captioning sponsored by cbs "face the nation." >> brennan: i'm margaret brennan in washington, and this week on "face the nation," despite groundbreaking advances with vaccines, america braces for its toughest test yet, covid cases that are growing expoa expod. and the hopeful news that two vaccines are moving into f.d.a. approval comes just as the super surge of covid cases in the u.s. is kicking in. but the message from scientists and elected officials is clear: it is not over yet. wear a mask and act responsibly, especially during the upcoming holiday seasons. >> north, south, east and west, it is not a political statement; it's a patriotic duty.

>> brennan: president-elect biden says his efforts for a smooth transition are being impeded by president trump's refusal to accept defeat during a dangerous period. >> if we don't have access to all of this data, it is going to put us behind the eight ball by a month or more. and that's lives. >> brennan: president trump continues to fix fixate on the election. >> president trump: which i won, by the way. by 74 million votes. >> it is hard to fathom how this man thinks. >> brennan: we'll welcome back the nation's top infectious disease expert, dr. anthony fauci, and we'll talk with larry merlo about how his company will help distribute vaccines to americans in the coming months. we'll check in with former f.d.a. commissioner scott gottlieb, and we'll talk

to symone sanders. plus, former trump national security advisor h.r. mcmaster weighs in on security threats confronting the new commander in chief. it is all just ahead on "face the nation." ♪ ♪ >> brennan: good morning. and welcome to "face the nation." once again, we begin the broadcast with staggering numbers, and a lot of them are now in the millions. according to the white house coronavirus task force, there are 47 states in the red zone. across the country, there were over a million new infections in the last week, bringing the total to well over 12 million cases. on friday, we set a record of nearly 200,000 new cases in a single day. and more than a quarter of a million americans have died of covid-19 since the pandemic began. the c.d.c. last week urged

americans not to travel for thanksgiving. many are ignoring that advice. we begin this morning with cbs news national correspondent mark strassmann in atlanta. >> reporter: it's a super spread of defines and denial. roughly 50 million thanksgiving travelers expected to ignore the c.d.c.'s plea to stay home. the week ahead could become covid america's most dangerous yet as new cases and hospitalizations already smash daily records. >> i get it, but it is thanksgiving. and people want to be with their families. >> reporter: tell that to the governor in washington state. >> we have to understand that the house is on fire right now. >> reporter: and in minnesota. >> each day i'm going to stand in front of you and tell you we've hit another record number of deathsment. >> reporter: by one measure, covid is now america's third leading killer. it threatens. hours before kickoff,

saturday's clemson/florida state game was postponed. a clemson player tested positive. red means counties battling a covid crisis. >> to change the color of the map, we need to do much more right now to make that happen. >> reporter: starting this weekend, roughly 90% of californians have a curfew like a teenager. 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the next month. protestors hit the streets, complaining it goes too far, even in a state averaging 10,000 a day. >> a 10:00 o'clok curfew, we're not going to abide by it. >> reporter: wanted in el paso, temporary help to move bodies of the covid dead. north dakota has the world's highest covid

mortality rate, but reaction to masking? >> it is against the rights of the people, it is unconstitutional. >> reporter: and covids economic impact remains an epidemic. a dallas area food bank gave away 5,000 turkeys. 20 million americans report missed meals as 2020 draws to a close, three times greater than last year's average. one more measure of covid's impact, the c.d.c. here in atlanta reports that death totals for 2020 are higher than normal in every state of the country. almost 20% higher for most of the year. and in general, death patterns have matched the spread and peaks of the virus. margaret? >> brennan: mark, thank you. we want to go to the director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases, dr. anthony fauci. good morning to you. it has been a while. i'm glad you're back with us this morning. i wish there were better news.

>> doctor: thank you, margaret, good to be with you. >> brennan: 83,000 people are hospitalized. who are they? why are they getting this ill? >> doctor: well, i mean it is obvious what this disease does, particularly for the elderly and those who have underlying conitions, and we know what they are: obesity, hypertension, chronic lung disease, diabetes, etc. but it is not just elderly individuals. we're starting to see there is a substantial proportion of people who are hospitalized between 40 and 59. these are people who are predominantly dominated by the elderly and underlying conditions, but not completely. these numbers really speak for themselves, margaret. we're in a very, very difficult situation at all levels. i think -- i would hope that the people who are pushing back on the recommendations for mitigation measures just look at the numbers, look at the facts. they are staring us right in the face. we're not talking about shutting down the country

and locking down completely, but we do know, margaret, that mitigation measures work. if you compare countries that do it, and even within our own united states, if you look at some of the states that have actually implemented mitigation, really simple dmsimple -- i'm not talking about locking everything down. i'm talking about universal wearing of masks, social distancing, keeping the masks on indoor, doing things outdoors more than indoors if you possibly can, given the weather considerations, and washing your hands. those are relatively easy things to do. and the fact is, we know when you do that, and when you do things like limit capacity in restaurants and stay away from bars, or even close bars, it does have an impact. it isn't as if you do it and it doesn't help you. it actually can blunt curves. and as we're getting into the colder season, particularly the situation with the holiday season, where you see people

