A Field Hospital activated in a Parking Garage president elect joe bidens new vaccine pledge 100 million doses in his first 100 days but warns of challenges the Army Investigation and the dramatic action taken today after a ft. Hood soldier was brutally murdered our yearlong nbc news investigation into prescriptions by mail what we found. And could it be putting lives at risk . And the disturbing new fbi warning on those ring and nest cameras. Announcer this is nbc nightly news with lester holt good evening and now it finally begins through the pain, loss, and tears of the worst days of the pandemic, tonight were now on what most experts believe is the long road back from the pandemic it starts in the uk, where the first vaccinations are under way of a clinically proven Covid Vaccine, the same vaccine that could be in use here in the u. S. Sometime this month and it comes on the day we learn that vaccine may be far more effective than we imagine. Theres a lot to cover. Lets begin with Richard Engel with the developing news from london reporter at 6 31 this morning a grandmother in a donated christmas sweater made history 90yearold Margaret Keenan became patient a, the first person in the world to receive a clinically tested and proven Covid Vaccine its fine it was fine. I wasnt nervous at all. Reporter the second recipient was 81yearold william shakespeare. No relation to the bard it could make a difference to our lives from now on, couldnt it . Reporter at around 70 hospitals across the uk today the counterattack against the coronavirus began. British officials have declared this vday, for vaccination day, evocative of the victorious ve and Vj Days Of World War Ii its been such a tough year for so many people, and it makes you proud to be british. Reporter the nurse who gave the first shot, may parsons, told me this is the start of a new chapter. People hopefully will get their normal lives back i think thats a good thing to look forward to reporter theyre starting off slowly. At this hospital alone theyre planning to do just around 100 vaccinations today but then to ramp that up to 400 vaccinations a day next week. And keep it going seven days a week. Reporter keenan, who worked in a jewelry shop up until just four years ago, is doing well. And has a message to others i say go for it go for it because its free and its the best thing thats ever happened reporter the road ahead is long, but today the uk and patient a left the starting blocks without a stumble. Richard engel, nbc news, coventry reporter im keir simmons in Wales Hard Hit by covid. Where one challenge will be reaching Vulnerable People and their caregivers this is what youll soon see in america. Small Community Centers transformed into vaccine hubs. At the back of this Basketball Court are lines of Vaccination Cubicles people are being ushered in one by one for their vaccines and then you are given this Immunization Card some patients will need reassurance they must return for a second dose. Any reservations any worries . You always have thoughts, dont you . But ive just come to the conclusion its better to have it than not to have it reporter they all get a moments rest to check for adverse reactions. Like this Frontline Doctor youve just come from a night shift. Yeah. Reporter after all the politics and the Vaccine Science finally its about the people still, tonight theyve asked us not to disclose the location of this center to prevent too many people from coming keir simmons, nbc news, wales. So things happening in the uk. And here in the u. S. An fda review suggests the Pfizer Vaccine may even be more effective than first thought as an fda Outside Panel prepares to meet thursday on whether to approve the vaccine here tom costello has more. Reporter 36 hours ahead of the outside advisory panels meeting the fda says its review of the data suggests pfizers Covid Vaccine is very promising. While Everyone Needs two shots, the vaccine was 50 effective after the first dose 95 effective after the second and effective across all age and ethnic groups, even for people with underlying conditions like obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. But will there be enough vaccine pfizer says it cant ship more doses to the u. S. Until next summer because other countries bought up supplies first the white house passed up a chance to buy more last summer because, says President Trumps former fda chief, the u. S. Was counting on six different vaccines and could not place a big bet on just one. They want to spread those bets i think theyre betting that more than one vaccines going to get authorized reporter Scott Gottlieb also on the board at pfizer. Pfizers ceo today said americans Vaccine Skepticism only undermines Public Health its been severely politicized, particularly in the u. S. That makes people confused and they dont know who to believe and what to believe. Reporter despite fewer shipments, President Trump said other Vaccine Makers will ensure every american can get vaccinated by the spring, promising he