the news continues. let's hand it over to chris for "cuomo primetime." >> remarkable, indeed. we're making the right kind of history here. now comes the vaccine, our first good chance to really limit the exposure here. so anderson, thank you very much for carrying the coverage. i am chris cuomo, welcome to "primetime." on two of the most important fronts. america's big win in court friday meant that our democracy could advance today. and, so, today the electoral college met. the electors cemented president-elect biden's victory. retrumplican threats to stall it amounted to nothing once again. 538 electors from 530 states reaffirming the votes cast by you more than 150 million americans. and with this validation of the

victory came the vindication of a leader who wants to actually lead through hard times. his call to common concern. biden's call to coming together. >> what beats deep in the hearts of the american people is this, democracy. the right to be heard, to have your vote counted, to choose leaders of this nation to govern ourselves. in america, politicians don't take power. people grant power to them. the flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. and we now know nothing, not even a pandemic or an abuse of power can extinguish that flame. it is my sincere hope we never genesee anyone subjected to the kind of threats and abuse we saw in this election. it's simply unconscionable. even more stunning, 17

republican attorneys general and 126 republican members of the congress actually, they actually signed on to a lawsuit filed by the state of texas. democracy prevailed. we, the people, voted. faith in our institutions held. the integrity of our elections remains intact. and now it's time to turn the page as we have done throughout our history, to unite, to heal. >> a sense of history and hope. gone are the days of things that seem like they could only come from a dope. biden was in his strongest voice to date, clearing the deck of b.s. attempts to keep us off course, a promise of a stead can hand at the helm and best efforts to focus on getting us through calmer seas. and his call came as the country took another huge step toward getting better, we hope. vaccines started today. the same day that we passed

300,000 dead. a painful reminder of the price we have paid. i know you are used to morbid milestones being ignored by the people in charge. but they are in the past. biden today changed course from us versus them to just us. and he did what our leader should do in the face of so many lost. he grieved. >> 300,000 deaths due to this covid virus. my heart goes out to each of you in this historic winter of the pandemic. my heart goes out to all of you who have fallen on hard times through no fault of your own. unable to sleep at night, staring at the ceiling, weighed down of the worry of what tomorrow will bring for you and equally important for your family. but we faced difficult times before in our history. i know we will get through this one.

but together, that's how we get through it together. so as we start the hard work to be done, may this moment give us the strength to rebuild this house of ours upon a rock that can never be washed away. as in the prayer of saint francis, for where there is discord, union. where there is doubt, faith. where there is darkness, light. this is who we are as a nation. this is the america we love. >> it is a blessing during these hard days, to hear "we" more than "i" from the person in charge. to hear his faith at least as a motivator of loving mercy, not as a separator. the best sign, though, of better days to come is that the news of progress and unity is at the top tonight. not the noise, not the senators like lindsey graham. he is where he belongs, at the

bottom, still refusing. a claim that is pathological. trump chased out another min ontweeting that his attorney general wouldn't be back because he wouldn't back his fraud claims. so now he's stepping down before congress. that of course is ag bill barr. lowered the bar on any notion of good service to you. he should be remembered for trying to squash the impact of the mueller report and other misfeasance. just one time he sided with the truth and he's gone. the retrumplicans now call him a deep stater. their last stand will be january 6th. that is the next day to watch. that's when congress meets to certify the elector's vote. if you need one final measure of

biden against who he just ousted, we all know what the loser has been up to for the last few weeks, right? how did the winner handle it when it was his time to swallow a transition he did not like? we know because biden was the one who oversaw the count of trump's victory on january 6th, 2017. it was biden who quieted down democrats on trump's behalf and read the final numbers aloud. remember this? >> mr. president, the objection is signed by a member of the house but not yet by a member of the senate. >> well, it is over. [ applause ] >> the whole number of electors pointed to vote for president of the united states is 538 of which a majority is 270. donald trump of new york has received for president of the united states 304 votes.

