tv Andrea Mitchell Reports MSNBC December 14, 2020 9:00am-10:00am PST
9:00 am
good day. i'm andrea mitchell. the first americans have now been injected with the phaser vaccine. first to get the shots, frontline health care workers including medical care nurse sandra lindsay. >> hopeful. i feel hopeful, relieved. i feel like -- is coming. i hope this marks the beginning of the end of the very painful time in our history. >> nearly 3 million doses are
9:01 am
officially being sent to more than 600 locations around the country in all 50 states. the governors of each state then deciding which categories of people that get it first. the first step in a rollout that dr. fauci told hallie today that it will have the rest of the population getting the vaccine by march or april. at the same time, covid-19 is surging with more than 4 million confirmed cases in the last few weeks and thousands of new deaths every day. the toll is expected to reach a devastating milestone today. 300,000 americans will have died of covid-related illness. our team is in place with the latest on the pfizer rollout. gabe gutierrez is in columbus, ohio, sam brock is in new orleans, morgan chesky is in louisville and monica alba is at the white house. gabe, first to you in ohio, we've seen throughout the morning frontline care workers getting the vaccine. but then in phase two, it becomes more complicated.
9:02 am
tell us what's going on where you are. >>. >> there is a historic moment. just a few minutes ago, the last of the first doses were administered here at the ohio state university wexner medical center. that's one of the vials that actually was administered, again, just a few minutes ago. last hour, we brought you as this was happening live in this hospital is getting 975 doses. it actually got it this morning. a u.p.s. truck came here. it was greeted by hospital sav, by the governor of ohio. and also by these fln workers. one of them who just received that vaccine is right here. she's a nurse in an icu. you've been dealing with covid patients for the last several months. how did it feel to get that vaccine just a few moments ago. >> a big relooefr. a lot of us have been on edge for nine plus months now and it's significant. like burden lifted off your
9:03 am
shoulders to feel like you finally have something in your arsenal against this. >> and did it happen? how did it feel? did it feel just like a flu vaccine? it was almost as if you blinked then you missed it. >> i hurts less than the flu vaccine. i didn't even feel it go in. it didn't even sting. >> andrew ya, thank you very much. i can tell you so many health care workers have been working so hard for months and they are exhausted. it's incredible to see them here getting this first vaccine. here at this hospital and other hospitals throughout the country, more than 600 sites are expected to get this first round of vaccines by wednesday. they expect to administer more of this vaccine tomorrow. >> it's emotional just watching that and listening to her. they have the stress of what they're dealing with every day
9:04 am
plus the fear that they're bringing it into their own households, possibly infecting their own children, parents, spouses. thank you so much for bringing that to us. meanwhile, pfizer needs to get these doses to areas in subzero temperatures. tell us what you're seeing there. >> we're here at the u.p.s. whirl port. we were here yesterday when that 757 touched down, unloading the first shipments of the vaccine, some of which are staying here in louisville. you mentioned that incredibly low temperature that these vaccines have to be kept at. i am holding one of the key tools u.p.s. is deploying. this is a bluetooth sensor delaysed placed inside each and
9:05 am
every vaccine box. it can track realtime location for each shipment and this monitors the temperature to make sure that those vials are kept at negative 94. should that temperature start to rise even by a few degrees, u.p.s. officials tell me they were deploy a member to that specific box that they can track down, open it and pack more dry ice inside it. each one of these box has about 50 pounds in it. this is what they're using to make sure there is no issue from the start point to the endpoint to make sure that this vaccine is still available when it arrives at the hospital. and we got a chance to witness that financrsthand within the p hour at louisville hospital where they had several doctors and nurses walk up on to a stage where they applauded. important to know that after being taken from the port in a u.p.s. truck to the hospital, they're unloaded very carefully.
9:06 am
then these vaccines are taken into a lab where they can start to thaw to be placed into a syringe and administered to those health care workers that have been fighting so hard since this pan dem you can began. having witnessed that 757 touch down here idea with that very first shipment and then today see picture after picture, video after video of those vaccines being administered all over the entire country, it does give us a sense of how quickly this process is moving and how quickly it will continue to go forward. a second wave will be administered tonight and another one tomorrow. >> and they have to make sure people between 17 and 21 days, i think is the parameter, whatever that precise number is, they have to make sure they get the second dose within did time limit and have that available. it's a very complicated process.
