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FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization for Pfizer and BioNTech Coronavirus Vaccine; CDC Advisory Committee to Meet and Vote on Vaccine Recommendations; Pfizer Facilities to Begin Shipping Vaccine to States Across U.S.; Vaccine Efficacy for Children Under Age 16 and Pregnant Women Uncertain; President Trump Criticizes Attorney General Bill Barr for Not Making Hunter Biden Investigation Public before Election; Supreme Court Rejects Texas Lawsuit Challenging Ballot Counting Process in Swing States; Army and Navy to Hold Annual Football Game; Young Entrepreneur Produces Fashionable Facemasks. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired December 12, 2020 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:00:00]

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN ANCHOR: That does it for me. Enjoy your weekend. See you next week.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good Saturday morning to you. It's December 12th. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Amara Walker in for Christi Paul, and you're in the CNN Newsroom.

BLACKWELL: And just minutes ago the FDA explained their decision to issue an emergency use authorization for Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine.

WALKER: The FDA commissioner says the U.S. government is already working to distribute doses and reassured Americans they are moving quickly and safely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN HAHN, FDA COMMISSIONER: Let me be clear. Efficiency does not mean any cutting of corners. Medical products are still undergoing rigorous study in clinical trials. Important safety checks remain in place. This vaccine met the FDA's rigorous standards for quality, safety, and efficacy. Science and data guided the FDA's decision. We worked quickly based on the urgency of this pandemic, not because of any other external pressure. This decision was based on the strongest scientific integrity, and I am so proud of the work that our career scientists have done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Next hour, another key step towards signing off on vaccinations begins. A CDC advisory committee will be meeting to discuss and eventually vote on recommending the vaccine. BLACKWELL: CNN's health reporter, Jacqueline Howard, is with us now.

Jacqueline, you've been watching the news conference that just wrapped up. Tell us what you've learned, any new developments about the vaccine.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Yes, well, again, this press conference just ended, and what we heard from FDA commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn is that the next steps are moving quickly. He said that they are working with federal partners to get shipments out. There is that next step of hearing from the CDC. We are expecting the CDC advisory committee on immunization practices to have a meeting later today.

But on the FDA side Dr. Stephen Hahn spoke about how they worked on getting this vaccine authorized quickly. He emphasized, as we heard, that there were no corners cut. And then he mentioned how there are the moving parts now of looking at distribution and looking at getting vaccine doses out to states. So that's what we heard.

But there was also mention, Victor, of how clinical trials are continuing. There was also mention of how FDA scientists are still looking at data. And there was mention of how there are still some questions we need to answer, questions specifically about pregnant women, for instance, what does the vaccine mean for them, for children under age 16, for people with a history of allergic reactions to vaccine. All of those groups are areas of interest for the FDA right now. So that was mentioned as well. And the commissioner said that as data continue to be collected, we should hear more updates on what has been found.

WALKER: And we heard Dr. Hahn there emphasizing that it was the science and data that guided the process. And he also responded to reports that claimed he was going to be fired by the White House if the vaccine didn't receive the emergency use authorization. What did he say about that?

HOWARD: That's right, he was specifically asked about this political pressure and here was his response. Let's hear the words straight from Dr. Hahn. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAHN: The representations in the press that I was threatened to be fired if we didn't get it done by a certain date is inaccurate. Dr. Marks and I have been very clear from the beginning that we're going to maintain the integrity of the scientific process, we're going to let our scientists do their job and review and go through the fairness of that review, the gold standard. So, we've done that. But we also recognize the urgency of the situation, and so we've said repeatedly we will work as quickly as we can to come to a decision, and that's what we did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD: So, you see there he denied reports of political pressure, but of course this is a question that many Americans have, was there any pressure, and how did that play out within the administration. So, again, it looks like, again, clinical trials are continuing, data are being collected, and we'll probably hear more on next steps.