hillary clinton of the state of new york has received 227 votes. the chair declares the joint session dissolved. [ applause ] >> he did his job. biden got a standing ovation from republicans then when he did his duty. will pence even show up? will the retrumplicans do anything to salvage a whisper of dignity? on one level, who cares? but in times as hard as these, the more hands on deck, the better. let me be very clear about something. trump tweeted that barr isn't coming back after christmas. i'm saying we don't know why from him, but i think we do know why, right? the only thing that's changed is that one thing that he said about there being no fraud. all of a sudden, all the knives were out and he's leaving. trump didn't say, but all the circumstances do. let's bring in power players about what today means and where we are going forward.

good news, both. the idea, michael, of a narrow path, that would have to be a manipulation on a political level because i can't see any path legally. even though i got to tell you that wisconsin supreme court going 4-3. i had to ask for the dissent. it is hard to see how it went 4-3. i don't see how the three dissented. even reading the dissent, it didn't make sense based on the record. but what is the path? >> there is none. the goal posts keep moving, right? it was november 3rd. and then it was today. now it's january 6th. trust me, chris, when we get to january 6th, it will be well, you know, steven miller said this today. the only date referenced in the constitution is january 20th. there is no conclusion i can reach other than at this stage it's a cash grab. it is a fund-raising tool to provide him on his way out the door with enough of a financial

base that he could continue to dominate the party going forward, influence elections, establish a shadow presidency, hire a staff, travel, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. right now it's all about the money. maybe not up until today, but from this point forward, it surely is. >> that special election also looms large, but that's obviously going to happen before the 6th day. but i take your point. >> now, david, interestingly, haven't heard biden going after the people going after him like he did tonight. however, he did not put a consequence on the 126. he did not put a consequence on the group i call the retrumplicans. he just said it shouldn't have happened. we should be better of this. what do you make of the play? >> i thought it was strong. i think that he's got to focus on a couple things right now, getting america's attention focussed on a better response to the pandemic. and he's got a political base to stand up for and a democracy to stand up for.

that's what he did tonight. the people voted. democracy was protected. our judges appointed by president trump. other republicans and democrats, they did their job the way they were supposed to. they stood up as an institution for our democracy and for the will of the people. he had to come out there and defend that today, and i think he did that, and that's important. he probably remembers what former vice president dick cheney said during a divisive time in 2000, which is, it's go time. you have to lead like you mean it. i'm paraphrasing here. but full steam ahead and that's what they did after that time after a disputed election. and that was a much different situation. there is room now for -- first of all, there is a special election. he wants to reach out to republicans over time. he's got an obligation, i think, chris, to say to his own democrats, look, we have to stop delegitimizing people, too.

we tried to delegitimize trump. i think he's got room to do that. he's got time to do that. now he had to stand up for the fact that we had a very successful election, that it was fair, it was free, it was during the pandemic. it ought to be celebrated, despite the interference that came from our existing president. >> it was an interesting celebration to use david's word. arizona, the electors met in an undisclosed location. in wisconsin they met and used an unmarked location and used a police escort to get there. offices were closed to the public after credible threats of violence. this is a tough situation biden is coming into, not to mention the pandemic. >> yeah, sad the way it was carried out. but i'll take solace in the fact it was routine. weren't we told there would be alternative slates of electors? none of that materialized.

it was interesting to watch and observe. i paid close attention today. but in the end, there really wasn't any kind of a revolt that had been anticipated. >> so now it's all about, i think for biden, it's got to be all about the vaccine. let me get your take on each of them. michael, i will start with you. the vaccine starts going out today. that really is the main measure of progress for us going forward. he has to get ppe available. testing is going to take a backseat. hard to show success with it. seems to be all about the vaccine. >> i agree with david in terms of the remarks that were made by the president-elect today. i thought they were spot-on. i don't think they will move the needle with people who didn't vote for them. frankly, i don't think that any words are going to change the dynamics. what could change the dynamics, and the president-elect, you know, spoke of a unifying moment. distribution of that vaccine.