9:07 am
thanks so much, morgan. monica at the white house, a little confusion. not surprisingly. top federal officials were supposedly in line to get early doses of the vaccine. according to the continuation of government act to make sure that they are protected. late last night, president trump threw a wrench into those plans. >> exactly. senior officials across all branches of government were expected to be included in essentially the first wave of vaccine distribution in the coming weeks, but that was met with some severe backlashñafter you zoom out and realize the irony of some of the white house aides in particular and staffers who have continued to essentially flout cdc guidelines, they're gathering at holiday indoor parties, so the idea that they would be among the first americans to get this vaccine when others would be waiting for access was something that optically bothered
9:08 am
president trump enough to declare he wanted to make an adjustment to that and he issued that tweet overnight in a rare reversal saying that while he wants white house aides to have vaccines initially, he said they will get them later. the trump administration really only has about five weeks left. and if we are to believe the health and human services secretary, the general population should have access by late february/early march. trump white house officials will be gone by then because the incoming biden administration will be sworn in, of course. so questions as to how much this will be delayed, but the president raised the notion that he will not be getting a vaccine immediately either or at this time. and that's partially because he's already had coronavirus and it's not clear yet where the science lands on somebody who has recovered and they still have antibodies, somebody who hasn't had it, vice president mike pence i'm told is considering whether to do it
9:09 am
publicly to boost access to the vaccine and he may be doing that in the next couple of weeks. >> sam brock, hospitals are receiving the vaccine. how are the doctors and the staff preparing for the next phase in the fight against covid once the front line workers are taken care of? >> right now they're trying to set a good example. this is oxner health behind me, the largest health care provider in new orleans and in the state of louisiana. i talked to the head of the pediatric icu here just a few minutes ago. she has a 13-year-old and a 16-year-old. she tells me when she treats children, she sees her own children. she has watched a 15-month-old die, watched a 15-year-old die, and she sees her own family in that process. when she comes home at night,
9:10 am
she takes a shower immediately. these are the sacrifices that health care workers have had to he make for so long. they are now the ones on the tip of the spear here getting the very first vaccinations. where i am right now, those vaccines came rolling in just before 8:00 this morning local. by 9:30, there were needles in arms. we actually got to see this in realtime on a facebook live stream. the president of oxner health was out there sort of narrating this play by play as we watched those very first health care workers get their shots. they were exuberant. they were so happy to set this example for their communities. one of those doctors is a cuban american. he lives with his mom and basically said that this is something he wants to show the cuban american community, hispanic community, that if there is some distrust, certainly overindexing in terms of overindexing, it is safe. i am part of the solution. you, too, can be part of the solution.
9:11 am
we spoke with an expert in emergency medicine about the precedent of what we're watching unfold. there were about 40,000 doses expected for this week in louisiana. 40,000 the following week, as well. here is how he puts it in the arc of history. >> we've been looking forward to this for many months. this is something that we didn't think maybe what happened in 2020. so the fact that we're finally here receiving these vaccines this week and we'll start to, you know, give these vaccines to our health care workers, i think, is extremely important. we're excited about it. we're ready to start protecting our workforce. and hopefully this will be the beginning of the end of this pandemic. >> certainly amen to that. and also, i spoke with the governor of the state, john bell edwards, andrea. he told me they are expecting potentially moderna vaccines next week, as well. that's the vaccine that will be going to those longer term care
9:12 am
facilities, and it doesn't have the extreme temperature requirements that pfizer does. >> sam brock, monica, gabe, thank you also very much. dr. amesh hidaja from the bloomberg school of public health and center for health security, thanks for being with us. this is just the first step. there's concern across the country as states are taking different approaches on who gets immunized. that's our federal system. but are there medical ethical issues here that need to be addressed? there are so many vulnerable populations, particularly minority communities, black and hispanic communities where many of the front line workers, but others are arguing for firefighters, teachers, to get kids back in schools, meat packing industry has been disproportionately affected. and then you've got the whole category of serious. should it be all seniors,
9:13 am
seniors with comorbidities? how do people, especially governors who are politically compromised potentially and people, you know, could be lobbying them. how do you make sure that the right -- that the scarce commodity right now gets to the right people? >> it's going to be very difficult. the easy part is health care workers and nursing home residents because we know that makes a lot of sense to vaccinate those groups first. but when you start thinking about how each state defines essential workers, it becomes more difficult. what we have to keep in mind is the overall goal of this vaccine is to decrease the harm this virus is causing. we're worried about the disruptions to our lives plus hospitals going into crisis. i do think law enforcement, firefighters, first responders, teachers, those people who work in meat packing plants and maybe in some essential government workers, those are probably going to be considered essential in most states.