traveling, you see the clips on tv, people at airports -- those are the things we've got to realize are going to get us into even more trouble than we're in right now. >> brennan: this week you said we are approaching expotential growth in infections. can you level with the american people here and tell tm what they need to be bracing for? are we about to tip in to the most intense part we have experienced of this pandemic to date? >> doctor: yeah. on the one hand, that is true. when you say expotencial, you mean the curb is really very, very steep. if you look at the curve of what we had in the spring, when it was dominated in particularly the new york metropolitan area, the curve was like this. when you look at what we saw in the southern states, when we tried to reopen, the curve was also like this. right now the curve is like that. it is going up at a very

rapid rate, and you looked at almost every single day, in fact, gives you another record. having said that, you don't want people to getter fide get get get terrified, but we can do something with mitigation measures. and, also, help is on the way. we should not look on this as a hopeless situation. and one of the things when you get covid fatigue, which is entirely understandable, people throw up their hands and say we can't do anything about it, let's just do what we want to do. that's the wrong decision because vaccines are coming, and they're going to be available relatively soon. if we can hang in there with the mitigation methods and implementing them, we can get out of this. >> brennan: yes. >> doctor: so there is a very sober message on the one hand, but there is a hopeful message. if we do certain things -- it's within our power to

do them. we're not helpless. >> brennan: i know. and i hear your passion here. i want to get to the hope of the vaccine in a moment. but near term, let's talk about that reality. you mentioned the crowds at airports. 50 million americans are expected to travel. they're ignoring the c.d.c. advice not to do so. what is riskier, the plane or the crowd? >> doctor: the crowd, clearly. the airport, the airlines, are trying their best with the way they get the air flow to prevent that. but sometimes when you get a crowded plane, you're in a crowded airport, and you're lining up, and not everybody is wearing masks. that puts yourself at risk. one of the things we're really concerned about is that as we get into this thanksgiving season, you're not going to see an increase until weeks later. things lag. so what you don't want to see is another spike in cases as we get colder and colder into the december month, and then you start

dealing with the christmas holiday. we could really be in a very difficult situation. weryou want to tell people to please seriously consider decisions that you make. and it also means, margaret, another important thing,, one of thing f the things we didn't fully realize, one of the spots where you have a risk is seemingly innocent family and friends get together indoors. it seems like the most natural thing. that's the reason why we tell people to consider the people that you want to get into your own family unit? do you want to bring a large number of people to a big dinner party, and when you're eating and drinking, obviously you have to take your mask off. we know now those are the kinds of situations that are leading to outbreaks -- >> brennan: and specifically -- driving home your point, the c.d.c. is specifically saying you should only have people gathered for thanksgiving who have been living inside your home,

actively living there for 14 days. that means no neighbors. that means no travelers. that means your kid coming home from college shouldn't be in the room with you? does that advice after thanksgiving? is christmas canceled, too? >> doctor: we don't know what is going to happen. it could, if we don't do this correctly and pay close attention to the reality of what is possible, if we ignore these recommendations, that you could continue to have that expotential increase as you get into christmas. that's one of the things we're concerned about. it is a natural reaction to say, wait a minute, i know these people. they're friends, they're coming in. you tend to almost intuitively let your guard down. you don't want to say that no one can come in. but you can have people who have their own pods of protection, people who may quarantine themselves or get a test.

but in general -- and i do this every day, margaret -- i tell families to take a moment to do what i call a risk/benefit determination. if i have someone in my home who is elderly, someone who has an underlying condition, do i really want to put that person at risk from someone who innocently or inadvertently could infect them? we know people who don't have symptoms are clearly capable, and are, transmitting the infection. think about it for a moment, the risk now versus the long-range of what you can do if you continue to be healthy. >> brennan: let's get to the help. the scientific advisor to "operation warped speed" said we could have true herd immunity take place somewhere in the month of may as the vaccine is distributed. does america go back to life as normal in may?

