning, no matter where you are in the world. Professor keith neal, thank you for your expertise. Appreciate you joining us. Have a lovely day. Thank you. Good morning. Were going to the world, so its one of all of those. So, thank you. Some more help is on the way for many u. S. Businesses hit hard by the pandemic. This is good news for folks in the u. S. The u. S. Senate has passed a fourth relief package on tuesday that includes another 310 billion for loans in the paycheck protection program. Money is also set aside to help struggling hospitals and to expand testing for the coronavirus. The bill now heads to the house for votes, for a vote, and then the president is expected to sign it. Now, youll recall that initial loan program ran out of money last week, leaving many, many businesses without a muchneeded lifeline. Christine romans and i have been talking about this. She joins me now from new york. So, hopefully, this is good news. I mean, is there a sense that Small Business owners, people who own restaurants or hairdressers or a bakery will be able to access this in the way that they should have been able to access the first one . Well, thats the real test here. I mean, they filled up this fund again with another 310 billion. Absolutely a huge chunk of money and absolutely needed right away by these Small Businesses. And there had been some real outrage that bigger companies, companies that had access to public markets, have been able to get these ppp loans, and small momandpop organizations, real main street companies, had not been able to. Their applications were received and then they never heard anything back. This particular pot of money, 60 billion of it has been set aside for small lenders, and i guess thats intended to make sure that those smaller lenders with maybe smaller customers will have access to that money, but a lot of the complaints i have heard are from Small Businesses with Bank Accounts at big banks who just were shuffled out of the picture. So, this money is definitely needed. Experts are telling me its going to last maybe ten days, bestcase scenario, but a lot of these people have already put their paperwork in, so hopefully, hopefully, youre going to get money into the hands of these Small Businesses. It cant come soon enough. Most of these companies only have a few weeks of operating expenses in their rainy day funds, and this is a month into the crisis. It certainly is. And as we said, the big boys came in and gobbled up all the cash in the first place. So, hopefully, they let the little guys at the front of the line this time around. Fingers crossed. Christine romans, good to see you. Speak again soon. Youre watching cnn newsroom. Im robyn curnow. Much more ahead, including this. Nursing homes are being hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic in the u. S. Well, now new measures are going into place to help officials track the virus spread. Thats next. A lot of folks ask me why their dishwasher doesnt get everything clean. I tell them, it may be your detergent. Thats why more dishwasher brands recommend cascade platinum. With the soaking, scrubbing and rinsing built right in. For sparklingclean dishes, the first time. Cascade platinum. Yoat natures way, that startsn with quality ingredients. Like our sambucus made from elderberries grown and picked at their prime. Choose the way to quality immune support, choose natures way sambucus. Working on the front lines, and heres one small way that you can help them in return. 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Dont use if youre allergic to cosentyx. Before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. Tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if youve had a vaccine or plan to. Serious allergic reactions may occur. Watch me learn more at cosentyx. Com. Watch me we are continuing to see outbreaks in Nursing Homes and in confined spaces, and i think as americans, we want to stop that, and we have the ability to do that by really paying attention to the guidelines that were to be in all three phases. So, im calling on the states again to note that an informed community and knowledgeable community is a protected community. That is dr. Deborah birx there, again, the White House Coronavirus response coordinator, with a sort of cautious warning to states planning to reopen soon. Of course, shes mentioning Nursing Homes. We know that thousands of Senior Citizens across the u. S. Have died from the coronavirus in Nursing Homes and care facilities. One official tells cnn Nursing Homes are being, quote, ground zero for covid19. As cnns sara sidner now reports, officials are hoping new rules on actually reporting cases will help track the virus spread. Heres sara. Reporter Nursing Homes across the country are taking the brunt of coronavirus outbreaks. Better, same, or worse. Reporter family members from across the country she was an amazing human being she didnt deserve to die like this. It was just so fast. Reporter all experiencing the same tsunami of grief after their parents contracted covid19 in a nursing home. For my daddy to just die by himself, it just hurts my heart. Reporter dennen barr says her father was a retired fire captain who helped others, only to die alone in a hospital. He was a drertified lifeguard, and he couldnt breathe. It just hurts me to my heart. And ill never see him here again. I am so sorry. Reporter Nursing Homes across america are taking the brunt of the outbreak. This is just a small sample of states that publicly report coronavirus cases in Nursing Homes, from more than 10,000 in new jersey to 1,700 in california. Now a federal agency that oversees Nursing Homes says they must report their coronavirus deaths and infections directly to the centers for Disease Control and prevention. Whats causing the problem inside of Nursing Homes when it comes to covid19 . Its really two things, sara understaffing and infection control, and the two things go hand in hand. Reporter in new jersey, at andover subacute and rehabilitation center, police discovered 17 bodies piled at its morgue. 