9:14 am
but there's always going to be some debate and i think it's going to be very difficult. hopefully the cdc, the acibp, as well as some of the organizations are going to be clear about who should get the vaccine first. but i do think it's going to be -- >> and i know because of continuity of government there was the thought that essential government workers, senior white house staff included, but there were a lot of people who immediately reacted because the white house has been notably resistant to wearing mask and it has been a superspreader occasion in the rose garden, the election night parties that led to a lot of people becoming infected. >> i agree that i don't think the white house should be putting in front of nursing home
9:15 am
providers. they should stay in line just like everybody else. there is an argument for some of them, but this white house has been a fountain of misinformation and the reason that we're all relying on a vaccine to get us out of this is because decisive action was not taken by this white house in january, february and march when things could have a lot different. so i do think that it makes a lot of sense to put the white house behind health care workers and nursing home residents. >> this mortgages r morning, dr. fauci talked about when americans will be able to go to your local pharmacy and get the vaccine. here was his answer. >> i had been saying by my calculation sometime by the end of march, the beginning of april, that the normal healthy man and woman in the street who has no underlying conditions
9:16 am
would likely get it. at the end of the day, the real bottom line is, when do you get the majority, the overwhelming majority of the population vaccinated so you can get that umbrella of herd immunity? and i believe if we are efficient about it and we convince people to get vaccinated, we can accomplish that by the end of the second quarter of 2021. >> so that is probably the most reasonable projection we've heard. he's saying the end of the second quarter. does that make sense to you? >> it does. i do think we're looking well into 2021 by the time that happens. things will started to change. we won't hear about hospitals in crisis any more. the threat perception and the risk perception are going to
9:17 am
change once we defang this virus by getting our high risk populations vaccinated. when health care workers and other workers feel safe to go about their lives, we will get to some sense of normal. but it's going to be what is probably going to be mid 2021 as dr. faupy stated. >> that, of course, assumes they can work out these supply chain issues and is moderna gets approved and eventually johnson & johnson and astrazeneca, as well. thank you very, very much. and here is a live look inside state capitals in pennsylvania, georgia, arizona and delaware where the other big story today, electors are formally casting their ballots for joe biden to be the next president of the united states. today, electors from all 50 states are voting, a process that is normally just a formality. it's now a key moment after president trump and his allies have spent weeks trying to overturn the election results with baseless legal challenges.