because, chris, in a matter of, what, 40 days now, the ball gets tossed into his lap and this distribution effort that needs to continue for the next six months is a massive undertaking. if it doesn't go well, you know we're going to blame the individual at the top. he had to deliver through his actions and he will be presented with that opportunity. >> biden is not going to be able to play every card that trump did. the guy is a master at getting himself out of responsibility. biden is not. >> but you pointed to it chris earlier. >> there is no doubt -- >> i'm sorry. go ahead. go ahead, sir. >> david, make the point. >> i want to say -- go ahead, david. >> now it's a mess. hold on a second. now it's a mess. michael, make your final point and david we'll pick it up and end the segment. go ahead, michael. >> my final point is you are not going to see the president-elect holding rallies for 20,000 people getting his message out and working the twitter account. i think that's why so many did vote for him. >> good point.

go ahead. what do you have? >> i think anthony fauci talks about uniformity in the response. we haven't had that. and we haven't had it for a number of reasons. one of those reasons has been the guy at the top, the president who was only talking about the vaccine being around the corner and a bunch of happy talk and not doing what biden did, which is to talk about the darkness people feel if they lost someone. i think that's what can move the needle, if we slide back into something that looks more like normal government. and this is going to be a big test, how well we roll this out, how fairly it is rolled out, the access to it and the messaging around the safety of the vaccine so people take it in large numbers. >> here is what we know for sure. biden has to do what is easy to do because this vaccine is going to be a bear. it is a amazing that it exists.

in our next segment, we will go through all the things that need to happen for it to be something short of a disappointment and it is fairly disappointing. thank you, fellas. be well. >> thank you. >> so this is it, man. and we are all over the vaccination effort. we have to be, just like we were with cases, man. we showed you where we were on the way down with this, and we needed to because you had to be aware, especially with the person at the top lying to you and saying it was a hoax. but now we have to start showing what this vaccine does, showing the distribution, where is it right? where is it wrong? what states are being made? what choices are being made? who's getting it? who isn't? is the distribution right? is enough of it being made? is the money getting where it has to be? are the states and localities getting the money they need in order to get the vaccine to the people who do need it? i'm telling you, this is a

sticky wicket. this is tricky business. we will bring up former acting cdc director because he knows what it takes. it is amazing we have the vaccine. without that, nothing but the logistics are a nightmare next. cuomo "primetime." brought to you by the volvo xc90. research shows people remember commercials with nostalgia. so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's one that'll really take you back.

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what a day. such profound reason for hurt today. just as we finally get reason for hope. the vaccine is here, and we have news on how we're going to get you inside the effort to distribute this all over the country. we'll share that in a bit. but the ray of light of the vaccine some in some hell of a shadow. 300,000 covid deaths now. 300,000. and there is no sign of that rate slowing. cases new high to be tnight.

hospitalizations new high. more than 110,000 are now in hospital beds. daily cases just broke the record again. 250,000 for the first time. doctors, nurses fighting this. the vaccine finally gives them something that feels that they have a chance to keep fighting. >> i would say this is a very exciting moment. but for us who are in the front lines taking care of these patients, it is such a moment of hope because we can see the light. >> this is hope. this is hope that we can start to really flatten the curve and really turn things around for us. >> most of our staff including me as director of the icu are fearful. you know, we are exposed to it every minute of every day. so i can't tell you how much this means to me. >> you know, and it is so sad on one level that they need to have

this kind of dispesperation. can you imagine the people who do that job and the families that love them and have to watch that people not wear masks as a sign of defiance. hope is good, but it can be defined arizona yet experienced disappointment if we don't do things we need. that involves how you roll out this vaccine, which is a bear, and the things that you need to keep doing, in fact, more than ever or the vaccine won't do what it can. dr. beser joins me now. no better guest to have on this. always good to see you, doc. >> get to be here, chris. >> big day. give me a sense of what you think this means. >> well, this is a monumental day for us. it's something i never would have imagined that within a year of identifying a new infectious disease and a new virus, we would have a vaccine administered to people that is safe and effective and it gives

up hope on one of the darkest days of this pandemic, we finally have a ray of hope towards the way out of this. >> the big threat, and i'm already hearing it. i do a radio show. i do the show here at night. there is so many people who believe it is over, the vaccine is here. we can finally breathe a sigh of relief and not worry so much about all these crazy restrictions. i hope the restaurants will stay open now. none of that is living in the reality that we're actually in, is it? >> yeah. i mean, we have to drill home the message that this vaccine, as wonderful as it is, is not going to change the trajectory of what we experienced this winter. it is not going to change what we need to do. it will not change the need for us all to wear masks and social distance and wash our hands and it is not going to change the reality that if congress doesn't put money in people's pockets,

