In a whole new way. Now roomba vacuums exactly where you need it, and offers personalized cleaning suggestions for a clean unique to you and your home. Roomba and the irobot home app. Only from irobot. New vizinc and elderberry mmies are fortified with roomba and the irobot home app. To sustain a healthy immune system plus melatonin for restorative sleep because being run down, is not an option. Recharge your nights to take on your days with new vicks immunity zzzs. How can i, when you wont take it from me you can go your own way xfinity mobiles fast nationwide 5g network meets the first iphone with 5g. Get the new iphone 12 on xfinity mobile. And right now get 250 off. Learn more at an xfinity store today. Thanks for joining us. Tonight the u. S. Reaching a new and staggering covid milestone. More than 250,000 americans dead. The cry for help at one oklahoma hospital, stretched to its limits. Abcs matt gutman granted special access on the front lines, witnessing hope in the darkness. Hey, babe. I love you. Reporter Suzanne Simms is desperate to believe her husband, curtis, can hear her. You keep fighting. You keep fighting. You got this. Weve been through a lot. Reporter this is the first time shes seen him since she dropped him off at the hospital ten days ago. Through a snarl of tubes and iv drips, she clutches his swollen hand. Fully aware shes getting a moment that so many thousands of families have missed, a chance to see their loved ones in the icu. I cant believe i actually got to come see you. Reporter Comanche CountyMemorial Hospital in lauten, oklahoma, just one in a growing pool of Health Care Systems across the country on the brink, close to breaking. There are more than 76,000 Covid Patients currently hospitalized in the u. S. , more than at any other point in the pandemic. We knew this was coming for months and we didnt build up our stock of ppe, we didnt prepare our hospitals and icus. Now, unfortunately, they are facing a really large crunch across pretty much all parts of the country. Reporter the u. S. Has surpassed 11 million cases so far. Just tonight, that new grim milestone. More than 250,000 lives lost to the coronavirus. Were losing 1,000 to 1,500 americans every single day. I expect between now and end of january, were going to probably lose another 100,000 americans. Reporter mere in lauten, Comanche County memorial granted abc news unprecedented access to its covid wards. Dr. Scott michener is the chief medical officer. Why are you fired up . Because you see what were dealing with. Youre here. Im glad youre here. Youre seeing what were dealing with. And everyone in the whole country is dealing with this. And we have no help. We have no support. Reporter oklahoma is one of only ten states that still does not have a statewide mask mandate. Dr. Micheners hospital is running out of beds and equipment. But the patients keep coming. And he can see the cliffs edge. How far do you think you are from the breaking point . We had a day last week where we were down to one ventilator. We had a day this weekend where we had to pull a ventilator out of an ambulance. Reporter the city of lauten has fewer than 100,000 people. Early in the pandemic we saw massive hospitals in americas biggest cities struggle to keep up with the influx of patients. Smaller cities and towns learned lessons from the first wave and tried to adapt. Most covid unit moved the pump outside. As you can see, the nurses are hanging their drips out here, running them in. Every time they go in the room, it takes ppe. So they can manage this stuff out here. Reporter now as covid is slamming into the heartland, dr. Michener knows the cavalry isnt coming. Because every other hospital in the region is fighting its own war. Youre well over capacity. Yeah. What happens if a bus crashes on the interstate . Then you see all these people that are doing the groundwork. Maybe more. All you can do. This is what keeps you up at night . Im not sleeping very well these days. Hard. Youre seeing it. Reporter suzanne and curtis have lived here since forever. They raised their family in this small town. After 37 years of marriage, this is not how she envisioned their golden years. Were fighting a battle. And we need to come together and work together. Do the things, wear a mask, wash your hands. Reporter 57yearold curtis started feeling ill on halloween. He initially waved off going to the hospital. Until about a week later when suzanne says he was suffocating right in front of her. You dont know if the next time he takes that deep breath, is that it . Reporter following hospital rules, she had to drop him off at the e. R. Fully aware she may never see him again. You just go to the parking lot and sit and cry. Reporter in a few hospitals, that is changing. When we sat down to talk with suzanne, we were actually just one floor below curtis room. Hes now on a ventilator. So the hospital has started to allow some visitors to visit loved ones. They told us that they would actually allow you to get into ppe and be able to see your husband, curtis. If thats okay with you. Yes. It would be great. We wish we could let everyone see everyone. But the way the disease process is, we just cant. Its a hard time, its a lonely illness, theyre dying alone. Were doing it because we think its the right thing to do. Reporter the process begins in the hallway with a deep breath. Its almost time. What are you feeling . My hearts jumping out of my skin. Reporter we have to get into full ppe. God bless. Thank you. Scary. Its more than scary. Reporter before she can go in, suzanne is debriefed by dr. Michener and curtis medical teams. I want you to know hes probably not going to respond, because when the breathing tubes down their throat, we sedate them. Theres going to be tubes and lines everywhere. Reporter unbeknownst to us, before their reunion the team has to increase curtis sedation and turn the vent up to 90 . He is not doing well. Hey, babe. I love you. The kids came over. The grandbabies sure missed you at the house. Theyre ready for you to come home. I just love you so much. Reporter suzanne soaks up every second with her husband. Thank you, lord. Thank