tonight, taking their best shot. on the front lines, racing to vaccinate. >> you know you have to lead by example, and once they see i'm okay. >> going to extremes to protect the most vulnerable. >> i love you! >> i talk talked to my guys and i said, mom, dad, sister, i love you guys, i'll see you when it's all over. plus, rolling up their sleeves and taking up arms, their arms, to fight the killer. >> what's your dominant arm? >> who are the volunteers willing to take a needle for all of us? >> if this works and this is something that can help us feel safer, then i think that's a game changer. experience clean in a whole new way. now roomba vacuums exactly where you need it.

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because they're always on. another life-changing technology from abbott. so you don't wait for life. you live it. ♪ good evening. thank you for joining us. the u.s. setting another grim new record, more than 110,000 americans hospitalized today for covid-19. now the pressure is on for health care workers racing to inoculate everyone, starting with their brothers and sisters in arms. here's my "nightline" coanchor juju chang.

>> i am very excited. i didn't sleep all night, thinking about it. >> reporter: jenny drexler is taking us behind the curtain for an inside look at history in the making. as an icu nurse, she's the very first person at mt. sinai west in new york city to get the covid-19 vaccine. >> some of my nurses had reservations. you know, you have to lead by example, and once they see i'm okay. i've already convinced three of them to schedule appointments today. >> reporter: today, spontaneous cheers. and tears of joy. for the best news this hospital has had since march, when their first covid patient came through the doors. marathon runner rodrigo saval. mt. sinai was at the epicenter of the pandemic. many here treated their own colleagues and watched hundreds of others die. >> we were dragging. my nurses would get sick and we'd go out for two weeks and come back and just jump right in. we were working 16 hours.

they were picking up shifts. i mean, they really -- they came to fight this war. >> reporter: but today's vaccine reminds jenny of the day saval was released, two months after he arrived. >> it was a great day. and we all needed that win. and it kind of feels that way again today. >> we've been struggling with this for almost a year. i'm old enough to have been vaccinated for smallpox. you think of what a scourge that disease was, and it's been wiped out, it's extinct. that's what a vaccine can do. i also was an intern in this hospital, 1981 to '83, when aids was at its peak. we had friends from college, colleagues, dying from it. we didn't have a vaccine for that scourge. >> we still don't. >> we still don't. so it's really -- this is the beginning of the healing. it's really important to us. it's very important that we can help protect our staff and the public. >> reporter: for icu dr. james salonia, today brings him one

step closer to reuniting with his family. both parents were treated for severe covid in connecticut's icus in march. >> my friends don't know i'm getting the vaccine today. they don't want to go through this again. >> their feeling is even though they have and it presumably have antibodies, they want the vaccine anyway? >> they want the vaccine. my parents have no comorbidities and all of a sudden they get sick, critically ill. you never know who's going to get sick, critically ill, with this virus. >> reporter: the effort to get as many doses of the vaccine into arms of those on the front line is accelerating. eagerly awaiting their delivery. hospitals across the country implementing their meticulously laid-out plans to distribute the vaccine to those most exposed to the virus. dr. chrissy woods oversees the vaccination program at mt. sinai west. >> we're hopeful that in the next month or so, we'll have gone through a significant part of the staff. >> how do you prioritize who gets it when? >> so the state did give us a framework that we're expected to

follow. which laid out, amongst the health care workers, also picking the ones that were more likely to be in touch with somebody who has the disease. so as you can imagine, the emergency room doctors, not just the doctors but the nurses. the people that help clean the hospital. the case managers in that area. so we think of them in zones, as opposed to titles and units. we're not holding one job title to a higher standard or to higher priority than any other. >> reporter: so far, only the pfizer vaccine is available. but soon there will be a second weapon in the arsenal against covid-19. >> i expect that later this week, the fda is going to authorize the moderna vaccine. the data looks really good. just like we saw with pfizer, i expect next week we're going to start seeing moderna vaccines roll out to americans and that americans will start getting vaccinated from that vaccine probably next week. >> we know that we're going to ship just a little bit short of 6 million doses out to the