9:18 am
a final blow was the supreme court, including three of mr. trump's nominees, refusing to even hear that controversial texas challenge late friday night. the president refuses to move on and pro trump demonstrators took to the streets in washington, d.c. saturday spurring violent clashes. several people were stand, four people stand critically. associations affiliated with the broud boys tore down black lives matters signs, destroying the signs and lighting some on fire. president-elect joe biden planning to address the country tonight in a victory speech on the strength and resilience of our democracy and tomorrow joe biden will head to georgia for the first day of senate runoff elections. blain alexander in marietta, georgia, i understand that stacey abrams was one of the
9:19 am
electors voting today. i think we just had a shot of her. >>. >> absolutely. you see here there. stacey abrams is among the biggest names of those. all of that is going on, of course, the 16 electoral votes cast to specifically make joe biden and kamala harris the president-elect and vice president-elect. what you see behind me, this is the first day of early voting here in georgia. there's a lot going on in the peach state right here behind me. look at this. this is the line. the line has looked like this since almost before 7:00 this morning when polls opened. for the past few weeks ago, we've been talking about the question of voter enthusiasm, will people turn out, specifically when it comes to the republican party and the
9:20 am
mini messages we've heard from president trump over the last few weeks. so i've spent the better part of the morning talking to voters, many of whom have waited about an hour, an hour and a half, some as long as two hours to cast their ballot in the elections. i spoke with one who is a republican. he is supports senators loeffler and purdue. he typically votes absentee ballot, but he says he no longer trust that's process and some of that has to do with what he's heard from president trump and other republicans. we're also hearing from a number of democrats, one of whom told me that this is essentially an extension of the presidential election and they think it's just that important. andrea, that really has been the case that democrats have been trying to make to drive turnout here, as well. it's also a big reason why we're expecting to see the president-elect campaigning here before tomorrow. >> obviously, georgia is the
9:21 am
center of the political universe until january 5th and maybe afterwards, as well. pennsylvania has been the center of the president's lawsuits claiming election fraud from the very beginning. laura, what are you seeing there at the state capital, which i guess is closed to the public because of covid? >> it is, andrea. it's been closed for sevenl weeks because of the coronavirus spikes here in pennsylvania. within minutes, we're expecting to see those 20 electors vote for president-elect joe biden. what is interesting is pennsylvania is not a state that electors are required to vote in line with what the popular voed vote was. pennsylvania did go for joe biden. but we are speccing them to see in line because pennsylvania allows the candidate's teams to pick the electors.
9:22 am
there are going to be some familiar faces. but we have seen the president just last week calling the gop house speaker here, looking to find any way he might be able to overturn the election results here in pennsylvania, the state republican house speaker saying, look, there's nothing in the legislature we can do. that said, about 75 republicans here in pennsylvania did send a letter to congress urging them to reject electors for president-elect joe biden. i did reach out to the pennsylvania republicans just so ask, you know, what's going on today? what more can you done? are you going to accept the results of the election today? they're out of session. so there's nothing that can be done. this is that final official step as to whether republicans choose to accept the results or not.
9:23 am
these results will be official, andrea. >> thank you to both of you. and joining me now, phil rucker and jeff bennet. jeff and phil, there has to be a lot of excitement in bidenville today. finally, the electors are voting. after they vote, phil, congress has to officially count the votes on january 6th. you've got those 126 house republicans who signed on to the texas brief which really had no standing according to the supreme court, was a frivolous result according to legal experts we've had on. let's take a look at karl rove. >> his goal is delay the predicate to come back in 2024 and run again. he's helping himself at least
9:24 am
game the nomination, but i think in the long run, he's not helping himself or the country. america lives c america likes comebacks, but they don't like sore losers. >> and having covered him as a governor and an education secretary, certainly as a senator, on "meet the press," phil, he was getting into what aboutism. he was defending what the protests and what the president has made and saying, well, al gore waited 37 days. a completely different situation. it's pretty shocking that moderate republicans, as well, are saying wait until january 6th. >> it is shocking. they keep moving these goal posts. first it was take a few days to find the fraud. they couldn't find any fraud.