you. Lord, raise us up, please. Dont you quit fighting on me. Need you at home. Need you home. How are you feeling, interview zan . Actually, im feeling a little relieved. I got to see him. Kind of know where hes at, who hes with, and hes with the best. He is. He is with the best. And i think it just i dont know. It makes my heart a little happy. Not that hes here, but just to be able to see him. Reporter in the same hospital we visit alan mccall. Hey, judge. How you doing . Reporter a 66yearold retired judge with covid. Hes now sitting up, perusing his release papers. I got really sick. Reporter he ended up in intensive care on the same night that multiple patients flatlined in the rooms around him. I quit counting 17 code blues because i thought i was getting ready to be 18. I just had tears running down my face because i didnt know how my family would deal with that. I saw those nurses just continually charge back in there every time. Just incredible courage. Reporter four of the patients would die. Having been surrounded by death, he begs for folks to trust science. This is not political. This covid virus will kill you. It will kill your family. I dont know how we ever got away from not wearing these. It just doesnt make any sense to me. Reporter all across the country, the demand for testing is soaring. I passed the twohour mark an hour ago. Reporter hourslong lines in state after state after state. Tonight good news. Pfizer revealing new data showing its vaccine is 95 effective and works across all age groups, races, and ethnicities. In the coming days the drugmaker says it will submit for an emergency use authorization from the fda. This is the light at the end of the tunnel. It is coming. Things are going to get better. The problem is that its going to take awhile. Its going to take two or three months before vaccines really start getting out there. And probably six months before the majority of americans can get vaccinated. This is the time to hunker down. Breathing apparatus. Reporter in the meantime, judge mccall hopes that common sense and those mask rules will keep most people safe. Thank you all so much. Take care. Reporter hes finally no longer contagious. Leaving the hospital with those thumbs up and a sense of awe for its medical staff. Just cannot compliment these young folks enough. Just cant do it. Im fortunate, very fortunate, that im walking out of here. Thank you all so much. Love you all, bye our thanks to matt. Coming up, the president still unwilling to concede. Could his refusal impact the rollout of the covid vaccines . Its the faster way to clean as you go just spray, wipe and rinse it cleans grease five times faster dawn powerwash. Spray, wipe, rinse. A blast of immune support thats more than just vitamin c. Its a unique crafted blend of vitamins, zinc, other minerals, and herbs. Take on your day with airborne. Your daily dose of confidence. Its following your passion to bto the very top. And setting the standard by which all who follow, will be measured. Tequila herradura, the worlds most gold medal awarded tequila. [whats this . ] oh, are we kicking karly out . We live with at t. It was a lapse in judgment. At t, we called this house meeting because you advertise gigspeed internet, but we cant sign up for that here. Yeah, but im just like warming up to those speeds. Youve lived here two years. The personal attacks arent helping, karly. Dont you have like a hot pilates class to get to or something . [ muffled scream ] stop living with at t. Xfinity can deliver gig to the most homes. Its following your passion to bto the very top. And setting the standard by which all who follow, will be measured. Tequila herradura, the worlds most gold medal awarded tequila. The president still refusing to concede to president elect joe biden. So whats the fallout as the presidency nears an end . Heres abcs chief White House CorrespondentJonathan Karl with the latest. Reporter with the president s legal challenges going nowhere and no evidence whatsoever that the results of this election are going to change no matter what the Trump Campaign tries, the focus is on what the president will do in his remaining two months. Hes already fired his defense secretary, then he went out and fired christopher krebs, the top cybersecurity official in the department of Homeland Security. Krebs was fired essentially because he had said that this was the most secure election wed ever seen. In other words, disagreeing with the president saying widespread fraud. The question is, are there going to be more firings, more people that the president is unhappy with, tossed out as he approaches the end of his presidency . Unclear where it is going, but a lot of uncertainty as 1600 pennsylvania avenue. Our thanks to jon. Earlier this evening i spoke to janet napolitano, former governor of arizona, former obama cabinet secretary. And congressman denver riggleman, the outgoing republican representing charlottesville, virginia. Thank you both for joining us. Thank you. Thank you. Secretary napolitano, you served as secretary of Homeland Security for president obama. Tell me first how crucial chris krebs role was overseeing Election Security and the fact that trump fired him for speaking out as cybersecurity chief has so many people outraged . Well, people are outraged because chris krebs did a great job. He ran a subagency within the department of Homeland Security called cisa. Part of cisas role is the protection of our election infrastructure. He worked with people of both parties. He worked with estate and local elected officials. He worked with the private sector. He really made sure that the u. S. Election was run and won fair and square. And he was really fired for doing his job. And that would certainly cause outrage. Congressman riggleman, let me turn to you. You are one of the rare republicans in congress who have acknowledged joe biden as the president elect and thats 11 days after he was projected to win. Youve described some of the misinformation out there as, quote, crossing the rubicon, jumping on the crazy train, headed into cliffs that guard the flat earth. Why are so many so