Once the bs fda gives the okay, nearly 6 million doses of modernas vaccine will ship nationwide. This morning, Vice President mike pence becoming the highest profile member so far of our government to get that vaccine publicly. Second lady karen pence and Surgeon General jerome adams joining the Vice President. With help on the way, were still setting new records for daily cases. More than 263,000 new cases were reported thursday alone, a near record high of almost 3,600 american lives lost. It is a dark reminder that even with these vaccines becoming available, people are still losing friends and family to this virus right now. Well start on this friday with that wait for the fda to grant the emergency use authorization for modernas vaccine. When that happens, a massive distribution effort will get under way to roll out some 20 million doses in two weeks. Nbcs tom costello has been following every twist and turn from the beginning, now following the fda approval process for us. Shaquille brewster is in the olive branch, mississippi area, outside the 300,000 square foot facility handling modernas vaccine distribution. Mr. Costello, well start with you. Take us through what happens the minute moderna is approved. Reporter we are waiting for the fda to essentially give the green line, to allow for emergency use authorization of that Moderna Vaccine. Yesterday the panel recommended approval. Just like with pfizer, its up to the fda to go ahead and approve the Moderna Vaccine. When that happens, we do expect the doses to start rolling. Importantly that 20 million stat you cited, that would include both moderna and pfizer by the end of the year. Next week we would expect the 6 million doses of the Moderna Vaccine to roll out. Lets go through a quick list of similarities between the Pfizer Vaccine and the Moderna Vaccine. They are very similar actually. Both will require two shots, the first one followed by a booster about three weeks later. They both use messenger Rna Technology which really allows them to manipulate the genetic code, if necessary, should the virus mutate. Thats a really good new technology thats in place. And also, they both have similar efficacy, about 95 . Differences are as follows, pfizer requires the ultra cold storage weve talked about before, recommended for age 16 and older. Moderna only recommended for the age of 18 and older. That is only really a matter of trying to push through the system a little faster. When youre talking about only adults, its easier to get emergency authorization. When youre talking 16 and 17yearolds, there was a hangup last week with the concern about adolescents. The bottom line is, these are both very similar vaccines, craig. Tom, states, as you know, say the amount of the Pfizer Vaccine doses, they have been promised, that amount has been cut. Pfizer says it has millions of unclaimed doses sitting in warehouses. What more can you tell us about that . Reporter ive got to say, this is a real area of confusion. You have three different stories being told. Many states are reporting that theyre not going to get the amount of vaccine next week they had been promised, 30 , 40 less than promised. The government is saying thats not true, its all going to ship out in time. Theyre also suggesting that maybe pfizer is withholding or not shipping enough vaccine. Pfizer says not true, we have a lot of vaccine sitting, ready to go, but it hasnt been ordered. Its very confusing. Nonetheless hhs secretary alex azar said its all just a big misunderstanding. The allocations are always what pfizer tells us or moderna now tells us is available and ready for shipment. Weve said this week they would have 2 million doses of pfizer available next week for allocation. Well work to clear up any misunderstanding theyve got. Its really just a miscommunication between the governors and us. Reporter we would hope to have some clarification on that today. Again, still awaiting on the fda to formally give the green light to the Moderna Vaccine. For all intents and purposes, thats a slam dunk, craig. Tom costello in bswashington thank you. Shaq, as we understand it, as soon as the fda approval comes for the Moderna Vaccine, before you are becoming the focal point of the distribution effort. Walk us through what its going to look like there. Reporter thats right, craig. All eyes will turn to a Company Called mckesson. Its the Company Moderna is relying on to distribute that vaccine and do it quickly. Mckesson has done this before. Theyre familiar with the distribution process. They deal with the annual seasonal flu vaccine, for example. They also scaled up during the h1n1 or swine flu pandemic. They say theyre ready to start this process. Moderna is promising to deliver about 20 million doses of this vaccine within the next two weeks, by the end of the year. By spring time, they say that number will go up to about 100 million doses. By summer, 200 million doses across the united states. Whenever we get that emergency use authorization from the fda, things will become very busy at this mckesson plant. Well expect to see workers turn, essentially, a big stockpile of vaccine into individual shipments. The cdc is controlling the orders that go into those shipments. Theyll decide who gets the shipments, how many vaccines and how many doses will be in each shipment. This is the difference between the pfizer and the Moderna Vaccine, here is where it comes into play, this vaccine does not require those special freezers. This is more of an Industry Standard level of freezing, talking 5 degrees farenheit to somewhere between 12 and 13 degrees below