WALKER: Jacqueline Howard, appreciate you. Thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: Now, while we wait for the vaccine to be distributed, the suffering across this country because of the COVID-19 pandemic, CNN's Polo Sandoval, is outside a hospital in New York. Polo, records for new cases and deaths and hospitalizations all set on Friday.

[10:05:01]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there certainly is a lot of excitement with the Pfizer vaccine development, but it's important, Victor, to remember these milestones that we reached yesterday, very grim milestones. The highest number of hospitalizations of infections, and also of COVID-related deaths. Just yesterday consider there were over 3,300 Americans who lost their lives to the coronavirus. It's certainly important to keep them and their families certainly in our thoughts. But we should also consider, obviously, this development from over the weekend and the Pfizer vaccine, and hospitals across the country now preparing to receive these doses. In fact, I spoke to one hospital official, the first person you're about to hear from in the following piece is actually the senior director of pharmacy here at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City's upper east side. He's been told to expect those vaccines in the next 24 to 48 hours.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER NOWIERSKI, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PHARMACY AND CLINICAL SERVICES AT LENOX HILL HOSPITAL IN NEW YORK CITY: As soon as this vaccine arrives, we start vaccinating.

SANDOVAL: A COVID-19 vaccine can't come soon enough with this weekend marking the end of the deadliest week in the U.S. when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, the federal government ordered 100 million additional vaccine doses from Moderna, that's ahead of an FDA vote on that vaccine next week. Though Pfizer's version is soon to be offered to a portion of the American public, health experts warn we won't see any meaningful widespread impacts until well into next year.

DR. MEGAN RANNEY, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN: There's still a lot of time until we get it into enough people's arms for us to have that herd immunity that we need in order to protect all of us, the people who can get the vaccine and the people who can't, from infection.

SANDOVAL: Until that happens, says emergency room doctor Megan Ranney, we should still stick to the basics, mask wearing and social distancing among them, anything to help slow the spread of the virus leaving much of the nation's health care system in crisis. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says at least 200 hospitals reported being completely full last week, and more than 90 percent of ICU beds were occupied in one-third of all U.S. hospitals.

In California, L.A. County's health director said the county will soon experience unprecedented and catastrophic suffering and death because of the COVID-19 surge. Another 35,000 people tested positive for the virus across the state yesterday. That's 4,600 more than the previous record set just days ago. Some California regions are implementing stay-at-home orders, including Lake Tahoe, likely to lead to another devastating blow for area businesses.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no way that we are even doing 20 percent of what we would typically be doing at this time of year.

SANDOVAL: Come Monday, dining restrictions will once again tighten in New York City. Governor Andrew Cuomo is banning indoor dining temporarily as infection and hospitalization rates continue to rise.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): We have to get through this period, right? And the faster we get through this period, the faster all businesses can open again.

SANDOVAL: Starting today, Pennsylvania also prohibiting indoor dining. Also, on Monday, Virginia will be implementing statewide curfews from midnight to 5:00 a.m., and Delaware issued an advisory with a 10:00 p.m. curfew for restaurants and bars. All of these signs that life is far from returning to normal even with unprecedented vaccine rollouts nearly in full effect.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

SANDOVAL (on camera): And with the latest emergency authorization from the FDA for use of Pfizer's vaccine, it is now a waiting game for many hospitals across the country, including this one here in New York. Hospital officials are telling me that nothing has changed in terms of who would be the first to get the vaccines once they are delivered here. Of course, that's essential workers, those who have intimate exposure to patients, doctors and nurses, and yes, even members of the housekeeping staff at the hospital, food service as well. We want to make sure that they are taken care of so they can continue to treat these waves of COVID patients.

BLACKWELL: Broad swath. Polo Sandoval for us there, thanks very much.

