hi. welcome to all of our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. i'm robyn curnow. coming up, an ominous start to the new year in the u.s. 20 million coronavirus cases and counti counting. plus, more vaccine vials in freezers than in arms. and a federal judge weighs in on the attempt to undermine the u.s. election. >> announcer: live from cnn

center. this is "cnn newsroom with robyn curnow." >> great to have you along this hour. when biden begins his first full day on january 21st, it will mark one year since the first case of covid was confirmed in the u.s. now it is 20 million and counting. in fact, the coronavirus is racing so quickly through the u.s. population, that another 1 million new cases are being added every five or six days. the u.s. government's goal of vaccinating 20 million americans by this time hasn't happened. not even close. some 10 million doses sitting in freezers across the country. it is not because americans are not refusing to get the shot. long lines of waiting for the tests are in high demand. the infrastructure to support the massive undertaking is not there. meanwhile, soaring numbers of

infections have strained many hospitals to the breaking point. the country hit 100,000 covid patients at the beginning of december. 31 days later, a jaw dropping 150,000 americans are fighting for their lives in overcrowded hospitals in the country. for more, here is nick watt in los angeles. nick. >> reporter: from wuhan where all this began, to new york, not much fondness in the farewell to the terrible year. >> 2020 is freaking gone! >> reporter: 2020 was tough, but? >> we are still going to have our toughest and darkest days. >> reporter: l.a. county officials say hospitals are quote on the brink of catastrophe. >> from traeading water. >> reporter: in atlanta, the field hospital reopens at the

georgia world congress center. meanwhile? >> in many parts of the rural georgia, there is vaccine available and sitting in freezers. that is unacceptable. we have lives to save. >> reporter: just not getting the hope for uptake for medical workers. in west virginia, 42 people were given antibodies and not the vaccine by mistake. in wisconsin, a pharmacist in custody after destroying 500 doses after taking them out of refrigeration. the administration projected 20 million would have had vaccine dose number one by now. the reality? not even 2.8 million reported. >> states and localities need resources. they need funding. i expected we would see bumps in the road, but i didn't expect we would see this lack of consistency across the states. >> reporter: that new, faster spreading coronavirus variant detected in colorado and

california and maybe florida. >> i have to assume this strain had been in the u.s. for a long time. >> reporter: december was the worst month of the pandemic. most confirmed cases. the most deaths. 10,000 lives lost in the last three days alone. >> we have these vaccines. we need to hunker down. >> reporter: in 2020, 345,737 people confirmed killed by covid-19 in america. in 2021? how many more? here in california, a grim start to 2021. a record death toll reported new year's day. 585 lives lost. beating the previous record which was set on new year's eve. nick watt, cnn, los angeles. turkey is suspending flights from britain after identifying 15 cases of the variant first

found in the uk. tighter border restrictions are in effect in taiwan after its first case of the variant. hong kong and taiwan have cases of the new strain. the uk is facing a dire situation as cases are rising. we have more on all of this with selma abdid. >> reporter: i'll run you through the latest numbers so you know what the authorities and what health care workers are facing. you had 50,000 new covid cases in the 24-hour period. the last week, record numbers of infection rates. more patients in hospital than any point before. health care workers are saying they are reaching the brink. they are stretched almost to the

limit, robyn. the government is opening the center which is essentially extra hospital capacity. here is the catch with that. who will stop it when hospitals are short staffed? we where do you get the equipment when the equipment is already stretched inside the hospitals? all this is an due to the variant of covid-19. the study shows how dangerous this new variant is. in the study, researchers say this is the most significant change they have seen from the virus since the pandemic began. this new variant which is more transmissible tripled in prevalence during a lockdown in november. the original strain of coronavirus was decreased by one-third. you are talking about the prevalent variant spreading through the population. there is some hope on the horizon that the oxford university and astra zeneca

vaccine. but there is a concern how it is rolled out. the government will give one injection and then keep people waiting up to three months before the second injection. the idea is according to the chief medical officer is the first dose should give significant protection from serious illness. then they can wait on the second injection up to three months. it shows how dire the situation is when experts are split on this. it is a bold strategy. if you ask, they need a bold battle plan if you defeat the variant and virus. >> salma, thank you. live in london. this is how thousands of people in france rang in the new year despite the country facing a surge in the virus there. 2,500 people attended an illegal rave. police say they were met with

