With norah odonnell, reporting from the nations capitol. Odonnell good evening, and thank you for joining us. Were going to begin with breaking news on a potentially Game Changing vaccine against coronavirus, at the same time infections of the virus in the u. S. Are now growing by the millions. Tonight the Biotech Company moderna says it has developed a vaccine that is nearly 95 effective and capable of preventing severe illness. The company says with emergency approval from the f. D. A. It could start giving the shots to highrisk patients and healthcare workers as soon as next month. Well on wall Street Investors reacted enthusiastically, pushing u. S. Stocks to new highs, even as experts warn the country is plunging deeper into a deadly and dark winter for the pandemic. And as we come on the air the u. S. Has surpassed 11 million cases. Thats a million new infections in just one week. That is two million since the beginning of this month. And hospitals, well, they are reaching a breaking point tonight treating nearly 70,000 Covid Patients right now. And with the thanksgiving holiday next week, take a look at these lines at food banks, stretching for miles in dallas as mayors, governors impose tough new restrictions on family gatherings. We have two reports on the vaccine and the crisis tonight. Gunning with cbs dr. Jon lapook. The initial results were striking for dr. Stephen hoge, modernas president. It took my breath away for a minute, im sure i was grinning ear to ear. An independent review found out of 95 cases of symptomatic covid only five received the vaccine, sending a central signal for its effectiveness. Another important finding the vaccine prevented severe disease. Of 11 cases, none were in the vaccine group. It was really, really s team at, quite impressive. The n. I. H. Collaborated with moderna to develop the vaccine. Am i seeing the tony fauci equivalent of jumping up and down in excitement . That is not my style, john 9t i have to till, close to 95 95 efficacy in a vaccine for a respiratory virus like this and a new virus is really quite an accomplishment. The news comes a week after drug maker pfizer said its vaccine candidate was more than 90 effective. The coronavirus uses a spike protein to attack cells. Both the modern and pfizer two dose vaccines contain Genetic Information called messenger r. N. A. , which instructs cells to produce harmless versions of that spike plo teen, triggering an immune response to the virus. As soon as it is proved trucks will roll with vaccines within hours and that will continue around the clock. One distribution advantage modernas vaccine can be stored to up to 30 days in a regular refrigerator. Pfizers requires ultracold storage. Moderna is part of the governments operation warp speed and could deliver 20 million doses by the end of the year. Ramping up to 40 to 50 million a month in 2021. Michael rouss, who participated in the moderna trial says a vaccine is key to ending the pandemic. It is so important that we all get this vaccine. The only way we can control this virus. The virus is not going away. Odonnell and jon joins us, this seems like an incredible breakthrough but we know that know that Health Care Workers and elderly will be the first to get it, but what about everybody else . Well, norah, as you suggested, it will be a phased rollout with those people getting it first and over the course of 2021 you will see the state having a rollout plan, tens of millions of doses are available each month. We expect that by april a good proportion of americans will have gotten the first dose. And now, i know that now is a tough time, everybody has covid fatigue and its a devastating time in terms of the spread of the illness but dont lose hope right now. This is a time to double down on all those fundamental measures we have taken, especially wearing a mask. And if we keep doing that, we can flatten the curve. Remember that, flattening the curve . So when the vaccine does come along we have a better chance of getting this pandemic under control. Odonnell important piece of advice. Thank you dr. Jon lapook. And even though there is optimism about that new vaccine tonight the u. S. Is now averaging nearly 150,000 new covid infections per day. Cbs carter evans is in utah where hospitals are now overrun. Good evening, carter. Reporter good evening, norah. Intensive care units across the country are filling up. Here in utah, the number of Covid Patients in icu has doubled in the last month. They have a respiratory Triage Center set up in the parking lot of this hospital, anticipating a surge of Covid Patients. Utah is shattering records and cases are skyrocketing. A quarter of new test results are now positive. As i. C. U. S fill up, healthcare workers are feeling the strain. We are tired. Mentally, physically, emotionally exhausted. Reporter nurses nate and Janine Roberts work at intermountain medical center, utahs largest hospital, where for some patients even the cold covid reality still isnt real. They deny it, family members deny it. We have patients who literally are on lifesupport, were working super hard to get them better. Finally helping them to wake up and then the first thing they are trying to communicate is that it is all a hoax. Reporter this really affects you. Of course it does, yeah. Reporter the stress is being felt around the nation. This thing is going crazy. Its spreading like wildfire. Reporter in st. Louis residents are now being urged to stay home. We have no backup. If we stay on the path that were on, even just two more weeks, we will not have the staff we need to care for patients. Reporter in el paso its not just hospitals, but the coroner is also overwhelmed. Inmates are being paid 2 an hour to load bodies