WALKER: Now all eyes are on Pfizer's facility in Michigan and the rollout of their first vaccine shipment. CNN's Pete Muntean is there. And Pete, the FAA is urging airports nationwide to be ready for vaccine deliveries. Are you seeing any activity where you are yet?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not just yet. The FDA says it has done its job. Now it's time for the major job of moving this vaccine to begin here. We know this spot is so critical to the vaccine distribution network. This is Pfizer's facility just outside of Kalamazoo, Michigan. We know that vaccine will be leaving here according to Operation Warp Speed, bound for 600 individual locations. Those are places like hospitals, pharmacies, CVS, Walgreens. We know that it's FedEx and UPS who will be responsible for handling those packages. FedEx in the west, UPS in the east. UPS says months of planning went into this. It is able to monitor each package, it's GPS location, and the temperature inside the box, which we know is so critical for this Pfizer vaccine, beam back to its headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:10:07]

WES WHEELER, PRESIDENT, UPS HEALTHCARE: Embedded in at the Pfizer location in Michigan, and they will be helping Pfizer to dispatch packages, and they will be loaded onto a trailer, a dedicated trailer with an escort. They will drive five hours to Louisville, Kentucky, and then they'll be dispatched around to the states that we're assigned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Now, this is not just a ground game, also an air operation. And the FAA is telling airports nationwide, even if they are not accepting a vaccine flight, to get ready. It is telling airports to make sure that delivery trucks have priority access to airfields, and that security could be stepped up. This could be the beginning of the end of this pandemic, but it's just the start of a massive movement that all begins right here in Michigan.

BLACKWELL: Pete Muntean for us in Michigan. Thank you so much, Pete.

Still ahead, we have an industry expert who is going to be with us to talk about this historic moment. Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath is standing by to discuss what to expect from the rollout that kicks off this weekend, and how to make sure we all are confident that the vaccines are safe.

WALKER: And America's game between Army and Navy is this afternoon, and this one has a little extra going for it. Coy Wire is in West Point.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Army and Navy are like brothers and sisters, but on Army and Navy game day, they're the worst of enemies. What about twin brothers who attend opposing academies? Talk about a house divided. We'll have them in a bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:15:44]

DR. PETER MARKS, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR BIOLOGICS EVALUATION AND RESEARCH: For pregnant women, for that matter, for children younger, younger children, we don't have data at this point. But for pregnant women and immunocompromised at this point, it will be something that providers will need to consider on an individual basis for patients.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: OK, so that was Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, discussing the lack of trial data concerning pregnant women and other risk groups. Joining me now is immunologist and former FDA official, Dr. Michelle McMurry- Heath, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. Thank you so much for joining us on this day. Just to follow up on those remarks, if one has a pre-existing condition, if you're pregnant, is there still a chance you could get the vaccine if you want it, or if your doctor does deem it to be safe for you?

DR. MICHELLE MCMURRY-HEATH, PRESIDENT AND CEO, BIOTECHNOLOGY INNOVATION ORGANIZATION: Yes, it was a pretty unprecedented step that the FDA left it open for pregnant women and children down to the age of 16. For pregnant women in particular, they were not part of the Pfizer vaccine trial. But it's so important because the risk of COVID is so high that the FDA is saying let's leave it up to individual clinicians to work with their individual patients to see where it makes sense, where the benefits outweigh the risks.

WALKER: We also heard in that news conference Dr. Hahn really reassuring the public, look, there were no cutting corners, the process was not influenced by any outside pressure. And he also said that they're concerned about vaccine hesitancy, but there are going to be people, not just anti-vaxxers, who will be concerned, perhaps because the vaccine was manufactured in record time. What would you say to them to reassure them, Doctor?

MCMURRY-HEATH: Well, it's really important for us to work holistically to try to enhance vaccine confidence. This has been an incredible scientific achievement. It has happened in record time. But it's also happened under unprecedented scrutiny and unprecedented collaboration. We at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization have been working with the 191 COVID vaccines that are in development to make sure they are meeting the highest scientific standards, that they are incorporating diverse patient populations in their trials, and that they're meeting every hurdle that the FDA stands in front of them. And FDA took a very unusual step this week by having a very public hearing of all of the data before they reached their final decision.

