C. D. C. As many as 450,000 americans could die from the coronavirus by february, in what he calls the most difficult three months in the history of public health. Now, that prediction comes from dr. Robert redfield and it comes less than two weeks before operation warp speed says it should start distributing its first vaccines. Great britain is moving faster than that, after the government approved pfizers vaccine today, launching a plan to start giving shots within days. Well, tonight, the commissioner of the f. D. A. Tells cbs news that it will take longer for the u. S. To approve the vaccine to assure americans it is safe. Still, experts say even when vaccinations begin, the damage from all that thanksgiving travel may already be done. And as we come on the air, the rate of new infections nationwide continues to grow. E viruslizations from the virus have hit an alltime high, too. So in an effort to stop further spread, tonight the c. D. C. Is once again asking americans not to travel to celebrate the upcoming holidays. And its lowering its recommendation for how long americans should quarantine if exposed to someone with the virus. Listen up. Its lowering the length of isolation from 14 days, now down to as few as seven. So weve got a lot of new reporting for you tonight and your family, and our team of correspondents is standing by to cover it all. Cbs adriana diaz is going to lead off our coverage tonight from outside chicago. Good evening, adriana. Reporter good evening, norah. We are at the precipice of 100,000 hospitalizations. Thats nearly double what we saw in the first peak of the pandemic in the spring, and this is one of the reasons why the White House CoronavirusTask Force Says the country is in a dangerous place. Hospitals are being hit by a tidal wave of new coronavirus cases, with predictions of it getting worse. December and january and february are going to be rough times. Reporter daily coronavirus cases have continued to spike, with more than 180,000 a day, thats doubled in the last month and the numbers are expected to rise now that its been a week since thanksgiving. I think everyones overwhelmed apt this point. This rise that youre seeing is very concerning. Were not flattening the curve at this point. Reporter in hardhit tennessee, notary public Adrienne Bowling has seen a surge in people desperate to get their affairs in order, people in i. C. U. S. What is it like in the room when youre asking people, in their hospital beds, what what their wishes are . What they want for their will . It is a very sobering time. You can tell from the look in their eyes, its almost as if its becoming real. That, am i not going home . Is this going to be my final resting place . Reporter in california, average new cases and deaths have jumped more than 50 in just two weeks. In north dakota and rhode island, 90 of i. C. U. S are filled. Tonight, stephen hahn, the head of the f. D. A. , is responding to whether the agency is under pressure to approve a vaccine after being summoned to the white house this week. This is what he told cbs news chief medical correspondent dr. Jon lapook. Reporter was there a pressure being applied . This meeting was about understanding the process. What can you do to expedite the process . And were always looking for ways to do that. Reporter were also learning how many vaccines states could receive as early as december 16. California is expected to get more than 300,000 doses, new york, 170,000, and montana, 10,000. Locations are based on populations. But its too late for so many, like guadalupe lopez, a Chicago Police dispatcher who received this tribute. The crying you hear are his children. My dad devoted 33 years of helping helping officers go home to their families. Reporter their mother, maria, has no idea her husband was given full honors after his death, because shes in the i. C. U. Battling covid. Hopefully, mom comes home and well be well be waiting for her with open arms, you know. Thats all we want for christmas is our mom to come home. Reporter their mother is still fighting in the i. C. U. Shes on a ventilator, but shes stable in the hospital behind me. Meanwhile, the c. D. C. Is telling americans once again not to travel over the holidays because of potential spread. Theyre still waiting to see what the impact will be from thanksgiving gatherings. Norah. Odonnell adriana diaz, thank you. Tonight, Many Americans are wondering when Pfizers Covid vaccine will be available in the u. S. And how it will be distributed. Thats why the decision by the British Government to approve the shots there is drawing worldwide attention, in what will be the first realworld test of just how well the vaccine works. Cbs Charlie Dagata reports tonight from london. Reporter tonight, all eyes are on the u. K. As the countrys Health Minister says help is on the way. Mass vaccinations start early next week. Regulators granted emergency approval saying the vaccine met strict standards of safety. Pfizer biontechs latest data was only submitted for approval 10 days ago, but regulators here have had a rolling review of the research, meaning theyve been analyzing Clinical Trials since june. But and this is a very important point, indeed that doesnt mean that any corners have been cut. None at all. Reporter vaccines manufactured in belgium are put into special freezer boxes they can carry up to 5,000 doses. By plane and truck, theyre transported to the u. K. To socalled n. H. S. Hospital hubs across the country, and then on to vaccination centers, housed in sports stadiums and even race courses. The ultracold temperature requirements are not a problem, according to pfizers u. K. Manager ben osborn. Once it reaches the n. H. S. And is ready for deployment, this vaccine can actually be stored in a normal refrigerator