first it was great news from pfizer, and then moderna's vaccine progress this morning details are coming out from oxford university and astrazeneca and their vaccine trials >> a quarterf a million americans have died from the virus and the country is heading toward an unyielding and exponential spread of covid-19. few details have emerged few have reached out to the biden transition team. the faa clears the troubled

boeing 737 max airplane to fly again after two crashes that took the lives of 346 people we'll tell you what to do if you don't want to fly on this aircraft. and we'll tell you what to do to keep your immune system strong as we head into winter. "early today" starts right now good morning i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. fresh off the news that pfizer's covid vaccine is 95% effective, just hours ago astrazeneca released its own optimistic findings phase two shows that the vaccine is safe and it's generating an immune response. sara harmon of nbc is joining us from london. what have we learned about this vaccine? >> reporter: hi, phillip it's billioning are encouraging on the vaccine front this morning we're waking up

from great findings from astrazeneca. this is a phase 2 trial. it was published in the medical journal ""the lancet." it's producing am immune response in older adults we know that's important because most adults are at risk for the virus, both for complications and risk of death. we know when it comes to formulating vaccines, older adults are the most difficult to produce that result in this is very encouraging however, it's only a phase 2 trial. unlike moderna and pfizer who earlier this week introduced phase 3 results, this is still the middle phase it is encouraging, though, because scientists are telling us in all likelihood it's going to take more than one vaccine that's going to combat the pandemic we'll need vaccines for the older population, younger

population, and perhaps those that are easier to distribute that don't reyear refrigeration, which can be difficult in most parts of the world and, it's about time, isn't it >> glad to hear it thank you. the country is on a covid collision course barreling toward the end of the year with record numbers covid was declareda global pandemic in march and since then more than a quarter million americans have died. after eight weeks of in-person learning, new york city is going fully remote until further notice the move comes after the city's positivity rate passed 3%. migu . >> reporter: there is no community or corner of our nation safe from the reach of the virus. detailing the spread of the

covid, these maps obtained by nbc news show the growth current mitigation efforts are inadequate and must be increased to flatten the curve. >> i think we need a uniform approach, not a disjointed one state says one thing, another state says another thing. >> reporter: with more than half the nation introducing new guidelines, in south dakota the governor is still not in favor of mask wearing. >> i don't believe i have the authority to mandate that. >> reporter: in neighboring nebraska nurses have publicly pled for the governor to implement a mask mandate. >> i've seen people more sick than i've ever seen in my life and they drop so fast.

>> reporter: it's going to get worse before it gets better. we could see upwards of 400,000 new infections a day. >> miguel, thank you. the nation is being hit hard by the coronavirus, but this illness is just pummeling the midwest. pushing hospital staff to their breaking point according to bloomberg, there are currently more hospitalized in the midwest than in the west and northeast combined here's gabe gutierrez with more. >> reporter: phillip, the report says iowa and its neighboring states are in the red zone with an unyielding and exponential spread of the virus. in iowa, the positivity rate reached an astounding 41%, and the state reported 40 more deaths, a record this is an inside look at the yeun university of iowa hospita where jamie hums had been in the

hospital for 40 days. >> so many days, wires and tubes. >> reporter: she's in her 40s with no medical condition. >> i fought a physical and medical battle, but my family fought a huge emotional battle. >> reporter: this week a governor reversed course. >> when you're in an indoor space and unable to social distance for 15 minutes or longer, masks are required to be worn. >> reporter: some health care workers say the new restrictions don't go far enough. >> i'm worried a partial mask mandate is a little too late. >> reporter: this was the moment when jamie hums was able to go outside and feel the sun for the first time in a few months. >> nobody's invincible i took precautions, did everything i thought was right, wore a mask in public, did all

of those things, and i still got it. >> reporter: here in des moines, the icus in several hospitals including this one are full right now. >> thank you for that report. president-elect joe biden is laser focused on the virus even though the administration continues to block his transition however, two officials told nbc news a few current and former trump officials have reached out privately. they've saidite note a big deal and not a replacement for proper briefings. today president-elect biden a anding vice president-elect harris sit down today. >> we've been unable to get access to the kinds of things we need to know about the depth of the stockpiles there's not much we know at all.

there's a whole lot we don't have available to us which unless it's made available soon, we're going to be behind by weeks or months. >> a new monmouth poll shows 61% of those surveyed disapprove of donald trump's handling of the transition with 31% approving. >> president trump is facing widespread backlash this morning after firing the cyber security official who disputed the claimed election fraud. >> reporter: first the firing and now the fallout. among those, republicans upset over the abrupt termination of the top cyber security official who disputed the president's baseless claims that the election was stolen from him. >> i disagree vehemently with his firing. >> there's like a loyalty purge in the last months in the white house. >> reporter: last week it was

declared the most secure in american history stating there were no votes delete order changed. standing by even after his firing, honored to serve, we did it right trump bashed it. >> it seems like a hit to fire back at the president as he pursues litigation. >> it just undermines trust and confidence of the american people and their government and that's something that's really, really destruction active. >> reporter: president trump and his campaign still pursuing legal challenges in key states, paying for a partial recount in wisconsin seem long shot with joe biden's lead at more than 20,000 votes in georgia, their recount is under way. bind's lead there narrowing to 12,000 votes >> it's inaccurate to state there's voter fraud in georgia. >> reporter: and in michigan, officials tried to block biden's