zero in terms of storage. The expectation is this will be able to go to more commonplaces. Think pharmacies, senior homes, for example, and not just those places that have those ultra cold sub arctic freezers. The idea is this will go out fairly as soon as the fda emergency use authorization comes through. Craig. All right, Shaquille Brewster in olive branch, mississippi, thank you. Thank you, tom. Lets turn to dr. Kavita patel, the former Health Policy director of the obama white house. Shes also an msnbc medical distributor. Dr. Patel, always good to have you. Lets start with this Moderna Vaccine. Can you talk about how important this will be, especially for Rural America since it doesnt have to be stored in that same ultra cold contraption as the Pfizer Vaccine . Absolutely, craig. Good to be with you. Its incredibly important. Not only does it just use regular freezer temperatures like your and my freezers at home, but it can be stored in a refrigerator for 30 days and can be out of a refrigerator for 12 hours. Craig, i work in a clinic that only has refrigerators and services lowincome communities. We can keep this vaccine and reliably deliver it. Like youre pointing out, in rural areas refrigerators are much more common than these ultra cold freezers. This can be a gamechanger. We need to get through the health workers. Im looking forward to getting mine. It will probably be the Moderna Vaccine i get. Im looking forward to getting it and also helping give it to my patients and eventually my whole family. Lets talk side effects for a moment, dr. Patel. The Moderna Vaccine reportedly showing no instances of severe allergic reaction which we have seen a couple times with the Pfizer Vaccine. There are more common side effects like sore arms, headaches, muscle pains reportedly. Whats the bottomline message that anyone who might be hesitant should know about these side effects . A couple of things. Number one, these side effects have been honestly, they are not unusual for a vaccine. Ive told people its similar in the feeling that you would get when you have a shingles vaccine or a little more than the flu vaccine. Some people when they get the flu shot, i get a sore arm, my arm hurts a couple days, i feel a little tired. Its very similar. They should not be alarmed by that. Its important to tell people, look, you might have a sore arm for a day or so, chills and fatigue, and if you have a job where you need to have your arms kind of lifting and picking up heavy things, you may need to take a couple of days off. I would tell people to plan around the vaccine, to think about those side effects, not be alarmed by them. And its actually a sign the vaccine is working, craig. Remember, this is a vaccine thats going to try to prime yourselves to build an immune response if you get covid. It doesnt prevent you from getting the virus, but prevents the virus from taking a hold in your body because its got your immune system ready. Thats a good point. We just saw Vice President pence there get the Pfizer Vaccine this morning. House speaker pelosi, Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell expected to do it all next week publicly. These sort of public displays, what do they do, dr. Patel . Are they at all important . I think they can be. Look, you mentioned the Surgeon General, dr. Jerome adams also received it with Vice President pence. Candidly, i think he will do more service because i can tell you in black and brown communities, theres still a very high level of distrust for good reason. The Trump Administration has failed many of these communities, and weve allowed for people to die at higher rates than necessary simply because of our failures as a national government. I do think these public displays can be important. I think they can also show that people that Vice President pence felt it was safe enough for himself, his wife, his family. These can be helpful, they have to be reliable and trusted figures in the community. I know in some neighborhoods, it will be the Small Business owner who is revered and loved by the community. That might be the most important public figure. So i do think we need to kind of go with a little bit of humility. Its not just going to be the Vice President or the speaker. It will be respected members of communities across the country, tribal nations, territories and Rural America as well. Dr. Kavita patel, always good to have your insight. Enjoy your weekend. If i dont see you before, merry everything. As we mentioned, the Moderna Vaccine could be a gamechanger for Rural America especially. That is especially true in parts of iowa. Once moderna shipments arrive, their rollout plan will focus on frontline workers and Nursing Homes. Nbcs Valerie Castro has made her way to Council Bluffs, iowa, where Nursing Homes have been hit especially hard. Valerie, how soon do officials there in iowa expect to start administering these vaccines . How will their plans differ from what weve seen in other larger cities this week . Reporter well, craig, the plan here is to really make this as easy as possible for both nursing home residents and staff. Theyve partnered these longterm care facilities with places like walgreens and cvs. Pharmacists from there with hand deliver these vaccines to the longterm care facilities, not only deliver them but administer them on site to staff and residents. We should note some of these facilities will be getting the Pfizer Vaccine. Others are expecting the Moderna Vaccine. For the rest of the county, the small health care facilities, the small family practices and doctors offices, potawatomi