violent hostility when they tried to break up the party. this comes as france is extending the curfew. i want to talk about all of this with keith neal. he is an expert on infectious diseases. sir, good to see you. >> good morning, robyn. >> hi. we had a lot of french ravers before we came to you. that shows the dangers that are out there. i want to talk about the fact this is the beginning of the year. the vaccine rollouts have barely got off the ground. infection rates are soaring. now the uk signaling the emergency use hospital opened up in london again. how much worse will this get? >> we don't actually know. it will carry on through at least two or three weeks.hen e .

we don't know what mixing happened over holidays. some of the hospitals are start treating people with non-covid illnesses in a secure environment where they won't be able to catch covid. >> that is interesting. do you think it is a good idea the military would perhaps get involved in the nightinggale hospita hospitals? >> we need to get every person we can get our hands on. i noted in a previous report, you have vaccines in fridges in the united states. the issue is to recall the retired doctors and nurses. i have been given emergency reregistration to allow for my contribution. >> that is interesting. absolutely, the need for all hands on deck. with that in mind, what is your take on the so-called mix and match vaccine regimen?

i know an article suggesting the uk is a bit of a wild west with vaccinations and the cross use potentially of the different vaccinations. what do you make of that? is this pragmatic policy or mixed messaging in. >> i think it is mixed messaging and pragmatic. you know they had one of the vaccines, but you don't know which one it is. do you send them away or do you give them a vaccine that is almost certainly going to have an effect. we have not done mixed trials. there's little evidence about other vaccines that if you present the anti-gen, your body doesn't know. it responds appropriately. >> of the u.s. taking a different take on that, but no doubt the vaccine rollout is

still good news. it is slow. it is hesitant. we are hearing astrazeneca coming online soon. how quickly do you think the uk and u.s. and other places can catch up with the virus so the vaccine starts overtaking new infections? >> we have vaccinated over 1 million people in the united kingdom with one dose. that will give them 80% protection. that is 1 million people most at risk. we have only got 65 million people in the country, of which, 30 million in the target age group of over 50 or with risk factors. the main thing is we keep getting the vaccine rolled out to the highest risk groups which have the most impact on the hospitalizatio hospitalizations. we saw the benefits last year in 2020 with the warmer months. by the time the winter comes around again, we are thinking if

we got the right flu vaccine and we should have vaccinated those at risk and gone down further. >> that is potentially the end of this year. we are hearing of the new variant. what more can you tell us about the mutation? research is coming from imperial saying it is a significant change. it tripled infection during lockdown. what kind of mutation do you expect? >> these viruses always mutate. that is the way they are put together. viruses tend to mutate in two ways. one to become more infectious. if you got one virus better at spreading than other, it will spread further and quicker through the population. they also have a tendency to become less dangerous. you are not very good at spreading you are stuck at home or in bed. we have not seen an increase in

vilalence. it was spreading in southeast england in lockdown. we may need tight restrictions to inter ffere with the spread. >> okay. it is great to have your perspective. thank you, keith neal at the university of nottingham. thank you for your expertise. >> thank you. congress is set to certify the presidential election next week and republican representatives are trying to change the results. that is going nowhere. some of the colleagues say they will try to overturn the will of the people. early voting turnout was heavy in georgia states. the runoff will decide which party controls the senate in the next two years. we will have a preview. 's inside? a blast of immune support that's more than just vitamin c. it's a unique crafted blend of vitamins, zinc, other minerals, and herbs. take on your day with airborne.