will take action if enough doses arent available. If we have any problems, we will be instituting the Defense Production Act and we will make sure that we dont have any Problems Reporter President Trump also signing an Executive Order Prioritizing Americans ahead of other countries, though its not clear how enforceable or practical that is. Lester tom costello tonight. Tom, the numbers speak to the urgency 15 million americans have now contracted the virus. The drastic increase in serious cases is overwhelming medical centers everywhere Miguel Almaguer has more reporter still too early to know if californias lockdown will help. Tonight the state is shattering a record threatening to cripple its own Health Care System nearly 11,000 Covid Hospitalizations the unfolding crisis sparing no region. The average icu at 90 capacity in states like new mexico, north dakota, rhode island, texas, and nevada. Theres definitely signs of Fatigue Reporter in reno at Renown Health theyve put beds in a Parking Garage, but what they desperately need is staff. There are requests for traveling nurses, but every hospital throughout the nation are making the same requests reporter with daily infections climbing since march the u. S. Added 1 million new cases in just the first week of december during that same span nearly 16,000 americans lost their lives. The deadliest week since april. In arizona experts warn by Christmas The State could see a humanitarian crisis. In new mexico crisis standards of care could soon be implemented, allowing providers to ration care for patients more likely to survive. We dont have a magic bullet right now. Theres a vaccine coming, which is important. But its not here yet. Reporter there is some good news doctors now know how to better treat Covid Patients, often leading to a shorter stay in the hospital lester thats certainly good to hear, miguel thank you. President elect biden pledged today to get 100 million doses of the vaccine delivered in his first 100 days as president. He said getting vaccines to most americans would be a costly challenge and he called on congress to provide the necessary funds. Separately, biden will nominate retired fourstar army general lloyd austin to be his defense secretary. The former head of u. S. Forces in the middle east would be the first africanamerican in that role. Harsh discipline today for more than a dozen u. S. Army officials at fort hood, texas after an investigation following the brutal killing of a 20yearold soldier there. Nbcs Courtney Kube has the details. Reporter tonight, in one of the biggest disciplinary actions ever taken by the army, 14 soldiers including general officers have either been fired or suspended at fort hood Officials Say they created an environment that created to Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, and even murder in my 33 years of service that was the biggest gut punch ive ever received. Weve got a problem weve got to fix reporter it comes after a review sparked by the brutal murder of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen, who went missing in april, her remains found two months later a fellow soldier, who later killed himself, believed to be involved in her death. Guillens family alleged the soldier sexually harassed her. The panel interviewed hundreds of women and blasted the culture at the base, saying leadership created a permissive environment for Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment. Guillens family praised todays actions but they say more needs to be done. We demand justice for our soldiers and justice for Vanessa Guillen and to respect our female soldiers who put their lives at Risk Reporter the Panel Offered 70 recommendations to address these issues and congress has introduced the i am Vanessa Guillen act, which would make Sexual Harassment a punishable crime in the military lester Courtney Kube tonight. Thank you. This evening the fbi has joined the investigation into the death of Casey Goodson in columbus, ohio. The 23yearold black man was fatally shot by a deputy during an encounter on friday. There are conflicting accounts of events before his death Authorities Say he was carrying a gun his family says he was carrying sandwiches. Now to our yearlong nbc news investigation. Millions receive prescriptions by mail. Many say its convenient and cost effective. But some Mail Order Pharmacy customers say theyve received everything from crushed pills to broken vials even lifesaving drugs left in extreme weather. Heres Cynthia Mcfadden with more deep breath in. Reporter sophie dean has been on medication for Cystic Fibrosis her whole life there it is there it is reporter one of those meds helps her grow the label says the medication should stay at Room Temperature, and her mother, erica, says it used to arrive with a device indicating if the medication got too hot. But when she started getting it from Express Scripts Erica says sophie started having terrible stomach aches. We noticed that her bmi was dropping and dropping reporter without