county has set up a clinic for next week. Theyre expecting, if everything goes as planned, the county is expected 1,600 doses of the Moderna Vaccine, they say 400 will be administered here on site next wednesday and thursday, the 23rd and 24th. We spoke to a woman named jennifer who works at a longterm care facility, and she told us about the anxiety hes felt, wondering every day if shell test positive while at work, possibly spreading it to the residents or the people she works with or when she gets home. We do test twice weekly, our residents and the staff. Every morning i wake up in the middle of the night in the panic, when we do do our test that morning. Is there going to be any positive positives. I put it all in gods hands and hope we can continue to take care of our residents. Reporter so jennifer will be here next week, one of the first to get vaccinated. She said shes very excited as well as coworkers and the residents she works with. Craig. Valeriecastro, Council Bluffs iowa. Weve heard for several Days Congress is close to reaching some sort of agreement on a new round of covid relief. With many poised to lose Unemployment Benefits by the end of this month, how soon could they see some help . Well get an update from the hill next. Meanwhile, the one thing that bill wont cover, funding for cashstrapped cities. The mayor of baltimore will join me to talk about why its so crucial that local governments arent left behind. In your customized view of the market. Its smarter Trading Technology for smarter trading decisions. Fidelity. Try optum perks. Its a new way to save up to 80 . And everyone can do it. Its from optum, a Health Care Company thats trusted by millions of people. You dont have to sign up for anything. Just go to optumperks. Com. And get a coupon to use at your pharmacy. Thats it. I opted in. I opted in. You can, too. Opt in and save big today. To help you build a flexible wealth plan. Youll have access to taxsmart investing strategies, and with brokerage accounts online trades are commission free. Personalized advice. Unmatched value. At fidelity, you can have both. Unmatched value. Help the world believe in holiday magic. Thing and this year was harder than ever. And yet, somehow, you all found a way to pull it off. Its not about the toys or the ornaments but about coming together. Santa, santa, youre on mute just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for believing. In a few hours House Speaker nancy pelosi will give an update on two fronts. First, the negotiations over a new round of covid relief and the midnight deadline to fund the government being the second. Nbcs Garrett Haake following the negotiations on both fronts. Hes on capitol hill on this friday. Garrett, were expecting to hear from the speaker about 2 00. At this point, what do we know about whats holding up the covid relief deal . Well, craig, we continue to hear a lot of optimism that there will be a deal, promises from leaders they wont go home until they get one, whether they have to work through the weekend. Hard life that it is for members of congress, that they will finish this relief package. Just within the last few hours, weve started to hear democrats heaping blame on republican senator pat toomey. Democrats are arguing that toomey has been fighting for a provision that would hamstring the ability of the fed to continue some emergency lending programs into next year. Democrats say this is an 11th hour addition thats not exactly right, but it is the way the language is being used here, could potentially limit what a Biden Administration could do with some of the money left over from the c. A. R. E. S. Act that the fed has been pushing out overtime. This is one of the lastminute things that sometimes comes up in negotiations like these. All i can say is the group that is writing this bill, the leadership, their top aides say they remain committed to getting it done as quickly as possible. We or out of deadlines to run through. The government funding runs out at midnight. The goal was to pass these two things together, government funding and covid relief. Its interesting to see how theyll pass a trillion dollar bill that nobody has seen yet before the clock strikes midnight tonight. Whats the latest on the effort to keep the government open . Reporter theyve got a couple of options. They could pass a shortterm extension today thats relatively easy to do, get into next week. They could split things up, pass the government funding bill and fight about covid so more or we could stumble into a shortterm shutdown we saw a couple years ago, not the long shutdown, but the rand paul shutdown where we were shut down over the weekend, not a huge disruption to the federal government. Sometimes thats what it takes to force one of these things over the finish line. Garrett haake for us on capitol hill on this friday. Garrett, thanks as always. One thing were not expecting to see in a relief package right now at least is money for state and local governments crippled by this pandemic. I want to bring in Baltimore Mayor brandon scott, just sworn in as mayor ten days ago, a democratic, in the middle of this historic Public Health crisis. Mr. Mayor, congratulations to you, first of all. You served on city council for nine years. You know the city of baltimore well. Talk to us a little bit about the financial challenges that your city is facing because of this pandemic, both for the government and for the folks who live in baltimore. Craig, thanks for having me. We know this pandemic has wreaked havoc on everyone, government and citizens alike. Weve been working