doesn't provide the means for people to stay home if they're sick or they have been exposed, we are going to continue to see the devastating impact of communities of color and see hundreding of thousands of people lose their lives that could have been saved if congress had done their job and the american people had come together. >> now let's take the tail end of that, which is the money that they are going to give out, assuming they ever make a deal. it doesn't look like they will break out as a one off the money for the vaccine. so there are two bundles of cash. one is money for manufacturing. they have two competing issues for relief. there is no stand alone for that money. the second is they don't want to help local governments and states. they see it as a blue state bailout. how important are the local governments in the state? they keep saying, well, the military is doing all the work. it is all the fed and the military. they don't really matter. what is the reality? >> absolutely essential.

i am on the new jersey restart and recovery commission and the seven state commission for the northeast, and states are desperate. states have to balance their budget. and right now states need additional money for vaccine distribution. in particular, they need money to be able to work at the local level, to engage trusted voices because if we have a vaccine that's safe and effective and if the communities that are most affected by the pandemic don't trust that it's safe because of generations of maltreatment by the health care system and the public health system, then that is a true calamity. so we need money at the local level to be able to address that with trusted voices, whether they be faith leaders or community organizing. that costs money to get that done. >> so i started making a list today of what are the variables here logistically in terms of getting it done. i talked to people in the private sector or the public sector. i came up with 25 things fast

that started with the how you make it, are the doses uniform. you know, are they packaged the right way? are they transported the right way? are they logistically handled in the right amount of time to deal with it in terms of temperature. then you get to the states and it is a whole new thicket of what choices they make and how quickly they execute those choices. no matter what the military does, it is almost over for them once they drop it off. how big is the logistical task here? >> it is absolutely enormous. you know, we have never in our country's history attempted to do something on this scale at this speed, but, you know, it's all about saving lives. so it has to be done quickly. each state -- cdc has given guidance in terms of what should be the first two groups to get the vaccine. but this first vaccine coming forward has requirements in terms of temperature that have never been there before for a

vaccine. and, so, you know, imagine a rural community and the idea of being able to keep a vaccine at minus 94 degrees fahrenheit, that's not possible. so states have to be creative. they have to either get the vaccine to people or bring people to the vaccine if they want to save lives in each community. >> one other quick thing and it's going to be huge. you are in a population center. it is a pain in the ass to get the thing. there is a long line. you have to get an appointment. you have to work. you don't think you are going to get this i think this. you get the vaccine. now you need a second one. that in of itself is a universe we have never handled here before, let alone leaving it to all the different states to do. so what do we know about how to track that second dose? because we know how important it is. the curves on how strong this thing is is one dose. >> as a pediatrician, we know that kids need multiple doses to be fully protected. but we have never had to do this

on this scale for the entire nation. and the idea that we're going to be tracking this all with cards will make it very challenging. each person that gets vaccinated will get a vaccine card to record it on. we underinvested in our public health system generations. because of that we don't have in place the tracking systems to be able to track across states as people move different products and we will pay the price of that. but states will get it done. they need the resources to be able to enact the plans they laid out. >> they have never done this before, calling up people and saying, hey, man, you have to get your second dose. i don't want to come. it hurt the first time. this is going to be hard. even contact tracing. the stories we haven't covered of how many people lie and they don't want to answer the phone and they don't want to tell you things or give you information. this is all really hard and we have never done it before on this scale. i will be relying on you early and often to help us through the situations that arise.