Delivery Notification Erica says the medication could sit outside for hours in the heat after arriving in an unairconditioned Postal Service truck and without a Temperature Indicator erica had no way of knowing if the medication got too hot. We were told when she was two weeks old dont even keep the enzymes in the car because they wont be as effective reporter erica says she called Express Scripts, asking them to ship it differently. But was rebuffed we ship them exactly how the manufacturer ships them to us reporter is what they tell you. Is what they tell me youre not a pharmacist, maam. My response was that i dont have to be a pharmacist to read the bottle to know what the Temperature Requirement is reporter proving sophies Failing Health was due to the way her medication was delivered is nearly impossible, experts told nbc news. Nevertheless, sophie continued to get worse. Eventually getting a feeding tube i remember just laying on the floor and crying until there was a puddle of tears. Reporter but like the majority of people we spoke to, ericas Insurance Plan forced her to fill longterm maintenance prescriptions by mail or pay out of pocket what was the price of this medication . About 8,000 a month. For one medicine reporter in the course of our investigation we talked to nearly six dozen patients who use mail order pharmacies. They described a range of problems including insulin which arrived frozen or in broken vials and refrigerated Migraine Medicine that was hot to the touch its really important to keep your medications that are Room Temperature Room Temperature. That doesnt mean 90 degrees and it doesnt mean, you know, 40 degrees either reporter nbc news reached out to all 50 State Pharmacy Boards which oversee mail order pharmacies the vast majority dont have specific rules about how to ship medication saying its up to the pharmacy to ensure its done safely so this is where we actually put pills in bottles. Reporter wendy barnes is the president of Home Delivery for Express Scripts. We average about 100,000 prescriptions out of this particular Facility Reporter 100,000 prescriptions . Yes reporter barnes showed us how Express Scripts packages refrigerated medication like insulin in coolers with gel packs but said for Room Temperature medications like sophies no Special Packaging is used. Even though our investigation found that devices indicating if a package has gotten too hot or cold can cost under a dollar, Express Scripts told us they very rarely use them were very confident that weve tested the most difficult conditions that that package could endure reporter the thing i really dont understand is why a Temperature Monitor inside the package wouldnt be good for you and good for your customers. And its cheap i would never suggest that its not a bad idea its just not something that we do today. Reporter how confident can patients be that youre going to provide them with safe and effective medication i would say incredibly confident reporter Express Scripts said that when patient issues arise they work quickly to resolve them eventually, erica did get an exception allowing her to fill sophies prescriptions at a local pharmacy. And she says sophies issues then went away. But the experience still haunts her they stole a lot from us emotionally. I never got an apology. It was just too bad. Yeah she deserves more than that everyone deserves more than that. Reporter Cynthia Mcfadden, nbc news america has lost an Aviation Icon Famed test pilot chuck yeager pushed new limits of human flight, helping propel this country into the space age. 44 years after the Wright Brothers first took flight chuck yeager took flying into overdrive history was made by this aircraft. Reporter in an experimental plane dropped from a bomber, yeager rocketed into history in 1947, breaking the Sound Barrier, depicted in the movie the right stuff. For yeager all in a days work and im just lucky to come through it in one piece. And thats the way you look at is it. Reporter the West Virginia native first served as an army mechanic, then a fighter pilot, a combat ace in world war ii later as a Test Pilot Taking on more risk. People thought if you break the Sound Barrier the plane will break up chuck didnt think that would happen. Reporter an Aviation Icon who pushed faster and higher you dont look at it as being dangerous. Its something that youre sort of dedicated to and you just sort of concede the fact that thats your job and thats what youre going to do chuck yeager was 97 in 60 seconds the new fbi alert for some top Home Security cameras. How to protect your family the fbi issued a new warning on popular Home Security cams vicky nguyen on the consequences that could become deadly. Let me just put my dog Reporter Police approach this home in florida for an emergency that doesnt exist. Someone had called them and said they were my husband and said that they caught me having an affair and had murdered me. Reporter its called swatting. Someone calls in a fake emergency, so Law Enforcement sends