WALKER: What do we know about the side effects from the coronavirus vaccine versus the flu vaccine? And should people be concerned if there are more side effects from the coronavirus vaccine?

MCMURRY-HEATH: You should not be concerned. This is a powerful new technology. We do know this is not your average flu vaccine. We saw a pretty healthy rate, over 50 percent of some of the mild side effects -- fever, muscle aches, sore arm, fatigue. But it was very clear from the advisory panel meeting last week that the symptoms seemed to resolve in 24 to 48 hours. So you will notice this vaccine. It's not necessarily a simple thing. But when you consider that two Americans are dying every minute from COVID, the power to protect at 95 percent efficacy is incredible. And this is why the FDA was so clear that the benefits are so greatly, vastly better than the risks.

WALKER: What I also found interesting is that we don't know if the vaccine prevents transmission of the virus or if it only prevents disease. Is that correct? And if so, can you explain the difference?

MCMURRY-HEATH: So in preventing the illness, that means that if you have the vaccine and you encounter COVID and you get COVID illness, it tends to be mild or absent. And that is a huge benefit, because we know that once you get COVID, the risks of being seriously ill are much higher than, for example, what we've seen with influenza. What we're still trying to determine is if you have the COVID vaccine, if you can also stop passing COVID on, even if you have that mild version of the illness, from others in your immediate vicinity.

[10:20:05]

That data is still coming in, and we're very hopeful. But we haven't fully nailed that down yet.

WALKER: So someone says -- I'm sorry to cut you off there, but if someone has been vaccinated, they can still spread the virus, which means that masks are not going to go away any time soon, even if the masses have been vaccinated?

MCMURRY-HEATH: Well, it's not completely clear yet. But at this point we're still very far away from herd immunity and being able to protect each other from the illness. And so masks are going to be a very important part of our social dynamic for some time to come. Let's realize the first catchment of this vaccine is simply for health care workers and those in assisted living facilities. So this is going to be quite a while, probably the spring, before we see immunization available to the general public.

WALKER: Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, appreciate your expertise and for joining us. Many thanks to you.

MCMURRY-HEATH: Thank you

WALKER: A COVID-19 vaccine will be distributed soon, but that doesn't mean we can let up with social distancing and mask guidelines, as we were just discussing. The CDC Foundation teamed up with social media star Mitchell Crawford, to create a PSA aimed at getting younger people to wear masks, and she will join us ahead.

BLACKWELL: President Trump is in a mood this morning. He is tweeting about his attorney general, Bill Barr, again, refusing to investigate his political opponents. We're going to break down how things got so bad between the two men and what the future is for the A.G.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:26:04]

BLACKWELL: The CDC advisory panel is expected to vote today to recommend Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine. If the CDC accepts that vote, vaccinations can start as early as Monday.

WALKER: In the meantime, shipments of the vaccine can start rolling out. Pfizer says they can supply 100 million doses of the vaccine by next March. The shots will be free to the public.

BLACKWELL: President Trump is now hitting his own attorney general with more attacks this morning, calling A.G. Bill Barr, quote, a big disappointment. The tweet was in response to a post calling for the attorney general to be fired. WALKER: Reports have been circulating for days that President Trump

wanted to remove Barr from his position after he refused to support the president's false claims of widespread election fraud.

Let's go now to White House reporter Sarah Westwood for more on this. Good morning, Sarah.

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Good morning, Amara. And yes, we are seeing these tensions between President Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr boil over into public view with the president just moments ago calling Barr a big disappointment, as you mentioned, and also claiming that Barr would do nothing, his words, to shield the Hunter Biden probes from interference in the incoming Biden administration. Those probes revealed this week are into Hunter Biden's tax dealings and finances.