welcome back. a trump appointed federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit over the election results. texas representative gohmert wants to give the vice president

the authority to discard votes in several key states when the congress certifies the vote. gohmert lacks the standing to sue. he has just appealed to the higher court. and the senate delivered a rare rebuke to trump to override the defense authorization act. the tally was 81-13. the house voted to override the president. the defense bill has pay raises for the american soldiers and updating equipment. the first override of trump's presidency. we have more on the override and what to look for when congress certifies the election. phil. >> reporter: as the 116th congress comes to an end, the president with a pretty sharp rebuke from republicans and democrats. that doesn't mean the relations

with congress are over. the republicans are more than 140 in the house and one in the senate, perhaps more, lining up behind the president this time around when it comes to trying to overthrow or overturn the u.s. election. let's make something very, very clear. on january 6th, with the joint session convenes to count the electors, biden will be confirmed to be the next president of the united states of america. how long it takes to get to that point? those republicans when paired with the senator, if raised an objection to the electors counted, that requires the chambers to recess and have a vote on the objections. that vote will fail. however many time it is happens, it will fail. democrats control the house. democrats have a decent size minority in the jsenate.

it will mean it will be a long day. politically, it is a big issue in the republican party. particularly with senators. mitch mcconnell made clear this was not a pathway he wanted republicans to go. think of the dynamics. you vote for reality that biden is the next president of the united states or you vote for president trump. well, that's against reality and obviously the political implications there. incentives that republicans want the fight. it looks like that is going to happen. just another page in the final weeks for president trump. what it means for the party and the president and senators and congress members in office when he leaves? they will try to figure it all out. the bottom line is this, biden will be inaugurated on january 20th. what happens to the party trump oversees? it is an open question. phil mattingly, cnn, washington.

>> so trump and biden plan to campaign in georgia on monday. the pressure is on republicans to turn out on tuesday because registered georgians have come out faster than the pace. now here is our report from atlanta. >> reporter: we are getting numbers from the secretary of state in georgia. this shows the vote is closing more than 3 million georgians have already voted. this is all before election day on tuesday. democrats are welcoming that news. stacy abrams, the democrat here in georgia, says it is an early sign that democrats are doing well. >> i wouldn't say it is better. i would say it is incredibly gratifying to see so many turning out. we are pleased with the level of energy and how they were likely discounting the runoff. according to analysis, we are

running at our ahead from 2020 november election. we know that this is just the beginning. we have to get to election day. i don't count anything until it is done. >> reporter: the early vote number is adding pressure on the gop who believes the democrats are out performing what they did know in 2020. they need more voters on election day. many are pinning their hopes that they will be able to increase enthusiasm as long as he stays on message. kyung lah, cnn, atlanta. >> james davis is the professor at the university of munich. good to see you. thanks for speaking to us. >> good morning. >> good morning. i hope it is a wonderful year for you. we are looking day by day.

monday is not far away. georgia, you know, is expecting the vip. mr. trump and mr. biden to come in. do you think they can create momentum for supporters particularly with voter turnout? >> it sounds like the democrats are doing well enough as it is. i think, you know, president-elect joe biden will come in and try to close the deal. i think where there needs to be momentum for republicans is -- they need the momentum. they seem to be lagging behind. the correspondent says the president has to stay on message. he has been tweeting overnight that these special elections or runoff elections are illegitimate and illegal. it seems hard for me to understand how on the one hand you are championing democracy and on the other hand trying to undermine the legitimacy of the

elections. i think republicans have to be nervous today. >> we also are hearing about the lawsuit trying to compel the vice president to help mr. trump override the election results. we are hearing it is appealed. what is the strategy behind this? it is not legal, is it? >> i would encourage all americans to pull out a copy of the constitution or google it and read article i. excuse me, article ii. that is the job of the vice president. it is to open the envelopes and tally the results from the states. there is no constitutional basis for this suit to go forward. i think what is going on is you have upwards of 2/3 of the republican house caucus joining a losing effort for a variety of reasons. several some of them are under the cult of personality. devoted to trump and whatever trump wants, they are giving

him. and some think it is a cheap vote to curry favor with the party. senator sasse said already there are a few people looking ahead four years and thinking about how they will run for president. getting on the band wagon and this may cost them nothing. the problem is, it erodes the norms of democracy and status worldwi worldwide. >> it does for many people watching this. what we also see is this continued effort on various levels to undermine the election results. what we are expecting and talking about in congress in the coming we're. do you see it more of a loyalty test? in trying to get republicans to be stretching either way, what does that mean for the party after mr. trump leaves?