god bless and be well, brother. >> you too, chris. look, i know it seems we're a little obsessive about this. i am. i'll tell you why. the vaccine is an extraordinary struck of good fortune for us. we should have never had it this fast. operation warp speed, they're going to write books and probably make movies about it because we don't understand how they made it happen this fast. i'm not questioning the safety. the data is what it is. they say people aren't going to want to take this. i think we will have the opposite problem. because of that, it is not a problem. it is a challenge. it is good people want to be protected if it is safe. we are launching an important new segment here on "primetime." we're calling it vaccination. it can't be trust. trust can only come after we

verify. the hard truth is we have never done anything like this ever. and what a shame to have something that could make a difference and then it doesn't get where it needs to be. the site of those first vaccines going into the arms of americans, it's beautiful. it's beautiful, all right? more are heading to every corner of this land. but how much? is it right? it is proportionate? do some people get too much? what about those that don't get enough? what communities is it going to? are we exacerbating problems of inequality here? we will need 200 million people to be vaccinated. that's 400 million doses. remember, you need two, right? you need two of the same vaccine. does that mean you can't get one moderna and one pfizer?

i don't know. compare it to the flu, all right? this season 194 to 198 million doses of the flu vaccine were expected in the united states. go back to polio. it took three years to get 100 million americans the vaccine. we're better now. but how much? the only way forward is something we have not seen enough from too many who sit in places of leadership. transparency. okay? the hard data that you have become used to with this virus. it matters more with the vaccine than it does with the cases because the cases is a road map for you. by and large it was ignored. okay? but we used all the maps. states are up. here's the color coding. here's the thing. why? because we wanted you to get it. we wanted an interconnectedness. we failed.

our case load was higher than it was supposed to be becaus we failed. place by place hospitalization numbers. confirmed cases. to try and take the doubt out of it, we were forced to do that because we had this bizarre situation of the person at the top of the food chain telling you that we were lying about the urgency. we have never had to deal with that either and hopefully we never have to again ever. ever. the bottom line is we don't have enough information to make those kinds of grass yet. but we will. okay? we're going to need it. information about where the vaccine is and where it isn't and in what percentages is going to be more important than it was with cases. why? because you weren't worried that there weren't enough cases in your area. you will be worried there isn't enough vaccine. people will start to see the changes in communities because of the vaccine. they're going to want to.

we'll see that it is safe. we're not. you know, we got to be honest about it. i care as much as you do. i don't know where i am on the list because even though we may be considered essential workers. i had it. i may have antibodies. you're going to know where it is. and you are going to know why you don't have it. you will want to know why some people in your area it and you don't. it is our job to help you know. here's what we know tonight, okay? in ohio, hospitals in columbus and in cincinnati, those two cities got their first supply of 975 doses each this morning. okay? now, that's nothing. it is going to be something of the people who get it though, right? those are two big population centers. but it matters that cleveland wasn't first. why not? it's the biggest. because they're seeing more hospitalizations than cincinnati or columbus. the good news, two hospitals in

cleveland are on the short list to get vaccines tomorrow. that's what we have to analyze. if cleveland seeing more cases of hospitalizations, why didn't they get it first? you see what i'm saying? that's the question that is relevant. and we could not follow up and go ask. that's exactly what the hell we're going to do. illinois, the trend of new cases lower than ohio. got a lot more doses today. 43,000 arrived this morning compared to less than 2,000 in ohio. is that fair? seems so. does it play out that way? are there competing interests? we will investigate. right now on day one, it is too early to say what's behind that discrepancy other than what i just told you. but we have to be able to track it every day. we have to be able to chase things down. the problem is there is no national system. there is no big brother watching this. there is no better mind. there is no better answer. there is no don't worry they

know. there is no "they." we, the interconnection, you coming online telling me what you heard, having us track it down, we rely on this being done piecemeal state by state and them being honest. we're already seeing cracks in the system. just over half of states plan on having database systems described as comprehensive and reliable. why would you want to hide data on this? think about a good reason and then think of florida and everything we're learning about florida and cases. nobody wants to hide data for good reason. not like this. a strong day for america. okay? that's what this is with the vaccine. but remember the context. 300,000 dead we mark today and it matters. we have ignored those milestones for two long at the top. and everything starts from the top. a strong day for the health of our democracy as well. electors by passing the assault on our election. so where are we?

and what does it look like three, five, seven months from now? tom friedman takes on that difficult task of perspective where we are and where we might be heading next. this year we got it done. and with free curbside pickup at walmart... you can get the perfect gift up until the last minute. let's end the year nailing it. ♪ let's edamom, look!getling it. sare you okay?? head home this holiday with the one you love. visit your local mercedes-benz dealer today for exceptional lease and financing offers at the mercedes-benz winter event.

