jericka. >> duncan: lilia luciano in los angeles, thank you. the prospect of vaccines on the horizon has boosted hopes for an end to the pandemic worldwide. cbs's elizabeth palmer reports. >> in italy parishners are back in church. masked, socially distanced, and likely planning a quiet holiday season at home as italy has spanned regional travel. there is not going to be any joy on europe's ski hills either. almost all are staying closed. and in britain stores in some big cities like london are open again. but visiting family and friends indoors is still against the rules. >> people in europe are fed up with the covid restrictions. but they know they'll be getting a vaccine sometime in the new yeemplet it's people in developing countries who can expect no such relief any time soon, who are really under the gun. >> often the local hospitals are overwhelmed as they are in brazil. after a dip earlier in the fall the number of infections and deaths there are rocketing up. and in turkey cities were empty this weekend after the government imposed the

adriana. >> diaz: lilia luciano in los angeles, thank you.y, the european union began vaccinating the first of its 450 million people across 27 nations. nearly two million americans have already received the first dose of the vaccine, and over 9.5 million doses have been disributed here. but as cbs's manuel bojorquez reports from wisconsin, most people in rural areas are still waiting. >> reporter: the rush of vaccines may soon start to trickle into places like fort atkinson, wisconsin, which is tucked away from the big city traffic and noise, but also lacks what other large cities have-- ultra-cold freezers needed to store pfizer's covid vaccine. ann lewandowski, with the southern wisconsin immunization consortium, is helping rural hospitals secure doses. is daunting the right word? >> yes. there will be communities that aren't going to see vaccine in these initial shipments. >> reporter: in fact, many states have chosen to reserve their limited supply of pfizer's vaccine for more-populated areas. so moderna's vaccine, which does not require

we begin with cbs' lilia luciano in california, where as we said, covid cases are skyrocketing. evening, lilia. >> reporter: good evening, nty had its deadliest day today with 145 deaths. l.a. county had its deadliest day today with 145 deaths. since the beginning of november, cases have skyrocketed by 900% and deaths by 500%. one california nurse told us he grew up in a war-torn country, and yet this is the most scared he's ever been. critically ill patients spilling into hallways. i.c.u.s completely full. that's how bad it's gotten in california. in los angeles county, hospitals admitted less than 150 covid patients a day in october. by thanksgiving, it was 300. and now, 700 a day, and getting worse. among those answering the call for help, traveling nurse sara houze from washington, d.c., who has filled in across the country, including in hard-hit el paso. >> it's pretty gruesome, and it's like slow-motion trauma. >> reporter: this week, she began work in california, which took more than nine months to reach one million covid cases. just six weeks later, the state about to hi

adriana. >> diaz: lilia luciano in los angeles, thank you. the pandemic changed the way christmas was celebrated around the world. cbs' holly williams gives us a glimpse. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: there were no worshipers in notre dame cathedral in paris this christmas, only a recording of a choir singing in the medieval structure that was severely damaged by a fire last year. there were no crowds in the vatican's st. peter's square, where normally they'd gather in the tens of thousands to hear the pope's christmas blessing. and here in london, many people felt that christmas had effectively been canceled after a new mutated version of the virus was discovered, and the city went into strict lockdown. ♪ ♪ but from windsor castle, where queen elizabeth is social distancing, the 94-year-old monarch reminded her people to stay optimistic in her traditional christmas day message. >> even on the darkest nights, there is hope in the new dawn. >> reporter: for christians, this holiday i >> reporter: for christians, this holiday is a celebration of hope, symbo

>> garrett: lilia luciano, thank you.ws s spent chririss day scrambmbling to rerestore pr to more ththan 200,00000 homes d businesssses in the e northeast. a a powerful c christmas e eve m dumped snonow across the midwes, causing numerous accidents on icy roads. pittsburgh broke its christmas day record, with nearly four inches of snow on the ground. farther east, howling winds knocked down trees and power lines, and driving rain caused widespread flooding. now to paris, where, for the first time since the notre dame cathedral was heavily damaged in a fire, a christmas choir-- wearing hard hats-- rang in the holiday. more than 20 months after that fire, the 850-year-old cathedral is slowly being rebuilt, with the help of donations from america. here is cbs's roxana saberi. >> reporter: through this gaping hole in the heart of paris come sounds of christmas-- ♪ ♪ --and a symbol of resilience and hope. ♪ ♪ this is the first time the notre dame choir is singing inside the cathedral since a fire tore through it in april last

more now from cbs' lilia luciano. >> reporter: an alarming milestone: california surpassing two million covid cases. in los angeles county, these carts tell the story. hospitalizations soaring, as are the number of deaths, 145 more than just yesterday. >> we have never seen daily death rates this high throughout the course of the pandemic, and the model predicts that the worst is yet to come. the surge that we are in right now was avoidable. >> reporter: health officials say people not adhering to strict social guidelines are fueling the rise in cases. those hoping to get vaccinated quickly may have to wait a bit. federal officials had estimated 20 million doses would arrive by the end of december, but that many won't even be delivered until early next year. among those who just got the vaccine, nursing home residents near seattle, the nation's first hot spot. this is 92-year-old "lovie" therriault. >> take that, covid. >> reporter: there are more concerns tonight over covid's impact on the black community, where the virus' death rate is nearly twice that of white patients. >> i am shor

cbs's lilia luciano has more. >> tonight the holiday rush is on. millions of travelers defying cdc warnings to stay home. tsa screening more than two million flyers since friday. and over 80 million people are expected to hit the roads. this as the covid surge is crushing records and hospitals. the nation's epicenter california where more people are dying now than in any other point in this pandemic. worst yet, in l.a. county someone dies every half hour. those on the front lines considering the unimaginable. rationing care. >> if you have a heart attack, if you get into a car accident, if you fall off a ladder or have a stroke, we may not have a bed for you. >> icu capacity in the state sat a mere 2 percent, ambulances waiting seven hours to get patients to the er. 19 states reporting record hospitalizations this week. former fda commissioner dr. scott gottlieb told "face the nation," infections won't peak until january. >> after those infections peak we'll continue to see deaths continue to increase for another three weeks. >> despite the danger,

cbs'ses lilia luciano leads us off. >> reporter: california is on the brink facing tough new covid restrictions million have been ordered to stay home now and for the holidays. >> it's frustrating but it's all for the best reasons. >> reporter: little had comfort for the small businesses who are worrying they will not survive. >> everything that i own is being taken from me. >> reporter: and others saying they are going to defy the governor's order. >> the riverside sheriff's department will not be black mailed, bullied or used as muscle against residents. >> reporter: u.s. has recorded 1 million new cases since december 1st. >> only we can save us from the current surge. >> reporter: health workers are straining to keep up. 25 hospitals are reporting record hospitalizations. >> we have seen it quadruple fold increase in the hospitalizationed patients. >> reporter: the senior vice president of cedar sinai medical center. what are you seeing different from march? >> the adrenalin that fueled the selflessness in the beginning is waning and it's, people are really running a marathon like a sprint.