>> david mckenzie, reporting from johannesburg, south africa. let's bring in dr.gupta to talk about all of this. the first case of the omicron variant identified in the u.s. in the san francisco area. dr. fauci said this person was fully vaccinated although did not get a booster. travelled to the u.s. from south africa last monday. we're told this person's symptoms are mild as of now. so what do you make of what we learned today? >> i think this was expected, jake. we live in a very globally interconnected world, and air travel is happening. as you point out, this happened even before omicron was named. we didn't know anything about this variant at the time this person traveled. there were no travel restrictions in place. we do know the person got the moderna vaccine, fully vaccinated with that. but as you mentioned, did not receive a booster. all the context of this person so far have been negative. that's going to be an important point as well. how transmissible is this virus? it's a big question mark still. this will be some of the early clues, at least here in

cnn's david mckenzie in south africa now reflects on tutu's historic role in modern south africa. >> you find your cousin has been killed -- >> reporter: when we spoke to the late photographer in 2016, he remembered a different time. >> we got a funeral each week. people getting killed. and then you don't find one person. five, six, seven, eight people, mass funeral happens. >> reporter: during the 1980s, the apartheid regime was at war with the black majority. one of its goals, to turn the liberation movement against itself. neighbors betrayed neighbors. friends became informants. in this maelstrom, a diminutive anglican bishop was ever-present. desmond tutu was never afraid to step up to the racist regime using his bully pulpit of peace. during apartheid, archbishop tutu's position in the church gave him a semblance of protection, and his deep faith gave him an unwavering moral compass. even when it was deeply unpopular. >> i am not a politician, even if there are those who say so. i speak from the bible. >> the car was standing down there -- >> reporter: for him, tutu's defining m

>> david mckenzie for us in johannesburg. thank you very much, david. >>> i want to bring you a quick look at oil prices because we've seen oil prices falling quite drastically around 5%. brent crude down 4.5%. wti crude down 5%. this is of course over fears of the spread of the omicron variant and fears that this could have an impact on demand right across the world. if you look at the u.s. futures, red arrows right across the board. of course, markets opening several hours from now and just took a 3% fall on the dow jones. we'll keep an eye on those numbers as trading gets underway this monday on wall street. >>> now tennis star peng shuai says there's a misunderstanding about her allegations she was sexually assaulted from a chinese official. the latest on her case coming up. turizer really make my dry skin healthier in one day? it's true jen. really?! this nourishing prebiotic oat formula moisturizes to help prevent dry skin. one day? for real! wow! aveeno® healthy. it's our nature.™ i gotta say i'm still impressed. very

cnn's david mckenzie live from johannesburg. david, how do things look there a month in?w really to approach this, but there is some evidence here in south africa and a building amount of evidence that this wave isn't as bad as previous waves. if you look at the amount of cases that's surging in this country, positivity rates over 30%. however, the hospitals are not full. in fact, they're pretty empty in many cases. doctors have been telling me for days now there are fewer patients on ventilators, fewer patients on high flow oxygen. that matches up with statistics. there's a sense here from the scientists that omicron isn't as bad. now there could be a few reasons for this. one is that there is a very high amount of people in this country, particularly around the city, who have already had covid. that provides some level of protection of severe disease. around 40% of the population has had at least one dose of the vaccine. again, that should help prevent people from going to hospitals. there is also this open question. is omicron itself just less severe, less virulent vir

david mckenzie joins me live from johannesburg. latest on the government response to delta and omicron? >> reporter: i think they're looking at a wait-and-see approach. the president is meeting with his command council this week, then they might bring in stricter measures. up until this point, two-some weeks since this was identified, you've seen an increase in cases but it hasn't really been met with a catastrophic increase in hospitalizations. so they've taken a measured approach at this point. >> in south africa where the omicron variant was first detected, has there been any sign of more severe illness caused by this virus? >> no, at this stage there hasn't been any sign of that. in fact, the opposite in many ways has been the case. just speaking to ambulance workers, doctors, heads of hospitals over the last few days, they've been telling me, well, they sense this is less severe. whether it's because of underlying immunity or vaccinations, they're not clear yet. but people are staying shorter in hospital, fewer on hyperoxygen