36 people have died from coronavirus there. In richmond, virginia, 45 residents dead from covid19 at this facility. In massachusetts, holy oaks soldiers home, coronavirus killed 47 veterans, including patricia cowdens husband of 38 years. She says she believes the administrator there may not have initially taken the virus seriously enough. And yet, hes a military person. The commander in chief was saying it was nothing, you know . Reporter the very first major outbreak in all of america happened at a nursing home just outside seattle. 129 people linked to the facility infected with covid19. 35 people died. All of a sudden, there were so many patients. Everybody needed medications. Everybody needed treatment. Reporter their facility was fined in part for not doing proper infection control. But watchdog groups say that is one of the most common citations for many facilities. Life care centers disputes the finding. What went wrong . An unprecedented viral outbreak, which we did not know enough about entered our country. And because we have a vulnerable population, it entered our population. Thats what went wrong. Reporter he stands by the frontline workers, saying they were the first in america to heroically battle a new and invisible enemy. Representatives of many Nursing Homes warn, the governments failure to provide enough testing and the scarcity of personal Protection Equipment can be a lethal combination. What is the nursing staff having to do . I mean, can they even selfdistance from the patients . Dont they have to clean them and lift them and help them rehabilitate . Thats exactly right, sara. That is the problem. Many of these patients have to be fed. So, nurses are touching and handling patients all the time. They cant avoid it. They have literally no way of protecting themselves. Reporter case in point, what happened here in riverside, california, at the nursing home behind me where 83 patients had to be evacuated because Officials Say more than a dozen Staff Members simply didnt show up to work for a couple of days. Some of them had coronavirus. Some of the others were simply too afraid to come to work. And then there is one more thing that Patient Advocates are very concerned about, and that are new rules by Health Departments in both new york and new jersey, saying that Nursing Homes cannot deny patients, even if they have tested positive for coronavirus after theyve been released by the hospital. Patient advocates say if theyre forced to take in coronaviruspositive patients, they will be putting them right in the midst of the most vulnerable population. Guys, back to you. Thanks, sara, for that. And with many Nursing Homes banning visitors amid this pandemic, it is incredibly isolating time for many of their residents, but some staff are going above and beyond to make them feel more at ease. I want you to take a look at this tender moment. You might have seen it, but boy, you can see it again. Whats up, darling . Ha oh oh ha it was just so precious. Thats 94yearold ken bender receiving a pillow covered with a picture of his late wife. His care worker who gave it to him says she noticed he went to sleep with his wifes photograph every night, so she decided to surprise him with this gift. Ken and his wife, ada, were married for 71 years before she passed away last august. Beautiful. So, theres still more ahead here on cnn. Coming up, there is new data showing the death toll from the coronavirus could be much, much higher in the uk than the governments official count. So, whats behind the discrepancy . Well go to london live for answers, next. At papa johns, we want you to know that from our 450degree oven, to box, to you, its our policy that your pizza is never touched once it comes out of the oven. And were taking extra steps, like no contact delivery, to ensure it. Cake in the Conference Room showing em youre ready. To be your own boss. Thats the beauty of your smile. Crests three dimensional whitening. Removes stains,. 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The number of Coronavirus Infections has now topped 2. 5 Million People worldwide with more than 170,000 deaths. The u. S. Remains the country with the most confirmed cases, but the head of the cdc warns, the situation could still get worse. He says a second wave of the virus may emerge this winter right when flu season starts. He predicts both outbreaks will further overwhelm hospitals and doctors. Meanwhile, Contact Tracing is an important tool in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus. Brian todd explains how it works and some of the obstacles surrounding it. Brian. Reporter the mission, build an instant army. I have to put together an army of tracers. Thats thousands of people. Thats never been done before. Reporter contact tracers, who track down the people who a coronavirusinfected person has had contact with to monitor them for infection. Public Health Officials say its a crucial component to being able to reopen the economy so new cases can be contained. A Johns Hopkins study says an army of about 100,000 contact tracers may be needed to track the number of cases in the u. S. Other experts suggest two or three times that many. But tonight, a crisis within this crisis could be brewing. According to various reports, the u. S. Has nowhere near the number of contact tracers needed. By some estimates, only a couple thousand people had been doing it before the outbreak started. Health departments are completely overwhelmed. Health departments are not designed to