And I want to read you another one of the president's tweets from this morning in which he wrote, "Why didn't Bill Barr reveal the truth to the public before the election about Hunter Biden? Joe was lying on the debate stage that nothing was wrong or going on. Press confirmed. Big disadvantage for Republicans at the poll."

And obviously Barr was following DOJ protocol by keeping those probes under wraps during the election. But this is not the first time that the president has expressed frustration at a "Wall Street Journal" report earlier this week that Barr did make those efforts to keep the probes quiet during the election.

But the president's frustration with Barr goes further back even than that. He was angry, CNN reported at the time, that Barr said in an interview that he had seen no evidence of the kind of widespread fraud that the president has been claiming, that his legal team has been pushing in court. And even before the election, the president expressed even more irritation at Barr because U.S. Attorney John Durham, who Barr selected to look into the circumstances surrounding the start of the Russia probe, wasn't planning on prosecuting anyone or publishing any evidence before the election. The president was angry about that.

And now it appears Barr is getting the Jeff Sessions treatment, essentially. Jeff Sessions was the president's first attorney general, and you'll recall that President Trump was very critical of Sessions in public for months because he was upset that Sessions are recused himself from the Russia probe, and that led up to Sessions firing the day after the mid-term elections. But CNN is told that Barr has no intention to leave the administration unless he senses that he's about to be fired by President Trump, which as we know, could really happen any time in a tweet. CNN has also learned that Barr and Trump are not on direct speaking terms right now. So very thin ice for Barr at the moment, Amara and Victor.

WALKER: Sarah Westwood, thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: Let's bring in now Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman and Republican strategist Brian Robinson. Gentlemen, good morning to you. Brian, first to you, is A.G. Barr about to be fired? BRIAN ROBINSON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, at this juncture, Victor,

does it really even matter? We're talking about 40 more days. And I think Barr has been saying privately that he has thought about leaving the administration early because he's been in the Justice Department before during transitions, and he knows the handoff can be very contentious, and can have a lot of last-minute problems as the cases move from one administration to the next. So I'm not sure he would be all that upset if that tweet came out and said that he needed to pack his bags and head on into the sunset. He's probably spent enough time there and is ready to do something else.

[10:30:03]

BLACKWELL: Robert, Brian asks, does it really matter. Do you think it really matters?

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Of course it matters. Let's be clear, no amount of Trump attack tweets the attorney general are going to in any way salvage Barr's reputation. He has been not just complicit in undermining the rule of law and defending convicted criminals in the Trump administration, he's been nothing more than a wannabe Roy Cohn in terms of trying to defend Donald Trump and represent him and not the American people and not the rule of law.

BLACKWELL: But to your point, of course it does matter because we have to respect the transition process, and leaving -- in fact, if he leaves the Department of Justice, I think it's a victory for democracy, but having this type of continued chaos that Donald Trump has created and his administration assists him with undermines our national security, undermines a smooth transition of power.

BLACKWELL: Brian, so the Supreme Court swatted away this Texas lawsuit, supported by more than a dozen Republican attorneys general, more than 100 members, Republican members of Congress, to invalidate the votes in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia. The president says online that the fight has just begun. This is over, is it not?

ROBINSON: Well, I think the Electoral College vote, which is coming up on Monday, will be another act of finality. I think -- obviously, Victor, we can't ignore the fact that there are millions, tens of millions of Americans who have been led to believe that something was amiss with our election. Whether that's right or wrong, they genuinely believe it, and they do want to see this process played out.

And we have gone to court, the legal process has been followed, all the evidence has been presented. And I hope that it can provide some closure to those who have some concerns about the election, that three of the Supreme Court justices who didn't take this case were nominated by President Trump. And in many of these district courts and appellate courts it was Trump appointees who were writing these opinions rejecting these cases.

And, Bill Barr, despite what was just said about him, he has said that the election was clean, and he also was following protocol on the Hunter Biden thing. I want to push back on the attack on Barr that we just heard. So I'm hoping that the fact that all these Republican appointees have weighed in will give people the ability to begin to move on.