into mobile morgues. In california cases have doubled in the past ten days. Tonight governor gavin newsom is halting most of the states efforts to reopen. We are now moving backwards, not forward. Reporter michigan is now imposing new lockdown measures, severely limiting indoor gatherings. In washington the governor is announcing an immediate shutdown of gyms, theaters, bowling alleys and indoor dining. If you act early you can save lives. And if you dont, you will be swamped by a tsunami of this perus. Reporter and the pandemic is continuing to take an economic toll. This line in dallas is for food. Local Officials Say they serve 25,000 people. While shelves of basic supplies are emptying fast in chicago, as the citys stay at home order takes effect today. Back in utah, dr. Brandon web say there is still pushback over the states new mask mandate. What do you want people to know right now . Its no longer about politics. I have seen more human suffering in the hospital in the last month than i have seen in my career. Reporter and doctors here tell me they are seeing Covid Patients of all ages. A new study in the American Academy of pediatrics suggest that more than 1 million children in the u. S. Have been infected with covid. And norah, that is more than one in every ten cases. Odonnell and staggering to see how it is affecting our healthcare workers. Carter evans, thank you. Today president elect joe biden said President Trumps refusal to admit that he lost and begin the transition is embarrassing for the country. He also said the president s stonewalling is putting american lives at risk in the war on covid. Nikole killion reports from wilmington, delaware. We are going into a very dark winter. Reporter president elect joe biden issued a dire prediction today when asked what will happen if his Transition Team is not allowed to consult with the president s top health officials. More people may die if we dont coordinate. Reporter President Trumps refusal to engage on the pandemic is angering governors from both parties. Were seeing cases rise to record levels. Were in the middle of a war. And we dont know who the general is going to be. Reporter some governors fighting the virus are even under fire from the administration. Dr. Scott atlas a member of the White House Coronavirus task force told people to rise up after Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued new covid restrictions in the state. The idea that president is now resisting remaining advisor advisor on covid is saying that they should resist, what the hell is the matter with these guys . Reporter meanwhile President Trump refuses to concede. Tweeting an acknowledgment yesterday that biden had won but then claim he had won. How did you interpret that . I interpret that as trumpianism. laughs no change in his modus operandi. Reporter bidens former partner in the white house told scott pelley on 60 minutes that mr. Trump needed to think beyond his own ego and concede. My advice to President Trump is if you want at this late stage in the game to be remembered as somebody who put Country First, its time for you to do the same thing. Reporter the former president also compared mr. Trump to richie rich calling him the complaining, lying, doesnt take responsibility for anything type of figure. Former First Lady Michelle Obama also weighed in writing that she warmly welcomed Melania Trump to the white house during the 2016 transition despite being angry at donald trump for spreading racist lies about my husband that had put my family in danger. Mr. Trumps National Security advisor today became the highest ranking official to acknowledge mr. Biden publicly as the next president. If the bidenharris ticket is determined to be the winner and, you know, obviously it is being looked at that way now, we will have a very professional transition from the National Security council, no question about it. Reporter tonight a stunning allegation in the georgia recount. The states top election official says he is coming under increasing pressure from some republicans including senator Lindsey Graham to throw away to throw away legal absentee ballots to reverse President Trumps loss in the state, graham said thats ridiculous but confirmed he did ask how ballots are verified. Norah . Odonnell interesting war between the republicans. Nikole killion, thank you. Tonight President Trump is expected to significantly reduce nis. Troop strength in afghanistan and iraq. Thats despite warnings from Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell and fired defense secretary mark esper that the move could lead to more violence in those countries. Cbs news has learned American Forces would be cut by about 2,000 in afghanistan and by 500 in iraq. That would leave roughly 2,500 u. S. Troops in each country. There is also some breaking news tonight from central america. Hurricane iota now a monster category five storm, the strongest this year, is about to slam nicaragua. Thousands scrambled for Higher Ground today as iota knocked down trees and knocked out power on the caribbean island of san andreas. Iota is expected to make landfall tonight with 150 mile per hour winds. That is a life threatening surge of sea water and up to 30 inches of rain in a region still reeling from hurricane eta. Today thousands of alleged victims raced to file sexual abuse claims against the boy scouts before a court order deadline. The once revered institution now faces bankruptcy as a lawyer for alleged victims calls the abuse an unspoken norm that went on for years. Heres cbs errol barnett. Reporter tonight nearly 93,000 alleged victims have filed sexual abuse claims against the boy scouts of america, reaching back decades with some victims as young as ten. Frank