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we have to find somethingust else. good luck!ut it. what does that mean? we are doomed. [ laughter ] that's it... i figured it out! we're going to give togetherness. that sounds dumb. we're going to take all those family moments and package them. hmm. [ laughing ] that works.

all 50 states now have at least some pfizer vaccine. not allstate®s are using it yet, but they have all have it. why not? it is part of the story. we're going to have to find out. there will be variables all over the place. let's not fight progress. this is a big step in overcoming the fear that surrounds not only on this virus, but also just our mutual existence. i'm joined now by new york times columnist tom friedman, author of much including "the world is flat." you sat down with biden.

what was your sense of his grasp of exactly what he is getting into and his mind set in terms of how to get through it? >> you know, he's, first and foremost, chris, focussed on the pandemic, obviously. and now getting the vaccine in and out. and trying to address really a lot of the problems that you have raised, a lot of the challenges. he's got a great team of people like the former surgeon general. i have a lot of confidence in these people. they are laser focussed on this. today, chris, you eluded to it. this was -- we have been at war with this pandemic since last march. today was d day. today was d day. we landed on normandy beach with the vaccine. it was an amazing achieve. it's so sad we aren't all celebrating that today as a nation coming together, celebrating that u.p.s. and fedex people that delivered it,

the vaccine designers and manufacturers and the scientists. this is an amazing achievement for america and for the world. this was d day. at the same tie, you also eluded to this, chris, it was an amazing day for our democracy. we had a record number of votes in a pandemic, and we went out and voted and our friends and neighbors counted those votes. and our courts and electoral judges affirmed them as valid. this was an amazing day for american democracy. it is unfortunate we have a president who can't celebrate that, who can't elevate to the moment, but we shouldn't lose sight of help is on the way. and i have a lot of confidence that when biden and his team get there i think you will see some real substantive change. >> so the expectation of change is now. if it's going to change, it has to change right now. that's not going to happen here, except in tone and message. tone and message will start

right away. he will be doing the mask and the social distancing. bad days are ahead. things are going to shut down again. people are going to get sick in numbers that we haven't seen. we know we're numbed by the numbers, but they will be bad and the vaccine won't be making any discernible difference any time soon. that can create doubt about it. how do you counter? >> there is no question this is going to be hard. we're now probably suffering a lot of the spread from thanksgiving. who knows what will happen over christmas. but, you know, i think, chris, you know what we have forgotten? we have forgotten what it's like to have normal people in government. we have forgotten what it is like to have people who work together as a team. we have forgotten what it is like to have a president who tells the truth every day and a team that tries to model the right behavior. i have no illusions about how hard this is. we're up against mother nature. this is hard. at least we have two things going our way. we have a vaccine and we have a

team coming in that will be focussed on getting it to the american people based on truth and science. for that i'm hopeful. >> i'm hopeful that will help me get to answers on hard questions better because the hard questions are going to come. there is zero chance that the military just makes this happen. they are logistical geniuses as you and i both know, but there are too many parts here that we have never seen run together, from their ability to manufacture with congress holding up money they need from manufacturing, with congress not wanting to give to state and local governments that need it to procur and then make availability this vaccine where they need to, all the way through did it get there right, who is tracking that, what decisions the states make, the inequities that are almost unavadable heun unavoidable here. i believe i need to take it on as a full-time task here. what is your thought? >> i hope you do. i think all the media will have to do that, all the responsible

media. identify where the gaps are, where connections aren't happening, where people aren't following up with vaccines. no question about it. but i do think that, as i said, we forgot what it is like to have a normal government. and i don't think that's a miracle cure. this is a huge logistical challenge, one of the biggest in our history. but i am confident that we will have people who are at least up to the task who will be working together. >> we've got enough going on, and it's a different enough day that i didn't have to ask you about the ag leaving because who cares. i didn't have to talk to you about lindsey graham and the retrumplicans because who cares. we have bigger fish to fry and people that are at least willing to cook. thank you so much for being a part of the solution. >> i am not in the mitigation of good news business. we do not have enough to share with you. having the vaccine after this amount of time is unheard of.