BLACKWELL: Robert, there's the New Jersey Democrat Bill Pascrell who tweeted out that Nancy Pelosi should not seat any member who supported this Texas suit, saying that men and women who would act to tear the United States government apart cannot serve as members of the Congress. How does refusing to seat 100 elected members of Congress align with respecting the will of the voter?

ZIMMERMAN: That's just the point, Victor. I'm second to no one in calling out three-quarters of the Republican leadership in the House and 126 House members for attacking our democracy, assaulting our Constitution and violating our Constitution by their conduct, by supporting these dishonest lawsuits, and undermining our democracy and our electoral process.

But the way to basically make your case in my view is not as the congressman suggests, but by making it clear, by bringing this point home to the American people, reminding the voters that any member of Congress that doesn't stand up for our democracy, doesn't respect the rule of law in our Constitution, has no right to be in Congress. They are in fact betraying the very principles of our country.

I would make one other point, if I might, Victor. When Brian said before, discussing Donald Trump's challenges, whether it's right or wrong -- let's be clear, it is wrong. It is undemocratic, it is unpatriotic, and it is an assault and a betrayal of our Constitution and the principles of our country. What Donald Trump is doing is not in fact -- what Donald Trump is doing is in fact undermining, and more than undermining our Constitution, he is threatening our national security. He is blocking Joe Biden from having a smooth transition, which is critical in the middle of this pandemic. And he, in fact, is endangering our national security because we are the role model, we are the pillar of democracy for the world. And Donald Trump has tried to destroy that for his own political agenda. We've got to start recognizing that.

BLACKWELL: Brian, I want to hear from one of the members who supported this suit. This is California Republican Doug LaMalfa with Chris Cuomo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: You got my proof that anything was done that was fraudulent in any election?

REP. DOUG LAMALFA, (R-CA): I don't have proof that men landed on the moon in 1969 because I wasn't there. So --

CUOMO: Really?

LAMALFA: -- as a state legislator I have my -- yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: I guess I get where he was going there, but you don't defend against claims of a conspiracy theory by invoking the conspiracy theory. Election lawyers, any credible ones, bailed on this case weeks ago. Is this what Republicans want to do heading into the midterms and into 2024?

[10:35:06]

ROBINSON: Well, Victor, we're a long way from the midterms, much less 2024. The people who signed on to that -- and I'm a Georgian. I was particularly pleased to see Texas file a suit against my state to tell us how we should run elections. I had a serious concern with that myself, and so I was glad to see that Georgia's sovereignty was defended by the Supreme Court.

But I think these guys who are signing onto this, they weren't saying, hey, there evidence is indisputable, we are certain that it's right. They were just saying, hey, this needs to be heard, time is of the essence, the Electoral College is about to meet, and the American people, at least our constituents, people we represent, want to see this case expedited and heard.

BLACKWELL: That's not what they're saying in the fundraising emails -- hey, you might want to take a look at this. No. There's a rally Stop the Steal. They are convincing people that democracy is under attack when, in fact, this is the attack on democracy. So the soft lens on it is not really accurate.

I've got to wrap it here. Robert, Brian, thank you very much.

ZIMMERMAN: Great to be with you.

BLACKWELL: We'll see how far this goes. Amara?

WALKER: Army and Navy fans have been looking forward to this day since, well, last year. but this year it's not just a rivalry on the field. For one family it's also a sibling rivalry.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:33]

WALKER: The CDC advisory panel is expected to vote today to recommend Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine. If the CDC accepts the recommendation, vaccinations can begin as early as Monday.

BLACKWELL: In the meantime, shipments of the vaccine can start rolling out. I just got this in from our reporter who is there that Pfizer has told the pool covering its rollout that it expects the first shipment of the vaccine to leave the Michigan facility Sunday morning, so tomorrow morning potentially those shipments headed out. Pfizer says they can supply 100 million doses of the vaccine by next March. The shots will be free to you.