win from being certified, going against the result of the voters, trump calling it a great thing. biden leads in michigan by 146,000 votes. >> at the end of the day, the people will be respected and joe biden won michigan. >> and biden said the trump administration's refusal to give his team access to critical information could delay the distribution of covid vaccines by weeks or months phillip? >> that is disturbing. peter, thank you. time now to get a check of your wednesday weather here's meteorologist janessa webb good morning. >> good morning. good morning, everyone there's a chill in the air in the northeast, but we're going to see a warmup in the next few days right now you're waking up to the 20s and 30s widespread across the northeast, and this is starting to seep into areas of the mid-atlantic, the

carolinas today under freeze warnings and frost advisories where people will be impacted. also the blustery winds picking up for the ohio valley you can see throughout the afternn, you canoorecord-breaki temperatures this afternoon. d.c., you're at 53 a little more sunshine 62 for columbus. quiet conditions for the east coast, but the west coast, we have a storm system. we'll talk about that coming up. >> we'll want to hear it all right, janessa thank you. look what they found inside the rockefeller christmas tree, this adorable stowaway, this owl. it's a saw-whet owl.

it's now being cared for where he was named rockefeller i guess he wanted to see what it was like living in the city. up next, the troubled boeing 7 x 73mais cleared for lift-off. and the best food to boost your immune system heading into winter the faster, easier way to clean as you go. it cleans grease five times faster on easy messes, just spray, wipe, and rinse. on tough messes, the spray-activated suds cut through grease on contact, without water. just wipe, and rinse. get dishes done faster dawn powerwash dish spray. spray. wipe. rinse. high protein. low sugar. tastes great! high protein. low sugar. so good. high protein. low sugar. mmm, birthday cake. pure protein.

the best combination to help you stay fit. so this aveeno® moisturizer goes beyond just soothing sensitive skin? exactly jen! calm + restore oat gel is formulated with prebiotic oat. and strengthens skin's moisture barrier. uh! i love it! aveeno® healthy. it's our nature.™ iwith vicks sinex saline nasal cmist.tion aveeno® for drug free relief that works fast. vicks sinex. instantly clear everday congestion. joint pain, swelling, temy psoriasis. cosentyx works on all of this. cosentyx can help you look and feel better by treating the multiple symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx.

before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine, or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. watch me! get real relief with cosentyx. leading the news, the boeing max 737 is cleared for takeoff they were taken out of service after two crashes overseas killed 346 people. before they're actually used for commercial flights again, every aircraft will need software upgrades and readiness checks and every pilot must go through additional simulated training. if any customer feels uncomfortable flying on a 737 max, airlines will let

passengers rebook for free remember, sometimes the aircraft can be swapped out on the day of travel. actor richard schiff is opening up about his battle with covid-19 it comes two days after the former "west wing" star revealed he had covid on twitter he told fans, i was just taken off oxygen, markers are down perhaps all the prayers and thoughts need a big thank-you. >> doctors say it's more important than ever to keep your immune system in tiptop shape heading into the winter. nbc's erin mclaughlin has more. >> reporter: this winter with covid sweeping the nation, doctors say nutrition is never more important. >> step it up this winter when even mild deficiencies can put you at greater risk. >> reporter: the cdc says nine out of ten adults don't eat

enough newt trets each day like vitamin c. the body can't store it, so it has to be consumed regularly they include oranging, bell pepper, and broccoli critical, zinc found in shell fish, nuts, and seeds. lower zinc leads to people being in the hospital. it's typical to get enough food. >> we're not going outside because of social distancing and quarantining, so it's very important to supplement with vitamin d and talk to your doctor about the optimal dose. >> boosting your nutrients is one way to keep your immune system in shape. coming up, the shattering

debut of barack obama's memoir. and the luxury market. next my tuuuurrrrn! tonight...i'll be eating cheesy cauliflower pizza and yummy broccolini! (doorbell rings) thanks. (doorbell rings) thank you. ♪ is that my leotard? no. yes... ehh, you can keep it. - oh.- oh, darn! - wha- let me help. lift and push and push! there... it's up there. hey joshie... wrinkles send the wrong message. help prevent them before they start with downy wrinkleguard. brushing only reaches 25% of your mouth. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™

did you know prilosec otc can stop frequent heartburn before it begins? prilosec otc uses a unique delayed-release formula that works to turn down acid production, blocking heartburn at the source. with just one pill a day, you get 24-hour heartburn protection. take the prilosec otc two-week challenge. and see the difference for yourself. prilosec otc, 1 pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn.