>> that's the big question. the republican party is going to have to do soul searching after president biden is inauguratein. are they the party that stands for small government and free trade or party that stands for strong american presence or are they the party of trump? a party that follows the whims of someone who doesn't understand the constitution and doesn't understand the norms of democracy and basically is focused on whatever gets him in the paper or press on a daily basis. i think that is an interesting thing that we have to watch. >> what do you make of the senate breaking with mr. trump and overriding the national defense authorization act? the first time in four years. does that signal anything?

>> it signals a number of senators are not worried about trump in any retribution that he will meet out on them should he ever come back into the political fray. it may be a positive sign for some kind of reform in the republican party. it certainly is a slap in the face for the president and really his last few weeks of office of the override of the veto. it can't make him very happy. >> professor james davis. thank you very much for your experti expertise. >> thanks, robyn. vaccine distribution in the u.s. is falling far short of expectations. from delays and accusations of be sabotage. and long last. we are done with 2020. we are looking at how people around the world trying to make the new year much better.

welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. thanks for joining me. i'm robyn curnow. the united states is beginning 2021 with a staggering 20 million cases of covid since the pandemic began. it crossed that number on friday. americans account for one quarter of the world's docume documented cases. the death toll now approaching 350,000. hospitalizations topped 100,000 covid patients for 31 co

consecutive days. and the rack sevaccine rollout ramping up. just under 3 million americans have received the first dose. christian holmes has more. >> reporter: state officials say the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine has been incredible under taking. they are stretched thin and responding to coronavirus as a whole. we want to point out why this could be so difficult. one is that states are now in charge of not only actually administering the vaccine. they are in charge of choosing t who gets the vaccine and when. they are in charge of storing the vaccine which is a complicated drug. many states don't have the infrastructure to do that. they had to put those in place and train people on the vaccine. now, we are seeing incidents within several states that

really show how wrong things can go in a complicated rollout. in west virginia, we know 42 people went in and thought they were getting the vaccine. instead, it turns out got covid antibodies. officials say they don't believe there is risk of harm to the individuals. they could not or would not say how a mix up could occur. in terms of human error or interference, safeway, in d.c., threw out two doses of the vaccine after vaccinating 28 people. there were two doses left and threw them out. now they are trying to figure out how to handle remaining doses. when it comes to human interf e interferen interference. in wisconsin, a pharmacist is accused of taking 500 plus doses of the moderna vaccine out of the pharmacy refrigerator knowing it would render them useless. hea heartbreaking there when you realize how many doses there

were there. he has been arrested and charged with three felonies. to end on a positive note, health experts i'm talking to say they believe the next couple of weeks a lot of the ki nks wil be worked out and more and more people will get the vaccine. of course, that is something we will watch closely. >> thanks, kristen, for that. there is an alarming state of infection in georgia. 8,700 cases on friday. right across the street from the cnn center where i am right now, a facility normally used for trade shows and conventions is converted in a covid ward to handle the influx of patients. we get the details from nick valencia. >> reporter: the latest numbers from john hopkins shows the pandemic is raging. john hopkins says in the last three days of 2020, over 10,000 americans died as a result of

infected by the coronavirus. as it stands, california is the center of the pandemic. here in georgia, things are not faring better. governor kent is concerned with the winter numbers of the coronavirus and he has opened up the georgia world congress center to make it a field hospital acting as an overflow center for the health systems overwhelmed by the rise in cases. the governor addressed concerns of the rise in numbers. >> if the people of georgia will hunker down for a little bit longer and stay vigilant and do what we have been talking about. wearing a mask and washing your hands and social distancing and follow the guidelines in the executive orders, we can all have a safe, happy new year. >> reporter: this field hospital is expected to be open until the end of january and when i spoke to the governor's office earlier, they said they are admitting patients as of today. a quick note on hospitalizations

in georgia. 5,000 georgians woke up in the hospital. numbers here continuing to spike. >> nick valencia there. east asia counctries are struggling to cope with coronavirus. it is keeping social distancing measures in place until january 17th. the health ministry says daily cases there are in the high hundreds. japan with a larger population is reporting daily cases in the thousands. the ministry of health confirmed that 716 patients in serious condition due to covid on friday. 2020 will be known as the year of coronavirus pandemic. a year filled with tragic circumstances and many people are desperate to forget. zain asher has people looking ahead to better times. >> reporter: fireworks erupt over a now infamous city in china. what a difference a year makes.