a heavily armed strike force, often a swat team it can have deadly consequences yo, what the [ bleep ] . Hello reporter this video is part of a new twist on the dangerous prank. Hackers are now breaking into Home Security cameras connected to the internet so they can watch the swatting unfold in real time. The fbi is investigating more than a dozen cases why is the fbi so concerned . This is a major safety issue we know a lot of these devices are becoming more and more prevalent, especially as christmas is coming around reporter any device that can be accessed remotely could be vulnerable. Doorbell and web cameras, even smart toys experts say the devices are secure but hackers can take over if your user name or password are compromised. So make sure your devices firmware is updated, use a unique long complex password and twofactor authentication vicky nguyen, nbc news up next, your top vaccine questions answered soft music hey dad, im about to leave. Dont forget your hat. Good morning. How can i help . I need help connecting with my students. Behind every last minute save, ok, that works. And holiday surprise, thank you a Customer Service rep is working unseen, making it happen. And at genesys, were proud to help them help you everyday. As the u. S. Races to approve a vaccine, we know you have a lot of questions, and our medical correspondent dr. John torres is here to try to answer some of them in tonights facts over fear. And dr. John, our first question comes from Abby Gould Levine from denver, colorado who wants to ask what are the known side effects of the vaccine . In human trials the Pfizer Vaccine was generally well tolerated by volunteers that received it. Many did complain about minor side effects like an injection site reaction, fatigue and headaches and a few complained about muscle aches but these side effects usually only lasted about a day and a half and theyre typical of what you might experience from many other vaccines our next question comes from Gloria Williams in winstonsalem, North Carolina who asks, what happens if you dont get the second shot the data just released by the fda on the Pfizer Vaccine shows that after the first shot you do get some protection from the virus, but only about half of what you would get with both doses. And we arent sure how long protection from just one shot will actually last. And finally, will the vaccine be free for anyone who wants it the cdc says the vaccine will be given free of charge to all americans. However, your doctor can charge an administration fee, which may be covered by insurance lester all right very helpful, dr. Torres thanks up next, how one familys santa claus united a neighborhood. Finally, a Community Rallying around one family and a holiday tradition. Heres rehema ellis. Reporter for the third year in a row Chris Kennedy decorated his front yard to make kids smile, especially his 4yearold our original thing with even putting out black santas is so that our daughter sees herself represented in just about every way possible reporter but the holiday joy was shattered when an anonymous letter arrived objecting to his inflatable black santa. Horrified, chris read the letter on his facebook page. Please remove your Negro Santa Claus Yard Decoration you should not try to deceive children into believing that i am a negro reporter what went through you . It was anger and honestly Sadness Reporter the family worried north little rock, arkansas might be the wrong place for them then this happened i said yeah, get the biggest one you can find reporter black santas started popping up everywhere. We may have to get another one. Reporter as neighbors quickly denounced the letter it was hateful and it had nothing to do with christmas or the kind of america i want to live in it doesnt stand for what our community is about it was heartwarming and a bit overwhelming reporter and thats the true spirit of christmas rehema ellis, nbc news and thats nightly news. Thank you for watching, everyone im lester holt. Explaining the reasoning behind the stay at home order. As much as you can stay at home. We know that it works. Td state top doctor lays out the case and the numbers to support the move. The fines keep piling up. Had says hes following gods way. I respect the judge. I understand what the laws are. But theres a bigger law. The strong show of support for pastor who is refusing to shut down despite a judges order. Its a little bit easier to make it in the bay if you are a renter. My current place is 3,400 a year ago. Now its renting for 2,800. The impact on the rental market. Is that translating to the Housing Market . Good evening. Thanks for joining us. A local hospital has run out of icu beds. The number of available icu beds in Santa Clara County is dwindling fast. At one hospital its at capacity. With more than 60 Covid Patients admitted there. Well let you know how its adjusting wlt beds filling up fast. Theres a lot of frustration about this new stay at home order. Is the state really following the science and the