before discovering nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn, marie could only imagine enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice. now no fruit is forbidden. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? for all-day, all-night protection. ♪ your whole team can see your upper thigh ♪ ♪ pour that smooth roast and aim that camera up high ♪ ♪ the best part of wakin' up is folgers in your cup ♪ in today's news by the numbers, the los angeles dodgers have issued layoffs throughout the franchise due to the covid epidemic the team lost in excess of $100 million despite winning the world series. starbucks announced it's raising hourly wages

employees will receive a pay increase of at least 10%. former president barack obama's memoir "a promised land" sold over 887,000 copies on the first day. it's expected to be the best selling in all of history. is the u.s. government any closer to a third economic stimulus package let's ask cnbc's karen tso hi, karen. >> good morning. yes, we're watching these jobless claims and they're expected to be lower than the week before. that's the good news and holding below the 1 million mark for a 12th week in a row. jobless claims are down from 700,000 the previous week. they're continuing see 6.4 versus 6.78 million in the prior week but the bad news is about 21.2 million americans still needing some form of assistance.

there's concerns loss in the economy with the various restrictions rolled out across several states to contain the virus, but concerns from jamie dimon slamming the childish behavior of the government by not releasing a stimulus package. elsewhere there's one sector hard hit by the pandemic and that's the luxury goods sector down 23% in 2020 according to bane & company in particular watches and apparel have been particularly hit. recovery is not anticipated next year either, not until 2022, 2023 what you're likely to see bounce back goods, fine wines, and yachts. >> makes sense essentials being base nick 2020 karen, thank you. coming up, the blanket that

brings in meaning to cfoomrt food. and the rush for thanksgiving could it give people a false sense of security. as a barber, nothing's gonna beat my shave.

especially for guys who tend to get razor bumps with ordinary razors. but now there's gillette skinguard. it flattens the skin and lifts the blades for a shave that's close, but not too close for comfort. try nature's bounty hair, skin and nails gummies. the number one brand to support beautiful hair, glowing skin, and healthy nails. and try advanced, now with two times more biotin. and try advanced, we'd love some help with laundry. spray and scrub anything with a stain. wash the really dirty clothes separately. tide pods with upgraded 4-in-1 technology unleash a foolproof clean in one step. aww, you did the laundry!

it's got to be tide. the small ones you've been dreaming about. the ones you couldn't be more ready for, and even the ones that take you by surprise. these are the moments you'll remember, the ones that are impossible to forget. to new memories. hilton and our family of hotels. good morning, everyone we do have a small storm system coming out of the gulf of alaska that will produce a little bit of snow across the higher elevations across the rockies and coastal areas of washington. that snow is going to melt pretty quickly look at these highs in the

central u.s. s. up next, the blanket is that takes pepperoni pizza lovers to new heights. the multiple symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine, or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. watch me! get real relief with cosentyx. try nature's bounty sleep 3 a unique tri layer supplement, that calms you helps you fall a sleep faster and stay a sleep longer. great sleep comes naturally with sleep 3 only from nature's bounty new aveeno® restorative skin therapy. with our highest concentration of prebiotic oat intensely moisturizes over time to improve skin's resilience. aveeno® healthy. it's our nature™.

with so many americans rushing to get a covid test before gathering next week before thanksgiving, experts are warning there's no guarantee your family is safe. nbc's vicky nguyen joins us. good morning, vicky. >> good morning, phillip it's a we on a lot of people's minds to gather or not for thanksgiving the cdc is saying, no, stick to your immediate household many are wondering, what if i get a negative covid test. then can i go? this morning i'm teaming up with a doctor, 101, the answers you

need to know before you go the cdc describes thanksgiving gatherings as a high covid risk. the questions to ask. >> if the results come back and it's two days, get tested two days before. it does not give you a free pass. >> it's not foolproof. here's why if you get tested you may test negative three days later you could be presymptomatic and contagious and not feel sick until days later. still inside that 14-day incubation period. there's also the possibility of being exposed between that negative test and arriving at your destination. >> that test result is a snapshot in time that's the one day you're negative you could be positive the next day. >> reporter: as far as the different tests, the pcr is the gold standard. it's more accurate but results take longer. some rapid tests can give you answers in 15 minutes but they

have a higher rate of false negatives. >> testing by yourself is not going to be enough. >> we're a week out from thanksgiving is it too late to quarantine >> any time you quarantine is better than none. >> reporter: even with a negative test, you should still wear a mask, keep your distance, and open windows if you're gathering this year. remember, it's like the swiss cheese model of reduction. testing is one layer, but add rules. add in masks, add vent lag, hand washing, and keeping your distance eventually you can reduce the risk and cover up the holes for each layer remember it takes all of those things together for maximum precautions this thanksgiving. guys, back to you. >> we hope everyone will listen. vicky, wise words. thank you. >> weighing those options can be stressful. if you need stress relief, how about this pizza hut rolled out this

limited edition pepperoni gravity blanket. it costs around 150 bucks and weighs around 15 pounds. a little bit helpful. >> i never tried it. hey, you can wipe your hands

right now at 4:30 breaking news. hopefully news on another vaccine. major progress since astrazeneca just reported overnight. >> plus. >> definitely concerned and only celebrating with the people i live with. >> testing before turkey. some people are doing it before visiting family, but is that enough? why experts say it doesn't guarantee your family will be safe. and possible cuts looming amid the pandemic b.a.r.t. considers reducing service and slashing employees as it struggles to lower ridership. "today in the ba s