9:25 am
then it became this political campaign to try to get state legislatures to somehow put forward trump electors even though biden won their states. that failed. the result will be fifd by the electrictory college today. and now it's talking about this act of congress, which is really a pro forma set on january 6th. but the results are clear, joe biden won the election. the issue for trump is he can't come to gribs with that and he's not conceding publicly and because trump is so powerful within the republican party, you have all of these republican senators, lamar alexander, you have the leadership of the house, kevin mccarthy on down siding with some of these baseless claims on fraud in part i think because they're afraid to cross the president. and it's unclear how this is all going end other than joe biden
9:26 am
will be naurinaugurated on janu 6th. >> there has been a great deal of tension between president trump and bill barr, the attorney general, for some time now. but it has been building, especially in the last few days after a report that barr knew about the federal investigation into hunter biden before the election but, of course, did not speak about it publicly, which is something that the president very much wanted his attorney general to do. we'll see if he actually fires barr or if barr somehow leaves the office before the term is up on january 20th. trump has threatened to file
9:27 am
many cabinet secretaries over the year, although he has not always followed through. >> although sometimes he has, even on twitter. >> just a bit ago in new york, we saw former president complicaton and hillary clinton who are electors in new york state casting their ballots. there you go. >> yeah. >> so it's all coming home. so i want to ask you about this. this "wall street journal" controversial article on jill
9:28 am
biden. she got her ph.d. when she was 55 years old after raise ago family and being a political spouse and has taught every year where she was in the vice president's house and in the role of second lady, she was still teaching in community college and has taught throughout the campaign as much as she could. >> and it says so much about the author and the paper that chose to publish it. and says very little about the subject of the op-ed. i was particularly struck by the tweet from bernie's king, the daughter of the late reverend king. she sent a tweet to dr. jill biden. but as for the other issue, what we expect to hear from the president-elect tonight, the
9:29 am
transition says that after all of the electors have cast their votes, joe biden will deliver a speech about the strength and resilience of our democracy. and the way it works is that hawaii is set to cast their votes last, around 7:00 p.m. eastern. so about an hour after that, in the 8:00 eastern hour is when joe biden will speak. this will not be a victory speech, necessarily. he's already delivered one of those. but expect a call for unity. expect a collective call for all of us to really sort of steel our spines as this country faces a pandemic and a tough economy. so this provides the biden team yet another opportunity to turn the page. and they have been clamminger to do that to turn this page from the election and focus on the many tasks at hand, andrea. >> and we should point out that dr. biden tweeted last night, together we will build a world
9:30 am
where the accomplishments of our daughters will be celebrated. >> we're doubted by those who choose the weakness of ridicule over the strength of respect and somehow their work can stick after decades of work. we're forced to prove ourselves all over again. what are you hearing from the biden camp over this op-ed? well, we're hearing very little, i guess, jeff, because i suppose they don't want to put more emphasize on it? that's right. yes, on this issue and on the republican resistance about which you were talking with phil, you've seen a really concerted effort by the biden team to try to rob it of oxygen.
9:31 am
really, it includes more than half of the gop conference. so, yes, on this and so many issues, what you're seeing the biden team do is focus on the issues and try their best to tune out the noise, andrea. >> jeff, phil, thanks to both of you. and a massive breach of government computer systems. who is targeted? that's coming up. stay with us. let me tell you something, i wouldn't be here if i thought reverse mortgages took advantage of any american senior, or worse, that it was some way to take your home. learn how homeowners are strategically using a reverse mortgage loan to cover expenses, pay for healthcare, preserve your portfolio and so much more. a reverse mortgage loan isn't some kind of trick to take your home.
9:32 am
it's a loan, like any other. big difference is how you pay it back. find out how reverse mortgages really work with aag's free, no-obligation reverse mortgage guide. with a reverse mortgage, you can pay whatever you can, when it works for you, or, you can wait, and pay it off in one lump sum when you leave your home. discover the option that's best for you. call today and find out more. i'm proud to be a part of aag, i trust em, i think you can too. lelet's get fast, accuratell range oresults.ions. introducing letsgetchecked health testing you do at home. know your health. know yourself. order now at letsgetchecked dot com it only takes a second for an everyday item to become dangerous. tide pods child-guard pack helps keep your laundry pacs in a safe place and your child safer.
9:33 am
to close, twist until it clicks. tide pods child-guard packaging. help the world believe in holiday magic.thing and this year was harder than ever. and yet, somehow, you all found a way to pull it off. it's not about the toys or the ornaments but about coming together. santa, santa, you're on mute! just wanted to say thanks. thanks for believing.