send outfield armies of people to trace every single case that pops up in their community. Some communities have hundreds of cases in a single day. Reporter states are rushing to ramp up. Were already training hundreds, if not thousands, of contact tracers. Reporter but among the concerns tonight, how quickly states can build armies big enough to call dozens of people for each new person infected and whos going to pay for them. As for the type of person needed . Its a detectiveinvestigator in the Public Health space. Reporter for example, this massachusetts job posting seeks people who can make calls, follow a script, and give instructions or referrals. A headset is preferred. They have to interview an infected person, get them to help identify anyone theyve been in close contact with over the past two weeks. You could define it as anyone within six feet for more than one minute, or it can be anyone within six feet for more than ten minutes. Reporter and contact tracers have to race against the clock. Experts we spoke to say they have on angeles than three days to find someone who an infected persons been in contact with and get that person to isolate. At this Contact Tracing center in arizona, now working virtually, a team leader tells us its timeintensive, emotionally taxing work. Our biggest challenge, honestly, is just getting people on the phone initially and talking to them, and then getting them to open up once you get a hold of them. Reporter and there are more obstacles tonight. Health professionals say the decision by some governors to reopen businesses so quickly, like georgias governor throwing open gyms and hair and nail salons this week, will make accurate Contact Tracing harder. If you reopen businesses, now you infinitely increase the number of people that people have been in contact with. It makes Contact Tracing so much more difficult than if we have a lockdown or shelter in place. Thanks to brian for that report. So important to know all of that. I want to take you now to the uk, where the death toll in england and wales could actually be significantly higher than what the government has been reporting, so we have new data that shows the true death toll through april 10th may have been about 41 higher than whats being reported. Meantime, hospital workers say theyre running critically low on personal protective equipment. So i want to go to london and talk to Nic Robertson about this. Nic, hi. I know theres been a lot of criticism aimed at the government in the way theyve managed the ppe supply situation, but the fact that this death toll could be so significantly higher also raises a lot of questions. Whats happening . Reporter there are a lot of questions being raised, robin, and even some fingerpointing now. You know, another one of the questions being raised, before getting to these points you put there, is the flawed testing of the National Health service workers, doctors and nurses, and allowing them to go back and work in the wards and hospitals there p. M. Some of the testing, the coronavirus testing thats been done has been found to be flawed. Another question being raised is why the european is why britain didnt join the European Union in purchasing or joining an eu scheme to get more ventilators. A senior government Civil Servant yesterday said it was a political decision which got knocked down by the Health Secretary and then retracted by that senior Civil Servant. So, yes, fingerpointing. On that point about underreporting the deaths, the government says that every day when it reports the deaths, it wants to do a likebylike comparison with what other european countries, other countries around the world are doing, which is reporting the number of deaths in hospital directly attributed to coronavirus. But what the office of National Statistics says, if you take into account, as it did in the first week in april, if you take into account all those who died in care homes and who died in home as well, attributable to coronavirus, theres a 41 increase above what the government says. On top of that as well, theres another analysis of that same data that says, if you use the office of National Statistics for weekbyweek death tolls going back a number of years, and you actually see for that first week of april a 75 increase over the tracked number of deaths in that week on any given year. So, yes, the governments facing a lot of questions, and prime ministers question time today and the new hybrid just reopened parliament, new leader of the opposition, kiir stamma, will be there in person. Just a handful of mps sitting in the socially distanced houses of Parliament Today for that session. So, no doubt, these questions are all going to come up, robyn. They certainly will. Nic robertson, good to see you. Thank you for joining us. Youre watching cnn. Im robyn curnow. Coming up, normalcy is sitting over where the pandemic began, while everywhere else, this seems to be nothing but upheaval. Confident financial plans, calming financial plans, complete financial plans. 