american people, and we're shipping it to 3,285 locations across the country. >> reporter: moderna's vaccine is equally effective as pfizer's but easier to distribute, not requiring the ultra-cold freezers. >> part of the reason we've seen all the vaccinations so far at hospitals is you really have to have the infrastructure to manage the super-frozen pfizer vaccine. moderna's different, a little bit easier, so i do expect it to be seen in more clinics and pharmacies, definitely in more rural areas, places where being able to have a freezer may be harder to get. >> reporter: but as the vaccine rollout is under way, covid cases continue to explode around the country. the u.s. seeing a record number of deaths last week. friday was the deadliest day of the pandemic, with 3,309 lives lost. in los angeles, the situation so dire, less than 100 icu beds left in the entire county. >> i want you guys to all shift

your mindsets to disaster mode. >> reporter: governor gavin newsom activating the state's mass fatality program, ordering 5,000 additional body bags. >> there is light at the end of the tunnel, but we're still in the tunnel. and that means we're going through perhaps the most intense and urgent moment since the beginning of this pandemic. >> reporter: the cdc has determined that each state gets to decide who receives the vaccine first. and many states have prioritized health care workers and the elderly in assisted living. >> almost 40% of the deaths have been in these assisted care facilities. it's awful. and so it's critical that we get the staff in these places and the residents in these places vaccinated as quickly as possible. >> reporter: the sister facili of sharon brook and chapel grove in central ohio know how deadly the virus would be if even one resident got infected. >> the elderly are so vulnerable

to the coronavirus. and they have the highest mortality rates. so we knew that once it reached our facility, it would be too late. >> reporter: so back in march, the staff moved in with the residents and went into lockdown. >> i packed my bags. mom, dad, sister, i love you, i'll see you when it's all over. could be three weeks, could be two months, four months, i don't know when it's going to end. i do know the residents need me, and i'm going to be there for them. >> and i just, you know -- i have 124 grandparents. so, i mean, that was a big thing for me. >> we've had staffmembers miss the first births of their grandchild. we've had moms miss their kids' first birthdays. >> reporter: there was no physical contact from loved ones for the entire staff or the residents. >> but that's my boyfriend back behind me. he likes to come and visit me. but yeah, we have to use our phones and talk through the glass.

>> hi, dad, how are you? how are you? >> good, how are you? >> i love you, i miss you! >> reporter: it was not easy. >> it definitely can take a toll. obviously i miss my family. my son is a senior this year, so he's not only missing his mom at home, he's missing prom, and possibly graduation, and his 18th birthday is coming up and i'll still be here. >> it can be discouraging and heartbreaking. you know, i work my hardest every day to dig deep and remember why i became a provider and why i'm here. >> reporter: but it worked. 65 days. during that time, no one got sick. not a single resident lost to covid. at the end of july when the infection rate no ohio crept back up, they decided once again to make the sacrifice. 32 days in lockdown. once again, no cases, no deaths.

now the staff and residents are anxiously awaiting their chance to get the life-saving vaccine. >> the vaccines are coming so soon. we are so ready for the vaccines. >> reporter: even singing their own version of "all i want for christmas is my two front teeth." ♪ all i want for christmas is my covid vaccine ♪ ♪ so my grandkids can see me >> reporter: with the virus surging the staff is discussing going into lockdown a third time over the holidays. >> i'm glad all our hard work and sacrifice has kept our grandparents, so to peek, safe. >> reporter: they agree, if this is what needs to be done, they'll do it again in a heartbeat. >> i knew that if we were locking down and the residents needed my care, that i needed to be there for them. these are my residents. these are my family members. these are the people i need to take care of. me. i'm going to do that.

i'm doing that. because i love them. >> reporter: today the staff and residents here got some welcome news. their shipment of the vaccine could arrive just after new year's day. and by mid-january, the staff at mt. sinai west in new york city are hoping to have some protection from the deadly virus. a fitting end, perhaps, to a season of hope. >> i think it's a great moment in history. i think it finally gives hope that things are going to be on the uptick, back to a more normal life for the first time in a long time. you need hope, and you need faith. >> our thanks to juju. coming up, why these vaccine volunteers risk it all to help save lives. if you're at home thinking about your financial plan... so are we. prudential helps 1 in 7 americans with their financial needs. that's over 25 million people. with over 90 years of investment experience, our thousands of financial professionals can help