Now, I spoke with a professor at Yale School of Public Health who said there are a number of factors that will shape the success of this coronavirus vaccine program. He says when it comes to distribution, though, the U.S. appears to be unprepared.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

A. DAVID PALTIEL, PROFESSOR, YALE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: The responsibility for on-the-ground vaccine distribution has been delegated to state and local health departments. And these organizations are chronically underfunded, chronically understaffed, even in the best of times, let alone nine months into a once in a century pandemic. And the states have been warning for months that they lack the billions of dollars that are required to carry out the work that's expected of them.

Federal funding for distribution has been a small fraction of the amount committed by the Trump administration to vaccine development and manufacturing. The good news is that President-elect Biden has pledged to invest the $25 billion that we think are going to be required for good distribution. And acceptance, comprehensive, culturally sensitive strategies for communication, all of that is going to be as important itself as the identification and approval of an effective vaccine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Ask anyone with ties to the Army or Navy, and they'll tell you they've been looking for to this afternoon for the past 365 days.

BLACKWELL: Yes, but this year the Army/Navy football game takes on added significance for at least one family. Coy is there at West Point with this very unique sibling rivalry. Coy, you always find the most interesting angles of this game every year.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I do for you, Victor. I always will give an A for effort. Now, you mentioned brothers and sisters, Army and Navy, typically most of the year. But on this Saturday, they're the worst of enemies, even if they're brothers, actual brothers, even if they're twin brothers.

Joining us now, Army's David Esqueda, Navy's Eric Esqueda. This is awkward. I feel like they've been bickering since they've been in the womb. They are hilarious. Navy has been here three times before World War II, not since then. Army has never won. What makes you think today is going to be different?

DAVID ESQUEDA, U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY CLASS OF 2024: They've got a great team this year. We've had a lot of great wins this season. I think it will be different, especially we have our entire corps of cadets here. Just everybody is just amped up. We're just ready to take on Navy.

WIRE: Now, it is rare, Victor and Amara, for the midshipmen to come here to campus at West Point, especially for this rivalry, maybe never been done before. Let me ask you, though, who has the nicer campus? Is it the Naval Academy or is it here at West Point?

ERIC ESQUEDA, U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY CLASS OF 2024: Definitely the Naval academy was a better campus.

WIRE: Why? E. ESQUEDA: I don't know. I just like it. The location is great along the Severn. And then there's also downtown Annapolis right nearby, and downtown Annapolis has a lot of really nice places. And then also D.C. and Baltimore are only like a 30-minute, 40-minute drive away. So there's a lot to do around there, and I really like that.

WIRE: So have you been able to hug your brother today? This is game day, Army/Navy?

E. ESQUEDA: I had to hug him. It's been 167 days, so I had to hug him because we were so close.

WIRE: And what's the biggest difference between cadet culture and midshipman culture?

D. ESQUEDA: I'd say it all comes down to the branch we're serving in. So ultimately, we've lived these identical lives our whole lives, we've pretty much played the same sports, had the same friends and stuff, but we've always been competing, who is better at what. It all comes down to us choosing the branch that we thought was the best fit for us.

WIRE: Well, we are grateful for both of you and for your service, and we wish both of you luck today, but only one is going to win. Any final words?

E. ESQUEDA: I guess my final words are, go Navy, beat Army.

D. ESQUEDA: Go Army, beat Navy.

(LAUGHTER)

[10:45:03]

WIRE: There you go. Victor, Amara, back to you. Kickoff at 3:00 p.m. eastern.

WALKER: I want to know who their parents are rooting for.

BLACKWELL: That's always the important question.

WIRE: Who does mom and dad root for? I will ask and I'll get back to you. They're in a predicament, too.