cnn's david mckenzie joins me now from soar. us a sense of just what archbishop tutu meant to that country. >> well, jessica, archbishop tutu was, a true struggle icop. perhaps one of the last icons left of that era, and he and time and time again you would hear people saying today that he was a moral compass for this country, for the rest world. the president joe biden and the first lady saying they are heartbroken that they met him several that he was an icon of south africa's struggle against apartheid, and he certainly kept that moral voice going well after the end of apartheid. you must remember that nelson mandela and many of the anc leadership were in prison when this short archbishop hugely brave was leading protest and using his moral vase as a man of politics and stop -- just a short time ago the president ramaphosa gave a nationwide address. have a listen. >> reporter: archbishop desmond tutu was one of are our nation's finest patriots. he was a man of unwavering courage, of principled conviction and whose life was sp

our david mckenzie is in johannesburg and joins me now live. , health officials there seem to be treading this careful line between taking urgent action to fight the variant and then tamping down some of the more alarmest rhetoric about omicron we're seeing elsewhere. is that right? >> i think that's right. and because south africa has been living with this variant for at least some weeks, but of course, it was circulating ahead of the announcement in late november, kim, there is a sense that this will be a bellwether for the rest of the world. at this stage, the cases have been rising very fast. some indications that the speed of that acceleration is slowing down, but it hasn't necessarily been met with an equivalent rise in hospitalizations or severe cases. of course, that is something that everybody is watching extremely closely. there's always a lag between a wave rising and then hospitalizations and then tragically, deaths. but at this stage, clinicians and ambulance workers and health workers i've been speaking to constantly over the last

. >> david mckenzie joins us live from western cape south africa. david, good morning.ave heard this morning over and over again about archbishop tutu's sense of humor and his legacy stretching far more than just his work to end apartheid in south africa. it seems like he was a man who stuck by his moral code, even when it infuriated those around him. >> that's right. and it's certainly a sad day in south africa, but a lot of heartwarming stories coming out about the man who really was one of the key members of the icons to end apartheid here in south africa, the racist regime. he was one of the few leaders actually able to march with thousands of marchers to go up against the apartheid police, as nelson mandela was in prison, and many of the new ruling anc were in exile. he had just this unwavering moral compass. even when it was unpopular, his voice was clear, it was strong, it was rooted in his faith as a christian, but it certainly was broad to all he came across. an extraordinary man with a lasting legacy. after apartheid, he was the chair of the truth and reconcil

that's where we now find our david mckenzie. ese are really momentous days for so many in south africa. despite covid and desmond tutu's own wishes, from what i've seen, david, people are really feeling a powerful pull to be able to come there and pay their respects. >> reporter: that's right, paula. you can see behind me this wall of remembrance. many personal notes left on notepads and cards, flowers and photographs of the late archbishop desmond tutu. a very long line near me stretching out through the gardens in cape town. people coming for the second day of lying in state. earlier, his coffin was brought, a simple pine coffin with a group -- a line of priests and sisters from the anglican church, paying their respects as well. and family members. his widow shedding a tear as the coffin was brought into this cathedral known as the people's cathedral. many people i'm speaking to today are thinking of how south africa has lost this moral voice, this leader in terms of the direction of this country. never a politician but deeply

cnn's david mckenzie has details. >> reporter: archbishop desmond tutu wasn't from capetown, but, iny most associated with the great man. on wednesday there was a tribute to desmond tutu, an interfaith tribute that really got the memorials going in earnest. the famous table mountain is lit up every night now and every day at noon this is the sound ringing out from st. georges cathedral. [ bell tolling ] >> st. georges is known as the people's cathedral. it was a key focal point of the anti-apartheid struggle because of desmond tutu, who would sometimes lead protest marches from the church itself. there will be two days on thursday and friday for ordinary citizens to pay their respects to the great man who was, in many ways, a moral compass of south africa. and then a service, a funeral will be held on the first day of 2022, in keeping with his humble way of operating desmond tutu asked for a simple coffin and a simple service to send him off. it certainly will be the ending of a chapter of a great icon of the anti-apartheid struggle. david mckenzie, cnn, south africa >>> tutu's daugh