>> doctor: i don't think so -- there are a couple of things that go into the effectiveness of a vaccine program. a highly efficacious vaccine, and we're almost there. we have two that have 95%. if only a relatively small number of people get vaccinated, you're not going to get the herd immunity. what we need is sto get as many people as possible vaccinated. we want people to understand the independent and transparent process that got us to the point of saying -- which the f.d.a. will examine it very carefully now, together with advisory committees that are

completely independent, to declare that the vaccines are completely safe and affective. if you get an overwhelming majority of the people vaccinated with a highly efficacious vaccine, we can reasonably quickly get to the herd immunity that would be a blanket of protection for the country. >> brennan: this hasn't been tested at all on children or infants. when would they get it? >> doctor: well, you know, it is a situation with children, when you talk about toddlers and infants, that is probably not going to be months away because we know from experience with vaccines, that you have to make as a high priority the safety of the health of the children because they are a vulnerable population. and you want to show that it is affective and safe in a broader situation before you actually give it to children. within a period of a few months, we'll be doing a number of studies, including what we call bridging studies, showing you can induce the same

kind of response in kids and it is safe in kids, and then you can wind up giving it to them a few months thereafter. >> brennan: the c.d.c. will give guidelines, and the states will make the call on who they decide to give it to. it is expected health care workers and elderly go first. when will americans know if they qualify to get the vaccines? > >> doctor: well, you said it correctly, margaret. the c.d.c. has the ultimate determination for the recommendations. they do that closely with an advisory committee on immunization practices, which is also being complemented by recommendations from the national academy of medicine. but at the end of the day, it is the c.d.c. what they will do is, they will make the recommendations after the e.u. a., the emergency youth authorization, is actually implemented, because then they will know all of the

discussions made with the f.d.a., and they'll say on the basis of our determinations and the advisory commission, this is the prioritization of people who will get it. and as we hope that things go well, and i think they will, and if these vaccines get the e.u.a., maybe 20 million people will be able to get vaccinated by the middle to the end of december. >> brennan: will you take it? >> doctor: if i'm within the group that is recommended, definitely i would. i would look at the data. right now the f.d.a. will make the determine makes, but determination,but i would ho hesitation to take it, nor to recommend it to my family. >> brennan: anthony fauci, thank you. "face the nation" will be back with symone sanders, a biden key advisor. stay with us.

♪ >> brennan: we want to turn to the presidential transition and senior

advisor for vice president-elect kamala harris, symone sanders. she joins us from outside her washington home. good morning to you. >> good morning, margaret, how are you? >> brennan: i'm great. i wanted to ask you about what you expect to happen tomorrow, because that is the deadline in the state of pennsylvania for many counties to certify results of their election. this would take a key state out of play here in the president's attempt to overturn the outcome of the election. do you expect that we could see this week the ascertainment of the president-lect? >> well, margaret, we do expect that counties in pennsylvania will certify their results, just as folks have done in georgia, just as folks have done in michigan and across this country. the american people were clear, and joe biden will be the next president of the united states of america. and we do hope that -- and

g.s.a. administrator murphy will legally do her job and ascertain the results of this election. margaret, i think it is important that folks at home understand without ascertainment, there are key things that are not happening. i just listened to your interview with dr. fauci. chief among them is our ability to coordinate with current officials and look under the hood of what is going on. a vaccine is coming very, very soon. a vaccine distribution will fall in the hands of a biden administration. and with every single moment there is a delay of ascertainment, every single moment that our folks are not able to get into and work with current government officials, puts the affective distribution of that vaccine in danger. >> brennan: you're an advisor to the vice president-elect. will she be in charge of the administration's covid task force, as the current administration is? >> i don't want to get ahead of the

president-elect or the vice president-elect. but she has been a key partner with the president-elect throughout this transition. as you probably have heard already, we will be announcing some of their first cabinet picks this tuesday. and they have really dug in on this partnership. so you can bet, obviously covid-19 will be a day-one goal and focus of this administration. and the vice presiden president-elect will be a key partner in that work. >> brennan: will we get an answer to that question on tuesday? you said picks, plural. >> picks, yes. there will be cabinet nominations and picks. i can't tell you how many or who, but i can tell you that the president-elect is starting to put together his cabinet. >> brennan: i want to ask you about covid. you said the biden administration will have to distribute the bulk of

these doses of a vaccine. but the president-elect was critical of the trump administration's current plan to use commercial entities, retailers, dozens of pharmacies to distribute the vaccine. he said this week there are a lot of them that aren't in rural communities and are not located in pure communities, african-american and latino communities. what alternative is he proposing to distribute the vaccine? >> well, margaret, the president-elect, frankly, has keyed on a weakness we've seen in the trump administration. when it comes to distribution, whether we were talking about personal protective equipment or the p.p.p. funds in our country, it had not gotten to the folks that need it most. so it should not be lost on folks. it is rural communities, it is urban communities, african-american and latino communities, native-american

communities being hit hardest by this virus. in a biden/harris administration, that vaccination distribution plan will be one that doesn't just lean on these outside commercial companies, but really puts together a plan centered in the federal government on how to reach the folks that need it most. i go back, margaret, to my previous note about the lack of g.s.a. ascertainment. i wish i could tell you about the distribution plan we have set up, but i can't because we don't have asser ascertainment. >> brennan: we look forward to the answer to that question. thank you, si symone sanders, for joining us today. we'll be back with more "face the nation." neighbor 2: (laughing) at least geico makes bundling our home and car insurance easy.

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