spinelli was 11 years old when he says he was molested by his troop scout master on staten island. The assistant scout master and the parish priest convinced my parents not to go to the police. The boy scouts of america have been harboring institutionalizing child molestation for decades. Reporter the 110 year Old Institution filed for bankruptcy this year and established a Victims Compensation fund to keep operating. Just look at the number of claims filed against the catholic church, it is nothing compared to the number of people coming forward. Reporter paul mones represents 300 alleged abuse victims. Only to the extension they g ll get some compensation but it is nothing like what people would really deserve. Reporter in a statement, b. S. A. Wrote, the response we have seen from survivors has been gut wrenching. We are deeply sorry. But survivors like spinelli want more. This is still going on. And the boy scouts are going to have to acknowledge that this isnt over yet and that simply paying out awards is not enough it is about enacting change. Reporter errol barnett, cbs news, new york. Odonnell this next story is simply amazing. A hiker who got lost on Mount Rainier in Washington State is recovering tonight. Doctors brought him back to life after his heart had stopped for 45 minutes. Idres cbs david begnaud. Reporter from his hospital bed in Washington StateMichael Knapinski relived what he could remember. I was just taking really small steps because i couldnt see anything. Reporter he was snow shoeing Mount Rainier when he was caught in blizzard conditions. Hiking, he says, helped him overcome drug addiction. This time it nearly killed him. Knapinski was unconscious as and a half Navy Helicopter pilots him. The 45 year old arrived at Harborview Medical Center in seattle right as his heart stopped. C. P. R. Was performed for 45 minutes, no response. His temperature was 30 degrees below normal and that sent his body into a kind of hibernation. It buys you more time. Reporter doctors put him on the ecmo machine that functions as both the lungs and heart, heart, putting oxygen in the blood and talking carbon die october side out. We finally got to a point where we felt like we could shock his heart out of that dangerous rhythm back into a normal one. Reporter and it worked. Two days later i. C. U. Nurse white knee holen called out. He opened his eyes, michael, are you with me. He looked at me and nodded his head and gave a big smile. Reporter who do you think is listening to this. I love all of it, it is just amazing. Reporter his prognosis is great. His gratitude is even greater. David begnaud, cbs news, new york. Odonnell so much to be grateful for. And there is still much more news ahead on tonights cbs evening news. A prestigious school, an elite sport and more than a Million Dollars in bribes. New charges tonight in another College Admissions scandal. And will hoops happen in a bubble this spring . The possible new plans for, yes, march madness. R yes, march madness. That, done i dont have to wt to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. Crest. Its still warm. Thanks, alice says hi. For some of us, our daily journey is a short one. Save 50 when you pay per mile with allstate. Pay less, when you drive less. Youve never been in better hands. Allstate. Click or call for a quote today. Who takes care of yourself. So why wait to screen for colon cancer . Because when caught in early stages, its more treatable. Im cologuard. Im noninvasive and detect altered dna in your stool to find 92 of colon cancers. Even in early stages. Tell me more. Its for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. False positive and negative results may occur. Ask your prescriber or an online prescriber if cologuard is right for you. Ill get on it thats a step in the right direction. Ill get on it all otc pain relievers including volthave one thing in common none are proven stronger or more effective against pain than salonpas patch large theres surprising power in this patch salonpas dependable, powerful relief. Hisamitsu. Odonnell tonight a former harvard fencing coach and a maryland businessman are charged with bribery and another alleged College Admissions scandal, prosecutors say jack zhao conspired with coach better branlt to give his two sons into harvard as fencing recruits. They say the bribes totaled more than 1. 5 million, including the purchase of a house, a car and College Tuition for brands son. The n. C. A. A. Is in talks tonight to hold its entire basketball tournament in indianapolis this spring. The original plan called for it to be played at 13 durch sites sites but organizers say they were impressed by the success of some pro sports in holding their championships in single locations during the pandemic. I say that is a smart idea. We want our march madness. All right, up next, a doggone good story. The underdog is now top dog, maggies remarkable journey to law enforcement. Enforcement. K and the great outdoors. So, we built a future for each of them. We electrified the mustang, and engineered it to get from 0 to 60 in under 4 seconds. Put a hybrid engine in the allnew f150 that works as hard as it does smart. Then reimagined the bronco, as an offroading, highperformance wild animal. This is the future were building, and were building it today. Heres to the duers. To all the people who realize they can du more with less asthma thanks to dupixent, the addon treatment for specific types of moderatetosevere asthma. Dupixent isnt for sudden breathing problems. It can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as 2 weeks and help prevent severe asthma attacks. Its not a steroid but can help reduce or eliminate oral steroids. Dupixent can cause serious allergi