between two to eight degrees for five days. Reporter care home residents get it first, followed by people 80 and over and frontline healthcare workers, down to people 50 years of age and older. The rest will have to wait, but not for long. So how did the u. K. Leapfrog the u. S. . Well, partly its down to timing. The f. D. A. Is supposed to review this vaccine on december 10. Were also told the f. D. A. Take a deeper dive into the raw data in these Clinical Trials. Norah. Odonnell Charlie Dagata in london tonight. Thank you, charlie. Tonight, President Trump is digging in again, claiming without proof that he is the victim of a plot to deny him a second term. At the same time, the white house is dodging reports of preemptive pardons before the president leaves office for the people closest to him. Heres cbs ben tracy. This may be the most important speech ive ever made. Reporter President Trump tonight releasing this bizarre 46minutelong speech. But i went from leading by a lot, to losing by a little. Reporter . Filled with more baseless accusations of Election Fraud. We have, in all swing states, major infractions or outright fraud. If we are right about the fraud, joe biden cant be president. Reporter but court after court has ruled the president is wrong about the fraud, and his Campaign Lacks credible evidence. The president s own attorney, bill barr, says the department of justice has found no widespread fraud that would change the election result. Today, the white house would not say if President Trump still has confidence in barr. If he has any personnel announcements, youll be the first to know it. Reporter and the white house is also dodging questions about reports that President Trump is considering preemptive pardons for three of his Adult Children and his soninlaw, jared kushner, egged on by his fox news supporters. Why wouldnt he just pardon himself and his family on the way out the door . Reporter but none of his children has been charged with any crime, so its not clear why ivanka trump would need a pardon. Donald trump jr. Was investigated by special Counsel Robert Mueller for contact with russians during the 2016 campaign, and kushner provided false information while applying for his security clearance. But granting preemptive pardons is very rare. But legally, theres no problem with granting a preemptive pardon. The famous nixon pardon was a preemptive pardon. Nixon had not been formally charged with any crimes yet. Reporter and while President Trump continues to allege the election was stolen. Everyone is saying, wow, the evidence is overwhelming. Reporter . At a White House Christmas party last night, he teased a reelection run in 2024. Its been an amazing four years. Were trying to do another four years. Otherwise, ill see you in four years. Reporter the president is still not conceding and Administration Officials tell cbs news they do not expect him to attend joe bidens inauguration. That would make mr. Trump the first sitting u. S. President to snub his successor since Andrew Johnson back in 1869. Norah. Odonnell ben tracy, thank you. Tonight, President Trumps baseless claims of Election Fraud and conspiracy are drawing a fiery rebuke from republican officials in georgia, who say that the groundless allegations from the president and his supporters are actually putting the states Public Servants in danger of violence. Heres cbs mark strassmann. Reporter by midnight, georgia should finish counting the same ballots for the third time, and expecting the same results. It looks like Vice President biden will be carrying georgia, and he is our president elect. Reporter and for that, President Trump has relentlessly attacked state officials here. The secretary of state, who is really hes an enemy of the people. Reporter republicans, like georgia governor brian kemp. Hes didnt absolutely nothing. Im ashamed that i endorsed him. Reporter his tweets charge georgias election was rigged, massive voter fraud, call off election. Theres zero proof of that. But Death Threats have targeted the secretary of state and other state officials. It has to stop. Reporter on tuesday, gabriel sterling, georgias elections manager and another republican, angrily blamed the president. Stop inspiring people to commit acts of violence. Someones going to get hurt. Of vioorter sterling told us police now protect his house and family. If you could get the president s attention today, what would you tell him . Mr. President , you lost the state. Its time to give up the ghost. But, stop undermining peoples belief in the system. Reporter next month, georgias two republican senators, david perdue and kelly loeffler, both face runoff elections. President trump will campaign for both of them here on saturday. That worries dan eberhardt, a republican donor and strategist. Twothirds of republicans think that the Election Results are incorrect, and that is a really stormy seas for senator perdue and senator loeffler to fight upstream now. Reporter for many republicans, there was another worrisome moment today in atlanta. Two lawyers, trump allies involved with the president s unsuccessful election appeals, urged Republican Voters here to boycott next months runoffs. Why . They charge that georgias election machines are rigged. Norah. Odonnell wow, mark strassmann, thank you. Tonight, former astronaut mark kelly is the countrys newest senator. Vice president pence administered the oath of office today to the arizona democrat as the states senior senator. Kyrsten sinema held a bible. Kelly won a special election to fill the seat held by the late senator john mccain. His wife, gabby giffords, the former congresswoman who survived a 2011 assassination attempt, spent the day by her husbands side. This was a big day for American Airlines and for