he's a custodian at arrowhead. every day wrapped head to toe in ppe.e cleans and cares for the rooms that house the covid patients. >> i wonder what you think when you're in there thinking and the patient is there p. i pray for the patients. as i clean. >> but for reports like arrowhead, there's more help on the way in the form of a second vaccine. this time from moderna. yesterday, the fda's independent panel on vaccines endorsed the moderna vaccine for emergency use. dr. eric ruben is a member of that commission. >> what should people take away from the panel's nearly unanimous yes? >> i think the important message is the panelists felt very confident in the vaccine. and these are going to be some of the first people in line to get the vaccine themselves and give it to their families. >> reporter: all week we've noticed enthusiasm from frontline workers who were either giving the pfizer vaccine to their colleagues or receiving it. >> it was like you were giving them a shot of gold. they were so excited about it. >> reporter: for this nurse in lafayet

at arrowhead regional medical center outside of l.a., the i.c.u. beds are full. patients are now being treated inside these tents. >> we're at the point where we no longer can take care of them. you know, we're doing our best. >> reporter: in l.a. county, where one in 80 people is believed to be contagious with covid, ambulances are waiting hours outside hospitals to unload patients. >> we've had instance where's it's been up to six and seven hours. >> reporter: california's mass fatality plan kicking into high gear, the state buying 5,000 body bags and rolling in 60 refrigerated storage units, which will be used as morgues. today, healthcare workers at l.a.'s cedars-sinai got their first dose of the pfizer vaccine as the county pushes to vaccine 6,000 frontline workers by christmas. meanwhile, state leaders nationwide are warning people, the vaccine won't cure foolish decisions. >> it won't cure an attitude of a refusal to wear a mask. >> reporter: paula and rose blackwell dedicated their lives to education and raising their own five children. paul was a middle

. >> just outside of los angeles, the arrowhead regional medical center in san bernardino, so overwhelm had to treat covid-19 patients inside the surge tents. >> look around, it's not ideal. >> all beds full. the majority, covid patients. the death, the suffering, taking a toll. >> it's the hardest year i have had as a nurse had. and we have seen -- things don't change you're concerned? >> if things don't change, we are going to probably be rash onni -- rationing care, and it's a concern. >> the state reporting 147,000 new cases in just three days. activating the mass fatality plan, ordering 5,000 body bags, and 60 refrigerated trucks for morgues. we will have more dead bodies than we have spaces in the morgue, that frightens me. that should frighten you. >> officials say an average of two people are dying i ever hour. >> the number of patients hospitalized across l.a. county tripling over the past month to more than 5,000. >> we are getting crushed. i'm not going sugar coat this this. we are getting crushed. >> in some areas, emergency rooms are so crowded that ambulances had to wait h

. >> reporter: san bernardino's arrowhead regional center is at capacity. this doctor has worked 11 days in a row. when you have patients being treated in tents in the parking lot, in trailers in the parking lot, how long is this sustainable? >> it's already not sustainable. we already are running out of emergency room beds and running out of icu beds and running out of ppe. >> reporter: the hospital now on what they call internal disaster mode. the e.r. so full they've even put beds in a conference room and hold patients with paramedics in the ambulance bay until they can find space for them. sometimes that takes hours. >> we don't have the ability to respond. >> reporter: this as the death toll from the virus hits staggering levels. roughly 92 americans reported dead every hour last week. the pandemic hitting close to home for dr. anthony fauci who revealed his daughter's boyfriend lost his brother to covid. >> so there you have it. 32-year-old young man, otherwise healthy actually, quite athletic and strong who died. it was very sad. it was very much rea

just outside of los angeles, the arrowhead regional medical center in san bernardino so overwhelmed they'veo treat covid-19 patients inside these surg tents. >> this is not a good idea. >> reporter: the relentless pace, the suffering taking a toll. >> it's probably the hardest year i've ever had as a nurse. and we still have our families and loved ones to worry about. >> reporter: dr. borger said this is the worker crisis he's faced in his 25-year career. >> thing that keeps me up is, when there's a time that we have to decide who gets something and who does not. >> reporter: so if things don't change, you're concerned? >> if things don't change, we're probably going to be rationally care and that's something concerning. >> reporter: that's a decision a doctor never wants to make. >> nobody wants to make. >> reporter: more than 300,000 cases in just three days. 5,000 body bags, six refrigerated trailers on standby as makeshift morgues. >> that means we expect to have more dead bodies than spaces in morgues for them. that frightens me. and that should frighten you. >> reporter: in los angele

just outside of los angeles, the arrowhead regional medical center in san bernardino, so overwhelmed,d to treat covid-19 patients inside these surge tents. >> this is not ideal. >> reporter: all 48 icu beds full, the majority covid patients. the death, the suffering taking a toll. >> it's probably the hardest year i've ever had as a nurse, and we still have loved ones to worry about. >> reporter: dr. rodney borger said this is the worst crisis he's faced in his 25-year career. >> the thing that keeps me up is, we have to decide who gets something and who does not. >> if things don't change, you're concerned? >> if things don't change, we're going to probably be rationing care. and that's something that's very concerning. >> that's a decision no doctor wants to make. >> reporter: the state, reporting more than 147,000 new coronavirus cases in just three days. activating its mask fatality plan, ordering 5,000 body bags, 60 refrigerated trailers on stand by as makeshift morgues. >> we expect to have more dead bodies than spaces in morgues for them. that frightens me and should frighten y

that's because the denver broncos race right into arrowhead stadium to take on the chiefs that's righthe bronco there. he is sounding under the weather. >> might have to put him down there. >> anyway, we want to turn to a beloved holiday tradition here at "today. >> for 28 years people have come down here into the plaza with their donations. though we might be missing that this year, we're going digital in 2020. >> you can scan the code below the qr code with your smartphone, and this year we are going to partner with our parent company comcast who is helping communities in need by donating toys with the lift zone by providing free wi-fi internet access to nonprofit centers where students can get online to participate in distance learning. >> that's benefiting the boys and girls club to philadelphia a lifeline through that internet access and by providing more than 176,000 meals to children in need. and good morning to you both elizabeth, i every day after school in california would go to the boys club. it would be my home away from home and bridge the gap until both my working parents