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♪ while the pfizer covid-19 vaccine is delivering its first shots across america, now a second vaccine, one from moderna, is also inching closer to an fda okay. but for every vaccine and treatment, there's the incalculable number of volunteers who are making it all possible. >> how are you feeling today? >> good. no symptoms. >> reporter: the vaccine's rollout is under way. >> no cough, no chills, no headache. >> reporter: but for months, people like katie dinner have been enlisting in experimental drug trials to help combat covid-19. heroes have stepped up to answer the call, helping scientists to figure out what works, how it works, and if there are side effects. >> to actually see on paper, in

charts and graphs, that this is working. it just makes me feel really good about what i'm doing. >> reporter: katie is the volunteer for an antibodies clinical trial by eli lilly that some medical professionals hope could save lives before a vaccine is widely available. >> it wasn't until our medical director from our corporate office came in and really broke it down for us and said they're going to be testing a monoclonal antibody that could potentially be a weapon against covid. i thought to myself, i have to do this. >> reporter: after hearing stories about fellow health care workers dying from the virus, she joined the trial in august to try and be part of the solution. >> thank you! >> hearing these stories made me feel kind of helpless. a little bit of survivor's guilt. when this this came around, this antibody might help protect health care workers, that was the biggest indicator for me. >> reporter: katie is a dietician at pro medica, a

senior care facility in sacramento. she was able to participate because nursing homes across the nation were hardest hit by the virus. more than 100,000 deaths linked to these facilities. >> i'm thinking about my family. i have two young kids, i have a husband at home. i'm thinking about my patients. i'm thinking about my co-workers. >> reporter: but katie isn't the only one. volunteers across the nation are rolling up their sleeves in hopes of being part of history. >> until you start injecting a vaccine into large numbers of people to see whether it prevents disease, you have no idea, really, how well it's going to work. >> pfizer, for example, has 44,000 participants in phase 3 trial. >> reporter: some of the brave ones who stepped up to participate in a pfizer vaccine trial, father and daughter duo dan and kirsten stepanowski. >> i was saying, do you have a trial? they said, yes. i said, i want to join. >> one month after he started participating in the trial, they

did open it up to 16-year-olds. and he did try to keep that information from me for a minute, because he was apprehensive about me joining. you know, being one of the first teenagers to participate is kind of a little nerve-racking. but once they told me there was no going back, i was going to be participating in the trial. >> i'm going to ask, what's your dominant arm? >> it's really important to have diversity in clinical trials. different ages, different genders. people of different ethnic backgrounds. >> reporter: dr. victoria smith of new orleans volunteered for the vaccine trial back in july. >> i know how covid has affected people of color. and so i was very deliberate in wanting to be a model for other people who look like me. >> reporter: the shot not unlike others she's had before. >> it felt exactly like getting a flu shot or any other

injection. i did develop some soreness in my arm. and the next day, i just felt a little like achy, and the next day i felt fine. >> reporter: back in sacramento, until katy tinnor can get vaccinated, she's hopeful about the antibody trial she volunteered for. >> i have faith in this being a potential treatment for people either infected with covid or to prevent people from becoming infected. >> reporter: the drug therapy bamlanivimab was created by eli lilly and could be a tool to protect frontline workers. >> if this works, if this is something that can help us feel safer and be safer in the workplace, then i think that's a game changer. >> reporter: as of today, the trial is in cities across the country and the u.s. government has purchased nearly 1 million doses of the drug. nearly 160,000 have already been delivered. >> and if we can get ahead of it with the case of an antibody,

then i think that it can be a huge confidence booster. >> reporter: eli lilly's drug mimics natural antibodies created by the body to thought the virus and is thought to lower severity of symptoms in patients. >> hi, just going through the news on my lunch break here at work today. there's some really exciting news about a particular part of the eli lilly trial. >> reporter: in november, the fda authorized emergency use authorization for several antibody therapies. for eli lilly's antibody trial, they estimate having enough data early next year to see if they can get fda authorization to use for covid-19 prevention in nursing homes. with rising covid cases across america, katie sees this clinical trial as a positive light while people wait for the vaccine. >> our administrator here always says, don't be part of the problem, be part of the solution. being part of the solution is a really good feeling. >> thank you very much, we'll see you next time.

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♪ finally tonight, a parting shot. the dance line on the front lines. workers at boston medical center in massachusetts feeling good. after almost a year battling covid-19, celebrating the delivery of the vaccine. they got nearly 2,000 doses, reason enough to get out and dance. ♪ i do my hair check my nails baby how ya doing ♪ >> a glorious day. that's "nightline" for this evening. catch our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here,

same time tomorrow. thanks for the company, america. good night.