9:35 am
it's the largest foreign government intrusion since six years ago. hackers breached the treasury and commerce departments and other agencies as part of an espionage that may have begun as early as the spring. it's first reported by "the washington post." the kremlin spokesman is denying the accusations. standard denial. joining me now, ken delaney. hey, ken. what do we know? what did they get access to? is there any way to find out? >> that st exactly the question that federal officials are now scrambling to answer. we know the treasury department and the commerce department were breached. and i'm told by two officials briefed on the matter that so far there is no information that
9:36 am
classified networks were penetrated. but given that the treasury department enforces sanctions and the commerce department regulate the internet and negotiates trade deal, there's plenty on those servers that the russians would be interested in. we know this hack is broader than the federal government.it extends to many, many corporations. we're just begin to go learn how far this reach is, andrea. >> ken, i know you're going to stay on it. the treasury does a lot on international and national banking. so there's an amazingly large, you know, treasurer drove of information that could be available. ken, thank you. >> thank you. vaccines are rolling out today. a shot has not yet been cleared for children under the age of 16. but children are vulnerable to covid and are being hospitalized for covid and for a multi system inflammatory system related to covid. hospitals in appalachia are now seeing more children being hospitalized related to covid.
9:37 am
dasha burns is in tennessee. you've been talking to a father whose 11-year-old son, isaiah, is in the hospital. tell us more about their family story. >> hey, andrea. yeah, we spent some time in the children's hospital here where i met isaiah and his father, corey. isaiah was the only person in the family who tested positive for covid-19. they said they did all the right things. they wore masks, they socially distanced. when isaiah tested positive, they quarantined. he recovered, went back to school, but a few weeks later, developed misc, that multi system inflammatory disease in children and wound up here in the hospital. this is the reality. in a community where the levels of virus are so high, in this part of appear lash ya, the positivity rate is 26%. and that impact does trickling down to children, particularly in an area where there are already underlining conditions like asthma in children, already
9:38 am
a respiratory kw . i want you to hear from isaiah's father, corey, about this. >> it was scary. i mean, because you know the path that covid can go. and, you know, it can be -- i don't want to -- that's just something -- that's why we're here. that's why we're here. to take away those fears and get my son back to healthy. >> andrea, the good news is that children do seem to be much more resilient to this virus. they are much more likely to recover. they recover more quickly. but they're not invulnerable. this is an area where there are a lot of nontraditional family structures, kids getting raised by their grandparents, even great-grandparents who are extremely vulnerable. so the message i've been hearing over and over again, this is absolutely not the time to let
9:39 am
up on any of those prevent he measures. wear those masks, socially distance. >> thank you for bringing that story. our wishes go to isaiah and his dad. and i keep remember peter novera saying children are immune to the disease. practicing without a license. now joining us, dr. john torres. thank you so much. first of all, facing are facing a real challenge, who to put in first in line after this first phase of frontline health care workers. twho goes next, other frontline workers, the meat packers, the teachers, the firefighters, the seniors? you know, these are ethical questions, but they're very
9:40 am
practical questions. >> these are ethical and they are practical questions. this is one thing medicine is very good at is doing a triage, saying who are the ones that need it the most? let's get et to them and let's eventually get it to people who might not need it as much, but who are going to need it. the cdc came identity with their recommendations on how you face individuals. that was front line health care workers and other states are saying, we understand that. but we might have 900 shots and 2,000 people that need them. what are we going to do here? some hospitals are saying, let's have a lottery system and do it that way. here in colorado where i live, they're doing a system set up where if you work directly with covid patients, 15 minutes or more a day that puts you at a higher risk, then you get in that first phase.