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Well, xfinity makes moving super easy. I can transfer my internet and tv service in about a minute. Wow, that is easy. Almost as easy as having those guys help you move. We are those guys. Thats you . The truck adds 10 pounds. In the arms. Okay. Transfer your Service Online in a few easy steps. Now thats simple, easy, awesome. Transfer your service in minutes, making moving with xfinity a breeze. Visit xfinity. Com moving today. So, the w. H. O. , the world health organization, says the coronavirus most likely originated from an animal. On tuesday, the w. H. O. Official said, all Available Evidence suggests the virus originated in bats. U. S. President donald trump had earlier suggested the virus may have come from a lab in china without providing evidence to support the idea. Meanwhile, cnns david culver, who reported from wuhan and left just before the lockdown took effect, is now back in the area where the pandemic began. Heres his report. Reporter being back here in wuhan, the original epicenter of the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, you get the feeling that this is a city trying to reawaken after what was a 76day halting of life, a brutal and harsh lockdown, the conditions that kept many nheme some cases sealed inside their homes for those twoplus months, unable to leave even for some fresh air. Now, as you can hear behind me, traffic picking up again. People are starting to resume life, though its with this cautious optimism as they go forward, knowing that things could change quickly. The lockdown happened 76 days prior to april 8th. And when it came into effect, it came with little notice, just a few hours notice. And so, people know that things can change rather suddenly, and theyre prepared for that. And yet, the screening mechanisms that are in place now are rather intense. To get into wuhan for most locals, its rather straightforward, but for foreigners in particular and this shows the concern for imported cases youre questioned extensively as to what country youre coming from, how long youve been in the country here in china, and where you plan to be going while here. Its all about tracing from here on out, and they, of course, have technology that does that, but they also rely on selfreporting and a lot of questioning as you make your way from the train station, for example, into a hotel. Now, here overall, you get the sense that people are trying to look past what was a very difficult period, and theyre doing so by taking advantage of what they have right now in this moment. And for our driver, for example, that was going outside the city and taking in a hike with his family or camping, enjoying the outdoors, enjoying nature for this moment, at least. David culver, cnn, wuhan, china. So great to have david there. Thanks to him for that. So, the u. S. State of missouris actually suing china for how it says beijing handled the coronavirus. This lawsuit is interesting, filed by missouris attorney general, says chinese officials did not do enough to stop the spread of the virus, even though they knew how dangerous it could be. The state is asking for civil penalties, restitution, punitive damages, and more, to compensate for the loss of life and economic consequences. China is, of course, protected by sovereign immunity, so its really not clear if the lawsuit will actually have any impact. Well, you are watching cnn. With people staying inside, all sorts of creatures great and small are traipsing through the streets and filling the empty spaces. A look at the worlds emboldened wildlife. Thats next. Y their dishwasher doesnt get everything clean. I tell them, it may be your detergent. Thats why more dishwasher brands recommend cascade platinum. With the soaking, scrubbing and rinsing built right in. 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Its time to shape our future. Whethey fell in love with itsng gaiirresistible scent. Looks like their dog michelangelo did too. New gain ultra flings with two times oxi boost and febreze. So, you might not have realized it with everything going on right now with the pandemic, but this is earth days 50th anniversary, and if youre one of the millions of people doing your part by staying inside, it may be hard to celebrate the Great Outdoors right now. But you are helping others by staying safe and well. Thats for sure. And the planet itself i think is benefiting from this global lockdown, especially the Animal Kingdom, if you take a look at some of these pictures were going to show you. Its transforming before our eyes. Paula newton takes a lack at how creatures great and small are enjoying the absence of humans. Reporter horns. Engines. Train whistles. People out and about. The background sounds of everyday life gone quiet. With coronavirus shelterinplace orders around the globe, its turning the tables on human norms. Animals are filling up the empty spaces. From wild deer traipsing through the streets of japan to lions lounging across the streets usually traversed by cars in Cougar National park, to herds of goats in wales helping themselves to neighborhood bushes and flower beds. The Animal Kingdom is, for now, reclaiming spaces normally occupied by people. And no, its not your imagination. Birds do sound louder. A phenomenon that some experts say comes in part from birds being less stressed by human sounds, causing them to congregate in larger numbers and more easily communicate with each other. Translator the birds are more relaxed. They are not trying to get away from cars, from the crowds of people. Even the heart of the city itself. Reporter and in thailand, researchers say theres been a baby boom as sea turtle nests are at a 20year high, thanks to the absence of people walking in the sand where these endangered species lay their eggs. But some animals are noticing the void left by their human counterparts. Monkeys like these used to tourists feeding them on a daily basis swarm over a little bit of food left behind. And for the great apes and giraffes and other wildlife used to putting on a daily show in their zoological homes, some workers say theyre now playing the part of tourist to alleviate signs of sadness they notice from the animals who still move like clockwork each day to the very spot they used to interact with spectators who are no longer coming to the parks. But as spring blooms in much of the northern hemisphere, the quieter, gentler atmosphere may be beneficial, if only for a short time. I think nature is obviously welcoming the change. The wildlife