few, rather, members of your Party Challenging these falsehoods . And would you urge them to do so . Its time to say, mr. President , theres policies that have been good, theres things weve agreed with, but you have lost this race. It is time to say its over. Just looking at this again, looking at it from the vote counts, theyre massive. Looking at the data. Theres no way this is going to be turned around. This elections over, juju. I know thats going to stun some people to say that after 11 days. I think im being a little sarcastic. But its time for members of congress, those in the senate, time to realize we need to help in the transition. That the country is bigger than a person. That the institution is bigger than any man or woman. I think we need it we owe this to the constitution, not to a human being. We all need to remember that and im trying to do my best to do so. Secretary napolitano, how crucial is it for a transition to get under way right away, from a National Security perspective, also the pandemic . President elect biden said by refusing to concede, President Trump is jeopardizing a vaccine rollout. Theres so little time between the election and the inauguration for an incoming president to take over the reins of the federal government. And from a National Security perspective, to get up to speed on the most current intelligence about threats facing our country and possible initiatives or actions that are in the planning stages. And then from the vaccine perspective, you know. Rolling out a vaccine for 300 Million People is no small feat. And there are a lot of nuts and bolts to it. And the biden team needs to know exactly what the trump folks have in the works, whats already been planned, so they can build off of that and have a smooth transition, and we can move with alacrity to having a National Vaccine campaign. Congressman, President Trumps legal team has already lost or withdrawn 14 separate lawsuits that alleged election fraud. So does someone need to tell them that its time to concede for the good of the country . And what do you think the most likely scenario is for that overdue transition . I think the concession wouldnt happen until after this session of congress is over. What im talking about now, maybe into december. As far as the lawsuits are concerned, youre going to want somebody that actually has a technological background to go into court and argue some of this ridiculousness. I would hope all of us can come together and look at this and say, the election is over, we have a new president elect, lets move forward. Lets stop doing things like the secretary was talking about. When you fire somebody like a chris krebs, were also losing the corporate knowledge for this transition from somebody like esper, somebody like joe kernan, usgi. Youre taking away that corporate knowledge and experience to lead us through this transition. Congressman and madam secretary, thank you for your time and your perspective. Thank you, juju. Thank you. Coming up next, abcs bob woodruff. How his foundation is sustaining hope for so many military families. Is often unseen. Because the pain youre feeling could be a sign of irreversible joint damage. Every day you live with pain, swelling, and stiffness. You risk not being able to do the things you love. Especially in these times, its important to keep up with your rheumatologist. Schedule an appointment today. Its important to keep up with your rheumatologist. For bathroom odors that linger try febreze small spaces. Just press firmly and it continuously eliminates odors in the air and on soft surfaces. For 45 days. A blast of immune support thats more than just vitamin c. Its a unique crafted blend of vitamins, zinc, other minerals, and herbs. Take on your day with airborne. Your daily dose of confidence. Now roomba vacuums exactly where you need it. Alexa, tell roomba to vacuum in front of the couch. And offers personalized cleaning suggestions for a clean unique to you and your home. Roomba and the irobot home app. Only from irobot. Roomba and the irobot home app. [phone rings] sore throat pain . Try new Vicks Vapocool drops in honey lemon chill for a fastacting rush of relief like youve never tasted in. Honey lemon ahh woo Vicks Vapocool drops now in honey lemon chill youre con the clock,the go, and on your way. Hang on a second. Whats the rush . Know the speed limit, go the speed limit, and slow the fast down. Go safely, california. This ones for you. You inspired us to make your humira experience even better. With humira citratefree. It has the same effectiveness you know and trust, but we removed the citrate buffers, theres less liquid, and a thinner needle. With less pain immediately following injection. Ask your doctor about humira citratefree. And you can use your copay card to pay as little as 5 a month. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections. Serious and sometimes fatal infections,. Including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened,. As have blood, liver, and nervous system problems,. Serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common. And if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections,. Or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Ask your doctor about humira citratefree. The same humira you trust with less pain immediately following injection. If you cant afford your medicine, abbvie may be able to help. If you cant afford your medicine, take a quick break,ite, jump on a quick call. Next time you take a quick trip, how about this . Take a second, take your time, and slow the fast down. Go safely, california. Finally tonight, stand up for heroes. Its an annual benefit founded by our own bob woodruff, helping raise money to help wounded warriors. Tonight, one grateful veteran. My job in aviation, taking care of engines, catapults, and to actually launch and help recover the aircraft. My dream was to stay in the navy. We went for a motorcycle ride. And unfortunately, we had an accident. I went paralyzed instantly. The first thing that came to my mind was that, my life is over. Reporter for fernando and jessica, their dream was to have a baby. To do that, they