especially in this place. where the virus that would change the world was first detected. the world health organization in china was informed of the sickness in 2019 spreading in wuhan and pneumonia with unknown cause. it would be an outbreak to sweep the world. universal heartbreak which killed 1.8 million people so far. a year later, survivors in wuhan turn to time honored traditions. like praying at this buddhist temple for better luck this year and close the door on the unthinkable year. >> translator: i hope i become healthier and feel more safe and sound. >> reporter: similar prayers around the world in india. others prepare by taking a renewing bath in temples.

>> 2020 was a challenging year for a lot of us. it has taught us many lessons. >> reporter: one lesson to try to find joy in daily life. these under dressed for winter temperatures, but suited for the plunge into the river in rome. families on the slope in frankfu frankfurt, germany. the thrill of sledding cannot be regulated. there is a saying that time heals all wounds. here's to a collective wish from the world that 2021 is that remedy. zain asher, cnn, new york. homicide rates are increasing in chicago. the pandemic could be a contributing factor. we will head to the windy city for more on the violence spike. 2021is starting off with record snowfall across the central u.s. we will have the latest details and what's ahead coming up, too. ?

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so winter storm, a powerful one, left homes and businesses without power in the u.s. 12 to 35 centimeters with a daily record set in oklahoma city with a half a foot of snow. ice accumulations downed trees and power lines and left people without power in missouri and indiana. in the south, at least two tornadoes hit east central georgia. one person was injured after a manufactured home was damaged. we have derek van dam with more on the weather. first, happy new year to you and your family. i hope it is blessed. >> same to you, robyn.

great to see you. when we think about winter storms along the eastern seaboard of the u.s., we don't think of tornadoes. it is more common than not. especially in the warm side of the storm. that is what we experienced on new year's day across georgia. it will take days, if not weeks to clean up the damage left from the quick spawned tornadoes that formed. when they think of winter storms, we think of record setting snowfall. that is what they received in wichita, kansas. let me take you there. they had over 6 inches of snow. it took several hours to play the roads. you see the individual snow blowing the sidewalks. businesses here trying to get on with activities and start off the weekend and early part of next week without fresh snow on the ground. this was a powerful storm.

it is not done yet. it is moving across the northeast. look at the winter weather advisories and warnings across new england and my home state of michigan. born and raised in grand rapids. radar indicating most of this is rain for boston, philadelphia and new york. that shade of white, that is a rain/snow mix. the snow coming to an end across the state of michigan as we speak. this is the line of storms that brought the severe weather to georgia. it is now exiting. no rest for the weary. there is another storm system that will create flooding rains across the region. flash flood watches in effect in south carolina and the panhandle of florida and southeast georgia. that's where we have another surge of rainfall late today and once again into sunday. then that moisture travels across the northeast with a chance of rain/snow mix to the east coast cities once again. the storm system is shaping up.

you see low pressure systems associated with it. it will bring a wintry mess to new england and vermont and new hampshire and maine as well. it is a repeat performance. we are kicking off 2021 with a bang. robyn. >> who would have thought? thanks so much. didn't expect anything less but a bang. derek, lovely to see you. speak again soon. of course, the pandemic brought hardship to many people. here in the u.s., it is contributing to dramatic rise in shootings and murders. as we have a report from sh chicago, there is a link with depression and substance abuse and the coronavirus. >> reporter: as the pandemic rages, we have seen crime spike across the country. including here in chicago. devastating. that is how one top law enforcement official describes the homicides as well as a

former gang member. sometimes talking about a painful past leads to healing. >> i have been shot ten times. multiple times. left for dead. we have to do something. >> reporter: mentoring from the bed of the pickup truck is robert white. a former gang leader with the black rangers in chicago. >> the average shooter who gets down in the city. age is from 14 to 19. >> reporter: 50-year-old white now works with chicago cred. anti-gun violence organization. he said the latest homicide numbers are troubling. of the country's largest cities, new york, los angeles, houston and phoenix, all saw homicide increases of greater than 30% compared to the same time last year. but chicago had an increase of 55% from 491 to 762 homicides through december 27th.