9:41 am
and they're being very creative in how they're doing this. the moderna one look likes it's coming fairley soon. there will be some people getting it early, some people getting it later, but hopefully everybody gets it and they stay safe is in the interim. >> and there's also a good argument to make for getting it to black people and latino people. people of color who are more vulnerable of covid. and they're more likely to be front line workers. >> exactly. who are the ones who are most vulnerable and at higher risk for having complications from getting covid and not only higher complications from getting covid, but more likely to get covid because of the environment that they're in. some states like colorado is looking at that and saying, let's get those people vaccinated first. other places are saying, let's do a lottery system because we want to be fair across the
9:42 am
board. it's going to vary not just state to state, but county to county, the hospital system and you're going to see throughout the country a variety of different systems they're using to get people vaccinated. but eventually, over the next few weeks, you're going to see that even out and then decide, okay, let's have one system that seems to be working really well and get people the vaccine s wh need it early on. >> the cdc voted its recommendations over the weekend about what cautions, what warnings those who should not get the vaccine, whether it's pregnant women, people with allergies, what do you think of the most important warnings that we should let people know about? >> i think the most important thing to remember here is this is a vaccine. it's a new vaccine. and they have recommended people age 16 and above. as you can see on the graphic there, they didn't specifically exclude pregnant women, but they do say it was not test odd pregnant women. it was not test odd breast-feeding women. so if you're pregnant and you're
9:43 am
a health care provider, you need to talk about your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking that vaccine and make an informed decision that way. the same with a lot of other groups, as well. as far as allergy reactions, there's two cases in the uk that a lot of people are concerned about. so the cdc is addressing it and saying if you had a severe allergic reaction to the components of the vaccine, then you want to go ahead and probably not take it at this point. if you've had allergic reactions to other vaccines, talk to your health care provider. if you have bee allergies, it shouldn't impact that at this point, andrea. >> dr. john torres, the man with all the answers. thank you very much. it's great to see you. and covid vaccination is continuing in britain today. new case these continue to climb. nbc news chief foreign correspondent riched ang engle has the latest from london. >> andrea, here in the uk today, there was a major development. this country obviously was the first country to start giving people the phaser vaccine early
9:44 am
last week. but those initial vaccinations only took place in hospitals. and only a limited number of hospitals that had the ultra cold storage facilities. today what is happening for the first time, vaccinations are being carried out in offices like this. local doctor's offices and that is a major development because it brings the vaccines to the communities, it brings them closer to where the patients live. and this woman right here is about to get her vaccination. what she'll do is she'll -- when her name is called, she'll go around this corner behind these screens and she'll get the injection in her arm. and then at the same time, she will get her appointment for 21 days from now to get the second shot. sth a positive development, making it easier for people to get vaccinated. but as this country has been dealing with the fadespfizer va for about a week now and is jus% starting to get its hands on it,
9:45 am
i think the americans are going to see problems or challenges that this vaccine presents that they've already been steeg eein this country. the vaccine is extremely fragile. it can only be moved four times, four logistical moves. once it is dethawed and ready for use, it can only be kept in a fridge for five days. so that means here, at this office, now that they've received these thawed out vaccines, they only have five days to get rid of them and they don't want to waste any. so it's working appointment only and it is a relatively slow process because the vaccines are fragile. but it is happening. but even as this is happening, today the health minister here announced because covid rates are going up, london moved into tier three, its highest state of lockdown. that means that bars and restaurants are closing again and they're going review it right before christmas. andrea.
9:46 am
>> richard engle, thanks very much for that on the scene report from london. and the campaign to overcome skepticism about the covid vaccine in black communities after all that they suffered from medical experimentation for centuries is the administration doing enough to deal with these fears, legitimate fears in vulnerable communities? california congresswoman joins me now. and arizona has just verified their electoral votes. tonights, we're going to hear from joe biden at 8:00 p.m. for his reaction. them, so...change . alright, let's see what we can adjust. ♪ we'd be closer to the twins. change in plans. okay. mom, are you painting again? you could sell these. lemme guess, change in plans? at fidelity, a change in plans is always part of the plan.
9:47 am
9:49 am
we're going to find the perfect tree. we're going skating. we're going to nana's. wherever you go this holiday, chevy can help you get there. which is why we're making our chevy... ...employee discount available to everyone. the chevy price you pay... ...is what we pay. not a cent more. so wherever you go, happy holidays from chevy. use the chevy employee discount for everyone to get over six thousand eight hundred dollars below msrp on this equinox. get the chevy employee discount for everyone today.
9:50 am
now to the immense challenge of convincing all americans to get a covid vaccine if it's available to them, especially in communities of color struggling with higher rates of covid infections. a recent kaiser study shows 50% are keptical about the vaccine, including many health workers. antonio hilton joins us from university hospital in newark, new jersey. tony, you spoke to six black nurses there, what are they saying about any concerns they have and what are they hearing from the community?