in yosemite certainly are. Reporter bears are awaking from hibernation a bit more free to explore. Newborn ducklings, baby elephants, and the like, emerging into the world at a time when the earth is vibrating just a little bit less and turning just a little more slowly. Paula newton, cnn. And as you heard in paulas report, animals in californias Iconic Yosemite National Park have certainly been taking advantage of the absence of tourists. I want to show you some of these stunning photos from the l. A. Times. They show the usually crowded park now completely empty. And as you can see, its also allowing some curious animals to check out the Tourist Spots for themselves. Well, carolyn cole is the pulitzer prizewinning l. A. Times photographer behind those really striking images, and she joins me now from oakland, california. Great to have you. Those are such amazing pictures. Theyre powerful and they mean so much right now. What were you hoping to convey by going to yosemite right now . Well, i felt very fortunate to get permission to go into yosemite. Permission had to come from washington, d. C. , and it took a few days, but i felt a real responsibility just to show people what was happening inside the park and the beauty of it. And i remember going there as a young child and remembering how crowded it was, the parking lots and the stairs up to the falls. And this time it was just completely peaceful, so i was hoping to capture the sights and sounds of the park with no people in it. Yeah, you certainly did. And a lot of your images and i know there are more that you have the contrast between the big waterfalls, the big sky, the mountains, versus the small, the bobcats and the squirrels. Theres a beautiful contrast between how nature, you know, in all its sizes, is enjoying this. Well, thank you. Im not a wildlife photographer or a landscape photographer, but i did the best i could in the limited time that i had. I got into the park around 7 00 a. M. And i just tried to hit all of the major spots el capitan at sunrise and yosemite falls, mirror lake. Then i was particularly looking for animals. And i felt very lucky to have seen a small bobcat very close to the main visitors center, so i followed it for a little while and was able to capture a good picture of it. And i did see a couple of coyotes wandering through Curry Village camp site, and i followed him for a while. So, i felt very lucky to get what i did. Unfortunately, i didnt see any bears during my time there, but i know there have been a lot mover sightings in the valley. Yeah, there certainly have. I mean, just to get el capitan and the sunrise must have been extraordinarily powerful. What did it feel like, you alone in many ways, as the animals are roaming around. They are unfettered. You are outnumbered, which is not the way it usually is. What was the feeling like . Its aweinspiring. Its so big and you feel so small within the walls of yosemite valley. And it was completely peaceful. You could hear the waterfalls. You could hear the birds. The wind and the trees. It was just spectacular. There are some people that live in the valley full time, some of the concession workers, and of course, some of the park rangers are there during the day. So i wasnt there alone, but it was certainly a wonderful experience to have. Yeah, and i think some of your photos also show that, whether its Hotel Workers or the guides. I mean, a lot of adventurers, a lot of livelihoods have been lost. Its not just the tourists who are not there. A lot of people whose lives were connected with yosemite have certainly felt the pinch of this. And you also showed that. Well, i think people are craving the outdoors and craving nature. And so, im currently on a trip around california doing stories about the coronavirus all over the state, and ive noticed that people are really attracted to the stories that we have about nature. So, weve done some stories about the Forest Industry up in upstate california. We just recently did a story about bats and their connection with the coronavirus. So, i think people are really craving nature at this time. Yeah, particularly because many people are sort of locked behind doors. And just seeing those images, even if they werent there, gives you a feeling of just the aweinspiring, powerfulness of nature. Which is your favorite photograph . Oh, well, i particularly like the bobcat. Thats not an easy picture to get, and i was very surprised that it allowed me to get within about ten feet of it as it was hunting for mice and rodents. So, i was very pleased with that picture. And also, the coyote. I think theyre just very calm right now because there are no people in the park, and they werent intimidated by me being there. I know that coyotes sometimes get fed by people in the park, so i think thats why i was lucky to get these images. Lucky, and thank you for sharing them. I mean, i think its made all of our day. Carolyn cole, photographer coming to us there from oakland, california. Thank you. Thank you very much. Well, thank you all for all of your company. Please help our medical workers by staying at home and staying safe. Im robyn curnow. Have a beautiful day. New day is next with john and alisyn. Youre watching cnn. With high protein and 1 gram sugar. Its a situp, banana bend at the waist im tryin keep it up. Youll get there. Whoahoahoa 30 grams of protein, and one gram of sugar. Ensure max protein. My psoriasis. Cosentyx works on all of this. Cosentyx treats the multiple symptoms of Psoriatic Arthritis to help you look and feel better. Dont use if youre allergic to cosentyx. Before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. Tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if youve had a vaccine or plan to. 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