but why was it able to be made so fast? you know why? as i learned today from another great scientist, science builds on science, and that's how we got to where we are tonight. we have a scientist who played a crucial role in this remarkable achievement. if not for her work, we would not be talking the way we are tonight. she deserves our attention for doing something that made a difference and no one made it easy for her. here she is, a true american to be celebrated tonight. next. adam, emily and then... s- uh um... >>it's shiori. sh-ori. thank you, that's great. ♪ shiori.

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about the covid-19 virus. it's real. and it's dangerous. so, on behalf of all of us working on the front lines, please take it seriously. and while we don't yet have a cure or a vaccine, we do know how to keep you and your loved ones safe. wear a mask. wash your hands. stay six feet apart. do your best to stay out of crowded spaces. and get a flu shot, it's even more important this year. we can do this. if we do it together. 11 months to get a covid vaccine. amazing. breath taking speed, why? usually takes many, many years. why was it faster this time? science, scientists who pea

neared a type of research that i cannot explain to you. but it paved the way for pfizer and moderna's vaccines, one of the people that you cannot leave out of the conversation is everything that we need to hold deer tonight. dr. kate joins me now and the story of american success if ever, hungarg bo ghungary born, everything was hard because of where she was coming from, and being a woman in the field that is hard on women. had to leave her family and work all the time, but she made research happen that we did not think was possible. thank you for being with us and making hope possible for us in our country tonight. >> thank you for having me. >> so, when you heard that the trial had been successful with pfizer, and modern thea, i read

that you were not really surprised that the vaccines were proving effective even after such a short time. why? what did you know that we had to learn? >> i expected that it would work because we already had enough experiment and i was hoping that it would work. and i am very happy that it has worked. >> i heard you celebrated with an entire bag of chocolate covered peanuts? >> yeah, it was goober, yeah, that is my favorite. but i'm not the kind of exuberant person, it was, it was nice. >> well, i think that is exactly what a scientist should be. is that you are all about the next achievement and figuring it out and that you are not surprised by what you have already shown, now, people need to know this almost didn't happen. how hard did you have to fight for this type or methodology of science and using rna to be used

that way? how hard was the fight? >> it was difficult, because people did not believe that messenger rna can be a treatment. but we developed a method where we changed the one component in the rna, which made it less immunogenic and it is possible to use it for different kind of therapy, and or it turned out that it is better for vaccine. and so, it's took for a while that people were discover our discovery and then of course, eventually now that we are very excited that it became a vaccine, part of this vaccine for both companies and really, we will celebrate when you know,

when the human suffering is over, when you know, the hardship and terrible time will end and hopefully in the summer when we forget of virus and vaccine, i will be celebrating. >> how confident are you that the vaccine will make that big a difference? >> i am very, very can confident. i myself will get the vaccine on thursday at university of pennsylvania, we are together getting the vaccine that some of our discoveries incorporated in to, and it's very historic and very important for us to get the vaccine. >> what does it mean to you personally with what you have gone through that you will be remembered for this, maybe much more as well, you still have long to go, but what does it mean to you that you helped get us to where we are tonight in

the middle of a pandemic that is eating up this world? >> it probably didn't register yet, you know, the importance. it is just this media attention is very, great to me, because nobody really cared and the scientist life is thinking and quiet time and so, i don't know. >> did you ever think when you were working on on this, this is what it will be used for some day? what was your dream? >> no. i never imagined that this would be such an impact, the discovery would have such an impact. i wanted to work on diseases that are pain and ache and would require for therapy, and which

would be used once or twice, and i think that people will have messenger rna in the freezer and they can just use it. >> thank you for making science in to a reality for us in such a difficult time, god bless you and the family, thank you. thank you very much, and believe me, so many scientists are working on it, and just saying me, you know, there are many others we are all over the world. understood, good to talk to one nonetheless, be well. we will be right back. >> thank you.