>> 2020 has been a tough year for violent crime in particular in chicago. we have seen homicides and shootings really at a staggering number. >> reporter: john laush is the district attorney. >> the shootings and homicides are up significantly. if we look anecdotally, the offenders are emboldened. >> reporter: he helps people understand what the data doesn't show. >> if you look at the gun violence problem, that is concentrated among young people. say 18 to 24. if you look at the cdc data on mental health, something like 75% of people 18 to 24 are showing signs of anxiety, depression and increase in substance abuse in response to the pandemic. one of the things people haven't fully appreciated is how much the social service sector does to help control crime. everything the social service sector does has been turned

upside down by the pandemic as well. starting with public schools and weekend programs and job training and mental health services. everything. >> this has been a challenging year in that regard. i think for a lot of reasons. one, people wearing masks. that has an impact. >> reporter: as white and his mentee john pledge to help. tears fall faster than both can wipe away. >> these tears here i want to be able to help other folks get through their pain and suffering because life is too short. >> reporter: remember, some people shot in 2020 will die in 2021 or later. those numbers are not captured in the most recent data. adrienne broaddus, cnn, chicago. and one company has found a new way to recycle by turning

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so the world is pre-occupied, of course, with covid, but researchers are

tackling problems like plastic pollution. a hungary start up is breaking down plastic and turning it into sludge. linda kincaid has more. >> reporter:he dues plastic was estimates there is too much plastic in the ocean by 2050. >> we solve plastic pollution. we combine bio-technology and chemical engineering to create a media to actually put plastic back in the natural life cycle. >> reporter: they created a cocktail which can degrade any plastic. it takes just seven weeks.

>> this is how it will look like in two weeks. seven weeks time it goes to this. the sludge which is the end product of the process. >> reporter: the brown liquid can be used to develop nmore plastics or serve as soil enhanc enhancer. that is what initial telephosts showing. governments try to curb single use plastic, but the numbers are clear. plastic production is rising steadily each other. most of the plastics will never been recycled. it is estimated that only 9% of the plastic produced worldwide has been recycled. the problem has inspired a new wave of creating solutions by companies across the world looking for a more efficient way to repurpose plastic. in 2010, the company created eco

arc. the company calls it a natural disaster proof building constructed from old water bottles. the company could trash pressor to feed the used plastics into the machine and in minutes walk away with a household item that has been upcycled from the waste. then the california company which collecting fishing nets. recycling them into the material called net plus. that can be turned into skateboards and sunglasses and hats. what do all of the companies have in common? creating sustainable solutions that bring value back to used plastics and show people that single use plastic can be more than just trash. >> the problem with plastics up until now was that they lingered on in the environment forever. once we can bio-degrade them and bring them back to the natural

environment, they become part of the nature again and part of the global recycling system. not just the human one. >> reporter: lynda kincaid, cnn. college football national championship set. alabama is facing off gueagains ohio state. they pulled off a win from the clemson tigers at the sugar bowl on friday. and the alabama tide well take on the buckeyes on january 11th. thanks for watching. i'm robyn curnow. i'll be back with another hour of news. stick with me after the break.

welcome to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. i'm robyn curnow. coming up on the show, the u.s. surpasses 20 million covid cases as a highly contagious virus variant is now found in at least three different u.s. states. field hospitals are getting ready to go in the uk where the health service is straining under immense pressure. we'll have a live report from london and a blow to outgoing president donald trump as the senate overrides his veto of a massive defense bill. >> announcer: live from cnn center, this is "cnn newsroom" with robyn curnow. >> great to have you along this hour. the arrival of the new year has brought a grim new stati