(LAUGHTER)

E. ESQUEDA: I think they'll go for Navy. They're definitely biased towards Navy.

(LAUGHTER)

D. ESQUEDA: Our older brother graduated from the Naval Academy, our dad served in the Navy, and our grandpa served in the Navy. So yes, and we've come from a long from tradition of Naval Service.

WIRE: There you go. What a conundrum. Back to you. BLACKWELL: What I love is that he knew that it's been 167 days since the last time they had seen each other.

WALKER: Who is counting? Who is counting?

BLACKWELL: Thank you, guys.

WALKER: Thank you, Coy.

BLACKWELL: We're likely just a few days away from the coronavirus vaccine being delivered to people, that first shot through the arm. But in a new campaign aimed at younger people specifically, the CDC says it isn't time to take off the masks yet. Now, the entrepreneur fighting to make sure masks stay on and fashionable will be with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: A vaccine may be imminent, but don't take off that mask just yet. The CDC Foundation teamed up with social media star Mitchell Crawford to create a PSA aimed at getting younger Americans to mask up. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wanted to make a mask I would be proud wearing that other people would want to wear, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even with six feet apart, we are still connected.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're protecting yourself. You're protecting others --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Those are some beautiful masks. Joining me is Lauren Pingad. She was featured in the PSA, and she's the president of her company, FashionMasks. First of all, congratulations to you for what you've achieved so far in your very young life. First off, tell me more about your company, what inspired you, and how the young generation has been responding to your masks.

LAUREN PINGAD, FASHIONMASKS PRESIDENT: Hi, I'm excited to be here. And FashionMasks, it all started when I was calling my grandmother one day earlier in the pandemic, and she was going to the grocery store and she mentioned that she didn't have any masks, and nor did her friends because of the shortage. And my parents and I thought, we should just make some. And my mother, being a designer in leather accessories, as well as costumes, she had the set of skills to make our perfect masks. And for myself, I'm a business student, and I knew that one day I wanted to help people. And I didn't know that I would be able to help people in the pandemic, and so far it's been a great, unique experience.

WALKER: What has the response been? Your masks are beautiful. Are people inundating you with purchases? PINGAD: Yes, thank you so much. We're definitely focusing on comfort

and fit, and everyone comes up to us and is asking us, how -- what makes it different, and how can I have the most -- the best experience with our masks. And I tell them, we're providing quality masks. We're not just giving them cheap masks. We actually put effort into looking into what types of material. We're obviously using 100 percent cotton, and we're using premium cottons and organic cottons. And in terms of adjustability, people love how -- I have a mask right next to me, and all it takes is a pull of a string so that they can get it fitting right comfortably on the face.

WALKER: That is so important to be able to adjust your mask and make sure it fits on your face. We've got to get going, but I also do find it just fascinating how you were able to recruit people who were out of work from COVID, especially those in the arts and costume design and production background. So kudos to you. We wish you all the best and success Lauren can get. Thank you so much.

PINGAD: Thank you so much.

WALKER: Sure thing. And for more information, head to showupmaskup.org for more.

BLACKWELL: For so many people, this time of year is about giving back. And the 14th annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute salutes the people who put others first throughout the year. The star-studded show airs this Sunday at 8:00. Here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been a year of challenges and change, but it's also been a year of hope.

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This year's CNN Heroes is a celebration of everyday people doing extraordinary acts during two of the biggest stories of 2020. Join Anderson Cooper, Kelly Ripa, and celebrity guests.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tonight is about hope. It's about decency and it's about compassion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a salute to the people who keep our spirits lifted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to see the world differently.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anyone can have an impact, no matter their age.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Plus, the viewers' choice for this year's most inspiring moment, and a special musical performance by Tony, Grammy, and Emmy winner Cynthia Erivo.

CNN Heroes, an All-Star Tribute, Sunday at 8:00 on CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE) [10:55:08]

WALKER: Thanks for watching, everyone.

BLACKWELL: Alex Marquardt is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)