our david mckenzie joins us live now from johannesburg.ealth officials seem to tread a careful line there between taking urgent action to fight this variant, and tamping down some of the more alarmest rhetoric about omicron we're seeing elsewhere. is that right? >> reporter: that's right. and the level of fear that the announcement of this variant engendered across the world just two weeks ago hasn't necessarily translated on to the ground. yes, here in south africa, you've seen a very rapid rise in cases, but at this stage of the pandemic, many clinicians are saying, it's more about whether they are severe cases and deaths, that is the critical factor. at this stage, it hasn't translated into that. they warn that because of the nature of this virus, you do have to wait some time to truly assess that. but doctors, surveillance workers, and people that i've talked to over the many months of this pandemic say that they are seeing far less severe cases at this point, in this way, than in the previous waves. as an example, you know, there are

and david mckenzie joins us now live from johannesburg with more on this. good to see you, david.th africa, hospitalization rates still lower than previous waves. what's going on here? >> well, substantially lower, rosemary. hospitalization and deaths they describe it as decoupling from cases. and though you've had a record level of cases and positivity rate that's currently at a staggering 30-odd percent, you still have not seen a major push on the hospitals. and that based on both the stats and just clinicians i've been talking to. here in gauteng province you're actually see this wave appears to be burning out a little bit. and the experience of the president now getting out of isolation after a week of mild infection is pretty common here. someone who already was with the johnson & johnson vaccine vaccinated, had a breakthrough infection, and didn't appear to get very sick. and that is just anecdotally the experience many people are having. now, scientists say it's unclear yet at this stage what is the reason behind it. is it because so many people have had covid in south afri

as david mckenzie reports, during a struggle against apartheid in south africa, he was a voice of peace >> you find your cousin has been killed -- >> reporter: when we spoke to the late photographer in 2016, he remembered a different time. >> we got funeral each week. people getting killed. and then you don't find one person. five, six, seven, eight people, mass funeral happens. >> reporter: during the 1980s, the apartheid regime was at war with the black majority. one of its goals, to turn the liberation movement against itself. neighbors betrayed neighbors. friends became informants. in this maelstrom, a diminutive anglican bishop was ever-present. desmond tutu was never afraid to step up to the racist regime using his bully pulpit of peace. during apartheid, archbishop tutu's position in the church gave him a semblance of protection, and his deep faith gave him an unwavering moral compass, even when it was deeply unpopular. >> i am not a politician, even if there are those who say so. i speak from the bible. >> the car was standing down there -- >> reporter: for him, tutu's defining

and our david mckenzie is in johannesburg. he joins us now live. pitalization rates are still lower than previous waves. and there's a lack of any new restrictions. what's going on here? how do they explain this? >> rosemary, first the situation. currently there are a very high number of cases in south africa. in fact the positivity rate overnight was more than 30%. that would be considered extremely high during previous waves. but they haven't seen the rush on hospital and severe cases and deaths like they saw in the delta wave, the beta wave, and even the first wave of covid-19 in the country. now, the reasons for this are complex. but it is believed that it has something to do with the amount of prior infection. and even if you get a break through the infection of omicron, the prior covid infection does have an impact in terms of less severe disease. there's also some 40% of people here with at least one dose of the vaccines. that could also have some impact. but even speaking to clinicians this morning here in south africa, there is a sense, and

. >> reporter: i'm david mckenzie in johannesburg. south africa is at a staggering 30-odd percent.of room in the hospitals. there is more of a disconnect between severity and cases. because of the mildness of this wave. whether it's because of prior infection or vaccination giving some level of immunity, it's just not as bad several weeks after this variant was discovered. >> thanks to all of our reporters there. so what should you do with all of this information? let's bring in physician dr. james hamlin who wrote a piece in the newspaper "the body" titled ", yes, you will get the virus." you need we are all pretty likely to get infected but getting infected at some point is not the same as severe illness or sickness. so how do you differentiate between, okay, i'm going to get it, i'm going to find peace with that but not throw up your hands and say, all right, i'm going on get it so i'm not going to bother taking any protective measures? >> yeah. i realize it's a difficult distinction. i'm certainly not advocating fatalism here. i think analogies to cars tend to work very well fo