9:51 am
>> hey, andrea, so there is a mix of excitement and then a lot of nerves here. simon university hospital and this is the site where tomorrow the very first person in the state is going to get the vaccine and also where a survey was conducted and only 50% of the staff members feel comfortable taking the vaccine. i spoke to those six black nurses who are residents in the newark area and front line health care workers and what i learned is that there is a long history of segregation and discrimination here. many black health care workers and residents have low trust in the institutions that are meant to serve them and also a long history of medical discrimination against black patients and then there's been sort of political element here. so, many of them feel that president trump is associated with the development of this vaccine and black people in newark are not big fans of the president. take a listen to this conversation i had with those nurses here in newark.
9:52 am
>> when you don't see people of color, you don't know who to trust. and even sometimes myself when i go into an institution and i don't say that i'm a nurse, the treatment is different. >> people saw the pressure that was put out to develop this vaccine really quickly and i think that definitely, definitely plays into a lot of the distrust. >> so, that trust piece is going to be key here. and the hospital is already mobilizing heap! care workers and faith-based leaders they have relationships with to gain people's trusts and listen to their fears and they say that is the major bottle neck to get it ready and vaccinated and that's the work they're committed to now. >> antonio, thank you so much. so terribly important. joining me now barbara lee. congresswoman, thanks for being with us. is the administration doing enough? where is the public campaign to persuade black people, latino
9:53 am
people and other communities of color who have been experimented on in the past going back to slavery by the medical establishment with, you know, no information, no warnings and no control over themselves, their lives. where is the public service campaign to overcome their skepticism? >> andrea, nice to be with you. thank you for the question. you know, the administration is not doing a thing to address, one, racism in the public health system. but, two, helping us target resources to medically underserved communities, black and brown communities which have been disproportionately hit by this deadly virus. couple things i would just like to hear. one i introduced the community, the covid community cares act and hispanic caucus and our native american women. we put that bill in and we have
9:54 am
provisions in the hero's act to target resources to our communities but also to make sure that the resources go to faith-based organizations, nonprofits and to hire and train trusted messengers to deliver these public health messages because to put it in historical context, there is a reason to be skeptical with regard to anything that the federal government embarks upon, especially this administration. >> and we should note that the irony of this is that a black woman is a lead scientist behind the moderna vaccine with the nih. so it would be helpful, you know, to see her more frequently. she has been at dr. fauci's side with the president i believe at one of the photo opportunities to have people like that, people who look like the community on the front lines for the vaccine roll out. >> yes. and she's a phenomenal,
9:55 am
brilliant, african-american woman and i'm so proud of her, first of all. and i think that we recognize the fact that she is a trusted messenger. as we speak, let me mention that we're working with senator warren and the senators to try to put provisions in the stimulus package that would, once again, target the resources. we can have trusted messengers from our community who deliver these public health messages because they are using experimental medications and surgeries on black and brown people. it's part of the history of racism in the public health system. so, this is a tall order because all of us understand this deeply and we've got to make sure that the resources are there to put the messages out so that we can save lives and move forward. >> are any of the provisions
9:56 am
targeting the hero's act any of those provisions in the compromise bill that is now the centerpiece of potential break through? >> we're trying now. and senator warren has been such a champion in the senate to help us try to get it. i believe right now there is about $15 billion or $16 billion in this new negotiation in this new stimulus bill. but we're trying to put the exact provisions that we had in the hero's bill as it relates to targeting the funding in terms of vaccine testing and delivering of the public health messages through nonprofits and faith-based groups. using trusted messengers. those are the provisions we put into the hero's act as we seek this next stimulus bill. >> stay in touch with us. any progress, congresswoman, always great to see you. thank you very much. that does it. we're out of time for this edition of "andrea mitchell
10:00 am
230 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
MSNBC West Television Archive Television Archive News Search Service The Chin Grimes TV News ArchiveUploaded by TV Archive on