boeing. For the First Time Since march of 2019, passengers flew on a 737 max. The jetliner was grounded worldwide following two deadly crashes overseas. Cbs kris van cleave had a seat on todays flight. Reporter tonight, back in the air with passengers aboard. We are on an American Airlines 737 max as it takes off from dallas heading for tulsa, oklahoma. This is a demo flight. Its part of americans effort to get people comfortable with the idea of flying on a max again, but its also really the first time anyone from the public has been allowed to fly on this airplane since it was grounded 20 months ago. You can control that side. I can control this side. Reporter but first, its fleet of 24 max jets are undergoing extensive maintenance due to the prolonged grounding and required f. A. A. System upgrades. How comfortable are you flying the 737 max today . Im very comfortable. Im comfortable with the changes that have occurred. R captain petertain peter gamble flew us to tulsa. We have the computer base, but more importantly, we have the simulator training, which is really what we should have had from the beginning. Reporter the max was grounded after two deadly crashes linked to a design flaw in an antistall system killed 346 people. American will be the first u. S. Airline to resume max Service Starting december 29, in the middle of the Holiday Travel rush. Our pilots, our mechanics, our flight attendants are all comfortable. Its ready to get in the air, and theres no other reason why we would just wait and continue to hold on it. Bringing it back on a route like new york and miami at new years, thats just odd. Reporter Airline Analyst henry harteveldt. I believe American Airlines wants to get its 737 max jets in the air because they are a very costeffective airplane for the airlines. It is more financiallyrelated than customerrelated. Reporter american says it will make it very clear when someone is booking a flight on a 737 max, and if at any point they decide they want to fly on a different kind of airplane, american will let them switch with no fee. Now, when Service Resumes on the 29th, it will be just on one route, once a day miami to new york and back. York and bac norah. Odonnell kris van cleave, thank you. Now to the weather. Snow is falling tonight across the Southern Plains of texas, oklahoma, and kansas. Some areas got about a half a foot of snow, and there were numerous wipeouts on the road, while more than 40 are million americans across the central u. S. Shivered in subfreezing temperatures. Well, theres still much more news ahead on tonights cbs evening news. A dive boat captain is hit with manslaughter charges after a fiery disaster off californias coast. Pigs cant fly. Neither can snakes, turkeys, or other exotic pets after a crackdown on emotional support animals on planes. And, theyre calling it the fauci effect. Why hes getting credit for a surge in new doctors in training. Ng. I joined amazon because i wanted to change education and i am impatient. Amazon gives me the resources to change the world at a pace that i want to change it. We provide students stem scholarships and teachers with support. Im a fighter and im fighting for all students. Only natures bounty does. New immune twentyfour hour plus has longer lasting vitamin c. Plus, herbal and other immune superstars. Only from natures bounty. Whove got their eczema under control. With less eczema, you can show more skin. So roll up those sleeves. And help heal your skin from within with dupixent. Dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderatetosevere eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. Dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. Many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin, and, had significantly less itch. Dont use if youre allergic to dupixent. Serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. Tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. If you take asthma medicines, dont change or stop them without talking to your doctor. So help heal your skin from within, and talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. If your financial situation has changed, we may be able to help. If yomy gums are irritated. Has changed, i dont have to worry about that, do i . Harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line. Crest gum detoxify works below the gum line to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. Crest. Lets be honest. Quitting smoking is hard. Like, quitting every monday hard. Quitting feels so big. So try making it smaller, and youll be surprised at how easily starting small can lead to something big. Start stopping with nicorette. Odonnell tonight, the captain of a scuba diving boat that caught fire and sank in california is facing federal manslaughter charges, 34 counts, one for each of the lives lost in the disaster. Jerry boylan is accused of failing to train his crew and not having a night watchman on duty when that fire broke out. Well, tonight, theres a new rule for airline passengers. No more emotional support animals. Next year, the only Service Animals allowed on planes will be dogs, specifically trained to help people with disabilities. That rules out cats and exotic pets, including, yes, turkeys and peacocks. All right, a new, perhaps surprising accolade for dr. Anthony fauci. Hes been named one of people magazines people of the year. Dr. Fauci has been the person that people turn to throughout the pandemic. He and other medical workers tonight are now giving credit for an 18 surge in applications to medical school this year. Theyre calling it the fauci effect. All right, coming up next, from the field to the front line meet the soccer olympian who is now a doctor. Advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer can take away so muc