. >> reporter: i'm david mckenzie in cape town.arsay the country may have passed the wave of omicron-dominated infections. in fact, they are reducing the amount of restrictions in time for the new year, including ending a many months long curfew. there is new search coming out from private hospitals showing in the early stages of this wave people were far less sicker, especially around the issues of acute respiratory illness. again, indicating at least anecdotalitily that omicron in this country has been less severe. >> with the omicron variant spreading across the u.s. at a rate not seen since the pandemic first gripped the nation, there is a focus on what kind of mask you should be wearing. joseph allen, professor at harvard school of public health, and chair of the task force on safe schools, safe work and safe travel for "the lancet" covid-19 commission. good morning, joseph. i guess the first question we have for you is which mask is the best mask? >> good morning. thanks for having me back on. i think we have to recognize all

cnn's david mckenzie in south africa tonight. >> reporter: amara, here in south africa and across themourning the loss of the great desmond tutu, archbishop a huge moral voice in this country, particularly in the dark days of apartheid, south africa's president paid attr t tribute to the man in national address calling him a global icon. >> desmond tutu was one of our nation's finest patriots. he was a man of unwavering courage, of principle, conviction, and whose life was spent in the service of others. he, in many ways, embodied the essence of our humanity. >> reporter: desmond tutu made his name during apartheid years particularly the 1980s where nelson mandela was in prison and many leadership of the now ruling amc was in exile, desmond tutu there not just using his word and see faith but also his actions, physically, going in the front of marches in very dangerous situations and always using his moral clarity to force for change and racial equality. now, after the end of apartheid, he was not silent. he often was strident in his criticism of the ruling anc and what he saw as the

cnn's david mckenzie is on the ground for us in cape town, south africa.re are you learning? how was the virus able to get controlled there? >> reporter: well, laura, very little was done to control it because the restrictions were never tightened for omicron. if you look at this graph, this extraordinary rise in cases in south africa, dominated by omicron, and then the very quick and steep fall. as you say, officials here say that it may be the end of the wave, or it's quickly receding, the threat easing in this country. and you have this easing of restrictions, more people are allowed together. still have to wear masks, as you can see, and for many, many months, the curfew will be dropped just in time for new year's celebrations. so it's generally positive news. a major study from a fwgroup of private hospitals saying they're seeing people who are in hospital because of omicron for a shorter time, fewer people, much fewer people proportionally with respiratory issues. it's unclear if that is because of vaccination in the country or because of a large amo

cnn's david mckenzie looks back at tutu's life and legacy. >> reporter: when we spoke to this late photographerfferent time. >> people are getting killed, and then you don't find one person, five, six, seven, eight people, much funerals happen. >> reporter: during the 1980s, the apartheid regime was at war with the black majority. one of its goals to turn the liberation movement against itself. neighbors betrayed neighbors. friends became informants. desmond tutu was never afraid to step up to the racist regime using his bully pulpit of peace. >> his position in the church gave him a semblance of protection, and his deep faith gave him an unwavering moral compass. >> reporter: even when it was deeply unpopular. >> i am not a politician. even if there are those who say so. i speak from the bible. >> reporter: tutu's defining moment came at a funeral. >> this is not what we wanted. >> reporter: mourners wanted to throw a suspected informant into his burning car, but tutu saved the man from the mob, saying he should be forgiven, that this struggle should rise above the violence of the state. tutu

. >> we want to go to cnn's david mckenzie in johannesburg, south africa. what are the latest case numbers there and how many are linked to the new variant? >> reporter: anderson, the numbers are surging in the province i'm sitting in right now. they are seeing very significant rises in cases, and hospitalizations are going up. in terms of whether omicron is dominating, well, the short answer is yes. it appears to be. more than 3/4 of cases in this part of south africa appear to be the variant which shows that it possible is more transmissible. at this stage, though, hospital cases are rising. it raises anecdotal evidence that there is an association with mild and moderate disease and the good news is for those who have availability of vaccines is that these clinicians are saying, and herbson, that vaccines do appear to have an effect of stopping severe disease of this variant. >> david, you also visited the lab that first detected this omicron variant. i'm curious, what did you learn there? >> sanjay, it's fascinating the detective work that went into actu